Chapter 32
A flash of teeth in the dark snapped me awake in an instant. I found myself sitting upright with a cold sweat dotting my coat. I stared into the dark of the room, rapidly letting my heartbeat slow. I was alone again. Fluttershy had probably left after I fell asleep on her. I was just so tired lately.
Teeth. They had been mine this time. Well, the teeth of my other form; the ones that were pointed, sharp, and angled for restraining prey while my jaws crushed them apart. I shivered, the moisture on my fur feeling even colder. There was no escaping the truth anymore, honestly. Twilight was right. I couldn't live like this; lying to everypony like that. Even if it meant that I lost their love in the process. Princess Celestia had said the same thing, hadn't she? Of course, she had also told me that it was up to me to find my own place in the world; my reason for being in Equestria.
As if summoned, a light tapping noise sounded from the window to my left as my thoughts drifted. Sitting up, I glanced over at the window, noting immediately that there was a white glow emanating into the room. Celestia herself hovered just outside of the window, wings idly flapping as she looked in expectantly. I knew she had the capability to just open the window herself, so I assumed she was waiting for an invitation. My upper left most tentacle extended from my back and reached out, lightly wrapping around the window and unhooking the lock at the bottom. She smiled as I slid it open, and then retreated.
"You're very gentle with those as well," she commented, flicking herself through the window with practiced grace. Beyond yesterday, I wondered if she'd done this before.
"It was hard to do anything but break things at first, but after I got stuck in that form for a few hours, I learned to be gentle with them, too," I explained, watching passively as she landed at the side of my bed.
Her smile widened as she nodded in agreement. "After Shining Armor's report, I must say that I'm fully accepting of you. Not that I wasn't honestly before, but it spoke most favorably on your behalf," she relayed. I raised my eyebrow, skeptical at best.
"Even after what he found out about his sister and me? Not to mention the book," I asked, finding it hard to believe that he had anything good to say about me.
She chuckled softly and shook her head before glancing over at my bedside table. "Ah yes, is this it?" she inquired, undoubtedly already knowing the answer as she levitated it gently off the wooden surface.
I nodded once, watching her lift it with mild intrigue. Idly, I wondered if it was within her power to destroy the thing. "Prudentia. It's an Aegis Artifact. I'm sure Twilight reported that already, though," I added, feeling kind of silly. For some reason, however, I also liked saying the book's name. It felt, well, warm to me somehow.
Celestia examined it for a few moments before shaking her head and setting it down on my mattress instead. "No, she hasn't reported anything to me since the last time I saw her. I do believe she's a bit uncomfortable with me at the moment," she revealed, looking back up at me with a soft expression. I frowned, having not expected that reply in the least.
"I'm surprised. Honestly, I never expected her to say that in the first place, let alone actually follow through with it," I admitted quietly, unsure of my own voice suddenly. Celestia watched me carefully before closing her eyes and sighing. She took a moment before glancing back up at me with a weary smile.
"I'm sorry, but that's a little sad to hear. I'm not blaming you, of course. You've lost your trust in a lot of ponies after all of this. Is there anypony you trust still?" she asked in almost a whisper. I wasn't used to seeing the white alicorn look sad. It was a little disarming.
The question was easy enough, however. "Fluttershy," I returned a moment later. She watched me as I considered my own answer before nodding again, adding, "She's never really done anything to betray my trust apart from eavesdrop once. Plus, I have the direct link to her and can feel her when she gets close. It's relaxing and I feel comfortable around her."
Celestia smiled gently at my mention of the link and looked down at the book in my lap yet again. "I confess to being unable to detect that connection. Twilight also hasn't spoken much about it. Or is it more a matter of nopony knowing?" she inquired. That tidbit surprised me, honestly. Well, not so much that she couldn't detect it but more the fact that she admitted it to me.
"The last I discussed them with Twilight, neither of us knew much about them. I still don't know, as I haven't really looked into them. I've been trying to sort all the Keldarian DNA I have inside of myself into a database the last day or so," I excused, realizing I should probably look into it at some point.
She nodded as if actually understanding what I just said, to my further surprise. "It might be a nice olive branch to offer to Keela if the need arises. Shining Armor told me of what you reasoned could be used to have a talk with her as well. Oh, and worry not. He is not angry at you at all and fully realizes that you didn't know what she was even doing," Celestia assured, as if suddenly remembering the finer points of the conversation.
I blanched, then shook my head sadly. "I'm more worried about him being mad at Twilight. She's been, well, a lot more flexible and understanding the last few days and I find myself far more sympathetic," I admitted. Back when she still thought I was a crazy loon that couldn't manage breathing on my own, I might have thought otherwise.
Celestia snickered at my explanation instead. "I agree that her progress in adjusting to having a coltfriend has significantly improved. Her parents are understanding, however, and this should only be a minor blunder. Normally such a thing is associated with, uh, more intimate interactions and some families hold it relative to consummation of a marriage," she explained in an extremely helpful, if not slightly awkward, manner.
I swallowed, finding myself extremely uneasy now. "Uh, will it help if they know we haven't, um, mated yet?" I offered, unsure if this was a conversation I should be having with the Princess of the entire country.
If it was a faux pas, she didn't bat an eye at it. Instead, she released a gentle giggle accompanying a shake of her head. "Nay. I think they'll guess that even if she doesn't tell them. Honestly, you have nothing to worry about. The worst thing they shall do is attempt to be a little pushy with you, looking for commitment. My niece described similar after they walked in on her and Shining Armor, I believe," Princess Celestia relayed, raising a ponderous hoof to her chin.
My eyes widened a little bit. Was there such a thing as too much information? I shuddered and suppressed my gag reflex. "Uh, I didn't honestly need to know that," I managed to mutter, looking away from the alicorn.
She grinned; it was a long and mirthful expression. "You are indeed fun to tease. You turn the most adorable shade of pink. Rose was speaking of such earlier," she pointed out. Ugh. She was doing it on purpose!
"You can be downright evil, you know that, Tia?" I asked, giving her a dull, irked stare. She outright laughed, of course. Wait, Rose? Oh, one of those three mares. Well at least that confirmed my earlier suspicions. "They were teasing me the entire time, weren't they? Twilight and I thought they were serious," I groaned, smacking my right forehoof into my forehead and sighing.
Tia grinned even more, somehow. "I should tell you something. A blushing stallion, much like a blushing mare, is adorable. If a mare finds an easy way to make a stallion blush, she's probably going to abuse it for the cuteness. A shy stallion like yourself is going to get a lot of playful flirting, I suspect," she explained, politely holding a hoof to her muzzle in order to contain the light snickers emerging from it.
