Small Town Charm
I was surrounded by darkness. But it was in the middle of the night so that was expected.
The figure next to me was absolutely content, and so was I. I draped my foreleg around it, the target of my affection.
‘Oh, I have four legs. That’s nice.’
Yes, all was well in the world. We were together again.
‘Mmm, this is really nice… uh, whoever this is.’
The shadows swirled around us but we did not care. Dark tendrils of the void mingling with my long, black mane.
‘It’s black? Has it been that for long? Wait, who are you anyway?’
I looked down and couldn’t help but give a fanged smile, there rested the light of my life, the song of my soul. I was in love. We were in love. So much in love that someone young like me couldn’t begin to understand.
‘Getting creepy now. And what do you mean, I can’t understand? I’m the one lying here… right?’
I looked down on myself and saw my equine form, it’s coat shining even in the dark void I was in. But after only a few seconds my attention was again turned towards the form resting against me. I gently bent down with the welcome intent of stealing a kiss.
‘Just what is goi-’
“-ng on?” I murmured and sat up up in my bed with eye wide.
I looked around my room at Golden Oaks. The curtains being wide open and letting in the soft starlight of the rural night. I had taken a look out the window before tucking in earlier and noticed that no one in town seemed to bother pulling the curtains when going to bed, which was both weird considering how easy it was for a third of all ponies to peep, and also made sense since undressing and nudity kind of wasn’t a thing around here.
That dream would have vexed me, but I was so relaxed that I didn’t let it bother me. I just simply laid down against my pillow again and tried remembering as much as I could. Princess Luna had said that I should report any strange dreams I had to her. It felt dark and foreboding, yet not worrying. It wasn’t a nightmare, at least, just confusing. Still, I wondered if Luna would be interested in this as well.
‘So yeah. How do I describe this? I was a pony in it, but I had all four of my limbs, I think, so that was interesting. There was lot of darkness, and power, but no despair. In fact, it felt kinda nice. Darkness and shadows and might, but with contentedness and… love. Yeah, There was a lot of that. But with who?’
Weird dream, I thought as I laid back against the pillow. After a few minutes, I projected myself into my horn to get a good look at the only lightly illuminated room and found what I was looking for.
I reached out towards the brush lying on a shelf and managed to magick it slowly and steadily all the way over to me.
“Hah!” I said in triumph as I grabbed it with my hoof and started softly combing it through my mane.
-
“Gabrielle! Are you awake?” Twilight called from the other side of the door.
I involuntarily snorted as I lifted my head up. “I am now,” I said and let out a yawn.
“Would you like some breakfast?”
“Sure,” I said and let out another, bigger yawn.
“Can I come in?”
“Just a minute,” I said and started dislodging the brush from my mane as gently as I could. “Yeah, go ahead,” I said after I finished and pawed after my eyepatch on the bedside table.
Twilight came in as I was attaching the same patch I had yesterday. I had removed it without untying it and strengthened the knot so that I could simply slip it on without fumbling so much with the strings.
“Did you sleep well?” Twilight asked, sounding a bit nervous.
“Mostly. I had a really strange dream;” I said and rubbed my eye. Eye boogers are kinda tricky to dislodge with a hoof. At least without magic finger fields.
“Oh! Was it a nightmare?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t call it that, no,” I said. “It was strange. Very dark, but not frightening. In fact, I think I liked it. The best I can describe it was that it felt like a black metal version of the Shoop Shoop Song.”
“Is that, uh, human music?” Twilight asked.
“Ah, yeah. I don’t… I guess it’s a bit hard to describe, I can’t really remember much, but I’ll try describing it and sending a note to Princess Luna.”
“Yeah, she’ll want to hear this. Don’t worry, Gabrielle, she can figure this out,” Twilight said and held the wheelchair in place as I scooted into it.
“Gabe. And I’m not,” I said. “It wasn’t scary, just really strange.”
We made our way down the stairs, or I guess you could say that Twilight made our way down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
“Morning, Spike,” I said to the dragon standing on a footstool, or "hoofstool", in front of a stove and acting pretty recklessly over a blue flame while preparing toast. At least I thought he was acting recklessly until he dipped his tail in the fire when he turned to face us and didn’t seem to notice.
“Good morning,” he said. “How do you like your toast?”
I was about to answer when I thought it might be best to wheel over and make sure that they weren’t made of grass.
I took a look at them and figured that they looked like normal slices of bread. “Uh, medium, I guess,” I said and looked at his tail being caressed by blue flames. “Are you fireproof?”
“Yup!” he said proudly. “So if you’re ever at a steel mill or an active volcano and drop something into the molten metal or rock, just ask me and I’ll get it for you.”
“The likeliest of scenarios,” I commented dryly.
“You never know,” he said jovially. “Anyway, they’re almost ready.”
“Thanks. Where’s Owlowiscious?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Oh, he’s in parliament,” Twilight answered.
‘Oho! I think I’m one step ahead of you there, Twilight.’
“Maybe they’re trying to decide what to do about all these murders,” I said and pointed out the window towards a house across the street.
“Murders?” Twilight said and looked out the window in confusion. “Oh,” she said and let out a small laugh. “You got me, Gabrielle,” she said when she saw the crows loitering around on the roof.
“Hmm, so is a group of alicorns still a blessing?” I asked.
“What are you two talking about?” Spike asked.
“Nouns,” Twilight said simply. “How’s breakfast coming along?”
“Uh, it’s finished,” he said, gesturing towards the big tray of toast he was already holding in his claws.
Spike set the tray on the table and we all started digging in. After putting butter on a slice, Spike sprinkled something from a salter on his. It was very fine but I instinctively had a feeling that it was pulverized sapphire. ‘Huh, magical talent making itself known again? Neat.’
“So what’s happening today?” I asked as I was preparing my own slice of toast.
“I actually figured I’d let you decide,” Twilight said. “I’m free for most of the day if you want my help with anything.”
“Okay, yeah. I guess there’s practicing magic and enchanting, familiarising myself with the town,” I said, my list of things to do already growing thin. “... Meet Armor’s uncle, perhaps, swat up for school.”
“I guess you can make number three part of number two,” Twilight said. “You could get out and get to know some townsponies.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said a bit hesitantly.
Twilight looked at me a bit plaintive. “We can go on a tour through the town and introduce you to some ponies. I think that might be for the best. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Even if you want to lock yourself away in here, I can’t stop you, but enough ponies saw you yesterday that I’m afraid the rumor mill might start moving if you do.”
I nodded slowly at that. “Yeah, okay. By the way, I assume that defensive magic is for when I work up my magic capacity in general?”
“Yeah, pretty much. You already have a pretty good amount of control over your magic, so now you just need to train your raw power.”
“Hm, so is that gonna be like physical exercise? Just use it and get more?”
“In a sense, yes,” Twilight said. “Some appropriate activities, taking care not to overdo it, getting proper rest, and so on. I was in the opposite situation once. I had a bit too much raw power for my control.”
“Okay, so,” I started as I processed this information. “You improved your magic primarily by studying? And I should improve my magic primarily by exercising it?”
“Yes, but studying too, of course.”
“Of course,” I said.
‘Self defence while sitting still, and exercising while sitting still. I wonder if anyone tried selling those ridiculous electrification exercise belt things here.’
“Oh, hey, there’s Armor,” Twilight said and pointed out the window.
True enough, there he was, walking towards the library with a posture that was just a little bit too rigid.
“Good timing, too,” I said and swallowed down my last bit of toast. “Well, it seems I have things to do. How does my hair look?”
“Mane, and maybe you should give it a quick brush,” Twilight said.
“Okay, can you give me a hand with that?”
“Hoof, and yeah, no problem. Would you like me to accompany you today?”
“That… uh, yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”
I managed to stay awake throughout the entire brushing-session, which was a bit of a relief. Armor had apparently decided to stand patiently, and very still, beside of the door to wait for us.
“You know,” I said to him as me and Twilight exited the library. “It might be a good thing that not a lot actually hinges on your ability to blend in. Because you don’t look inconspicuous at all like that.”
He sagged a bit and let out a sigh..
“Well, see it as a training exercise. Besides, no one is watching,” I said and gestured to the empty street.
‘Heh. I guess it was a slow day and the sun was beating on the soldier by the side of the road,’ I thought and let out a small internal sigh. ‘No one is gonna get my humor around here.’
“Anyway, good morning.”
“Good morning, Gabrielle. Good morning, your highness,” he answered evenly.
“Good morning. Would you like to come in?” Twilight said before turning to me. “I almost forgot, we should write to Luna about your dream, Gabrielle.”
“Gabe. And yeah. Can you help me write? Last time I tried writing with my hoof I kept smearing the ink,” I said.
“Of course. Now how did you describe it?” Twilight asked as she floated over a parchment and a quill towards us.
A few minutes later I had learned new things about Equestria. It was a good thing that Twilight agreed to write the letter, or I might have shown a more impulsive anger rather than confusion when Spike seemingly incinerated the parchment. ‘Good thing I’m not a physicist. Teleportation would probably throw me for a somewhat larger loop than I could handle.’
“So what would you like to do first, Gabrielle?” Twilight asked as we made our way out the door.
“Gabe. Uh, I don’t know. I have never gone out into a town with the stated purpose of getting to know people before.”
“Well, how about we walk around town and see where it goes from there?” Twilight suggested. “You’re gonna be learning to, or, uh, well, the plan is that you’re going to regain your independence, so familiarising yourself with Ponyville seems like a good idea.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “Where to first?” I asked as we made our way down the street, this time I used my own magic to wheel myself forward.
“I think It’s high time we get our sofa back, and see if I know anypony with a folding bed. How was your night, Armor?” Twilight said.
