//------------------------------// // Chapter 37 // Story: Forgiveness Pending // by Kiroberos //------------------------------// A cold breeze drifted through, causing my fur to puff up a little. Suddenly, I was thankful that I had neglected to return to Rarity and get the rest of my coat trimmed down again. Staring upwards, I watched the two earth stallions slowly put the undercarriage up for Twilight's balcony. Apparently, they used wooden frames, and then encouraged the branches to grow into and around them. My shoulders bunched up a little, pulling the warm scarf up further around my neck. I had a lot to thank Rarity for lately. She had dropped off this hoof-crafted blue and silver scarf earlier, its colors just a little darker than my mane. It took her ten minutes to decide if it was the right shade, but I didn't mind modeling it for her. Spike was totally fine with the process, too, of course, and Rarity got a free breakfast while she was here, whether she wanted it or not. Twilight seemed uneasy over the process, but sat and watched the fitting anyway. I had thought she'd have rather gotten a start on the report she was behind on, but I could also think of a few reasons why she didn't. A distinct sensation of Rarity being chaperoned during the entire ordeal was rather pervasive. It wasn't me she was worried about, I sensed. Still, the pearly unicorn was on her best behavior the entire time, apart from complaining about having to take back and shoulder measurements again. Apparently, I had gained a little definition since she last measured me. I didn't know why she only wanted those two readings, though. I glared up at the work they were doing. Even with no direct sun shining through the overcast sky, I could see a couple flaws. "Is the tree branch supposed to grow through the whole thing, or does it only follow the support struts?" I suddenly asked, standing and walking over to the construction director near the base of the library. "Eh? It mostly follows the struts. Why?" he questioned after a brief hesitation. Aww hell. Two struts for the entire balcony? I flattened my ears back and shook my head rapidly at him. "If that's going to be the new balcony, you need either a stronger undercarriage or a middle support strut to maintain and spread out the structural support. It would be really bad if it fell off the side of the library while somepony was on it," I warned. That somepony would probably be me, given my luck and lovely, busted gravity suppressors. He rapidly shook his head, however. "Relax. This isn't the complete work. We won't be able to add the extension until we get a secondary tree growing anyway, and that'll have supports on the other side of the bridge," he returned. I blinked. Wait, what?! "Uh, extension? Twilight's putting in an extension?" I questioned. Well, getting the old balcony torn off would be an ideal time to start a project like that, I guess. Applejack unknowingly allowed her to cut a corner then by providing free demolition work. "Look, I can't just discuss the private building plans of the Element of Magic herself with a civilian. It's good that you're concerned for her safety and are trying to help, but it's private," he explained in an exceedingly condescending manner. My expression drooped as I glared at him. Was it worth the time and trouble to bitch him out, or should I just ask Twilight later? Hmm. She might lie to me, but I didn't see a reason for her to. Plus, she'd been getting a lot better about that and seemed sincere in trusting me lately. I weighed it for a moment before sighing and shaking my head. "Eh, forget it. I'll just ask Twilight later," I said, officially giving up. Maybe I just didn't hold an air of authority or something? He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure ya will. Can I get back to work now?" he asked, earning another glare from me. The door of the library opened up before I could shoot back a witty and belittling retort that would crush his happiness for the rest of the day, sadly. To my surprise, Twilight herself pranced out and looked about for a second before locking onto me, expression shifting to a grin. I brightened my mood and gave her a smile as she trotted over, a bit of a spring to her step, interestingly enough. "Ah! Miss Sparkle! I was hoping you'd come to investigate soon. I wanted to let you know that the tree is going to be delivered by tomorrow, and we can start construction on your extension as soon as it gets here," the annoying construction stallion spoke up as she approached, cutting her off as she was about to open her mouth. She looked momentarily confused as she regarded him. "Oh. I forgot that was coming tomorrow. Well, that's good!" she exclaimed, giving him a polite smile and nod. He grinned back, but she immediately went back to being oblivious and rotated to face me instead. Only then did I notice she was wearing my saddlebags. "I was so hoping you were still out here! If you're still going to go for a walk, can you take these and drop off the measuring tape Rarity left here this morning? She'll probably be wondering where it is," Twilight requested. Oh! Well, it was a good thing that I got distracted by the crappy construction work, then. I nodded happily to her. "Of course! I was going to go see Pinkie, and that would be on the way anyway," I remembered, mentally running through my basic map of Ponyville. Then my short-term memory kicked back in. "Oh yeah. What's the extension you're having built?" I inquired a moment later. The stallion, now eavesdropping on us, made an indignant, shocked scoffing noise. Twilight ignored him. Again. "Aww. I was gonna keep it a surprise! Well, it's not a huge surprise, so surprise!" she added instead, giving a little hop into the air. I snickered at her. Sometimes she was so awkward, it was just adorable. "I figured Spike wouldn't mind a bit more privacy at night, and we probably wouldn't either, so I'm building us a bedroom off the side of the loft. Lots of privacy that way," she chirped, giving me a wink. Oh. Predictably, I felt the heat rush up into my cheeks. "Oh, uh, well if you're sure we need it. Spike probably would be more, um, comfortable if we're not... I mean, he doesn't seem very pleased when we..." The longer I talked, the more of a stumbling mess I became, of course. I was getting really good at that. Twilight giggled, however, a light flush appearing on her cheeks as well. "You're adorable. Let's just stick to all three of us needing privacy. Anyway, I'll tell you more about it when you get back. Better get going before Rarity sets the boutique on fire looking for the measuring tape," she reminded, giving me a light peck on the lips. I sighed gently and smiled back at her, nodding. She returned a single nod before prancing back inside again. Wow. She was in a really good mood today. I wonder if there was something going on? I wobbled for another second or two in the pleasant aftermath of her kiss before shaking myself out of it and scooping up the saddlebags she'd floated over to me. I managed to get them on, and then used a burst of magic to strap the underside with a barrier. Having magic made the task infinitely easier, I decided. It wasn't hard to remember my first clumsy attempt at getting saddlebags on after my first hospital visit. It took me a moment to notice the stupefied gawk that was aimed my direction from the construction stallion, however. I glanced back over at him questioningly, momentarily forgetting why he'd be giving me such a look. Oh. Wait. He didn't believe me that I knew Twilight. Now I remembered. "Er, sorry about the public display of affection. I kinda forgot you were there," I apologized, in place of Twilight, of course, since technically she'd initiated it. It was hard for