"So they were just teasing me in order to get me to blush?" My eye twitched slightly as I stared harder at the Sun Princess.
"Oh, don't downgrade it. Rose and Daisy spoke highly of you when I talked to the two of them. They're not just teasing you, but feel genuinely friendly. In fact, almost everypony I've spoken with the last day or so has shown outright sympathy and caring for your condition. You've made a positive impression on them, even if you think otherwise," she assured.
I stared at her in surprise, wondering when she'd grow the second head out of her tongue and eat me or something. It slowly shifted to a frown as I considered the cultural differences between here and my old dimension. I figured that they'd hold me in contempt after being indirectly responsible for the attack and disruption of the peace. Hell, if I were still a Keldarian, they would have held me as an 'indirect accomplice to the act of terror,' as I believe they worded it. That warranted incarceration or the death sentence if I was remembering correctly.
"What, did you think they'd be angry with you? My little ponies are smart, Mender. They know that you're as much a victim, if not more so, than everypony in town. I shouldn't mention this, but they're putting together a care package to present at the party once you're released and Pinkie feels better," she revealed after a moment of my dumbfounded staring. If I wasn't dazed and confused before, she might as well have just walked up and clobbered me with a baseball bat to the side of the head. They were what?!
She lost whatever ancient stoic reserve she typically called upon and started snickering again in amusement, undoubtedly at the expression I was currently sporting. "As big of a deal as the attack was, I just figured they'd have put more blame on me having indirectly caused it by, well, existing here?" I tried to reason, tilting my head up to consider it. Admittedly, it had sounded better in my head.
"You're very silly, Mender. Regardless, I think you shall be pleasantly surprised. However, before I forget, I would indeed like to ask you when you'd like to bring us to meet Keela, if your method works. I'd like to do so soon, but I'm not sure what you need for the feat," she requested, locking eyes with me again.
I frowned, but nodded a moment later. "The only thing needed really is enough room for yourself and three other ponies to be comfortable with touching horns. Um, also, can I request that Twilight lead, if possible?" I inquired, ears drooping a little.
Instead of being irked, however, she simply smiled. "Of course, Mender. I was already planning on that. My horn is significantly longer than average, so I shall let Twilight's rest upon you, rest mine upon hers, and have Shining Armor place his upon mine. Would that be satisfactory?" she suggested calmly, going a step further than what I was going to risk requesting.
I nodded twice, smiling gently at her again. She returned my gesture before settling into place in one of the side chairs that slid up in her aura to be closer to the bed. "Then I'm glad that's settled. Will you be fit enough to do so tomorrow? I don't mean to rush you, but I simply worry for my subjects. They are quite concerned over the state of things, and some definite answers would do well to placate them," she reasoned. I could definitely see the logic in her request.
"Yes, I can do it tomorrow if the other two can manage it." It really wasn't that big of a deal in the first place. Taking a nap wasn't exactly stressful on my body, after all.
"Then I'll get word out in the morning to have Twilight begin preparations. In the meantime, I do believe I offered to answer anything you wanted me to," she reminded gently, settling into her chair as if expecting to be there a while.
Oh, oh yeah. Now that I thought about it, she had already answered quite a bit of my questions just in this informal conversation. It always amazed me that she insisted on approaching me like just another pony. Still, she'd helped me a lot and proven to be quite a bit more pleasant than I had started to see her as, so I wasn't about to complain.
Of course, that didn't mean there weren't things I was curious about. "When did you discover I was a robot?" I asked a moment later, deciding that was foremost on my list and I didn't know how many she was going to let me ask.
"Whoa. You certainly know how to get right to the heart of things. To be honest, at the cafe. Although, to correct you, I do believe the term for you would be cyborg. You are essentially a pony, but have many added parts and qualities," she answered, gesturing towards my chest with a hoof while doing so.
I raised an eyebrow. Was it common for answers to raise more questions than actually answering? "Why didn't you say anything then?" I asked, deciding not to mention the fact that she knew what a cyborg was in the first place.
She shook her head, however. "If you'd proved hostile to my little ponies, me informing you of what you were wouldn't have been needed anyway. If you didn't prove hostile, you obviously didn't know and had genuinely good intentions. If that were so, telling you would simply disrupt the life you wanted to form here and be exceptionally cruel. Of course, had I known this would happen, I might have acted differently," she explained simply, politely watching me with a neutral expression.
It didn't strike me as fair for her to decide that for me, but I guess it was a moot point. "You really aren't going to have Twilight watch over me anymore?" I asked, deciding it was a little risky, but I needed to know the answer.
She cracked a smile and shook her head, of course. I didn't sense any lies, but I had no doubt she had the world's greatest poker face. "No, I'm not. If she watches over you from this point on, it's for her own reasons. Most likely concern, I imagine. She's come a long way in learning about a more intimate level of relationship, and I personally think she cares for you very much. Please don't place any of the blame for those instances on her, however." That was an interesting request, but she'd made similar past, after lunch that time.
"I have enough reasons to distrust Twilight without adding those, but I'm trying. She asked for another chance and I'm inclined to give it to her. She could just take what she wanted, but so far, she hasn't," I relayed, frowning a little bit. This was totally backwards compared to how I was used to things. In my dimension, if a female claimed you, you were property unless a different female laid claim as well. Then all hell broke loose. It was rare for the male in question to even survive. In some cases, the government stepped in and euthanized the male just to cease the hostilities. It's not like there weren't nine more of us to replace the one lost.
Celestia's smile pushed through my thoughts, and she assured, "I have no doubt that she'll not allow herself to stray this time. I've seen her react like this before and I assure you, you'll get her utmost attention. I realize there's a significant contrast from your old culture. Equestria doesn't work like that, however. Have you considered explaining this to the girls? I believe they'd really like to know."
"Normally, they aren't comfortable when I talk about my old world. I didn't think they'd want to know anything about it," I muttered, looking away from Tia.
"This is important, however. I do believe this will explain a lot of things to them and probably improve their outlook on things," she added, shifting back to a soft smile afterwards.
After a moment's consideration, I nodded. I'd tell Twilight when I could. If it was relevant information, she'd no doubt give it to the others. "I only have one more question. Do you know if Applejack and Rainbow Dash forgive me for what happened that night?" I asked last, largely because it hurt to say it. There were some questions I discovered that I didn't want to know the answer to. At the same time, this was one I couldn't not know either. It was more than a little inconvenient, honestly.
