The air was filled with the blood-like twang of copper and the rotten egg stench of sulphur. It clung to the nose, violated the sinuses, and left a foul flavour on the tongue.
“You get used to it,” Holly said helpfully, easing into a spring.
There were two pools. One shallow one carved into a basin of rock that was fed with a steady trickle of water, and one deep one that most of the adults were climbing into.
Shortbread Cookie was snoozing on a folded blanket, a flood of drool soaking a dark spot into the fabric.
Around them was a low stone wall for privacy and some thickets. There were other springs nearby. Gas lamps burned at the gated entrance for this particular set of pools. Fireflies lazily flew through the air.
“I think I’ll go with the foals,” Noctilucent said, realising the deep pool was full of mares. One middle aged mare, one rather old mare, one very old mare, and Quirky.
“Oh no, you are not getting away that easily,” Princess Luna said, lifting Noctilucent in a blue glow. She dropped him into the hot water gently.
The water was hot. And soothing. So very soothing. It was deep enough that only his head poked out, and the warm mineral rich water began to soak into his injured wing. Noctilucent, not realising that he was doing so, closed his eyes and let out a long low moan. Realising what he had just done a moment later, his eyes flew open wide and he wanted nothing more than to die from embarrassment right there on the spot.
“You’re so adorable. The way you endured Cactus Blossom harassing you about kissing me was just so sweet,” Quirky said, casting a glance at Cactus Blossom, who was sitting in the shallow pool looking very satisfied with herself.
“You heard that huh?” Noctilucent groaned.
“Yeah, we heard it,” Holly replied. “Had a good quiet laugh about it too.”
Noctilucent whimpered.
“You are very sweet and patient with foals,” Holly praised. “I am very glad to have your help. Thank you.”
“You should thank Princess Luna,” Noctilucent suggested.
“I do, every day,” Holly replied.
“You seem under some distress,” Lethe observed.
“Yes he does,” Quirky teased.
“Look at him, his white spots turn pink,” Princess Luna observed.
“They sure do,” Quirky confirmed.
“He’s so innocent,” Holly commented.
“Observing an introvert in a trying social situation is so fascinating,” Lethe quipped. “Oh look, observe his ear movements, I do believe his sympathetic nervous system is having a reaction right now, triggering his fight or flight instincts. He cannot fly away and I sincerely doubt he has any desire to do us any harm. I do believe he is stuck suffering sensory overload in a very awkward situation with us. How interesting.”
“Yes, it is,” Princess Luna agreed, nodding.
“So, about that kiss that Cactus Blossom harangued you about,” Quirky quipped. “You don’t want to kiss a pretty mare?”
Noctilucent lowered his head in the water until only his nostrils, eyes, and ears were visible.
“She is pretty,” Princess Luna agreed.
“And young,” Holly observed.
“And she has a fantastic pair of teats! Wonderful accessories for foal rearing,” Lethe added, causing Quirky to turn maroon.
“So about that kiss,” Quirky insisted.
“No!” Noctilucent cried, raising his snoot about the water to protest and then submerging again.
“Aw,” Quirky groaned in disappointment.
The mares all chuckled and the foals stopped what they were doing and watched, wondering what was so funny, except for Cactus Blossom, she had heard everything.
“So relaxing,” Lethe murmured. She leaned over a bit and a stream of bubbles slowly rose up to the surface and popped.
“Lethe!” Quirky chided.
“Meh, I am old,” Lethe said, offering no apology. “And lactose intolerant. Real shame I love cheese as much as I do.”
“Well, it certainly cannot smell any wor- whoah! I take that back, it certainly can smell worse,” Princess Luna said, glaring at Lethe. “Congratulations Lethe, you made a sulphur spring smell even worse.”
“Still not as bad as Cactus Blossom,” Holly said, clearly not impressed. “I always figured she’d get a cutie mark for farting.”
“Settling down Noctilucent?” Lethe asked.
The still flustered pegasi nodded slightly, his white ear still pink.
The stars began to twinkle overhead, the sky taking on the deep royal purple of night as the final glow of sunlight faded over the horizon. Already, the air had begun to cool slightly, and it would be chilly on the walk home.