me to believe that she was as oblivious as I was to the surroundings, though. Did she just not care? He started, and then shook his head rapidly. "Oh, no, no! It's all right. I just didn't know what you looked like, Mr. Moon Mender! I'm sorry!" he apologized in a rapid-fire voice. I deflated a little. "Seriously? How many ponies know that I'm dating Twilight? Is it really that big a deal?" I asked, somewhat saddened that yet another pony knew my name way ahead of time. I mean, what the hell? Were their fliers up and I just kept missing them or something? "Er, I'm pretty sure the entire town knows. The Element of Laughter was shouting it at the top of her lungs this morning while advertising the huge party coming up in celebration of that, amongst other things," he informed. My brain lagged for a moment as I stared blankly through him. It took almost five full seconds for me to fully process what he'd just said. My right forehoof hit my forehead a moment later. "Pinkie! Gah. I hope Twilight doesn't mind. Well, I'd better go talk to Pinkie. Uh, keep up the good work, I guess," I said, excusing myself and trying really hard not to choke on the 'good' part. He still looked a bit shell-shocked, but gave me a nod as I walked off slowly, metal brace on my left foreleg clinking with each step. I mean, seriously. If they really knew about me, I figured the battle damage would easily give me away. Not that I was pleased that everypony knew about me in the first place. Still, I'd rather have one extreme or the other! Either have nopony know who I was, or at least have them recognize me to the point where they wouldn't deny me information. Well, one thing at a time. Twilight wanted me to drop off the measuring tape, so that came first. Stewing still, I set out on my slow, limping pace towards the Carousel Boutique. * * * * * Of course, it had started raining by the time I made it over to Rarity's fine establishment. It was a cold rain that seemed somewhat more wet than usual, even though that didn't make much sense. Still, only my hooves felt it, so I wasn't complaining. I casually limped along with a hemispherical barrier above me, staying pleasantly dry. I'd never cease being thankful for my magic, I decided. Visibility was crap at this point, so I was almost within spitting distance of the boutique when I saw that I wasn't alone. Out front, somepony had their teeth locked firmly onto Rarity's mailbox handle, and looked like they were trying to tear the thing from the ground! My eyes widened as the wooden post shifted a little under the wet mud and wrenching motions. Why was somepony assaulting Rarity's mailbox? I picked up a bit more speed and got closer, ready to stop the individual if need be. To my surprise, a familiar gray pegasus with a blond mane came into view. She was tugging desperately at the front of the mailbox, which appeared very much stuck. To my surprise, she was also crying! "Derpy! What's wrong?" I asked as I walked up, slowing a bit. She probably was just attempting to deliver mail. She stopped her thrashing against the box and looked over at me, one eye focusing on my position. "M-Mender? I'm almost done with my deliveries but I can't get this box open. I wanna get out of the rain!" she yelped, looking downright miserable as her ears drooped. My barrier expanded above me, instantly covering her too as I gave her my best reassuring smile. "Let me take a peek at it," I offered, stepping up next to her. She looked up in surprise at the barrier, and then gave me an amazingly warm smile as she nodded. I felt better already, even though I hadn't solved the issue yet. Derpy's smile was definitely heartwarming to see. I wasn't used to seeing somepony who wore their feelings so close to the surface. I pretended to peek inside the slot, my left eye flashing with a scan real quick. The results surprised me. I frowned, and then examined the picture I'd taken a little closer. There was an extremely rudimentary spell inside of the box that was holding the door closed. There wasn't even a power source attached to it. Instead, a line of magic was extended from the mailbox, off to the far right somewhere. Worse yet, there appeared to be a tin of whip cream pressurized inside. This was a prank... "Somepony's trying to prank you. Or Rarity. Just a second," I informed, popping out another barrier a moment later and simply snipping the line of energy leading from the mailbox. I heard a light thud from inside and realized that the spell had collapsed, simply dropping the tin of whip cream to the floor of the mailbox instead. Derpy sighed, however. "They're probably pranking me. It's so fun to watch the wall-eyed pegasus soak out in the rain, after all," she muttered, ears lowering again. "It's okay. You're welcome to come into the Carousel Boutique with me to dry off. You did say it was the end of your shift, right?" I suggested, opening the mailbox and drawing the tin of whip cream out. She hesitated for a moment, giving it a questioning look before her expression shifted to that of recognition, followed by a glare. Oh. This wasn't the first time she'd encountered this particular prank. My eyes traced the direction of where the line went. There appeared to be a series of bushes near a tree that was just outside of the boutique. If the spell was that crude, it was probably an inexperienced unicorn. They'd have to be close, which meant... "Do you really think I can?" Derpy asked me, looking back up with a bit of hope glimmering in her eyes. She shifted to shock a moment later as I fired the tin with my hoof, launching it directly at the bushes. "Aaah!" was shouted out as I heard an audible splattering noise. A short yet extremely round unicorn dove blindly out of the bush, pie tin of whip cream attached to his face. I tilted my head as a brownish-looking, much lankier colt followed his bluish green friend in full retreat, running back towards town square. I shook my head, glaring after them. "Jerks. You could catch a cold being wet in this weather. Come on, Derpy. I'm sure Rarity has towels we can use to dry you off," I suggested a moment later. There was something about the vindictive and downright cruel prank that really irked me, I noticed. Of course, I knew I didn't like seeing others being treated badly by those 'stronger' than them, even though that didn't necessarily apply in this case. If Derpy had really wanted to, she could probably paddle those two with very little effort. The gray mare perked, however, and gave me another warm smile. "Thank you, Mender! It must be amazing being an earth pony with magic!" she exclaimed, following after me as I hobbled towards the door in front of us. "It's not all amazing. Some things I can't control. For example, I have a gravity field that likes to draw falling things towards me through the air. That's not very fun," I corrected, shuddering a little. Then I realized we were forgetting something. "Wait, didn't you have mail to deliver for Rarity?" I questioned, turning back to face her. She perked and nodded, pulling out a moderately sized package from her mailbag using her teeth. "Yuph. Ah'll jus dehlihver thish ooh er ihrecktly," she explained, beaming. "Er, what?" I asked, having no idea what she just said. She paused for a moment before turning and putting the package back in her bag. "I'll just give it to Rarity myself," she corrected, grinning as she looked back around at me. Ooooh! I nodded happily to her before resuming my moderate hobble. The boutique's door squeaked lightly as I opened it, and a little bell chimed. Both Derpy and I scurried inside and I shut the door so excessive rain wouldn't get in. Bleh. My shield slowly faded and I dried my hooves off on Rarity's welcome mat. "Oh my. Welcome to Rarity's Carousel