"As they won't tell you themselves, it is truly only fair that you ask somepony else. Rainbow is conflicted between supporting her crush and trying to get her to talk to you again. She was the one who delivered the apples last night, and if I heard correctly, will try again tonight," she relayed, looking a little glum suddenly.
"Try?" I asked, a little confused as to her meaning.
I received a nod in return. "You ate the apples whole. Fluttershy reported that they were simply missing, and now the three of them think that the nurse confiscated the apples," Tia elaborated.
"Fluttershy's involved too?" I asked, actually not all that surprised.
Celestia nodded again, explaining, "She worries for Applejack, who is in much worse condition than Rainbow. It's more than just accidentally betraying the trust of a friend. She didn't believe you even when you tried so hard, which goes against her very Element. She wanted to see how you reacted to the apples to know if she even had a chance at forgiveness." The Sun Princess sighed afterwards and lowered her head a little, obviously not liking the progression either.
After a moment's debate, I made up my mind. "When Rainbow comes tonight, I'll try to talk to her. Maybe I can get a message to Applejack," I pondered out loud. If I couldn't approach her myself, then I'd just have to ask somepony else to for me.
Celestia nodded politely, agreeing with, "That's a wise and mature direction to go in. I'm pleased with that." She lingered after, watching me carefully. For an awkward moment, I suddenly didn't know what she wanted, her gaze locking with mine. An errant thought drifted through my mind, and I suddenly realized that she was probably waiting for me to ask more questions.
"Oh, um, I don't really have anymore questions for you," I revealed softly, partially looking away from her rather unnerving gaze. Those eyes! I could almost feel the sensation of them burning into me as she focused her attention. Was it a product of her strength, or was it more her sheer force of experience she's lived through?
She giggled a moment later, easing the pressure off immediately. "That I wasn't expecting, to be honest. Are you sure there's absolutely no more questions you want to ask?" I nodded gently in assurance, causing her to continue with, "Very well. I do have one final question for you for tonight, if you'll indulge me."
Admittedly, when worded like that, it made me more than a little curious. Her tone had shifted formal, which she had intentionally avoided when talking to me, for the most part. I glanced back over at her, eyes curious. "Uh, of course I don't mind. Um, what is it that you wanted to ask?" I tried to inquire in as polite a manner possible. Her expression wavered momentarily, further surprising me and unnerving me at the same time.
"Do you trust me?" she finally asked. The weight added to the question could have knocked the building down.
I locked up momentarily, not really even processing the question. The shock slid into a mixture of sadness and apprehension, however, as I was suddenly conflicted. The obvious 'right' answer to the question was some variant of 'yes', of course. But that would be lying. To be honest with myself, no, I didn't fully trust her.
Celestia's eyes softened and she looked away a moment later before nodding. "I understand. That much I predicted after all this. You have my honest word that I'll do nothing to betray your trust ever again, of course, for what it's worth," she assured a moment later.
It didn't really surprise me that she saw my answer without my need to say anything. Giving a weak smile, I finally shook my head. "I want to believe you, Tia. Deep down, you're a good pony who's had to make some tough choices due to your position. I understand that, and still want to be your friend," I finally tried to explain, never having put it together in my mind before now. My feelings regarding Tia were mixed to begin with.
She smiled, of course, and glanced back at me, head still tilted to the side. "You're a very kind stallion. After all this is over, I'm inviting you to Canterlot. My treat. I want to just be able to talk with you again, like normal, I believe," she finally announced, expression growing more mirthful as my expression shifted to surprise.
This time I caught her ploy before she could fully engage it, however. I grinned and nodded in return, warning, "Only if the girls and Spike can come too."
She laughed that time and turned to fully face me, agreeing with a soft nod of her head. "But of course. It's a plan, then. Although, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, so I won't keep you further," she assured, standing upright again and shifting her wings out into a light stretch. The window slowly slid open without her turning to look at it.
"Yeah. And tomorrow you get to use the door," I pointed out, gesturing towards the window with my right foreleg across my body.
To my surprise, she winked instead before heading towards the window. "You'd be surprised how much fun it is to do things in an unorthodox manner from time to time, Mender. For that, I thank you. You let me get away," she explained, eyes momentarily softening as she looked down at the sill. I tilted my head, but she shook hers before I could ask anything. "Anyways, I shall see you tomorrow," she added, before slipping through the window.
Hmm. Not nearly as graceful as Dash, but I'd give her a three point five.
Chuckling to myself at my own lame sense of humor, I lay back against my pillows again as the window slowly slid shut. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Here's just hoping Keela would answer in the first place. Of course, she wouldn't know I was bringing company along this time, so I saw no reason for her to refuse the connection specifically requested in her note. Telling myself to relax, I let my body slowly drift back away into my dreams.
* * * * *
A stirring drifted through me. Halfway mixed with a rather tasty dream involving Twilight and Fluttershy in the spa still, I felt an uncomfortable shiver go through me as my body suddenly felt a little colder. It clashed with the wonderful sensations the dream brought on, and I pulled myself awake with reluctance. What was going on?
My sleepy eyes shifted around, not immediately catching anything out of place in the dark room. There were no movements or out of place shapes, and no static noises mixing with the silence of the night. Disoriented momentarily, I pulled up Clocky and discovered that it was oh three hundred hours. Damn. I shivered again and looked over at the window, instantly noticing it was partially cracked open. Oh! The air was leaking in from the outside, slowly lowering the temperature of the room. Had Celestia forgotten to shut it all the way? I thought I remembered her doing so.
A moment later, I saw it shiver and worm it's way up a little more. The lock lowered a little more and slid a little further open. Huh? A moment later, I gave a startled jump as a little wire slipped in and hooked around the latch on the still partially closed lock. A bit of jiggling got it hooked around the knob, and the wielder pulled, popping the latch off.
My eyes narrowed and I pulled the stirring inside of me to the surface of my back, shifting my dermal layer to armor just in case. This was a messy way to go about breaking in if they had Keldarian technology, but I wasn't about to extend the benefit of the doubt. The window slid up a little a second later, and a cyan hoof slipped under it and pulled it up slowly and silently. Dash!
My mind flickered inside of me and I brought up her status link with myself. Sure enough, it displayed her as being less than three meters from me. It really was her, then? Of course, it didn't give me the direction she was in, but what were the odds she was, like, sleeping on the roof above me? After a moment's consideration of her lethargic tendencies, I kept my dermal armor up just in case.
She slipped through the window upon getting it open wide enough, barely managing to get the saddlebag she wore inside as well. Further probability of it being actually Dash. A Keldarian assassin wouldn't have bothered with the saddlebag; their body is malleable enough to just keep their weapons inside of themselves.
