Chapter 21
The sun bathed the entire area in light, shining brightly off the gentle cobblestones and worn brick. I winced and partially closed my eyes, the brightness just a little too much to be comfortable to me. My eyes hurt and my stomach still ached from throwing up on the stupid train. Still, as irritable as I felt, the city was quite impressive.
I'd never seen such a grand city in Equestria. Row after row of buildings greeted my mostly healed eyes. The main street was practically alive with ponies; easily three times the traffic of Ponyville. The buildings I could see mainly appeared to be cafes, shops, and other entertainment establishments. The fanfare was quite a sight to take in! Of course, extra banners appeared to be up, advertising a formal dance and fashion show put on by one "Fancypants." Huh. I wondered if Rarity knew who that was.
Speaking of, Rarity herself looked almost giddy as she sat next to me on the right. "Oooh, it's been too long since I've been here! I must see if there are any new supplementary fabrics before the show, Twilight," she quickly informed, looking past me to the left.
My fillyfriend nodded absently while going over a list she held up in her magic. "I figured as much and planned accordingly. We have three hours before we're expected to be at the banquet hall to get ready. Meet us at the castle in two hours so we can dress, okay?" Twilight suggested, looking over at her overly exuberant friend.
Rarity nodded pleasantly, neatly done mane bobbing with the motion. She then stood up and pranced off towards the rows of shops, a certain lightness to her step. I watched her go, trying to figure out where she got the energy. Ah well. I suppose this entire ordeal was her kind of thing.
"She'll never change. Not like that's a bad thing, though," Twilight agreed unknowingly to my inner thoughts, shifting her attention back to me with a smile.
I turned back to her and nodded pleasantly. "It's nice to watch somepony who really knows what they enjoy the most. Pinkie's the same way, to some degree," I observed idly, wondering if I'd ever show that level of excitement for something.
Twilight let out a chuckle before warning, "I wouldn't mention that comparison to Rarity. She likes to hold herself above the spastic level of energy Pinkie Pie demonstrates." Above? There was nothing wrong with Pinkie's energy that would 'lower' it in the first place.
"I must defend Pinkie, stating that her mannerisms are certainly admirable as well," I protested, frowning slightly.
The lavender unicorn nodded without missing a beat, nor losing her smile. "Of course. They're just very different. But we're delaying too much. I need to go speak with the castle staff and arrange rooms for the three of us. You don't mind staying with me, right?" she asked, standing up again and carefully sliding her rolled up list into her saddle bag.
"Of course not," I assured, sticking my tongue out at her before adding, "We slept together last night and it turned out nicely. It was amazing to have a night without nightmares, which I totally credit to the beautiful mare I got to cuddle with." I couldn't help but blush a little as I tried to emphasize exactly how much I appreciated her.
Her cheeks flared up with a hot blush, but she only smiled wider. "Mender! You're just so... Ugh. I don't even know what to say," she complained, tone of voice betraying a completely different mood. Her eyes also softened, a warm feeling behind them that I couldn't quite place.
"Just the truth, Twilight. Do you want me to come with?" I asked, pretty sure that I already knew the answer.
She giggled, informing, "You can just call me 'Twi' if you want. It feels more intimate and informal. And no. I need you to make a brief detour and pick up some food to go before joining me. Rarity will be hungry as well when she gets back and we need to eat before the party."
"Food?" I questioned, tilting my head at her. Wait, she wanted me to wander off by myself to run an errand in a totally unfamiliar city?
Twilight nodded politely, oblivious to my nervousness. "Yup. It doesn't matter where, so long as it's edible. Enough for all three of us, of course. I'll give you some bits for it," she furthered, levitating a small, pink coin bag out of her saddlebags and hooking it onto mine. Great. Pink.
"Um, okay. I just ask for it to go?" I asked, largely for clarity. This was going to go poorly. It was almost a foregone conclusion at this point, I had a feeling.
She nodded excitedly before starting towards the massive castle that easily loomed above the rest of the town. Well, that was imposing. I wondered if Celestia was compensating for something or if she just inherited the place like that. "Yup! I'll put in the word with the gate guards to expect you, don't worry. Just hurry along so we can get situated into our rooms before the party!" she returned, adding a wink as she pranced in place.
My thoughts tinted my cheeks and I coughed lightly, trying not to jump to conclusions about the implications. "All right. I'll try to go as fast as I can," I assured, nodding to her and smiling.
"Awesome! See you in a bit!" she exclaimed excitedly before disappearing in a flash of light and a little hop. I watched her flicker in down the street a little ways, only to disappear again and repeat the short flickering in the direction of the palace. Damn. It must be nice to have a planet-sized pool of magic.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the shops, looking for any restaurant-looking ones. An outdoor cafe probably wouldn't be too expensive, and would likely be able to get the food in a hurry. Spotting cozy eating chairs furnished with oversized umbrellas, I smiled and headed in that direction, sporting a moderate gait. Twilight being in a good mood lightened my spirits considerably. It was almost enough to let me forget about the sour look the stewardess gave me upon cleaning out the bucket earlier.
I was careful of the crowds as best I could, making sure to stay clear of the clusters as I neared the cafe. It was a pleasant looking spot, simplistic in design yet looking very new and clean. I nodded to myself before approaching the entrance.
Unfortunately, a couple appeared to be just leaving as I rounded from the sidewalk. I ground to a halt, starting to backtrack a little. The stallion looked large and imposing, yet very proper and worldly. The mare was lithe, legs extremely long and groomed, making her seem slender and taller than she actually was. Unfortunately for me, and probably her as well, she paid me no attention and did a little twirl to face the stallion as they exited, a happy smile on her face. Oh crap.
She collided with me almost instantly, causing both of us to spill sideways and become a tangled heap on the ground. I winced as I hit first, my body becoming effectively a squishy pillow for her impact. Oh well. I'd rather it that way than the inverse.
My eyes opened, then widened drastically as I was presented with a very detailed, up close view of her elegant, abstract Cutie Mark. "Ah! Hey!" she shouted, scrambling off me and glaring. I swallowed, ears lowering as her expression made me feel further pathetic.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to," I apologized profusely before slowly getting to my hooves.
The stallion stepped forward instead, however. "I do say, what are your intentions, young one? That is most disrespectful behavior to force upon a mare! Explain yourself!" he demanded, frowning down at me as I shrunk further. His styled blue mane, nicely pressed suit, and radiant white coat made him look even more important. I knew this was a bad idea! His pink-maned mare leaned closer behind him, partially hiding herself from sight as I swallowed, tongue feeling like it was swelling in my mouth.
Pink. My eyes widened as I caught another dot of pink below my vision, and glanced down at the stonework. Twilight's coin bag lay at my feet, having been knocked loose in the collision. I checked my side and sure enough, it was missing. "Um, I really didn't intend on landing like that. You surprised me!" I tried to explain, before carefully picking the coin pouch up with my mouth. It smelled like Twilight, which was a little distracting.
Both of their eyes widened as they watched me pick up the bag. "M-My bits!" the mare exclaimed, looking shocked. Huh?! I glanced to her side and widened my eyes as well as I saw an almost exact duplicate of the tiny pink pouch tied to her saddlebag.
"You scoundrel!" I heard the stallion declare before feeling a solid impact with the side of my head. Wincing, I stumbled sideways and cracked my head off the side of the entrance to the cafe before I could so much as explain otherwise. "Guards! Quickly!" was shouted in his echoing voice as stars exploded into my vision.
Aaaah! My head throbbed as I curled up, holding both sides of it. My vision danced and blurred as I pulled my right hoof back, blotches of red covering it. Crap. "I didn't take anything. That's my fillyfriend's pouch..." I groaned, trying to sit up again.
Suddenly, I was knocked sideways by something extremely solid, shoving me into the side of the wall. I saw an imposing looking guard standing over me with a glare when my eyes opened up again. Lacking the energy, I didn't resist as he shoved metal cuffs around my hooves. My eyes widened further as I watched the sharp metal lock around me, the chains going taunt and rattling in my ears. That rattling. Chains.
Her smirk glittered through the haze from the dark, the blood dripping from her claws and blades as I was forced onto the table, screaming and missing an eye now. There was no healing from it. I watched her bite down on it and eat it myself. I screamed until I passed out, not realizing that's what actually happened. My world rapidly faded into the darkness that surrounded her.
* * * * *
The darkness was miserable, of course. I shivered as I sat in the furthest corner of my tiny, stone room; the looming metal bars cast an ominous shadow across the wall next to me. The wooden 'bed' chained to the wall partially blocked the light from my lower body as I sat there, absolutely freezing. A rough wrapping had been tied around my head to stop the bleeding but I hadn't been cleaned up. This place must be underground somewhere as well, because it was absolutely freezing.
I had no idea where I was apart from a jail cell with a very silent guard. I was on the wooden slab when I woke up in cold sweat, thinking someone was ripping my muscles out one section at a time. I guess I had been arrested. This was an amazing attempt at getting food for Twilight and Rarity.
The absolute silence was broken suddenly by solid, slow hoof steps from the left of my cell entry. My eyes widened as they matched up fairly well to the pounding inside of my skull, and I glanced back at the bars, shaking still. I must have lost a lot of blood as well.
The hoof steps stopped, and I saw the front of a rather large stallion, another unicorn, standing in front of the guard. His mane was striped in light and dark shades of blue in such a way that, interestingly enough, reminded me of Twilight. His coat, however, was pure white, and he wore detailed, golden armor that was similar, but far more extravagant than the guard who saluted him. Uh oh.
