53. Three Friends
Once again, I'm keeping Vinyl from falling over by holding her up. Sheesh, why even wake up if all you're going to do is fire a few lasers and then pass out again? Fucking annoying. “So she's down for the count. So...I didn't really think this through. What the hell do we do with her now?” I ask Rainbow, who is peering through the room, looking for any sign of other survivors. Though why there would be other ponies in Vinyl's room, I have no idea.
“I could try flying her down. I mean, she can't be that heavy,” Rainbow suggests, walking over to me. I give her a flat-browed stare.
“You're kidding, right? She's a goddamn pony. You're a goddamn pony. You're all heavy as fuck,” I retort. It's a good thing I have magic now...or what's left of it after that Chrysalis fight. I'd recharged some of it during the talk with Celestia and all that, but nowhere near full strength. Heh, I remember that one time I tried to carry three ponies at once. That was dumb.
Suddenly, Rainbow shoves me with her two front hooves, knocking both me and Vinyl to the floor. My face smacks into the ground, and while that would normally hurt, the hardened slime on the ground cushions the impact so that it doesn't hurt at all...though the slime feels disgusting. Vinyl sprawls limply on top of me, so that I have to shove her aside when I try to get up. “What the fuck?” I demand.
“I am not heavy!” Rainbow complains, crossing her two front hooves somehow and pouting. Really? I thought she was a tomboy. She's really going to get offended over a weight comment? Well, then I'm going to have fun with this. “You take that back!”
“Hello, I've tried to carry you before. Notice I passed the fuck out,” I remind her, though I intentionally leave out the fact that I was also carrying Diamond Tiara and her father. Rainbow was unconscious then, so she shouldn't remember that.
“That's not...that's just because you're weak!” Rainbow shoots back, stepping forward with the intentions to shove me again.
I quickly reach over and pick up Vinyl, holding her by the shoulders so that she's hanging limply between Rainbow and I. “Stay back, creature! I will hit you with my newly acquired weapon!” I threaten her, a grin starting to form on my face.
“Uh, Seth, that's Vinyl,” Rainbow corrects me, perplexed, though she does hold off on her assault.
I pretend to be surprised by that, looking between Rainbow and Vinyl, who sleeps blissfully unaware that I may or may not be using her as a meat shield. “Huh. So it is. Oh well,” I comment, and then hold her up all the more vigorously.
Rainbow stares at me with a dumbfounded expression, and then her composure slips, a snicker escaping from her. My grin grows wider, and then Rainbow finally falls over, laughing at the dumb situation that's developed between us. I put Vinyl down, chuckling myself. Ah, and this is why I keep her around. It doesn't matter how tense the situation gets. Rainbow is always here for me to do dumb bullshit with. Shit like this is why I fought so hard to save her.
“Okay, dumb bullshit aside, I don't think we should try flying her down,” I say, leaning against the wall. Rainbow composes herself and returns to her hooves, listening. “I'm telling you, the first thing she'll ask after she comes to her senses is 'where's my stuff?'”
“I guess that makes sense. But we can't carry her stuff down. So, what, do we just wait for her to wake up?” Rainbow inquires.
“No, that would be a bad idea. Going by my previous logic, I probably shouldn't have woken her at all, but...” I start to explain, but then I catch myself. Was I really about to say “because it's Vinyl?” I look down at the sleeping Vinyl, a multitude of thoughts running through my head. Why would I care if it was Vinyl or not? She's not like Rainbow, and I certainly don't consider her a friend...well...I remember thinking about it a while back, and it's been a month and a half since then, and now this mess happened. Fuck it, I'll talk to her about that after she wakes up. “...it was Vinyl, so I didn't think about that. We should probably give her to Fleetfoot, and keep on searching for other ponies that need help.”
“Right. At least until Commander Iron breaks through the debris on the bottom floor,” Rainbow agrees, though she's giving me a thoughtful stare, for some reason. “Are you going to carry her, or is she 'too heavy' for you?”
“I'm going to carry her, idiot,” I tell her, grabbing Vinyl once more and this time hoisting her up on my back so that her front hooves are dangling down over my shoulders, and her head is resting on my right shoulder. “Huh. She's not as heavy as I expected.”
“See?” Rainbow shoots at me with a triumphant smirk. Hah, she's still hung up on the whole weight issue. At least now I know of another way to fuck with her. I will call it...the weight button. Don't push...the weight button. Heh.
“Whatever. Let's get her back to Fleetfoot,” I declare, carrying Vinyl out the door, with Rainbow following me close behind. I can't move very fast with her unless I use magic, but I have shit for magic left, really. I should save my remaining stores in case I need to use them to free more slimed ponies. Which I likely will, considering all the rooms we haven't checked yet. “She can come back for her stuff after she wakes up.”
We're about halfway down the hall when we reach another slimed pony. “I'll get this one,” Rainbow tells me, and she reaches down and tears the tendrils holding the pony to the ground. She then wraps her hooves around it and takes to the air so that she can still move while carrying it.