She straightened herself a bit and stood upright upon landing. I closed my eyes again and peeked through the barest sliver as she turned to look at me, pretending to be asleep again. This was the first time I'd seen the cyan mare since the incident, and a light lump grew in my throat as I watched her. A vivid memory drifted up of her angry face as she smashed me backwards, followed immediately by her horrified look as she saw me in the forest. Her eyes had said it all. She thought I was a horrifying, unspeakable monster.
Her heart rate maintained a calm, if slightly elevated beat as she slowly got closer, slipping her muzzle into her side bag and rooting around in it. I waited patiently until she gently withdrew a rather sizable apple, the stem carefully held between her teeth. I felt myself blush lightly as I realized she was technically touching the top of the apple with her lips. Mentally berating myself a moment later, I realized I might still be a little hypersensitive from the dream she disrupted. Regardless, I put a tight leash on the stirrings instantly.
She used her muzzle to lightly brush the blankets back before hesitantly and ever so gently setting the apple down against my chest. Once it was in place and she made sure it wasn't going to roll, she slipped her head back into her saddlebag again, no doubt to withdraw another of the tasty red morsels. This was my chance, I guessed.
My eyes opened again as she slipped her head into the bag. I decided to be brave and just meet her face first and talk. She'd probably appreciate that more than beating around the bush. I waited patiently as she withdrew another apple and repeated the careful positioning. She had some extreme stealth skills if she did this last night and didn't wake me up. I suddenly wondered what she'd look like all dressed up in an operative outfit or something. She could probably pull it off if she covered up her more, well, vibrant qualities. Not much blended well with rainbow.
To my surprise, she was completely oblivious to my eyes being open. Okay, so she had the moves but not the observational skills. A little rough around the edges, I guessed. She probably didn't have to use clandestine skills every day. She repeated the motion with the third apple, then carefully started to nudge the blanket back into place. I waited patiently and in slight amusement as she got it stuck in a tangle and released a whispered growl before finally resorting to her teeth to pull it up again. Okay, that was cute.
Finally, her work completed, she exhaled quietly and glanced back up at my not so sleeping face. A heartbeat went by. Her expression shifted from a soft smile to a startled, shocked look after a second's lag. She gave a startled squeak and shuffled backwards a good half-meter or so, eyes hitting their maximum size as she stared at me. I couldn't help but smile lightly at her.
"Hey, Rainbow. Thank you for the apples," I offered in a soft whisper, not wanting to startle the guard now posted outside of my door. Shining Armor had gotten a little paranoid after the incident with the book yesterday, it would seem.
Her eyes softened and locked with mine. She flinched, but couldn't seem to budge the soft, rose-colored orbs away from mine. "M-Mender! I didn't realize that you were awake. Um, the apples are actually kinda from AJ, not me. I'm just dropping them off," she whispered back, uncharacteristically shaken a little. I must have really surprised her.
Trying to calm her down, I gave her a gentle smile. "Well, can you thank Applejack for me as well? The last three were delicious, too," I added.
To her credit, she honestly looked surprised. "Wha? I thought the nurse found 'em and took them away. There weren't even cores left in the morning," she exclaimed, apparently momentarily forgetting her caution and raising her voice in surprise a bit.
Oh. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten the entire apple after all. I decided to be vague and return, "The hospital food is terrible. I was more than a little thankful to get the delicious apples and didn't want to waste any of them."
Dash's eyes softened and she gave a nod after a moment's thought. "I hear ya, really. I've been here enough to know that the food is always terrible! But AJ will be glad to hear you liked them. They're kind of, well..." she started before hesitating. Again, this was a side of Rainbow I wasn't familiar with. I didn't think she'd ever be insecure about anything. Her usual confidence was dulled, however.
"I'm not mad at her," I revealed in the light lull Dash left in her statement. She started, then looked back at me with a bit of a disbelieving look. "I'm not. Frankly, I'm jealous that Twi has such great friends who are willing to so adamantly stick up for her when they think she's hurt by somepony. I'm happy she has such amazing friends, though. Honest," I added, trying to convince her of what I felt.
"Mender, you don't need to-" she started to interrupt before I lightly held a hoof up, stopping her.
"All I'm trying to say is that I, well, I'm just hoping she'll take back what she said that night about not being my friend anymore," I finally admitted, probably majorly confusing her with the wording. My mental rehearsals usually ended a few minutes ago with her fleeing from the hospital in horror. Frankly, I was astounded that I'd gotten this far in the first place.
Rainbow watched me for a few moments before smiling again, shifting back to her confident grin I was far more familiar with. "That I can assure she'll do. Heck, hearing this should help her a lot. She's been a mess the last couple days," she assured, giving a confident nod afterwards.
I raised an eyebrow, unsure of her wording. "I thought Twilight said she was barely hurt?" I asked, a little worried now.
Dash snorted and rolled her eyes playfully. "Relax. She got a few nicks. No, she just thinks she's screwed up bad. Well, she did, but she's never quite messed up like this before," she muttered, shaking her head.
I gave her a skeptical glance, which earned a wince again. Dash lowered her head and sighed, adding, "Okay, yeah. I screwed up too. That's why both of us weren't coming in during visiting hours. We really, uh, didn't know what to say? What do you say to that? 'I'm sorry for not trusting you, almost killing you, and then almost getting you killed afterwards because of it?' Sounds like one of Pinkie's signs..."
Okay, that I chuckled at. Did that mean she was seriously going to try to fit all that onto a banner? Joy. "It looked pretty bad on my part, you have to admit. Just assuming I was nuts was the far more realistic choice," I pointed out, resting back against my pillows again. Beats the alternative explanation, anyway. An alien from another dimension arrived, assumed the form of my fillyfriend, then tried to seduce me for my alien DNA to rebuild her race. Oh, and I was a robotic eldritch abomination capable of eating the planet.
"She's going to want to do some serious apologizing regardless, Mender. I do, too, so let us? We want to make amends. I'll try to get her in here tomorrow, okay?" Rainbow requested, holding her head higher again but not recovering the smile.
She was stubborn all right. "I forgive you already, of course. But yes, tomorrow will work for me so long as it's not during Celestia's meeting," I agreed.
"Oooh, goin' on another date with the Princess, hot stuff?" she asked almost instantly. There was a light thudding noise from the other side of the door. The guard knew she was in here and was listening in?!
Deciding to ignore the development, I rolled my eyes and gave her a flat stare. "You know it's not like that. Celestia, Shining Armor, and Twilight are all coming here tomorrow to have a face to face with Keela, the sister of the Keldarian who attacked us," I explained gently.