"I was told a prisoner needed my attention down here? I hope this is quick. I'm supposed to meet my sister at the palace," he questioned in a lighter tone that surprised me. I'd expected him to have such a deep voice that the stone would crack around me. Maybe that was my nerves talking.
"Yes sir! Arrested in the markets near a cafe. An account of both petty theft and sexual harassment. Further, we think he's mentally unstable and possibly dangerous," the guard spoke up. My ears lowered with each word. Wow. Less than an hour in Canterlot and I'd already been declared crazy. I wonder if this was a record.
The stallion sighed and nodded before sliding open the bars. He stepped easily inside, not an ounce of fear despite me being 'dangerous', and casually lit a lantern that hung on the wall. I winced at the light and further curled up into a little ball behind the wooden slab, shivering as it only reminded me of how nice heat was. I anticipated an interrogation was next on my schedule.
"Why is this stallion not bandaged properly? He's obviously injured," the white unicorn questioned, looking incredulously towards the guard who stood at his left.
"We dared not approach! Regardless, in the end, he came willingly," the guard assured. Willingly? Is that what they call blood loss and severe head trauma now? Unfortunately, I was more hurt at losing Twilight's pouch. I swallowed painfully and lowered my head to my hooves. I exaggerated, anyway. I doubted the little scratch to the side of my head did any more damage than apples from the stratosphere or Applejack's hoof. No, that was also an exaggeration. I doubted Rainbow Dash ever escaped the troposphere.
The stallion shook his head above me and sat down. A light touch of magic surprised me, causing me to jump and shudder. The wound along the side of my head slowly healed in a gentle, cyan light. "I'm sorry for their rude behavior. I'd like to get the full story from you, however. Miss Fleur came to me, abashed, after you had been arrested with some interesting admission that I'd like to verify," he explained calmly, completing the healing magic in record time.
I glanced up at him and nodded, rasping out, "I'll tell you anything. I'm sorry!" I wasn't quite prepared to speak and coughed afterwards, my vocal cords feeling like they had frost on them.
"Relax. Just tell me what happened in your own words," he coaxed calmly, giving me a surprisingly assuring smile. In the light, I also noticed his Cutie Mark, which happened to be a shield and starburst, alongside three smaller stars above. The star shape looked remarkably similar to Twilight's as well, and I started to relax a little. "Yes, you might know me. My name is Shining Armor. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard," he furthered, smiling as he noticed me peek at his mark.
"I... Well, I'm kind of new here, so I didn't know. It just looked familiar. I'm Moon Mender," I muttered weakly, looking back at him fully.
He frowned, seemingly thinking for a moment before exhaling. "That sounds familiar, too, but I can't remember where. Anyway, Miss Fleur found her bag after you had been arrested and admitted she had erred in accusing you of theft. I guess that pink pouch is popular!" he exclaimed, chuckling afterwards. The guard next to him widened his eyes, and then looked away from me a moment later. Admittedly, I was surprised by the lax interrogation technique, but took the break if it was offered.
"Well, I'm thankful. The bag belongs to my fillyfriend. Um, can I have it back?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.
Shining Armor smiled, however, and nodded. "Of course. You have very good tastes. I'm sure your mare will be delighted that you tried to protect it. In fact, I got a bag just like that for my sister last year. It's a wonderful gift," he assured, seemingly more amused at the coincidences than angry at my arrest. Well, if it was a popular enough bag, a lot of mares probably had it. Rarity probably had picked it up for Twilight.
I smiled faintly and relaxed, still not feeling the best but happy that I hadn't lost Twilight's pouch. She trusted me with it, after all. "That little thing is really important to you, isn't it? You must really care for her," the guard captain observed, smiling warmly all of a sudden.
I nodded weakly, looking back up at him as best I could. I was ravenous, having emptied out my stomach on the train and now missed lunch. What time was it, speaking of? Had I missed the party, too? "She trusted me with it and asked me to get food for her and a friend. I, um, care for her a lot and don't want to lose her trust," I explained, trying to be as honest as I could.
Shining Armor nodded earnestly before seemingly thinking to himself. "I'm under the impression that the collision wasn't entirely your fault either. Still, now that I know more details, I should at least extend the courtesy of sending a message to her about what happened. What's the name of your mare, and where is she staying?" he inquired, smiling now as he looked back down at me. I felt a little safer now and nodded, sitting up fully.
"Her name's-“ I started, before the once silent guard walked up next to Shining Armor.
“Actually, I got his address in a statement prior. Here you go, Captain,” he interrupted, cutting me off. Oh yeah. He had questioned me when I was first arrested.
Shining Armor picked up the clipboard offered with his magic and floated it in front of him. I fell silent and let the captain read it over carefully. I’d answered all the questions to the best I could manage, so I figured that would cut off a lot of any potential interrogation that was needed from me. “Oh, interesting. You’re staying in a castle suite? You must be here for the party tonight that Fancypants is throwing. Ironic. I’ve got to bring you to the castle anyway, so I’ll send a message ahead and we’ll meet your fillyfriend there,” he explained after a good minute of reading. I shifted uneasily. Twilight had given me Rarity’s room, but I had no idea what her own room number was. I’d hoped it wouldn’t complicate things that I’d given them Rarity’s instead.
I nodded weakly, asking, “Are you letting me go, then?” This was all just one giant misunderstanding, and I was really glad he was so friendly! Ponies really were a lot different than Keldarians. At that point, I didn’t know why I was expecting otherwise. The worst part about this little experience so far had been the cold dungeon.
“As part of regulation, I’ve got to get confirmation from the castle. Your fillyfriend shouldn’t be a problem, but I also need to sign off on your release. The office is over there, however. Paperwork, right?” he explained, smirking over at me.
I snickered, feeling a lot better finally. His healing magic was top notch! “Thanks for being so understanding. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. What a day!” I groaned. He also said tonight, I noticed. That must mean I hadn’t missed the party yet! Twilight would be mildly irked that I’d not gotten them food, but at least it wasn’t a complete disaster.
Shining Armor laughed and shook his head. “Relax. I understand what a bad day is like. You should have seen the Changeling invasion!” he exclaimed, signing off on the clipboard before passing it back to the guard. Changeling?
I tilted my head, but then flattened my ears back as he fitted the manacles back onto my legs. My forelegs couldn’t stop shaking as he fastened them. Why was this…? “Mender, Relax. Nopony is going to hurt you. You only have to wear these until we get to the castle and verify your story. It’s just procedure, and I’ll stay with you the whole time, okay?” Shining Armor softly assured, patting me on the head. It probably mentioned my reaction to the chains on the clipboard.
Shivering, I managed a weak nod as he helped me up and led me towards the door. At least this would all be over soon and I could go back to Twilight.
* * * * *
Groaning again, I tried my hardest to hide my face as best I could. The cart slowly moved along through the street, careful to let ponies move out of the way before passing. It was decided that I’d be transported to the castle via cart instead after I fell down two flights of stairs while wearing the manacles. Shining Armor was really, really good at healing magic!
Still, this was more than a little embarrassing. Shining Armor himself sat at the front of the cart with the driver. I was in the back, trying my best to hide and wishing the sides of the thing were taller. The chains attached to me were easily visible, of course, and I saw dozens of ponies giving harsh whispers and giggles as I passed. Damn it. There goes the effect Rarity had been hoping for. She wasn’t going to want to use me for showing off her suit if everypony knew I was a criminal!
Shining Armor did his best to not make a spectacle of it, taking a back street most of the way there before cutting out onto the main thoroughfare in order to get to the castle gates. The cart rolled through the gates and finally reached the sanctuary and privacy of the grounds, letting me exhale gently. Less ponies seeing me meant less rumors going around. Of course, three blocks of aristocratic looking ponies had already seen me regardless, and if they were anything like what I was used to dealing with back in my old world that I recall, rumors would explode anyway.
“Okay then. Message was sent ahead via pegasi, so we should be expected. I’m going to escort you to the assembly hall where they’re waiting, and then once you’re spoken for, I’ll go upstairs and fill out your release paperwork,” Shining Armor said, making his way around to the back of the wagon and helping me down.
Slowly, I nodded, putting most of my focus into not falling on my face. I’d fallen out of the wagon twice trying to get up onto the thing, but at least I’d landed on my butt then. Nose-diving would suck considerably more. At least they knew I wasn’t going to run away. Well, run away effectively, I appended to my thoughts a moment later.
He smiled once I had all four hooves on the ground and carefully led me towards a side gate for the right wing of the massive looking castle. Shining Armor kept careful pace with me and kept his magic up to stabilize me as I wobbled, snagging my legs on the chains every half dozen meters or so. The guard that was in the back of the cart with me followed a little behind us, from the sounds of it. It wasn’t the same guard as at my cell, not that I could tell the difference, anyway. Why did all the guards look the same? Security measure?
The heavy door opened with a creaking noise, and it was a lot dimmer inside, lit by the warm glow of wall sconces. Heavy looking marble tile decorated the floor, and a soft looking rug led from the entry all the way along the hallway. Fancy looking benches made of a rich oak of some sort lined the sides. This looked like a kind of waiting chamber or something. What did he call it? Assembly hall?
To my absolute relief, both Twilight and Rarity were waiting at the far end of the hall. Rarity sat calmly on a chair, giving a soft if knowing smile to Twilight as she paced back and forth. I swallowed nervously. Even though I hadn’t been here for very long, I could kinda tell when my fillyfriend was frazzled. It wasn’t a good feeling to be the source of that discomfort.
