Staring out the barn window, I watched the overcast sky drifting overhead. It was peaceful, really. I kept a lookout for any rainbow specks, but there was no sign of her. Maybe she had today off? She probably handled the weather during the winter, too. I shifted myself in the hay, deciding that the loft was rather comfortable.
My ears twitched and rotated around to face partially behind me as I heard the conveyor start up again. This was the third test, now. So far it had been working flawlessly, much to her enthusiastic delight. Even Big Mac seemed quietly impressed by it as his sister tried heavier and heavier loads. I didn't hear anything straining, so I took that to be a good sign. She was trying a full crate on it, filled with apples this time around. Twilight sat a good half-dozen meters away, ready to try operating the lid lift from the loft.
Last night had been, well, awkward for all accounts. I'd ended up going home with Twilight again, at her insistence. I was going to stay with Rarity instead, but the lavender unicorn looked one part horrified, another guilty at my suggestion, and had specifically requested another 'chance', whatever that had fully implied. Mares were so complicated. Of course, once we got home, things were a little better for a while. She left me alone for the most part, and I just read up more on Equestrian history. Although she did ask me a few strange questions about Fluttershy. How was I supposed to know if she was acting overly strange or not? It made me wonder what they had talked about yesterday for so long.
No, the real awkwardness came when it was time to go to bed...
* * * * *
It took a certain level of finesse to brush your teeth when all you had was a hoof. They made almost everything imaginable with loop attachments for proper use without magic, of course, but it took practice to use them. This was a nightly event, however, so even I was getting better at it.
Twilight hummed as she wandered about the room outside of the bathroom. Several books were out still, and she had moved the wood samples upstairs, it had seemed. That meant the mess surrounding them had migrated alongside, and now she was busy putting books away, probably out of fear that I'd trip on them and break something.
Spike snored quietly, curled up in a loose ball in his little bed, residing at the foot of Twilight's much larger bed. I smiled over at him as I brushed. Tonight had been more pleasant than anticipated. I had expected to be grilled by Twilight upon returning, but she was overly pleasant instead. Idly, I wondered exactly what Rarity had said to her earlier. It certainly wasn't anything I had done.
Satisfied that every minute surface of my teeth was scrubbed down, I placed the toothbrush back in its spot and ran a little water into the sink to properly wash away any remnants. Twilight kept the bathroom immaculate, and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to break that trend. She gave me a warm smile upon my exit, sitting down oddly next to my makeshift bed. I hesitated slightly, wondering if I was yet to be questioned tonight after all.
"How are you feeling?" she quietly inquired, smile not faltering. While a question, that was hardly the one I had expected.
"I'm tired after today and a little sore still, but better. Or did you mean mentally?" I returned, restraining all snarkiness from my voice and trying to keep a calm, stoic expression.
Her ears lowered slightly alongside her brow, but she shook her head carefully. A moment later, after seemingly considering her words, she answered, "No, I know you're not fully recovered from everything you've been through. That's to be expected, however. I, um, regret not taking your feelings into consideration over it. Rarity opened my eyes to that."
"What did she say to you, exactly?" I finally asked, voice softening as I walked over towards the end of my bed and sat down next to the corner, a meter away from her.
"It was a lot of shouting, but I think you've guessed the most of it. She fed me my own words back about how important trust is. I kinda forgot that in my defense of my teacher, I admit," she explained, unable to meet my eyes any longer and looking down instead.
I chuckled weakly. Yeah, I really had guessed as much. Still, it wasn't entirely as predicted. "It's understandable. I mean, comparatively speaking, the amount of time spent with Celestia is an ocean to my bucket. It makes sense that she'd be a higher priority," I reasoned.
That was a mistake, it would seem. Twilight's ears dropped all the way down, eyes starting to shiver as she looked back up at me again. "No, Mender. I'm just not used to this. Please, I know trust is important. Can I have another chance?" she requested, edging closer to me suddenly. Huh? Another chance? I didn't know what she was referring to, in all honesty.
"Um, what do you mean, another chance?" I decided to just straight up ask instead of attempt to guess. A break from character for me, but there were way too many possibilities this time.
"To keep your trust in me. I know it's asking a lot at this point, but I really want you to trust me; to know that I'm not going to hurt you," the lavender unicorn expanded upon.
Her eyes locked onto mine solidly, and I couldn't look away for a moment. I wasn't so much talking about the physical pain, but the emotional when she didn't acknowledge my concerns and just passed it off as me being crazy. Still, she seemed extremely sincere, and I didn't want to mention that lest she be further hurt by the memory.
Finally, I just decided on a nod. It earned a quiet exhale as she slumped sideways onto my bed. "Thank you, Mender. It's been bothering me all day," she muttered. I bit my tongue again, not wanting to sound bitter or anything.
"You don't need to thank me, Twilight. Even if you're scary sometimes, and don't often believe me, I still really, really like you. You've done a lot for me and are really kind. I can't imagine where I'd be if it weren't for your help so far," I redirected, ending up thanking her instead, technically.
I almost chuckled at her flustered reaction and pink cheeks. "Mender. I haven't done that much, plus I've been a terrible fillyfriend," she groaned, sitting up fully again and brushing her bangs aside with her right forehoof.
I snickered before reaching forward and straightening the side of her mane for her. She watched me, expression softening before she smiled. "Well, I'd like to make it up to you, regardless. I also promised you some more experimentation earlier, if you're up for it," she suggested, surprising me by running her left hoof along the top of my bed while smirking.
My brain did a flip inside of my skull as it suddenly became my turn to blush. Wait, what?! "What brought this on?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice.
She momentarily looked delighted in my reaction before shaking her head rapidly. "Again, I want to make it up to you. I was also reading up on a few kissing techniques that I would like to test. Thoroughly."
There was a long, awkward moment as I broke eye contact with her, face now beat red as I stared at her hoof on the bed. Oh, how I wanted to, I suddenly realized. Warm, fluttering sensations were filling my stomach as I considered it. Still, something didn't feel right about accepting her offer. Then it suddenly dawned on me.
"I don't think I'm comfortable with applying some part of the relationship as a reward or payment. It feels wrong, I guess," I tried to reason. I was paying her in forgiveness instead of bits.
Her eyes widened significantly, and I realized she hadn't anticipated a negative answer. She hesitated, then gasped further and covered her mouth with her free hoof. "Oh! I hadn't even realized it could be taken like that! I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to buy your forgiveness as much as simply trying to say that I was sorry. But you're right, of course. It should probably be split into two separate aspects. Maybe we can experiment tomorrow night instead," she offered.
I contemplated the fact that I'd just technically ruined my chances at what I had really wanted, but decided a moment later that it was indeed for the best. I wanted to embrace her because she wanted me there, not because she felt guilty. I managed a smile and nod, which seemed to relieve her further.
"Honestly, I'm surprised. I saw the look you gave the bed right after I suggested it," she added before I could say anything. There was a certain amused tone to her voice that I didn't feel like placing.
I averted my gaze as rapidly as possible, causing the mare to giggle in amusement. It was a whimsical, adorable noise that I decided I really should hear more often. "Ah, you caught me. Trust me, I just suggested exactly what I didn't want to do," I admitted, blushing again. Dang. The heat had just died down, too. Still, I had a feeling she'd appreciate the honesty.
Instead of being annoyed, she looked further amused instead, with just a hinting of relief. "Well, I'm glad that you're definitely interested in me. I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject to try to improve myself, but this is really different from anything I've studied up on before. There's not exactly a lot of concrete data," she complained, sighing wearily and glaring over at her personal bookshelf on the other wall.
I tried not to laugh. "Maybe you should just ask me instead? I know that I've never done this before, but if we're testing compatibilities, it would make sense that the best source of likes and dislikes would be the other pony," I pointed out, smiling gently towards her.
She seemed to consider it for a moment before smirking again and nodding. "Interestingly enough, that's what most of the books said, too. I guess it really is a good idea, then," she agreed. I was suddenly glad the books supported me. Celestia forbid that the books suggest covering me in tar and feathers before lighting me on fire...
"Well again, you can ask me anything you want. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities," I promised before yawning tiredly. She stepped aside as I idly climbed up onto my bed before flopping over. Well, technically it was Applejack's bed, but that sounded wrong when I mentally said it. Rainbow would kill me if I climbed into the farm mare's bed! Actually, there was a long list of ponies that would kill me should that happen. I was in the same room as one of them, too.