Rainbow's grin shifted to a serious expression almost immediately, and she nodded twice, asking, "Do you think I could be here to watch? I probably can't help any but, I dunno, I guess I'd just feel better if I could be here for emotional support?"
I raised an eyebrow and smirked at her a moment later, earning a scowl. "You avoid me for three days and now you want to participate?" I inquired playfully. I could tell immediately that she knew that I was teasing, given the smirk she shifted to as well.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Now that I know you forgive me, though, I want to start making it up to you," she explained, nodding sternly and finally. I gave her a curious look.
"If you know I forgive you, why do you have to make it up to me? Aren't those kinda the same thing?" I reasoned, more than a little confused.
Rainbow scoffed almost immediately, holding up her hoof to me and shaking her head. "No way! You forgave me, which means you'll accept my friendship back again. Now I have to actually make up for the damage I did to prove I really want to be your friend again!" she exclaimed, totally forgetting that it was nighttime and in a hospital, it would seem. If I didn't already know that the guard knew she was here and was listening in, I might have been a little concerned.
Sighing, I settled back down into place, accepting that she wasn't going to change her mind. "You're silly, but I suppose if you want to do so, I won't stop you. It would mean a lot to me if you could talk to Applejack, though. Maybe have that be the thing you do for me?" I suggested hopefully.
She smirked and my hopes sank. "Of course. But I was already going to do that as 'her' friend instead, so that totally doesn't count for making amends to you," she cooed, looking downright devious as I blushed and looked away. Okay, now she was just screwing with my head.
"Fine. Just so long as you can talk to her for me. Oh, and tell her I'm sorry, please," I requested, suddenly frowning.
Predictably, Rainbow widened her eyes at me. "Why are you sorry?!" she asked instantly.
Sighing, I shook my head. "Sympathy, Dash. She saw a lot of ugly things that night, not limited to me getting my leg torn off. If she's beating herself up as much as you say she is, then I think she needs some support too, no? As her future lover, you should really be there for her," I suggested, dropping the last part down to barely a whisper directly to her face.
Her blush flared up, coating her cheeks with a soft, pink shade which complimented her colors quite nicely. I mentally cooed at how adorable she looked when embarrassed. "I, well, yeah, you're right, of course. I'm gonna support her, don't worry. She acts tough and says it was nothing, but you're right. I think that's what it is: an act," she agreed finally, looking back up at me with a confident smile again. Now that's the Dashie I was familiar with!
"Good idea. You should go get some rest now so you can focus on that tomorrow, then. Drop by later tomorrow so you can be filled in on what's going on," I suggested, returning her gentle smile.
Hers expanded as she gave another single nod, perking up at me as her ears fluttered excitedly.
"Will do, Boss! I'll talk to you tomorrow, then, and hopefully haul Applejack's flank in here with me," she repeated, giving me a sharp salute.
I snorted and batted playfully at her with my right foreleg, causing her to grin and hop backwards away from me. Her tongue shot out a moment later, which I had anticipated this time. My barrier had already shifted along the floor as she hopped backwards. With a tweak of my left foreleg, the barrier shot up and wrapped around her tongue like a coiled snake in less than a blink of an eye.
Her eyes widened and she flailed, trying to pull the shield off her tongue as I started giggling. "That's what you get for being a brat, Dashie," I muttered, winking at her as she scowled, calming down when she realized it was my doing.
"Yah yah. Yah gock mhee," she mouthed, tongue twitching lightly against the shield as she failed at talking. It was easy enough to translate, of course. Snickering, I released her tongue, seemingly surprising her for some reason as she looked back at me.
I tilted my head, but she just giggled instead. "I expected ya to keep that up for longer. Eh, you're too nice for your own good, Mender," she informed, snickering quietly to herself.
I rolled my eyes again, but couldn't beat back the soft heat that drifted to my cheeks under her playful gaze. She gave me another gentle salute, however, before I could say anything contrary.
"See ya tomorrow, Mender!" she assured, before launching sideways and shooting out the still open window in a heartbeat. I marveled once again at her speed and grace before sighing. She left the window open. Speed, grace, and forgetfulness.
A shift of my left foreleg again slipped a barrier up along the wall and slid the window shut, slowly dialing the lock back into place. I admired my administrations before shivering at the chilled night air. It wasn't too hard to pull my blankets back up around me again. With my heat back in place, I looked back down at the tasty, tasty apples that had been delivered. It took conscious effort to retain the drool in my mouth. With a content sigh, I settled in and prepared for a nice nighttime snack...
Stats
Page generated in 0.073 seconds
Total duration
1,071 users online
1,655,560 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
This is what i look forward to every week. Reading the next chapter of Forgiveness pending. I am so content right now.
Amazing chapter, can wait for moonmender to finally confess the truth i'm so excited.
.just don't take to long!
Awesome chapter this week, Really looking forward to next week.
I always look forward to reading this, it's just so different :D
Okay, the stage is set. Now i got another week to prepare for the fireworks of chaos to happen. Can somebody bring the popcorn? I already have the soda and chairs ready.
In all serious though, a part of me is waiting for the huge dump of things hitting the walls with large bangs.
Another great chapter!
And another awkward conversation is coming about cyborg mender. Or will they find out from Keela? 
That'll be funny. 
Poor mender. You my good sir get 
/5
If thats okay with you. 
Now, NEXT WEEK HURRY UP!
EDIT: I just realized I use WAY to many emoticons
I love this story
*leans back in his seat with closed eyes and a content smile on his face as he basks in the feelings the chapter raised*
2903294 ummm...... let's see here, i got some popcorn..... oh!, and even some candies!
i also agree, i can't wait for them to be like "dafaq?
" after all, who doesn't like a bit of chaos? (it's times like these that makes me wish there was a discord face)
2902804I WANT TO SEE EVRY STEP IN THE MAKING OF THE GAL'S FOAL/FOALS!
IN DETAIL!
Kiro, why did you make Mender an earth pony? Because, since he can do magic, and is more of a technological science-y pony rather than a strong burly earth pony.It just struck me as odd.
2877271
leave your expectations at the door and they won't get dashed
personally i'm very much enjoying this part of the story, i kind of feel like both Mender and the readers deserve a slower paced portion where everything seems like it's going the right way.
Great chapter, as always. Can't wait for next Friday. My week revolves around Fridays, now, all because of this story.
Ooohhh...Forgiveness Pending. I just kind of realized the central theme to this entire fic.
2900807
"And then Twilight's parents decide to impose the traditional punishment for such a disgraceful act as unmarried mind-synching: the ritual sawing-off of the horn, so she can never do it again. And since Mender isn't a unicorn, and thus has no horn to remove, they'll just have to chop his leg off again."
