CHANGE OF HEART
“So obviously you told her you weren’t going to sell, right?” asked Ebby from across the table, stabbing her fork into the plate of steaming hot french toast.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure she really believed me,” said Main Course, listlessly pushing the southwestern omelet around his plate. It smelled pretty good, but he found himself without much of an appetite. “Level with me, Ebby. How badly do you think I screwed up? Scootaloo wouldn’t talk to me at all this morning. I just hope Briggs is having better luck with her.”
“Hmm...” she said, ruminating as she chewed a mouthful of french toast, sending a light dusting of powdered sugar falling onto her coat. “I’d say four out of ten. She’s probably going to be mad at you for not telling her about Manehattan sooner, but if you convince her you aren’t going to take her away she’ll get over it.” She shrugged. “Then again I’m probably the last pony who should be giving out parenting advice where Scootaloo is concerned, so take it for what it’s worth.”
“I just figured I’d listen to what you said, then do the exact opposite and it would all work out fine,” said Main Course with a grin as she swatted at him from across the table. “If I did have to move to Manehattan, though, what would you do?”
“I guess I’d pick up and move after you. I’d follow you and Scootaloo to the ends of Equestria if I had to.” She paused. “I swear that sounded less creepy in my head. But I like it here too. It feels like...”
“...a fresh start?” asked Main Course.
Ebby smiled. “Something like that. Canterlot had a lot of bad memories, and I feel more like the pony I want to be when I’m here. Plus I’m starting to make a few new friends. Pinkie Pie even offered to throw me a party for my birthday in a couple weeks.”
“You asked for a Pinkie Party? You’re braver than I thought,” said Main Course.
“Well, it’s more like she popped out of a rain barrel and informed me that she’d be throwing it for me. Maybe that’s what you need to convince Grace to let you stay here; spring Pinkie on her.”
“I want her to come around, not go mad.” He finally took a bite of his omelet. It was a bit bland for his taste and he reached for the salt shaker. Ebby, distracted by the clatter of falling silverware at another table, reached for it at the same time. Their hooves met in the middle of the table, and they both stared at one another for a second before yanking them apart again.
“Sorry,” said Ebby. Her voice cracked a bit and she coughed to clear her throat. “You go ahead and take it first. I can be patient.”
Main Course tipped the shaker over his plate and jostled out a few of the tasty crystals before passing it back. A field of Ebby’s magic wrapped around it and began to pour out a steady stream onto her hash browns. When she kept pouring for more than a second, Main looked up at her with concern. He found her staring at something behind him.
“Hi Dad. Hi... Ebby,” said Scootaloo.
Main Course spun around to see her standing a few lengths away from the table, with Briggs by her side. “Scootaloo? Was I supposed to pick you up already?”
Briggs shook his head. “No, no, you aren’t late. Scootaloo and I just thought we’d end this session with a little field trip.” He took a seat beside Ebby, while Scootaloo slid into the booth next to Main, her hoof clutching to his under the table.
“It’s nice to see you again, Scootaloo,” said Ebby, choosing each word slowly and cautiously. “I really enjoyed seeing you in the play. You were very good.”
“Thanks, I guess,” said Scootaloo. She reached out and took a piece of Main Course’s toast from his plate and began to munch on it, eyes darting up from the surface of the table to the unmoving Ebby and back down every few moments. “Um, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Anything,” replied Ebby. “Just name it.”
“Can you convince Dad not to sell the Knoll? His friend from last night is trying to take us away, but I don’t want to go.”
“We were just talking about that,” said Main Course. “It’s like I told you, I’m not going to.”
“I guess,” said Scootaloo, not sounding convinced, “but you were talking like you’d told her that you would. How come?”
Main Course bit his lip. “When I moved here from Manehattan, I didn’t think I’d be living here permanently. I always meant to, well, to leave.” He winced as Scootaloo whimpered, and he caught Briggs regarding him flatly from the other side of the table. “Then I found you, though. You changed my mind, Scootaloo. I promise I’m not going to take you anywhere, okay?”
Scootaloo looked up at him for several seconds, but then smiled a little and nodded. “Okay. Thanks Dad. Oh, one other thing?”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Why did she say that you had a marefriend?”
Across the table, Ebby nearly snorted up a sip of her coffee, and she began to let out a hacking cough. “Sorry,” she croaked as the coughing fit died down, “went down the wrong pipe.”
Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed as she looked over at Ebby, and Main Course jumped in before she could come to any conclusions. “Scoots, I can honestly say that I’m not seeing anypony romantically. You and the Knoll are my biggest priorities.”
“And there’s nopony who you want to be your very special somepony?” asked Scootaloo.