“Eh?! Twily!” Shining Armor suddenly exclaimed, steadying me from my start before trotting forward ahead of me towards the two mares. Twily? Wait, was he talking to Twilight?!
I blinked and watched, surprised, as she looked over in response to the name, shock evident on her face. “Shiny?” she asked, eyes widening rapidly. Shiny?! What the hell?! They obviously knew each other, but why did they have pet names? Wait, no. That couldn’t be. Oh hell. No, Twilight would have told me!
“What are you doing here, Twily? Wait, you heard I was bringing a pony over and intercepted, didn’t you? I sent a message to your room saying I was going to be a little late,” Shining Armor groaned out. Her room? Her room?! My right eye twitched, the spasm traveling all the way down my chest and right foreleg, giving the chains a jiggle.
Twilight’s eyes didn’t shrink down, and she looked past Shining Armor and over at me. I glared in her direction, really hoping this wasn’t what it looked like. No, if she were already in a herd with this stallion, somepony would have told me! They wouldn’t have kept this a secret this long. They couldn’t have.
Shining Armor followed her gaze and peeked back at me. I snapped the glare off my expression, not wanting for him to decide to throw me back in jail. “Oh, don’t mind him. I’m just dropping him off to his fillyfriend here at the castle. She should have been here already, though,” he muttered before looking around the hall. Oh hell. If he found out I was dating his herd member, I predicted a lot of complications.
Twilight’s ears flattened back and she lowered her eyes, shifting them back and forth as if fighting violently with thoughts in her mind. Rarity looked utterly speechless as she glanced between Twilight and Shining Armor, who finally noticed her. “Wait, Rarity? Oh. Oh! Oh my. Is that why you two are here? Wow! I didn’t realize the guest you invited with you was your coltfriend, Rarity! Is that why you two are acting so weird?” he continued, seemingly a bit concerned that nopony was saying anything. Rarity?!
Rarity let out a gasp of surprise, flush exploding over her cheeks as her eyes widened at him. Twilight shuddered and rapidly looked over at Rarity as well, as if burned for a moment. “Ah! R-Rarity? Of course! Yeah, thanks for dropping off Rarity’s coltfriend. You can go now, Shiny! I’ll talk to you back in my room, okay?” Twilight suddenly spewed out. Several icy hammers hit me in the chest as I stared at her. My forelegs started to shake and I couldn’t seem to stop them as I let out a sharp gasp. She was embarrassed about me and was pretending I was Rarity’s coltfriend?! My ears dropped completely.
“Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity suddenly shouted, shifting from looking shocked to righteously pissed in half a second. Oh hell. Shining Armor must have thought the same thing as me, as he hopped backwards away from the unicorn, who was now standing up in her chair and glaring at Twilight.
Twilight flinched and shrunk visibly away from Rarity, not meeting her eyes. The guard pony standing next to me made no motion to move any closer, just watching with wide eyes as the rather brutal and awkward scene unfolded. My head was still reeling from the implications mixed with what Twilight had just said. I could barely process what was going on.
“I, um, I’m sorry. Uh, Shiny, meet Moon Mender. Um, he’s the stallion I wrote about in my letters,” Twilight finally admitted, shrinking down to the floor. She told him about me, but she didn’t want him to know that I was me? She was embarrassed I was arrested, then. I didn’t know how to feel about this. Her, well, a stallion close to her was the captain of the guard, so I could see why she was appalled that I’d been arrested.
Shining Armor looked back at me, eyes widening rapidly. “Moon Mender! That’s where I heard his name before! This is your coltfriend?!” he asked sharply.
“I was going to tell you! I just didn’t know what to say and he’d been arrested for something, so I panicked! I’m sorry,” Twilight continued, standing up again and prancing anxiously in front of the much larger stallion. Damn it. Who was he? Did she honestly keep this much from me?
“I’m not the one you should apologize to! Fine. Stay here and I’ll go get the stupid paperwork filed and get him released. I’ll be back in a bit,” he snarled out, sounding rather angry as he stormed off and through a side door.
The hallway fell silent, and I dropped my head. This had gone from getting better to rock bottom almost instantly. My head was swimming with what I’d just heard, and I didn’t know where to even start sorting everything out. It didn’t help that my eyes were getting watery and my chest hurt. The guard next to me gave me a soft nod and frown before undoing my restraints.
I heard hoofsteps getting closer in front of me, but I refused to look up, staring at my hooves instead. “He was charged with an account of sexual harassment, and another of petty theft. Both charges have been acquitted, however, and he’s free to go. It was all a misunderstanding,” the guard explained next to me as the movement stopped.
“M-Mender, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie about that. I panicked. This wasn’t how I wanted things to go,” Twilight muttered quietly. I shivered again, eyes softening. That much was obvious. Nothing today had gone as planned.
Slowly, I looked up at Twilight, who sat in front of me about a meter away. Rarity was rapidly catching up, still glaring at Twilight’s back as she approached. “This is absolutely horrifying, Twilight. Even if embarrassed, consider Mender’s feelings! The charges are false and he is innocent regardless, so there’s no need to feel ashamed of him,” the white unicorn scolded harshly, sitting down next to Twilight.
“I’m not ashamed! This just wasn’t how I wanted Mender to meet my brother, okay!” Twilight snapped back, too quick to be sincere. Brother?!
My exhale was instant and excessive as I slumped slightly. Shining Armor was her brother! The relief washed through me instantly, and I couldn’t help but smile a little. Oh. Her brother had just escorted me as a prisoner to the castle. Okay, I could see why she freaked out now. It took me a moment to realize that both mares had stopped talking and were giving me questioning looks.
“Er, sorry. I didn’t know he was her brother. Um, the way they addressed each other,” I tried to explain quietly.
Rarity blinked, and then snorted, holding a hoof up to her lips instantly as if to hold back a sudden bout of laughter. Twilight simply shivered as a deep blush crept onto her face. I coughed politely and looked away again. Yeah, I was expecting that reaction. “No! No, no, no! He’s my brother, not… Oh Celestia. No! You’re my only coltfriend, Mender!” Twilight rapidly corrected, not that it was needed at this point. The guard next to me averted his eyes from all of us rapidly, and I could have sworn I saw a smirk starting to play at his lips.
“Oh ho ho, that would be scandalous indeed. But no, Prince Shining Armor is Twilight’s brother, not lover. Still, that doesn’t excuse her for trying to do that!” Rarity reminded, shifting back to a stern glare at the lavender mare.
Twilight sighed and nodded, not meeting my eyes still. I was just happy to know that I didn’t have competition, especially of that level. There was no way I could compete with the captain of the guard. “Come on, Mender. Let’s go back to Rarity’s room. There’s a comfy couch there you can lie down on,” Twilight finally muttered, shifting the topic as best she could while gesturing towards the door opposite of the one that Shining Armor used. My ears perked as I glanced over at the guard, who outright snickered before shaking his head.
“I doubt it’s going to be a problem anymore. I’ll let the captain know where you’ve gone, and try to calm him down a little,” the guard said before I even opened my mouth. Admittedly, I was a bit surprised, but nodded hesitantly. Well, today was still crap, but maybe now it would look up? I mean, what more could possibly go wrong at this point? No, I’d better not say that. There was always falling off the side of the cliff the city was built into.
“Why thank you, Dear! You’ve been extremely helpful, and I shall put in a good word with Shining Armor for you,” Rarity spoke politely before looking back at me and shifting to a quizzical expression before continuing with, “Wait, is that dried blood on your muzzle, Mender? Oh my. Let’s go get you lying down, okay?”
I sighed and nodded wearily back to her. The day wasn’t over yet. “I’ll explain on the way there,” I excused, resigning myself to walking after Twilight, who had already turned and headed for the door she pointed out earlier. No, the day was still young, and probably going to get a lot longer…
* * * * *
"Seriously? Twenty minutes. In twenty minutes, you managed to not only get yourself beat up, but accused of sexual harassment and theft. Then arrested," Twilight groaned out, staring at me with what could only be described as a look of dumbfounded shock.
I kept my head down and ears lowered as I looked up at her from the couch, and a royal nurse carefully tending to my forehead. It annoyed me that head wounds bled so much. My fur needed to be cleaned now, and there was less than an hour before the party!
Rarity giggled merrily behind Twilight, lightly sipping tea at a rather elegant wooden table. They had gotten food somehow anyway, it would seem. At this point however, I was more worried about having made an idiot of myself, and ruined Twilight’s introduction of me to her brother. I had humiliated her, and further felt like crap because of it.
"Relax, Twilight. The charges were falsified, we got room service anyway, and you got your bit pouch back," Rarity pointed out sagely after setting her cup down. I was both happy and sad that they so easily managed to get food without me. After being hauled up to the palace in chains, I'd lost all sense of hunger, only to find out that my duty hadn't really been needed in the first place. The stares were enough to make me want to curl into a ball and cry for a few hours. Pity that would make me feel like an even bigger wimp. At least Rarity had visibly calmed down now that she had gotten tea.
"It's all so embarrassing, though! This isn't how I wanted to introduce him to my brother, for one. Plus, everypony saw him hauled through the streets and are going to think he's done something horrible," Twilight shouted, pacing back and forth in a tight circle. I shriveled further on the couch, making the nurse tisk as I flinched.
Rarity gave her a speculative, questioning glance over her cup, but Twilight didn't seem to notice. Finally, I managed to suggest in a quiet voice, "She's right, Rarity. I don't think it's a good idea to bring me as your guest anymore."