“It was… fine,” Armor said. “And uh, my uncle, Scrap, has one, and... I was thinking that uh, he works with the Royal Guard’s equipment, and he knows a bit about enchanting, perhaps he could help you, uh, hone your talents, Gabrielle?”
“Oh. That sounds great, actually. Why didn’t you mention this before?” I asked.
“Well, I wanted to talk to him about it first, and uh, warn you.”
“Warn me?” I asked.
“Yeah, Scrap is not… very couth,” he said hesitantly.
Twilight looked surprised by this. “I’ve never met anypony around here called Scrap,” she said.
“I’m not surprised, he’s not very social.”
“Wait, sorry, hold up,” I interjected as my magic started feeling strained and my breathing became a bit heavier. “I think I’m running out of juice.”
“Yes, rest frequently when training your magical capacity,” Twilight said and took the chair before Armor had a say. “Well, that’s a bit sad. I didn’t know the value of friendship until I moved here. Is he, uh, a recluse?”
“I wouldn’t call him that, he just spends most of his days in his house, which, by the way, is right over there,” he said and pointed to the side where a modest cluster of houses formed… not quite an alley, but an out-of-the-way-area between a few houses with some discreet entrances between shrubberies and fences.
“Well, why don’t we go and meet him?” Twilight asked happily.
“I, uh, well alright,” Armor said.
Two of the houses had conservatories in this little back area, though one looked like it had been converted into a workshop. From it, we could hear the muffled sound of metal being hammered on metal, which was strange as the windows were open.
“Smells like someone’s soldering,” I said as Armor walked up to the door, knocked, opened, and stepped right in.
“Scrap?” Armor called into the conservatory.
“Hey, Stud. Back already?” A harsh but jovial-sounding voice said as the hammering stopped.
“Yes, and I’ve brought guests. Esteemed guests,” Armor said pointedly.
“Oh, how nice,” Scrap said and walked into view. “Well, come on in,” he said without looking at us.
Scrap was a unicorn whose face was covered by a rag as he washed away grime and dirt from it. He was tall, and had a slender yet toned physique, but came across as a bit gangly to me. His mane, like mine, looked blasted back, possibly held there by a pair of goggles much like the ones Rainbow gave me (though with a loupe over one lens) resting above his horn, and he had a similar dull-grey coat like Studded, but with a tinge of red instead of purple-ish.
He let out a few grunts and stretched his hind legs as he finished rubbing the rag against his face before turning to look at us. “Well, good morning to…” he said and stopped as he saw us.
The room was quiet for a few moments as Scrap looked at me in surprise before getting a slight scowl, then he shook his head and turned to his nephew. “See now, Stud,” he said as he walked up towards us. “When I asked you about why you were here yesterday, you could have given me a little more to work with so that I didn’t look like some gawping idiot. I assume that you’re the reason he’s here?” he turned to me and finished.
“Uh, yeah, he’s just gonna help while I’m getting used to all this,” I said.
Scrap nodded, still with a slight scowl on his face, though I was starting to suspect that it was his default expression. “Right,” he said and held up his hoof. “Scrap Armor. Pleased to meet you.”
“Gabrielle Desrochers,” I said and bumped his hoof.
“Were you raised by gryphons?” he asked.
“Uh, no,” I said. “Though I haven’t been in Equestria for long.”
“Mm. And Princess Twilight,” he said and turned to the owner of the name with a bow. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”
“No we haven’t, despite almost being neighbors,” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, regardless, and please, you don’t have to bow.”
“Likewise. That it’s a pleasure, I mean” Scrap said with another hoof bump and turned to me. “Sorry for staring. I figured out some reasons why Stud was here. But he didn’t tell me much about you.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a sigh. “I have a feeling I ought to get used to that.”
“Sadly, you’re probably right. You’d think that this town is interesting enough to not provoke stares because of this. But hey, I’m guilty, too,” he said and gave my right side another look. A thoughtful one this time. “Anyway,” he said and turned his attention to me and Twilight in general. “Come in, make yourself comfortable.”
I looked around the workshop. A lot of stuff hung from the ceiling, were leaned against the wall, and stacked in racks, and a lot of it looked like the equipment, or pieces of equipment, that the guards in Canterlot had. There was also a forge in the corner, and interestingly, that didn’t seem to noticeably heat up the room we were in. “So, Mr Armor, what do you do?” Twilight asked.
“Royal artificer, enchanter for the Guard. I was gonna say, ‘What’s mine is yours except for the things that belong to the crowns,’ but I’m not sure I can say that to you, your highness, so, you know, just make yourself at home,” Scrap said and shrugged.
“Oh, that’s very generous of you, but I don’t want to impose,” Twilight said.
“Well, I guess I won’t force you. That would be a strange form of hospitality,” Scrap said and shrugged again. “Anyway, what can I do for you?” he continued as he went back to his work with lightly hammering on what I think was one of those hoofgear that the royal guards wore.
“Studded and Twilight were giving me a tour of Ponyville and we decided to visit,” I said.
Studded was looking at his uncle with disapproval in his eyes. “And I was hoping that you could help Gabrielle.”
Scrap stopped hammering and put his goggles down over his eyes and inspected the horse-shoe with the loupe as he hummed to himself. “Don’t know how,” he said after a while. “But it can be done, I know that much at least.”
Studded frowned at him. “What?”
“Prostheses,” Scrap said without looking up. “I’ve never made any. Don’t know anypony who have. But they have been made before. So there’s always that.”
“I was thinking more of how both your sets of talents overlap a lot. Gabe’s talent is also in enchanting. And could you please show some more respect to a princess and an ambassador?”
Scrap finally set the shoe down and raised his goggles before turning to us. “Right, sorry. I’ve never been very good at stuff like this, that’s why I turned down officer training.”
“You were a guard?” Twilight asked.
“Yup. Joined up out of tradition. Dad never thought my manners were appropriate, though, and I never liked it all that much. I still worked hard enough to become a sergeant and be offered officer training when I was younger than he was before resigning, just to mess with him. Anyway,” he said and turned to me specifically. “You’re an enchanter, then?”
“Uh, well,” I started. “I was transformed into a pony a few days ago. So I’m new to cutie marks, enchanting, and magic, but as far as I can tell, yes I am.”
“Right,” Scrap said and looked a bit at my cutie mark. Luckily, he looked away before I realized that perhaps I should feel uncomfortable by that. “Gems, huh? Not the same as metals, but not all that different, either. Yeah, I can try and teach you some stuff.”
“Sounds dandy, but you look busy,” I said.
Scrap shrugged. “Well, yeah, maybe,” he said. “But I’m the best pony at enchanting equipment in a pretty wide radius. So if you’re interested in that, I’m your stallion.”
“So which enhancements do you perform?” Twilight, who was looking as fascinated as I felt, asked.
“I’m qualified for all of them,” Scrap said and started lightly hammering on another piece of equipment. “The obvious is strengthening the armor, of course, but I also enhance any movement made with the equipment. Spears swing harder, shoes runs faster, that sort of things. I always had trouble with the uniform illusion, but that’s on these little necklace things so that’s not my job,”
“Wow, that sounds impressive,” I said.
“Thanks, and I’m actually holding back,” Scrap said.
Studded rolled his eyes. “Because when you go all out, nopony can handle the equipment.”
“Earth ponies can. That’s the dumb part about all this,” Scrap insisted, sounding a bit frustrated. “With accommodations for wings and horns, the standard equipment is already tribally adjusted. Earth ponies can handle way more potent enchantments, but they still have to make due with unitribally enchanted gear.”
“Yeah, but it’s still a safety concern. If a pegasus would accidentally step into a sabaton enchanted for earth ponies, they could hurt themselves,” Studded said.
“Mm, yeah,” Scrap said a bit glumly.
“How so?” I asked.
“Earth pony magic is spread, and is active, throughout their bodies and not concentrated into their horns or wings. This makes enchantments that improves physical performance work very well with them.”
I was amazed by the utter lack of things like suspicion and dismissiveness the different tribes of ponies seemed to have against each other. It was deeply ingrained into the human mind to be suspicious of "the other". If this acceptance was biological, it was enviable. If it was cultural, it was humbling. “So are any of the tribes preferred as guards?”
“Not really, no,” Scrap answered with a shrug. As he kept working and inspecting the pieces I got some insight into Equestrian martial paradigms. “Everypony’s useful,” he said. “It might seem like pegasi and unicorns would have some advantages, but you’ve learned that that’s not the case long before you’re done with even basic training. Actual combat would of course rarely be this simple, but the general wisdom is that if you don’t consider environmental factors and stuff like that, a pegasus has advantages over an earth pony, a unicorn has advantages over a pegasus, and an earth pony has advantages over a unicorn.”
“So it’s like rock paper scissors?” I asked.
Scrap just blinked at me. “Like what?”
I glanced down at my hoof and saw nothing that could imitate a pair of scissors. “Uh, never mind.”
Scrap shrugged again and rummaged around the glowing coals for what looked like spearheads. “So, you’ve been through stuff, Gabrielle,” he said as he was inspecting the things in the forge. “And you think I can help.”
“Actually, I said that I was hoping you could help,” Studded said.
“Oh, right,” Scrap said. “Well, I’m guessing you’re thinking about making some replacement limbs?”
“That is possible, right?” Twilight asked eagerly. “I’ve only done some light research into it, but there are clearly accounts of ponies in the past having artificial replacements.”
“That’s right,” Scarp said. “And I don’t know how they were made. And I very much doubt that anypony I know knows either. But it’s been done before, so I’m guessing it would be possible to do again.”
“Are you willing to help?” Twilight asked.
“Can’t guarantee anything, but if you want me to, I will. Help, I mean,” Scrap said and turned to me.