Main Course didn’t dare allow himself to look over at Ebby. “I promise that when I find her, I’ll make sure she’s somepony you’re okay with, how about that?”
Scootaloo frowned, but nodded her head. “Well, I should get back to my office for my next appointment,” said Briggs, standing up from his seat. “Ebby, I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day. This was a very good suggestion, Scootaloo. I’ll have to try these little field trips with some of my other patients.” With that he got up and left the diner.
Scootaloo took a deep breath, and looked over at Ebby. “Can we all walk back to the Knoll?”
“Sure,” said Main Course. Ebby nodded silently as well, and once the three of them had paid their check they began the long walk back home, Scootaloo leading the way.
They had just stopped on a street corner to let a cart go by in the street when Scootaloo broke the silence they’d been walking in. “Hey, Ebby? Is it... is it hard for you not to drink? Now, I mean.”
“Sometimes,” Ebby admitted. “Even now, there are times when I want to more than anything else in the world. But I promised you, and that’s more important. It... wasn’t always, but it is now.” Ebby turned her gaze and looked straight at Main Course, avoiding Scootaloo’s eyes. “If getting what I want would hurt you, then I just have to accept that I can’t have it no matter how painful that is.”
“Oh,” replied Scootaloo, and stepped out to cross the street without saying anything else.
When the three of them reached the Knoll, they all froze when they saw the pony waiting for them on the front stoop. “Hey Main,” said Grace, a sheepish smile on her face.
“Look Grace, I—” began Main Course, but Grace raised a hoof and cut him off.
“Hang on, I want to go first,” she said. “I’m sorry about how I blew up at you last night. I was really, really upset with the way you sprung that on me, and a little scared too.”
“Scared? Why?” asked Main Course.
“Because it felt like you’d just spontaneously decided that you didn’t want to be a part of my life anymore. I mean, you promised me when you left that you were going to come back to Manehattan, then four months of barely any contact while I made plans around the assumption that you’d been telling the truth. Suddenly I show up to meet this filly of yours and you announce you’re staying without even asking me for my input. I think it’s fair to say we both could have handled it better.”
“Agreed,” said Main Course. “Of course I don’t want to cut you out of my life, Grace. The whole reason I didn’t tell you was I was trying to think of some kind of compromise, but I should have given you more of a warning. So you’re alright with me staying here?”
Grace frowned. “I didn’t say that. I’m still going to try to talk you into changing your mind and selling.”
Scootaloo huddled up against Main Course. “Daddy, you promised.”
Main Course opened his mouth to speak, but Ebby beat him to the punch. “Grace, I know it’s none of my business but could I give you some unsolicited advice?”
“Sure,” said Grace with a shrug.
“I know exactly how badly you want Main Course to come back and for things to go back to the way they were before. I really do. But trust me when I say the harder you try to force somepony you care about to do something they don’t want to do, the harder they’ll pull away from you.” She looked down at Scootaloo with a sad smile, and the filly stared back up at her with an unreadable expression on her face. “The hardest thing in the world is to let somepony you love go.”
Grace slowly nodded her head. “The best I can do is promise to keep an open mind to the possibility, alright?”
“You should come around town with us and meet all our friends,” volunteered Scootaloo. “We’re going to see them anyway, so I can give them the invitations.”
Grace frowned. “What invitations?”
Main Course draped a foreleg over Scootaloo. “Scootaloo asked me if she could throw a little dinner party for some of her friends on her birthday in a couple of weeks.”
“Dad’s showed me all kinds of things I can make. I’m gonna cook for everypony all by myself, just like he does! We need to go hoof out the invitations, though.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” said Ebby. “I’m sure everything you make for them will be delicious.” She stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds longer before she cleared her throat. “Well, it sounds like you have a busy day planned, so I’ll let you get to it. It was wonderful to see you again, Scootaloo.” She leaned down and opened a foreleg for a hug, but Scootaloo just stared at her. The half-smile on Ebby’s face slowly vanished as she brought it back down to the ground. “Goodbye, I guess.” She turned and trotted away while Scootaloo’s eyes followed her retreating form.
She was just about to turn the corner when Scootaloo darted after her. “Mom! Wait!” Ebby froze, and Scootaloo skidded to a halt a little ways away from her as Main Course chased after them. Once she’d stopped, her earlier surge of courage disappeared as quickly as it had come on. “Um...” said Scootaloo, looking down at the dusty road, “do you maybe want to come over that night?”
Slowly turning around, Ebby’s smile returned in full force. “Of course. I would love to.”
“You have to promise me that you won’t embarass me in front of my friends, though,” insisted Scootaloo.
