//------------------------------// // Chapter 31 // Story: Forgiveness Pending // by Kiroberos //------------------------------// I drifted in and out, a pleasant, warm sensation filling me. Nothing in the way of dreams, good or bad, bothered me after Celestia had left. That was perfectly all right with me. Eventually, I gently awoke, a light tingling sensation throughout me, as if static electricity had built up. The dim light shining through the window indicated that it was probably mid-morning. I shifted my eyes around and frowned lightly. They finally landed upon my left leg. I'd fallen asleep last night before I'd gotten a chance to look at it. Now that I could see it in the light as well, I noticed that the Sun Princess had done a very nice job of repairing it. The skin was a healthy color again and the entire leg appeared to be in the proper shape now with muscles under the surface yet again. It was still roughly half the size of what it should be, but at least somepony wouldn't get the urge to throw up upon seeing it. The tingling hit again, with accompanied static sensations in my head this time. Oh. Oh crap. I sat up and looked around, not immediately noticing anything out of place. My barriers shifted into place around me, pool of magic going into high alert as I got ready to shift form if need be. Could they get through the barrier after all? Was it just communication, or was something coming through this time? A half a minute came and went, leaving me a mixture of confused and mildly disappointed. False alarm, maybe? No. I could never be that lucky. I was about to hit the nurse's call button when motion caught my eye to the left. My attention snapped that direction, barriers rotating into place to guard me as I observed a rainbow-like prism expanding out of midair as if a butterfly opening its wings. It danced momentarily, twisting in upon itself and wobbling onto my bedside table before expanding a little ways. Slipstream! But that was far too small for a pony or Keldarian to fit through. A needle-like extension slid out of it a moment later, gently pushing through the dimensional barrier and compressing into a solid form for my eyes to lock onto. I frowned as it flared out at one end and then, much to my surprise, took the shape and coloration of a single, white tulip. It popped out of the Slipstream effect with its barrier rapidly disintegrating, steam coming off it as the super-cooled shield met the much warmer air. A flower? A thin note followed a moment later, sliding under the flower as both landed gently on my bedside table, conveniently next to the tray of food I had finished last night. Well, then. She was a hell of a lot more accurate than she had told me the last we talked about it. A sliver of bitterness slipped through me as I realized she had probably lied to me about that, too. The prismatic effect condensed upon itself, and I sighed. She'd activated a Slipstream effect just to give me a message and a flower? That seemed like kind of a waste of energy to me, when she could just speak into my mind. My ears perked half a second later, however, as I heard commotion down the hall. Uh oh. I didn't get a chance to fully process what was going on, however. The prismatic bubble twisted in upon itself and shot sideways in an instant. My shields flared up as I braced for any sort of impact, but none came. Instead, it flickered like a firefly over onto my blankets, settling a half-meter in front of me where my back hooves were under the covers. My eyes widened as it grew significantly larger, to roughly the size of a bowling ball, before radiating outwards and popping. The effect was gone instantly, having used up the last of its energy to do whatever it just did. A weight hit my rear legs, however, as the energy cleared in a puff of steam. My already wide eyes expanded further as the steam cleared. No. No way. I ignored the rapid hoofsteps rushing down the hallway towards my room. There it was. Sitting there, lightly cooling my hooves through the blanket was a small, blue book. No, it was 'the' book. I stared at it in shock as the key slowly slide off the cover of it and landed next to it on my bed. She actually gave it to me?! With my senses dulled, I only barely looked up as my door slammed open. Shining Armor himself almost broke it off its hinges as he stumbled in, horn flaring with magic. Oh! He sensed that. "Mender! Are you okay?!" he asked instantly, vigilant eyes scanning the room rapidly as a few flares came off his horn. I found my entire bed encased in a barrier in an instant and the room's personal shield flared into life and almost doubled in thickness. "Ah, um, yes!" I shot back, honestly startled by his rather impressive response time. Light blasting noises could be heard coming down the hallway rapidly at the same time, each sounding vaguely like a blast of air, and was accompanied by a light flash. Twilight appeared in the room an instant later before flickering out of existence again. She appeared inside of the bubble on the bed instead and crouched down against me, horn also flaring up. "What's going on, Mender?!" she asked, sounding significantly more confused than her brother seemed. Slowly, my heart stilled its furious beating and I relaxed, exhaling softly. "I got a delivery, it would seem," I finally spoke up, figuring it would be wise to calm them both down rapidly. Shining Armor's attention shot back to me in an instant, and both he and his sister followed my hoof gesture to the flower and note on the table. Twilight's eyes widened first and she peeked over to get a better look at it. "A note and flower? Oh, Keela?" she asked abruptly, horn lighting up as the note lifted into the air. "No, Twily! I'll get it," Shining Armor interrupted, pulling the note out of her telekinetic grasp and slamming it to the floor an instant later. My ears drooped as I watched him rapidly start to scan it with waves of magic, horn glowing furiously. Twilight smiled and nodded, apparently content with his thorough precautions as she shuffled closer to me. I turned and looked at her, earning a pleased smile instead. "All right. It's clear," he finally announced a moment later, relaxing visibly and standing up straight again. I almost didn't have the heart to show