Rarity surprised me by smiling warmly. "Nonsense, Dear. If brought up, it shall simply make for an amusing story and correction. There's absolutely nothing negative to worry about," she assured, causing me to exhale quietly. Admittedly, her words put me a little at ease. She was willing to explain to ponies who asked and tell of my innocence.
Twilight shook her head and resumed pacing. "I don't know how you can be so nonchalant about it. I mean, it's so embarrassing! Don't they have, like, privacy carriages or something?! The guards are supposed to be professional," she complained, moving the target of her wrath to prisoner transport, it would seem. It felt like she was just angry in general and lashing out at things. At least she wasn’t angry with me. Still, I think I’d rather have her angry with me than ashamed of me.
Rarity frowned outright at this and set her cup down again, a little more forcefully this time. The noise snapped Twilight out of her spiral and caused both of us to look at the white unicorn.
"That's enough, Twilight! You know as well as I do that he is innocent. If it concerns you, spread that fact around to any who question rather than worry about how it might influence your own reputation," she lectured, surprisingly harshly. The tone was strict and demanding, leaving an almost unspoken dare to challenge her and get trounced. In my reasonably shaken mentality, it was more than a little intimidating, and I shrank further.
Twilight, for her part, looked more surprised than anything. "But, I wasn't worried about... I mean, he's my stallion and I care for him, is all. It's not like I was, well, okay, I was a little embarrassed over the ordeal but," she started to shakily protest, shifting back and forth on her hooves.
Rarity's eyes narrowed slowly the longer Twilight went on. The lavender mare hesitated and slowed to a stop before sighing. "Okay, fine. I was utterly horrified," she finally admitted. It hurt, but it was the truth. I knew that it was because of me as well, which hurt the most. Come on! One normal day is all I ask.
"You were ashamed. Ashamed of the stallion you claim to care about. This is not you, Twilight," Rarity spoke quietly, earning a wince from all three remaining ponies in the room; the nurse oddly included as she blatantly listened in. I didn't care at this point, though.
Twilight stayed quiet for an agonizing half a minute, shifting her gaze between the floor and myself a couple times. I was ashamed as well; far too much to even look her in the eye at this point. What a mess. Why did it have to be me? Of course, I caught myself asking that quite often about various things. I wondered if that was just another way to run away.
The nurse let out a yelp as I flailed about in panic from the sudden foreign set of lips on my forehead. Twilight thankfully backed up and simply observed until I stopped wiggling. I stared at her in surprise until she giggled and looked down again. "Um, are you okay, Mender? I should have asked you that a while ago. I’m sorry," she spoke softly, smiling weakly as her eyes caught mine again.
My mouth was still open in shock. Becoming aware of it, I slowly closed it and exhaled wearily, having no idea how to answer. She suddenly decided to take Rarity's advice? My eyes lowered as I let myself slowly slide down onto the couch cushion again, letting the nurse resume her cleaning of the wound site. At least she said it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked. Damn head wounds...
"Did it, um, bring up any bad memories?" the decidedly warm and comfortable lavender unicorn asked instead as she gave my muzzle and nose a light kiss. It tickled a little and I smiled weakly.
"When they put the hoof cuffs on me, it did. I think I passed out shortly after," I replied, feeling a little more relaxed but tired now. My body just wanted to sleep for a while and heal.
Rarity perked up at the mention of my memories and listened intently. My fillyfriend just nodded against my nose before getting up fully onto the cushion in front of me. "She's right. You're innocent and I shouldn't be worried about myself. I'll stand by you too, Mender," she assured after a moment's hesitation.
"Well, I'll be. I guess you were telling the truth and not just helping some stranger escape jail. I’m also glad to see you apologized," I suddenly heard spoken in a familiar voice, followed by an even more familiar laugh. His absence must have put him in a better mood.
Twilight opened her eyes again and shifted them in the direction of the doorway to her chambers. I peeked as well, discovering Shining Armor slowly walking into the room, still in full armor but looking considerably more relaxed than he had been earlier. Maybe it was because it was warmer up here? Or he really liked filling out paperwork…
"Of course, Shiny. A little late for this, but meet Moon Mender, my coltfriend. Mender, this is my brother, Shining Armor. But you already knew that," Twilight introduced, smiling gently now and seemingly feeling better.
"It is good to meet you outside of the jail cell, Mender. Unfortunate series of events, that. But I have a feeling you're a good stallion after all, especially after what you said about the pouch," he welcomed, winking at me. I blushed weakly and looked away. If I had known he was Twilight's brother, I would have stayed quiet about the whole thing!
"Huh? What do you mean?" the now exceedingly curious unicorn in front of me questioned.
Shining Armor snickered before shaking his head, however. "Anonymity sometimes breeds honesty, Twily. I know he deeply cares for you, which is enough to make me accept him as your coltfriend," he assured with a smirk.
I shook my head wearily. "Honestly, I'm just glad I got it back. That had me worried the most," I muttered, glancing back up at Twilight's brother with a newly discovered curiosity. Outside of his post, he wore a relaxed expression, even in his armor. He was a little smaller than Big Mac, but it looked like he had years of experience behind his eyes. He also had a horn, and if he came from the same family as Twilight, I could only hope to guess at how powerful he was.
Twilight sighed and shook her head, however, drawing my attention back to her before adding, "As much as I'm happy to have the pouch back, I'm just happy that you're okay." I caught myself blushing and smiled weakly with what energy I had left, searching her eyes for truth to that. If she was going to make an effort to trust me, I should definitely make an effort to trust her back. Our relationship hadn’t been the smoothest so far, but maybe that would make it stronger overall? Her expression was earnest, however, and she returned a warm smile.
"I'm still curious as to why you felt so strongly for the pouch, Mender," Rarity spoke up, smiling over her cup of tea at me a moment later. Her tail swished back and forth behind her in an oddly polite, sophisticated manner, as if on display with its fine curves.
Chuckling, I shook my head again. "Besides the fact that it was Twi's and she trusted me with it? It also had her bits in it, which was important. But for the honest truth, I myself have nothing to my name. Even the saddlebag I hauled things here with is Twi's. So for her to give me something so dear to her and almost lose it might bother me a bit more than normal," I speculated quietly, having just considered it for the first time now. It was just a feeling that was there.
The lavender unicorn smiled and kissed me softly on the top of the nose again before being shooed away by the nurse, who was now cleaning my fur along my cheek. "You're amazingly sweet, Mender. We need to have you start getting things of your own, however. You've honestly done a lot of hard work for me and my friends and deserve it," she added, not dissuaded by the nurse at all.
Shining Armor chuckled, distracting me before I could protest. "She's right. The letters she writes back to us are practically glowing about you! I could have sworn from the letters that you were twice my size, made of coiled iron, and threw fire with a wave of your hoof," he tossed on, smirking.
"Hey!" Twilight practically shouted, flushing red as she whipped her head back and glared at him menacingly. I held back a chuckle before nuzzling her cheeks gently. She made a squeaking noise, but held her ground and smiled again, features relaxing a little.
"My, my. Normally I'd be chased halfway around the castle for that comment! He really has tamed you quite a bit," her brother teased further, dancing backwards away from her tiny electric shock blast. She growled and fired a second one at him as well. He started to dance backwards again when my hoof touched the sofa instead.
A magic line arched along the floor faster than a lightning strike and the large barrier extended up in the same instant, totally blocking the small blast of electricity. He stopped and stared at it in surprise, before Twilight glared at me instead.
"What, are you taking his side?" she questioned, eyes narrowing a little.
Hastily, I nuzzled her again in assurance before explaining, "Just saving him from your wrath. I'm honored, Twilight. You don't need to be angry over it." She let out a soft sigh as I rested against her cheeks. A second ticked by and she finally smiled against me and relaxed again.
"All right. But only because you asked so nicely," she agreed, earning a snicker from both myself and Shining Armor.
"Interesting magic indeed. Physical contact creates it from the point of his left hoof, exactly like your letter stated. Your strength is in barriers?" he asked after a moment's thought.
I nodded at the partial answer. "Barriers, transmutation, and alteration magic. I block things, change the physical forms of things, and change the metaphysical properties of things," I summarized, closing my eyes sleepily. Twilight was warm and felt good against my now freshly cleaned cheek.
The nurse stood up again next to the couch and left contact with my side finally. "I've cleaned the site as best I could, but I suggest taking a shower to get the remainder of the blood out of your fur. It's just a surface wound and has already ceased bleeding. There's no further trauma that I can detect with my magic, so you should be all right," she reported in her quiet, rather soft voice. She sounded business-like but gentle.
"Thank you, Nurse," Rarity spoke up courteously in the background before adding, "It's best if you go do that now, Mender. Twilight and I already cleaned up while you were, well, preoccupied, and I need to get you into your suit before the party."
I had to admit she spoke wisdom. Shakily, I slowly stood up off the couch and wobbled before finding my balance. One would think that having four hooves instead of two feet would make me more stable, but that turned out to be false so far. More legs seemed to mean more ways to trip over myself, in my case.
"Do you need help walking, Mender? You did take a rather nasty hit to the head still," Twilight asked, moving in gently to brace against my side.
The image of her following me into the bathroom caused me to blush, and I rapidly shook my head. Twilight raised an eyebrow at my display, but I caught a knowing smirk from Rarity as if she practically read my mind.
"Baby steps, Mender," the pearly, technically almost white unicorn reminded. I suddenly realized she wasn't talking about my walking issues at all, and nodded back to her. Twilight deserved baby steps, and I was less likely to make an idiot of myself if I didn't rush anything in the relationship.
