Aurora Song

by MasterZadok

Chapter 7

“But Twilight!-”

“I appreciate your help, girls, but there’s nothing we can do. I know it’s a shame, but being a grump isn’t a crime.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were standing in front of the Golden Oak Library talking with their friend, a deep purple alicorn with a dark mane. Despite their reports on Mister Meyer, Cessna and Puddle Jumper, Twilight Sparkle remained unconvinced that Princess Celestia should be made aware of their short, albeit rude, visit.

“But what if they’re some kind of gang! Doesn’t a gang of grumps sound suspicious to you?” The earth filly held up her notebook. On it were sketches of pegasi with pointy teeth and all wearing the same frock coat.

“Sweetie Belle, darling, we know you want to help, but you can’t call someone dangerous just because they look scary.” A pale white unicorn stood beside Twilight Sparkle.

“But-”

“Look, if it makes you feel any better, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and I will have a chat with them the next time they come to town, alright?” Twilight lifted a reassuring smile at the two Crusaders. “Does that sound alright with you, Pinkie?” Nearby, the flaming pink earth mare was frowning to herself while pouring over a long scroll she had written.

“I dunno. It looks like I’ll need more party cannons to pull mister Feathers McGrump-Grump from Grumpston, Grumpyland out of his grumpiness. I’ll need, like, an artillery of cannons. All the cannons!” Pinkie suddenly glanced at Twilight and Rarity, “You DO know that these pegasi aren’t cannon, right?”

“She’ll be fine.” Rarity whispered to Twilight.

“In the meantime,” The alicorn looked back at the two fillies, “We’ll be counting on you to keep an eye out for them if they ever come back. Sound like a plan?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle saluted. They were just about to dash back off to their investigation, when something above them suddenly caught everypony’s attention.

Fluttershy always looked a little timid and worried, but as she fluttered around the Golden Oak library, she seemed a bit more… fluttery… than normal. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity watched as their yellow friend drifted from branch to branch, whispering to each and every bird she could find.

“Um… Fluttershy? Are you alright?” Twilight spoke up.

“Eep! Oh! Twilight! I’m so glad I’ve found you!” The yellow pegasus slowly let herself down onto the ground. She was surrounded by a small swarm of frantic songbirds.

“Uh, I’m always here at the library.”

“Yes, well, but… I had almost forgot. I’ve been so busy trying to warn all the birds…”

“My dear, is something the matter?” Rarity flicked away a stray floating feather.

“Well… Yes… Well, I don’t know.” Fluttershy looked sick to her stomach. Twilight Sparkle put a calming hoof around the pegasus’s neck.

“It’s alright. You can tell us.”

“…Well… It’s just… I heard that something terrible is going to happen in Ponyville.” Everypony exchanged glances. “Something just awful!”

“What is it?” Twilight tried to calm her friend, but there was a note of urgency in her voice.

“Some plague? A bug? Oh, I don’t know… She was talking so fast… But all the birds and things with feathers are in danger!” Fluttershy fought to catch her breath.

“Doesn’t that include you and the other pegasi?” Rarity offered.

“Who’s “Her”? Who are you talking about, Fluttershy? Who told you this?” Twilight asked.

“I… I don’t know. I didn’t catch her name… I’d never seen her before. She was tall, and thin… and had a purple coat… and she frightened all the ducklings!” Fluttershy started crying. She buried her head in Twilight’s shoulder. The yellow pegasus was never one to handle stress very well.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell stared at each other and began flipping through their notes. Sure enough, they found a match. One of their sketches had the word “mare” pointing at it and a grumpy face drawn on it.

“Cessna?” Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity looked up.

“We’re not sure about that, Sweetie. And if it is her, what purpose could she possibly have for scaring poor Fluttershy?” The unicorn queried.

“She was telling me that all the pegasi had to-” Fluttershy was cut off by a distant yelling,

“Get out of Ponyville! Everyone! Run!” A tiny orange comet with wings glistening in the evening sunlight fell like a star and landed heavily among all the ponies. Scootaloo shook herself off and continued yelling, “We have to warn everypony! We have to run!”

“Scootaloo!?” Twilight felt her jaw dropping. “What…? You were flying?”

“Where did you get such fabulous wings?” Rarity bubbled at the sight of the metal prosthetics on the filly’s back.