I felt some joy at that, but my curiosity was a bit stronger at the moment. “Just like that?” I asked
“Why not?” he asked. “I’m an enchanter. It’s what I do, I like it. I’m also working for the crowns, so with you being an ambassador, I can even treat it like a job and the money would come from Canterlot.”
“Uh, I…” I started, feeling that this talk was moving a bit quickly for me.
“It’s fine, Gabrielle,” Twilight said. “Don’t worry about money.”
“Well, I feel a bit hesitant to do so when I don’t know what I’m asking for.”
“A commision of a project from one craftspony. Skilled, but still just me. It’s not gonna bankrupt the nation,” Scrap said. “Speaking of which, who do you represent, anyway?”
“Well,” I said and tried not to sound so awkward. “I don’t really represent anyone so much as just being the only authority on my homeworld.”
This caught Scrap’s attention. “Homeworld? Interesting.”
“Yes,” I said. “No magical ponies where I came from.”
Scrap inspected me again. “So this is permanent? You being transformed into a pony?”
“So I’m told.”
“I see. That would explain why they’d make you an ambassador despite being a filly,” Scrap said.
‘By “they” I assume that he means the princesses… I wonder what people here say instead of “sticking it to the Man”. “Sticking it to the Mare”, perhaps? But if there are no fingers… “Clopping it to the Mare”? Oh, whatever.’
“And I’m formerly an adult,” I said.
“Ah,” Scrap said and started tinkering again. “Makes sense.” This seemed like all the explanation he needed.
I noticed that Studded’s tension seemed to dissipate as the conversation went on. ‘Yeah, Scrap didn’t seem to have much of a silver tongue, but there aren’t any diplomats here… No, wait. Anyway, he seems like a decent guy.’
“Well, look at that,” Twilight said after a moment of silence. “Now I’ve met neighbors I didn’t even know I had.”
“You’ve seen me around, you just never realised I live right here,” Armor said.
“I was just a bit surprised,” Twilight said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the castle and around officers, I just figured I might have heard about you.”
“Well I’m not all that special. There are more ponies than me who can do this,” Scrap said.
“But there seems to be mostly earth ponies in Ponyville, so an enchanter might be rare,” I said.
Scrap looked up at me with a curious expression for a few seconds. “Oh!” he said after a while. “You think that only unicorns can do this. No, earth ponies and pegasi can do this as well. Earth ponies can use their hooves to influence things magically and pegasi can use their wings. Unicorns have a few advantages, like being able to enchant molten iron with little fuss, but not much more than that.”
“With little fuss?” Twilight asked.
“Well, there’s a forge in this room and it’s still a pretty comfortable temperature in here,” Scrap said. “That’s my enchantment, and with a little work, you can make protective gear that keeps you cool when rifling through hot coals or picking up glowing ingots.”
“This is fascinating,” Twilight said. “Perhaps I can come by as well?”
“Sure,” Scrap said and turned to his nephew. “Speaking of who’s going to be where, I dug up the folding bed. It’s in there,” he said and gestured towards the house.
“Thanks,” Studded said, the tension having left his voice by now.
“Yeah. Grab it now or come by whenever,” Scrap said.
“I might take it now. Unless you two would like to stay?” he said and turned to me.
I did that “don’t ask me” shrug/shiver thing and said, “Well… what do I say to not be rude here? I don’t wanna impose and I also don’t wanna say ‘teach me your trade secrets. Good? Okay, bye!’”
The three fully grown ponies looked at me in surprise before Scrap burst out laughing. “Yeah, I get what’cha mean, kid. How about this: it was nice meeting you but right now I have some work to do, so swing by some time and I’ll teach you and Princess Twilight what I know, okay?” he asked and extended his hoof towards me.
“Okay, I can work with that,” I said and bumped it.
-
“You were tense back there, and then you calmed down. And now you’re tense again,” I said as we made our way back across the street.
“I’m not supposed to be getting help moving stuff from royalty,” Armor whined. “It’s not proper.”
“In Canterlot, perhaps,” Twilight said while effortlessly levitating the folded cot in her field of magic. “I never ask ponies to treat me differently because I’m a princess.”
“But these are all your neighbors, your highness. They—” Armor started before realizing he was objecting against a princess. “As you say, your highness,” he said and tipped his head.
Twilight looked slightly flustered at that, but then she giggled instead.
“Well, if it’ll help any, I think I need someone to push me again,” I said as I once again felt my magic draining again.
“Of course,” he said relieved as I looked at the distance I made it myself.
‘Oooohohoho! That’s almost three body lengths further! I think.’
“Why were you tense the first time?” Twilight asked.
Armor looked a bit awkward before answering. “Well, you heard him. He’s not good at proper conduct,” Armor said. “I’m not comfortable with introducing a princess and an ambassador to somepony that.... nonchalant about station.”
“Well, he was a bit casual, but I thought he was nice enough. How about you, Gabrielle?”
“Gabe. And I thought he was fine. What, don’t you get along with him?” I asked Armor.
“We get along just fine,” Armor assured us. “He gets along with just about everypony. But I still think he needs to treat ponies of standing a bit more appropriately.”
“Well Twilight is kinda casual about standing herself, and it’s really new to me, so I’m fine with it,” I said as we entered Golden Oaks. “By the way, Twilight, notice how I’ve said ‘Gabe’ like a dozen times now?”
“Uh, no?” Twilight said.
“Well, I have. Either you haven’t noticed or you’ve been distracted by the current subject matter. Anyway, you’re free to use my nickname if you want. Just thought I’d point that out clearly,” I said.
“Oh!” Twilight said and put down the cot before turning to me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t notice and- oh that’s not very nice, is it? I’m sorry, Gabrielle, I didn’t ignore you. Do, uh, do you have any preference?”
I raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly at her. “I just said that you’re free to use it if you want to. It’s not such a pet name that it’s inappropriate”
“Oh, uh, yeah, you did. Okay… Gabe,” Twilight said, blushing a bit.
“Same for you, Armor,” I said, trying to sound as laid-back as possible.
“Uh, of course. Unless the situation doesn’t call for nicknames,” he said.
“Sounds good,” I said as Twilight put the bed down by the stairs leading up to the rooms.. “Anyway, what’s next?”
“Same as before?” Twilight asked. “Go out and learn about the town?”
“Alright,” I said.
I tried another round at wheeling myself down the street but it seems it was a bit early since the last round, and Armor took over.
“So, humans don’t eat hay, but they eat the grains?” Armor asked. This time, we were making our way down a street with a lot more townsponies, who stopped to look at us, specifically me. There weren’t a lot, though, so I just concentrated on our conversation.
“Yeah, or cultivated ones, at least. I assume you have cultivated crops here, too, judging by all the bread I’ve been eating,” I said.
“Of course,” Twilight said.
“Is it the same with meat?” Armor asked. “Or do you, or, humans, eat whole, uh… victims?”
“First of all, I’d like to point out that you’re getting into the swing of things with acting casual, Armor,” I said. “Secondly, I would like to point out that there are laws concerning how you treat livestock, and poorly treated livestock supposedly taste bad. Thirdly, no, we don’t eat everything from livestock. Hides, for example, is better used elsewhere than in your stomach.”
“Like where?” Armor asked hesitantly.
“Clothing, especially protective clothing, upholstery, instrument-parts, belts, wallets, saddles… restraints,” I listed off before looking back at Armor and Twilight. Both looking a bit queasy. I decided it would be best to get other obviously disgusting parts out of the way. “And then, of course, there are lots of technically edible parts of an animals that doesn’t have a pleasant consistency, like livers, for example. But you can get around that by mincing them into a paste, then baking that and putting it on your sandwich.”
Both Armor and Twilight stopped and held up hooves to stop me from talking.
“Ugh. I don’t think even our medic could stand to hear this, and he’s trained to patch up mangled ponies,” Armor said as he held his forehoof to his stomach.
I looked around, but no one else seems to have been listening into that part of the conversation. “I didn’t think it would be that difficult to hear,” I said. “Gryphons eat meat, don’t they?”
Twilight took a few deep breaths before answering. “Yeah, but they often use a substitute. Hunting is highly regulated in gryphon territories and they often only hunt to compare their substitute to the real thing. They also eat a lot of fish.”
“Yeah, that was pretty impressive stuff we got back in Canterlot,” I said. “I wonder if we could get some down here. I haven’t had a proper burger in a while, and if that’s not real meat then I might not have to worry about my normal problem when making them.”
“What problem?” Armor hesitantly asked
“I use a mix of minced pork and beef when making burgers, that’s pig and cow by the way, but they always end up with too much fat in them when they’re ready, which means you have to hurry up and eat them before they cool down too much. Because they’re not as good when all that fat congeals,” I said.
This proved to be too much for Armor who darted off to a shrub and emptied his stomach behind it.
I wheeled up to him with Twilight slowly following behind. “Sorry, Armor. I guess I owe you a meal now,” I said.
Armor took a few deep breaths before answering. “Hah. Don’t worry, Gabe. I was the one who asked you about it,” he said, a bit feebly.
“That’s just as well,” I said, scratching my head a bit awkwardly. “I don’t have any actual money of my own, and it’s a pretty weak gesture if someone else pays for it.” Ponies were now slowing down to look at us so I decided to dial down the intensity of the lecture.
Armor laughed weakly between pants and I looked at Twilight instead. “You too, Twilight. Sorry if I made you feel sick.”
Twilight waved it off, too, not looking entirely at ease but not looking like she was about to heave, either. “Earth pony resilience, don’t worry about me,” she said.
Armor eventually calmed down and straightened up, a bit less alert than before. “Well. That was educational,” he said. “No offence, Gabe, but I’m happy I don’t have meat in my diet. I don’t think I could stand it.”