Twilight oddly didn't move away and just gave me a curious, thoughtful looking gaze as I settled myself in. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she pointed out instead, "You're technically my coltfriend now. That gives you obvious privileges, you know. You don't truly have to sleep there, alone, if you don't want to."
Oh.
* * * * *
Like I said, last night had been intensely awkward. Regardless, she definitely got the point across that she was willing to open up more to me. I tried to gauge my own opinion on the aspect, but in all honesty, I didn't know what to think about it. I knew next to nothing about Equestrian 'Dating' or relationships, so I didn't know what to expect, or what was expected of me. It was a little frustrating.
"It's a sound success, Mender! It has no problem with three full apple crates," Twilight suddenly announced, sounding as if projecting it in my direction. I snapped out of it and smiled back at her, nodding. I'd have felt like a total idiot if it had broken on the trial run, of course. If there was anything I had any confidence in, it was my engineering capacity.
"Darn tootin', it worked! This is gonna be right nice come packagin' time. Fer once, we won't need ta recruit ah ton o' help, which is gonna save ah lotta bits!" I heard Applejack exclaim from under me somewhere. She sounded significantly pleased, so I took the job as completed to her satisfaction.
The conveyor slowly came to a stop as the large, red stallion let out a sharp, "Eeyup!" I got to the edge of the loft in time to see him hop off the tread, not even looking winded. Damn. He just powered the conveyors for almost an hour and he wasn't even sweating. My ego plummeted as I realized just how out of shape I was.
If Applejack or Twilight noticed my crestfallen expression, they didn't say anything. The farm mare stretched next to the side of the conveyor before giving a brisk nod as she examined it. "This is one nice piece o' equipment! We'll need ta get tha gals out 'ere again ta see what they helped create," she observed, sounding happy indeed. I couldn't stay glum knowing she was so happy with the results, and quietly smiled instead.
"I think Mender deserves some credit, too," Twilight spoke up, giving me a start as I suddenly realized she was right next to me, sitting down.
Applejack didn't even hesitate before looking up at us and nodding, still grinning from ear to ear. "Ah reckon yer right, Twi. If ya give me ah little bit, Ah can get his pay ready. Ah don't keep that much on hoof, ya know?" she offered, shifting to a simple smile instead. That, in turn, shifted to a raised eyebrow and head shake as she saw my ears drop again.
"You can just give anything I earned after the rent for your cot to Twilight. I'm sure it isn't more than what room and board would be," I groaned, lowering my head again. It wasn't just awkwardness, but almost a sense of shame from leeching off these wonderful ponies so much.
"Mender, you worked really hard for this. You deserve something in return," Twilight stubbornly protested, turning towards me more fully.
Sighing, I shook my head before admitting, "I just wanted to be useful. I wanted to help, so maybe you and the others would think more highly of me." Or at least give me the benefit of the doubt, I suppose. I'd never had friends before, and was rapidly realizing how much it hurt when they thought you were totally off your rocker.
Twilight bit her lower lip before gently pushing into me and wrapping her forehooves around my shoulders. She was quiet, however, and didn't appear to know what to say.
"Ah know we got off on tha wrong hoof, Mender. Knowin' what Ah do now, Ah know why, o' course. After all this, an' yer right proper attitude all 'round, Ah do think highly o' ya," Applejack spoke up, wandering closer to the edge of the loft and looking up at me fully now.
I sighed, but nodded. "Then keep your bits. Take all this as my honest apology for scaring you and acting so creepy when we first met. I want to be useful to you mares, and this is a good start for repaying all the kindness," I explained openly. It had been bugging me since she had insisted on paying me, and it was good to finally get it off my chest.
The orange mare's ears flattened back and she frowned, however. Her mouth opened to say something when a red furred hoof rested down gently on her shoulder. "Let it be, AJ," Big Mac spoke simply, yet strongly. She glanced over at him, eyes darting back and forth in mild confusion before locking with his. A second passed before she gave a frustrated clicking sound and shook her head, glancing back up at me.
"Yer right stubborn, you stallions! But Ah suppose Ah can be, too. Fine. Yer ah darn good guy, though, an' Ah'm gonna tell everypony Ah can about yer skills. Ah have ah feelin' yer gonna earn quite ah lot o' bits with yer talents! At least accept ah good meal fer yer time, though. Twi's invited too," Applejack finally gave in, gesturing towards Twilight as she did so.
Twilight groaned, raising her head off my shoulder to look at her friend below. "I'm not sure, Applejack. I might pop if I try another one of your home cooked meals." Whoa. I suddenly got a mental image of Twilight swelled up like a balloon, barely able to move, and tried not to snicker. Snickering would lead to me having to explain what was funny, which in turn would probably get me a fast ticket down from the loft.
Applejack grinned up at her before nodding. "Ah'm serious, though. On all accounts. Word o' mouth is real strong around these parts. Yer magic an' skills are real convenient, ya have ta admit," she repeated, shifting her gaze back to me instead.
"Um, I'm not sure of what use other ponies would have for technical things, but I'll help where needed," I assured, trying my best to smile for the farm mare.
She rolled her eyes of course. "Ah don't think yer gonna be so lucky as ta escape without pay again. That goes fer anymore work ya do fer me, too, Ah hope ya know," she warned, eyes dancing in amusement.
"He's not going to escape getting rewarded, regardless, don't worry," Twilight assured, making me blatantly aware that she was still holding onto me. I blushed, but she just kissed my cheek and grinned, eyelids lowering a little. There was something about her expression that made my heartbeat suddenly pick up, and I swallowed.
"Whoa! Ah reckon that's darn good incentive, regardless. Careful Rare don't gossip on ya'all, though," the country mare teased, tossing a wink to both of us.
Twilight snickered and nodded before tipping us sideways off the loft. It caught me totally by surprise, and I just started to inhale in shock when her magic gently caught us both and we drifted to the floor. Neither Applejack nor Big Mac so much as batted an eye at the display, which probably shouldn't have surprised me. Magic really was commonplace in Equestria, after all.
"Yer welcome ta help out on tha farm as well, when ya want. Ya mentioned wantin' ta get back inta shape, an' apple buckin' would do ya real good. Ah wouldn't turn down one o' them magic massages at tha end o' tha day, either," she added upon us fully settling on the ground. Oh yeah, I had wanted to get back into shape again. If it helped my magic improve, I was all for it.
Twilight's ears perked at the admission, though. "Magic massage? What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
"Hoo boy! Yer coltfriend is right good with his hooves! Adds magic ta tha touch, gettin' in real deep and tweakin' tha muscles with heat an' shakin'. It felt like ah slice o' paradise!" Applejack revealed, closing her eyes and releasing a pleased clicking sound as she seemingly remembered when I'd used it before.
Twilight rose an eyebrow and glanced over at me, curiously. I swallowed and rapidly shook my head. "Her shoulder was sore after working on the conveyor last night, so I just gave it a little rub," I assured, just in case she was suspecting me of anything.
She laughed instead, however. "I trust you, Mender. Actually, I was thinking of asking for a sample when we got back to the library," she informed, smiling warmly instead. My heart skipped a beat and I felt heat grow in my chest when she said that. Maybe things really were taking a turn for the better?
"Darn tootin'. Ah know ya wouldn't cheat on yer mare. Or mares, as tha case may be," Applejack chipped in, voice dripping with mirth. I blushed and gave her a deadpan stare, causing her to burst out into hearty laughter. I couldn't keep up the stoic expression, and snickered myself at her rather contagious display. I started to notice that all six friends had different mannerisms to almost everything they did. Twilight was more prone to quiet giggles and smirks, whereas Applejack just openly and honestly laughed when she felt like it. Both were appealing in their own way, and I started to really appreciate all the differences between them.
"Well, Mender and I will probably stop by tomorrow before the trip. We'll be gone for a few days, so we have to say our goodbyes before leaving. For now, however, we need to get back home and pack," Twilight reminded gently, nodding back to her friend who finally composed herself. Big Mac stretched in the background before swapping out yokes that hung on the side of the barn wall. There appeared to be a lot of variations of them, probably for different purposes.
"You have to pack, anyway. I don't own anything yet, remember?" I added, giving her a skeptical yet amused glance.