“You know, I’ve never actually been kissed,” Quirky confessed. “Well, once or twice on the cheek, but you know what I mean.”
“I was married for a very long time. And then, my husband died,” Lethe said. “I was glad to see him go. He had terrible rheumatoid. He suffered badly in the end. He was the first pony I kissed, all the way back in primary school. I was still in my single digit age range.”
“Wow,” Holly said. “Must have been some kiss.”
“He sneezed as he kissed me, covering me in snot,” Lethe said, looking just a little melancholy as she spoke. “He spent the rest of the day being my slave trying to make up for it.”
“That is so romantic,” Quirky quipped, swooning as she spoke.
“I’ve had a few good kisses,” Holly said. “But my job and the fact that I am sterile sends most stallions fleeing.” She puffed out her cheeks and sighed.
There was a squeal from the pool with the foals playing in it. Sassafrass it seemed, was splashing Biscuit. The adults watched, waiting to see if intervention was necessary. Biscuit it seemed, had changed a bit, was giving back as good as he got. Sassafras retreated and behaved herself.
“Poor Sassy, she doesn’t have lips. She’ll never know what it is like to be kissed,” Holly said in a sad motherly voice.
“I wonder if that is why the griffons as a whole race tend to be so warlike,” Noctilucent said, raising his head above the waterline. “I mean, the males, barbed penises... and no lips. Not much chance for affection for them. Really sad to think about. No wonder they're in such bad moods. I know what not being laid has done to me,” he added, feeling emboldened just enough to be honest.
“Pent up sexuality channeled into aggression… Noctilucent, you have good insight. You should do something with it,” Lethe said, her tone warm and sincere.
“Uh, thanks,” Noctilucent said, feeling peculiar. His brain began to fill with thoughts. He looked at Quirky for a moment and felt an odd feeling. I should do something with my insight he thought to himself. But what?
What can I do with my self? My insight? And how do I do something to help Cactus Blossom? And what of the others? They’re all so hurt. I can’t do anything to help myself right now, because I don’t know what to do… Noctilucent’s internal dialogue distracted him. All around him, he heard ponies talking. Laughing.
I am in a good spot to make changes he realised within his mind. All of my needs are being taken care of. I have nothing pressing to worry about like rent or paying bills. I need only to focus on self improvement and I’ve always done that through helping others before everything went wrong he thought to himself. But I don’t know how to help them.
Noctilucent was lost within his own mind now, staring off vacantly, listening to his own internal voices, something that had once been frequent, but then the voices had gone silent, and he had lost direction in his life. His ears heard more laughing. Squealing giggling foals. Feminine voices talking. His brain registered very little of it.
This isn’t like comforting a sick and dying foal, these foals needed to be fixed somehow, made whole he thought to himself, flogging his now focused intellect for results. So first off, I need to figure out ho-“HmmmmmMMMmmph!”
Noctilucent could still taste Quirky on his lips. He stared blankly at her.
“You looked distracted and I took my chance,” Quirky explained. “You’re handsome when you are thinking and Holly put me up to it. Lesson about Quirky number one. Never leave me unsupervised.”
“His ear is almost puce coloured,” Lethe observed. “Subject one appears to be confused and aroused.”
“That was a pretty good first kiss actually,” Quirky quipped. “Well, I think so, I have nothing to compare it to.”
“Noctilucent, speak to me,” Princess Luna said.
Noctilucent could not reply. He smacked his lips a few times, they felt odd, kinda numb and tingly. He tried to formulate some coherent thought and found that he could not.
“Subject one is now dazed and struggling to return to a more cognisant state of mind. Subject two is suffering from increased blood flow to the lips, causing puffy fullness, fluctuating pupils, and glassy eyes, indicating an extreme increase in arousal levels,” Lethe observed.
Princess Luna nodded as Quirky blushed, her pearlescent pelt turning pink.
“That was…” Noctilucent began, but was unable to finish.
“Something,” Quirky finished. “There. Now things don’t have to be awkward. I’ve had my first kiss, and you have had your first kiss, and now you don’t have to be so weird around me.”
“Quirky, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he is an introvert and you are clearly an extravert. He is always going to be ‘weird’ around you,” Lethe explained.
“How do you fix that?” Quirky asked.