“Ooh! Ooh! I tried making some of these out of cardboard once! But that idea was a flop. Literally!” Pinkie Pie ran up and began working Scootaloo’s wings up and down.

“There’s no time to explain!” The filly’s eyes were wide with fear and her breathing was ragged and forced.

“Where have you been all day?” Sweetie Belle demanded, stepping forward.

“I followed Captain Meyer into the mountains!”

“Captain Meyer?” Apple Bloom put away her notebook and stared at her friend. “A captain?”

“Yes! He’s their captain! And they’re pirates! And there’s this ship with a glowing heart! And it’s the size of the Sweet Apple Homestead! And-”

“Scootaloo! Calm down!” Twilight pleaded. “You’re hysteric. What’s going on? Start from the beginning.” The alicorn held a hoof to Scootaloo’s mouth until the young filly got her breathing under control. When she could finally speak clearly, the little pegasus’s eyes were still wide with fear.

“Mister Meyer and all those other pegasi that came to town are a part of the same crew! They were looking for anything anypony has of value! Mister Meyer gave me these wings and I followed him back to his ship! He’s a bully and he’s going to use his ship to take anything he wants by force! He hates unicorns and earth ponies! He’s…” Scootaloo found herself talking faster and faster until she was gasping for breath at the end.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stared at the little filly with wide eyes. They didn’t understand everything, there were a lot of questions that they still had, but if Scootaloo’s fear and the fear shared by the other Crusaders was anything, they knew that something terrible was happening.

“Right…” Twilight stood up straight and collected her thoughts. She looked around as if there were dozens of invisible flashcards around her head. Finally, as if she were playing a game of chess, she made her move,

“First of all, we need to warn everypony that something dangerous might be going on. I need to find Spike and send a letter to Celestia. Fluttershy, can you find Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack? Scootaloo, do you know when this Meyer pony will arrive?”

“I don’t know about Meyer, but Rainbow sure is slacking off on her duties!” Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof toward the western mountains. “Just look at that sky!” Scootaloo felt her stomach drop.

A titanic army of black clouds was pouring over the crowns of the mountains. Their dark vapors bubbled like tar and veins of mist tricked down the mountainsides like fingers. Inside their flickering and flashing bodies, Scootaloo knew Captain Meyer was at the helm of his ship.

“He’s here…”

With the roar of a dozen propellers and the sigh of the aurora core, the bow of the Aurora Song tore through the mass of thunder clouds and shed its cloak of storms. Poor Scootaloo had misjudged; the airship was bigger than the Sweet Apple Homestead. It could eat the homestead. Casting a shadow that stretched halfway across Ponyville, the Aurora Song swept low over the grassy fields and hovered like a solar eclipse above the rooftops.

Ponies everywhere froze where their hooves fell. Their wide eyes turned up at the flying city above them. Their mouths hung open and their breath stopped as they wondered what this apparition meant. What would it do to them?

For a moment, the distant call of the aurora core fell silent. And then, all at once, numerous cannons along the airship’s hull flared to life.

Rays of dazzling rainbows lanced from heaven to the ground, shattering buildings and torching streets wherever they fell. Within moments, Ponyville’s clock tower, town square and town hall were alive with rainbow-colored flames.

“Now THAT’S what I call a party cannon!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

Twilight Sparkle shook herself from the daze she was in. Everywhere, ponies galloped randomly, screaming, crying, pleading. The town was working itself into a frenzy. She lifted Fluttershy under her foreleg and shouted,

“Everypony, we need to find the mayor! Rarity! Pinkie! Tell everypony to stay get inside!” She gestured to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “You too, girls! Inside the library.”

“But-”

“Now!” Twilght ran off toward the town square, leaving Fluttershy to corral the three fillies into the Golden Oak library. Scootaloo glanced back over her shoulder desperately. It was happening! Her worst fears were coming true. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Twilight Sparkle leapt into the air and unfurled her purple wings. As she streaked toward the town square, she could see dozens of ponies running aimlessly beneath her. Soon, she could see the open square before her and the burning gazebo therein. Fortunately, Mayor Mare was there waiting for her.

“Twilight!” The brown earth mare called out as the alicorn landed next to her.

“I’m here!”