Boutique. Dreadful weather we're hav-" Rarity's voice sounded out from the side hall. I glanced that way just in time to see her draw to a stop, eyes widening as she looked at me. "Oh, Mender! What a pleasant surprise! And Derpy?" she asked, finally noticing my soggy companion. "Do you have a towel Derpy can borrow, Rarity?" I asked politely, giving the unicorn a soft smile. Normally I tried to pay more attention to manners, but Derpy was probably cold. Rarity shifted to a small smile and nodded, however, not looking offended. I heard a door opening as she glanced to the right, horn lighting up. Hall closet? I vaguely recalled seeing one before. I wasn't nearly as familiar with this place as I was the library, for obvious reasons. A large beach blanket drifted over Rarity a moment later, and she gently wrapped the shivering pegasus in it. "T-Thank you, Rarity! I got stuck out in the rain while just finishing up my route, and Mender threw a shield over me to act like an umbrella. Oh, and he stopped a nasty prank that was being played on me," Derpy spoke up finally, shivering lightly as she wrapped the large blanket around herself more. "A prank?! In this weather? You could have caught a cold! How very inconsiderate. You two should come to the back. I'll serve us some hot tea," Rarity suggested. She had my attention instantly, every bit of focus remembering exactly how amazing her tea was. She gave me a knowing grin before trotting back through the hallway. Heh, my expression probably just gave away exactly what I thought about the tea. Derpy gave me an extremely pleased smile and I nodded to her, reaching over and helping her dry her hooves off first and foremost with the blanket before we slowly made our way to the back work room. Rarity was already sitting on her sofa when we arrived, Opal lying regally next to her as if queen of the house. I gave the feline a wide birth as I settled onto the couch across from Rarity. Derpy got up next to me, blanket first as to not get the cushion wet. Tea was already sitting out on the table between us, steam gently drifting from the large pot. I saw Rarity had a half-full cup, and surmised that she had actually already made it before we got here. She poured us both a cup with her magic. "Thank you, Rarity. I was actually on my way here to drop off the tape measure you accidentally left at the library," I explained, settling into the cushion and sighing contently as the warm and delicious liquid drifted down my throat. It was a little sip of heaven, especially after getting out of the crappy weather. Rarity halted for a moment and gave me a blank stare before she slapped her forehead with a free hoof. "That's where I left the thing! I had to get out another roll because I couldn't find it. It slowed me down significantly. Thank you for returning it," she said, watching passively as I pulled off the saddlebags and dug into the right side, looking for the measuring tape. "Admittedly, I thought you'd be busier than this with the orders you mentioned this morning," I added idly, perking as I finally found the tape at the bottom of the bag. This thing still had a bunch of random things from our Canterlot trip in it. After pulling the tape out and setting it on the table, I took another peek into the bags. Rarity snickered as she watched before finally explaining, "I was taking a brief break from the order, actually. The creative process cannot be rushed. Well, not with good results, anyway. Plus, it gives me time to fit your suit for your decidedly expanding build." I detected a bit of hesitation with that last part and smirked with my head still inside the bag. She'd been on edge about mentioning anything to do with my build after accidentally insulting me way back when we met, I noted. "I don't have to wear it to Pinkie's party, do I?" I asked wearily, popping my head out of the bag again and pulling an impressive looking abacus with me a moment later. This thing had to be made for a unicorn. The beads were way too small to be manipulated with hooves. Although it was Twilight's, so that kinda made sense. Rarity snickered merrily. "Of course not. Admittedly, I doubt it would be the right dress for what she was explaining. Unless you want its protective qualities. It does make you fire resistant, and I'm working on a complex feather fall enchantment to put on it, but admittedly, I've never used it before," she rambled. I stuck my head out of the bag again at the word 'enchantment', having tucked the abacus back into the bag while she was talking. "Feather fall?" I asked curiously. Was that as self-explanatory as it sounded? "Well, I've noticed how gravity seems to simply adore you, so I figured an enchantment that let you fall slower and significantly less painfully might be nice," she detailed, giving me that self-aware smirk again. I averted my eyes for a moment before nodding in agreement. "As much as I'd love to deny that, I honestly can't. In truth, after I'd seen Canterlot from a distance while on the train, I really thought I was going to end up falling off the cliff it's built into," I admitted, remembering the oh so graphic images easily. Rarity started laughing, and Derpy actually gave me a grin at that, snapping out of her shivering stupor a little more. I noticed the strength of the shaking seemed to be dropping, which hopefully meant the pegasus was warming up a little bit. "Oh dear. I believe that thought had crossed my mind as well, once or twice. But I'm glad it turned out so... ah..." I raised an eyebrow while turning, but stopped when I saw the frozen, wide-eyed mare. Eh?! Self-examination told me I hadn't accidentally turned into my armored form, sprouted tentacles, or grown a third head, so I gave her a questioning glance. She shivered, and then shook her head, losing her smile and looking away from me. "Sorry. I almost said it turned out well, which wouldn't have been entirely honest, would it?" she finally explained. Oh. The kiss. "Uh, what? From what I read in the papers, a really big disaster was averted. Isn't that good?" Derpy asked, now down to just her head peeking out of the comfy looking blanket. I sighed and lowered myself to my stomach, lying down on the cushion. However much Rarity wanted to say was entirely up to her. "Oh, disaster was averted, but I created some of a different sort afterwards," Rarity corrected, ears lowering a little as she watched me. A hesitation. Finally, she closed her eyes and seemed to try to pull up strength from deep within. "I was a complete foal. Watching Mender almost hurt himself without the slightest hesitation in order to save the orchestra... Well, it did something to me. A part of me realized that I'd been being silly," she continued, apparently gathering her courage up. Derpy remained silent, watching the mare respectfully with one eye, the other drifting sideways to peek at me. Idly, I wondered if she could control them individually or if the one was just a 'lazy' eye and did its own thing. Admittedly, I didn't know a whole lot about her specific condition. Asking would be rude, however. "I've always wanted a prince. Everypony in town probably knows that by now. Maybe, however, I was looking for the wrong kind of prince? After realizing that, I decided that I really just wanted a polite gentlecolt who would treat me with respect. Mender was more than that even. A humble if not somewhat clumsy hero!" I decided the longer Rarity talked, the more I couldn't tell if I should be insulted or embarrassed. I went with the latter and just let my cheeks flush without fighting it this time. The pearly unicorn had been watching me like a hawk, however. "Ooooh no. Not this time. I know you just happened to be there, and wouldn't have risked bodily harm if there were another