Twilight rolled her eyes and gave me a light shove before smirking again. "I'm still going to pack things for you. I figure the three of us will largely be hanging out together anyway once Rarity gets done with her show and socializing," Twilight reasoned, quickly catching me in her magic as I tipped over from her shove, unable to re-balance myself upright.
"Iffin that don't take her all night, anyway. Ya know how she likes ta schmooze with tha frou-frou crowd," Applejack warned, rolling her eyes yet retaining the smile. Nopony batted an eye when I tipped over either, I noticed. Twilight didn't even glance my way before catching me. Did that technically mean that my blundering was more commonplace than magic?
Twilight let out a light giggle before nodding and standing again. "I'll try to keep her on a tight leash. You two take care, of course. We'll see you tomorrow before we leave," she assured yet again. I took my cue to stand up again, shakily making sure I remained balanced this time.
"Good. Ah'll hold ya ta yer word, o' course. Take it easy, then, an' have fun with that 'reward' later, ya'll," Applejack returned, throwing a wink in at me as I blushed once again. Twilight took it in stride this time and just smirked before hauling me back towards the barn door with a series of nudges.
"Oh, we will. Don't worry," she tossed back as we left the barn. What had I gotten myself into?
* * * * *
Reality continued to surprise me, however. I stretched gently as I watched Twilight dance from shelf to shelf, peeking through each one's contents. Occasionally she'd levitate an item or two down into the third bag we'd packed. Regardless, I simply sat there, watching her while holding the bag open with my forehoof.
The room was dimly lit by now, the sun having sunk below the horizon about an hour ago. Eight o'clock, maybe? Twilight had instead insisted on getting to work on the wood samples when we got back to the library, rather than any prior hinting of 'experimentation' she had mentioned. This caused mixed feelings of both relief and disappointment in me, surprisingly. I guess I always got so anxious when she started acting like that. I started second guessing my own actions.
A pleasant aroma drifted into my nose from the kitchen as Twilight lightly hummed. Spike was making supper, I knew, and I had been relieved of my active kitchen duty by him at the moment. Well, when I refer to 'relieved', I actually meant conscripted by Twilight instead. Apparently she can't hold the bag open and still focus intently on fretting over what to pack. Of course, I just got a stiff glare when I mentioned she might be overdoing the whole preparation thing.
Not that it mattered. The scenery was infinitely better in here, and I didn't have to be concerned about lopping off a hoof and adding it to the meal at any point. My eyes traced over Twilight as she worked, earning warm butterflies in the rest of my body at each movement they caught. She was absolutely gorgeous and she didn't even try to be. Maybe it was just my perspective, but I certainly didn't mind just watching her pack things. I might be a little biased, but at least I knew I wasn't the only one who would think that way. It was surprising to realize that Fluttershy definitely liked Twilight as well, but I saw her reasons easily enough. Not that feelings like these really needed a reason in the first place.
The lavender unicorn glanced back at me again after dropping yet another item into the bag. Her gaze caught my own once more, and she immediately blushed; a light shade shift that was almost imperceptible in the dim light. She let out a light, groaning sound and looked away slightly.
"I know I said that I don't mind you looking, but I think I'd actually find it easier if I caught you eyeing my flanks instead, or something, " she muttered in a somewhat pointed fashion. I chuckled in amusement.
"Well, they're very nice flanks, I agree, but I like a whole lot more than just them," I reminded, sticking out my tongue afterwards.
She smirked at my impish reply and expression and relaxed a little. "Your flattery only works because I know you're honest. Most would get a magical boot to their flanks instead if they'd said that," she warned, snickering a little herself.
I coughed lightly, painfully aware of how popular she was and not needing the reminder. "Oh, I know. I'd be the first to wallop them," I agreed, keeping a close check on the wicked green monster that was busy snarling inside of me.
Twilight's smile softened and she nodded, adding, "A little possessiveness is a good thing in a relationship, I feel. The books I've read on the matter warn to not let it go too far, but I don't think you're anywhere near that." The statement was accompanied by her shifting closer and softly brushing her cheeks against my own. The heat drifted into my face again, and I looked down. It still surprised me that Twilight herself wanted that kind of attention from me. She could probably have any stallion she wanted, too. Still, I was too close now to treat her as anything other than just Twilight. She'd been introduced to me not as a national hero and student of the practical goddess ruler, but just as a skilled magic user and kind mare. First impressions stuck hard. She didn't appear to mind, however.
"I feel kind of badly that I have all of this packing to do, but you don't have anything," she muttered, breaking me out of my contemplation a few moments later.
I raised an eyebrow before the impish smirk returned. "I'm telling you, you probably barely need half of this stuff."
As predicted, she shot me a dirty looks before visibly scoffing. "I must be prepared, no matter what. I might be called upon to do practically anything, so it helps to be ready. I might need to help organize or set up for the party, even," she reasoned, flailing her forelegs up and about as if partially panicking already.
I averted my eyes and coughed. Of course, I could practically feel her piercing glare bore a hole through my head. "So the telescope and orrery are going to help with that?" I inquired curiously, if not a little sardonic in tone.
"Those are for entertainment after the party!" she defended sharply after a moment's hesitation.
"Didn't you say that about the mortar, pestle, and alembic, too?" I reminded, raising an eyebrow towards her incredulously.
Twilight gave me a frustrated, pouting stare before I started laughing and she flailed at me. "Oh, you! You're so frustrating sometimes. Fine, I'll leave the telescope and orrery here, but I absolutely cannot afford to leave behind my alchemical equipment," she insisted.
I shielded my face from her flurry of playful swats with a foreleg while continuing to snicker. "All right, all right. Princess Twilight wins. Your loyal servant shall carry your alchemy supplies along as well," I conceded in as theatrical a manner as I could muster. Of course, it was just to poke a little more playful fun at her.
Twilight gave me a curious raised eyebrow before a smile danced onto her expression. "That's Princess Twilight Sparkle, thou must remember. We must be addressed properly," she insisted a moment later, playing along with it and shifting to a strangely familiar speaking mannerism.
I tried not to laugh, and continued along with, "Many apologies, my Princess. Is there anything this humble servant could do to earn forgiveness?"
"Pending any further transgressions, we have already forgiven thou. However," she began, before her eyelids lowered a little and that grin returned. Uh oh.
I found myself on my back before I could say anything. Apparently, one needs a certain threshold of air in one's lungs in order to properly formulate vocal noises! It was a fascinating discovery. Learned at the same time was the fact that for kissing, one definitely did not require that same threshold.
Twilight broke contact a few seconds later, her lips still hovering over mine and a light flush on her cheeks still. "If thou keeps being so adorable, surely we can spare a pleasant reward," she followed up, assuming from her prior sentence.
Okay, now she was just screwing with my head. I rolled my eyes while smiling still before reminding, "Surely, Princess Twilight Sparkle remembers that she shall be very busy with her duties all night and won't have time for such."
Her eyes lit up with amusement as I continued. Suddenly, I started to question just how much she was enjoying this verbal exchange. It didn't help that she was pressed right up against me, chest to chest. Focus, Mender!
"We shan't be busy all night, of course. Much, hmm, rewarding shall be done upon retiring for the evening with thou,”Twilight informed before slowly starting to inch closer. “All. Alone. Together." My breathing caught as I felt hers gently against my chin. She was just teasing me again! Why did she like doing this so much? Regardless, I kept forcing myself to remember that.
I started to playfully scoff and resume the acting, regardless of how my blazing cheeks probably shifted me out of character. She interrupted further, however, by ducking down suddenly and pressing a heated kiss directly to the side of my neck.
My eyes flew open in shock at the same time my body locked up at the new, entirely unexpected sensation! It was like a light switch got turned on, and I was suddenly all too aware of all the intermingling fur between our bodies. She was so soft and warm that I couldn't help but lift my forelegs up and wrap them around her back, pulling her closer against me. Her kiss pushed higher up my neck, and she added a light lick before lifting her head up again, smiling down at me with a victorious grin.
"Oooh, someone has a sensitive neck. I'll have to remember that," she observed slyly, causing me to swallow. I couldn't manage to say anything as I just stared up at her in shock, cheeks feeling like they could fry eggs if given the chance.
"I can still hear you, ya know!" was suddenly shouted from the direction of the kitchen. Twilight's mischievous grin melted into embarrassed shock in less than a heartbeat. I coughed lightly, seemingly reminding her that I was still here and currently underneath of her. She gave a guilty smile and awkwardly stumbled sideways off of me, trying to untangle her legs from mine. I fought down stirring feelings and managed to get onto my hooves again, unable to push back the blush.