“What is the meaning of this? Who would attack Ponyville? Can you put a shield over the town?” A sudden flash of aurora light lit up a nearby tree and instantly reduced it to black and white ashes. Twilight Sparkle swallowed hard.

“I’ll try!”’ The alicorn gritted her teeth and planted her hooves firmly on the ground. At first, her horn lit with a wavy pink light but it quickly intensified to a radiant magical blaze. Above her, three small shapes fell from the airship and began flying toward her.

With a final cry of effort, Twilight released her spell and a wave of magic shot up into the sky. It spread out like an umbrella and billowed outward until it completely arced around and formed a bubbly dome of light over most of Ponyville.

“Thank you, Shining Armor.” Twilight allowed herself a smile. It was short lived, however. The three shapes that had fallen from the airship were approaching rapidly and were flying right toward her. The largest, Yeller Belly, landed on a rooftop and hefted what looked like a large tube on his shoulder. A cannon. The leanest, Lilly Liver, swooped low over the streets, a pair of twin blades fastened to her forelimbs. The third, Captain Drossel Meyer, his coat billowing behind him, unfurled his wings and landed heavily in front of Twilight Sparkle and Mayor Mare.

“Are you… Mister Meyer?” Twilight asked cautiously. The imposing pegasus looked at her with an eye as cold as steel.

“An honor to meet you… Twilight Sparkle.” His voice rumbled as if the burning town around him was his native territory. As he walked forward, his metallic foreleg clicked menacingly.

“What do you want?” Mayor Mare demanded.

“I want peace…” Captain Meyer sighed, but a light began to shine in his eyes. “You have been given a taste of our power. Now surrender peacefully and you have my word that nopony will get hurt.”

“You think you can bully us into submission!?” Twilight Sparkle demanded. “If you think that we’re afraid of your weapons, then you have no idea how strong we are as citizens of Ponyville!” At this, Meyer’s dark face broke into a sinister smile.

“Our cannons? Yes, I can see how you would make that mistake. You believe that my only weapon is my ship…” The captain gestured around him. “Can you not see, princess, that I wield a weapon far more powerful than an airship?” From every window surrounding the square, the terrified and fear-filled eyes of ponies watched the captain, the princess and the mayor. Their hearts were quaking as they held their family and friends tightly.

“I wield fear, my dear.” The pegasus continued. “I fully understand that a single pony might not find me intimidating, but ponies… ponies are the perfect field to sow fear in and right now your town stands ready to destroy itself. Behold, Twilight Sparkle, my ship hasn’t hurt a single hair of anypony. We have only attacked empty buildings to show our strength. Surrender your valuables and your produce and it will remain that way.”

“And if we don’t?” Mayor Mare demanded.

“Then I will throw this town into a panic and let sires trample their foals in the streets.”

A cold feeling grew in Twilight’s stomach. Try as she might, she could find so sign of a bluff in this pegasus’s face; he would burn this town if it suited him. His heart was as stone cold as his metal foreleg.

“And what if we stop you first!!” A cry rang out and a light blue blur, laced with rainbows, shot toward Captain Meyer like an arrow. Rainbow Dash pumped her wings as hard as she could; she held her hooves in front of her like a battering ram and the air around her screamed with her speed. Captain Meyer didn’t flinch.

Just before Rainbow’s attack landed, just before she reached her target, the captain of the Aurora Song turned in a single motion. As fluid as the wind, Captain Meyer sidestepped the charging mare and swung his metal arm. Crack! The limb smote Rainbow Dash across her jaw and sent her careening in another direction. The blue pegasus skid across the ground before smashing into a barrel of hay. Slowly, Rainbow Dash tried to stand up again, but an orange earth pony, Apple Jack, appeared and held her back.

“Foolish.” Captain Meyer whispered. He plucked a glass vial from his coat and flung it at Twilight Sparkle.

“Aah!” The purple alicorn winced, instinctively catching the vial in mid-air with her magic. It floated there for a quiet moment.

“And what is this?” She demanded. The captain nodded.

“It’s designed to defeat you, my dear.”

“How-” At that instant, the vial exploded, releasing a wave of orange gas that consumed the alicorn. She sputtered and coughed for a moment before falling silent.

“Tell me,” Captain Meyer asked, “Does that smell like ether to you?” When the cloud of gas finally drifted away, Twilight Sparkle was left helpless on the ground. Asleep.