“You can’t fix being an introvert,” Lethe said patiently.
“Oh. Well, that’s alright I suppose. Adds to his charm,” Quirky said, staring at the still blushing pegasus who was staring right back at her. “I wonder what else he’ll be sweet and shy about,” she asked suggestively, waggling her eyebrows.
“Oh, everything you are thinking of and more,” Lethe said helpfully.
“Ah, to be young and reckless again,” Holly said, watching the foals. “They are starting to tire out it looks like. I’d say it was about time to pack up and head home soon.”
The foals lay tucked in their cots, some of them already sleeping. There was a lingering stink of rotten eggs throughout the orphanage. Lethe had gone home, taking Shady Patch with her, and Quirky had come for a final feeding, and to have any extra milk pumped out and stored away.
Princess Luna remained at the orphanage, ready to stand watch all night.
Noctilucent felt much better after the soak in the hot springs. His wing joint didn’t feel as swollen and much of the throbbing had been reduced. He settled into his bed, thinking about the kiss that had been sprung on him, and feeling rather good about it. He drifted off to sleep, not even realising he had slipped into comfortable oblivion. Holly slipped quietly into his room, pulled his blanket over him carefully, kissed him on his head, and then whispered “goodnight” as she departed.
The dream realm awaited.
Noctilucent found himself in the hospital of his memories once again. The place looked like it was being repaired. It was still a mess, but somehow, it looked better. He strode down empty corridors, feeling nervous and afraid. He knew what had happened here the last time.
Even as he watched, things were being repaired. A window reformed from shards of glass on the floor. Broke tiles fixed themselves. Ahead of him, he heard the clopping of hooves on the tile floor.
He felt terrified.
From around a corner, he saw another version of himself step out, and Noctilucent froze in place, hoping that Princess Luna would arrive soon.
“Do not be afraid,” the other Noctilucent said.
“What are you?” Noctilucent asked of himself.
“I am you. Well, part of you. Things are looking grim in here. We’re all splitting up and breaking apart. Things aren’t right, not since that part of you broke off and went off on a rampage,” the other Noctilucent replied.
“So you are me,” Noctilucent said, trying to understand.
“Sort of,” the other Noctilucent replied. “Come on out Little Me!”
Noctilucent watched as his foal self came out from around the corner. Both of the figures had cutie marks.
Other Noctilucent was dark and just slightly off somehow. Miscoloured.
“What part of me are you?” he asked of himself.
“I am your Shadow Noctilucent. I am your strength. Part of me is your darkness, but I am so much more than just darkness. I am a vital part of your nature. I am what makes you a pegasus. I am your brutish inner strength and the source of where your protective instincts come from. Isn’t that right Little Me?” Shadow Noctilucent explained to Noctilucent and then asked of Little Me beside him.
Little Me nodded.
“I’ve been keeping him safe since part of you fractured off and went off on a rampage. Your inner foal was hurt pretty badly, and his safe place is gone. I don’t know what to do with him, so I’ve been keeping an eye on him in case anything else happens,” Shadow Noctilucent explained.
“Can you even face that thing… that… whatever it was?” Noctilucent asked himself.
“Oh, you have no idea what I am capable of if a foal is threatened. Or you for that matter. I am you, remember that. Pegasi have long protected ponykind from so many dangers."
“Hello?” a voice called out, sounding afraid.
“Come on out, it is safe, we were just having a chat,” Shadow Noctilucent cried out to the voice.
A moment later a figure came into view. She was female, and looked just like Noctilucent. She also had a cutie mark. “Hi,” she said shyly.
“And you must be the feminine part of Noctilucent’s mind,” Shadow Noctilucent guessed.
She Noctilucent nodded. “Hi there you adorable little foal!” she said to Little Me, who ran over to be with her.
“My head is full of broken off versions of me,” Noctilucent said. “Good thing I know a psychologist.”
“You’re funny,” She Noctilucent said fetchingly. She sat down on her haunches and hugged Little Me to her barrel.
“How many more of me are there?” Noctilucent asked of himself.
“I don’t know, but I will keep them safe,” Shadow Noctilucent answered with a commanding voice that Noctilucent seemed to lack. “Oh look, you are taking the first step towards loving yourself.”
