//------------------------------// // Chapter 03 // Story: Forgiveness Pending // by Kiroberos //------------------------------// It was there for but a moment. Like a dying echo as it bounded off a cliff. My conscious awareness flickered, momentarily focusing on where it used to be. I felt a certain sense of distress at finding nothing. No. Nothing wasn't what I was afraid of. A stirring of awareness, as if I slowly opened my eyes to a new day. That nagging sensation. I frowned, right ear giving a twitch of annoyance before I flattened them both back against my head. Before me spread the infinity of stars, winking and shifting innumerable. It wasn't exactly cold, yet the absence of heat. There was nothing around me but the gently drifting chunks of rock. Nothing at all, air included. That wasn't a problem, though. I wasn't breathing so I didn't require air. I wasn't breathing because I wasn't here. This was a dream, right? The cooling remains of a broken planet as it drifted slowly away from our star. The same star that had brought forth a thousand generations of my old people. Now I saw the telling rings being extended around it as it was milked for gas and energy. A certain emptiness filled my chest and seeped from my eyes as I watched. Why bring me back here? That stirring again. No, the link was gone, right? Of course it was. My old body was reduced to the consistency of fine dust and scattered to the solar winds by now. You don't get much deader than that. So why show me this? My mind either felt sentimental or masochistic, I suppose. Still, there was no denying that sensation, even if it was barely a second. An echo. I frowned, letting my idly swaying legs still, for all the good they were doing at the moment. Besides, it's not like I was actually here anyway. "Madness. This is... They're gone, all right? We need... They might find us here. We need to..." It was a whisper in my mind and I frowned. A male voice. Like a radio signal but for my skull. Pleasant. Mentally, I went over potential causes. Skull fracture perfectly aligned to form some sort of audio spell? Highly unlikely. Whispers of an elder being urging me to perform his unknowable designs? I doubt I'd get off that easily. "They can't be all... ...parts of the Grosh ship is... ...think there was a counter..." followed. A droning sensation kept cutting out the words. It wasn't unlike the static sound of an empty television broadcast. Different voice this time and mention of that hellish name. Damn. Why couldn't it have been the skull fracture? So much easier. I grew desperate. Creeping whispers of madness as the mental isolation slowly drives me insane? Probably not. It wasn't Tuesday yet. Radiation from Rainbow Dash causing a brain tumor to form, brandishing vivid hallucinations? Nah. Scan would have picked that up. I rapidly ran out of ideas. Another voice rudely interrupted my bout of adamant denial with, "No! There has to... another explanation. They're... ...near the moons. Hiding, yes! They're not all..." It was much clearer than the others and distinctly female. I also was surprised by the accent. Heavy rolling of the tongue with sharp uptakes on the 'ta' sounds. Where had I heard that accent before? Images of a cat purring came to mind, earning a frown. That sensation reared back rapidly. It was like I was almost remembering something, balanced carefully on the apex of my mind, but I didn't know how to move to get it to fall towards me and was deathly afraid the wrong shift would cause it to tumble away forever. My eyes widened as I rotated in place, suddenly aware of it. A ship drifted into sight from behind the moon! It was a ship. The design looked Kel... Wait, what? My mind jerked awake as Pinkie Pie landed on my chest. * * * * * My world spun as I hacked and coughed, flailing about as the pink monster sat unforgiving on my chest. She giggled in delight at my reaction, as if a devil slowly sampling my soul like a fine wine. My mind was lost somewhere in the metaphor before Pinkie was finally hoisted off of me with a purple glow. "Pinkie! I told you to stay downstairs with the decorations!" a familiar, 'Twilight Sparkle' sounding voice lectured. It was hard to tell with my mind spinning from the lack of air and sudden awakening. "Aww! But he's totally awake now. Does that mean I can decorate up here, too?!" she requested. My eyes widened as it looked like she suddenly drew a cannon out from behind her. Somehow. I filed it under system shock. Twilight growled, ignoring the cannon completely and tossing the pink pony backwards onto her bed. Pinkie let out a giggle and 'Wheee!' as she bounced off what used to be the well-made bed. "Are you all right, Mender?" Twilight asked, smiling upon reaching me. Rolling over onto my side, I winced as I looked up at her but managed a tiny nod. "I'm fine. A little tired and sore today, but all right," I assured. She exhaled softly and nodded before resting her horn on my exposed left forehoof. "I'm glad. Part of me was afraid you wouldn't wake up again," she admitted, eyes tracing the grooves cut into the hoof. It was a desperate measure and last resort but was now promising new potential, I noticed. Her concern made me warm up a little though. Wait, how long was I out for if she was worried? Glancing towards the window, I was greeted by a warm afternoon light. Oops. I blushed and finally managed a smile. "I'm fine, Twi. Although we probably have a lot to discuss," I pointed out. Pinkie Pie got off the bed behind Twilight and disappeared from my point of view with a grin. Now what was she up to? Twilight lifted her horn off my hoof and smirked knowingly. "Indeed. If I saw correctly, that little show last night was magic. The hoof, right?" she reasoned, dead on as usual. "Don't let anyone ever tell you that you're not one heck of a smart mare," I complimented, snickering at her smirk. Her cheeks flushed at the same time that her eyes softened as she smiled at me. "Needs more smooches!" Pinkie suddenly declared from somewhere behind Twilight. Wait, what? Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as her expression took on something similar to my train of thought. I wasn't left any time to react, however. A pink burst of mane collided with Twilight's rump, moving at ramming speed. The lavender unicorn gasped sharply in surprise momentarily as she lost her balance and stumbled forwards. Her still open mouth pushed into mine as her right foreleg outstretched to catch herself. Time lagged hard and my mind joined along as my heart hung up the 'Out To Lunch' sign. A jolt of electricity sparked through me from the contact and I was oddly aware of the warmth and texture of her lips against mine. Her weight continued, pushing her chest into mine as she fell forwards. I was oddly aware of her warm coat mingling with my own as I was pushed backwards into the pillow. Her mane billowed out in slow motion, drifting to each side of my head. A single heartbeat came and went as my eyes widened drastically. Hers infinitely surprised me by lowering, if only slightly. My mind couldn't process anything, and I screamed at my body to not move an inch. Every fiber in my forelegs wanted to reach up and pull her closer. No! Another thud of our hearts. Her eyes widened again, realization dawning behind them. A sharp intake of breath through her nostrils, our muzzles still sealed together. She suddenly retreated off me as if burned; as if I were actively on fire. Her face was aglow with flush as I no doubt mimicked. Instead of facing me, however, she shifted to a glare and swung around at the now ecstatic Pinkie Pie behind her. "Oh, so cool! It actually worked! You two are so sweet together. Of course, I'll have to get Fluttershy to sample, too, so you three can figure out which," the pink one started to gush out. "Pinkie! Why the hay did you do that?! That was... That was my first kiss!" Twilight screamed with surprising intensity. To my surprise, Pinkie actually stopped talking and looked up at Twilight instead. "Really? You've never kissed anypony before?" Pinkie asked, sounding playful yet surprised. Everything dawned on me in a single instant. I stole Twilight's first kiss. Oh crap. I was dead. I was going to go down the stairs this time with my cot on top of me for added measure! Twilight let out a strange mixture between a snarl and snort. "Of course not! I well, I was always too busy with my studies as Princess Celestia's student to worry about stupid, pointless things like that!" she spit out. The dagger of ice slicing my tiny heart open was oddly comforting. Maybe it would numb the physical pain of the multiple series of blunt force trauma I was probably about to receive. "Aww! It's not stupid, or even pointless, Twi. Didn't it make you feel warm and happy?" Pinkie asked, eyes starting to water slightly. Uh no. Everything was falling apart. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Twilight looked taken aback by her expression before hardening hers again and scowling. It didn't last, however, and I watched her eyes shift back over to me for a split second's hesitation. The scowl shifted to a look of frustration as she reached up with her left forehoof and gently held her forehead. "I... I don't know. I've never felt this way before. I don't know what to think anymore," she muttered, causing me to swallow weakly. Admittedly, my mind was still reeling from finding out I was still alive. This was a bit difficult to process and I wasn't sure what to think. Pinkie looked miserable still, however. "But did I do bad, then?" she asked gently, eyes large and watery. Twilight swallowed, looking uncomfortable before shaking her head. "Uh, no, no you didn't. It was just, um, something I wasn't ready for. Do you think you could decorate downstairs for a few more minutes, Pinkie?" she hesitantly asked. Pinkie glanced between us before I watched her expression shift from miserable to positively ecstatic within seconds. I added it to the growing Pinkie Memory Reel of things that would scar me for the rest of my life. "Sure thing, Twi! And I'll keep everypony else away, too!" she assured, throwing a salute and bounding down the stairs before Twilight could get a word in otherwise. The lavender unicorn sighed before turning and facing me again. I tried to remain neutral as she blushed lightly and snickered. "Rarity wanted us to wait until you were up and about before broaching sensitive subjects, but I guess Pinkie got a little exuberant. Ug," she explained, suddenly looking really tired. "It's fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. It's