him the full sized book that was already inside the inner shield. "What's it say?" I inquired, suddenly enjoying the sensation of Twilight's fur against my own. Beyond the minor scare, this was starting to become a pretty good day. I kept my thoughts in careful check, however, just in case I jinxed myself by thinking that too strongly. He gave me a skeptical glance before levitating the slightly dirtier note up and through the barrier towards me. "Reading somepony else's correspondence would be rude," he corrected, smirking at me. I raised an eyebrow, suddenly seeing a bit of family resemblance as I accepted the paper from him. A cursory glance told me that it was a card and opened up. "Eh, what's this?" Twilight asked, suddenly noticing the book immediately to her right. I ignored her as I flipped the card over. "I'm Sorry," was printed on the front side, in elegant writing. Ah. It was going to be like that, then. I flicked it open with my left foreleg a moment later. "I know you probably don't believe me, but I didn't mean for any of this. I'll understand if you just cut the link. You have your book now, so the link between our dimensions is only being held by our connection. Removing it will cause the dimensions to drift apart in a week or two, forever separating us. I'm so very sorry for everything. I'd love to talk to you at least once more and await either a tug, or to feel the link fade away. Signed, Keela," was written in the letter. Twilight had noticed my lack of reply and shifted her attention to reading along with me. "She sounds really sad," she muttered a moment after I lifted my head up again. "She also sent a white tulip. Traditionally, that flower in particular means 'a sincere apology', if I remember correctly," Shining Armor added, lifting the flower up gently with his magic. I resisted rolling my eyes as he scanned it a couple times. Well, at least he was dedicated. "Shiny is really smart! And he protected my coltfriend!" Twilight complimented, snickering as she squeezed me gently. I blushed, predictably, which only caused her Cheshire grin to widen further. Okay, yeah. She was doing it on purpose. Her brother snorted and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to act cute, Twily. Mender's a good stallion, too. I'm not guarding him just because he's your coltfriend or Aunt Celestia asked me to. Although both of those are also good reasons," he informed, looking mildly amused as Twilight squeezed me. "What are you two doing here so early, anyway?" I asked, noticing Clocky telling me that it was barely oh nine hundred hours. Celestia's Sun had only been up a couple hours! Twilight shook her head before lightly letting me go again and sitting down next to me on her haunches. I took her momentary distraction to reach down and pull the book to me while I had the chance. She looked curious, but answered first with, "The construction team is reinforcing the balcony today and needed the lower floor cleared again, so I didn't open the library. Instead, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit my friends and coltfriend! I've already spent an hour with Pinkie." "I came here after finishing my rounds and observing the shield. Then I met Twily in the lobby and we got talking," Shining added, gesturing softly towards his sister with a hoof. She grinned and chimed in with, "It's nice to have you in Ponyville. I miss hanging out with you all the time." The shift away from me in the conversation left me distracted as I felt the tingling sensation coming off the book through my forelegs and chest. It practically radiated power! Feeling out into it, I was surprised when there was no resistance in the slightest. It knew me, I realized. Not only that, but I could feel the incredibly strong connection to it far clearer than in my dreams. A whisper resounded through my head, simply speaking, "Prudentia." It wasn't a word so much as a symbolic essence. It was the book, I realized. Its name was Prudentia. I acknowledged that, and more words drifted lazily into my mind, no longer whispered but simply deciding to float there. Focusing, I pulled them into conscious recognition a moment later. "You have her now. Please, take good care of my Prudentia. Our Prudentia. She is now yours." It was gone an instant later. Frowning, I realized there was nothing else. What was that? I stared at the book, the faded blue of the cover meshing well with the golden binding cuffs and lock. It looked so old, but I knew it was almost indestructible. It must have been old when it first became an Aegis Artifact. When my old self turned it into an Aegis Artifact? He had somehow used a technique that hadn't required his death, as well. "... Mender? Are you okay?" Twilight asked suddenly, snapping me back to attention with the mention of my name. "Huh? What was that?" I asked rapidly, giving a start as I squeezed the book a little tighter. Twilight frowned, giving me a skeptical yet disbelieving glance. Shining Armor was locked onto the book instead, however, his eyes rapidly expanding. "Holy horseapples! What is that?! Sis, do you pick up the same readings I do on that book?" he asked a moment later. Aww crap. Twilight's horn lit up almost instantly as she looked back down at the book I was holding and now trying to shield from her. Her eyes widened dramatically, exactly like those of her sibling. "The energy in that book is ridiculous! Mender, what is that thing?" she asked, slightly less startled sounding, but with hinting of concern instead. "This is the book I told you about; Prudentia. She sent it to me. With this here, the only link left to my old dimension is her," I revealed, hoping to head off any paranoid assaults on the book. Of course, I doubted Twilight would do something like that without provocation at this point. She'd been amazingly level-headed for the past couple days and I found myself relaxing easier around her. Maybe I was just trusting her more now? "What is it?" Shining Armor asked, cautiously shifting closer before sitting down next to the bed and staring at the object as if it violated his principles. He definitely looked more wary than Twilight did. I suddenly felt a little uneasy, but answered regardless. "It's what my old race called an Aegis Artifact. The males