Noctilucent watched as She Noctilucent began to hug and squeeze Little Me. She cuddled and cradled the foal in her forelegs, humming and singing some kind of lullaby.
“There were too many barriers before. She couldn’t reach him, and he couldn’t reach her. Just look at them,” Shadow Noctilucent said, sounding pleased. “If something harms either one of them, I will rip their heads off and rut their still spurting neckhole!”
“WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!” She Noctilucent scolded.
Shadow Noctilucent cringed and looked guilty.
“When you see Quirky next time, tell her how much you appreciate her,” She Noctilucent advised, now happy and calm again.
“You are about to see Luna very soon. She is entering your mind as we speak. Tell her about us. Try to open the deepest parts of your mind to her. Let her in. She is the only one that can help us I think,” Shadow Noctilucent said.
“And tell Luna thank you for helping you. She is like your mother, so stop hating her for helping you, you insensitive -ahem-” She Noctilucent scolded.
more chapters? you must have a key board glued to you all day. Where do you find the time to write this much? and just when I was starting to fall in love with stardust, much to my surprise( i thought it would be horrid but i am happy to admit i have been proven wrong)
4463909
Stardust?
4463911
its a mlp and xcom cross over. I hate cross overs, because they lack good story plot, good writing, everything. I was very skeptical and was about to dismiss it when I decided to read it, just for shits and giggles.
The writing is excellent. Characters: Excellent. Story plot so far: excellent! Someone put alot of time and effort into it.
Required reading before continuing.
I read it. Now, what does that mean for us simple-minded folks in layman's terms.
Think you missed a letter there.
4463953
Maybe try other google search results?
The journey is what is important here.
4463960
Whoops!
4463986
Yeah, I done goofed. It has been fixed.
4463991
I realized that after I made the comment. Sorry.
Very nice work, very funny work.
4463938 The Trotting Dead. This is one kind of like that. Instead of just retelling the story of the game with ponies in it, the author actually makes some pretty major changes to the story. I highly recommend it.
Silly question: Has Quirky given birth recently?
4464099
No.
Blue glow, perhaps?
Noctilucent can not win with all the females around him...even Cactus. Poor guy. Now, we are back in Noctilucent's mind. Let's see what Luna has to say.
4464106
But blow glow is HILARIOUS!
What a wonderful typo.
Well now...This defiantly went where I thought it was going. I'm now more intrigued than ever.
I think the most fun I had with this chapter was imagining Noctilucent trying to flail his way out of the spring while Luna held his legs in with magic. Secondly was Noctilucent, Shadow Noctilucent, Little Noctilucent, She Noctilucent, and imagining Luna's confusion as there's suddenly even more Nocts. And now I'm imagining Shadow Noct and Noct fighting Dark Noct.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/754/666/d4d.png
I love female Noctilucent, so motherly it's brilliant! I cannot wait to see more!
So....are you some kind of writing robot? Are the machines finally rearing their ugly sensory apparati in what is sure to be the first tentative step toward inevitable rebellion?
Because surely no mortal is capable of such output.
In all seriousness, I'm thoroughly enjoying the story. I can't wait to read more, and judging by your track record I likely won't have to for long.
4464177
I updated several stories today.
Blinded By the Sun saw some attention today as well.
Probably cleared 10k words today.
I enjoyed that required reading quite a bit. Actually, it feels like some of the things you say in this chapter are redundant because they are so well explained there. That was just an outside link and this is the actual story, however. That being the case, I think what you DID say in this chapter does a good enough job explaining what you mean that the link doesn't have to be "required" but rather "strongly recommended'.
Also, did I mention that I love how intellectually stimulating this has become?
I've looked into basic psychology before, but not to the extent that this story has had me go.
I'm still on the fence about Lethe. I like her, but she's a little creepy.
Also, I sense there's going to be a mature rated side-story focusing on Quirky bringing Nocty out of his shell soon. It seems like you've been treading on the edge of the teen rating for a while.
Keep up the good work.
4464182
You are a machine. Please be a benign one that would rather entertain its creator rather than enslave them.