"Ah, we should probably keep packing up," she finally excused awkwardly almost ten seconds later. That might not seem like a lot, but when blushing furiously in a supposedly active conversation, it's an eternity!
Sighing, I nodded weakly and stood up fully again, feeling my back legs crack in a somewhat pleasant manner. "We've almost got everything packed now. Can you get the drawings and notes I made about the wood samples as well? They're in the sample cabinet over there," she requested, gesturing with a hoof before peeking over the shelf in front of her, gathering up what appeared to be official papers. Oh yeah, she had wanted to present her findings to Princess Celestia the day after the party. She had indeed been working hard on it, not that I thought whatever it was in the forest was still around at this point.
I wandered over to a series of three wooden cabinets, all in a row. She sure kept a lot of samples. Pity she didn't specify which one the wood notes were in. I mentally decided that was also on my list of things I'd never thought I'd be looking for. Notes on blocks of wood. Mentally shrugging, I just decided to metaphorically bite the bullet and opened the first cabinet closest to me.
The moment of peace and tranquility before utter horror sets in just serves to make the effect worse. Maybe it was because I wasn't expecting to panic so suddenly, or maybe it was the mundane outer appearance of the cabinet that threw me into a false sense of security. Regardless, my eyes widened and almost popped free of my skull after I opened the first cabinet and came face to face with three hellish rocks straight out of my nightmares.
My first distinct thought while stumbling backwards and falling away from the cabinet was wondering why she had kept them. After what they had almost done to both myself and two of her closest friends, the rational solution would have been to find a place that could obliterate them. A lava flow or tectonic shift came to mind almost immediately. So why were they here, in an unassuming cabinet all of thirty feet from where I slept at night?!
"Mender?!" Twilight asked immediately upon hearing the crashing noise of me tripping over my own hooves and landing on my back. I rolled once and slid to my hooves again, carefully lowering myself against the direction of the rocks, ready to dodge in case any eldritch tentacle lashed out at me or something. There was no movement from them at all, however. I distinctly noticed that the shifting, distorting effect that had given me a headache when I looked at them the first time was also absent.
Twilight moved into my vision and quietly closed the cabinet again, not meeting my gaze. She hastily opened the third cabinet instead and pulled out a stack of paper notes. That was it? She was just going to stash them away and pretend I hadn't seen them? She knew exactly what I'd seen in there.
"Twilight," I warned, eyes narrowing a little as I stared at her.
She halted, sighing before putting the papers into the folder she was still holding. "I know. I said I got rid of them," she admitted, lowering her head before looking back over at me in a guilty manner. It had been discussed prior, after they'd finally caught me up as to what happened after I lost consciousness. She told me they had deactivated after the explosion and she'd disposed of them.
"Why?" I asked, relaxing a little bit. A part of me expected the cabinet to burst open again, pulling us all into the inky darkness no matter how much we screamed.
She still refused to meet my gaze. "They're important, Mender. If something like that happens again, having samples might be the only thing that stops disaster," she defended, distinctly interested in her right forehoof.
I exhaled quietly, finally deciding that she had only half lied. They certainly didn't look the same as they had, so maybe they truly were deactivated? The cold sensation slipped into me again as I remembered the feeling of having one of their tendrils attached to my chest. It was so cold that it burned, creeping into my body as it tore through tissue and wormed its way into my very being. The worst part was knowing what it actually was; a hole in reality going back through to the very place I so wanted to avoid. I doubted any living thing would survive the transfer via that method, however.
Regardless, I finally gave up. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal, I guess. If they were deactivated, they were only rocks. Sighing, I nodded to her and lowered my head. There was nothing I could do, anyway. I could hardly force her to get rid of them. This was her house and they were technically her property, after all. My ears twitched and I frowned, remembering that I technically didn't have any property in the first place.
"Mender, are you okay? I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth. I didn't think you'd understand my wanting to keep them," she apologized, edging closer to me carefully. I held my ground and didn't shrink back this time as best I could. Surprisingly, she smiled and edged closer yet before gently pecking me on the forehead. "Thank you, Mender. I'm not going to hurt you."
She'd said it before, but I guess it was just a matter of convincing myself of it now. "I know, Twilight. It just surprised me, is all," I muttered slowly, looking back up at her again, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to say. Thankfully, Spike saved me the awkwardness.
"Hey you two! Dinner is ready," the little dragon called out from the kitchen and dining room area. Twilight peeked past me towards the sound of his voice before nodding and smiling further. I took my cue and turned around, heading towards the glowing doorway that led to the fully lit kitchen. It was always so much more peaceful at night, I decided. Hoof steps slowly followed me, indicating my fillyfriend was coming along too. That still felt weird to even think about.
Spike had produced a rather simplistic dinner obviously made for three ponies. Well, two ponies and a drake? I didn't exactly know what to call him. Regardless, it was more than pleasant, even if I was the last one to finish eating. It was a mistake to attempt to learn how to use the utensil loops for my hoof, I decided. Twilight's magic and Spike's opposable thumbs easily beat my clumsy attempts at eating using just my hooves. Twilight even choked back a couple giggles after I poked myself in the muzzle with the fork the second time. Who knew spaghetti could be so frustrating to eat?!
By the time I finished, Twilight had migrated to finishing up the packing, and Spike was already washing the dishes. He was more than a little surprised when instead of just dropping my plate in with the rest, I set it in and proceeded to help him clean everything that was left. He was an earnest little guy, that much was for sure. I felt bad that he worked by himself all the time, though.
It took us another ten minutes or so to finish drying the dishes, and I saw his eyes starting to slowly droop by the time he put the last one away. Admittedly, I had no idea where to put them once they were dried. "Getting a little sleepy there, Spike?" I asked in amusement, obviously already knowing the answer.
He sighed and nodded before smiling warmly again. "Yeah. It's almost my bedtime. But thanks to you, I got that last chore done twenty minutes early and can get some extra sleep tonight!" he exclaimed, sounding as if he were a little kid in a candy factory.
I snickered as he wobbled and tried to get off the counter. In order to reach the upper cabinets, he had to climb up and stand on the counter surface. Afraid he was going to fall, I walked up next to the counter, right where he was set to get down. He gave me a happy nod before stepping down onto my back instead and flopping forwards. He was still light as a feather, even after eating, so I proceeded out of the kitchen and towards the stairs up to the loft. Twilight, who was sitting on the couch and sorting her bags, smiled up at me escorting the sleepy dragon and nodded in approval. I perked and gave a single nod back before slowly making my way up the stairs, careful to watch where each of my hooves were going. Now that would have been ironic. I was worried he'd hurt himself so I carry him up the stairs, only to trip and fall down it myself; both of us ending up in the hospital.
Thankfully I made it safely to the loft and deposited him near the bathroom door. "Thanks, Mender. You're so, uh, totally awesome. Yeah, that's it," he thanked sleepily, seeming to struggle with his words.
"Don't worry about it, Spike. Just brush your teeth and enjoy the extra sleep time," I waived off, smiling pleasantly at him. I was kind of glad he was taking Twilight and I so well, actually. Making myself useful around the house was one way to ease any transition time as well. Plus, he seemed seriously overworked, and I liked helping the little guy.
He grinned and saluted me before turning and promptly running straight into the yet closed door. I winced as the wood shook and he stumbled backwards slightly. "Ow! Uh, that was just a fluke. I'm fine!" he rapidly informed before quickly reaching up and turning the doorknob this time. I fought back any snickering as he rapidly ducked inside and closed the door again without making eye contact. Poor little guy.
I decided to keep it my secret and headed back downstairs. Twilight sat the last bag down on the floor at the base of the couch before looking back up at me, smiling again. She seemed really happy tonight, which was definitely a good thing. After how awkward yesterday had been, I figured her transition to pleasant moods would have been a more involved process.
"Spike getting ready for bed, then?" she inquired as I sat down on the other end of the couch from her, circling once on the cushion before flopping over onto my right flank.
I stretched before giving another brief nod, adding, "Yeah, he's brushing his teeth, then turning in early. He did look really tired."
"He works really hard on all of his chores. I'm really thankful for such a dutiful and proper assistant. That's why he's number one," she explained, closing her eyes and giving a cute head nod as if to agree with herself. She really did seem to appreciate him, plus he seemed more than happy with his position. With that, I decided all was indeed well.