weren't given the specifics of what one is, but from what I've grasped so far, it appears to be a magical item created by using the unique properties of our Aegis Barrier, our FTL technology called Slipstream, and the life force or will of a Keldarian. This is the Aegis Artifact belonging to..." I started to explain before trailing off. I'd almost said the soldier I had been 'cloned' from. My eyes softened and I stared at the book again. Twilight gently squeezed my right shoulder with both forehooves, frowning towards me. "Are you okay, Mender?" she asked softly, sounding worried. I looked over at her, searching her eyes as she looked back. The lavender mare had changed quite a bit. She seemed like she'd added me to her list of determinations, honestly. It felt like she was prioritizing me, which was an amazing feeling, I admitted. "Yeah. I just remembered something Nirru said to me, is all. Anyway, this book belonged to my old self. Now I have a link to it instead," I finished, looking away from her a little. Yeah, it was worth the risk. I wasn't ever going to trust her if I didn't take the first step. Being honest was important, but the entire truth would have to wait until she was alone. I made the conscious decision then and there that Twilight was going to be the first to find out about what I really was. Not only was she most likely to accept and justify it, but I also had a feeling she'd appreciate being the first to know. Maybe I could extend it as a pseudo olive branch of sorts to start repairing our relationship? "What did she tell you? Was there anything important in regards to her plans or Equestria?" Shining Armor asked almost an instant later, startling me with the sudden question as I looked back towards him. "Brother! Give Mender time to rest. I know you can keep this barrier up for weeks at a time, so a day or two more isn't going to hurt you," Twilight headed off, glaring past me at her brother. To his credit, he looked extremely surprised for a moment, then apologetic towards me. "Ah, yeah. You're right of course, Twily. I just want to know if there's any more risk I should specifically keep my eyes peeled for," he explained, nodding towards her. Frowning, I nodded as well. I could understand the feeling. "As far as I know, Nirru was captured by the Keldarians after her body was destroyed here. I assume she's still being held captive. Further, she couldn't operate Keela's machinery alone, so it's fairly safe to say her threat is massively reduced," I deduced out loud a moment later, looking back over at Shining Armor. He gave me a blank look for a moment before smiling finally and nodding. "That's a definite plus. I guess talking to Keela would be recommended, then," he suggested, looking over at the flower he'd set down on the bedside stand again. I shook my head slowly. "Maybe later tonight. Although you should probably tell the guards to keep a look out for any prismatic glows or lights, especially in the shape of wings. That's what our FTL effect looks like," I warned. "FTL?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly in my direction. Oh, oh yeah. Their culture probably wasn't as big into acronyms as ours seemed to be. "Faster than light. It's a theoretical form of speed that's apparently been breached by their culture. From what I've picked up, that's how they send things to Equestria," Twilight cut in instead. Whoa. Her observations were scarily accurate. Her brother nodded promptly at that, returning with, "Ah, so look for the effect because it means something might be coming through. I'll head to the temporary barracks we have set up right now and spread the word." Whoa. I felt both honored and significantly awkward that he was taking me on my word and description, just like that. I wondered what I had done to earn his trust so readily! "That's an excellent idea. The more information we have to prevent this sort of thing from happening again, the better. I'm going to stay here with Mender. That's why I came here in the first place," Twilight excused, smiling over at her brother as he headed towards the door. He smirked back over his shoulder momentarily, warning, "I'd better not walk in on anything hanky panky when I get back, you two." Er, what? Twilight's blush flared up again and she glared back at him, however, so I assumed it was something either inappropriate or naughty. "Watch it, Shiny! I'll tell Cadence on you if you keep misbehaving," Twilight shot back, a smirk growing on her face. His wife? Yikes! As I figured, his eyes widened and he rapidly propelled himself out of the room at a decent trot, earning a giggle from my fillyfriend. "What's hanky panky mean?" I asked after a couple seconds, making sure he was out of earshot. Her eyes widened and the color in her cheeks flared up again, but she smiled back at me a moment later instead. "Oh yeah, cultural phrases that you're not used to yet. I keep forgetting. Hanky panky is doing something naughty that generally is done only when a couple is alone. Like if he walked in on us making out," she elaborated, smirking towards the end as my blush joined hers. "Um, oh," I managed to mutter, totally unsure of what I was supposed to say in this kind of situation. She surprised me, however, by shaking her head and lying down next to me instead. "I'm happy to explain things to you, Silly. I'm really going to try to turn over a new leaf! No more letting stupid ideas get the better of me," she promised, looking momentarily determined before I pecked her on the cheek again, causing it to fall apart. "I'll try not to jump to conclusions and trust you as well. If there's anything wrong though, just talk to me about it," I requested quietly, smiling at her. Maybe, just maybe this would work out. Twilight nodded, looking extremely pleased with the direction this was taking. A moment later, however, her eyes shifted downwards to the book I held in my forelegs again. I knew she'd have more questions about the book, of course. "I'm curious now. Would you mind explaining the properties of an Aegis Artifact or Barrier to me?" she inquired after a moment's hesitation. Heh, now she was curious? I bit my tongue, however. "If you go over the 'Principles of Enchantment' with me?" I offered, gesturing towards the top book