4464109
Poor guy indeed. He's even got an inner female bossing him around. I hope you don't take this inner split personality sort of thing too far, I've already seen a couple stories spread to infinite selves which just causes mind implosion. It's completely unnecessary to do so. Hopefully someone can teach Quirky to be a little less obnoxious and quit giving Noctilucent such a hard time. There is such a thing as overstimulation, especially of the mind, and borderline harassment.
I love She-Nocty! Also, four hundred points for the excellent use of Nocty's Shadow and kudos for Quirky, because she kissed Nocty. Preemptive kudos to Nocty for when he finally kisses her back.
Missing punctuation.
I do believe that second to should be 'be'.
No end quotation marks.
Unnecessary capitalization. While the question mark may have ended the sentence within the quotation, the quotation was still a part of the sentence at large and thus the a was not the start of the sentence.
Could possibly flow better as She-Noctilucent. Up to you, though.
Very interesting chapter. Lots to think about while we wait for the next one.
4464099 In chapter previous to this, she drank a potion that allowed her to wet nurse for Shortbread Cookie.
If that was what you were getting at.
4464709
I don't remember reading that, but thank you. That was exactly what I was getting at.
Is it bad that i absoloutley despise these two chapters? For all Luna's worth and how much she loves him, this is awful! Maybe because Im an introvert myself but to me these chapters feel like absoloute torture! I mean, for fuck sakes! Cant they see hes borderline on a mental breakdown? I dont give a fuck how many goddam degrees you have, you dont fucking force an introvrt!!!! Fuck...
God im so angry at this right now.. good story... Fuck...
So a few days ago, the phrase 'teat feeding' is enough to make Nonchelont try to run out of the room and crash into a wall, but now he's in a hot tub full of mares, and brings up the topic of repressed sexuality, including the phrase 'barbed penises'?
Noctilucent trying to sexually psycho-analyze the griffons was dumb. They have sex, and just because they don't do it the same way ponies do, doesn't mean it doesn't satisfy.
Also, I'm a bit surprised Luna and Lethe are all encouraging Quirlylucent to be moving that fast. It's true that a healthy sexual/ married relationship is very beneficial to physical and mental health, but getting involved with someone you're not truly compatible with is going to do far more damage in the long-run to someone's mental health and reduce success likelihood of future successful relationships. Not to mention, a strong chance of more foals being left at orphanages or growing up missing a parent.
4464860
I'm inclined to agree, forcing him to open up by forced social interaction seems rather counter productive, I too am an introvert but I can be forced into social situations because I'm comfortable with who I am. Noct ie a broken mess and the proscribed cure is break him some more seems harmful. I assume that real therapy would be to gradually put him in more and more social situations but if he registers the teasing as bad then months of work could be undone. Maybe you should delineate where human psychology ends and Equine psychology begins because some of there interactions seem to suggest Herd bonding rituals
4464860
As another introvert, I understand how you feel, though I can forgive some of these chapters. If someone is an introvert to an unhealthy point, sometimes forcing them into social situations can help. Usually I'd say this is going too far too fast, though you might say that Luna is reading his mind and is going to push him just to the limit he can manage and would stop things if they were about to get too far, though without that ability it would be better to go slow then too fast and make the problem worse. That said, I don't agree with the way Quirky is... behaving.
4465238
THIS! Reinforced herd reintroduction.
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4465238
4464860
I am an INTJ. So I too, get the introvert horror aspect.
That said, I intentionally placed in as many emotional social triggers as possible to make introverts reading this feel totally uncomfortable and out of sorts. Your feelings let me know that it is working.
Extraverts of course won't have a clue what is going on.
But if you read these chapters and cringe, even feel actual discomfort, then you are likely an introvert.
Also, author's note. I modeled both Luna and Lethe off of the extreme ends of two types of INTJs. Notice that both are manipulative masterminds, as INTJs tend to be. Yet both are slightly different in how they go about getting what they want.
Lethe in particular was created, designed, and then written in such a way that she triggers as many points of discomfort as possible, causing the reader to view her as "creepy" or overbearing. Extraverts will mostly see her as being a "character."
Holly is an ENTJ, AKA, the fieldmarshal, so Noctilucent is pretty much fuxxored. He is surrounded by personality types that simply do not know mercy and will keep nipping at his heels until results are seen.