I shrugged. “None taken,” I said. “I worked in a hospital, eating plants or eating creatures, neither holds a candle to what happens afterwards.”
Armor gave me a deadpan look.
“Hey, it’s the truth and it helps put things in perspective. When you see or hear something disgusting, in the end, it’s just chemistry. Just like what goes on inside of people,” I said before giving the pizza he planted on the ground an uneasy look. I definitely cost him his breakfast. “So, uh, you wanna get some replacement for that or is it a bit early?”
“Well, a flower mix-sandwich would be pretty nice, but not yet,” he said.
“Alright. I’m not sick at the thought, but I’m skeptical about eating flowers and hay,” I said.
“Have you tried it?” Twilight asked.
“I ran around and played, and occasionally face planted in the grass like everyone else, when I was a kid. I have vague memories of how grass taste, at least,” I said with a shrug.
“But it’s not dangerous for humans to eat, right?”
“Grass isn’t. Unless in large amounts, I guess. Some flowers are,” I said. “Actually, quite a few are. You’re not gonna convince me to eat a belladonna or something like that.”
“Of course. Well, I have an idea,” Twilight said. “We could go to the market and I can give you some bits, and then you go and buy some flowers that you know you can eat and give them a try. And try talking to the ponies at the stands.”
“Alright,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
‘Well, people are still staring, but actually meeting people have been working out really good so far. Alright, I’m game.’
“So where’s the market?”
I don’t think the attention we received upon arriving at the market constituted as "creating a scene," but it felt like it. The activity among the colorful tents and stands didn’t cease as we drew near, but there were still a lot of hushed voices and stares, with some ponies abashedly looking away when my sweeping look passed over them, others not.
I’m not sure why I was expecting a disorganised, messy flea market, but for some reason I did. Ponyville’s market wasn’t that, though. It had all manners of things, of course, but it wasn’t a mess, and actually would have been inviting if it wasn’t for the stares. I had learned from the talk with the princesses that Equestria had an abundance of food, but it was another thing to actually see it. Food was everywhere, and lot’s of it. High quality too, it seemed. It was kinda neat to see good and appetizing food outside of the sterile supermarkets and convenience stores I was used to seeing it in. It was quaint, but in a good way.
“Okay,” Twilight said and pointed towards a trio of mares that was having what looked like an interesting discussion, though not about me since they hadn’t turned to look at us yet. “There are some really good flowers over there. Why don’t you go over there and get some? And try talking to them.”
Twilight floated a bag of golden coins into my lap. I say "golden" because I could tell from the weight that they were not actually gold. If they were, they would probably have weighed more than me.
“Don’t worry, Gabe,” Armor, whose stomach had almost stopped gurgling, said. “I’m staying close by.”
“Alright,” I said and started wheeling myself forward, feeling ready for the distance to the stand and back.
“Good morning,” I said and caught the attention of the trio. “How’s business today?”
The trio’s eyes went wide as dumpster lids as they looked me over, then they froze up completely.
“Not… warranting commentary then?” I ventured. “That’s good, I guess. So how about some flowers?”
There was no reaction.
“Not for you, of course,” I said. “From you, to me, in exchange for currency. You know, commerce?”
The trio didn’t even blink, which was starting to worry me.
“Perhaps introductions are in order?” I said. “My name’s Gabrielle Desrocher. Recently arrived in Equestria.”
I extended my hoof at them, but still no reaction.
“Okay then, we can do that some other time,” I said. “Don’t worry, I could serve myself if you’re not feeling up for it. Do you have a price list? Wait, I see it.”
I wheeled up to the stand and inspected the sheet at the side. The trio’s gaze followed me like haunted paintings. It would have been unnerving if it wasn’t for all the other ponies milling about around us. ‘Well, at least they can function that much.’
I was struggling to remember which flowers are safe for humans to digest and which aren’t. After a while I settled on safe bets that I could remember, a rose and a violet, and placed the bits on the cart before wheeling back to the front of the mares.
“Okay, I’ve put the bits on the cart. I get wares, you get money, just like it’s supposed to work. Don’t worry about a receipt as far as I’m concerned, I don’t see anything wrong with these,” I said, exhausting every avenue I could think of that could start a conversation, but to no avail. “Well, nice doing business with you,” I said and gave one more moment before heading back. “Okay, byebye.”
I wheeled back to Twilight and Armor who waited for me in the same place as before.
“So how did it go?” Twilight asked cautiously.
“I thought you saw from here,” I said. “There was an exchange of resources, but no so much with pleasantries. Anyway, can we move away from here? I can still feel their gaze in my neck.”
“Uh, sure,” Twilight said.
“Alright, here goes,” I said as we slowly moved on and pulled a few petals of the violet with my lips and started chewing.
“Well, how is it?” Twilight said.
“Hmm, it kinda does nothing for me,” I said and tried a few rose petals instead, which had a little taste, but not much. “Yeah, I don’t think this is my kind of food,” I said after I tried a few pieces of the stems.
“I can take those if you don’t want them,” Armor said.
“Go ahead,” I said and hoofed them over my shoulder to him, where they promptly vanished, reminding me that he was still a breakfast short. “By the way, Twilight, I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?” she asked.
“I pick up a lot of sounds,” I said. “More than I’m used to. My hearing was always fairly sharp, but do you think that these ears make it even more sensitive?”
“Uh, that’s very possible,” she said. “How so? Do you hear anything?”
“I hear lot’s of things, but I can’t make anything specific out right now, there’s too much din around us,” I said.
“It would make sense. If you’re adjusted to human ears, getting a pony’s larger ones would make your hearing more sensitive,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “I noticed my hearing was a bit different when I was a human, but I guess I chalked it all up to my ears being immobile.”
“Good to hear, “ I said. “I just wanted to make sure that everything is as it’s supposed to be.”
“We could schedule an appointment to test it,” Twilight suggested.
“Sure, if you’re curious,” I shrugged. “Anyway, judging how fast Armor butchered those flowers, perhaps it’s time for lunch?”
“Uh, you may be right,” Twilight said and looked at a slightly sheepish-looking Armor.
-
We sat in the patio section of a restaurant. The waiter seemed a bit foppish, but at least he only stared at me for a very short moment before acting professionally again. The same couldn’t be said about the duo of mares sitting at another table a little way away. The beige earth pony was sitting in the usual way with folded legs on the cushion by their table while the mint green unicorn was sitting more like a human.
“So, is there any place around here that caters to omnivores?” I asked as I inspected the menu, ignoring the two mares.
“I’m not sure,” Twilight said. “But you don’t need to eat meat, do you? I can’t remember eating any meat when I was a human.”
“Technically no,” I said. “Humans need a lot of different nutrients to stay healthy, but it doesn’t have to come from meat. Also, even if you stuck to vegetarian foods, it would take a lot more than a few days before the lack of things found in meat starts taking their toll on humans.”
“Oh, so more like gryphons again. The things they need from meat is available in their substitute,” Twilight said. “I could actually try and get some ordered.”
“That’s an offer I won't hesitate to accept,” I said. “No offence to ponies’ culinary ways, but it feels like I’ve been living on breakfast and snacks.”
“How so?” Twilight asked.
“Bread, pastries, fruits, and milk is all fine and well, but I, and humans in general I guess, want to top of the day with a hearty and warm meal. Meat is almost always supposed to be eaten warm, ergo, it makes sense to have that as a centerpiece in a dinner,” I said.
“Oh. Okay, that makes sense,” Twilight said.
“Yeah, stable eating habits are calming, I guess. So if you wanna get some meat-like foodstuffs over here, go ahead.”
“Well, how about some pie for now?” Twilight asked. “That’s something you can eat warm.”
“Hm, good idea,” I said and flipped over to the different pies on offer.
“Mmm,” Twilight whined after a while. “I should’ve decided beforehoof, I can’t decide when I’m hungry. What are you having, Armor?”
“I was thinking of a Club Sandwich,” he said.
‘Club Sandwich, eh? What’s on it?’ I thought as I flipped back through the menu. ‘Clovers?... “Club” Sandwich?… Ugh, someone needs to get hurt for that.’
“Maybe I should have one as well,” Twilight said.
“I don’t suppose you think I could order one with bacon?” I asked.
“What’s bacon?” Twilight asked.
“It’s, ah, cured strips of pig—” I started before catching sight of Armor’s expression. “... It’s meat,” I simply concluded.
“Oh. Then, no,” Twilight said.
The conversation tapered off just in time for the waiter to come by and take our orders.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” I started after the waiter had gone.
“What about?” Twilight asked.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I saw leather straps holding the guards’ armor together back in Canterlot,” I said. “But you two still seemed pretty disgusted by the whole concept.”
“Leather? As in hides?” Armor asked.
“Yes.”
“Uh, no. We don’t have that,” Armor said a bit distractedly with a hard look at something behind me.
I shrugged. “Hm, okay then. Must’ve just looked like it,” I said before noticing what he was looking at. The two mares had approached us, me specifically, with the unicorn standing with a huge grin in front of the somewhat more reluctant-looking earth pony.
“Uh, hey,” I said neutrally with ears at half-mast, worried that saying anything else would make me sound snappy. I had been stared at for a while and my patience with gawkers was running thin.
“Hey!” the unicorn answered. “I was wondering how long you’ve been two-legged,” she asked unabashedly.
I couldn’t quite hold back a snort, but I did manage to keep it small. ‘If you only knew.’
“Long enough,” I muttered.
“So you must’ve learned that hoof trick when you only had two legs,” she said.
“Hoof trick?” I asked.
‘This is one forward pony.’
“Yeah,” she said. “You know, how you form your field like that.”
“Uh,” I started before the earth pony stepped forward.