Ebby chuckled. “Well, I’m not going to make a promise I can’t be sure I’ll be able to keep, but I’ll try my hardest to restrain myself.” Her expression softened. “Thank you, sweetie. You won’t regret this.”
“I better not,” she muttered, crossing her forelegs over her chest. She retreated to Main Course, and Ebby waved goodbye as she continued down the little side street.
Grace trotted up to where they were standing. “So that was your mother?”
Scootaloo stared at the mouth of the alleyway where Ebby had been standing a moment ago, and didn’t answer for a few seconds. “Yeah,” she finally said. “Yeah. She’s my mother.”
------------------------
Grace, Main Course, and Scootaloo got back to the Knoll later that afternoon, after they’d made the rounds through Ponyville hunting down Scootaloo’s dinner guests. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle making food for all of them yourself, Scootaloo? Your friends, their sisters, Rainbow Dash, your mom and dad, and don’t forget yourself. That’s a tall order for one filly to handle.”
“She’s gonna do great,” said Main Course, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane. “Although if you want help doing any of the prep work—”
“No. This is my dinner and I’m gonna cook it,” interrupted Scootaloo.
“Go on in, Scootaloo, I need to talk to your dad for a minute,” said Grace. When she hesitated, Grace rolled her eyes. “Relax, I’m not going to shoot him with a tranquilizer dart and smuggle him back to Manehattan. We’ll be right behind you.” Once Scootaloo had shut the front door behind her, Grace looked over at Main Course. “Quite a group of friends you’ve assembled here. I thought Rainbow Dash was going to clobber me when Scootaloo told her I was trying to get you to come back with me.”
“Trust me, I’m the one she would clobber,” said Main Course. An awkward silence fell over them for a few seconds.
“You know, it’s irrational but when I got to my hotel room last night I was actually madder at Scootaloo for screwing up our plans than I was at you. Hard to stay mad at somepony so adorable though.”
Main Course grinned. “She’s something special, all right.” Another awkward pause. “I haven’t changed my mind about staying. If it was your daughter you’d do the exact same thing.”
“You’re right, I would. I wish I’d locked you in a basement back in Manehattan instead of letting you come here and fall in love with this place, but I do understand why you did.” She sniffled and looked away as she wiped something off her cheek.
“Grace, are you crying?” asked Main Course.
“I’m just really gonna miss you, Main,” she replied. “Still, this is what’s best for both of you and I’m not going to get in the way of that. I’ll find a way to make the Manehattan Knoll work without you.”
“Thanks, Grace.”
“You better come back and visit, though. I burned one Knoll down, the second one won’t be an accident if you don’t,” she said with a grin.
Main Course matched the grin with one of his own. “Better make sure my insurance policy is up to date. The rates around here are all really high for some reason.”
“Weird. Now come on, lets get inside before Scootaloo starts to think I really have abducted you. I’ll give her some quick lessons on sauces before we start on dinner. That way she won’t boil ‘em down too thick like you always do and embarrass you in front of your marefriend.”
She started to advance towards the door, but stopped when Main Course grabbed her tail. “That’s another thing. For the love of Celestia, do not call Ebby my marefriend in front of Scootaloo.”
“Why not? They looked like they were getting along okay this morning.”
“If they were, then it’s a new development. Finding out what I told you about the night at her apartment would be a very bad thing. Please, Grace, I’m begging you.”
“Fine, fine,” said Grace with an exasperated shake of her head. “You never could do things the easy way. I swear, sometimes I think you like making your life more complicated. Don’t worry though, your secret’s safe with me.”
Main Course breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Oh, when I get home tomorrow I’m going to do a full tally of how many you owe me, and I promise you it’s going to be a lot more than one,” said Grace. She tilted her head towards the door. “Right now though, I want to see what you’re teaching your daughter.”
-------------------------------
Scootaloo and Main Course saw Grace off on the train together the following morning, Main Course kept waving until it had almost disappeared from sight, then they started the return trip to the Knoll. “I have to admit, Scoots, I was surprised that you invited Ebby to your birthday dinner,” said Main Course.
“Do you think that was a bad idea?” she asked.
“No. No, no, no, nothing like that,” he answered, waving her off the idea. “I was just wondering what made you change your mind. It isn’t going to be like the play where you can’t tell she’s there.”
Scootaloo went quiet for another block. “A couple things, I guess. I want her to really be the way she says she is, Dad. I want to believe she’s actually better, but I see her and I just... I can’t quite wrap my head around it yet. But that wasn’t what got me to make up my mind.”
“What was?”
“You broke your promise, too,” said Scootaloo quietly. “You promised Grace that you’d move back with her, but then you changed your mind and she forgave you anyway.”