"Good idea, Rarity!" Twilight agreed, nodding enthusiastically to her friend and totally missing the underlying message, I suspected.
"Oh, Twily. Never change," Shining Armor agreed, rubbing her on the top of the head and earning another questioning glance as I quietly slipped towards the bathroom while she was distracted. If she did indeed catch on, I had a feeling it would only be awkward...
* * * * *
Temporarily drowning out the panicking Rarity in the background, I glanced around the massive, multi-story ballroom with a sense of awe and scrutiny all at once. It was an extremely impressive structure, had it actually been fully intact, I imagined. Repairs from some practically apocalyptic disaster that had struck the room were still ongoing, it would seem, and I was mildly concerned about how structurally intact the entire room was.
"This is why Pinkie was banned for two years from the room," Twilight whispered in my right ear from next to me. I shuddered, my having put two and two together a few minutes ago doing nothing to blunt the sheer horror of that statement. Hell, the stonework was completely shattered in a few spots!
"Are you sure they've put enough of it back together for this party to be safe?" I asked, glancing skeptically over at the stage near the massive bay window overlooking the cliff outside.
Twilight sighed wearily and nodded after a moment's consideration. "Well, they're professionals, I think. They wouldn't let Fancypants throw a party here if it wasn't safe, right? I think. Yeah, probably," she 'assured'. Crap. Her statement only making me more nervous, I stood up again and wandered along the wall, examining the support beams that had been put in place while they redid the inner masonry. They hadn't left any loose or jutting pieces of stone, so that was good. The wood they used also looked of high quality with proper supports. No, if there was any risk, it was probably in the ceiling near the two damaged areas. So the apparently newly replaced bay window by the stage and the front entrance to the room, both of which sported large wall craters. The parts furthest away from the support beams of the room were at risk of structural collapse if they hadn't been reinforced. Of course, lacking x-ray vision, I had no idea what the supports looked like inside of the ceiling.
"Mender! I need your help!" I suddenly heard Rarity call out. I turned to my left just in time to see the frantic mare speeding towards me, gorgeous dress swishing out with each shift of her back hips.
I waited for her to get within casual talking distance before politely asking, "What is it, Rarity? You know I'll help with anything."
She paused, relaxing a little and giving me a softer smile. "You really are a dear. These incompetent workers have not yet finished my stage and catwalk, sadly! This just will not do. Their boss took sick leave, of all things! How can one be sick when there's a fashion show to prepare for?! I've informed them that I'm recruiting you to lead them in the finalization of the stage," she summarized rapidly.
I went from assured to shocked, and finally to a little panicked by the time she finished, of course. "Uh, I don't think I'm qualified for construction like this. Besides, why would they even listen to me? I look like another party goer," I pointed out, gesturing towards the rather impeccable yet highly uncomfortable suit that I was currently wearing. Even my mane had been styled, which felt more than a little awkward. Well, re-styled. Embarrassingly enough, I had managed to accidentally punch myself in the head while trying to get the suit on, causing Rarity to have to go back and fix my mane up again. Thankfully, it was my left side that time, so I didn't reopen my wound.
Rarity wasn't dissuaded in the least, however. "Why, they'll listen to you because I told them to. After the wonderful job I watched you do making Applejack's machine up from scratch, I have not even the slightest doubt this will be foal's play for you," she complimented, trapping me into doing it at the same time.
My ears lowered and I sighed. The mare definitely had a way with words. "I'll try, Rarity. But only because it's you," I finally agreed, slowly heading back the way I came, towards the rather crude looking framework of a display tent.
"Oh, you're an absolute doll! A true prince of a," Rarity started to coo, hoof steps sounding as if she were following me. Her walking and voice ground to a halt in an instant, however. Huh? Slowing to a stop, I glanced back at her questioningly, only to discover her staring blankly at me with her mouth still partially open, mid-word. Had I done something wrong? Uh oh. Did I tear the back of the suit or something somehow?!
To my surprise however, a faint pink tint shifted into her cheeks rather than any expression of anger. She closed her mouth in a heartbeat and coughed lightly, looking away from me. This only served to leave my mind a further confused mess as I tried to figure out if I should be running away or not.
"Ah, sorry. A momentary stray thought distracted me. We must make haste, though," she excused a moment later, smiling back up at me with no trace left in her expression of what had been before. Weird. When she didn't want to, she certainly didn't wear her emotions at all.
Regardless, I nodded to her and continued towards the construction. The basic structure looked very elaborate with the curves and outcroppings, but that's all it appeared to be. There was nothing existing on the wood at all, which concerned me. Whatever the walls were supposed to be made of had better go up quickly, or there was no way it would be ready by eighteen hundred hours. If my guess was correct, it was probably a tent of some sort meant to hold fabric in place.
Rarity zipped ahead of me and quickly pulled aside a tan pony in an orange vest, who was wearing a solid looking yellow construction helmet. Tufts of black mane stuck out from under the headgear, I noticed. She whispered to him for a moment before nodding. He returned the nod a second later and glanced up at me before walking over. The entire exchange took all of ten seconds, leaving me wondering what exactly she said.
"The Boss says yer gonna help us with figuring out how ta put together the rest of the tent?" he asked dryly, sounding more than a little frustrated. Figure out? I nodded wearily, unsure of what to expect when he withdrew a rolled up piece of paper from his side bag. "Good! Ah'm not trained in these blasted plans and whatnot. Can you make sense of them?" he requested, offering me the roll. I couldn't place his accent, but that didn't surprise me, really. It was thick and the words almost felt 'slanted' somehow. It was hard to describe.
I took the roll with my left hoof, and he raised an eyebrow as it stuck without further assistance. My magic traced along the paper and it unfurled under my manipulation, causing him to step backwards a few hoof lengths in surprise. Still, I needed to hurry, so there was no time for restraint.
My eyes traced the lines on the paper, noting that it was the structure plans almost instantly. My frown lowered further when I noticed the units being used. Centimeters? Meters? Of course, the plan I'd made Applejack was in metric as well because that's what I had been used to using. I rarely, if ever, considered things in terms of the old fashioned Keldarian methods. Still, this wasn't made by me, but was still in metric units. There was starting to be a disturbing amount of coincidences involved for my liking, but I shook my head rapidly and tried to focus.
"These are structural plans for the frame. You have most of it done already, but there's not enough structural support for the front curtain or the upper-back ceiling where it connects to the changing rooms, yet," I pointed out, gesturing to the same spots on their constructed framework.
He momentarily looked surprised before nodding. "Ah thought it was a little light in the back. We don't want those poor mares having lumber fall on their heads! Ya heard him, team! Get on supporting the back, and get those front curtain rods up!" he shouted, gesturing towards the group of a dozen or so congregating near the front of the frame.
Rarity smiled pleasantly at the seeming results, but I shook my head. "No, too slow. You're only going to need three or four ponies for both of those jobs. Have the remainder start putting up the fabric along the front of the building at the same time and we can get the job done even faster," I suggested, heading towards the rolls of fabric they had resting nearby.
The head stallion seemed yet again surprised, but I ignored him and touched my hoof against the rolls. The top one exploded into movement as it unfurled itself, rapidly sliding along the floor before coating the right side of the 'tent' and rolling itself out over the frame.
"Oh, you don't have to actually help, Mender! They were simply having trouble figuring out what the plans meant," Rarity informed, trotting up while wearing a gentle smile.
I shook my head back at her, correcting, "Actually, the back reinforcement isn't on the plans. But without any attachment to the back wall above the changing room exits, it's a serious danger to anypony passing under the arc and through the doors. As for helping, I don't really have anything else to do until the party, so I might as well be useful."
Twilight smirked off to my left and joined Rarity in front of me. "That's very productive of you, Mender. Honestly, you'll make a name for yourself without needing Applejack's help, although her word certainly wouldn't hurt," she added, giving me a happy nod. That I blushed at and smiled after lowering my head a little. I wasn't really used to praise, but I was glad she was happy with me. My eyes widened subtly as I realized that it was important to me. I wanted her to be proud of me. Her, specifically.
Rarity gave a happy murmur and nod, agreeing with, "Indeed! You're very kind, Mender. I can see why Fluttershy also likes you." Well, I wasn't out specifically to be kind. Fluttershy absolutely oozed the virtue. In reality, I just wanted to be useful. I wanted to fit in and actually contribute; to help these amazing ponies as freely as they accepted me into their lives.
"I'm going to be free as well, Mender. May I assist you in construction of the stage and tent?" Twilight suddenly asked, smiling politely with her eyes gently closed towards me. It was more than a little adorable.
"Oh, that's a good idea. Please do prevent him from accidentally tearing his suit as well," Rarity requested, giving two nods towards Twi. I chuckled, realizing that it was indeed still Rarity talking. She must have recovered from whatever bothered her earlier.
Twilight snickered and nodded, pointing out, "He's not going to tear his suit if he sticks to using magic anyway. I'll just help hold things in place." The same stallion from before dropped his jaw, however, as she followed me back to the construction site.
"The Element of Magic herself is going to help put this together?!" he asked, watching her carefully lift up all three curtain rods at once.
She smiled while focusing and nodded absently. "Of course. You're already taking orders from my coltfriend, after all. I might as well help, too," she reasoned, lingering and putting more than a little emphasis on 'coltfriend' as she said it. I blushed lightly, and the brat of a mare looked right at me after finishing the statement. She held a knowing grin, and I suddenly realized she was intentionally spreading it around!