she'd left me yesterday. I wasn't quite expecting her eyes to light up and widen in sudden surprise. "You really want to go over a book with me?" she asked, sounding shocked. I hesitated, unsure of what to make of the reaction, but I bravely nodded, regardless. Trust, Mender! Her confusion shifted instantly to a considerable smile as she hopped up, dancing back and forth on her hooves excitedly. I moved my right foreleg out of the way so it didn't get stepped on, almost immediately. "Yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll go over the book with you! I mean, I occasionally read alongside Rainbow, but those are all adventure novels and such. I've never gotten the opportunity to help somepony with actual academics!" she squealed, eyes now sparkling as she grinned down at me. Nervously, I backed away a little from her rather spastic exuberance. She tilted her head questioningly, so I informed, "Uh, sorry. I just don't want to get stepped on. I'm a little more squishy than normal at the moment." She giggled and nodded, calming down immediately before gently levitating the book over, apparently having forgotten all about the Aegis Barrier discussion. Not that I minded, because not only was she adorable when happy, I felt a certain warmth stir inside of me as I watched her. The cute giggle only served to send more sparks through me. After the hours of cold numbness, I clung to the feeling as best I could. "Of course, Mender. I'm just excited! I'm kinda surprised you didn't call me on the dancing, though," she muttered, laying back down slowly with a sudden blush evident on her face. I was a little confused, but waiting for her to set the book down on the bed before asking, "What about the dancing? It was cute to watch." She looked up at me for a moment before the blush brightened and her eyes widened a bit. "Wow. You're being honest, aren't you? You didn't think it looked silly? I know I can behave a little, uh, immature when I get excited. I just get so much energy inside me sometimes that I can't help but go on and on and I feel like I'm so silly looking sometimes when ponies stop and-" she resumed explaining, finally letting me in on what she was talking about. Snickering, I ducked forward and snatched up her lips with mine while she continued, shutting her up instantly and causing her eyes to bolt open to maximum size. I closed mine and momentarily pressed against her mouth tenderly, feeling her give a gentle sigh and pushed back a little. Not wanting to distract her, I broke off a moment later and smiled softly at her, giving a nod. "Shush. You're adorable and I don't mind you acting like that in the least, Twi," I corrected, watching her blush expand over most of her cheeks. She fidgeted a moment with her front legs before smiling up at me shyly and nodding. Her eyes were soft, however, and only partially open, giving a warm feeling that radiated from her almost. The emotion she displayed was new to me, however, and I couldn't quite place it. She looked very happy, though, so I was more than content with the shift in demeanor. "Um, thank you, Mender. I'm really, really glad you're giving me another chance," she finally spoke up. I nodded as she shifted closer and pulled the book into her lap, leaning against my pillows as she pushed into my right side. Smiling, I rested my head on her left shoulder as she opened up the book and propped it so we could both see. "We'll start from the beginning then. I'll read it to you and explain anything you want," she offered, earning a pleased nod from myself. I made a mental note to remind her about her wanting to learn about the Aegis later. Having the clever and highly intelligent unicorn on board with the Aegis Artifact study would be a huge boon as well. "Works for me," I agreed in a whisper directly into her ear, causing her to shiver lightly. I gave a gentle kiss to the side of her head shortly afterwards, more as thanks than anything. A momentary hesitation drifted through me as I did so, and I wondered if it was right for me to lead her on like this before she knew about me. I didn't feel like a machine, but if she didn't want to be with me anymore because I was fake, I honestly couldn't bring myself to hate her. It was justified, really. My thoughts were disrupted by her kissing my shoulder in return before starting up her reading in a low, quiet voice. Damn. The warmth drifted through me and I managed to pull back a bit of water from my eyes. If she really did decide she didn't want to be with me anymore, it was definitely going to hurt. I couldn't decide if that made me more or less pathetic, as far as robots went. With a bit of a repositioning and snuggle, she started in on the prelude. * * * * * It progressed from there. Papers were strewn about the bed as we subtly shifted from an Equestrian enchanting tutorial to full blown experimentation on the reaction between our two types of magic. Well, Twilight was experimenting; I was simply providing the magic to test against as she took notes. That was fine, though. It actually gave me more information than what was in the book, anyway, with her telling me all of the results. "Are you sure it's okay to have it out like that?" Fluttershy asked timidly from her position to me left. She'd arrived about twenty minutes ago and was simply lying on top of the covers this time, having set her book down to watch me 'cast' with my left foreleg. Technically, I could form the symbol on any part of my body, but that would involve explaining awkward things that I didn't quite want to talk about yet. "The nurse said it was quite fine," I assured, smiling softly over at the mare. Twilight paused in her magical manipulations and gave me an extremely skeptical glance. "Actually, if I remember right, she said that your recovery rate was phenomenal. Healing shattered ribs to just a hairline fracture in less than three days is unheard of," Twilight corrected, eyes watching me carefully. I swallowed an uneasy lump but Fluttershy cut in before I could say anything, with, "Twilight, isn't that a good thing? You sound, um, upset. Are you okay?" Twilight's gaze didn't budge for a moment, but eventually she sighed and nodded, shifting her attention back to the shielded, floating food tray in front of