"Still, I'm really glad that you're helping him so much. I worry a lot that he tries to do too much by himself," she admitted a moment later, causing my chest to warm up a little bit. Yeah, she honestly did care about him. A lot. That made me feel a little better about things.
"He really is like a little brother to you, isn't he?" I asked, smiling at her from across the middle cushion that separated us. The urge to slide over and hug her was still there, but I didn't want to take a risk and destroy her good mood.
Twilight nodded pleasantly before looking over at the crackling fireplace instead. "I've been with him since he hatched. He knows I'm not his Mother, obviously, but I'm somewhere between his sister and surrogate mother instead. I'm glad you two have been getting along so well. You'll be spending a lot of time here, obviously, and I was a little nervous," she admitted, frowning.
We thought fairly alike on that topic, then. "Well, things are working out all right. Does this mean I shouldn't plan on getting my own place in the future?" I questioned, smiling again.
As predicted, that drew her attention back to me, wearing a frown. It disappeared when she saw my smirk, and she rolled her eyes, chuckling. "I wouldn't let you leave even if you wanted to. Now that I have the extra company, going back to just the two of us here would be really depressing," she informed, getting that impish grin again.
I coughed and averted my eyes, earning a snicker. Twilight rolled her eyes before adding, "Oh relax. I just don't want you to leave. We can obviously keep separate beds. I suggest getting an actual one soon, however. Applejack will probably want her cot back eventually."
"Heh, don't remind me. I really do want to earn things for myself, don't worry," I assured, lowering my ears are little.
She didn't falter and scooted over a little, resting her forehead and horn against my right shoulder. "I know. You're a good stallion. Part of me was afraid of the relationship thing because I was worried about expectations and being controlled, not just because it's new and unfamiliar. I should have known better, of course," she revealed, pushing a little harder with her snout.
Sighing, I wrapped a foreleg over her shoulder softly, needlessly assuring, "You know I'd never do that. I just want you to be happy. Fillyfriend is just a convenient label. It doesn't come with any particular duties or requirements apart from just being you." That much I didn't need to learn about dating. Sure, the terms were new, but my sense of integrity wasn't.
She nodded against me gently before raising her head up again and pecking my cheek. "I know that now. I'm way more comfortable with this than I was before. It's just like being friends, only, um, closer," she tried to explain, tracing her free right hoof in a simple triangle on my chest. Of course. Most would use circle patterns to their movements. Twilight, however, uses perfectly formed, one hundred and eighty degree triangles.
"A lot closer," I agreed before placing a kiss right above her horn. She made a murmur as her horn lit up to my touch, shuddering after I withdrew. Well that was an interesting reaction. Was her horn sensitive or something? I had assumed it was just bone with a light layer of skin over it. She swallowed and shivered slightly.
"Mmm, easy there. I'm, uh, actually a little tired tonight. Do you think we could hold off on the 'reward' thing until tomorrow night?" she requested softly, opening her eyes finally and looking up at me.
I raised an eyebrow, but shook my head, ignoring the sudden pang in my chest. "Twilight, I had figured you were just joking anyway. Of course we can just go to bed," I pointed out, unsure of why she was insisting on rewarding me to begin with. Her expression suddenly made me uncomfortable and I couldn't help but look away.
I saw her ears flatten back out of the corner of my eye. "Of course I want to reward you for doing such an amazing job helping out my friends. It's kind of a reward for me, too. Um, I'm just, well, tired tonight," she furthered, lowering her head a little. I nodded absently, eyes drifting carefully to the cabinet again.
"Come on, Mender. Let's go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow. We can enjoy each other's company tomorrow night when it's just us in my castle room," she reminded, standing up and sliding off the couch.
My mind drifted back to her before I gave her another nod and stood as well. Ultimately, I wasn't looking forward to the crowds and stuffy suit Rarity had no doubt finished by now. I'd be happy when tomorrow night was over, I had a feeling.
Dawdling slightly as I went after Twilight, I gave the cabinet one last uneasy stare before scampering up the stairs.
Yay, the D'awwwwwwws!!!!!
Awesome chapter X 10!!!!!!!!
Keep up the good work!
Absolutely nothing went wrong for Mender this chapter other than a minor freakout. The optimist in me hopes that things will continue to go well for him, but the other 95% thinks that this is just the calm b4 the storm for our protagonist.
In other words Mender, run. Now!
He should have had a worse reaction to the stones, Twilight asked for another chance for his trust and then admits that she blatantly lied to him about getting arid of them, if she lies about something so important how can you trust her in your day to day life. She also lied about telling nopony about what she saw during the memory spell when she told Celestia, and let the other girls spy on them when she was asking personal questions, only to call him a liar and crazy when he tells her about the connection that he had proof for. I don't see why he trust her at all she obviously does not trust him and holds no qualms about betraying his, and expecting him to always come back to her at the end of each fight.
You're spoiling us with all the d'aww, you.. (please don't stop though)
But... One thing... Did they sleep together in Twi's bed? I don't think it was actually ever mentioned. Or maybe I just missed it...
Waiting for this update felt like forever because of the two chapter-updates last week, but it was definitely worth it
Thanks again for brightening my week!
Brilliant chapter. Hats off to you author!
Mender had a good day! And we all know what that means...
He's going to have a horrible day next.
Good chapter. And yay, more TwiMender cuddles
Those two are absolutely adorable together.
No physical injury and only minor mental trauma, today was a good day for Mender.
I'm starting to get the feeling that his bad luck is contagious.
hmm, I'd imagine the girls on the other side would interested in talking to him again soon, unless they are actually going to wait for his signal.
Hopefully that suit rarity made has airbags installed, cause he is gonna have a rough ride
Maybe she's just felling..............horny?
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And get rid of the bloody rocks!!!
2452216 That was terrible, you should feel terrible.
My reaction after I realize I no longer have anything left to read in the chapter.
Keep up the GREAT work!
Plenty of Twi Mender cuddles indeed
Also it seems mender had a rather pleasant day today
hmmm...
Best sleep with a helmet
This chapter just made me smile almost all the way through. Well placed humour, but above that, just great, adorable moments between Twi and Mender. Brings back memories of my own.
Keep up the great (and powerful!) work!
Next week in forgiveness pending. Will Mender ping Keela during his sleep? How will the party go? Will Mender finally get some? Tune in next time to find out, probably!
2452216 In regards to the pun, i was hoping the Ba Dum Tish was used rather than the YEAH! but ether way still, sad trombone is sad. In other news, you can't get rid of plot items. Haven't you played any RPGs?
Totally irrelevant but.. I just watched Cry play the last of Bioshock Infinite.. I need to rethink my everything.. Also great chapter
Wait a minute.... Mender hasn't been hit even once during this chapter...
Just what are you planning mister author?
You seemed to have spelled "with benefits" wrong.
Ho ho! I jest. I jest.
Really though, neat chapter. Loved all the saucy and tender moments we had in this chapter. It was nice to see Mender trusting Twilight and not letting his paranoia get the better of him and taint his time spent with her. I'm so looking forward to the party that he'll be attending with Rarity ^.^. I'm sure that's going to be a hoot to read.
~Have a good one.
Plenty of touching stuff between Mender and Twi. Me likey.
2453377 Something insidious, I'm sure. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Jeebus, Mender hasn't even scored yet and he's already getting the 'honey I have a headache' routine,
Also...
Dammit Kiro; you made me hungry at 1 am... now I'm never getting to sleep, -.-
2452496 Feel terrible? Nah...
2453074 Loads. Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Dark Souls.....and a host of others. But as for 'plot' devices......
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2451299
wait, I'm the ONLY one who thinks we shouldn't see a gigantic harem? because I think it'd be highly illogical, I mean, sure, mender here does have good synergy with the mane 6, but I don't think it'll hold up in a full-blown relationship with some of them, at the very LEAST destroying a few friendships, and, if theories are right, making the necklaces paperweights.
Other than that little slip up, great!
Special Fix Comment Reply!
2457586
Noooooo! I missed one! Dang it! I thought I got all those this chapter. Feh. I'll go and fix it. Thank you for pointing it out!