2902826
"Ow. Wait, why chop his leg off?! It has nothing to do with his magic anymore."
Would you rather they chopped off his........ uh, nevermind.
So many feels.
Aw yeah, new chapter!
Honestly, things have been going so well that I thought Fluttershy might've woken up during his conversation with Celestia just to make things worse. Guess I'm kinda used to paranoia by now
Looking forward to that talk with AJ as well! Wonder how long it'll take for her to break down? Hm...
2902808
Buck that, Celestia only sings in her OWN DAMN MIND! Yeah, and you only got one of my picks for the six potential herd peeps.
1. Twi
2. Flutters
3. Rarity
4. Celly
5. Vinyl
6. Octavia
It just seemed like he could get them in a heartbeat. And legal limit my foot. I kinda forgot about Derrpy. Make it seven then.
But I see where you were going with Redheart. He does he her every other day.
And I'm not BRITISH, don't get any funny ideas.
... But if they are funny, do share.
And.... Have you seen THON NEW FILLM EQUESTRIA GURLZZ???!!!! I SURE WOULD HOPE SO. THEN I COULD STOP DOING CAPS!!!!!
And now here's my actual comment.
(Clears throat) Ehem
1. It was beautiful.
2. Celly is such a troll. x10
3. I REELY thought, for a second, that Rainbow was gonna hop in bed and start repaying him in smooches. (Not that I was... Hoping or anything like that... Emmhmmm)
4. Ummm, Celly getting a little pervy. Don'tcha think? The hornplay, the invite to Canterlot, the general attitude. She really wants some action. And seriously, was there ever any doubt that she put Twilight in her mind? I mean come on. She IS Trollestia, and Trollestia needs to let out her alter ego every once in a while. You know who I'm talking about.
MOLESTIA!!!!!!
You accidentally a word. Unless a face to face is some sort of new kink ponies have.
2905371 Never. I've heard of face to face before, but not face to face with. I wasn't even aware that there were such as expression before just now.
2905375 The word 'conversation' is implied at the end of face to face. So it becomes 'face to face conversation with Keela.'
Actual comment time!
Have I mentioned how much I love your Celestia? Seriously, I think my reaction to one of the Princesses has been in each of my comments for the past five chapters or so. You write them with great accessibility, but they also maintain the wisdom and intelligence that comes from long life spans, plus a generous helping of playfulness that is refreshing without being over-the-top. I should probably stop gushing, but it's SOOO GOOOOD.
I'm kind of hoping that everyone comes back from the meeting with Keela. If he gets everyone's mind over there, is there a way for their return to be hampered, or is the connection tied solely to Mender himself? I can just imagine Nirru trying to cut them off from returning to Equestria...
Yessss some closure on AppleDash's reaction and forgiveness coming soon!
Can you say 'GET HYPE'?
tl;dr: I believe the only thing I look forward to anymore is Fridays, and you never disappoint! Thanks for being awesome, and I can't wait for more!
hmmm, feels a bit short
meh, it's cool
2903294
I got this!
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjRmMWQzOWU3OTQ1YjcwMWMxZDAwMDAwMSJdXQ/1569__safe_twilight%2Bsparkle_rainbow%2Bdash_pinkie%2Bpie_fluttershy_rarity_applejack_spike_mane%2Bsix_artist-colon-madmax_mane%2Bseven_moustache_popcorn.png
I've got a hunch that Mender's big secret will be revealed when they're talking to Keela, most likely by Keela :P
Brace yourself Mender. The inevitable reveal looms!
how im going to make it through the week waiting for the next chapter is gonna be hard. cant wait to see what you have planned. great chapter yet again
Heehee!!
I can't wait to see how this bit develops. I sense further embarrassment for Twilie and Mender.
Yeah...I was wondering the exact same thing...how the hell does Celestia know what a cyborg is?
Also, "cyborg". That's something important to note. Definitely makes him seem even more pony than before.
Did I miss/forget something here? When did Celestia find out about Rainbow's crush on Applejack?
Hmm, wonder where you got the idea for the dream from......
So, tomorrow is the cross dimensional meeting. Let the games begin motherbuckers!
Every time I read Aegis artifact I remember Age of Empires II :D
This fic is amazing still, as always. GG
2902808
Indulging in a few more stealth spoilers are we? I've skimmed some of your earlier comments. This wouldn't be the first time you've pulled something like that.
Oh, right, there's a new chapter. Um, I can't really think of much, aside from Trollestia being in fine form still.
Methinks something big is about to go down next week though. Not that it's been hinted at or anything
So when Mender used to link to the other dimension through the book, i kinda got out of it that he took the form as almost a hologram of sorts. would it still be like that with all 4 of them?
And what about that guard that was listening in? I know that was probably put in there just because... but you know how guards are, especially lunar guards...
There was something towards the beginning of the story that i was going to point out i thinks... other than Trollestia
and some TMI... OH YEAH! a reason for the ponies not to like Mender (worded differently of course in the upper half of the chapter)... Remember when he first meet Lyra? Or more like ran into her while hiding in a bush? i believe it was. 
Ok, I can't go the rest of the comment without saying anything about Dashie. I don't know how, but you play everyponies part so well! And here Dash is at least 20% cooler.
Great chapter once again, awaiting next weeks arrival. So it's 4:00AM, I'ma wrap this up now.
P.S.
If its not to much to ask, how do you get so much writing done? I'm doing a story but it's taking me FOREVER, even when i try pacing myself and setting dates to finish chapters on.
yes! progress!
On the one hand, I now want next week to hurry along and get here as to be able to see what happens. On the other hand, that would ruin any sort of suspense and also make precious time waste away more quickly. I'm not the sort to believe I'm living on especially borrowed time, but I like to think that I can still respect the fact that everyone has finite time in the world- and speaking of finite time, Mender had better hurry up and tell the girls about his... 'condition'. I've got a bad feeling that something is going to come up to throw in some drama to his life- he's had it pretty easy the past few chapters... perhaps I'm being a pessimist, but his past record certainly doesn't go against my feeling.
I have no idea why but when i think of shining armor in this fic i think of his first encounter with mender and when i think of that i think of spongebob...wait what?
the episode i think of is the one where plankton dates Mr. Krabs' mom and the conversation that ensued when Mr. Krabs found out.