Main Course winced at the perfectly fair accusation. He should have known that Scootaloo would look at it from that angle. “My promise to you was more important. That’s why I had to.”
“I know, and I’m glad you did. But it was still a bad thing to do, just like what I did back in the woods that night. Doctor Inkblot said everypony does bad stuff sometimes, and if even you do...” she trailed off.
“Well, I think it was a very nice thing you did. I’m sure she appreciates the chance.”
“It’s her last one,” said Scootaloo. “Dad, stop for a second?” Main Course did, and turned to look at her. “I know she’s your friend, but I mean it. If she messes this up, I’m done with her. Forever. And I want you to promise me that you’ll be done with her too. That means that I don’t see her anymore, and neither do you.”
Main Course opened his mouth to protest, but then saw the look of barely-suppressed anger in her eyes. “Fine,” he said, “if she hurts you in any way, I’ll cut her out of our lives completely. You have my word.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Scootaloo. She started walking again, and Main Course trotted alongside her lost in his own thoughts.
Dear Celestia, he prayed fervently to the heavens above, please don’t let Ebby screw this up.
Short chapter tonight. Truth is the story's winding down pretty quickly at this point. If I work the epilogue in, the next chapter might well be the last.
Until the sequel, anyway.
not sequeling this would be a terrible move.
also, pulling a Half-Life Episode 3 would be a terrible move as well.
3436789
I was originally considering how to use the Count and Snare Drum in the post 'Somepony Save Me' portion of this story, which I feel has been a touch weaker than the first two thirds. That's a pretty big shift in tone from Slice of Life romance, though, so I decided it needed to stand on its own.
Plus, that lets me age up Scootaloo, move the setting out of Ponyville, and refocus on a new cast.
Either way, I'll post a bridge chapter with a link to the new story as a chapter of this one so people won't have to worry about missing it.
Well, here's hoping Ebby doesn't screw this up.
Oddly enough, I can picture this going one of two ways.
One, she doesn't screw it up, Scootaloo decides she can handle having her in her life...and already knows about what happened between her and Main and is cool with it, and it's the reason she extended this extra chance.
Two, she screws it up, they cut her off...and then they hear from another source that she's pregnant with Main's baby. ...for a serious romantic family drama, that would be heavy.
Hoping for option one. Seriously hoping.
No Main! Run away from Ebby don't get involved with her!
I second that motion.
Really loving this update and did you have update right when i going to go to sleep!
3436808well a, are you allowed to do that again? and b, ehh, when story sequels go that route, they tend to deteriorate in my opinion.
3436851
As long as the chapter is narrative, yes. So a 2000-ish word chapter that has a link to something else in the author's notes is fair game.
Trust me, I am not making that mistake again.
Prediction: Ebby drinks and screws it up, fracturing her, Main and Scootaloo forever. Plot twist: It was actually a changeling, and the real Ebby is in the crystal caves under Ponyville. Second plot twist: The changeling was there to waken Scootaloo, who is actually the daughter of Chrysalis and a sleeper agent. Count Obsidian and Ebby were brainwashed into thinking she was a part of their life and all their memories are actually constructions. Third plot twist: This is a fiendish plan by a Twilight Sparkle from another dimension to take out the element bearers so a second set of elements can be taken back to their reality. Fourth plot twist: Main Course is a construct created by Starswirl to stop Scootaloo with the magic of love. The real Main Course died in the Manehattan fire and Starswirl pulled a switcheroo.
How am I doing in conspiracy theories?
3436860this is MLP fanfiction, not a daytime soap opera.
So, how long until he moves back to Manehattan?
Haha I just read this after reading the latest chapter of Winning Pony. With Cloudy's Kickiness in my head, when I read the line, “I was just wondering what made you change your mind," I thought of Scootaloo turning around, looking Main in the eye, and saying, "You banged her, didn't you?" lolzz what is wrong with me
“Better make sure my insurance policy is up to date. The rates around here are all really high for some reason.”
I downvoted this fic just so I could upvote it again. This story is shaping up to be literally exemplary. How you do pacing, ocs, raising the stakes, etc
3436872
Fifth plot twist: Discord shows up and annihilates the world in a burst of soap bubbles. The world ends when the fat lady sings. Therefore, soap opera.
3436860 Sounds like some fics I've read... <shudders>
Dis gun be gud.
3436935
DIE
The next chapter may be the last? Oh no!
Anyways...Again, I am really liking how things are and have been developping. Wonder how the party will go.
And that is the story how Pinkie lost her parents.
3436860
So, let me guess, Ebby will screw up things and Scootaloo will somehow forgive her?