Just after we get moving again with out newest haul of ponies, Vinyl twitches on my back. I ignore it, figuring that she's probably just dreaming or something. “Um...why am I on your back?” Okay, nevermind. She's awake now, and she looks confused as fuck. She's also much more lucid than before, considering she's not firing lasers.
“Rainbow! Vinyl's up,” I alert my friend just before setting the pony on my back down on the floor. Vinyl almost falls over at first, her legs shaking beneath her. She looks between the both of us, looking normal at first, but then it seems like her memories are coming back to her. Her eyes go wide and wild, and she starts trembling slightly. “So are you good now? You're not gonna fire another laser in my face?”
“Yeah, are you all right?” Rainbow adds, the both of us looking at Vinyl with concern. Vinyl attempts to calm herself down with a few deep breaths, but it doesn't seem like it's working for her.
“Y...Yeah. I'm cool,” Vinyl stammers, making a few unsteady steps towards me. I'm not convinced. By the look on her face, I think it's safe to say that her encounter with the changelings has traumatized her in some form or fashion. Great, and I have next to no clue on how to deal with that. I didn't do very well in psychology, because I didn't care about the subject matter.
Vinyl takes a few more steps, and then her legs give out. Acting on reflex, I kneel down and catch her before she can hit the floor. “You sure about that?” I remark wryly, holding her upright. She's trembling more noticeably now, but that's the only warning I get before Vinyl sniffs and then moves forward into my arms, collapsing across my chest in what I think is supposed to be a hug. “What the fuck...?”
“I'm lying. I'm not cool. Oh Celestia, I thought I was going to die,” Vinyl sobs, burying her face into my chest. Ugh...what even...why is she seeking comfort from me? Why not Rainbow? Or was it simply because I was closer? Either way, this is so out of character for her. I guess a near death situation does that to you. “I thought I was dead. When that beam hit me and I blacked out, I thought I was never going to see my friends or family again!”
I look over at Rainbow helplessly, wondering what the hell to say or do when I have a crying mare in my hands, traumatized from a near death experience. She's not like Rainbow, who's faced situations similar to this before. She's just a musician who has no idea what battle is like, and she got caught in the middle. I understand how she must be feeling, but I certainly have no idea what to do about it. And look, the only help Rainbow gives me is to wordlessly indicate Vinyl with a simple motion of her head. Thanks...because this is totally a situation I know how to deal with.
“I don't even know what's going on...why me? Why attack me? I'm just a DJ,” Vinyl continues as I sit there awkwardly , my arms hanging limply to either side. Well, at least she gave me a question I can answer.
“It's not just you. The changelings attacked everypony. Take a good look around. This whole place is trashed,” I point out. Vinyl lifts her head, taking in her surroundings for the first time. She observes the broken doors, the scattered debris, and the ever present slime that covers practically every surface. “Canterlot got attacked. It's a bit of a long story.”
Vinyl appears to be calming down now...comparatively speaking. Instead of being hysterical, she's starting to look more shocked and confused. “But why? Who'd want to attack Canterlot? What are changelings?”
“Like I said, it's a long story. There's no more changelings, though. We've already won. Now it's a matter of cleaning up,” I continue.
“Can't you just take a minute to tell me?” Vinyl says, finally getting off of my chest. She's still shaking, but not quite as badly as before.
“Not at the moment. There's more ponies to find and save. I'll tell you the full story later. Like, when I wake up tomorrow morning,” I tell her. “Well, more like tomorrow evening, because I don't think I'm going to wake up on time. No way in fucking hell.”
“Yeah, I agree with Seth. It's one heck of a story, that's for sure,” Rainbow rejoins, brushing up against Vinyl's side to reassure her. “But I'm glad you're okay.”
“Yeah...I'm glad I am too. I've...never seen anything more frightening in my life,” Vinyl admits with a heavy sigh. “I was just sitting on my bed, reading a mixing book, when I heard the most frightful hissing sound, coming from...everywhere.”
Rainbow keeps her side pressed against Vinyl as she relates her experiences. I don't see why this is necessary. I've already gathered why you're freaked out. I don't really need you to tell me. That hissing though? That was probably the changeling armies coming through the barrier. This hotel is awfully close to the train station, after all, which is where one of the edges of the barrier was.
“Everything started exploding and crashing, and then my door broke open...and the monsters came in,” Vinyl continues, her voice shaking. “I just started blasting them...I didn't stop to think or ask questions.”
“Good choice. I don't think they're sentient enough to answer questions,” I remark, crossing my arms.
“All they did was hiss at me. They didn't care how many I hit, or how many I...killed,” Vinyl chokes. And she's broken up about killing an insect. Wow. Killing a changeling is like stamping on an ant. They're a pestilence, not feeling creatures. “They just kept coming, spewing that slime everywhere.”
“Don't worry, it's over now. Princess Celestia took care of them,” Rainbow assures her friend with an affectionate nuzzle. Good thing too, because I can't say stuff like that. “We're all safe now. You're safe.”
“Oh thank Celestia,” Vinyl murmurs. She looks around the hallway one more time. “So what happens now? Is my stuff okay?”