Whenever Mender says something like how Fluttershy is the one pony he still completely trusts, I keep expecting something to happen that'll screw that up. Maybe when he reveals his octo-pony cyborg half, Fluttershy will say it's wrong to keep a bunch of poor little snakes confined to his body, so she'll start trying to remove them to set them free. Or she'll freak out and use The Stare on him, and his unusual nature will cause a ten-times stronger reaction than normal. Or she'll reveal she's actually an alien too, whose favorite food is cyborgs. I don't know, it's hard to think of ways how Fluttershy coould damage his confidence in her that would actually make sense.
Mender really should have asked Celestia a few more questions, like why none of the things about his old world seem to surprise her in the least. Perhaps he feels that some of those sorts of questions would be prying too much into her past, but some of them could be asked without being too personal about it.
I wonder how talking to Keela is gong to work now that the book isn't there anymore. He seemed very much linked to it whenever he'd visit before, so now is he just going to float around Keela's head instead? With the others joining him, Keela's gonna have a petting zoo's worth of ponies to play with.
One thing I forgot to say last chapter is that if mind synching is the most intimate thing two ponies can do, does that kind of mean the show might have been getting discreetly R-rated or more during the changeling episode? That moment when Cadence and Shining Armor held their horns together to recast the shield spell kinda seemed rather similar to the thing here.
Yup, these sorts of conversation chapters are definitely harder to comment on. Mender better get out of that bed soon before something else bad happens to him just from staying in one spot for too long. Well, guess I might as well merge two comments into one, as long as I'm making late comments.
2904091
Mender'd probably argue that's meant for an entirely different sort of magic. Or at least so he's been told. Considering how much he's been using it so far, that wouldn't be all that big of a loss at the moment anyway. Easier to regrow too, with his new-found regenerative abilities. Maybe he could even take the opportunity to see if his body is malleable enough to try out being a mare for a little while.
Funny thing, though, I almost wrote exactly that, but then decided to go with his leg instead.
2938979 - Twitwi2000
I do occasionally enjoy purple prose. 
Heh, that one was fun to write.
2902924 - Pitch Black
So it's probably safe to assume nay on that one.
I know practically NOTHING about the Halo universe, and have not played any of the games.
2902945 - Periphery
Further, you're right of course. Twilight should have said something. Although she WAS panicking at the time, so you could at least credit her that. 
I'm glad I didn't cause horror-filled nightmares for you, then.
2903198 - Vic Viper
I'm glad you're enjoying my story!
Heee.
2903237 - Mr_CubieNewbie
Or maybe not... Heh.
Well this upcoming chapter IS a long one. Maybe it will happen today?
2903286 - Skijarama
It's almost like everypony senses something coming.
The first of the super long ones?
2903293 - BringOnTheBass
Heh. I do try to not follow what's been done before though, so I'm glad you're liking!
Different is usually good.
2903294 - Burning Wick
Everypony seems to feel something's going to happen next chapter for some reason...
Hee. You're amusing.
2903310 - Bubbabob
Maybe that's why Shining reported her? Bitterness, maybe?
2903327 - Phantomwriter
It's probably safe to say however that things are coming up quickly, due to chapter lengths. Heh.
Emoticons are fun though, and the only reason I break up my comments.
2903335 - flint_sparksmane
I'm glad!
2903425 - Nikto
Strikes a nice contrast to the horrors that were a few chapters back, doesn't it?
2903489 - chavis54
All of the details obviously can't go in this one.
You'll have to eventually migrate over to the other story, then.
2903522 - tech savy
One was to impose a certain level of frustration and tension on him in the first story when he couldn't use his magic. Two was to possibly expand a message upon phenotypes and transmutation biases, but that one's hidden pretty deep. Hmm. Three, maybe to break the stereotype on Earth Ponies you just mentioned? They can be smart and nerdy too. 
Many reasons.
2903577 - Nikto
Still, thank you for this. It's always good to know that there are ponies enjoying the more slow paced stuff, too. I can't write actiony, fast paced, dramatic scenes all the time, after all.
Heee.... Dashed.
2903602 - CaffeinatedApples
*blushes furiously* Still, i'm very glad you're enjoying my story. It makes it worth it to keep writing.
Surely you jest...
2903909 - TheGreatSako
You'll see it a lot in the overarching plot lines.
Forgiveness is a central theme for this story.
2904091 - JZG
You're a horrible Pony, Miss Editor.
2904114 - shirotora
I try to keep in practice.
(1/4)
2904149 - Lunias
We appear to have a slight confusion issue. Fluttershy has never stayed the night in the hospital with Mender. When he was talking with Celestia, it was just those two there. Oh, and what if AJ has already broken down? 
Woken... up?
2904462 - FlyingChurro
Apologies. I'm sometimes easy to confuse.
Uh, do you mean literally beat up or metaphorically beat up?
2904665 - Blaise Brony
Seriously?! Holy... wow... Okay, so you want Princess Celestia to be in his herd? Uh... gimme a second....
I'll accept your other member ideas, although it would still be unfair to get Rarity to join at this point. Further, Vinyl and Octavia have shown no interest in him apart from purely platonic.
Here, have a link: Blog!
CELESTIA?!
Okay, I'm back. Don't ask.
Oh, and apparently somepony didn't read my blog about EqG.
2904763 - Blaise Brony
Rainbow would never do that (without consent) however. Heeee. Also, I do have fun writing Celestia. She's not as much troll as I've seen in other fics, but I like giving her a playful side.
Heh, I'm glad you had fun with that.
2905255 - Quite Quiet
My favorite tree does a much better job of explaining it than I could.
2905383 - DouglasFir
You are very, very helpful!
Thank you, Best Tree!
2905402 - DouglasFir
I'm glad ponies enjoy their blend of wisdom and humor, mixed with heaps of care and concern. It took me a bit to work my way into the personality I wanted, but eventually I considered what it would be like to deal with being immortal, living for thousands of years beyond anypony else, and to have all that accumulated wisdom of the ages gathered to you. Then I realized how lonely and boring that would also get and realized they both probably had some form of coping mechanism. Humor and playfulness do good to vent stress. 
This was supposed to be implied through his self-musings. Hmm.
Why, I do enjoy that ship, yes. Heee. I knew you meant Rainbow, though. She's not taking it as badly as AJ, so her being the first to talk to him again was very natural feeling.
If you need somepony to talk to, my PM box is available whenever.
I have a lot of fun writing the two Princesses, yes.
Hmm. I didn't do a very good job implying that one I see. Mender's idea was to simply link all three of them to himself as he shifts into the other dimension using sort of a 'chain' of mind connections. In order to halt any of them from going back to Equestria, they'd have to prevent Mender from going back, which would be very, very difficult given his connection.
AppleDash?