“Please excuse her,” she said as she nervously pawed at the ground. “It’s just that I showed her some tricks with manipulation fields a while back and ever since then she’s been obsessed with it. She even practises her rear ones to help her walk on only her hind legs when we’re home.”
“Uh,” I started again. There were countless things I could say to that, but nothing seemed like an obvious choice. I decided to go for, “What are you saying?” aimed at the unicorn.
“Bon Bon said that the way you were flipping through the pages of the menu was almost impossible!” the unicorn gushed, and the earth pony’s gaze shifted to the ground. “And she was right! You were holding up three separate pages!”
Armor had shifted his tension from his wings and hooves to his face. I, on the other hand, convinced myself that this was at least a variation from the silent staring. Maybe not a good one, but perhaps shorter lived.
“Perhaps introductions are in order?” Twilight asked pointedly.
“Oh, right! Sorry, Twilight. I’m Lyra Heartstrings, and this is Bon Bon. Nice to meet you,” the unicorn said, still smiling.
“I’m stable and she’s eccentric,” Bon-Bon shot in while looking sideways at her friend.
There was another round of hoof bumps and by now I had started noticing that magical pony hooves had so far never been very dirty. “Well, I’m Gabrielle, pleased to meet you,” I said in a reserved voice, and decided to gesture towards Armor and let him introduce himself rather than do it for him.
“Armor,” he simply said and dipped his head while keeping his gaze on Lyra.
“Wow! ‘Gabb-ree-elle’?” Lyra asked. “What a strange name. Did your parents really name you that? Are you a foreigner? Is that like some secret art where you come from? Were you born like that? Can you show us? Can everypony do that over there?”
“Uh… yes, sort of, I wouldn’t call it that, no, I don’t know, and yes, in a sense,” I answered neutrally.
This seemed to derail her a bit, which I found a bit comical. “What?” she asked, one of her eyebrows emphasizing her innocently confused eyes
“I was answering your questions,” I said.
“Oh, okay. I didn’t catch all that, but can you show me how to do that trick you do with your hoof?” she asked, instantly back to her previous self.
“I don’t know, maybe,” I said with a shrug, looking at the enthusiastic face in front of me. Considering the last barrage of questions I received, I did not feel like clarifying why I have fingers and where I’m from. “It just comes naturally to me.”
“So that should mean that you can,” Lyra said. “Can you teach me?”
“Uh,” I said, quickly closing my mouth before they noticed my teeth.
“Lyra, we’re about to have lunch,” Twilight interjected with only the slightest amount of edge in her voice. “And if I can be so blunt, that question might be better saved for another time.”
“Oh, sure. Right. Well, perhaps another time,” Lyra said. “Okay?”
“Okay,” I conceded in a not-very-committed tone.
“Yeah, it was nice meeting you,” Bon Bon said and put her foreleg around Lyra’s barrel and started leading her away. “See you guys later.”
“See you later,” Lyra said enthusiastically as they left the restaurant.
After we watched them make their exit, I turned to Twilight. “Things are not going swimmingly today,” I commented.
Twilight’s ears folded. “Yeah, I hope you’re not disappointed,” she said.
“A little, perhaps,” I said.
“I was hoping things would go better,” she said. “Yesterday seemed to go so well.”
“Yeah, it did,” I said, thinking back to how fun even the cutie mark crusaders were.
After a pause, Twilight asked, “do you wanna call it a day?”
I thought about this for a moment. “Maybe. Any other place you could think of visiting?” I asked.
“Well, yes,” Twilight said and her ears perked up. “I can show you where the girls live. We could also swing by the hospital and do some tests about your hearing and things like that.”
“Okay,” I said with a smile, thinking that at least Twilight’s friends and Redheart would be nice to see. “By the way, can I show people how to use fingers, so to speak?”
“I think you could,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “With enough practice, you can alter your manipulation field in almost any way. I was never very good with it, though. I always used magic, and before I learned magic I liked using my mouth.”
Stopping myself from seeing something inappropriate in that last part, and realizing that one can spend too much time on the internet, I simply said, “I suppose earth ponies and pegasi tend to be better at using their hooves.”
“Often, yes, but not necessarily,” Twilight said. “Rarity is pretty good. Pinkie Pie is almost disturbingly good, of course.”
“Of course,” I said, nodding in agreement.
Lunch arrived right about then, and the conversation slowed down as we ate. Which I didn’t mind as I savored the feeling of filling my stomach with something warm. It was a really good pie.
“Can you hurt your manipulation field?” I asked.
“Uh, well, it’s magic, so things that damage magic can damage it,” Twilight said. “Which is rare, by the way, but trying to physically hurt it just disperses it.”
“What happens when it disperses, then?” I asked.
“Nothing, it just reforms when you want it to,” Twilight said with a shrug.
I hmmed and looked at my hoof. Chewing a piece of pie as I contemplated an experiment. “I can feel things with it, kind of, at least,” I said. “Can it feel pain?”
“Yeah, by something that would damage magic,” Twilight said.
“So if I was to try and twist it in a shape it won’t bend, nothing would really happen?” I asked.
“It, well, there is no way it won’t bend,” Twilight said. “So no.”
As I chewed my food, I projected myself into my horn. I folded in all my fingers except my pinky finger and put my hoof against the table, then I rolled my hoof against my pinky, bending it in what if I was a human would be ninety degrees too far in the wrong way.
I let out a startled giggle as I felt an intense tickling sensation. “That was weird,” I said.
“What was?” Armor asked, sounding a bit alarmed.
“I just tried something that would’ve hurt a lot if I was a human,” I said and saw his worried face. “Don’t look so worried, I’m fine,” I said and inspected my alarmingly bent finger. Beyond the angle there was of course nothing to indicate that it was damaged in any way. No swelling, no bruising, and no pain.
“You can see me?” he said.
Just like last time, I realized that I had my eye closed. “Uh, yeah. Heh, Redheart asked that exact same question once.”
I looked at my pinky again and willed it back in position. It took a little time before it responded and I figured that it was because it was in a position it had never been in before, luckily. I curled my fingers up again and put my hoof down on the table. The fingers smoothly went up into my frog and seemingly simply joined the rest of the magic that coursed through me. ‘Okay, I guess that explains why I didn’t trip over them the few times I’ve stood up.’
“Very educational day, today,” I said.
“That’s always something,” Twilight said sympathetically.
“Yeah, can you guys show me your fields?” I asked.
“How about you do it, Armor?” Twilight asked. “I’m pretty sure that you’re better than me.”
“Uh, okay,” Armor said. “What do I do?”
“Just use your hooves to grab your sandwich,” I said.
I inspected Armor’s manipulation fields as we ate, they were more like single, prehensile tendrils coming out of his hooves. I willed out my own field and at the first try managed to reform the fingers into similar tendrils.
“Uh, Gabe?” Armor asked in a worried voice after I had tried wrapping my tendrils like ropes around the fork and taken a bite, then reformed them into fingers. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I de-projected myself from my horn and looked at Armor’s worried face. “Uh, yeah. It’s a bit disorienting, but in some ways I can see better with my horn than my eye,” I said. “Which is comforting when you’re using your spare.”
“She’s sensing magic around her,” Twilight clarified.
“Oh,” Armor said, his eyes widening slightly in realization. “I know about that, this guy back in my unit got training for special assignments because he could do that. I remember he did target practice with his eyes closed, to show off.”
I felt like scoffing until I realized that that could be a very good advantage for military people. “Is that smart?” I asked. “If it’s a subtle ability, wouldn’t it be, uh, prudent to keep a potential advantage like that secret?”
Armor shrugged. “Well, yeah, but he just showed off to the rest of the unit, and we all knew about it. And I thought it was cool.”
I just conceded with a shrug of my own before projecting myself into my horn again. “Okay, now eat your sandwich,” I commanded and he picked it up again.
Armor’s manipulation fields were a bit like prehensile, chubby mittens, enough to manipulate a spear, but not enough to do any fancy one-hoofed spins like a kung fu master in the movies.
“The manipulation fields are pretty wide when held close to the hoof, and we use that to hold our shoes in place when we’re using them,” Twilight said. “I guess this hasn’t come up yet, but if you’ve been walking around outside, it’s considered good manners to push away any dirt you have on your hooves before entering somepony’s home.”
“You wear shoes? Like horseshoes?” I asked.
“Yes, though you won’t see many ponies here in town with shoes. They’re mostly for when you’re traveling,” Twilight said.
“Okay, and what’s that thing with pushing away dirt?”
“Oh, you just extend your field out from your hoof and you push away any dirt that’s been caked there,” Twilight said.
“Huh,” I said and gave it a try with some crumbs from my pie. “Neat.”
“You should still wash regularly, though,” Twilight said.
“Yeah, I’m all about the hygiene. Remember, I worked in a hospital,” I said and thought some more as I slowly chewed the last few pieces of my lunch. “So, this whole thing with manipulation fields is magic, right?”
“Of course,” Twilight said and nodded.
I decided to deproject myself, thinking it might be a bit disconcerting to have a conversation with someone who’s seemingly lost in thought with their eyes closed. “So why can I only wheel myself across the street before needing a break, while I can wave this thing around for ages without feeling anything?”
“Probably because your magical energy recovers faster than your manipulation fields spend it,” Twilight said, looking thoughtful. “Which implies that your control over it is absolutely incredible.”
“Really?” I said, my eye widening a bit.
“I would think so,” Twilight said. “It makes sense to me. You can spend your life studying magic, fingers must be another field like that.”
“Uh,” I said, looking a bit skeptical. “Well, I guess sleight-of-hand tricks would seem pretty impressive to people with hooves, but I’m not sure a lot of people study hands all that much,” I said before realizing how dismissive that would sound of people I’ve worked with. “Except orthopedic specialists, of course,” I quickly conceded.