“There it is. I knew that question would happen,” I say, giving a meaningful glance to Rainbow. “Your stuff's fine. A bit slimy, but so's the rest of the city. Also, I'm afraid you're stuck up here until the guards down below clear the debris. Unless you'd rather we fly you down.”
“Oh no, I'm not leaving my stuff,” Vinyl expresses. No surprises there. That's why I told Rainbow that we should leave her up here in the first place. “Also, where were you taking me?”
“To one of the Wonderbolts. She was going to take care of you until you woke up,” I tell her. Vinyl nods, and sighs once more.
“Sheesh. A lot must have happened since I've been out. I really want to hear about it,” Vinyl reminds me.
“I know. And I said later. Technically Rainbow and I should be gathering more of the survivors right now, rather than talking to you,” I respond impatiently.
“Right, that makes sense. Sorry for taking up your time,” Vinyl agrees, dipping her head somberly. Rainbow sighs and gives me an exasperated expression. What? What is that look for? I'm just telling the truth.
“Nah, don't worry about it, Vinyl. We're your friends; we're here for you to talk to,” Rainbow declares, smiling at her friend. Right...speak for yourself, Rainbow. I haven't decided on that much yet. Still, Vinyl appears somewhat cheered up by her words. And Rainbow is much better I am at this. Well, that sucks, because I'm not going to lie solely for the sake of cheering somepony up.
“Thanks. I guess I'll wait in my room, then, until you get things sorted out,” Vinyl decides, turning back the other direction. “Just like, let me know when I can leave.”
“You got it. If you need us, come find us!” Rainbow calls after Vinyl as she returns to her room. Okay, now that that's out of the way, we can... “Seth, can't you be a little more sensitive?”
“Ugh, so you're going to scold me now? About being sensitive. You. Being sensitive. I thought you hated being sappy,” I groan.
“Being sensitive is not the same as being sappy. And you know what, she's obviously shaken by this. And her well-being and friendship is worth being a little sappy for. Just like yours is,” Rainbow corrects me. A little smirk appears on her face a second later. “There. Your first lesson in friendship. Now you have something to put in your first letter to Celestia.”
“God...dammit, you fucking pony,” I grumble, grinding my face into my hand. My reaction gets Rainbow snickering at my expense. “I'm not writing friendship reports. I'm not Twilight, I don't feel the need to be in constant contact with what equates to a pony goddess.”
“You still have to learn though!” Rainbow responds in a sing-song manner, earning another groan from me. “Your face. You'd think learning about friendship was a fate worse than death.”
“It's just so stupid...'learn about friendship, Seth, it'll be fun!' Seriously, like you can really teach friendship like it's a class,” I complain. “Besides, 99.99 percent of friendships are fake as all hell. What we've got, that's the 0.01 percent.”
“As always, your standards are too high,” Rainbow criticizes me. “It's more like the other way around. I have so many good friends, though they're not perfect. I think you just got unlucky at some point.”
“Okay, fuck you. You have no idea what you're talking about.” I snap, my complaining tone turning into one as hard as iron. The sudden change in tone gets Rainbow to look at me in surprise and guilt. “Don't you dare act like you know what I've had to deal with.”
Rainbow's ears flatten, and she dips her head apologetically. “Sorry, I didn't mean that quite the way it sounded,” she says guiltily. “I was just trying to tell you that most ponies aren't as bad as you believe.”
“Uh-huh. So far, you're the only one I've found that's worth forming a real friendship with. By that, I mean more than I have with Apple Bloom,” I point out. Yeah, that probably sounds weird, but in my eyes the friendship I have with Apple Bloom isn't like the one I have with Rainbow. My friendship with Rainbow is much stronger and closer, more like what I had with Amaryllis, while my relationship with Apple Bloom is more similar to the one I had with my brother. If that makes any kind of sense.
“But...argh!” Rainbow grunts with a comically frustrated expression on her face. “You're complimenting me...but you're still being annoying! How can one guy be so frustrating?”
“Because I practice in front of the mirror every morning,” I reply sarcastically, because I have no other response for a question like that. “Now, if you're done, we should probably get back to work.”
“I guess I'm done...for now. This isn't over, you hear me?” Rainbow warns me, waggling a hoof in my face.
“Whatever.”
Yeah, we spend a lot of time just in this one building. It takes several hours for Rainbow and I to check every room and floor for trapped ponies, and that's including the time it takes to clear any blockages on the staircases.
About an hour after we clear the top floor, Iron manages to break through the debris blocking the entrance on the ground floor. Because of that, Fleetfoot tasks Rainbow and I to help with flying down the cocoons of slime to Iron's group, where the commander orders his guards to start freeing them and calming them down.
Just as the sun starts to rise, Rainbow and I meet up with Vinyl out on the street in front of the hotel entrance. Behind her is the cart carrying all of her stuff, which she'd gotten down the stairs with the help of her magic, I'm assuming.
“Hey! How are you feeling, Vinyl?” Rainbow greets her as she approaches with the cart. I remain silent, choosing to take this moment to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from my face. All this heavy lifting is starting to exhaust me, especially since I haven't had any sleep in a long time.