Above the town, the bubble of the princess’s magic shield wavered and then vanished. Captain Meyer looked around at all the faces that were locked on him. He had removed their hero, their leader, and their shield in ten seconds flat.

“You see, Ponyville? Resistance is futile. Do not think you are safe from my ship; do not put stock in your heroes or your princess. I do not have to even exert myself to wipe you from the map!”

“You monster!” Mayor Mare crouched over Twilight.

“Madam Mayor,” The captain began.

“Actually, it’s “Madam Mare”.” A high-pitched voice cried out. Captain Meyer glanced over to see a shockingly pink pony with an even pinker mane behind him.

“What is the difference?” He asked.

“You were spelling it wrong. Oh! Also, party cannon!” Faster than thought, the earth pony pulled out a scout little cannon and released a barrage of confetti at the captain. His rigid form disappeared for a moment in a wave of color, but soon reappeared. Unfazed.

“I... and my ship can show a great deal of restraint,” Captain Meyers huffed a flake of paper off his nose. “But if anypony gets any more bright ideas, I promise you, we will destroy Hoofer Dam and there will be no more Ponyville!”

Silence fell over the town square.

It was an empty threat. The Aurora Song had all the firepower she needed to eliminate this town, but the idea of complete obliteration, by their own dam, held such an emotional weight that everypony’s heart failed them and their will to fight was shattered. Their gasps of unbelief and quiet sobs told Captain Meyer all he needed to know; he had won.

Now, it was only a simple matter of picking up every gem and crumb of bread this little town had to offer. Nopony would fight anymore. Nopony could. They were broken. The Aurora Song’s engines flared to life once again and the airship began positioning itself to pillage anything and everything of value.

“Mister Meyer?” A choked whisper came from behind the captain. He turned and saw Scootaloo standing beside the limp form of Twilight Sparkle. The young pegasus’s eyes were shimmering with tears and her throat was tight.

“You should be inside, where it’s safe.” Captain Meyer commanded his young student. She didn’t move.

“Stop this, Mister Meyer. You don’t have to do this…”

“I’m sorry, my dear, but you have been mistaken about a lot of things. I may not be a murderer, but I am a pirate and I have a duty to my crew and to my ship.”

“No… You can stop this… it doesn’t have to be this way…” Glistening drops of water streamed from Scootaloo’s eyes. “You don’t have to be a bad guy…”

Captain Meyer turned his eyes up to his ship. Partly, to keep his steely image for his crew, but also partly so that he didn’t have to look at the distraught face of his little friend. He didn’t know why, but he could feel a tight pain in his chest. If he was so devoted to making sure nopony got hurt, then why did Scootaloo’s pain effect him so much?

C-Clank!

The pegasus stallion turned his eye back to the little filly. She was standing with teary eyes; the prosthetic wings lay abandoned on the ground in front of her.

“Scootaloo?”

“I don’t want them.” The filly hiccupped. “I don’t want them.”

“But… what about your freedom? From the ground?”

“I have friends, Mister Meyer. No matter what you say, they are my true friends and you’re hurting them.” All around, the sound of panicked poinies echoed through the still air. “And… And if these wings separate me from them, then… I don’t want them. I’m not like you. I’ll stay with my friends.”

Drossel Meyer wanted to look away again, wanted to hide the surprise in his eye, but he found that he couldn’t. He couldn’t turn from the teary gaze of the little filly. She, in turn, stood her ground even as her vision blurred from the water in her eyes.

“Captain, we have to move.” Lilly alighted next to her captain. The swords on her forelegs folded up neatly beside her hooves.

“Give me a moment.” Meyer whispered.

“There’s no time.” The pirate pegasus sounded anxious.

"What do you mean?"

“Uh-oh! Does anypony have an umbrella?” The pink earth mare spoke up suddenly. “My tail’s twitching!”

“What!?” Mayor Mare looked up in alarm.

“What do you mean, Pinkie Pie?” Drossel Meyer finally broke his gaze from Scootaloo.

“It means something about to fall!” Pinkie ran off into the cover of a nearby building. She sat there, her fluffy tail vibrating like a cricket's leg.