“Maybe not, but remember that humans use their hands for pretty much everything, they practice endlessly. Believe me, fingers aren’t easy to learn how to use well. I had to write with my mouth when I was a human.”
‘Okay, I guess I have had a lot of practice compared to ponies, a third of which don’t need to use their equivalent for hands and the rest using their mouths or wings half the time.’
“I would like to see that, actually;” I said.
“I can show you, back at the library,” Twilight said with a smile. “Anyway, have you both finished? I’ve got the bill.”
-
So we eventually found ourselves in Rarity’s "Carousel Boutique", after a visit to the hospital. It couldn’t have been an all that busy hospital, because after we explained the reason for our visit at the front desk, we waited for about a minute before Redheart came by and wheeled me away for some tests. I was relieved about that, because testing my digestive tract naturally meant doing something that Redheart had already seen me do and which I would like to keep as few people as possible involved with– collecting a stool sample.
And it turned out that yes, my hearing is very sharp, and for entirely mundane reasons. Sort of, at least. It was just their physical shape that was behind it. It should’ve gone without saying, I guess. It was like I suddenly had ear trumpets permanently attached to me. Fuzzy, adorable ones that I could do the wave with.
“I must admit that I am a little disappointed in Ponyville,” Rarity said while holding up different fabrics against my coat with scrutinizing expression behind a pair of glasses, after Twilight had described the day as it had been progressing earlier.
“Well, to be fair it was the same in Canterlot,” I said.
Rarity looked up at me in with a surprised look. “You noticed that?”
“Uh, yes?” I said, confused.
“When we were making our way back to Ponyville,” Twilight clarified.
“Oh, of course,” Rarity said and eyed her work again. “Canterlot is a very tolerant city in many ways, with many movements, a lot of artistry, and a lot of acceptance of the unusual, but some things do catch ponies’ eyes,” she continued and suddenly looked up in my eye again with folded ears. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean anything by ‘unusual’.”
I tried not being affected, but like when I met Redheart earlier, I couldn’t help but savor someone finally being socially conscious after the market. “It’s fine,” I said with a smile that probably seemed a little bit too relieved.
Rarity gave me a relieved look in turn before continuing. “And I know how you’re an adult human, Gabrielle, but to us you look like a foal. Any pony with your… distinctive features would be the target of a lot of attention, and it’s worse on a foal. Much worse.”
I leaned back in my chair and let out a small sigh. “One of the strange things about all this is that I agree,” I said and noticed everyone’s alarmed expression. “In a way, I mean,” I said and gestured down at me. “To me, I am very strange right now. Not for the same reasons as ponies think, but still.”
I took stock of the day and decided to drop the facade. I let out a sigh and deflated a bit. “I don’t like sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. More than a little bit here and there, at least, but today’s been a bit of a disappointment,” I said and absently studied Rarity’s carpet.
Rarity looked at me above the rim of her glasses with sympathy in her eyes.. “Yes, it’s difficult to be judged by strangers who don’t understand you,” she said. “But the strange and shocking often becomes accepted and ordinary sooner than one might think.”
I figured that she was probably right, but that didn’t make me feel better right at that moment. Like a child, I just wanted to just… not exactly hate everything around me, but perhaps wallow in my poutiness, at least for a while.
I knew it was childish, though, but one of the few comforts was that I could act, or refuse to act on my childish desires. The knowledge that losing my adult form didn’t strip me of my ability to detect these childish impulses and deny them helped too.
“I don’t wanna lament. Or rather, I don’t want to want to lament, but right now I just feel like leaving Ponyville alone,” I said.
“You want to go back to Canterlot?” Twilight asked with droopy ears.
“No, but I also don’t wanna go where I’m not welcome,” I said.
“But… the ponies of Ponyville are wonderful when you get to know them,” Twilight protested, clearly not wanting to argue too firmly.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said and looked firmly at Twilight. “I’m not gonna give up because of this, but… ah, look, right now I’m feeling really pouty, and that’s not something that’s easy to deal with even when you don’t suddenly find yourself in the body of a child. I’m not thinking that the ponies of Ponyville can… go buck themselves. But at the same time,” I said and looked away in slight shame. “I kinda do.”
The three grown ponies looked both relieved and disheartened, with Twilight showing it the most and Armor the least. “I understand,” Twilight said. “We’ll think of something.”
“Thanks. Now, I don’t know about ponies, but for a human, telling people that you’re sulky isn’t easy even for an adult, especially when you are, so let’s drop this, please.”
“Of course,” Rarity said and went back to work. “You’ve made an admirable attempt today. Just relax for now, and try again another time.”
I let out a small sigh. “Yeah,” I simply said, perhaps a bit noncommittally.
“Don’t worry, dear. You get along just fine with us and Redheart, don’t you? And Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and my sister liked you quite a bit.”
“Yeah,” I said with a bit more life in my voice. But I couldn’t bring myself to continue with, "I liked them, too".
“So don’t worry yourself any more today, Gabe”— I had decided to extend the nickname-invitation to everyone I knew so far, and get it over with —“I have a feeling that tomorrow will be much better.,” she said, with a touch of slyness in her voice.
That wasn’t very subtle of her, but she seemed to find such joy in giving, and I decided to humor her. ‘Also, there was the thing with her generosity marking her as a bearer of a nigh all-powerful magical artefact. What if the fate of the world relied on her being able to give things to those around her? Best not denying gifts if it could mean unraveling the fabrics of reality or something.’
“Right,” I just said and kept my smirk small.
“So tell me about our favorite trooper’s uncle, instead,” Rarity said. “It seems to have been a much more productive meeting.”
“You could say that,” I said. “He enchants metal instead of gems, but he still says he can try and help out.”
“Really?” Rarity said and walked over to a desk and jotted down some notes.
“Yup, I guess he’s gonna be both mine and Twilight’s sensei,” I said.
“Oh?” Rarity said and turned to Twilight. “I didn’t figure that there would be much about magic for you to learn in little Ponyville, Twilight.”
Twilight just smiled at that. “I’ve found that there’re things to learn just about everywhere,” she said. “And I’ve never learned from a dedicated enchanter before.”
“So how does he plan on helping?”
“Well, he more or less confirmed that prostheses can be created through enchanting, and while he doesn't know how, with his help we should be able to figure it out much sooner,” Twilight said.
Rarity seemed lost in thoughts for a moment after that before turning to me. “Gabe, dear, I hope I won’t offend when I say this, but, well, when we visited the Crystal Empire, we temporarily took on a crystalline appearance, and if you make enchanted replacements for…” she said before tapering off with her ears drooping.
“My right legs,” I helpfully filled in. “If I ever feel like I don’t want anyone talking about them near me, I’ll tell you.”
This shook Rarity out of her disorientation. “Ehm, yes, of course, if— when you make replacements for your, uh, legs, please don’t hesitate to come to me. I would absolutely love to create an ensemble that makes the most of your appearance. The crystalline appearance we had in the Crystal Empire was absolutely marvelous,” she said, her gaze distant and her voice brimming with anticipation, which I guess meant that, since she was Rarity, she was moderately excited. “I would relish the opportunity to make the most of such a unique, asymmetrical challenge.”
I wasn’t horrified by the thought, but I wasn’t jumping up and down, either. “I would also appreciate it if they could be a bit discreet when the situation calls for it,” I said.
Rarity was, once again, pulled back into reality. “Why, yes, that shouldn’t be too hard,” she said. “I don’t know how a prosthetic leg would look, but if it shares the proportions of a normal one, I should be able to make it look nigh indistinguishable from any other with little problem.”
“Thanks, Rarity,” I said and smiled before I remembered how the conversation with Scrap ended earlier. “Though now I’ve pretty much commissioned you too without knowing what you’d charge.”
Rarity looked at me with overwhelming confidence. “Darling, let me base the headdress of my upcoming creation on your mane and it shall become such a success that I should be paying you.”
I touched the top of my mane, or at least I tried to, I couldn’t reach it without pulling it down a bit, and smiled. “Deal.”
-
Later that afternoon, we had made our way back to Golden Oaks. The meeting with Rarity had raised my spirits a bit, and further fueled my desire to study enchanting. Golden Oaks was almost on the other side of town from Carousel Boutique, though, and while we didn’t pass through the market, there were still plenty of ponies staring at me, and the irritation from earlier today seeped back into me. ‘They just had to ruin the mood, didn’t they?’
I knew that no one meant anything by it, but I still wanted to get away from there and just be alone. So I made my way, or rather, I had to ask Armor to help me make my way up the stairs to my new room. I sat at the near empty desk by the window with the book I had read on the train, and some gems and small knick knacks to periodically practice my magic on whenever it felt refreshed.
I wasn’t seething by the time Armor had finished setting up the folding bed in the small room next to this one (which he of course hadn’t raised the slightest objection about) and walked in to take his place in the corner in case he was needed. But my determination to study partially stemmed from the disappointment I had felt today. So it was a bit hard to read the book without stewing in the annoyance I had felt today.
‘I’m not gonna waste any time. I can be a complete person again. Ten years spent limping through life and I’m sick of it! Gonna miss the bus? Too bad you can’t run. Press these three keys to log in. Yeah, thanks for that. See movies in 3D! It’s the next big thing! One eye sees one image and the other eye sees another. Pray tell, what other eye? No more. No stink eyes and pitying looks when I can’t pack my grocery bags as fast as everyone else. No ruining pocket books to be able to hold them open properly. Opening a bottle won’t be a five minutes long project.