“Better, I think, now that I've had some time to calm down,” Vinyl confesses, coming to a stop just near us. “Still...I don't think I'll be able to forget this any time soon.”
“I hear that,” I grunt with a hint of dry amusement in my voice. “I'm not going to forget this whole mess ever. Christ, it has been a wild two days.”
“That's an understatement,” Rainbow remarks, and then the three of us take a moment to chuckle amongst ourselves. “But...in the end, I'm glad the three of us made it out okay.”
Even though I nod, her words can't help but make me think about the ponies that are still unaccounted for. Shining Armor and Cadance are missing, likely dead. I doubt Chrysalis needed them after she hijacked the wedding. I still don't know what happened to Octavia either. And...then there's Lyra. She and her two friends are most likely dead as well. That one hurts, because while she was annoying as fuck, never did I want to kill her for it. And that's essentially what I did.
“I'm telling you, once we get back to Ponyville, we need to go for some cider, just the three of us,” Vinyl suggests, looking between the two of us with a happy smile.
“Not gonna lie, that sounds really good right now,” I admit, causing Vinyl's smile to widen. “Hell, I'll pay for the drinks.”
“What? Is this kindness coming from you?” Vinyl teases me. I roll my eyes. I should have fucking known. “What's the deal?”
“Shut up. I'm buying, because this...all happened in part because I was a dumb fuck,” I admit. Vinyl blinks, her grin disappearing. “But like I said, I'll explain all of that later, after I get some sleep.”
“Don't worry about it, too much, Vinyl,” Rainbow assures the now confused DJ. “He's right, but if anything, Seth and I are even better friends because of it.”
“Careful, Rainbow. You're starting to sound a little sappy,” I remark, gazing at her from the corner of my eyes. Rainbow flushes slightly and shoves me in response, to the point where I stagger a bit. Even so, I chuckle, finding that reaction funny.
“Oh. Well, if you say so, I won't worry,” Vinyl says finally, still looking a bit perplexed. “Though it must be one heck of a story, the way you two are talking about it.”
“It really is,” Rainbow says with a grin. Just then, we're interrupted by Iron approaching us, looking as taciturn as ever. There are two guards behind him as well, both of which look fresher than the rest of the exhausted guards around us. “Oh. S'up, Commander?”
Iron chooses to ignore Rainbow's rather informal greeting, instead staring at me. “The two of you are relieved. Go get some rest.” he orders us as soon as he makes sure that we're all listening. He then looks at Vinyl next. “Civilian, do you need medical attention?”
“Thanks, but I'm fine. Also, my name's Vinyl,” Vinyl responds with a wry expression. “You know, so you don't have to call me 'civilian.'”
Iron blinks, taken by surprise at how he was just addressed. He coughs slightly. “I see. Lastly, Seth, you will be given more orders when you awaken.”
“Whatever, I guess,” is my response. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. In the meantime, I can go get some sleep...though where I'm going to do that is beyond me. Unless I can get them to let me stay in the barracks, since I'm technically working with them. On second thought, no. I don't relish the thought of having a million sweaty guards surrounding me at any given moment.
Before I can ask about that, Iron's already leaving. The two guards that had been with him stay, moving past us and going to wherever they were ordered. I don't know. All I know is that Rainbow and I are off duty for today.
Rainbow open her mouth in a rather obnoxious yawn. “Well then. Shall we go back to my suite?” she suggests. Oh right, she does have one of those. Provided it's still intact, though. If it was anywhere close to the wedding hall, it's fucking gone.
“Whoa, I didn't think you were at that stage of your friendship. I mean, inviting him into your private suite...” Vinyl beings, and a vein immediately starts to twitch on my forehead. Rainbow has a similar look. We both turn around slowly and transfix Vinyl with glares that promises immediate pain. Vinyl has a stupid grin on her face, and the moment we take a step towards her, she immediately turns the other direction and fucking books it. “I'm out!”
“Get back here!” Rainbow and I both say simultaneously, and immediately chase after her.
So after a few minutes of running around like idiots (and proceeding to mess up Vinyl's mane), Vinyl and I end up accompanying Rainbow back to her suite, which as it turns out, is still in one piece. I guess Rainbow's lucky her suite is in one of the towers near the back end of the castle, where the least amount of combat occurred...if any even occurred at all. It's not far from Rarity's suite, now that I think about it. I suppose it makes sense that all of their suites are relatively close together.
“Do you two mind if I crash here too? Or should I get my own?” Vinyl asks, her mane all over the place from our combined revenge. “You know, so you two can have some...”
“Vinyl, I swear to god. I will twist your goddamn mane into a knot if you make another joke,” I interrupt her, glaring at her once more. Vinyl wisely cuts off, but not before snickering into a hoof.
“Yeah, Come on in. There's room for all three of us in here,” Rainbow says, chuckling as well. She ushers us in with her hoof, and then points further into the dark room. “Just look at the bed. It's massive!”
