This was a very good chapter, I am surprised by the amount of quality of the medical information of what you have written, how to you do your research on that?

"I know. Thanks, Streak. Thanks, Shitfire."

Spitfire ripped her sunglasses off her face and ground her teeth. "What was that, Windsong?"

Streak stifled a snicker, and Braeburn openly laughed behind me.

I cocked my head to the side. "What? Did I say something wrong, Captain Shit Flier?" I theatrically slapped my hooves to my cheeks. "Oh no! It's affecting my speech!"

She let out a breath and sneered. Her eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips to one side of her mouth. "Very funny, Windsong."

I spoke in an exaggerated tone, flared out my wings, and turned up my nose. "There's nothing funny about my condition, Tits Higher. This has been very hard on us."

"I can tell," she mumbled, half-giggling. "Let's go, before we're late." As she turned away with Streak, she said over her shoulder, "And I'm glad you're okay."

My heart warmed, and I saluted. "Thanks, Clit Spider!"

Spitfire mumbled to Streak, "That one didn't even rhyme."

Streak chuckled, and I could just barely hear him respond. "Yeah, and it doesn't do you justice. Your clit looks more like a–"

Spitfire stuffed a hoof into his mouth. "You're fired."

Nothing like friendly insults to lighten a crisis. Ahahahahaha!!! I totally lost it there. Love the art by the way.

Oh man, seeing all this neuro-psychological stuff converted to ponies is so cool. Magic Resonating Image, Bucka's Area. Even the reveal that Dr. Hope was gay and some info about Spitfire and Fire Streak's relationship were done really well.

And yet there's still that lingering fear of what's going to happen. This is a hopeful chapter, but we still haven't gotten to the part where Soarin's legs are injured! Why must you torture us so?

Answer: because you're a damn good writer.

7459156
Thanks, Mix-Up! I'm glad the scientific side wasn't too boring, and I hope you like the character of Dr. Hope. I've had a lot of fun writing him.

One of the nice things about planning out the story ahead of time is that it gives me plenty of time to research the specifics. I really want to treat the condition fairly, and I wouldn't want anyone that actually has the condition to feel bad after reading my stories.

As for my actual research, I was involved with a project in grad school that covered this exact topic, which was really nice, since by then, I knew I wanted Soarin's concussion to be a major plot point. I got a lot of knowledge there by talking to an expert, and when it came time to write the chapter, I consulted the internet. This page and this page are both good resources that I used to refresh my understanding.

Great avatar again, by the way.

7459263
Thanks, Grekoy! The art is by my good friend, SoarandBurn. He's done a lot of art for me in the past (including some for Sensation), and it's been cool watching him evolve along with the story.

7459528
Praise Luna! While I was writing the chapter, I wondered what you'd think of it. Hopefully I didn't butcher the science too much.

Answer: because you're a damn good writer.

Thanks, my friend. I do my best.

So now we wait to see how the rest of this goes. What happens?!

Took me a while to get to this. Another fic updated and I had to go back a chapter on that one (and this one for that matter) and I couldn't get much reading done this weekend or Monday. The science and medical stuff was really well done. For me, there's no thing as to much science. I'm not sure MRI needed to be changed though as the technique itself doesn't change, just the mechanics of the machine. Unless of course, Magical Reflective Imaging isn't the same as MRI. It might just be that I'm not a huge fan of puns. The banter with Soarin and Spitfire was great as well. Dr. Hope being gay was done well as well.

7464939
I promise you'll see.

7467622
Glad you liked the science! And Dr. Hope! I decided to change the meaning of MRI slightly to what I thought was more consistent in-world. Let me tell you, trying to figure out the level of technology in Equestria has been a headache.

7476023 yeah that can be an issue. Personally I think they're very advanced (even further advanced than we are) but there isn't widespread adoption. It allows for steam trains and computers in the same universe. I also base spell structure off of analog electronics. It's not perfect, but I think it works fairly well.

Another great chapter! It was refreshing to see that there is hope for Soarin's condition. (Even though there will be worse things to happen most likely, it's still nice. Lol) I always look forward to the next chapter.

7478919
Sounds like a good baseline. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

7481258
Thanks, Pelzi! I'm working on it as fast as I can.

7481545 yeah I started with the idea that magic acts like a fluid. It "flows" like water or electricity along a path and a rune base for magic. In addition to the typical stuff you'd do with runes, I created a few that acted similarly to electrical components and it just took off from there. Although it quickly gets to the point where you'd need to use enchantments to be able to feasibly use this kind of stuff.