her. "Yeah, I'm all right. If you need to talk about anything, though, you know you can trust us, Mender. Right?" she asked, eyes shifting back over to me while she still pointed forwards. I thought about it. Did I trust them? It wasn't really that I didn't. My reservations were in how huge it was, not that I thought they were untrustworthy. Frankly, I thought anypony would have issues with the knowledge I was hiding no matter how loyal and honest they were. I closed my eyes gently, calming the storm of indecisiveness in my heart. What a mess. Idly, I wondered if there was some way I could become a normal pony. I doubted it, however. Surely, Celestia would have mentioned something along those lines already, even if only to eliminate the risk a monster like me posed to her kingdom. A warm and gentle nuzzle pushed against my shoulder, and I smiled softly. Her smell told me it was Fluttershy without even needing to open my eyes. "Mender, please. Remember what we said yesterday. We're not going anywhere, even if something scary happens. Um, of course, unless you tell us to, that is. Uh, well, if that's okay. I'm not sure entirely what you want us to do. Sorry," Fluttershy murmured before dwindling into a quiet whisper as she lost certainty in herself. "I know, Fluttershy. I'm just doing a lot of thinking lately. I'll tell both of you soon, though. Probably once I'm out of the hospital," I guessed. Just in case I had to run away in blind panic from a unicorn either thinking I'm an abomination, or wanting to dissect me while I was still alive, I should probably wait until I was fully recovered. Both mares smiled softly at me, and Twilight gave a nod. "I expected you were just thinking too much, but if there's anything else, Mender, let us know. If we're going to be a herd, we need to look out for each other," she reminded softly, resting back against the pillow gently. A herd, huh? My eyes closed lightly. Would she really think the same way after she knew my secret? I couldn't really see a happy ending to this, regardless. She'd probably be mad at me for lying to her as well, of course. Fluttershy would also be even more traumatized around me than she already was, so even at the happiest outcome I was looking at a huge setback in both relationships. Maybe I should just back off after I tell them and let things settle for a while? That would give Fluttershy time to recover, and maybe even pursue Twilight independently for a bit. I had no doubt that I could survive by myself if I just wandered into the Everfree. Ironic, considering my initial impressions of the ponies, I now found myself an extremely universal omnivore, rocks and dirt probably amidst the list of things I could consume for mass, anyway. Of course, they were probably fairly low on the vitamin scale. For a while, I imagined myself idly wandering through the forest. In my natural form, I doubt I'd be harassed much by the local wildlife. I couldn't even manage to kill myself, so I doubt anything else could in there. Still, I should probably read up on some of the wildlife before venturing forth. My thoughts drifted, and I lost sync with the rest of the world as I let my mind wander. The door opening again snapped me back to reality as I sleepily opened my eyes. Shining Armor wandered back in, giving the mares a smile and me a curt nod before turning and shutting the door again. He seemed a little bit 'colder' than earlier, I noticed. "Hey, Shiny. You were gone a while," Twilight greeted, raising an eyebrow up at him as he sat down in front of the bed. My warning flags went off and I armed my weapon system just in case, watching him carefully as the stirring extended to the surface of my back. He sighed wearily and shook his head before explaining, "It's a nightmare. Cadence sent me correspondence while I was visiting the barracks relaying that the attack is being talked about all the way in the Crystal Empire. The citizens are worried about their safety, of course. She's doing her best to console them, but is worried that other cities are having the same problems." Ah, so a really bad day, then. I'd take that over being replaced by a homicidal alien assassin any day. Although, now that I thought about it, wouldn't that be classified as a 'really' bad day, then? "Oh no. Those poor ponies. Is there anything we can do to help?" Fluttershy asked almost instantly, sounding a little distraught. Shining Armor shook his head before looking back to me and relaying, "We need information on how secure we are, of course. Mender's pointers so far have been invaluable in tightening security, but Aunt Celestia has requested that we try to get a hold of Keela herself and ascertain if Nirru has been captured or not." "I'd like to be there, too, Mender. Is there any way you can connect all of us to her?" Twilight asked, shifting her attention back to me. I shuddered lightly, instantly imagining Celestia smashing her massive amounts of energy into my skull in attempts to connect, too, and comparatively decided that I'd rather fling myself into the sun. Not to mention, who knows what Twilight would discover while connected to me after everything that happened? Shining Armor interrupted before I could say anything, however. "I want to be there, too. It's my job to guard the Princesses. That includes my sister now, as well," he announced, stomping his hoof down lightly and frowning at me, as if it were my fault she hadn't included him. "Shiny, it's okay. Mender will sever the link if anything bad happens. Besides, Princess Celestia herself will be there," Twilight assured gently, nodding twice afterwards. To my surprise, his eyes narrowed a little instead, shifting down to the book in my lap a moment later. I knew he didn't like the thing, but was he seriously thinking I'd purposefully hurt Twilight after everything I told him?! "There's just a lot of weird things happening, and I don't like it. I'd like to bring that book to Princess Celestia and have her take a look at it instead, honestly," he added, confirming my suspicions, anyway. "You can if you want. I promise you that it's not dangerous. It's an extension of me as much as my left foreleg is," I assured, trying to be as open as I could. The last thing I wanted was for anypony to think badly of