2457594 It was a pleasure to assist you dear sir/madam
How did I know Spike was making spaghetti for dinner? And I think this might have been the shortest day we've seen so far. An entire day in 2/3 of a chapter--normally time only passes that quickly if he's unconscious for most of it. Does that mean he's starting to become capable of having relatively normal days?
So hmm, this chapter seemed to fill my head with a lot more random little stray thoughts than most, instead of things with much semblance of coherency. So I guess it'll be an even more jumbled mess of fragmented musings than usual.
The jello rocks return! Or rather, never left to begin with. But they're old and stale now; that's no fun. Not sure what that means, though. They obviously had some kind of power source or some such that got cut off, so they're probably linked directly to that book somehow. I wonder if they reactivate whenever Mender goes ghosting around on the other side. Hmm, what was the number on those things? Curious if they match up with part of his soldier ID number or something in addition to the vault number. But how are they Twilight's property, though? They came to Equestria with Mender, AND he's the one who dug them up. If they're anyone's, they're his.
But fie and grr, every time I'm starting to think Twilight's showing Mender a little more consideration, she goes and does something else irritating. Funny thing is, I actually agree with her that those were too important to get rid of (and was slightly dubious when you commented a while back that Twilight said she'd disposed of them (sneaky, by the way)), and yet she still managed to be annoying about how she did it. It takes real talent to make me think someone is wrong even when I agree with them. Somehow she's getting so good at dismissing Mender's concerns, she did it preemptively this time. Simply concluded she wasn't going to like his view, so decided not to give him the chance to even have an opinion in the first place, then lied to his face so she wouldn't have to discuss it with him. Mender should've been grumpier about that. I suppose technically she did all that a while ago, so it kinda counts as something she did before she started trying to make an effort to be a little more respectful, but she still could have told him at any time. And it's not even something that should have been a big issue to begin with, like she's just looking for ways to be inconsiderate. And right after I was just hoping Fluttershy and Mender would be honest with Twilight about their telepathic link thing.
Anyway, all that aside, I'm glad he said he didn't want any experimentation to be out of guilt or such, because I was thinking pretty much the same thing. And a vaguely related tangent, Mender's really getting a bit carried away with the "don't pay me" attitude. That conveyer belt is practically painted in his nosebleeds; the least he could do is take a little payment. Speaking of which, I really wonder what his magic is doing to him when overdoing it makes his head hurt and nose bleed. Doesn't sound healthy.
One thing I've noticed when watching the show is that they never actually seem to brush their teeth. Every time we've seen them hop into bed, they just skip it altogether. Always kind of implied to me that ponies might not really get cavities in Equestria, so oral hygiene is much less of a health issue for them, and they only do it when they want their mouths to look/feel sparkly clean. But even if that's not true, Spike has no reason to need to brush his teeth. All he needs to do is blow out a blast of fire to sanitize his mouth, and cook away any food remnants. Maybe flossing to get rid of pieces of gems, though. Imagine if Rarity and Spike became a couple some time in the future, and after making out with each other, she finds her mouth full of jagged little little gem shards. Ouch. Or for that matter, what if Celestia sent Spike a letter while he was kissing Rarity? That could outright kill her, belching fire into her mouth. And what if that letter was "Congratulations on your engagement, Spike and Rarity!"
So you know that thing where you can still read words pretty much fine based on just the first and last letters of a word, even when the rest are scrambled? Well apparently my head has reworked that and decided that "Reality" should be read as "Rarity", because I was wondering for a moment what she did that would have surprised him.
I wonder how Twilight's self-levitation works, since it seemed like something she wasn't able to do for a long time. I actually planned to make a comic a while back based on the assumption that unicorns couldn't levitate themselves, so I was going to have Rarity and Twilight levitating each other, side by side. I suppose that could still work, but it'd probably have to be some sort of magic fight instead of a cooperative thing. "Let me go! No, you let me go!" Then they both fling each other into a lake or something.
So did you write that princess bit before or after the alicorn situation came up in the show? 'Cause it'd be funny if it was just a coincidence.
I keep wondering if Mender's going to experience any sort of technology withdrawal, since Equestria is so much lower tech than the world he came from. I hope he doesn't try to create some sort of industrial revolution, though; it's already annoying how their technology levels seem to have advanced about 150 years during the course of the show so far. I like ponies being low tech, Mender doesn't need to give them all kinds of advancements to try to make everything more efficient, based on the technology from his world.
I don't know how patient to expect Keela to be in waiting for Mender to ping her again. She seems to even be leaving the book alone entirely, since he hasn't heard her talking lately. I kinda expected Twilight to do a scan on him while he was sleeping, before they leave to Canterlot, but maybe nothing's going to happen with any of that until they meet up with Celestia.
Speaking of which, poor Fluttershy, I can't help but feel like she's going to be so lonely while they're on that trip. Just after reaching her peak optimism that she might be able to join the relationship soon, she has to sit at her house all alone for a few days and just wait. I really think the sooner she joins, the better. If they're really going to have a herd relationship where everything is equal, it seems important to me for all three of them to be involved right from the start, rather than one of them joining in later. And it might sound silly, but I hope Mender and Twilight don't do anything more than kiss before Fluttershy joins them. I don't like the idea of her being left out of the formative parts of the relationship, or the milestone moments.
All of that kinda makes me wonder where Spike is going to fit in with all of this, too. Even if he's fine with them dating and all, I kinda doubt Spike is going to want to keep sharing a bedroom with them as things progress further, but the library only seems to have one sleeping area. Rainbow wanted to watch, but Spike probably doesn't share her opinion. "Hey, I just mopped there! Whoa, what are you doing with my gems?! OH COME ON! Not on top of my basket!" Maybe Twilight and Mender will move into Fluttershy's cottage, and Spike will take over the library, or something like that.
Seems mender is getting a little bit more confident in himself.
Twi isn't "tired" she's just waiting till they are both a lone in her room at the castle.
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2454779 .....that video made up for it....
Great chapter as always, but I do have one minor complaint. I feel as if "of course" was a little bit overused. To sate this curiosity I used control f to find all instances of that phrase, and I found 14. Technically 15 if you count AJ's "o' course" which didn't register. Don't get me wrong, it was a great chapter and l thoroughly enjoyed it, I just wanted to point out a bit of constructive criticism. Aside from that one blunder I couldn't find any other mistakes. Just a minor complaint from a reader, keep up the great work! i.imgur.com/2u4rz9W.jpg?1
Still can't help but wonder why Owlicious has been absent all throughout this story. I mean he is Twilight's pet after all, I'd think we'd have seen him at some point by now.
It's entertaining to see Twilight making all the moves while Mender is being Mender.
Nice to see the gender roles reversed regarding relationships
By the way, can we expect to be seeing any of Shining Armor or Cadance in upcoming chapters? I would think Twilight's own brother would be interested in meeting the stallion who is dating his little sister.
I didn't get to read this chapter the day it came out! Nooooo! Aw well, I was laughing quite a bit, my ribs started hurting at points.
I swear, every darn time someone mentions Mender's "magic hooves" and massages my dirty mind decides it wants to be a douche.
All in all, liked the chapter quite a bit.
I love this story! Dont take this the wrong way but i find it really awkward shipping Dash and AJ together since they're both the same voice actor. :/ oh well, its your story bro!
"There was a long, awkward moment as I broke eye contact with her, face now beat red"
The only grammar error I seen through the chapter, I believe it should be "beet" ignore this if it should be wrong, its the twenty fight or sixth paragraph down to save time, either way.
2482509
I could have SWORN I fixed that. You're right, the phrase should have been "beet". It's possible when I was editing my computer decided not to save that fix.
No worries, like I said, only mistake I seen, some stories I read are barely written in English.
Hmm, I had wondered how she got rid of those rocks. Glad to see some development in their relationship
Can't wait for more! Also, sorry for the two weeks of late comments, time is getting away from me lately
2451362 - vicviper6
There's a few brutal ones coming up too. Heh. Maybe you should hold off and read all the chapters at once?
2451365 - tigerphoenix
You always get a reply. I'm glad somepony likes me, though. I'm pleased enough that they like the story, however.
2451636 - Blaise Brony
I shall always try my hardest. I'm glad you're still enjoying. This WAS a cute chapter.
2451643 - Enryu57
Without contrast, things can become very dull indeed.
2451691 - plp855
For the most part, I agree. However, she lied about the stones long before she got her mind set on changing. Mender realizes that and is more lenient because of it.