like my mind keeps thinking I should be dead, not kissing cute mares," I reasoned sarcastically. Twilight blushed but smiled and nodded up at me. "I understand. How are you feeling this morning, aside from that?" she asked, sounding a little concerned and walking closer again. I watched her sit down on her haunches a foot from the cot before returning, "A little tired. Um, dreams again. Not as bad as before, but..." Her eyes widened a little. "Memories or…?" she led along. I shook my head. "Images of the remains of the ship and star we orbited. And a tiny scout ship going along the remains. Not Grosh," I elaborated, swallowing. "Ship as in space vehicle, right?" she requested in confirmation. I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. As cool as it would be to have boats in space, I doubt it would be as effective," I admitted wistfully. Twilight laughed, tension lifting a little. "Yeah. Kind of like pirates but for space. Space Pirates?" she guessed, assumingly not realizing how accurate she had been. "Careful. Those actually existed," I warned, winking at her. "Oh, you're kidding. Ug. They're probably a lot scarier and meaner than our versions too, right?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't a pleasant world," I reminded, before adding, "Regardless, I'm very happy to be here instead." She smiled again and nodded before standing up off the floor. "Agreed. So let's keep you here. It's probably nothing, but I want to do a dream study on you tonight, just in case. Is that okay?" she asked, tilting her head a little. It was easier to manage looking at her after she shifted back to her professional tone again, I noticed. I nodded, of course. "If it means anything, it didn't feel as hostile this time. I was detached. Bodiless, I think," I added, frowning. She nodded and smiled before climbing up onto my cot with me. My eyes widened and I couldn't stop the blush as I suddenly remembered the feel of her lips. Oh crap. Stupid body! She surprised me again by grabbing my forehoof instead. Huh? Oh. She examined the lines and grooves that were cleanly sliced into its form, frowning. "Is this some sort of focusing symbol?" she asked after a few seconds of examination. I nodded softly. "Yeah. It just helps me focus on an effect I want. It was made to help make fire, but it's just a general concentration symbol," I replied. She nodded absently, seeming deep in thought. Her examination continued and I felt a tingling sensation as telekinesis slipped down into the cracks. "Structural integrity loss. The nurse was worried about that. She said it can support you, but you should wear a covering over it to prevent things from getting wedged inside," Twilight enlightened as she continued prodding with her magic. I sighed. I'd figured as much. Still, as a price to be paid, that was getting off cheap. I wondered about my lower back, however. It was still bandaged, so I couldn't tell if I had a scar or anything. Well, what used to be my lower back before I became a quadruped. Back back? No, that sounded stupid. I should really find an anatomy book at some point Twilight's magic prodded yet again a second later, but this time slipped inside my hoof completely! I gasped, momentarily wondering if she'd sliced into my hoof accidentally or something. Calming down, I felt her warm energy sliding up my left foreleg. Oh, she used the hole to inverse the thing I did last night. Her energy pooled into my chest and I closed my eyes, simply letting her past. It felt distinctly like her as it coiled around my energy inside of me. I felt her testing internal organs, making sure the energy was recovering correctly, and checking along the surface of my skin under the bandages. She was doing a medical checkup. I couldn't help it, though. The energy felt so much like hers, the massive amount of strength behind it, yet it was so graceful. Beautiful, yet a little intoxicating. I felt my face heat up as my energy started to feel out hers. That familiar light-headed sensation drifted through me, similar to the last time she had connected her magic with mine. "M-Mender, that's distracting. Cool yourself off and l-let me focus," Twilight requested, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. "Ah, um, s-sorry!" I muttered, rapidly pulling back all my energy towards my core. Twilight made a light gasping noise in surprise as I did so. I was momentarily confused until I felt her energy slip and rush in to fill the sudden void. Her body fell against mine as it felt like I was suddenly dropped into warm, blasting air currents. The billowing heat surrounded me on all sides as I retreated inside my own mind momentarily, unable to process anything but lavender light. Her level of magic was... It was beyond anything I'd seen before. Her, a small pony, contained more energy than the prior arch-magi of the university! Two violet pools of light opened up in my mind, before a light giggle resounded through me. "Mender, don't retreat like that. This form needs your magic as much as it needs warmth. You create a void by retreating quickly. Um, I need you to come out now," she requested softly. Wait, this form was dependent on magic? Interesting. I gave her an inquisitive 'look' as best I could with no physical body. She caught it regardless, it