Walking into the room, I notice that it's pretty much the same as Rarity's was. By that, I mean it's a roughly circular room with an adjoining restroom. The first thing I do is kick off my flip flops, which are surprisingly still in one piece even after the battle I'd just been in. Which then leads me to realize that I just fought in a battle wearing flip flops. And I didn't lose them. Screw beating Chrysalis, this right here is fucking miraculous.
Rainbow is right, the bed is gigantic. Like, slightly larger than a king size, if I had to make a guess. Though why a tiny ass pony needs a bed that massive is beyond me. It seems a little vain, if you ask me. Luckily though, this carpet feels great. It feels like silk, which means it feels like heaven as my feet sink into it.
“Dear Celestia, you are right. I am jumping on that, and nothing is going to stop me,” Vinyl declares, but Rainbow bites her on the tail to keep her from doing such...which just looks funny to me. I don't think I've ever seen a pony do that. Is that how non-unicorns restrain other ponies? That's funny as hell. “Aw, come on, Rainbow!”
“Not until you get clean, you're not,” Rainbow corrects her, letting go of her tail. She immediately starts spitting in disgust. “Ugh, I can taste the slime! That's just gross!”
“Oh yeah...that,” Vinyl says with a shudder, her excitement dimming slightly. “You're right. I should go get a shower.”
“Wait up, I'll come too,” Rainbow replies, and then the two of them walk towards the bathroom. Just after they walk inside, Rainbow pokes her head back out. “Hey Seth, want to join us?”
I stare at her, unable to believe the words that just came out of her mouth. “Fuck no! Why the hell would you even think I would accept an offer like that? Are you downright cra...” I suddenly cut off when I remember a certain key detail. I can't help but facepalm. “Right, ponies bathe together. I keep forgetting that.”
“Yeah, you didn't know that?” Rainbow remarks, her offended look turning into one of amusement now that she understands my initial reaction.
“Whatever. So does that extend to friends of the opposite gender as well? Because that strikes me as odd,” I inquire. Seriously, if a human male showered with two female friends...I don't think I need to explain how awkward that would be.
“Seth, we don't wear clothes. Taking a shower with a friend is like going for a swim, except you get clean,” Rainbow points out. A moment later, I hear the shower start up in the other room. “Whether you're male or female doesn't make a difference.”
“A fair point, I guess...but my answer is absolutely fucking not. We're anatomically different from ponies, and that's all I'm going to say about that,” I respond, somewhat awkwardly. This is a conversation I never thought I would be having. I'm basically explaining to a clueless pony that I don't shower with other people, especially women. That's just wrong on so many levels. “Though this is the first time you've asked. What's up with that?”
“Aw, that's all you're gonna tell me? Totally lame,” Rainbow responds. “But yeah, I asked because I trust you. Now more than ever.”
“Okay, that's twice now. Are you just getting sappier when I'm not looking?” I point out. Rainbow gives off a hilarious huff, and then she ducks inside for a split second before returning, hurling a loofah at my face, and then shutting the door.
Heh, pissing her off with that never gets old. Well, anyway, I'm tired as fuck. I can take a shower in the morning. I need to tend to my hair, especially since it probably looks like shit. Getting burned with magic tends to do that. I groan when I realize that if I ever want it to look as good as it did before the battle, I'm probably gonna have to get it cut. Well, more like trimmed, so I can keep the length and just get rid of all of the singed ends and make it look uniform. Which means I'll have to trust a pony barber...and there goes more of my money. Looks like I will not be getting a house when I get back to Ponyville...in a month. In the meantime, I get to do unpaid labor that may or may not be completely deserved.
Making the decision without even thinking about it, I grab a pillow from the bed settle down on the floor just beside it, sighing in comfort as I feel the plush carpet against my skin. God, I'm so tired. Usually I take time to think before sleep, but because of the fact that I've not slept since that one nap I had in Chrysalis's room combined with the exhaustion from the battle and the work afterward, and I promptly go out like a fucking light.
Surprisingly, I wake up on my own much later, feeling much more rested than before. Honestly I expected to be woken up by a bunch of guards barging into the room, giving me my job for the day.
I sit up, wondering what time it is. For some reason, a blanket falls off of me. Huh, I don't remember going to sleep with a blanket, so how did that get there?
Whatever. I stand up and look out the window. The sun seems to be past its high point in the sky, so I'm guessing it's sometime in the afternoon.
Looking around, I see that as per usual, Rainbow and Vinyl are sleeping together in that massive bed, though there's a ton of empty space left in there, because they're so comparatively small.
I guess it's my turn. I'm filthy as all hell, from the combination of slime and debris from the battle. Now that I've slept, I feel even more greasy, so I'm going to get a shower before I do anything else.
A short time later, I'm standing in front of the mirror, dressed in nothing but my pants and boxers, because that's literally all I have, and even they're torn up from the battle.
I'm staring at my reflection, dissatisfied with what I see. As I had suspected, my hair doesn't look so great. Despite my careful tending in the shower a few minutes ago, it still looks ragged because of all the hairs that were damaged before. While the texture is still as silky as I like it, it just doesn't look good.
I can hear Rainbow and Vinyl talking in the other room, telling me they're awake now. I guess it's time for me to make good on my promise and tell Vinyl about the shit that happened since the invasion. Which means telling her about my dumb mistake. And she'll likely judge me super hard for that.