me. I'd have enough trouble once they found out what I was! "Mender! No, that's not needed. He says the book is safe, brother! There's no need to take it away from him. Just relax," the lavender mare next to me defended, much to my surprise. I really didn't have a problem with him taking it. I felt its capabilities now that it was this close. If I really needed it back, I doubt anything could stop it from returning. Honestly, it kind of scared me. I didn't need its powers in the first place. He frowned over at her instead. "Twily, what's gotten into you, lately? I heard about what you said to the Princess, too. You're her faithful student, remember?" he reminded, looking both worried and perplexed. "Of course I am, Shiny! I'm not doing anything to be disloyal, am I? I told her I wouldn't spy on my coltfriend anymore, and she agreed with me! Before all of this, I made the mistake of not trusting Mender, too. You saw what happened because of that. Everything he said turned out to be true, so I'm not going to doubt him ever again," she fired back, chaining together my surprised reactions into a rather vicious combo. What exactly had I done to change her mind in the first place? Surely it was more than her just finding out I wasn't 'completely' crazy. Fluttershy shifted closer to me after wincing at the initial reactions. "S-Stop it, everypony. Please? There's no need to get mad at each other. Um, if you don't mind, Mender, maybe Shining Armor would feel better if you explained what the book does?" she suggested timidly, but in a surprisingly wise manner. Shining Armor froze for a moment before sighing and looking away. I recognized that expression instantly, and realized that he too was susceptible to the powers of Fluttershy. Although, the nature of her suggestion posed a problem. "I, uh, don't know much about it in the first place," I warned, before following up with, "It can float freely in the air using basic gravity manipulation. Uh, it can also generate barriers like mine and is practically indestructible." To illustrate my points, I let the book drift into the air of its own accord, a diamond-shaped barrier forming around it as it rotated. Twilight tilted her head as she watched it, interest shifting rapidly to that instead. "Indestructible?" she inquired, sounding curious. "Keela said that it could be ejected into a star and be totally fine, even after the thing explodes. It also survived the point blank explosion of the Grosh vessel, too," I elaborated, summarizing extensively. Shining Armor was rapidly shifting from hostile to interested, much like his sister. "What's inside of it? If it's a book, surely it has things written inside," he reasoned, extremely accurately this time. I nodded, explaining, "It's a journal. I'm assuming it has every bit of information all the way back from when my original self started it. I know that it magically updates itself based on everything I experience as well, but unfortunately, I can't get it open. The key requires, well, something else in order to fit into the lock." Twilight lifted the tiny bronze-colored key up before lightly pushing it against the lock on the front of the book. I saw the glowing of the barrier that covered the keyhole as it flared up a couple of times, completely resisting her jabs. "It's like there's a shield of some sort over the keyhole," she muttered a moment later, moving the key away and glaring at it. "Keela explained that it needs something else from whomever tries to open it. She said it could be most anything, from being a specific individual, to thinking key thoughts, to even a certain feeling held strongly while pushing the key into the hole. I don't even know where to begin to figure out how to open it," I elaborated, restraining the mild irritation in my voice. Admittedly, I did really want to see what was inside of it myself. "Huh. It doesn't seem as dangerous as I was afraid of. What do you plan on doing with it?" he inquired, ignoring the annoyed expression Twilight shot him a moment later. I shook my head, however, looking down at the book as it dropped back down to my lap. Just seeing it left me feeling rather hollow and empty. The things we all had to go through just for me to get the bloody thing... "Nothing, really. Well, beyond trying to open it. The only reason I wanted it here so badly was because it was holding the connection open to Equestria while it was on the other side," I muttered, unable to contain the bitter tone this time. The price to get it here wasn't exactly low, that was for sure. My left foreleg twitched lightly and I shivered, pulling it closer to myself to warm it from the sudden chill. I vividly remembered the feeling of having it snapped backwards and ripped from my body. "Mender, it's okay now," Fluttershy assured softly, instantly rotating around again and squeezing me with a light hug. Sighing, I rested my head against her shoulder as she squeezed me, giving her a weak nod. "I know. I just, well, remember what it felt like when she, um... Well, regardless, it wasn't easy getting this thing here," I tried to explain, suddenly finding myself extremely uncomfortable with even saying what happened. A light flash. The tearing sensation burned through me from my snapped shoulder. I couldn't remember screaming, but I must have as she smashed my skull into Applejack's cage over and over again just from the motions of her yanks. My foreleg hit the wood in front of me, a splatter of blood coming off it from the impact as I felt it running down my side, everything going numb. It didn't even register as mine. It couldn't be mine! Applejack's expression shifted into shock and horror a moment later as she stared at it, tears starting to come down her cheeks. No! I gasped, mind reeling as my body suddenly felt extremely cold. "Mender! Snap out of it. You're here, with us!" Twilight suddenly shouted, causing my eyes to open again in shock. Fluttershy was holding me tightly with her wings wrapped around my shivering body. Twilight herself was pressed into my right shoulder, giving it gentle nudges to get my attention again. Both looked extremely worried as I finally looked around, feeling the blood pool in my stomach. Damn it. Another stupid flashback. My head lowered lightly against Fluttershy's