‘And I’m apparently just! So! Fascinating! To look at! Why not go all the way and push me to the ground to see how I’ll get up? Well, I don’t need them. I’m gonna make my own prostheses and they’re gonna be better than real limbs. I’m not gonna need anyone’s help anymore. I’m gonna take care of myself. I’m gonna—’ I stopped my trail of thought and noticed how deep and agitated my breathing had become. I looked over to where Armor waited patiently. Always there, always willing to help and expecting nothing in return. I looked away and let out a long sigh.
“Armor,” I said.
“Yes, Gabe?” he said without the slightest bit of hesitation.
“Thank you.”
“What fo-” he started before I cut him off.
“And I’m sorry,” I said and looked him in the eye.
He cocked his head with a slightly worried look. “... Gabe?”
“I just… I feel I should apologize,” I said. “I’m sitting here and thinking that soon, I won’t be needing anyone’s help. And you’re just standing there, still willing to help me with anything.”
He looked at the carpet and visibly struggled for a moment to find the words. “You’re gonna use your talents to create something amazing that can help both yourself and anypony in your situation. I don’t see why you would apologize for that.”
“I think I’ve been taking you for granted,” I said.
“Well, uh, I’m a guard,” he said. “I’m supposed to be taken for granted.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be grateful. I guess what I’m saying is that while I don’t want to rely on you or anypony else the way I do, I’m still really grateful that you’re here. I’ve had personal caretakers before, and I gotta say that you’re the best one I’ve had. I'm really lucky you're here.”
“Oh, uh,” he said and showed an awkward smile. “You’re welcome, Gabe.”
“Gee, now I feel even worse,” I said when I saw his reaction.
“Why?” he asked, sounding extra confused.
“I just realized I’ve hardly ever seen you smile.”
He looked taken aback before relaxing with a larger, genuine smile. “Don’t worry about that,” he said. “That’s part of training, so that’s sarge’s fault.”
“Right,” I said with a smile of my own. “There was a bit too much hugging for my tastes yesterday. This doesn’t feel like a touchy-feely moment, does it?”
Armor just shrugged. “Could go either way, I guess. And don’t worry about that either. If either of us wants a hug, we could just visit Miss Pie.”
I let out a small laugh at that. “Alright. Now, unless you want to continue to make me feel bad, I recommend you find some way to do anything other than stand around while I’m reading.”
Armor looked towards the door to the main hall of the library before growing a little smirk on his face. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am,” he said with a smart salute before walking down to the actual library part of Golden Oaks.
‘Redheart and Princess Celestia might be kindness incarnate, but Armor’s not doing a bad job of cheering me up either,’ I thought, grateful that his mere presence calmed me down enough to study properly.
I jerked my attention away from the book when I realized how grateful I was to the stallion. ‘Hmm… still no tingle anywhere. Well, I’m how old in pony years? Nine? Twelve?. I guess it goes without saying that I don't have to worry about that right now Maybe someday.’ I thought with a smile.
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Got to admit, I love your hoof magic concepts. Resisting the urge to steal them and run off into the night crackling.
Ponyville, for shame. All sorts of mixed reactions though. The majority was 'for shame' worthy, Lyra was amusing though. It's nice to see Armor getting more and more casual though, rather then the awkward forced solemnity/formality he was keeping up before.
6490678 I'd like to see anyone run 'crackling', though
(Also, as I've said in the ANs, the hoof-fields are lifted almost wholly from A Changed Life)
But don't think too harshly about Ponyville. They were just staring at something they hadn't seen before. Once they get over it, most of them are probably gonna be as friendly to Gabe as they would to anyone else. Gabe certainly don't like the staring, though, so I guess that means that my narration through her point of view is working
6490693 I know I recognized the concept! So I can run off crackling... Wait, no... cackling... I keep making that mistake... Maybe I can crackle some crinkling paper as I run?
I figure they will get over it. And Pinkie will help if they don't. Still, first impressions and all.
Hah, Lyra has no tact. Then again, quite a few of the ponies seem to be missing that trait. Those flower vendors were terrible. Very cool chapter.
6490758 Or over firecrackers
There could be a friendship-lesson about how to not let first impressions matter too much, but I'm sure they've already learned that
(also, it might be somepony else that helps instead of Pinkie)
6490759 They're gonna come around. And thanks
I wonder if the dream was a possible vision of the future
6490910 Do you want me to confirm/deny that?
I forgot this story existed, but I'm definitely glad to see it updating, and I enjoyed the chapter.
6491026 Really? Cause this story remembered you. And thank you
6491016 meh
6491055 Such engagement!
I guess I won't, then
6491081 sorry was on break, now I'm not
Not to detract from the emotion of the paragraph but, given that she's lost an eye, an arm, and a leg, did anyone think "Six Million Dollar Mare" when reading this?
I was very happy to see had updated today on my day off. Been a bit of a bum day, and this perked me right up.
Also...
I ship Gabe and Armor...
searchjokes.com/img/pics/20140812_112621_baffbfc_article.jpg
Nice chapter.
WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?
In Amending fences, Lyra is supposed toi have known Twilight long ago.
This is easily one of my favorite stories on the site. It's just so... pleasant!
6474391
To pick that back up and clarify, I dislike pointing out anything about a story unless I feel it deserves mentioning - it stuck out to me in some way, either good or bad. Mostly, that tends to be either significant flaws or particularly comical moments and well-done literary flourishes - clever allusions and references, an especially pointed turn of phrase or really anything I find particularly well-executed in writing terms. About this story, your handling of magic was one of those things - which is why I brought it up when I found it pertinent and, I think, appropriately complimented it. I find this story fun and readable but, if you'll forgive me for saying, it is also pretty average. There's little about it that stands out on the whole, and being a slice of life story, the plot hasn't really gone much of anywhere yet. There simply isn't much for me to comment on. Point in case being this chapter. I found it an enjoyable read, but I also really can't think of anything I'd particularly find in need of mentioning. Even the food talk is kind of generic. (I'll fight you over that liver thing, though. Stewed chicken liver and onions is delicious.)
In all fairness, I would have mentioned the whole disability angle, because I personally like the even-handed way you've gone about it - neither cloyingly sentimental nor dismissive. I don't really have any real personal experience with physical or non-age related disabilities, though, and without knowing how people with them would like them to be treated, I don't feel comfortable saying much about it. I don't want to upset anyone unnecessarily. I'm admittedly a blunt kind of person, but I'm not that kind of asshole.
If a physicist found himself in Equestria I believe teleportation would be the least of his worries...
Wait until they tell you their city naming conventions...
Best excuse to accept a gift, ever.
Oooh, this is gonna be a long message.
6491087 I'll refrain from revealing anything until I hear someone wish otherwise. In fact, this is foreshadowing for a grand adventure I've got planned, so maybe I should refrain from revealing anything, period.
6491417 She was using the magic in her hooves during dinner, not her horn. Her magic currently has couch potato-status and is gonna need a lot of training, but her control over the magical hoof-fields are so great that its drain on her magical reserves are negligible. So, using her horn: exhausting, using her
hooveshoof: piece of cake.6491433 There are so many references I could make when it actually happens, I'm afraid I'll be lost when I get there
6491716 My art, man. It, like, does things to people.
It took some 120000 words to get one week into the story. How much text is it gonna take before Gabe's ready for physical romance?
You're all about the memes, aren't you?
6492254 You helped
6492398 Hasn't happened yet. Twilight haven't been reminded that she knows her from before Ponyville. Yeah, she's weird like that.
6492444 My art, man. It, like, does things to people (Yes, I plan on making this my signature phrase). We need stories like that, too. Can't all be futa and stories about the main characters being suicidal
6493053 Fair enough. And I'd forgive you for saying it was average if that wasn't in some ways what I was aiming for. To take a HiE-Slice of Life and just make it the best I can.
I hardly know anything about disabilities either. I'm not disabled myself and I don't know anyone who is. Never even had to wear a cast.
6493496 Oho! Don't hold back, buddy
6493588 Gabe sympathizes. It's hard being a narrator who doesn't share the writer's humor
6493812 You don't carry the elements anymore!
6493901
I wonder what kind of gravity Equestria's got if their sun orbits the planet. Wait, I guess that joke's already been made enough times. Both about Equestria and Celestia's flank.
There was a reason she skimmed through that book in the hospital.
Please allow me to accept this gift, in the name of keeping the underlying math of the universe consistent and atoms spinning. Also, thanks for the heads-up with the typo.
6494152
Still doesn't mean I can't like the chapter too.
6494152
Well, I can only say you've certainly succeeded beautifully, then. How much you consider that to be a compliment is, of course, up to you.
I am hardly in a position to judge, but given that, I'd say you've done a solid job with it. Substantially better than the vast majority of stories with that theme that I've ever read, at least. You'd think it shouldn't be that difficult to simply not be a shallow and offensive dick, but you know what people can be like.
6494176 No. In fact, I'd hope that means that you can't not like the chapter. Or at least that you'd tell me before I publish if that's the case.
6494206
It always is
Indeed.
... Sorry
, I won't say I'm not insinuating anything, but I will say I did it for humor's sake. But, I can only clearly remember three stories with disabled protagonists. All of them about blindness. Hmm, I wonder if it's an underdeveloped niche?
6494954
Well, duh. Of course you would have known if I didn't like it before it was published.
Oh, and three hundred and first comment! Which is better than seconded.
6494954
Haha, don't worry. I was completely aware of the irony when I said that and it's exactly the kind of joke I would make about myself, too. I object to being called shallow, though.
Somewhat. Personally, I'd rather it stay that way, though. It always seems a bit exploitative to me even when it is done well. The disabled already have enough problems to deal with without someone also reducing them to an audience hook.