"Careful. It won't be secret for too much longer if you don't do some damage control," I warned, sticking my tongue out at her gently.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking about it. Maybe I don't want it to be a secret? Rarity's right, you know? Honestly, it's totally normal and nopony is going to think any differently of me regardless," she reasoned, blowing a strand of her mane out of her face while two ponies to each side placed the curtain rods into their locking bars.
Chuckling, I shrugged absently. I wasn't one to question the topic, having no idea myself. "If I had to guess, they'll probably treat you with more respect due to who you are, actually. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about," I reasoned.
I was interrupted with a soft nudge to the shoulder, however. I glanced to my right only to see a smaller looking mare with a white coat and abruptly green mane. She was also decked out in the construction gear, so I assumed she was part of the team. "Excuse me, Mr. Moon Mender. We have the right side secured to the frame. Could you help us attach the left now?" she asked politely, oddly looking a little nervous for some reason. I hope she hadn't heard about what happened to the guard and thought my bad luck was contagious or something. Twilight had said Luna told her that the guard had been hospitalized upon returning to the barracks, it turns out. Something about a mild concussion, muscle strains, and potential infection in awkward places from small animal bites. I hadn't realized there was more than one squirrel! Or had it been a chipmunk?
"Oh, sure!" I returned, suddenly catching myself zoning and snapping myself back to reality.
She smiled innocently and nodded before gesturing to another roll of the heavy purple fabric. I released my minor barrier that was holding the right side up, tentatively at first. My smile widened upon realizing that it was indeed secured to the frame. Exhaling softly, I slid the other roll along the ground with my barrier again before unrolling it and hanging it up against the left side of the frame this time.
"I think your magic is getting stronger," Twilight commented, walking along at my left as I went, having finished her job.
Smiling, I nodded to her before she suddenly stopped and turned fully towards me, silently calling for my attention. I halted as well, making sure the fabric was solid against the frame before turning to look at her.
"What did you mean, 'who I am'?" she asked a moment later, tilting her head gently. Huh? Oh! The last thing I had said to her, that's right.
"You're Twilight Sparkle. That name, from what I hear, is synonymous with a mixture of Princess, Celebrity, and Superhero," I explained, winking at her.
As predicted, her cheeks lit up pink almost instantly. "Mender! Ugh. I'm not that important; certainly not a princess," she complained, flattening her ears back and looking down from my gaze.
"Oh, but technically you are, Twilight Dear. Your brother married a Princess, after all, which makes you royalty by relation," Rarity chimed in, making me jump a little. Looking behind me to the left, I saw her slowly trailing along, looking far more relaxed than earlier.
"That's hardly qualification," Twilight denied, giving her friend a deadpan look.
I decided to redirect her self-undercutting, correcting, "Well, even if you don't think you are, I do. You'll always be my princess." Twilight was important to me. At this point, I was determined to accept that.
Sadly, the wrong mare squealed. "Oh, that is absolutely gushing with romantic undertones! You are such a Gentlecolt," Rarity chirped, hopping up lightly on her back hooves and flicking her forelegs back and forth rapidly, looking oddly excited. Twi, for her part, just shifted her blush to crimson and stared at me, mouth parted slightly. I couldn't read her expression in the slightest, however.
My ears drooped a little. "Um, I'm sorry," I tentatively apologized, just in case. It was getting kind of instinctive at this point. Another trait I noticed I shared with Fluttershy.
She snapped out of it, rapidly shaking her head. "Oh, no! No, no! You just surprised me, is all. I've never had a stallion say anything even remotely so nice to me before, apart from Shining Armor. I'm just starting to fully grasp all of this, I think. You really do care for me," she muttered. The way she said the last part made me think she didn't really believe herself, even.
I nodded to her and lightly stepped forward, nuzzling the side of her cheek lightly. She was cute when she blushed, I decided. She pushed back into me at the same time, letting out a quiet sigh. Seconds drifted by contentedly, and I smiled. I could stay just like this for an eternity and be perfectly content. My ears twitched as I picked up a light scraping noise of hoof against the floor to my left, however.
Breaking away and looking over, I saw Rarity slowly retreating via backing up, her eyes fixated largely on the tile below her instead of on us. "Rarity?" I questioned, a little concerned at this point. She was acting strange again.
She jumped as if burned, however, looking back up at both of us just in time for Twilight to give her a confused look as well. "Are you okay?" the lavender unicorn inquired, sounding as concerned as I was.
"Oh, of course, Dear! I was just going to, um, help myself to a bit of a snack before the party," she excused, settling her hooves again and seemingly puffing up, almost.
I gave her a skeptical glance, and she looked away as predicted. Okay, that time she was obviously lying through her teeth. The fact that it was obvious only went to indicate how much whatever she was thinking about was bothering her. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit forlorn, is all. Don't mind me," she finally confessed, shifting to a warmer smile and looking back at us fully.
"What's wrong, Rarity? You can tell us," Twilight pressed, shifting to face her fully instead. I let her do her thing, realizing she knew her friend a lot better than I did. Shifting as well, I simply idled next to her for support if needed.
Rarity exhaled before thinking for a moment. I knew that look. It was the "choosing my words carefully" expression! "Well, looking upon you two being so absolutely amazing together indirectly reminds me of what I don't yet have myself. I'm simply wishing that I, too, had found my prince." She looked sullen after having admitted it and lowered her gaze again quietly.
Twilight frowned, eyes softening before she walked forward and gently hugged the white unicorn. "I understand, Rarity. You'll find your prince soon, don't worry. Maybe he'll even be here at this party?" Twilight suggested, smiling confidently at Rarity.
The white and purple mare chuckled and leaned into her friend before returning, "I wish I shared your confidence, but thank you. If he's half as polite and charming as yours, I should feel rightly delighted." Twilight's eyes widened for the briefest moment before she recovered her composure, adding a light frown. Huh?
The frown was gone before I could so much as blink, however, replaced by a gentle yet assuring smile. "I'm sure he's out there, Rarity. Just keep your hopes up. I can even keep my eyes open for you and direct any potential stallions your way during the party," she offered, releasing Rarity and giving her a soft wink.
Rarity laughed outright at that before making a 'tsk' noise towards her. "Oh that would hardly be proper. But thank you, Dear. You're a very good friend," Rarity replied, sounding genuinely better than before. I smiled too and nodded. If I knew what to look for, I'd try to help, too. I wasn't very good at judging character, though. Hell, half the time I couldn't even judge my own.
I pondered it, however. Of course, if I had some thermal imaging cameras and photo scanning equipment, I could probably write up an algorithm that could scan the crowds for potential matches with physical characteristics that Rarity looked for. Some simple conversation monitoring with directional mics would probably give a brief summary of their personalities, too. It would hardly be accurate, but it could be done. It would be a lot more thorough than talking to every stallion at the party, that was for sure!
"Um, are you listening, Mender?" Twilight asked, nudging me in the chest lightly. I started and flailed in surprise.
"Huh? What?" I asked, suddenly feeling more than a little embarrassed.
Twilight snickered and pointed out, "I know you're a stallion and I'm your fillyfriend, so I'm not going to be mad that you've been staring at my flank for the past thirty seconds. Normally one wouldn't be wearing a blank look while doing so, however, so I have a feeling your head was elsewhere." My blush magnified, earning another series of snickers from Twilight, who, to her own credit, looked more amused than angry. "Relax, Mender. I'm teasing you. I just wanted to let you know that Rarity and I are going to go get a snack before the party. You don't need me for anything else here, do you?" she asked after another moment.
"Oh, no. I'll just finish helping them set up the tent, then," I answered, trying to keep any negative tones out of my voice. Admittedly, I was enjoying their presence, but I didn't want to get in the way of any talking they might want to do privately. Or their food, in case they were actually intending to get some. Given the reminder, my stomach let out a pained murmur, but I ignored it. I didn't have time to eat anything now.
If I had let anything slip, Twilight either didn't notice or decided not to say anything. She gave a gentle nod, eyes closed in content before turning away. "We'll be back in a few minutes," she tossed out before heading after Rarity, who had already turned and redirected herself towards the rather impressive looking buffet table.
This time I really did watch her as she walked away, not necessarily her flanks, of course. Not that they weren't something to look at. Still, I found myself enjoying her presence more and more as she became more relaxed around me. She was slowly becoming less scary. As the negative feelings were removed, there was less to get in the way of the shockingly positive ones that I hadn't even realized were there in such force. Still, I knew better and reminded myself to exercise restraint and move at her pace, even if that meant waiting until the next ice age before progressing any further. Well, if this planet had atmospheric shifts like that. I pondered it for a moment before I was nudged on the right shoulder again.
Expecting her this time, I glanced over at the same mare as before, who was now smiling this time. "We got the left side secured. Could you help us with the roof now, Mr. Moon Mender?" she asked politely, perking a little after saying it. I chuckled and nodded, following her towards the back of the structure where the elevated construction platforms were. Well, at least this was going smoothly. Maybe I'd have a normal night at least, as a compromise. For some reason, I wasn't holding my breath.
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I wonder how many injuries Mender's had by this point... Must have a huge pain tolerance by now XD
OH GOD WHY DID YOU THINK THAT.
ack!
and another week of anticipation awaits...
the end!
already?!
at least it's worth it
So which part was inserted/ changed?
As soon as Twilight sent him off alone I knew something was going to go bad. Twilight what were you thinking? I mean really, given his track record what made you think sending him off, alone, in a city he doesn't know, was a good idea?