foreleg as I sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony. I, um, didn't mean for that to happen," I muttered, sad that I had worried them. Shining Armor looked downright shocked, now that I glanced up at him. Twilight laughed; a short and mildly amused barking noise, almost. "Obviously, Mender. I don't think you'd ever 'want' to have a flashback like that. Just relax, though, okay?" "Yes. Um, please relax. You're here with us and nothing bad is happening," Fluttershy chipped in, pulling me closer against her as she tucked herself partially under the blankets. "Dang. I, uh, didn't mean for that to happen. I'm sorry, Mender. I didn't realize," Shining Armor apologized, glancing between Twilight and me. Finally, I just shook my head wearily, looking back up at him. "It's fine. You want to protect everypony. I can definitely relate to that. I'm just a little shaken up over everything that happened still. It's not every day that I get my foreleg torn off," I excused, lowering my ears again. That must have been a pleasant thing for Twilight to discover upstairs, now that I thought about it. The mare in question smiled softly and gave my right foreleg a squeeze. "It's all right, Mender. I'm just happy you managed to get it back and are recovering," she assured. Her tone had a slight shift in it, and I glanced back up at her hesitantly. It was hard to place the emotion in her eyes as I stared at her. She specifically avoided saying the Princess got it back for me, I suddenly realized. She hesitated, then looked away from me a moment later, causing me to frown. Oh hell. Did one of the two Princesses say something to her?! "Yes. It's a miracle, honestly. I didn't know Princess Luna was so good at healing magic," Shining Armor furthered, smiling and nodding politely towards me. He hadn't meant anything by it, but it still sent a shiver down my spine. Fluttershy slid down my side and shifted her wing over me, her book now apparently having been forgotten. Still, I couldn't bring myself to remind her, as the warmth of her coat felt amazing against my still damaged left foreleg. I expected them to be queasy over it, so this was quite a surprise. It wasn't slimy or squishy or anything, but it certainly looked rather disgusting with its discoloration, bony protrusions, and fresh veins expanding out across it. It also itched like crazy as my fur started to lightly grow back across the surface, but that much I was expecting. None of the prior mentioned oddities seemed to bother the adorable yellow mare, however. She cradled the leg against her chest, smiling as it stopped shivering and warmed up under her body heat. Her wing expanded over me as well, further keeping the rest of me warm as she lightly dropped it across my chest. She trusted me with it now, I suddenly realized. Smiling, I gave it a light kiss along the top of it, earning a whimsical giggle from Fluttershy. "Okay, you're adorable, Mender. Applejack and Fluttershy are right. I suddenly realize that you'd make a wonderful father as well. You're so understanding and gentle," Twilight suddenly spoke up, making my eyes shoot to full size almost instantly as I looked over at her in surprise. "Whoa! Uh, is there something I should be telling Mom?" Shining Armor asked almost instantly, ironically looking as surprised as I felt. Twilight snorted, however, and stuck her tongue out at him. "Shiny, you're smarter than that. For one, you know that I'm a good girl and won't be starting a family until I'm sure I'm ready," she reminded, giving him a skeptical glance. Of course, what she didn't mention was that 'ready' wasn't likely to occur in the lifespan of say, the star in the sky. If her prior statement still held, I had a feeling the ball of burning gas would be on its last legs by the time she even decided to become intimate. "Yeah, I guess you're right about-" he started to agree before she raised a hoof and silenced him. "Further, and more importantly, Mender arrived in the middle of summer, 'after' the first estrus cycle. The second one hasn't come yet. Thus, it would be physically impossible for me to be pregnant," she pointed out. I choked back a snicker out of respect for her brother. Fluttershy giggled, however, and squeezed tighter to me while Shining Armor rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You're a real piece of work, Sis. Suddenly, I think I was wrong. Fluttershy is probably going to end up having foals first, isn't she?" he suggested, recovering his smile from before as Twilight shifted instantly into a blush. My cheeks lit up too due to me not considering Fluttershy like that before. Of all things to not make her squeak, however, this was apparently one of them. Fluttershy's smile simply widened as a light flush drifted into her cheeks. "I, um, don't think I'd mind. Probably not this year, but maybe next if, uh, Mender accepts me into the herd. It might be scary, but I'll have Mender and Twilight here to help me, along with all our other amazing friends," she murmured against my chest. My heart dropped into my stomach at about the same speed as my jaw dropping onto my chest. Twilight looked equally stunned for a moment, barely managing to get out, "Um, whoa. Uh, you do realize that means you have to, um," she tried to point out, causing me to blush at the implied direction of her question. Fluttershy opened an eye to peek at Twilight as she trailed off. Frankly, I was shocked we were even having this conversation, let alone it going so well, even if I was just listening, really. Fluttershy nodded gently against me, eyes only open a little ways and looking half asleep. Maybe that contributed to her mellow take on the conversation? "Yeah. It's, um, all right, though. I trust Mender and it's a natural thing, right?" she reasoned, her left hoof gesturing towards Twilight as she rested. Twilight momentarily looked surprised, but relaxed soon after, giving her friend an agreeable smile. "Well, yeah. You're right, of course. I think I'll let you become a mother first, though. That way I'll know what I'm getting into," she finally agreed. Wait, what?! My eyes widened as I looked back and forth between the two mares. "D-Don't I get a say in this?! Why are we even talking about this, anyway?" I finally managed