choice, and were probably scared. Regardless of any of those things, you saved them, so you're a hero whether you like it or not!" she refuted before I had even said anything. I opened my mouth, and then realized she'd rebutted everything I usually say in this situation. Five seconds later, I just felt awkward and slowly closed my mouth again. Damn it. “Oooh. It almost sounds like you like Mender!” Derpy exclaimed, eyes widening as she looked back and forth between Rarity and me. Rarity hesitated, and then nodded. “I do like him. I went about it entirely the wrong way, however, and kissed him before even asking if I could. Twilight saw me do so and I panicked, running away. It wasn’t a pleasant night,” she finally finished, lowering her eyes away from me. Derpy gave out a small gasp, and I couldn’t tell if it was out of shock or worry. I sighed wearily. Admittedly, I knew this confrontation was coming. Part of me had prepared for it, at least subconsciously, so I somewhat knew what I wanted to say. It had to be said, obviously. “Rarity, I’m sorry. I mean, you’re an amazing mare and a true friend, but-“ I started to explain. Rarity held up a hoof, however, and gave me a soft, sad looking smile. “There’s no need to go through the motions, Mender. I knew you didn’t feel the same way the second I kissed you. My only intent with this was, well, to apologize for not simply asking. Twilight said she didn’t get mad at you. Was that the truth?” she asked quietly. My ears lowered a little, but I nodded. I hadn’t expected her to already know my feelings. The sad part was that I couldn’t tell if it was better or worse this way. Probably better. There was no chance for me to shove my hoof down my throat when trying to explain myself. “I’m sorry, too, Rarity. I wish there was something I could do for you,” I agreed. Oddly, Derpy looked about ready to cry as she continued following the conversation between us. Rarity smiled to herself as she looked downwards, nodding after a moment. “Ah, there is something you could do. I’d very much like to put the whole situation behind us and continue on with a wonderful friendship instead, if that’s possible at this point,” she requested. Okay, now she was just being silly. “Rarity, I never stopped being your friend. Of course I want to stay that way,” I revealed, smiling at her in hopefully an assuring manner. She stared blankly for a moment before that more confident smile returned. “I should have known you’d be a gentlecolt. That’s why I was so interested in you in the first place, I remind myself. Hmm. Although this leaves me with a quandary as I had worked out a bribe; well more of an incentive, to give friendship another try. Now what shall I do with it?” she questioned. My turn for the blank, confused stare, I guessed. She wore a playful smirk, however, so I was fairly certain she was just kidding. “Rarity, you didn’t have to get me anything!” I protested, really wishing I were dealing with somepony other than the Element of Generosity. There might actually be a chance that I could convince her otherwise if it weren’t for that. As if reading my mind, she simply shook her head. “Then it’s a good thing I didn’t get anything for you. I made it. It’s something I should have made you a while back, though,” she revealed, tossing a playful wink in for good measure. Derpy burst into snickering, but rapidly quieted as Rarity activated her magic and slid something out from under the sofa she resided on. For just the briefest of moments, I wondered why she’d put something under a sofa and have it get dusty. It passed rather rapidly once I reminded myself whose house I was at. Even her dust was probably clean. Then everything momentarily left my mind as she lifted up the wonderful article. A doubled up saddlebag set complete with harness attached to them. Two bags on each side appeared to be comprised of sturdy, dark leather with silver inlay around the borders. Each bag was completed with a beautiful, sapphire clasp to keep them closed. The clasps themselves appeared to be shaped as my Cutie Mark. This must have been a recent project of hers, then. The whole set looked surprisingly heavier than what I had on right now, as if it were built for function as well as appearance. My attention was snapped back to reality when Rarity’s confident smirk returned. “That, my dear, is an artist’s greatest reward. That look of awe you just displayed makes it worth every stitch,” she cooed, causing me to cough lightly and blush. “Rarity, uh, I don’t exactly have any bits yet. It’s only been a day since I decided to try working,” I reminded. Four sapphires of that size would have been absurdly expensive back in my old dimension, if I recalled correctly. I had no idea what their price was in Equestria, but the saddlebags looked amazing, so it couldn’t be cheap! Rarity gave me a skeptical, disbelieving look. Oh no. She wasn’t going to… “Mender, were you not paying attention when I said it was a gift?” Damn it. She was. She was just going to give it to me. For a moment, I’d forgotten whom I was dealing with. Derpy snickered again before adding, “Technically, you said it was a bribe or incentive.” Ha! That was true. I shouldn’t assume that it was still being offered as I already gave her what she was using them to bribe me for. She gave an exasperated stare to Derpy for a moment before chuckling herself. “Okay, I have to admit that I did indeed say that. They’re a gift now, however. You did mention liking saddlebags, if I recall,” she said. I twitched, looking back down at the amazing bags. “Like? I love those! They look absolutely beautiful. I didn’t know you cut gems yourself!” I corrected, eyes widening a little. The white mare flushed lightly, the coloration being extra noticeable against her coat. “Well, I’m very glad I made them for you, then! Gems are something of my specialty, so of course I know how to cut them myself. Also, given the nature of your luck, I made the entire set out of heavy-duty materials, and layered several protective enchantments onto them. I’d hate for them to get scratched or damaged,” she added, looking back down at them wistfully. “Heh. Are you sure you don’t want to keep them and use them yourself?” I asked impishly, noticing her longing expression. I bet it was hard to part with such masterful work. As predicted, Rarity recovered instantly upon me finishing saying such. Her grin returned, albeit slightly more mischievous this time. “Scandalous! Imagine what ponies would say if I started wearing articles of clothing with your Cutie Mark on them! Why, you’re liable to start even more absurd rumors,” she playfully observed. Okay, I choked a bit at that. “Aaaah! I meant you’d take the buttons off and replace them!” I rapidly appended, front legs flailing a little bit. Derpy burst into more laughter and rolled over in her blanket. Rarity didn’t falter in her smirk, which made me relax a little. Okay, she really was joking. “That was worth it just for the reaction. You’re too easy to tease, Mender. Although that does give me an idea,” she muttered, looking back down at the set. I really did have to stop second-guessing myself. These ponies had already proved a lot more easygoing than Keldarians. I followed her gaze, and watched as she peeked at each gemstone clasp. “Yes. Wouldn’t it be romantic if I replaced the back ones with Fluttershy’s and Twilight’s Cutie Marks? That would simply be adorable, and they’d probably love it!” she pondered in a hopefully rhetorical manner, as I myself had no idea if it was romantic or not. I’d just learned what ‘dating’ meant not even a week ago, after all. I tilted my head and watched her think. “Ooooh. That is kinda romantic. It’s almost like he’d be showing that they’ve claimed him or something!” Derpy