2451716 - Jamza
I don't... THINK it was mentioned. They did not, however. You'd find that out through implication later on. It's somewhat implied with Twilight saying they can keep separate beds towards the end of the chapter, but not explicitly mentioned. *peeks* Anyways, I'm glad you're still liking the story!
2451740 - The CoffinMaker
Thanks!
2451752 - Vicktor_Strings
Who says it gets to make it to that day thing? Oh wait, no. Bad. No spoilers... even though you could simply read the chapter and find out soon enough. Heh.
2451756 - Allonso Bronyguy
Cuddles are always good.
2451763 - RoboRed
There's a lot of adorableness in all things Pony. I'm glad my 'adorable writing' skills have stayed sharp!
2452027 - Guardian Talon
Guess you'll just have to wait and see if the guard lived or not. If he died of mysterious causes soon afterwards, chances are, Mender's luck is contagious.
2452064 - NomanV1
Considering he's about to visit a city built into a giant mountain, a parachute might be more appropriate.
2452216 - Lucky424
HA! Oh... oh, that was good. *slowly claps*
2452691 - Brony-Sibling
Glad I'm hooking you on the story, then. Just, uh... don't die when the really horrible cliffhangers hit.
2452709 - Enmar
I love how everypony's so paranoid. Is Mender not allowed to have a good day? Heh.
2452783 - Sir Baasz
I'm glad you like! Bringing up good memories is a nice bonus, I think.
(1/4)
2452848 - Zer0prototype
Well one of those will be answered! I just won't tell you which one. Oh, and isn't TWILIGHT getting some too, in that case?
2453235 - Potential_Hero
I've heard mixed things about that! Is it a good game? I was considering getting it. Own and played both the others.
2453377 - Jansvl
I was hoping to find an evil laughter mixed with some sort of diabolical eldritch abomination in the emotes, but I guess this will have to do:
2453529 - NightCore
The party's coming up fast. Hopefully it shall be to everypony's expectations. I'd estimate, barring any re-writes of massive extent, that the party will be a three part arc or so. Wheee! Glad you're enjoying!
2453905 - Skijarama
Quite! Expect more in the future. Amidst other things. *points at his tags*
2453911 - FlyingChurro
That's going to become the most linked to video in this story, isn't it?
2454213 - Medlimakar
You teamed up with FlyingChurro to do a back to back, didn't you?
2454427 - MrAskAPirate
Twi wants to wait till there's no dragon in the room. Also, that's kinda your fault for reading at one in the morning.
2454779 - Lucky424
You're good. I normally don't reply to replies to others, but that had to be said.
2456200 - lordumber
I wouldn't go that far. You're the only one who has spoken out against it, specifically. That's only out of the ones who have actually commented on it, of course. Most seem to think I'm lining this up to be a giant harem fic. Guess that's what I get for mentioning 'herds' in the story. In reality, it would take more than Mender to hold together all six of them in a romantic sense. That was my point with Periphery earlier with the 'herd' aspect. It's NOT a harem, like some ponies seem to believe. A harem has tons of members of the same sex all linking up to a single member of the opposite. A 'herd' in my story is more akin to a spider web of links, with every member at least getting along with, if not romantically inclined to the others. I'm sure that's not idealistically ALWAYS the case with every herd, but that's the base pattern.
2457778 - Periphery
It's all good. I like long comments.
I tend to follow fanon in most part when it comes to background pony personalities. Most of the time I think their personalities make sense really, which really does help. Also, I name her Derpy because that was the first name I'd heard and gotten familiar with. To me, there are no negative connotations with it. I also portray her as clumsy, yet still intelligent. I know a few writers make her absolutely idiotic, which is kind of offensive to me. Also, if you want to know more about expected incoming characters, I should probably point out that the PFA version of this story has ALL the characters tagged. So far, anyway. I obviously can't tag individuals that I haven't written in yet.
Dinky's color schemes are similar to Derpy, so I guess I can see where they're coming from there. It's also kind of adorable, so something along the lines of platonic/family shipping is probably behind it. I just went with the flow I guess for that one, although I'm not familiar with Sparkler at all. Octavia and Vinyl will also be in the story, however I don't think I'm quite following fanon with that one, so you might be surprised there. I can definitely agree with you on the pointless crossover however. I draw the line at simply spoofing it, for example, with the shout out to Portal 2 far earlier. That was just for silliness.
Soarin' and Rainbow MIGHT work, as at least Soarin' isn't CAPTAIN of the Wonderbolts. There's almost no canon establishment of personality about Soarin' however so it's a little iffy. He's goofy, likes pie, and is horrible with puns. That does set him up somewhat for Pinkie, or maybe as a foil for AJ, but it's a stretch. Regardless, it's a moot point. As of yet, there are no Wonderbolts in the story at all. There are only three 'represented' ships in Forgiveness Pending right now, with Lyra x Bon Bon being a mentioned runner up. I wouldn't worry too much about me being unrealistic with representing them. We appear to have similar tastes in realism and feels being the most important.
They are indeed something to wonder about, no?
They probably wouldn't hold it against him directly, no. If ponies are like people however, they'd probably subconsciously see the situation in a negative fashion. Twilight might behave differently around him afterwards, at least for a while.
That's why I liked your idea so much. It explains a TON of things with one simple aspect. I very much like it. Nothing against Lyra's colors of course. They just hurt my eyes...
(2/4)
2457791 - Periphery
Relatively normal, yes. I did warn a few chapters back that things will start speeding up as well. We're shifting into the next 'arc' now and momentum is being gained. *excited!* Plus, spaghetti is awesome.
Heh, I can't WAIT to hear your musings from this next chapter about to be posted. The number on the rocks was 312. It was the number of the vault he was guarding and he thinks the chunks came with him when he teleported. They're not Twilight's however. She appears to just be the keeper of them for now. Mender is their sole 'owner'. Heh.
She did all of this a while back and now regrets it obviously. I don't think you can count this as something against her right now, the way it's presented. Although the way she had them stuffed in a cabinet and looked shocked when he blundered into them, I'd hazard a guess as to her totally forgetting they were even there. Would she have told him if she'd remembered? Obviously one can't say anymore, but it's an interesting point to consider.
He wants the feelings to be real, and not as some reward or payment. Plus, if you recall, he already thinks that he owes THEM instead, which would also be why he's so adamant on refusing payment. He really does owe them for the hospitality, of course. As for your other question, it's fairly safe to explain as I don't think it's ever specifically mentioned. A side effect of his magic is hypertension, especially around the skull area. Moderate use can cause nosebleeds as blood vessels rupture from the pressure. Severe or overuse can cause spikes in intracranial pressure, aneurysms, heart failure, and strokes.
Wow. Wasn't expecting anypony to comment on the teeth brushing thing. Also, that entire branch of comment took a rather morbid turn quite quickly. In his defense, I'd probably have to say that Spike can feel the letters coming and properly redirect himself before releasing the blast. Also, I like including little parts of their day.
HA! I'll chalk that up to your love of the mare in question. Although she also does a lot of things that occasionally surprise Mender.
I just took it kind of like her teleportation. She's the only unicorn shown with the ability to teleport and she can do so now almost instantly with little thought involved. Same with totally reversing her and Spike's gravity. I'm guessing self-levitation might be a really difficult to learn technique? The comic would still be hilarious, however. Wait, you draw?
Heh. This chapter was written amidst season two if I recall correctly, so no. I had no idea they were going to make Twilight an alicorn. I was just playing around. Total coincidence.
Mender has no desire to add technology to Equestria. He's already mentioned before that he feels the ponies are much, much better off without advanced technology (and weapons) from his world. Everything he's done so far has been purely within the bounds of the technology they already have. His contributions are more for useful enchantments and minor machines to improve small aspects of life here and there. Nothing major. These aren't spoilers, but merely extrapolations based off what he's already said of course.
That you're wrong about. But you'll find that out in this chapter, right off the bat! Keela is very patient however. Now that she realizes that her bugging him was a burden, she's not about to do it again. She's very respectful of his personal space.
Fluttershy indeed will be sad, probably. Although I'd also like to think she doesn't like leaving her animals alone so that's a reassurance. Further, I believe Mender mentions spending time with her upon returning. I think in this chapter? I agree that she should be present for important milestones in the relationship. Although for a few of those, that could potentially have awkward implications.