The week will be sooooo long...
Poor Mender, nothing ever seems to work out for him, but I can't wait until his luck starts turning around!
Wait... WHAT??? I didn't know any of this information until i read this sentence. I am missing something?
EDIT: Herp Derp, Luna's guard(s) that were antagonizing him outside of the library and got a tree to fall on them. Carry on.
~Momentai
I like where the things with Rarity and construction worker are going.
Just a wild guess but I think Twi will be fending of some interested mares in near future.
Just out of pure curiosity, which part did you add?
For some reason, I thought the big reveal of shinning to mender was going to be much more comedy based rather than simple understandings.
Still, one way or the other, I'm loving this story.
hmmm,
detecting multiple interests...
wonder how this'll all work out
and wth were you thinking Twi??? i mean seriously?!?!
never let a walking disaster wander alone into an unknown city...
its just asking for trouble
Mender, don't jinx it.
also I feel like pointing out that Rarity seems to have a little more going on than just a need to find a special some-pony, I'm detecting hints of a crush :).
near as I can tell, Moon mender set a new academy record for getting arrested upon entering canterlot. I can't help but laugh every time I remember that happening.
Awesome work, my good sir. Keep it up.
according to word length this chapter is quite long. but after reading it it felt short, not sure why...
I'm really starting to hate Twilight :(
I know she "made up" with him but seriously he really deserves more then she can seem to give. SHE WAS FLIPPING ASHAMED OF HIM! That makes me really mad! (if you couldn't tell) this isn't the first time something like this has happened. If this was even a little similar to a real relationship I was say cut it cause it isn't gonna go anywhere. Everytime I read I hope for something to improve but it seems she is gonna pull the same shit over and over. Love is love. You'll want the best for any1 u love. She apparently doesn't cause she isn't doing jack shit for him. Just leading him on and on and on even if she doesn't seem to realizes.
Half sorry for that I just had to rant after reading this. That being said this kinda becoming repetitive and makes for a Extremely predictable read. She says she'll do better and she doesn't. That is all. I not sure if I'll continue reading in hope
You know, for a minute there you had me worried that Mender was going to end up in an asylum for crazed magic-users...
First day in Canterlot and he gets arrested........
Can't wait to see his reaction as to whose party it is.
So Mender got mugged, then got arrested for getting mugged.
Did Fancy Pants get arrested for assault and Fleur for theft since that's what actually happened?
I'm going to be disappointed if they got off Scott free. although considering what happened to the guard who attacked him, that might be a bit much.
Wait... I think the end of the chapter is missing, Mender's still conscious.
Ohh I hope so very much that Rarity gets involved in this, she has been putting out the signs for so long now.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to take place after the beginning of Season 3, but if it is, there is a pretty big continuity error that exists here: After the Crystal Empire reappeared, it becomes fairly apparent that Shining Armor has now taken up permanent residence in the Crystal Empire as their prince and has most likely left behind his post as captain of the guard. Not sure how you exactly you are planning that time jump that'll be coming by the end of the story, but it looks like now you'll have to say that pretty much the entirety of Season 3 took place at some point after the main events of this story.
Well now we know who's going to be crushed under the collapsing stage......
2529257
It's because this story is awesome.
Too bad, a really good story going mediocre. I can set my watch by the plot contrivances at this point. I keep reading hoping to get some spark of the original back but...
I... have a bad feeling about that other mare.
So Twilight's still working on being a good fillyfriend, Rarity's still crushing on Mender (hard), and Mender's still got the worst luck in the world. Seems about right for our first chapter in Canterlot, and judging by the ending of the chapter things are about to go downhill. Or maybe off a cliff.
I'm looking forward to this a bit more than is really healthy.
Bad Luck Mender: First day in Canterlot? Arrested within half an hour.
I know it's bloody redundant to say now, but Twilight and Mender are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO adorable together! I just want to hug them both!
Looks like Prince Blueblood's still left quite a mark on Rarity. Prediction: this is a major social event - Blueblood may be there - they will all run into each other - Mender will find out what happen - will likely make a stand for Rarity's honor - and his usual luck will ensue.
2530108
Yeah, maybe this might happen instead.
Oh god, it is going to happen, isn't it...
Bottom line - when all is said and done, Mender's going to suffer to some degree from his bad luck.
Semester ended and I finally got back to reading this fic!!
Getting nearly killed by rods, flashbacks, more communication to the other dimension, strange disks that link ponies together, and finally arriving in Canterlot, Mender has had his hooves full. 
Great to see Twi and Mender starting to get more comfortable with each other
though Twi needs to think her actions and responses more thourghly and mender needs to stop panicking.
I wonder how Rainbow is going to react when she realizes she is connected with Mender now, though that doesn't mean the connection will be the same as Fluttershy's. Oh Rarity, you need to move on from your little crush on Mender. You'll find somepony. 
Great last couple of chapters.
I can't wait to see what happens how Mender will react to Fancypants at the party. I wonder if we'll get to see certain fashion ponies at the party as well. 
I'm still not sure who to cheer for - All these interactions with Rarity (including a special scene with her and Sweetie Belle) are starting to make me consider that glamorous mare and Mender together rather than with Twilight
- she really does deserve a compassionate and gentle colt. Her abrupt "prince" rambling with Mender went straight into the heart! 
On another note, I feel the need to thank you again Kiro - You and your story make these tough weeks of studies/exams more manageable, knowing that there's another fantastic chapter waiting at the end of the working week.
~Bridge
With all this blushing i'm surprised they're faces haven't melted, Kiroberos I'd consider giving all characters in this story an emergency ice pack for sever blushing. fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/20334.png?1334157170
Foreshadowing?
This chapter had all of the lulz. Also, Mender better watch out. He needs to remember to turn off his gentlemanlike demeanor when he goes to sleep at night, or he'll wake up covered in mares.
Huh. Fancypants seems a bit out of sorts. I'd expect the gentlestalliion that bailed Rarity out of so many social fiascos in a single day would be able to recognize a simple walking accident
Once again, another great chapter, i like how Moon mender ran into shining armor before twilight introduced them to each other, not exactly the best way to do it either
Why do they blush so much though? Their faces must hurt from it by now, and i'd think after awhile they'd get used to it from each other.
\
Cant wait to see what next weekend brings!
Just curious, are you thinking of having Spike and Rarity get together at all? I mean, I know it probably wouldn't be appropriate now, but I figure if you're going to do a time jump at the end of the story, perhaps you could an older teenage Spike and Rarity pairing. I really always have liked that pairing.
Dude.
Bro.
I'm gonna level with you here. Ya need to hook-up my girl Rarity with somepony. Anypony. I don't care who. She needs some lovin'. She needs somepony to mack on her. Stat. I know you've already written most of the story (and you may have already set her up with somepony) but things can change. Look what happened at the end of Memory Pending. You didn't think there would be a continuation, but lo and behold, there was a want for one. No. A need for one.
This is not a demand; more along the lines of an EXTREME request. One that can be ignored as well.
I don't know why I'm talking like this. Probably because I just found out you're a guy. For the longest time I thought you were a girl. Not that that influenced how I thought of you as a writer or anything. I'm just bad at determining gender via text.
That sounds like a completely useless skill.
Anyway.
Awesome chapter.
2528619 Yeah, my first thought was, "There will be blood."
I'm starting to think Mender exudes an aura that sends a subconscious signal to everyone around him, "Be a jerk to this guy!" Some are simply affected more than others. I mean, Fancy Pants seemed like just about the least judgmental pony in Canterlot, I really would've expected him to be more reasonable than to bash first and ask questions later. Maybe that's the difference between running into a stallion vs a mare, since when Rarity met those two in the same manner, it turned into a pleasant introduction. I mean, sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but Mender was obviously trying to explain the situation, not running away or anything, so it's really hard for him to justify making such a snap judgment attack like that. Mender would be totally fair in insisting that they get put through the exact same treatment he did, getting stuffed in a freezing jail cell for a while, then marched through town in shackles before being released. And that still spares them the physical injuries, the torture flashbacks, the ruined introduction to a potential future brother-in-law, and the awful rendezvous with the romantic partner. I doubt he's going to do that, but I do hope he at least guilts them pretty strongly. Maybe a "Don't worry, while I was bleeding on the frozen bricks in that underground prison cell, I decided I had suffered enough for all three of us. I was due for another concussion anyway, since I hadn't met my quota yet for the last couple days. And don't worry about making me recall the time I got my eye ripped out--I probably would have remembered it eventually anyway. Well, enjoy your party!"
Maybe Mender has a little barrier embedded in his skull or something. Or maybe he doesn't even have a brain, but the inside of his head is simply a direct link to that book in his old world, and that's his mind. Well, maybe not.
What's Twilight talking about, though? He did all of that within about TWO minutes after leaving her sight, not twenty. Maybe she meant how long they'd been off the train, but even that seemed only slightly longer. She pretty much needs to never let him out of her sight if she doesn't want him to get himself killed. He's like a little toddler where if you stop paying attention for a minute they'll wander off and get hurt. Only Mender's even worse, since he near-literally has a magnetic attraction to pain and trauma. Hell, they're lucky getting accidentally mugged and arrested was the worst that happened. All that was before he even made it into the building. If he'd actually stepped hoof into the cafe, he probably would have choked on a free sample that he turned out to be allergic to, then tripped over a table, got a boiling drink splashed on his face, and somehow knock a huge statue onto himself. And on that note, considering his boosted gravity effect, he'd better not stand under any of those weak points in the ceiling in the banquet hall place where the party is.