This chapter starts out strong with both a convincing display of struggling with a balance of dealing with a loss of self image as it were, and having to tell aa loved one about it, despite fearing how they'll take it. On top of that it's a reminder that old habits are difficult to give up on and that sometimes, within more difficult contexts, it's easier to give in to such impulses before we even realize we're doing it.

A big theme throughout this story, spanning over two years now, has been supporting each other, being there for one another. Perhaps not always for the same reasons, but both Soarin and Braeburn have had to lean on each other to get through difficult times. Though the severity of these difficult times has known its highs and lows. The limits to what they can take however are becommng increasingly visible in how fragile their support for each other is becomming. I can greatly appreciate their dedication to one another though, despite everything.

You break up the story's more series tones with hopeful, heartwarming moments of affection, as well as the occasional joke on Soarin's part. This helps the pacing of the story quite well, and makes for a diverse and enjoyble reading experience.

The introspectives, or paragraphs 'told' by Soarin, continue to be a powerful tool in driving the story forward, providing a context and maining a more direct connection with the reader. I think that, on top of Radiant Hope having been a likelable character, has been what made this chapter's more informative medical information work well, and not become boring.

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I personally really liked the line of ' I wanted to draw him ponies diving with cookies, just to prove it was a real thing that happened.' Within a convincing emotional display of panic and loss of control, that line lightened the severity of the moment a bit, without detracting from the athmosphere. Sad as the actual need for the intend was, it did make me smile.

Ha! Finally got around to reading the chapter. I thought your inclusion of actual information on Soarin' s condition and other medical terms and equipment was really interesting, it shows how much you care about accuracy and the content itself. I also really liked Dr. Hope, It's nice that he was able to give Soarin' and Braeburn some hope again and ease their nerves some, plus that whole bottoming bit about his husband was probably my favorite part, it was hilarious. That said, I'm pretty pumped to meet Gentle Soul who I'm assuming we'll be meeting very soon. Overall it was a great chapter and can't wait to see where you take us next. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the next one sooner than I did this one.

7482057
Runes are a great solution for things like that, I think. I've made extensive use of them in my D&D campaigns, but I hadn't considered them here. I'll keep an eye out for times to use them!

7486599
Thanks as always for your review, Wireframe. I love hearing your take on the story, especially with how thoughtful the review always is. You also pick up on a lot of the things I try to seed throughout the chapter, including the more humorous bits. Even though the story takes a sad, dark turn sometimes, I want readers to remember that Soarin' is still Soarin', and whether it's because he wants to see his friends smile or because he uses it as a way to hide, he'll always have his sense of humor.

I'm glad you liked Radiant Hope, too. I really enjoyed writing him. It was a longer process than I usually have for these side characters, but I think it turned out well.

7491138
Hey there, Stratus! Thanks for the review of the chapter. I love how Soarin' can bring out the best and most-embarassed in these ponies. It's one of the many (many) reasons I love writing him so much, and Radiant Hope was an amazing amount of fun to write as well. I've been fleshing out Gentle Soul lately, and I think you'll like him, too.

And by the way: thanks for the 500th comment.

7493410 yeah, I initially chose to use runes because I like how it looks (like in fall of the crystal empire) and it seems to be a more analytical solution. I just stumbled on the electronics analog recently and I was surprised at how powerful it turned out to be. Radios and TVs can be done analog as well as some pretty strong computing. We didn't beat analog firing computers until gps guided shells.

7493433 great chapter! thought id bring this to your attention though "kissed me nose and"

With a title like Regression I was a little worried about this chapter, but it was nice to have some good news.

However, I can't help but wonder how they will approach Braeburn's problems? Ever since they got to Cloudsdale, they seem to be chasing after and fixing Soarin's problems. Braeburn has given a hint at how frustrated he is with being up in the clouds when he was drunk at the party. If he's going to give up drinking, how long until he breaks?

8627627
Only one way to find out.

(But seriously, thank you for all the insightful comments. I love reading them!)

I’m really glad I waited until I was home to read this chapter so I could freak the fuck out over it. Sweet Celestia, Syn.

8823985
I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. I'm in it for the feels.

It shouldn't have mattered to me that Radiant Hope was queer, but it did. Braeburn and I had been going through so much, both in our relationship and with the outside world, and seeing that the pony we had to rely on was one of us, a guy who understood what it was like and who had been with his partner for over fifteen years, made a world of difference. I smiled to myself and thought, ' We're gonna make it. '

this paragraph was so good and very real. had to pause for a bit before continuing