THAT. That. Not only is it hilarious, but you hit upon something directly covered in the story. Again. You ish awesome, Periphery. The mopped part is saddening yet hilarious at the same time. Heeee. I'd like to think that they're more aware of Spike than that however, and respectful of his privacy. Heck, maybe one day he'll move in with Rarity instead?
2457924 - Rezival
Mender is getting more comfortable with things. That's one of his growing points during this entire story. Twilight also prefers waiting for when there aren't any dragons around, yes.
2460620 - KeyWay
Meeeeh. I'm not perfect in any way. Word usages shift about depending on my moods when writing each chapter, so you'll see more prevalent phrases pop up occasionally. Some can probably be omitted entirely, but I'll strive to be more aware of my word choices in the future.
2460751 - MuffinTop
There are many reasons. The largest is that he didn't EXIST at the time I started writing this. Further, his screen time in the show is minimal at best, minus the episodes that revolve around the pets themselves. I'll probably insert him into a few later chapters, and I do have a scene with him coming up, but I wouldn't expect him to have a major part. My apologies.
2462731 - Arez
Finally, somepony comments on the role reversal aspect. I'm glad you're enjoying it. It's one of the fun things I enjoy about the dynamics of Twilight's and Mender's relationship.
2463895 - MuffinTop
Oh, he would be. That's a bit more major however, so I'd have to label that question as too high a risk for spoilers. If you're really into minor spoilers, I should point out that the copy of the story that's up on Pony Fiction Archives (PFA) has ALL of the characters tagged in it, as of what I've WRITTEN so far, not what's been posted. If you don't like minor spoilers, I wouldn't go there.
(3/4)
2463970 - tjamesbeard
All effects mentioned in your comment are entirely intentional. I'm big on the humor thing and enjoy making ponies laugh. Plus it's fun slipping innocent or not so innocent innuendos into the writing. It amuses me how everypony INSTANTLY picks up on those. Pinkie gives Mender a 'look' for all of a sentence in one chapter, and BAM. Everypony immediately thinks his magic does other things and that she's considering joining the herd.
2476268 - BRYAN numba 2
I dislike arguments that revolve purely around meta reasoning. They're two totally different ponies with different personalities, wants, interests, and needs. Works for me! Just because outside of context entirely in the original medium they're represented in, they happen to be voiced by the same actress, doesn't mean a thing for me. Apologies.
2482509 - Onyx Lining
Oopsies. I missed that too. Dang. Well, nopony is perfect. Thanks for pointing it out.
2484352 - tigerphoenix
It happens to the best of us. So ish okay. Just having you comment at all is a pleasure. Expect more Twilight x Mender relationship developments in the future, of course.
(4/4)
2486714 yes it was before but the idea is still there what else could she be holding back. plus he is afraid of her to some extent and there is no one who would take his side over hers eve fluttershy would probably side with a her longtime friend and one she has admitted to holding feeling for her. at this point he is truly alone if he decides to leave her, all of his friends would more then likely hold Twilight over him the only ones who might stay with him are the CMC but they are children, his future does not look bright.
2486718
I don't really think of the name Derpy as being offensive either, I just think Ditzy sounds better. Ditzy seems more fitting as a pony name, and Derpy maybe a nickname. I usually call her Derpy myself, just because it's simpler, but I prefer Ditzy in-universe for what other ponies call her. And I think I'll avoid the spoiler tags for now.
Sparkler is some random background unicorn who was mostly ignored until she competed in the Sisterhooves Social with Dinky, seemingly implying they're sisters. Then a bunch of people started scrambling to try to fit that into the Derpy-Dinky fanon, saying that Derpy has two daughters. That just feels so forced to me, and makes very little sense. It's still pretty harmless to include Dinky as Derpy's daughter in a story, and sometimes it really can be cute, but what annoys me is some people's utter insistence that's it's objectively true, even though it's actually entirely made up and no more factual than any other bit of personal headcanon. I don't mind other people liking the idea, but I do mind how it sometimes feels like that particular bit of fanon comes with a presumption by some that everyone should believe it. As a minor example, all the pictures with the "Dinky" tag on Derpibooru had it removed and replaced with "Dinky Hooves". Even the pictures that directly dispute that fanon are forced to label the character as Derpy's daughter anyway, as if that's the single correct way to interpret the character. I like to think that big muscly pegasus people call Snowflake is Scootaloo's father, but I'm hardly about to go and add a tag declaring him as such on all his pictures. And when I see a story about Derpy that doesn't include Dinky, there's invariably comments calling attention to her absence. People can include fanon in their own stories or pictures all they want, but it's obnoxious when they impose their headcanon onto others just because it's popular. Most people are fine about it, of course, and even when they aren't it's not like it's a major issue, so this might actually be the first time I've ever even mentioned it anywhere. Although just for the sake of argument, if people really want to give Dinky a family, why not go with one that actually seems to be at least a little bit supported by canon?
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDEvMjYvMThfNDlfMDdfNjU3XzIyNDQ5M19fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmVfc2hpcHBpbmdfY2Fycm90X3RvcC5wbmcucG5nIl1d/224493__safe_twilight-sparkle_rainbow-dash_pinkie-pie_rarity_applejack_shipping_carrot-top_dinky-hooves_daisy_50e03067a4c72d77460006b6_twinkleshine_train_written-script_5116a7357f123b0f650.png
And for Octavia and Vinyl, I'm actually pretty neutral on their usual fanon relationship itself, but I'd like to see a little more variety. It usually gets pretty predictable, and people shouldn't be so bound to one interpretation of the characters. I've read several stories about them, and they all seem to get tiresome pretty quickly. And cameos often feel shoehorned in, like in Fixing Up Miss Smartypants, they seemed like slightly pointless additions to the story. Of course that doesn't mean it never works, especially if a change of location requires different ponies to interact with, or such. It just needs to feel like there's a natural reason for them to be there. There's one fic I'm reading right now that's an exception, probably because those two are secondary characters, large enough roles to be significant, but small enough to not be tiresome. It's actually a story about Scootaloo trying to figure out how to boost her pegasus magic after a doctor gives her a 20% chance of ever being able to fly. But Vinyl and Octavia are raising her after her parents died, because Vinyl is her aunt. I was leery about that at first, and it sounds like it plays on all the Scootaloo cliches when I summarize it, but it's actually doing pretty well so far.
I really don't know why I'm writing so much about things I really don't have strong feelings about. The Dr. Whooves issue is really the only one that's more than a shrug-and-move-on when it feels like it doesn't fit.
2486722
Yeah, I did mention the mitigating factor that she did all that a while ago, so it's not as bad as it could have been, but I suppose I didn't consider the possibility that it just kinda slipped her mind to tell him later. I just felt like grumbling about it anyway, I guess, because it seemed like a pattern was emerging.
And you could say I draw. Kinda, sorta, ever so slightly. Do you remember a comment I made back on Memory Pending where I included a picture of Twilight Sparkle as a spork? That was one of mine. But anyway, I always considered myself pretty much incapable of drawing anything, but for some reason I decided to join in anyway when Equestria Daily ran the Artist Training Grounds almost two years ago. Turns out ponies are easier to draw, or something. Drew a pony picture every day for a month, and by the end, I was completely dissatisfied with pencil sketches and switched over to vectors. I still know nothing about art, though, so I pretty much just try to duplicate the show's appearance most of the time. My Deviantart profile is linked on my account page here, if you're curious, same name as I use in the pony android game. I commented on your page a while back too. Was never sure if you knew that was me.
I'm actually not very happy with most of the pictures in my gallery, really, and some of them are horrible, so I'm kind of embarrassed to have you looking at it, but eh. Most of my better ideas are the ones I never did. I seem to be incapable of doing more than one thing at a time, in even a broad sense, so once I got heavy into reading fan fiction, my vectors tapered off, and I've only made a few since 2011. I have especially mixed feelings about one picture I made quite a while ago, and I typed out a big, vague explanation why, but that was drawing too much attention to it in a way that would practically guarantee you'd go look for it.
OH CRAP RUN! WHY DID YOU SAY THAT. WHY WOULD YOU EVER SAY THAT?!
lol
I'm pretty sure 180 degrees is a straight line. Did you mean that she was tracing an equilateral triangle, which has 60 degree arcs? Or are you adding the arcs together, for some reason, which will ALWAYS equal 180 degrees no matter the arcs used.
I know I'm a year behind on reading, but felt the need to comment anyway.