6494974 Who knows? Maybe you're sabotaging. I should point out that if you are, you're good at it. I'm barely suspecting a thing
6496775 I'd better keep this as classy as I can, then. It would be a sadly ironic to write FiM-fanfiction that's not socially conscious.
6497170 It might take a few days before I get to it. I'm up to my... not neck, but at least my waist in schoolwork. Is it mostly typos, or is it other problems? If that google docs import-function is acting up again, I shall be mildly infuriated.
6497961
Hahaha, you know, you're one of the very few people I've met here who even acknowledge that little fact. Raises my opinion of you right there.
6497973 Likewise. I'm gonna shoot straight and admit that during your earlier, more critical comments, I kinda wanted you to just go away. But like fungi, I guess you grow on people
Now I'm curious who you've met here that isn't socially conscious, but I guess one shouldn't badmouth people who aren't around to defend themselves.
6497990
I also smell vaguely musty.
Oh, trust me, the guys in "Humans are Superior" etc. know exactly what I think of them already. I'm sure they won't mind. I'm better at being funny than I am at being annoying, though, so nobody in charge has deigned to kick me out yet. Personally, I think the same thing applies to most of this site.
6497996 Hmm. I've always enjoyed the thing with ponies being amazed at human technology, and I have to admit that the parts of Your Human And You that I read made me play with the thought of a revenge-fic. It would probably have been a comedy, though.
By the way. you remember when you objected to being called shallow?
6498017
I can't say I don't enjoy them, but a lot of them are something of a guilty pleasure to me. Many are just too obviously self-congratulatory and smug. It's a nice antidote to the "ponies are just oh so very perfect and magical and Just Better" kind of story, but it always leaves me feeling vaguely dirty. You know, like a strip club.
Quiet, you, or I will put my Bitch Mark on this story. You are, of course, welcome to join and bear the Tramp Stamp of Shame on your own accord.
Honestly, I have to say, even if we don't agree on everything, in terms of being able to cope with and respond to criticism, you're in my top 5 here. Handyman, sunnypack and Lord of Dorkness are as good about it, but most people I've talked to here? Distinctly aren't. I really hate people who take themselves all seriously all the time and never know when to start laughing at themselves. Incidentally, I hope Jibril and Discord will become best friends.
6498046
Agreed, though there are a few good ones. And I tried inserting mild cases of both elements here in MLAABQ.
Why, thank you
I've been quasi-lurking here, so I'm not very familiar with the big names around here, or how passionate people in general are about their stories, but I'll take your word for it.
That said, I'm not unsympathetic to people who get upset by blunt criticism. We all have a finite amount of time and they could've spent all those hours they spend on their stories earning money, or playing Angry Birds, or putting those blue lights on the underside of their cars. It's also kinda hard for people to not resent those who insults them, and few want to submit to the wisdom of those they resent. Hence why I hold that tactful critique is what help people improve their craft the most.
I try to stay classy, though. I've found that the results speak for themselves.
6497170 I am not a proofreader, nor am I an editor. Busstop knows this. While he put the author's note wrong, it does not change the fact that I only assist in pre-reading stuff. Yes, along with giving suggestions and being a sounding board, I do help point out errors when I see them. Key word is... when I see them. I don't know all the grammar rules and stuff to be an actual editor.
6497961 I did tell you to actually copy and paste it into the fimfic chapter. The only thing then is you have to manually do any formatting like italics.
6498187 *whines* but it worked so well with the last chapter
Hey, look how literary savvy I am. I don't even know the difference between a pre-reader and a proof-reader
6498284 Lol, they are all kinda intermingled and I think it really depends on the person what they want to call it. Personally, I have proofreaders as in between editors and pre-readers. Basically they just do more editing/are better at finding it.
Your right it did work well last chapter. I thought we did good this one too. I mean I marked everything I noticed. Unless some of the stuff I marked didn't make it back to your main document. But, I am still sure I missed stuff. Sorry. I do try my best.
6498317 That's okay. I did rush the last two scenes.
6498337 I know. I didn't even get to see them till they were posted here.
Oh well. I still think it was a good chapter.
Ponyville's reactions are unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. Still, I would expect the flower salesponys to at least have some conversation skills when addressing a two-limbed pony. I guess that's OK, as long as they don't whisper how "evil" Gabe is (as was the case with Zecora), because she just might become evil... I know I would!
6500580 You mean you'd show them? You'd show them all?
The flower-trio said plenty during the conversation. It's just that none of it left their heads.
A nice and enjoyable story so far. A calm pace that yet kept things interesting.
Thumbs up.
6507965 Thank you
A HiE-story going 'tourist-mode' is usually frowned upon here on Fimficion, but I'm gonna make it as well as I can.
6514282 Thank you
And don't worry, it'll be here.
6508094
Tourist-mode isn't a bad thing. Getting boring is and this story is most certainly not boring. Between all the special snowflakes fighting the ultimate evil around here on FimFic, a few tourist-y fics are just what the doctor ordered to balance everything out. That said, I do wonder if Gabe will figure out how you use her hoof-field to power the wheelchair; seeing as how her magic has little endurance as opposed to the hoof manipulation fields being the opposite (If she could reach, she could stick her hooves over the center of the wheels and spin her "hands" round and round).
As for true prosthetics, we don't have magic here, just technology. I'm pretty sure even her early attempts will be magnitudes more advanced than anything possible back on Earth; I'm thinking about the eyes mainly. Wetware interfaces are still painfully primitive and prohibitive in expense. Legs will be easy, it's the ones that require a mind-machine link that'll be the most annoying to puzzle out.
6516322 Man, Gabe is such a special snowflake!
I've never been in a wheelchair, but wouldn't that just make her spin round and round? I've already made a Dead or Alive-reference
Yeah, speaking as someone who barely knows anything about prostheses and wetwares, I wish more effort would be put into making better replacement-limbs. Cyborgs are kewl, man. Also, the little research I've done into the subject made me feel that far too much effort is placed into making prostheses look life-like, often with more priority than function. I might be weird like this, but I would pick Furiosa's junk-limb over one of those non-moving plastic things any day.
Though I won't say that no effort is put into advancing cybernetics. From what I've learned about cochlear-implants, they seem pretty rad.
Gabe can probably make her upcoming body-parts function when away from her as well. In fact, maybe I should write down the scene where Spike get's real confused after he accidentally bumps into a shelf by the stairs and something starts rolling down it and Gabe takes a fight-or-flight pose and starts hyperventilating with a panicked expression.
Spike: "Uuh, what's going on with you?"
Gabe: *pant* *pant* *pant*... "Haaaah... You knocked my eye down the stairs."
6516326 That sounds legit, actually.
Anyway, is that better?
6519043
I recall in another fic where Twilight was blinded for some length of time and created a "wizard's eye" enchantment. It took the form of a band around her head at the 'third eye' level, looking a bit like a magic circle rather than a stylized eye, that would zip to and fro giving her 360-degree vision in pony's optical and other types of vision (magic/life aura detection usually). It was quite entertaining watching her freak out friends and strangers with that magic eye darting to lock onto the speaker as Twilight's head didn't move-- she literally had an eye on the back of her head (for all intents and purposes).
Another pet theory I've cobbled together borrows from echolocation so a blind unicorn can send out a magic-based ping from their horn and build a map of the space they're in (the rate of pinging could be slow to very fast). The effect being silent and using little magic so it might appear as momentary use of levitation, if that shows at all. Not unlike an IR burst that we can't see, although I understand bees have near-infra-red and ultra-violet vision. Hmm, I wonder if changelings have that too? Bees see flowers a lot differently than us, so maybe a changeling's apparently bland black carapace is quite vibrant and unique to the 'ling when you expand the visual spectrum thus allowing them to tell each other apart on sight alone... Hmm... an interesting tidbit to liven up world-building fiction?
6520213 Was it a good fic? What's it called?
That's an interesting concept, especially the thing with the changelings, I won't say if changelings are gonna appear in this story, though
Lucky for Gabe, she won't have to learn any magic echolocation-spell. She can already orient herself with magic should she lose her remaining eye.
6522492 Maybe time in the EqG-verse works like Death's realm in Discworld, where it's recyclable so there is no past or future, just the eternal now. That might explain why the counterparts of an accomplished scientist, scholar, and monarch, together with a renowned fashion-designer, a mare who admirably runs a farm while filling a mother-role to her little sister and... the list goes on, are still in high-school there. And yes, that is really dark
6523537 'Human' and 'unicorn' are just designations, her identity is unchanged. She's still Gabrielle 'Gabe' Desrochers, no mind-wipe or anything.
Besides, I've read Joseph Campbell and decided to save the Refusal Of The Call for later
6523555 I don't think I conveyed what I wanted to.
Nurse Redheart was really eager on getting Gabe to say "I'm a unicorn pony with magic now!" and felt really irreverent when her whole world was rocked a day or two before, like she was trying to destroy what Gabe thought of herself as. "You aren't what you have considered yourself up until this point, you are this thing you are now!" If she wasn't trying to destroy Gabe's identity, she wouldn't have pressured her to stop referring to herself as human.
As a personal aside, I find the idea that ponies are really long-lived is really foreign. I'm not knocking the story and it's not wrong to have it, and actually it deconstructs and plays with which is cool (unlike some other stories where it's just a gimmick), I just felt like I needed to say it.
Overall the story is pretty good. Pacing is fine, characterization is fine, none-to-few errors, and the story is fine. The opening was a little clunky but that's par for the course. The zecora-and-timberwolves-right-after-being-dragged-to-equestria is something I hadn't read anything like before (that or remember reading), so +1 for originality. I feel it would have been more suspenseful if it didn't cut to the Mane 6, and that action was revealed as a recounting. Not many stories about people in the medical profession, so that's neat. It's a story that fits its breeches just right.