“...telling you, I saw Princess Celestia at full power, and it was AWESOME!” Rainbow is saying to Vinyl as I open the door. Vinyl is sitting there with her mouth open in awe. “It's like she brought the sun down to the ground!”
“That's just nuts. I had no idea she was so strong,” Vinyl admits, looking shocked. “So she's the one who destroyed all the monsters?”
“Yes and no,” I interrupt, joining them and sitting down next to them, forming a circle. “I guess it's time to tell you everything.”
“Yeah, please do. Even though I...fought with some of those things myself, all of this sounds so unreal,” Vinyl tells me. It suddenly hits me that Vinyl hasn't been wearing her shades since we freed her from the slime. I wonder if they broke or something.
“Want me to start?” Rainbow offers, shifting her position so that she's pressing her side up against me again.
“No, it's really my tale to tell. Though correct me if I mess something up,” I tell her. Rainbow nods, and then I look back at Vinyl, who is watching me expectantly. “Okay, so basically the whole thing started when I came to Canterlot with Rainbow and the others. You remember that barrier, right? That was because...”
Vinyl sits through my tale patiently at first, only occasionally asking questions. Her eyes get wide when I tell her about the circumstances that the city is under, like how Celestia was attacked in the middle of the street.
It's only later, when I dip into the subject regarding Chrysalis, that Vinyl goes dead quiet, watching me with an unreadable expression. I don't tell her everything, of course. She doesn't need to know about Chrysalis's attempt to seduce me, or the specifics about my family. No, I make it clear exactly what kind of deal Chrysalis presented to me, and what decisions I made.
“Then, Luna and I confronted Chrysalis at the wedding hall, got our asses handed to us on a silver fucking platter, and then somehow managed to live long enough for Celestia to get there and scare Chrysalis into giving up,” I finish, and then I lean back with a sigh. I'm not used to talking so much in one sitting, so my throat hurts slightly. Still, at least Vinyl knows everything now. Though I bet she's not happy with me about it. “Now we're just cleaning up. Celestia is making me stay and help rebuild the city.”
“That's...wow,” Vinyl finally says, stuttering a bit. “How...that had to really suck, how Chrysalis tempted you.”
“What? That's all you're going to say? You're not going to yell at me?” I demand, surprised and incredulous.
Vinyl sighs and shakes her head. “No, Seth. I'm just glad you chose to save us, in the end. That...was a decision no one should have to make. It's just not right,” she expresses. She changes position so that she's on my other side. “I think that if I'd been given a choice like that, I'd have just shut down.”
“Okay. No. Stop...stop being so understanding. Why can't you at least yell at me like Rainbow did?” I snap at her. Vinyl blinks, confused. “I nearly got all of you killed. Somepony has to hate me for this. I shouldn't be allowed to keep all of my friends after something like this.”
“What are you talking about? It feels like you're trying to punish yourself for this, even though your choice was something that...” Vinyl tries to reason, but suddenly, in the middle of her sentence, she cuts off, a dumbfounded look forming on her face. “Hold up. Did...you just call me a friend?”
I freeze. Fuck, I did, didn't I? Once again, my fucking mouth contradicts what my mind is telling me isn't true. What should I tell her? I mean, I've been considering it for over a month now, and we've had some fun times, but am I really ready to call her a friend?
You know what, I've made a decision. She hasn't fucked me over for the entire time I've known her. She's been a decent boss, and she's almost always around when Rainbow and I hang out in Ponyville. I also felt worried about her when I saw her in the slime, and usually I don't give a fuck what happens to other people (or ponies, in this case).
“Yes. I did. And I'm not saying it again,” I finally say after a pregnant pause. Vinyl forms a grin a second later, and then she nudges me good-naturedly.
“Yes! Now I'm better at doing whatever it is Rainbow does,” Vinyl jokes, which gets Rainbow to look at her oddly.
“Hey!” Rainbow protests, which only gets Vinyl to laugh. Still...there's no way this new friendship is anywhere near what Rainbow and I have.
“I wouldn't go quite that far. Rainbow and I have gone through hell together, and yet she's still putting up with me. Somehow,” I correct her. Vinyl's smile remains, but she nods understandingly.
“It's only because I'm awesome,” Rainbow provides helpfully. I stare at her with a wry expression. “What? Only telling the truth, buddy!”
Both Vinyl and Rainbow start chuckling at that, while I sit back and sigh. There's something about this world, I swear. I haven't been here very long, but I now have more friends than I've ever had.
I can't help but remember Amaryllis and my family. I close my eyes. Just you wait, guys. I'll show you that I can live on, even in this crazy world I've ended up in.
That's a promise.
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couldn't chrysalis just go back in time and retry the invasion till it succeeded?
4997628
It depends on the theory of time that you're using. In this case, her going back in time would do nothing to change this current timeline.
4997632 Right, because of that theory that there are no paradoxes, just future timelines becoming alternate universes, like in Dragonball or PMD Explorers of Sky.