seemed, and an image formed in my mind. I saw myself and her from outside of our bodies, suddenly. An aura of light burned off her before getting sucked into my hoof? "You partially pulled my psyche into you when you retreated. This, um, it would be bad to stay like this for too long. Could you push me out, please?" she muttered, softer than before. I felt the connection easily enough. There was an odd sensation as I grew curious and felt along the lines leading back down my foreleg. It went both ways, didn't it? If I shifted into her at the same time, that would make it even more of a link, wouldn't it? Suddenly her eyes widened and she 'felt' scared. "N-No Mender! I'm not r-ready for this. I need to... I need to think things over," she pleaded. Ready? What wasn't she ready for? I tried to push a questioning sensation towards her as my progress down the link halted. She sighed weakly. "We all have magic in us. You know that, right? Well, we unicorns can manipulate that, not just in ourselves, but in others too. By melding two magic pools together, we can cause various effects between ponies. Please, let me go?" she requested gently. Various effects? While vague, based off her reaction, I could guess at a few of them. Temptation struck once more, and I realized that she really couldn't stop me if I just kept going. We might be linked, able to remain together forever, even! The pang of guilt hit a second later and I remembered. All those feelings and thoughts when faced with the same choice on the Grosh ship. Was anything different? Not really. As much as I wanted to be accepted and stay here forever, there were some things that just couldn't be sacrificed. I couldn't live with the thought of hurting these ponies. It was decided in an instant. I expanded out again and shoved. Twilight was ejected a moment later and shuddered as her body sat back up on me, psyche full back inside of her. She looked down at me softly and I winced, looking away in no small amount of shame. "What did the Grosh offer you in return for Equestria?" she suddenly asked, voice quiet but solemn. I swallowed, wondering how much Twilight and Fluttershy had seen in my memories while trying to pull me out of that, well, whatever that was that I fell into. I sighed. "You six. And a research position with immortality benefits," I returned, closing my eyes gently. Maybe if I didn't look at her, she wouldn't see what a monster I was for even thinking about it. There was silence in return and I feared the worst. Why was this so hard? What was my problem with this? All I had ever known was myself. To encompass others in that reality was both exciting and terrifying. Sure there had been other soldiers. At least I think there had been. I can't remember anything specific, but a more general feeling of companionship was there. That wasn't like this at all. We weren't friends. Just individuals mutually working towards a common cause. They were allies, just like our nation's allies. This... These ponies were my first friends. At least, I think that's how friendship works. It's been a bit rocky, sure, but I think they were my friends. Now, I valued this world more than my old one. Of course, when all was said and done, my body was out-pacing my heart. Things were happening too fast. Battle was easy in comparison. I knew my targets and exactly what needed to be done to approach the goals given to me. I don't remember much and certainly never a time where I wasn't fighting. This was so different. I just wanted to step back and flee. I wanted to hide somewhere and scream until I felt my head clear and my blood cool off. Yet here I was in the middle of a party getting put together with a cute unicorn sitting in my lap. No, not cute. Twilight Sparkle was gorgeous. She held a more level feeling of maturity and self-assuredness. Fluttershy was beautiful, too, but hers more stemmed from an innocence she seemed to almost drip. After never having dealt with females before to my knowledge, it was overwhelming on my body. I didn't fault it for getting flooded with hormones. Just because it was justified, however, didn't mean I had to put up with it. I needed to fix this somehow. Twilight surprised me out of my self-examination by giggling suddenly. "You're so different. You're a lot like me in some ways. We both worry and overthink things from time to time. Still, I'm not angry. The answer you gave him was quite obvious," she reasoned. I glanced back up at her in time to see her nose press lightly into mine. She sighed and rested her horn against my forehead again. I braced for magic, but none came. A moment passed and I smiled lightly. "I guess blowing him up was as obvious an answer as any," I agreed, hoping that much was a given. Nothing says 'I hate you and want you to drop dead' quite like reducing a few dozen kilometers of space into fine dust. She giggled again and nodded. "I missed you," she suddenly confessed, her hoof running along the fur on my chest. "Why?" I asked, quieter while trying to not blush again. She was just resting against me. No test or examination. Just for comfort. My mind didn't know what to do, so I simply slid my hoof up and down her foreleg. "You make me laugh. You're smart and can hold a conversation about advanced things. You're also full of