“Fall?” The brass begasus looked back up into the sky. His brow immediately furrowed in confusion. The Aurora Song was way off course. It should be above Sweet Apple Acres by now, but it was far too north. It was flying toward… the Hoofer Dam!

“What does Black Spot think he’s doing?” Captain Meyer hissed. Lilly swallowed hard before answering.

“It’s for the best, Captain…”

As every eye in Ponyville watched, the Aurora Song hovered above the distant mountains. Silently, bay doors opened in its belly and a half dozen glass barrels fell to the earth. Each barrel was filled with a glowing rainbow aura. Each barrel was a plasma bomb. Each barrel was a direct violation of Captain Drossel Meyer’s orders.

For the first time in her life, Lilly saw a wave of uncertainty cloud her captain’s face.

“What is the meaning of this!?” He demanded, turning sharply at his crewmember. Lilly shrank back.

“Black Spot is just doing what you couldn’t. This is the final stage of the plan.”

“This was never a part of the plan!” Drossel Meyer’s breathing was becoming deeper and faster.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo asked. The captain whirled about to face her, fear in his eye.

“Scootaloo, put your wings on. We’re leaving. Now!”

“What? No! I’m not!” The young filly frowned and backed away.

“Scootaloo! Do what I tell you!”

“Listen up, citizens of Ponyville!” Lilly Liver shouted, “Black Spot has been generous enough to give you a long fuse on those bombs! You have ten minutes to run for your lives!!”

Like a powder keg with a torch dropped on it, all of Ponyville exploded into a frenzy. Doors opened and streets filled with frantic citizens, grabbing their families and running as fast as they could through town. Neighbors ran into one another and those who stumbled were left behind. It was everything that Drossel Meyer had threatened Twilight with: panic, and it had come to full-bloom in an instant.

“Everypony! Please! Stay calm!” Mayor Mare ran off into the crowd, desperately trying to restore order.

“What have you done?” Drossel Meyer roared. Lilly backed away slowly.

“Black Spot made a good point, that this town could give us something more than food. He wanted something that would bring the full potential of the Aurora Song to light. He wanted fame. Just think, Captain, our crew has been starving and dwindling for over a year now! This is our big break into a new land! We’re going to be the terror of the skies once again! Ponies will be lining up to hand us gold and riches! Isn’t it great?” The look on Meyer’s face told Lilly that he didn’t agree.

“And these lives are worth it to you?”

“Captain, they’re not pegasi like us! This isn’t murder, this is justice! Or have you forgotten what their kind did to us? To our families!?”

“It’s not your call!”

“No… It’s Black Spot’s call now…” Lilly and Yeller looked at their former captain, wondering what he would do next. When he finally spoke, Drossel Meyer’s voice was dangerously soft.

“So… It’s mutiny?”

The two crew members exchanged glances.

“Drossel Meyer-”

“Leave!”

“What?” Lilly frowned in surprise.

“Leave Ponyville and never come back…” With a flick of his mechanical hoof, the former captain unveiled a folding saber. “Unlike you, I’m not a murderer. Leave now, and I’ll let you live.” Lilly tried to laugh nervously.

“It’s over, sir, Ponyville’s doomed. We’ve won. We’ll make an example of them all… Starting with their princess!” The purple pegasus nodded to Yeller and the later crewmember lifted his cannon and took aim at the helpless form of Twilight Sparkle.

There was a boom like thunder and a flash like starlight and the weapon vomited a ball of radiance that sped like a rocket toward the alicorn and Scootaloo.

Without thinking, Drossel Meyer flung himself at the young filly. His wings opened wide and his hooves beat the ground with all their strength in one massive lunge. Just before the glowing projectile found its mark, the pegasus stallion seized Twilight and Scootaloo and leapt out harm’s way. He fell to the dusty cobblestones on top of the filly and the alicorn just as a flash of light and an explosion of billowing air blossomed behind him.

Meyer quickly stood to his hooves and looked for Lilly and Yeller, but their small shapes could already be seen flying away over the rooftops.

“Cowards!” The former captain spat. The hem of his frock coat was smoldering from the explosion and he threw it aside in a rage.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo looked around her. Where she had been standing only a moment ago was now only a charred circle of dirt. There, still steaming from the cannon’s heat, was a pair of melted metal wings. Drossel Meyer was staring at the prosthetic wings, a visible pain on his face.