4985349 You're not the only one who can guess things! I bet that this whole adventure has been a coma-induced dream (the coma happening because he tripped down a flight of stairs into some cosplaying person.) that will only end once he learns the art of Not-Being-aTsundere and Beating-Up-Greatly-Improved-Villains. You know, like Ash's coma theory.
4998629
I would not be that dumb. No, I'll rule out right now that this is all happening. No coma theory. Bleh.
Also, picking a time theory that works is difficult. Yes, I'm going with Dragon Ball's time theory, in that even if you go back in time, whatever you do there will not effect your own timeline. However, if you remember, Future Trunks and the Trunks of that time could interact. Which means if Chrysalis went back in time to try the invasion over, she'd meet up with her past self, who also has the time travel spell. And so on and so forth, until finally there's an army of goddamn Chrysalis's and one timeline is completely fucked up.
TL;DR: No, we're not doing that.
4998682 Ok, cool beans! LOL.
Yeaaaaahhhh! Fist pump for protag development!
:)
In retrospect, Seth screwing up is what ever everyone needs. He feels like he owes Equestria, the princesses and anyone else affected, but they don't hold a grudge against him. I'm fairly sure even though no one's going to use him he'll probably act more friendly because of it (that and rainbow's influence).
I wonder how long it'll be before properly PTSD kicks in for Vinyl and selected others. Then again most woke up later with the city damaged without anything prolonged happening so it'll probably just be a few comforting discussions in the future (hopefully).
Ahhhh. It's cute, Seth is starting his own herd. Look out for baby centaurs!
5001018
Goddammit, Maud
5001050
Search your feelings, you know it to be true!
If he gets Octavia, he'll have the whole set! Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn! He'll have so many babies!
5001059
You're killing me right now
5001063
With human and pony combined, they'll be unstoppable! The magic, flight and strength of ponies and all the powers of humanity! Like opposable thumbs and the ability to be a jerk WHENEVER YOU WANT!
I really liked this chapter
Starting off we get Rainbow and Seth having to deal with an unconscious Vinyl. Seth pushing a weight button was kinda funny. As a Pegasus and an athlete, Rainbow needs to have a very sleek figure so calling her heavy probably wasn't smart (the fact that she's a chick doesn't help either
). Still his defense using Vinyl as a weapon was hilarious. In Seth's own words, they really do go through some dumb bullshit together, but it's just funny to read, and each time it always serves to illustrate the close bond they have formed. While there wasn't anypony else (conscious) with them this time, it's always funny to see how everypony else reacts to their fucking around. This was a great stress reliever, not only for the characters, but to help the readers further unwind after the intense battle.
Next was Vinyl waking up and panicking a little. While Seth could logically understand what she went through was traumatizing, he has never been overly touchy feely (hell it took everything he had to admit how much he cared about Rainbow) so having Vinyl grab him and hug him while crying wasn't something in his realm of expertize. He wasn't mean to her in anyway, or even being snarky to her, but he wasn't very sensitive about what she went through (though in his defensive he's not only tired and burnt out, but he just took on a fucking monster and almost died. I sure know I'd be a little short tempered). Rainbow trying to get him to understand was kinda funny though. Seth isn't stupid, hell he understands friendship, he just doesn't express it towards anypony but those he is close with. I can see the 'friendship' lessons he has to learn really start to grate on him in the future. While he doesn't overly care if Rainbow does it, if Twilight starts trying to spout friendship down his throat I can see him getting a little 'vocal' with her about it
. Still, during the talk Rainbow steps on some touchy subjects. While he has shown her his family and agreed to talk with her more about them, he still hasn't revealed anything about Janna or what she did to him that gave him his bleak outlook on life. Rainbow was probably a little confused here, as so far since the attack, Seth has been rather open with her, even about areas he isn't comfortable with. I can see her wanting to subtly get him to tell her about Janna and what she did to him. Still despite Seth's annoyance about the topic, he does compliment Rainbow, claiming that he views their friendship as something worthwhile and better then any of the fake friendships he perceives. Rainbow can see he cares, but I suspect she is going to continue her role as his unofficial guide/conscience during future situations.
Skipping forward, we have the brief trust talk when Rainbow asks Seth to join them in the shower. Despite his hesitance to explain the subject, I can see Rainbow still being curious about his need for privacy and clothing. I can foresee future awkwardness
. Following this Seth goes into detail with Vinyl about the events of the past few days and his role in them all. I didn't truly suspect Vinyl would get angry with him over what happened. Since she met him, she has always tried to be supportive of him and show that she can be trusted, usually feeling a little hurt when he refuses to acknowledge her efforts. With Seth admitting to her being his friend, I can see a lot of good and bad situations arising. Vinyl being his friend will likely mean her jokes will escalate (to both Rainbow and Seth's annoyance) but she will likely hang out with them in more social circumstances rather then just work or in the house. Their upcoming trip to the bar for cider might end up being a fun night for the three of them (if only there was alcohol in Equestria, that would have been a funny scenario 
). However now that Vinyl is his friend, she will likely start trying to get him to stop paying her rent, or at the least to stop paying her for meals. How Seth will react to this, I don't know, but so far the only ones he has trusted for favours has been Rainbow and Celestia (not Applebloom noticeably) so he may still try to keep things as they are to her annoyance. Ah well, may be irritating for them, but certainly some interesting conversations for us to read 
. Seth also makes clear to vinyl that while he does see her as a friend now, Rainbow is still the one he is closest with and the one whom is far more likely to listen to. Of course all of this dulls in comparison to the biggest thing in this chapter:
How the fuck did his flip flops survive!!