squealed in agreement. She might have said more, but my mind froze at the ‘claimed’ part, a bolt of ice tearing down my spine and causing a full body shiver. My eyes widened of their own accord, as I was both disturbed and surprised by my own reaction. No, they weren’t like the Keldarians. They weren’t! I forced my eyes shut and took a couple deep breaths, feeling my spiked heartbeat slowly returning to normal as I reminded myself that I was in Equestria. To ‘claim’ somepony was probably entirely innocent. It wasn’t ownership over the individual, right? Slavery didn’t exist here. At least I didn’t think it did. “…okay, Mender?” Derpy suddenly cut back in. I snapped my attention back to my surroundings again and looked over at her. She was giving me a worried expression. I felt along my neck and noticed the cold sweat that had developed. Damn it. “It’s okay, Derpy. Just let him relax,” Rarity warned, also looking concerned. After another deep breath, I shook my head wearily. “Sorry about that. Just a momentarily bout of not feeling well,” I excused, carefully wording around a direct lie. Rarity gave me a skeptical glance, and I knew she probably had guessed as to what the problem was. Still, there wasn't a lot that I could do with Derpy here. After a few moments, I managed to calm myself down again. That was silly anyway. Equestria didn't have slavery. I'd read the sociological books myself. Ponies definitely didn't seem to promote the enslavement of individuals. Opening my eyes again finally, I decided that the best bet was to simply change the topic. "Well, I'll keep this set for now if you're going to add their Cutie Marks to the saddle bags. You're right, of course. Both mares would probably like it." Rarity's eyes narrowed slightly, and I knew that she knew that I was trying to change the topic. "Now I'm not so sure that it's a good idea after all. Are you sure that you're all right?" she asked, eyes giving me a once over. I nodded with only a slight hesitation. "Just a bad memory is all. I'll be fine, Rarity. Do you really think they'll like it, though? I'd hate for you to go through all the trouble of making additional buttons only to have them not like it, or be uncomfortable with me wearing it," I pointed out. The second option was far more likely, given the two mares involved. Rarity actually considered it for a moment before finally nodding. "Yes, I believe so. Your fears aren't entirely unjustified, of course. Fluttershy will probably be extremely embarrassed by the gesture at first, but once she recovers, I believe she will be delighted by the aspect. Twilight is a bit harder to predict, but I don't think she'll be nearly as embarrassed. Deep down, I think she has a very well-guarded romantic side to her," she speculated, somewhat surprising me with the in-depth character analysis. It was almost as if she'd done this before. I was just thankful for the distraction and opportunity to learn. "I think it's a wonderfully romantic idea. Most mares would be delighted that their stallion was even considering it!" Derpy chimed in softly. Rarity nodded along in agreement. Wait. Why was that? "Is it really that big of a deal?" I asked, suddenly somewhat worried about walking into a relationship minefield. Big deals struck me as a high risk, high reward sort of gamble. I'd be the first to admit that gambling for me was a seriously bad idea. Jumping off a balcony in Canterlot was probably better for my health. At least fate wouldn't take that as a personal challenge. Rarity snickered before giving a noncommittal shrug. "It's no secret that stallions are stereotyped as inconsiderate to their partners or outright unromantic sometimes. I'm pretty sure they already know that you're an exception, but more examples never hurt," she hesitantly explained after a moment's thought. Unromantic, huh? I could see why Rarity would prefer a gentlecolt, now. Her bias showed through, even with her trying to be professional. Finally, I nodded in agreement. "Alright then. I'll trust your judgment. Let's surprise them with it, though?" I suggested, smiling towards her. Plus, that way there'd be lots of ponies around and I was less likely to be murdered right away. I mentally chuckled to myself. At least with Rarity’s explanation, I was fairly certain I could put fears about ‘claiming’ to rest. She grinned and nodded, apparently approving of my idea. "A very good thought. I'll whip up some appropriate gems and have them ready in time for the party!" Rarity added, seeming pleased with the turn of events. Slowly, I stood up again and stretched, making sure to be careful of my injured leg and the brace attached to it. Derpy watched me with interest for a moment before snuggling further into her blanket. "Derpy, you should stay here. You're not warmed up yet and it's still raining outside. I'll get you some more tea," Rarity suggested. "Aww. But I wanted to go with Mender," the gray pegasus protested. She looked back over at me instead, eyes large and pleading, even while drifting in different directions. Rarity shook her head wearily, admitting, "I obviously can't stop you, but I would very much like for you to get warm and dry first. Maybe even borrow an umbrella? Besides, I'm sure Mender has things he needs to do." I blinked again, momentarily confused. "Actually, I figured that you were busy and I didn't want to get in the way. Everypony seems busy today, so I was just going to go bug Pinkie Pie for a while," I corrected, perplexed. I knew Applejack was busy with the harvest, and Twilight was preoccupied running energy sample tests in the basement. Spike was dutifully assisting her, of course. Rarity said that she had three orders to fill for Canterlot elite when she left this morning. I’m guessing the party had paid off for her already. Fluttershy was in a nigh panic over something to do with the animals and organizing something. I didn't dare try to help there, lest I just get in the way. Rainbow said she had to get a head start on next week's weather arrangements for some reason, and felt extremely grumpy when I asked her using the link this morning. Even my fellow CMC members were currently in school right now. "You're certainly not a bother, Mender. I do have a lot to do, but if you're bored, I can entertain you," Rarity offered almost immediately. That gave me pause. Was I bored? I'd never had a day to myself like this before. Everypony being busy did remind me how little a life I had here. Should I go out and try to get a job? Fitting in and making myself useful seemed close to one and the same. "Like I said, I'm done with my route and totally don't have anything to do," Derpy interrupted, breaking me out of my chain of thought. Rarity gave her an exasperated glance. "If you really want to, sure. I'm gonna wander over to Sugar Cube Corner if you want to come. Pinkie might not be too busy, and I wanted to ask her about the party coming up," I offered. Derpy lit up and grinned, fluttering into the air and spinning once, dislodging herself from the blanket. I snickered at her rather cute display. Rarity finally shook her head and recovered her smile. “I can see that I can’t dissuade you. At least try to stay dry, Derpy. You remember how hard it was to fly when you got that last cold,” she said, finally giving up. Derpy hovered closer and nodded rapidly to Rarity. “I’ll stay under Mender’s awesome umbrella spell thingy, don’t worry. I’ll come visit you later as well. I just haven’t gotten to hang out with Mender at all yet,” she explained, wobbling in the air and momentarily drifting sideways before righting herself. Actually, now that I thought about it, how did she fly with her eye condition? Wasn’t that a little dangerous? Rarity smirked but lifted up her left hoof gently. “It’s