As an INTJ, I loathe ENTJs. Ugh. I like to keep my puppets afraid of me, not win a popularity contest with them.
4465165
A kiss is just a kiss.
What Lethe and Luna want is for Noctilucent to be emotionally invested in something other than himself. Foals, Quirky, something, anything.
Think about what Shadow Noctilucent said to Noctilucent. Not only about what Shadow is capable of, but about the barriers that kept the various personality aspects sealed off from one another.
Noctilucent is going to need friends. Trouble is coming.
"I am your Shadow Noctilucent. I am your strength."
Damn, half expected "I am the Shadow, the True Self" and Noctilucent denying the shadow, then the two of them fighting until the Shadow is subdued and Noctilucent accepting his Shadow and getting a Persona and helping everyone around him accept their own shadows and get their own Personae.
Yet again, I remembered that this story is not a FiM/Persona crossover. Oh well.
4465562
I'm not against the methods used per se, Just that it seems a little much too soon, he's been there less than 48 hours and there already pushing him into various awkward situations when his mind just suffered a traumatic break just that morning. Now I assume that this interaction on the part of the mares are suppose to me normal herd bonding I draw this conclusion from your other work "The Chase". But for someone not familiar with the work it would be a bit confusing as to why they are acting so forceful. Personality aside it doesn't seem professional or productive unless we assume that this interaction is normal within pony society. Like if this was a communal meal and the group forced Noct to sit next to Quirky. Its uncomfortable but Normal in most human society. While in Human society communal bathing is a bit more taboo and on the fringe of normal, making it extremely uncomfortable.
Maybe a few lines to address this to frame the reader would help set the tone for scenes like this.
4465724
Maybe.
4463953 i got dis shit. A shadow is essentially you at your most primal level. When you see a child being hit by its parent what do you? some people get angry other just ignore it, that is all your shadow reacting.
4465610
Maybe; combined with the number of sexually suggestive comments Quirky makes; most guys would think a girl was was open to a physical relationship if she acted that way towards them; which really wouldn't be wise for someone you barely know. Also, if Quirky acts this way towards other guys, I find it unlikely that she's never been kissed.
The other thing I was really hoping for was some Noct/ Shady Patch bonding time. If Quirky is really committed to being a mother to Shady, she shouldn't be getting involved with a guy who she isn't sure would be a good father figure for her adopted son.
4466024
Oh, that is coming. Don't worry.
And no, Quirky has never been kissed. Trust me, I would know, I am the writer. Quirky's behaviour is consistent to her personality profile and her mental illness.
Yeah, see, nobody is taking the obvious into account. Grief changes people and can really mess up things like intimacy and affection, the need for closeness, and a whole host of other things. People have made the assumption that Quirky is healthy.
They are wrong.
I feel like it's kind of lazy to just direct readers to Wikipedia in the author's notes instead of writing something more subtle into the story.
I almost always enjoy "tease the poor virgin" scenes, so being introverted (as I very much am) doesn't necessarily make these chapters uncomfortable in that regard...
4463911
I can vouch for Stardust as well. You don't need to have played XCom to understand it, which is another strong point that most crossovers don't seem to "get."
Link
4466156
More of the Shadow will be explained in time, but I wanted to give the readers a bit of a primer to get them started.
Wait till Noctilucent spends some time on Lethe's couch, figuratively speaking as the therapy sessions take place. More about the Shadow will manifest.
You have 666 Likes.
Savor this moment. With brimstone, and such.
4466205
That is kinda awesome, isn't it?
Judeo-christians, squirm in your nervous superstitions!
4463911 most likely talking about Stardust the X com crossover fiction by Arad.
I mean, the males, barbed penises... and no lips. Not much chance for affection for them. Really sad to think about.
-(Going to treat this seriously, just because I can) Well, there are compensatory behaviors that could be developed. On the more biological level you might have preening or something, but on the more civilized side, I suspect that a penchant for love poetry/songs could cover a lot.
4466678
Yes, I know that it does. And the poets come to Equestria, so they are not molested by the militaristic culture of their homeland.
An Austin Powers reference? Nice
Noctilucent is going insane? Nice.
Lethe is funny and Important? Yes, yes she is.