Lol, that was a funny comment, but seriously that is pretty miraculous that they survived not only just falling off while he was running, but all the fires and lasers and insect monsters and massive explosions. Whatever the hell Rarity used to make them, she deserves some recognition
.
Great chapter here, gave us some good bonding with Rainbow and Vinyl got a promotion to friendship (though rank wise he probably still likes Applebloom more so she is gonna have to try real hard to work her way up
). Awesome work
5005450 Ah, but there's an even MORE pressing matter that has yet to be answered... WHAT'S A PONY'S BACHELOR PARTY LIKE!!!!???
5013480 Holy crap you're right (though I don't forsee high chances of Seth actually being invited to the wedding on the second attempt). Maybe they all eat some poison joke and see where the night takes them, or they hit up a pony strip club (god damn that would be hilarious
)
5013850
Pony strip club? How even the hell would that work? They don't wear clothes anyway!
5014475 They could shave on stage
I've been thinking, and well, it seems strange to me that Seth didn't backstab Chrissi at some point (namely when she was just revealed and started monologuing but hadn't yet attacked anyone). Or tell Celestia about it. This leads me to believe that Chrissi tampered with Seth's mind in some way to make him believe that he made the right choice and enforce that he should side with her. Obviously he was still in control so it would have to be some sort of passive neural influence that made him not want to/consider attacking Chrissi, and since he wanted to go home there was already an insentive enforcing this. Furthermore, when he saw his friends being attacked this eventually broke the passive influence (however this did take some time to bring into effect). This leads me to believe that Chrissi underestimated the strength of Seth's relationship with his friends or the strength of his will (or that humans have more loyalty than the "myths" suggest so killing their friends in front of them is bad). If Chrissi's plan was successful then she'd probably avoid sending him home (maybe convice him that staying is the right thing to do - maybe lie about how Celestia will track him through time because he's a traitor) and increase her mental influence (but probably keep it passive so he is more effective at following orders and being human-like).
So in conclusion, Seth was passively mind controlled by Chrissi and we may find out later that his mind was tampered with.
(Or this is part of a big plot to make people subliminally distrust him)
Just gunna say:
Yes I am 70% through on Diaries of a Madman (started reading recently).
Yes I am re-playing XCOM enemy within.
Yes I did re-read Stardust and it's sequel recently.
Yes I did re-read the last few chapters of this.
Edit: Actually the passive influence is probably like a shield over his brain that once placed keeps doing the same job until broken and can't be changed remotely. Since he still believed he gave up going home in the talk with Rainbow (mind tampering making him associate Chrissi with the time travel) after the teleport the "shield" still had some effect so was probably in the process of wearing off, or was disabled.
Or maybe there is a matrix of "shields", each with different functions. Once the target doesn't do what the function prompts the "shield" is broken. So when he attacked Chrissi that shield broke, but only when he thought about going home (but decided against it because they're all dead) the Chrissi-home (the thought that only Chrissi can send him home) shield broke. The question is, what other influences does Chrissi's passive independent neural influence on Seth have.
4997632 So the time we're using is: time is like a tree with the trunk being the base timeline, the branches being major separations, and the twigs being minor splits, and small twigs going off them, and even smaller twigs going off of that (etc.). If you go back in time you trace your "twig" back towards the origin. From there, any changes you make create a new twig/branch which you follow through when you go back to the future.
Personally, I don't like this variation of time but it is good for stopping time travel arguments and inconsistencies.
Another interpretation of the one we're using is each twig corresponds to the viewpoint of a person and that time travels around them (they don't move). OK, ignore that (unless you can somehow comprehend what I just typed).
5016636 Meh, I travel through dimensions, so I just say, f
k it, time works differently in all dimensions. I leave and return to my home dimension at the same time, so I don't age while in other dimensions. It's the only way my own journey works at all. But the tree thing sounds a lot like multiverse theory, which is why I'm rambling. I'll shut up now before I go full Twilight.
Deal with it.
i am going to say i loved this arch, even if it is not officially over i still loved it. the development was clear but subtle at the same time for the characters, the battle scene was expertly written to where i could visualize near all of the scenes, and the emotions from it combined with the music...i had to stop a few times to keep from crying so i could keep reading.
-side note- Vinyl is right. those two need to kiss and be done with it already, like it or not Seth has been shown you can love someone without the desire for sex. (even if he does not believe it still...)
....i see no place for a pony here so
Yay seth has loosened up a bit...
I think
Wow, he just called Rainbow fat.
I missed Vinyls teasing! Thank god she's back!
You know, you could try using Youtube links that people in other countries can access.
6692164
fuck off wanka