fascinating things! I like you," she explained, taking my hoof up again and examining it. It never came, as anticipated. I'd been listening for anything actually intimate to be added to the list, but it wasn't there. See, body? There's all the proof that was needed. She could get everything on that list by just being my friend. What was it that I wanted from her, anyway? I stared emptily at the hoof she was holding. That pervasive sense of being lost came back to me. Everybody from my past existence was dead. Why was I still alive? Did I honestly deserve a second chance to find my purpose? There were no readily apparent answers and I somehow doubted there ever would be. "Mender, what's wrong?" Twilight asked hesitantly a moment later. A glance back up at her told me she had switched her attention back to me rather than the gashed up hoof. I shook my head, however. "I'm all right, Twi. Just tired. Pinkie takes a lot of energy to keep up with," I politely lied. No sense in worrying anypony needlessly. There was nothing she could do about it anyway. "Well, if you're sure. You can wander a bit if you feel like it, but be back by six for the party. I also want to discuss your dreams and magic after," she informed, standing slowly and stretching before getting back onto the floor. I nodded and tried my best self-assured smile. I probably looked like Fluttershy at a heavy metal concert, sadly. Although that's pretty accurate for how outpaced my mind felt. "Oh! I almost forgot. Rarity was by earlier and asked for you, but you were still sleeping then. She requested you either drop by later or somepony let her know when you woke up," she relayed. I tilted my head and questioned, "Er, why does she want to see me?" Twilight shrugged absently as she trotted over to her personal bookshelf. "She didn't say. The only thing she mentioned was something about saddlebags," she tacked on idly as she focused on searching through the titles of her books. Rarity made me a saddlebag? I frowned and wondered what the occasion was. I hoped it was an occasion, anyway. I certainly didn't have the bits to pay for it, obviously. Well, I'm sure that should she want me to pay for it, she'd offer some sort of payment plan. She knew of my lack of funding. "I think I might go for that walk after all," I muttered before tacking on, "Maybe I'll go see what she wants before the party gets started." Twilight smiled at me as she turned around, a book seemingly on potion making floating next to her. "That's probably a good idea, Mender. You could do with some fresh air after being cooped up in the hospital for so long. Just please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help you out," she offered quietly. There was a distinct moment of hesitation as she looked at me. It was as if she wanted me to say something but was afraid to ask directly. I nodded and tried to give my best assuring smile. She confused me something terrible but ultimately I'd just prefer to have a little time to myself to think. Plus, I really was interested in what Rarity wanted. Up to this point, she was the one who'd given me the least amount of problems. If she really did have a saddle bag, it would be worth it just for that! From what I'd seen of her work, I knew it would be top quality. Still, the why of the situation concerned me. It wasn't my birthday, at least that I knew of. Maybe it was to celebrate me NOT being blown to tiny little bits? Deciding to just go with that, I nodded gently to Twilight and slowly got out of bed. Thankfully, she was there to brace against me as I stumbled. My left foreleg was surprisingly weak and caught me off guard. "Careful, Mender. I think the magic put quite a strain on that leg. Take it easy for a few days, all right? You're also not fully recovered from the incident," she warned. A lapse of lethargy passed through me suddenly and I slumped against her warm coat. It made sense. My body wasn't fully recovered from the massive level of damage it had received. Plus, it had just spent almost two weeks cooped up in a bed, being fed intravenously through a tube. I took several deep breaths and steadied myself on my hooves. "Mender, you need to take it easy, okay? Your body took quite a shock," Twilight warned gently. Her eyes softened as I managed to shakily stand on my own. I nodded and flushed lightly, fighting back my own thoughts. It really would be nice to stay here with her. A pity it was so hard to think coherently around her. My not thinking properly wasn't fair to either Fluttershy or Twilight. I needed to figure out a way to clear my head. "I'll be careful, Twilight. I just need to clear my head a bit," I assured. She smiled uneasily but nodded after a second or so. "All right. Just be back in time for the party," she reminded. Nodding, I slowly and carefully made my way downstairs. * * * * * The day was a reasonable one. Light cloud cover kept the temperatures down well enough. I felt a light breeze also drifting over my coat, making for a rather pleasant experience. It was Fall now and I figured things would be getting chilly soon. It amused me when I read that they even had snow. Most species capable of controlling their climate wouldn't let their planet's rotation around the star interfere that much. Of course, I had no idea if the