understandable. Just be safe, you two. I’ll probably see you later today or tomorrow, Mender,” Rarity assured gently. I nodded to her and slowly got off the couch, careful to step down with my right foreleg first. Both mares seemed momentarily drawn to the metal clink as my left foreleg touched down, but Rarity rapidly averted her gaze a split second later, avoiding looking at my leg. I watched her for a moment before looking away, trying not to sigh. The memories were still fresh and probably would be painful for everyone involved for a little while. “I’ll see you later, Rarity. Let me know how the commissions are going,” I spoke softly as I withdrew from the room, suddenly self-conscious of the noise my left hoof made on the wooden floor. “Well, of course. You did help get them for me. Do stay safe, Dear,” she called out, followed by the gentle sound of the teacup sliding along the saucer again as she lifted it. My ears swiveled back around and faced forwards again as I headed towards the exit of the building, Derpy hovering along above me in a happy bobbing motion. * * * * * Stepping to the side, a barrier held the door open for Derpy as she walked past and inside. I ducked after her, letting my umbrella barrier dissolve above me as I entered the building. It wasn’t like I was superstitious or anything, but I guess my luck didn’t need to get any worse. Although, did it actually count as an umbrella? "It's still a good idea. If you can help ponies with your enchantments, and make a job out of it, then I say you should go for it," Derpy continued from her prior point. A part of me already knew that much, but the larger parts questioned if I was truly up to the task. Could I pull off something like what I did for Applejack totally on my own initiative? All I could remember was building things that destroyed. That was the first time I'd ever made something that helped to create. The inside of the Sugarcube Corner was surprisingly busy today, with a small line of ponies at the counter and over half of the tables taken. What was going on? Derpy momentarily hesitated, giving a worried glance around the room. I walked past her, however, giving her a light bump to gain her attention before heading to the counter. To my surprise, there was a mature looking mare stationed there instead. I wracked my brain trying to remember her name. Mrs. Pie? No, it wasn't anything to do with Pinkie. Muffin? No, that was Derpy's favorite food. Salad? No, that didn't sound very 'Sugarcube' to me. Tea? Ack! No! Get your mind off the cup of tea you forgot to finish back at Rarity's! I was totally disrupted by Derpy flying past me in a sideways drift before crashing into the cupcake display on the counter. I blinked, noticing that up until the rather rough awakening, she had been focused solely on the muffin display on the other side of the line. Cupcake? Cupcake! Wait, no. Cake! Mrs. Cake! My barrier shot out as fast as possible and I scooped the cupcakes out of the air before they hit the floor, lifting them back up and into the tray again. The startled, and then panicked Mrs. Cake eyed the display for a moment before apparently deciding it was safe and rearranging all the cupcakes so they stayed upright again while I held them in place. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cake! I got looking at the muffins and wasn't watching where I was going," Derpy apologized upon recovering from the surprise. Mrs. Cake smiled, despite the rather annoyed looks from some of the costumers still in line. "Oh, it's okay, Derpy. The cupcakes were saved. Thank you as well, um?" she started, turning to me with an expectant stare. To my amusement, she frowned a moment later, probably starting to recognize me or something. "Moon Mender. It's nice to meet you. Mrs. Cake, right?" I introduced while I still could. As nice as it was to have bits of conversation skipped completely, it was awkward when it was purely one sided. She perked up, and then smiled, giving me a nod. "Oh yes. I thought you looked familiar!" she said excitedly. I knew it. "Pinkie talks about you all the time. I got an extremely detailed description of you." Oh. Okay, that I hadn't been expecting. Wait. Extremely detailed? "Wha! Mender! What are you doing here?" suddenly exploded out from behind Mrs. Cake as an excited looking Pinkie Pie slid out of the kitchen. A large tray of assorted baked goods balanced precariously on her back, and she somehow pulled off a happy bounce without jarring the thing. "Pinkie! Your side!" Mrs. Cake reminded, turning around just in time to see the energetic display. Pinkie grinned, however, and assured, "This 'is' taking it easy. Besides, I feel a hundred percent better today!" Less than a day after the accident in the market?! I doubted that. Did she really heal that fast? "Just take it slow, Pinkie. I don't want to see you hurt yourself again," I added, mentally shivering as I remembered her pained expression from yesterday. Maybe it was just me, but it didn't feel like that face belonged on Pinkie. She was one of those ponies who deserved to be eternally smiling. The smile she held now softened considerably as she nodded to me. "I'll try to be good. It's hard sometimes, though. I get so excited! Besides, you give yummy massages, which gives a mare incentives to get hurt around you," she pointed out. "He gives good massages?" Derpy asked quietly, landing beside us. Okay, the logic of this concept was starting to hurt my brain. "Pinkie, you're still on shift. It's really busy right now so can you please continue waiting tables?" Mrs. Cake reminded, interrupting the conversation anyway. Pinkie looked devastated almost instantly, but I considered the situation. Well, I did need practice. I smirked at her and activated my left foreleg again. It was weird that I always used my left one. Technically I could extend magic through any hoof now, but I guess it was just habit. Pinkie's eyes widened as I snatched up the tray, flicking on her link a second later. "Tables?" I whispered into the link. Her eyes danced in delight as she nodded and zipped off to take orders instead. Her memory was amazing, however, and I got the image of a pony for each treat on the tray. Smirking, my magic burst into action, expanding outwards in each direction and taking treats with the little barriers. Each drifted high above the surprised yet amused ponies before drifting down to the different tables on little strands of energy. It didn't take us long to get a pattern going. Pinkie took orders and dropped them off to Mr. Cake in the kitchen, removing the line completely. Derpy surprised me by joining in as well, snagging the finished goods from the kitchen and delivering them to me. I was surprised at how fast the little pegasus could move on her hooves! I'd then pull the treats into the air and shoot an image of each to Pinkie as they went. Pinkie was much better at using images in the link than actually talking, I quickly discovered. What happened the first time we tried made more sense now. She'd shoot back an image of the pony who ordered it, and I'd send it along the enchanted ceiling tracks I built to be delivered. Mrs. Cake watched in awe after the pace quickened and the line disappeared. She then only had to take payments. Things became fun really fast with Pinkie zooming between tables, Derpy's balancing act, and everypony laughing as the food zipped around and delivered itself. After getting the pattern down and making the tracks solid so they were way easier to maintain, I started adding twists, spins, and loops just for fun. More than once, the girls got distracted watching rather than doing what we were supposed to. I'd snicker every time I caught Pinkie trying to chase one of my deliveries. Then something unexpected