But jeez, Twilight seriously sucks at being a marefriend. I mean, she's trying, but damn. I was really hoping this would be a chapter where she didn't do anything objectionable. That was just cold, though, and honestly might be the single worst thing she's done yet. Here I was thinking it was the perfect chance for Twilight to be a supportive partner, and imagining her running up and hugging him or something as soon as they came into the room, all worried if he was okay. Then instead she just ignores Mender in favor of talking to her brother for a while first, then outright denies association with him. Ouch. I could practically feel that one myself. I don't know who said it, but I remember hearing a quote a long time ago along the lines that how you behave in moments where you don't have time to think is the truest display of your character. I don't know if I would go quite that far, but it certainly makes a good point. Awfully hard for Twilight to use panicking as an excuse (and it applies to Fancy Pants pretty well too), and it suggests she's more concerned about what Shining Armor thinks than Mender. Anyway, yes it's a shame for Mender to meet Shining Armor under those circumstances, but it was already done and over with at that point, so that doesn't mitigate it well either. At least Twilight's trying to make up for it, but damn, when is she going to finally make it out of one of these situations without it seeming like she should be begging for his forgiveness? If their relationship is ever going to be a truly good thing, Mender needs to feel like she's genuinely on his side, not the way his concerns still seem to be largely afterthoughts to her. I guess in a way, that means they're perfect for each other, because how many other ponies would be so willing to sit and take all that while Twilight figures out how to stop being kind of a brat? Probably just Fluttershy, ironically.
At least meeting Shining Armor still managed to go about as well as it could have, under the circumstances. But ugh, Twily is still a horrible nickname. I think I actually like Shining Armor less in general simply because he says that all the time whenever he's around. Sparky would be about 20 times better.
Poor Rarity, though. She's been treating Mender so much better than Twilight has, and is far more inclined towards romance in general, yet she's the one who's still lonely. I remember back in the early chapters of Memory Pending, for a while I actually thought she was the top contender to be Mender's romantic interest. It still seems like she might be concealing an attraction to him, but I don't think she's going to act on it. It might be largely a more abstract thing anyway, like "Why can't I find a stallion like him?" instead of necessarily about Mender specifically.
Watching Mender play around with his magic makes me wonder what other applications he could use it for. The construction ponies' reactions to him were pretty amusing, and I bet he could pull off some pretty good pranks. That gravity-alteration trick especially seems like it has quite a bit of potential. I'm not sure how long it lasts, or what his mass limits are, but he could possibly do something like show off by lifting a huge boulder with one hoof, or make a feather weigh fifty pounds. Not to mention the potential to make ponies themselves float around weightless. And speaking of pounds, I'd say something about his suspicions about the synchronicity with the metric system, but it'd just be repeating suspicions I've already tossed out a couple times before.
Okay, so this might be kinda mean, but I actually laughed quite a bit at that eyeball thing. I can't believe Keldarians actually DID THAT! When I said that thing a little while back about scooping out eyeballs to eat as a snack, I was just being silly, and had no expectation it was really going to happen. There I go predicting things by accident again. Makes me wonder what else I've said as a joke that's going to end up actually happening. Well, at least they were nice enough to take his eye out for him, instead of making him do it himself. But you know, it boosts some suspicions I've had for a while that his old body might actually have been chopped into three pieces intentionally by his own race when he was placed in that room he was guarding, rather than battle damage. Good way to keep someone from running away, I suppose.
Grar, I can't seem to read these longer chapters without getting interrupted multiple times, ending up having to read them over a couple days instead of all at once. And then I get pulled away again for a while right when I go to start typing a comment, so by the time I actually do start it, I'm trying to remember what I even wanted to say anymore, so then I end up taking yet another day to finally write out my thoughts. Oddly, though, that meant it was vaguely on my mind enough last night that I had a very brief dream scene where I discovered you were dissatisfied with the discussion on this chapter, so you posted the next one early. Kinda weird.
Managed to have my weekly dose of Mender last till monday! yay.
(mostly due to keeping me busy on the weekend and just starting today, but still!)
Keep up the good work.
Granted, things going wrong is a predictable given by now, but since that was already recognised by the acting characters and adressed as an issue by the same, I hardly see that as flawed writing, but as 'the way things are'.
Evenso, it never ceases to amaze me HOW things can go off-trail.
Also, it's not really repetitive, since there IS development in the sense as that problems actually get solved and stuff actually improves. It is just that other stuff and problems come up in the meantime.
Let's call that "life", shall we? Still, it is Mender's life, so that goes as smooth as one might suspect.. ;)
Love the style. Go Kiberios!
Stop leaving him by himself!!
Didn't you learn your lesson after he got arrested, Twilight?
Y'know, if my suspicions are correct and Rarity is firmly in the Mender harem camp but hiding it... why? It has been established that 'herds' exist and isn't opposed by the two potentials for Mender. Is Rarity hiding her feelings because she would prefer to have him for herself, a one-on-one loving relationship alone, or because she is too embarrassed to act on her feelings for one reason or another (likely not his accident- and misunderstanding- prone tendancies, she has been the most vocal defender of him on that).
And, if my suspicions are correct, this chapter reminds me how you are frigging excellent at undertones most of the time, especially for this being a written story.
Side Note: read the first "call me Twi" as "call me Twili" and I was there Oh hoh, VERY interesting request there, heh heh.
you know, when mender started talking about metric, I thought he might link that to those hairless apes, and I do hope we never see S.S Rare Mender ever again, *preparing for inevitable shitstorm from the people who love rarity
Twilight's an awful girlfriend. She's lucky she found such a forgiving guy like Mender, man
2543482 Rarity deserves Mender more than Twilight does. She really is a terrible fillyfriend.
One can see the 'Twilight is a horrible fillyfriend' increase with every chapter.
That is to say- You are right, she is. ;)
But I see that the same way I see it real-life: Iif she would have been perfect to begin with, what are the chances she would still be available by now?
Still.. having the will to do 'relationship-terraforming' while enduring the unresolved issues gives you a feeling how you deserved her to begin with her in the first place. Strange how that has never occured to Mender. He keeps wondering how he deserved her while continually being told from all sides that he's exceptionally understanding and patient (prime requirements with this Twilight). ;)
dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3029-roflbot.jpg
Okay, slightly annoyed at Twi right now, scratch that, definitely annoyed, goes back to the think things through comment last time so I won't rehash that.
Interesting into of Mender to Shining Armor, at least there likely isn't a lasting negative impression. Mender however really needs 24/7 supervision though, can't even go get food without getting in serious trouble.
Rarity definitely caught my interest this chapter, everything from her staring at his backside, to her comments to Twi (at the party), and her reaction when Shining Armor thought it was her that was Menders marefriend, the whole blushing thing and what not. It's almost as if she wishes she indeed had Mender as hers BUT she's letting Twi and Shy have him, almost kind of like rethinking the friend-zone status he is in if that makes sense. No clue if it does make sense, is 2322 on Thursday night and I'm rather tired
Have a good weekend Kiro!
Lots of d'aww in this one :3 again.
I really like how Rarity seems to be taking an interest too. ;) Though I think Mender has quite enough to handle with Twi and Flutters :D
Feels like I should have more to say about this chapter, as it feels like an important one, but I'm getting nothing :/
Also. Stupid iPhone with no emoticons...
2542533 - Radiant Silver
There wasn't supposed to be foreshadowing. It happened due to the particular way Twilight pulled him towards her there as a spontaneous thing.
His retrograde amnesia is triggered by external stimuli.
I'm glad you're enjoying, though.
2522975 - Lucky424
I'd just learned that while writing Memory Pending, too. Further, keep on rolling on. 
It's amazing the things you learn while extensively researching for a fanfic.
2523024 - Zontargs
You're right then. Fluttershy probably does have a very good chance of getting him 'first', then. Assuming he didn't do anything too spectacular with Keela of course.
Oooooh! I misread. Apologies.
2523229 - plp855
Don't forget this is a first person story. Anything stated might not be entirely accurate. I just figured they'd never mention specific times in the show, so I made the story conform to the standard Gregorian calendar. Mender arrived in Equestria on Friday, September 12th, at roughly 14:00 hours. 
He woke up September 29th from his coma, 16:28 hours. That's when Forgiveness Pending started.
Rarity said that, not I.
2523870 - ExplosiveBrohoof
There's no good fix for it, however. As an author, I actually don't control at what speed the character development happens. In order to portray it realistically, a real amount of time must pass in order for the changes to be plausible. So what to do? In order to keep ponies interested, do I speed up the narrative flow and start skipping details in order to bring about results faster? Or do I keep the story full of detail and slow down the whole results thing?
I'm very aware of the problem with the story's time dilation.
2524189 - MuffinTop
I doubt Equestrian society treats sexuality and sex as 'evil', as a rule of thumb. Further, I doubt Twilight is ashamed of her body. Ruling those two options out, what other reasons would their be for Twilight to not jump towards the more intimate details sooner, rather than later? Very good points! 
She was definitely apprehensive about something. But what, I wonder?
You're totally right.
2524248 - tjamesbeard
And of COURSE I respond to comments. All you ponies are awesome. I'd feel like I was failing you all if I didn't show proper respects. 
Although if I get too many more ponies commenting on my pages each chapter, I might have to allocate an entire day to typing out all these replies. 
Yup! This is the censored version of the story. I'll be posting a mature side story to run parallel to this one once we hit a chapter that has gore or sexual situations too extreme for a T rating.
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