planet really rotated around a star. Or if the planet was actually rotating. Hell, I didn't know if I was even on a planet at all! Regardless, I took my time as I walked down the path. The day was almost too bright and I found my eyes starting to ache if I took them off the ground for more than a minute or so. I guess I simply prefer the night in this instance. I'm named after an aspect of it, after all. A bit of noise came from my right as I rounded the street on my way to the Carousel Boutique. I saw a group of young foals playing in the grass just off the street. What day was today? If I recalled, the town had its own school for the young foals. It wasn't late enough for them to be out yet, so it was either a day off or they were playing hooky. Sadly, my thoughts were halted once again by my poor skull smashing into something. There was no give to the harsh metal wall at all as my momentum carried me forward. I squished momentarily into the surface before gravity took over again and I fell over backwards. My landing was surprisingly gentle as I landed on my haunches. After shaking the dizziness out of my head, I looked up at the source of my newly discovered headache. An imposing looking Stallion stood in front of me. He was nowhere near as big as Big Mac, but wore an impressive looking set of armor. It was a shiny golden chest plate and helm set with some sort of plated hoof guards. Wait, was this some sort of law enforcement pony? I hadn't seen any prior to this and frankly didn't think that they were needed here. He gave me a cold, stoic stare that hinted at a detached level of calculated efficiency, and I shuddered. "Oh my! Are you all right?" came a soft-spoken inquiry from behind the guard. I shifted my attention past him to note an almost regal looking mare approaching from his left, my right. My eyes widened drastically as I drew in her looks! She was the purest white that I'd ever seen. Her hair was alive with softly cascading rainbow colors. It was vastly longer than Dash's, but provided a much softer color variation. The colors complimented magenta eyes. To my shock, she had both regal wings and an elongated horn extending from her forehead. Both? What was the name of those? I racked my brain trying to remember what that book had said about them. There was something important that I was forgetting. Answering her would be a good start, I decided, finally replying, "I'm all right. Um, I'm sorry I bumped into your friend." She giggled gently, her eyes softening to match her tone. I was suddenly shocked at the weight of knowledge she seemed to contain behind those eyes. "Oh, I do recognize you. You're Moon Mender, Twilight Sparkle's friend. Worry not. I'm certain my guard is undamaged," she assured, smiling again. "You have me at a disadvantage," I pointed out, deciding to ignore the slight rib from the obviously well off mare. Her own guard? She's probably upper class, at least. She surprised me with an odd smirk that came out of nowhere, before returning, "You can just call me 'Tia' if you want. I'm a friend of Twilight's. She talks a lot about you." I averted my gaze from her rapidly as I blushed. She talked about me? "I didn't know that. Well, a friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine," I assured, trying to will the blush away. Tia nodded politely to me, still wearing that understanding smile. "Friends are very important. I'm glad Twilight has opened her heart to them. I was actually on my way over to the library right now. Do you know if she's busy?" she asked. "Well, Pinkie Pie is over there right now to do the decorations for the party tonight, but Twi probably wouldn't mind company," I cautioned. If she was friends with Twilight, she probably knew Pinkie. That warning should be self-evident if so. "Oh my. Well I don't want to get in the way of anything. Wait, do you know of any good places to eat here?" she suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Well, probably not out of nowhere. I knew firsthoof how fast hunger could sneak up on you. I frowned but nodded slowly, suggesting, "Well, Twi eats at a cafe near here. But she only ever gets dandelion sandwiches anyways, so that might not be the best recommendation." Tia laughed warmly and nodded. "She is a bit stubborn sometimes. Shall we go and see if the food is good there, ourselves?" she asked a moment latter. I swallowed uncomfortably and probably paled a little. How much had Twilight told her? "Ah, you seem really nice but I kind of don't have any bits," I admitted, blushing as I felt a tad pathetic. Tia shook her head softly, smile widening. "Nonsense. I'd just like some company, you know. Besides, I'd like to talk to you more, if you don't mind," she insisted. Well, I suppose there's no harm in that. Rarity didn't know I was coming, anyway, so no loss there. "I suppose I could," I finally agreed. Tia nodded sharply and smiled. Her two rather stoic guards moved back into position near her at the same time. I swallowed my nervousness and followed after her. She waited politely for me to catch up, and a guard fell in to either side of us. Swallowing, I couldn't decide which way to shuffle or who to distance myself from more. With nothing else for it, I headed towards the cafe, leading the way. I should have stayed in bed...