3436935you know what i mean.
3436872
I thought they were the same thing.
And also not leave her in Ponyville, right? That one's implicit, I hope. :P
It is... a mystery.
Hey, hey Ebby! *grabs her shoulder* Don't fuck up.
That may be a technically accurate statement, but Scootaloo is not going to be amused when she finds out the truth of what has been happening between them. Spirit of the law versus the letter of it, so to speak.
Hahahaha!
Or maybe she already knows and is just keeping the anger on the inside. Time to not screw this up, Ebby.
Looking forward to the ending and to the sequel.
Best case scenario?
Everything went better than expected.
Worst case scenario?
The night starts with Ebby stumbling in blind drunk wearing a beer helmet filled with absinthe, tail shaved and coat dyed chartreuse with Count Obsidian dressed in a pinafore and a goat dressed as a royal guard in tow while singing I'm Henry the 8th I am.
Everything goes pear-shaped from there on out.
3437566...i'd very much like to get some of whatever you're smoking.
i.imgur.com/z5nLEZY.jpg
I swear by Discord's jugular, Ebby, if you buck this up I will personally smash through the fourth wall from the outside and beat you within an inch of your life with a squeaky hammer then feed you to my army of wappy dogs!
3436860
So basically what you're saying is that this story is a sequel to the Time Loop Trilogy
Did anyone else go O Shit when grace was at the knoll? I thought Main and Ebby'ssecret would be out. Or atleast something bad.
So intense! But at least Grace had time to cool off and see things from Main's perspective. Well done putting my fears to rest. Now to see how the party goes...
3436809
Without giving anything away... Option two would very, very difficult to pull off in a single chapter. And also it would break my heart to write about a pregnant alcoholic, because you know that can't end well for any party involved.
3436811
I think we passed the point of 'don't get involved,' a while ago.
3436860
It's like you're a psychic who's also from the future, dude. I don't know how you keep guessing how I'm going to write the story and forcing me to change it to what actually ends up happening.
3437599
Yes, I think that's implied.
3438288
Yes, I think I made Grace a bit too upset at the end of the last chapter, so I wanted to scale her back a bit to emphasize that her anger was a reaction to the blindsiding and perceived betrayal rather than her just being really controlling and emotionally manipulative.
3438434
I was suggesting the 'Ebby is carrying Main's baby' as the plot for the mentioned sequel. So only the screw up and cutting off is part of the last chapter/epilogue.
3438444
Anything's possible! Guess you'll just have to wait and see.
3438220
You have an army of wappy dogs?
Please Tell me you have little uniforms for them!
That would be adorable.
Oh dear celestia and Luna DONT LET EBBY SCREW UP!!!! She needs this final chance
No. Please don't tell me this is going where I think it's going.
No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, N-
DAMN-IT! IT FUCKING WENT THERE! THIS TROPE IS SO DAMNED OVERUSED!!!!!!!
AND CORNY!!!!!!!
Tv Tropes Accidental Hand Touch
Nonetheless, great chapter, hope Ebby doesn't screw it up, but lord knows you made it obvious something's gonna happen via Chekhov's gun.
All I could think of reading that line:
[youtube=QTfiFuYu7Wk]
3436860 I like the first part but not the rest. I'd just rather them break up forever.
3436808
So, because it's you...
Ebby is going to break down, Main Course may barely save her, risking his relationship with Scootaloo in the process, which causes Scootaloo to grow up with a deep seated, burning need to go on a vendetta against her father.
OR
Everything goes better than we fear and Scootaloo is determined to go on a coming of age adventure that is a little less nauseatingly horrible for everyone involved.
The worst part is with Eakin, it can go either way.
Here's hoping nopony spikes the punch.
Nicely handled.
I know this isn't the thing I should be focusing on - but how did that not set off, like, a million red flags?
Surely I'm not the only person who would have at least thought there was something worth looking into there?
That said, I am honestly surprised that there are insurance companies willing to cover the Ponyville area. Their lawyers must have written some _really_ fine print into those agreements.
3439113
Heaven help him if he mentions who his daughter's friends are. That's gotta be a red flag for any claims adjuster worth their salt.
"Hey don't worry! I already taught you how to cook; just come to grips with Pinkie Pie and you'll be running the place by yourself in no time!"
3439085
Or punches the Spike, for that matter.
3439113 I love that comment as well. Now, one way to think about it is that Ponyville wasn't always that great of a risk. Sure, there's the Everfree Forest, but that's a predictable risk. A while back, I wrote a story where Twilight Sparkle leads her friends to battle against their insurance rate increase: The Rate is Too Darn High!
*Giggle-snort*