happened. Apparently word of mouth traveled absurdly fast in Ponyville. Our amount of customers increased instead of lessening as lunch came and went. Some ponies appeared to order things just to watch them fly around through the air. I started to get a little tired from the exertion after a while, but kept it up regardless. Pinkie's job was easier this way while she was recovering from the injury. She'd gotten injured protecting me, so it wasn't asking much of me to just suck it up and help her out. Besides, it's what friends did for each other and I didn't have anything else to be doing right now. After the hour and a half mark passed, my head was starting to hurt. It would be so easy if the book were here. It held almost unlimited energy, it felt like. Still, it defeated the point of exercising my magic. Plus, a part of me just didn't like the thing. It felt like it was almost giving me suggestions sometimes. Really bad suggestions. I exhaled quietly and slid my heavy feeling saddlebags off, shivering as the cool air licked the newly revealed skin through the fur. The left bag popped open upon hitting the floor, however. Remembering that I hadn't opened that side at Rarity's, I peeked down to make sure nothing had spilled. Twilight would be upset if I accidentally lost her things. Time ground to a halt and I momentarily froze in place as I watched Prudentia slide out of the bag. No. That wasn't possible. I'd left it on Twilight's bedside table this morning! Why would she pack up the book before giving me the saddlebags? She didn't like to touch it anyway, saying it felt amazingly like 'mine'. So much so that she said she felt dirty even magically lifting it. Like it was chewing her out. I paused for a moment. Yeah, of course. That must have been it. She felt it was mine and wanted me to have it with me. That made sense. I doubted she wanted it around the library after all, right? I guess it kind of was my duty to take it. Just like it was my duty to guard the sword once Keela gathered enough solar energy to send it to me. Apparently, dimensional travel took a lot of power. Who'd have guessed? I snickered to myself, earning a curious smile from Derpy. Finally, things slowed down an hour later. All three of us took a much-needed breather on the sidelines while Mrs. Cake brought us some milk. "On the house, Mender. You two helped us serve more customers in three hours than we normally get all day!" she exclaimed instantly upon seeing me hesitate. Eh?! What, had Pinkie warned her about me or something? Pinkie gave me an innocent grin from my left, and I rolled my eyes. Eh, a glass of milk was fine. "It was a lot of fun. Plus I need the practice using my magic. I'm really rusty still," I excused simply, giving my temples a little rub as emphasis. Pinkie watched for a moment before leaning over and replacing my hooves with her own, gently massaging my head. "You should take your own advice and take it easy. You don't want to get a nosebleed again," Pinkie pointed out in a rather impish manner. I smirked, closing my eyes again, but wondering what to do with my head. "Oh dear. Most unicorns only get those if they really overexert themselves," Mrs. Cake added softly, sounding a little concerned. I shook my head as best I could with Pinkie there. "It happens a little faster with me. I'm out of practice, and I don't think Earth Ponies were meant for this kind of magic," I furthered, idly starting to really enjoy Pinkie's ministrations. "And they're a lot worse than a unicorn's!" Pinkie tacked on, pulling my head down against her chest before continuing the massage. I blushed a little but reminded myself that it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. She was a really nice mare who truly cared for her friends. “I’ll be fine,” I tried to return, if somewhat muffled by the pink fur in my face. It must have tickled, because Pinkie let out a squeak and giggle a moment later. I heard Mrs. Cake walk away for a second, and then come back and set something down in front of us. “Muffin!” Derpy exclaimed a second later. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I shifted to peek, opening my eyes again. A small tray of muffins and donuts were laid out in front of us. Eh? She was giving us lunch, too? “Before you ask, yes, it’s also on the house. A couple bits worth of food is the least I can do for all the help you ponies have been. I also heard you’re looking for commissions, Mender?” Mrs. Cake questioned after watching my expression. Somewhat caught off guard, I looked back up at her questioningly. She smiled softly and added, “Applejack dropped an apple shipment off this morning and told me that you were trying to apply your engineering skills and magic to others for bits.” My eyes widened and I flushed lightly. I hadn’t expected Applejack to start so quickly, and be so earnest about it. “Ah, I didn’t realize she was actually telling ponies. Yeah, I’m kinda hoping to get a bit of income coming in,” I said. Pinkie snickered and gave my shoulder a playful nudge. “This is Applejack we’re talking about; the most dependable of ponies! When she says she’s going to do something, she does it. Besides, she’s terrible at lying. Everypony would have known instantly if she weren’t going to do it,” Pinkie explained. I gave her a somewhat blank stare before chuckling. Yeah, I probably should have seen that coming. “Yes. She was very resolute in insisting that your skills were top notch. I’d asked her how her farm project was going, which is how we got on the topic. I was surprised, admittedly, when she said it was already done. Plus, your magic show there gave me a few really fun ideas!” Mrs. Cake continued, looking up along the ceiling as she spoke. “Ponies did seem to really like that! It would be super-awesome if we could do that all the time!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place slightly before wincing, and stopping. I shook my head and immediately pushed a hoof into each of her sides, gently massaging with magic starting to flow into her. Pinkie’s tongue lolled out almost instantly and she slumped against my shoulder this time, giving out a happy sigh. Derpy started snickering at the display, mouth completely jammed full of muffin. “Even though she insists on hurting herself, I do agree. If you could whip something up that was similar that didn’t need you here to manually control, it would be amazing,” Mrs. Cake agreed, gesturing absently towards the ceiling. I looked the ceiling itself over while massaging Pinkie. It was high enough to have something like that. If I used enchantments, I could save space, too. “If you didn’t mind wooden tracks being laid out, I think I could manage a few enchantments that would allow that, yeah. It might take a couple days to set up, though. And I’d need wood supplies,” I muttered absently, working out the design in my head while talking. Little rolling lifts would be cute. A square ceiling attached to the rolling pin, with four wooden posts going downwards. The floor of the lift would be made out of a barrier, and sides would have to be projected to keep the snacks in the lift, of course. Then when the little lift got to the tables, the bottom barrier would disappear and gently drop the food the remaining few centimeters onto the table’s surface. It would work! It was gimmicky, but also cute at the same time. It also removed the need for a line to order the food with Pinkie taking the orders herself. “Well, I’d offer you free run of the place with heat season coming up next week, but Pinkie stays here over the week or so and that might be uncomfortable for you,” Mrs. Cake returned, frowning and thinking to herself for a moment. My ears flattened back. That’s what I’d been forgetting! Damn it! “That’s next