“We have to stop this! Isn’t there anything you can do, Mister Meyer?” The young filly pleaded.

“There’s nothing that can be done…” Drossel Meyer spoke like someone in a dream. “Those bombs will destroy the dam and wash away over three quarters of Ponyville… And there’s nothing I can do to stop it…”

“Can’t you untrigger the bombs?” Scootaloo asked.

“They’re set on a decaying fuse. Ponyville was doomed the moment they left the ship.” The former captain looked back at the young filly. At her small wings. She was just like her friends now, bound to the ground like hundreds of other innocent ponies, all running for their lives. She was bound to share their fate just like she wanted. She still looked at Drossel Meyer, still silently begged him for his help. Not only for herself, but for everypony else.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” She cried. Meyer had seen pain like hers before. He had seen the wound of despair clawing at her heart before. He had seen it among his fellow pegasi. In his own home. In the eyes of his own family…

But that didn’t mean he had to stand by and do nothing.

“You… Haven’t given up on Ponyville?” He asked.

Scootaloo shook her head silently. Suddenly, she felt a tender hoof wipe a tear off her cheek. She looked up to see Drossel Meyer smiling down at her.

“Then neither will I.”

“Mister Meyer!”

“After all, it’s what friends are for.” Through the tears that welled up in the old pegasus’s eye, a new flame began to shine. As long as he had breath in his lungs, then he would use it to undo the damage that he had done.

The captain looked around, taking in all of Ponyville with a single glance.

“Alright! We need to get Twilight on her hooves! Does anypony have any smelling salts?”

“I do!” Pinkie Pie appeared in a blur, holding a small vial. “I keep secret smelling salt stashes all over Ponyville in case Rarity has a fainting spell. She wouldn’t admit it, but all it takes is a wink from Flim and she goes weak at the knees!”

“Perfect! Stop talking!” Meyer pointed a hoof at Twilight Sparkle. For a moment, the pink Mare cradled her friend’s head and held the salts to her nose, in the next, Twilight’s eyes snapped open.

“Gasp!” The princess coughed and shook her head. “What happened?”

“Twilight Sparkle, there’s no time to explain, but we need you to help the mayor to restore order in the town. They need to evacuate to higher ground.”

“Rainbow Dash, you, Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack need to make sure nopony is left behind. Spread word of the danger and tend to any injured you find.” Meyer continued.

“So, what? Now you’re suddenly our buddy?” Rainbow dash lifted an eyebrow critically. “What about all your speech about wiping us off the map.”

“Hold your horses, Dash,” Apple Jack walked forward cautiously, “Just a guess, but I’d say that the best pony to get us out of this mess is the one who got us into it in the first place.”

“There’s not much time before the dam explodes. Twilight, I’ll leave the evacuation to you since you know your friends better than I do.” The former captain continued peering at the Aurora Song.

“The dam!?” Twilight shook her head to clear it. “Can’t I just repair it with magic?”

“The Aurora Song wouldn’t let you. I imagine Black Spot would shoot you down as soon as he sees your magic.” The brass pegasus’s wings rustled eagerly. “And that’s where I come in.”

“Why? What are you going to do?” Scootaloo asked.

“I’m going to take back my ship!” With a blast of wind, Drossel Meyer shot up into the air and curved toward the lumbering shape of the airship.

“Can we really trust him?” Rainbow Dash asked critically.

“Way I see it; we don’t have much of a choice.” Apple Jack seated her hat more firmly on her head.

Author's Note:

Forgive me, but I believe that my weakest writing ability manifests in the inability to see where chapter breaks should come. I hope you like this chapter and will get the finale written as soon as I can.

I am not the owner of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic franchise. Nor do I own any music lyrics that I may insert or other cultural references that I employ. I don’t even own the picture I used to advertise my story. I am only a fan creating work for the sake of the art. I am not being paid nor do I expect payment.
I only want to get better at my skill and perhaps create something that other people that share my fandom will like.

With that being said, Reader, please feel free to express your comments and your critiques. I hope you enjoy the story and I would love to discuss future story topics with you.

Comments

[MasterZadok]

Does anypony believe that I should re-tag this as a "teen" story, since I wanted the theme to feel weighty and the vernacular to feel mature?