to ask. Shining Armor, who had been doing so admirably with both forehooves pressed to his muzzle, finally caved and burst into laughter. My ears flattened back as Twilight joined in a moment later. I opened my mouth to say more, but Fluttershy slipped up and kissed me lightly on the chin, causing me to blush and momentarily lose control of my voice. She let out a giggle as I looked down at her. "Of course you get a say, Mender. You're going to be the daddy, after all. It still amazes me at how gentle you are with me. I had been wrong all along," she muttered, frowning a bit towards the end. "Wrong?" I questioned, wondering what the sudden shift in tone was about. The siblings' laughter finally dwindled as Fluttershy shook her head. "I know you aren't mean and you'd never intentionally hurt anypony. The images were just so scary though that I started to, um, doubt that in my mind. Now I'm, well, really, really upset with myself. Ooohh! I could just scream I'm so mad. I wasted a lot of time being silly and doubting you, and then I see you're really like this and I regret the whole thing," she explained, being remarkably quiet and soft spoken for being angry. Well, not that I expected her to actually start screaming or something. Twilight snickered and shook her head softly. "If Mender's fine with it, I have no problems with you being in the herd at all, Fluttershy. If you feel badly for it, just make up for lost time and be together with us now instead," she suggested, nodding twice afterwards with that satisfied smile she always gets when things are neat and orderly. I nodded along with a similar soft grin, discovering that I wasn't really needed for this to work out. All four of us were interrupted, however, as three bright blasts of pink flames and smoke appeared in the air around Shining Armor's head. He sighed as he caught the three scrolls in his magic and rotated them in front of himself. "Yup. All three are from Cadence. Well, you three seem to have everything covered, so I'm going to go for a while. I need to send another letter out to my wife, it would seem," Shining Armor excused after Fluttershy relaxed against me again. Twilight started giggling in amusement. He stopped a moment later, however, looking as if he suddenly remembered something. "I almost forgot. You never did answer, Mender. Is there a way to draw other ponies in to talk to Keela with you? Aunt Celestia was curious," he asked yet again. Oh! Oops. I'd forgotten I technically didn't answer that after our topic got derailed. "Oh, um, yeah, there is. Well, I think so, anyway. It feels extremely similar to when Twilight touches her horn to my head and slips into my mind. I think that if she does that when I transfer over to the other-" I started to explain. It got cut off most unexpectedly however. "What?!" he asked almost instantly, shifting to a mixture of what looked like shock and hostility as he looked over at his sister. I blinked, totally blindsided by the reaction as I looked towards Twilight as well. She was blushing furiously and averting her eyes from both of us, however. I suddenly got that familiar sensation that she was hiding something from me again and I just blundered into it accidentally. Fluttershy looked just as confused as me, however, before asking timidly, "Um, is that a bad thing? It doesn't sound bad. It sounds kind of romantic," she inquired, smiling towards the end and giving my chest another squeeze. I smirked down at her and held her closer, enjoying the sensation. Well, she was right. Honestly, I guess it was kind of romantic. "Ah, can we talk about this later, Shiny?" Twilight pleaded, looking back up at him and pushing her forehooves together. "Don't 'Shiny' me, Sis. Acting cute won't change the fact that you've been Mind Syncing outside of marriage! What would our parents think?" he lectured, sounding irritated. Uh oh. Outside of marriage? There was definitely something she hadn't told me, I had a sudden suspicion. "Oh! Oh, I remember now. It's part of the Unicorn marriage ritual, and needed to consummate the union," Fluttershy suddenly remembered out loud. Oh. My cheeks flared up with heat and I shivered lightly, looking back over to the lavender unicorn who still refused to meet my gaze. "Exactly. You were supposed to wait, Twilight. I just... I don't know. I don't have time for this right now. I'll see what Mom and Dad want to do about it," he finally decided out loud, shaking his head and turning towards the door again. No matter how many paths I followed in my mind, I couldn't foresee a good outcome to this. "Shiny, wait! You don't have to tell them at all!" Twilight shouted as he exited the room. She stood rapidly and was gone from the bed in a flash of light, reappearing in the hallway in an instant. "Wait, I said! Just listen to me!" she yelled after him. His hoofsteps further down the hallway didn't slow, however, and Twilight let out a low growl before chasing after. Fluttershy and I listened to her voice dwindle as they got further and further down the hallway. Well crap. "Oh dear," Fluttershy murmured, staring in surprise at the door. I still couldn't process what had just happened fully, and suddenly decided that maybe I should stop trying. I couldn't exactly run and catch up with them anyway. "I couldn't agree more," I returned before exhaling softly and flopping back into a lying position. You know what? Screw it. The world can wait. I had a warm bed, soft covers, and an amazing mare squeezed up against me. She shifted back to a smile as I pushed my muzzle into her tummy and drew her down into the covers again. "We can deal with it later," I assured, smiling up at her from the shadows of my blankets. This was an amazingly comfortable bed for being in a hospital. "That sounds, Mmm, nice. Yes," she agreed softly before slipping down next to me. I let out a pleased cooing noise before snuggling against her and closing my eyes again. Fluttershy felt nice and warm against me, and staying awake for so long had really tired me out. There was a hazy, sleepy sensation as we snuggled against each other under the covers. Honestly, I could be happy with this. Very happy. So very sleepy as well... I’ll see what’s going on later. Slowly, my body relaxed and everything drifted away.