Are you okay?
2905797 - Biscuits
This entire chapter was originally part of the next chapter, which made it ENTIRELY too long. So I sliced off this chapter from it, and expanded several moments in the scenes.
It was.
2905897 - Azu
Didn't you use that while beta-ing as well, before?
2906340 - Gordon_Freemane
Somepony's getting genre savvy.
Oooh, an interesting guess!
2906695 - Buckin Bronco
Or were you implying how I'd implement it? Heh.
You already know what I have planned, silly.
(2/4)
2906855 - RoboRed
Further, she identified Mender as one, although I believe you already knew that. He's a mixture of organic and pseudo-organic computer parts. Then you toss in a powerful bio-weapon of universal destruction and roughly 4.52x10^21 kilograms of matter, mixed with a lot of Keldarian-tech. 
You have good senses.
Tia does indeed know what a cyborg is it would seem.
Tia knows about the crush because Twilight knows about the crush and has undoubtedly written an analysis on it at some point.
2907058 - Lucky424
Oh, and which dream? The one with him almost getting eaten at the beginning of the chapter, or the one with him almost getting eaten that Rainbow wakes him up from? 
Indeed, the meeting is set for this chapter.
2907106 - Sergiovan
A very good game. It's been a while since I played it, though.
2909292 - Eratosthenes
That statement's kinda out there for that sort of thing.
Heh, somepony noticed. I do tend to slip in spoilers sometimes, but they're subtle and hidden well.
And of course. The meeting's coming up.
2910720 - lilsamsam223
How he deals with multiple selves inside of himself is yet to be seen, of course.
Tia sometimes has them pull night shifts, obviously. That's probably why he reacted so awkwardly... Heh.
How sad.
I enjoy the dynamics she instills in scenes. If you want to spice up a scene, throw either her or Pinkie into it and they'll get it kicking. Heh.
Discipline is needed for anything you want to do, and writing's no different. I force myself to write for a half an hour to an hour each day, even if I feel like crap. It not only keeps my writing skills sharp, but it also makes writing when I'm in the mood to do so even easier. 
He does take the form of a hologram of sorts. He just forms it out of shaped barriers, then fills it with solid colors that matches what should be there.
That was a Celestial Guard.
Uh, are you implying they shouldn't like him because he accidentally peed on the ground and Lyra stepped in it?
Dashie is awesome, and quite fun to write.
How do I...? Interesting. I've never had anypony ask me that in particular before.
2913425 - Enmar
It, like everything else, must follow a chronological ordering. Heh. So yes, progress!
This story travels through time!
2921469 - Unwitting Brony
That can also be interesting however if one finds happiness in exploring the bounds of things. You shouldn't rush things though. The journey is also part of the fun. Heh. You're right, though. He should probably hurry up and tell them... 
The aspect of infinite doesn't exist in our world really.
2922626 - Ebrony Black
Three weeks, three chapters. I'm consistent, if nothing else. I'm glad you're enjoying my portrayal of the Alicorn Sisters, though.
Welcome back!
(3/4)
2930853 - DouglasFir
Best Tree! Why do you do this to me?! Heh. That was clever, though. 
Eeeaaaaaaarrrrrrgh......
2933062 - funnyman2213
Rarity? Heh. She'd probably slap me for that comparison...
Ha! Who gets the role of Spongebob in your example?
2939254 - Periphery
It's hard to imagine the little yellow mare doing anything really to hurt Mender. Maybe he sees that too which is why he's so confident in it?
Keela's going to be meeting a LOT of new ponies, regardless. Although calling them a 'petting zoo' seems kinda mean. 
If anything, I'd compare it more to a form of long-term engagement than anything.
Apologies for having lots of talking chapters while he's stuck in the hospital. That might... change soon. Heh.
The only way I see her as damaging the confidence is by getting scared of him again and running away. But that wouldn't damage his trust in her, in particular. You're right.
That would have been really, really personal to ask! He didn't want to offend the extremely powerful magical being, especially not while locked in a sealed and barrier filled small room with her and no other witnesses.
Heh, he is intrinsically linked to the book. Couldn't it work both ways, though?
I suppose it was rather intimate of a moment, yes. Not sure how 'explicit' mind syncing is, and if it would be considered taboo similar to attempting to have passionate sex in the middle of the street, but yeah. It doesn't strike me as holding the same amount of connotations that mating does for them, even though all the readers appear to enjoy comparing it to sexual activity.
You are rather late with this comment.
Also.... really? Mare Mender...
(4/4)
2941310 No, this one.
Remember that picture I posted 2, maybe 3, chapters ago?
2941305 Every time you reply to a comment of mine I go
"Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy! The next chapter is coming soon!!!
"
Can i claim your spot as your biggest fan? pleaseeeeee !
2941308
Yeah well, we get more chapters, so it's better I guess
2941340 - Lucky424
*wracks his brain*
I remember the awkward picture...
2941351 - Vic Viper
Except for in this case, as I'm hitting publish on the chapter after I finish typing these out.
Heh, my blog would be better indication.
2941387 - Biscuits
Are you okay?
2941308 AppleDash, while the ship is nice, was more meant to refer to both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, cuz they've both been avoiding him, so it was more that both of them are going to talk it out with him. Serious TwiDash fan personally.
Ahh, so they'd have to completely sever his own connection to Equestria to trap them all, which WOULD be a bit tough, especially now that Prudentia is there as well. Wanted to make sure it wasn't so much that all of their eggs were in one unstable basket, which would be ominous foreshadowing...
As for the last part, thanks for the offer! It might have been a bit of a hyperbole to say it's ALL I look forward to, but you are the only writer I'm currently favorited to that is uploading on a consistent schedule. And for that, sir, I thank you.
I've been having trouble finding time to work on this fic, but what really started making me lose interest in it was the forced AppleDash. And this paragraph has killed any interest left in it:
Sighing, I shook my head. "Sympathy, Dash. She saw a lot of ugly things that night, not limited to me getting my leg torn off. If she's beating herself up as much as you say she is, then I think she needs some support too, no? As her future lover, you should really be there for her," I suggested, dropping the last part down to barely a whisper directly to her face.
More specifically, the underlined. You have a great story, and wide-spanning, but this is a little too much for me. Unless you can tell me it doesn't work out that way down the road, I have other fics that I'm behind on.
3689597
It works out--as seen in the latest "hearth's warming special" chapter
Your words sound really, really hollow considering that you are abandoning the fic for such a trivial reason
Blah. Mender don't eat them nasty. Red apples you want a granny Smith apple dam aj pushing sub-par apples to test the waters