week? Um, this is my first time dealing with it, so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on,” I warned. Pinkie backed up a bit and smiled at me. “In smaller, closer knit towns, they usually come up with some means of sending the stallions off for a week or two during the two heat cycles in the summer,” she explained simply. I swallowed uneasily, the lump in my throat feeling a bit painful. Memories danced back of Keldarian estrus cycles, which were a nightmare. Our females didn’t sync with each other and had somewhat varied times every half a year or so, but the pheromones were a nightmare. “Uh, does that mean it’s really bad?” I asked uneasily. Mrs. Cake gave me a questioning glance, but Pinkie just giggled and shook her head. “Nah. The smells just make stallions a little dizzy and woozy so it’s harder for them to get work done. In close communities, all the mares kinda link together and all go into heat at the same time, so it’s worse than in cities, is all. We let them go to the cabins in the Whitetail Woods so they can be more comfortable during the week. Of course, it’s kinda hard for us to get work done, too, so I guess nopony gets much work done during the week! I think that’s why Applejack gets so grumpy, because she really likes to stay on schedule and things slow down a lot. Of course, in a couple years, Apple Bloom will be staying with her so maybe things will get done faster? I mean, two ponies are better than one and-“ Pinkie started rambling, shifting off topic rather rapidly. I chuckled and nodded, feeling a little better. It wasn’t anything overbearing then. Of course, they were a civilized society, so I guess their biological cycles were more of an inconvenience instead. I guess they could have a menstrual cycle instead and cut out the pheromones entirely, but always being fertile might also be inconvenient, at least for a few individuals. Pinkie’s rambling and my thought tangent were both cut short by Mrs. Cake starting to giggle. “You two are very silly. Regardless, do you think the weekend after heat’s officially over would be okay? We can obviously budget a little bit your way for the effort,” she asked softly. She seemed earnest in wanting the upgrade. Of course, if it was cute and popular, it would probably bring a lot of income their way too. “I don’t see why not, unless Twilight has something else she wants me doing. I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work,” I offered, returning her smile. She gave a happy nod before turning and heading back to the kitchen. Pinkie watched her go before turning and giving me a huge grin. “This is gonna be awesome! I’ll totally help you decorate it. Ponies are gonna love it!” she exclaimed excitedly. Heh. Leave it to Pinkie to instantly think of making it cuter. Of course, it subtly hinted at her focus on ponies enjoying it rather than it making the shop more bits. That made me happy, deep down. Derpy swallowed the muffin she was working on and lowered her hooves again, suddenly seeming a bit lost in thought as her eyes softened. I gave her a questioning glance, and she perked up upon catching the attention, smiling at me. “What’s wrong, Derpy?” I asked gently. Pinkie caught my words instantly and shifted attention to Derpy instead, switching from excitement to concern faster than I could follow. Dang. No wonder she had trouble ‘talking’ using the link. It was like her entire system was wired three times faster than normal. She was also extremely more image oriented than most. “I’m just a little worried. I know Prince Shining Armor lowered the barrier, and the mayor called off the state of emergency, but I’m still a little concerned about the cabins this year. The stallions and little foals off in the middle of the woods after what happened is a bit scary,” Derpy explained quietly, frowning down at the remaining muffins on the tray. Pinkie shook her head rapidly, of course. “It’s okay, Derpy! Princess Luna took care of the problem in the woods, so there’s nothing out there that could hurt them. Besides, that was in the Everfree Forest, not the Whitetail Woods where the cabins are!” she rapidly attempted to assure. I was somewhat pleased by her explanation of the ‘problem’ in the woods, admittedly. At least she avoided using ‘creature’ or ‘monster’ like I’d heard so often around town. Derpy nodded halfheartedly, and sighed again. “I know. I’m not the only pony who’s a little concerned this year, though. I know Miss Redheart is coming along too like usual, but she expressed a little concern over the potential risks too,” the gray mare countered, looking back up at us finally. Nurse Redheart went to the cabins as well? Well, it made sense that they’d want somepony with medical training there. “I’m apparently staying with Big Mac and Apple Bloom. From the way Twilight talked, our cabin is right next to the medical cabin, so I’ll help keep an eye on things too,” I promised, giving her my best reassuring smile. Of course, if Apple Bloom were there, I had the sneaking suspicion the unwritten statement was that all three Crusaders were staying with us. Unless, of course, they had their own parents or fathers there. I’d have to ask Apple Bloom later. Derpy smiled softly and nodded to me, looking back over at me after I finished. “It’s a little better knowing somepony with experience is with them all apart from just Miss Redheart. Sometimes it just makes me wish Ponyville had a standing guard force like the bigger cities,” she explained. That did make sense, of course. I nodded, unwavering. “Of course. I don’t have anypony to look after except for myself, really, so keeping an eye on things was something I was going to do anyway,” I assured. It was obviously a lie given the fact that I knew there was no danger in the first place, but I couldn’t exactly tell her that, so this was the best assurance I could offer. Pinkie grinned in my peripheral vision, however. “Yet. You don’t have anypony to look after ‘yet’. The way Fluttershy talks, that could totally change in a couple of years” she teased mirthfully. I blushed, catching her meaning and intent almost instantly and shooting her an awkward glare. The gray pegasus next to me grinned, however, and nodded. “Watching after all the little foals might be good practice for you, then,” Derpy pointed out, grinning before shoving another muffin into her mouth whole. That was… actually rather impressive. I knew I could distend my jaw to eat things, but she somehow managed it without injury. Wait, when had I become unofficial guardian of the camp? “Oh! I just remembered that I should probably talk to the Crusaders anyway. I think they wanted to get my help with Cutie Mark searching today.” Clocky informed me that school was almost done for the day. Pinkie grinned even wider, however, and rapidly shook her head. “Nuh uh! All four of you are totally helping me decorate after work today! I have a massive party to throw you tomorrow, if you recall,” Pinkie corrected rapidly, raising an eyebrow to me. Her exuberance threw me off and I swallowed, backing up from her a bit while nodding and hoping she didn’t pounce on me or something. “Oooh, I can probably help, too! Decorating sounds like a lot of fun,” Derpy offered behind me. “Settled then! Bring the Crusaders over if they’re interested, and Derpy can help as well!” Pinkie announced, pumping a hoof into the air excitedly, her mane bobbing with the motion. Snickering, I nodded in agreement. Well, I guess I didn’t have to worry about not having anything to do today after all! It was nice that it actually felt like I was in control of what I was doing, too. Sure, it was offered by somepony else, but I had actually wanted to do so, and agreed to it! Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up.