A Dragon Dreaming
Chapter 33
A Dragon Dreaming
"Say what?!" The rainbow maned blue mare exasperated, throwing her forehooves forward while her wings flapped fretfully to keep her aloft. "What do you mean 'She's going to be a while'? I have to meet up with Lt. Fast n’ Fit for Wonderbolts Reserves training!"
Fluttershy pulled back from Rainbow Dash. "Well," she began, her front left hoof started dragging in small circles on some loose soil while avoiding direct eye contact. "It turns out that H.B. has super hard hooves... so hard in fact that the farrier had to get the file meant for crystal ponies," She gave her a hesitant glance, the once circling hoof now lightly tamping the ground. "And even that was barely doing anything..."
Rainbow Dash scowled and rubbed her face. "So... how long are we talking here? Cause... this-" She made a sweeping motion to a variable of obstacle course-like activities strewn in a somewhat haphazard manner throughout the park. "-this took me all morning to set up!"
"Oh..." Fluttershy covered her mouth pensively, taking in all that her friend had done in such a large period of invested time. "That is quite a ... lot of activities..."
"IIIII might have gone a little overboard... '' Dash admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "But! If we're looking out for Heartbr-"
"H.B.'s" Fluttershy corrected.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Her name is Heartbreak, but she likes to be called H.B." Fluttershy explained, her voice carrying an undercurrent of both exhaustion and irritation. She then flapped her wings, not only to get rid of a small bit of nervous energy but to also create a small breeze to fight the persistent heat.
"Alright, alright," Dash said, throwing her forehooves up in defense. "If we're looking out for H.B.'s health, we need to instill a good, solid exercise regiment! At least that's what the Wonderbolts’ Reserves’ Commander Lt. Fast n’ Fit says!"
"Well, I mean..." Fluttershy started.
"You want to show H.B. that you care about her, specifically her health, right?" Dash asked, dipping next to her friends’ side while still remaining aloft.
"Well... to be fair... I helped her recover when she was sick..." Fluttershy said, a touch of snip in her voice.
Rainbow crossed her forehooves before wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. "Yeah and that's great! I'm not saying that that's not something, but you want her to stay healthy, right?"
"Well, of course I do..."
"Then we need to get her on the right track! After all there's loads of health problems that an inactive pony can face: strangles, EPHV, colic, heaves, and even laminitis!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Fluttershy looked horrified at the mention of each affliction, but especially at the mention of the last one. "Oh... oh dear... That would be just awful! H.B. already has trouble with walking as it is!"
"Right!" Rainbow stopped mid-thought. "Wait, really?" she asked, incredulously.
"Oh yes," Fluttershy answered.
"Huh, I would have thought she would have gotten used to that by now..." The wide-eyed pegasus landed and tapped her chin in bemusement. "Good thing she's an earth pony and not a pegasus, otherwise we'd never be able to get her off the ground!" Dash joked.
"Rainbow Dash! How can you say something like that?! You know that H.B. is absolutely terrified of heights!" Fluttershy scowled before she shied back. “Sorry... it’s just... there’s been... well... I mean... sorry...”
“It’s fine... I... kinda forgot about how she got here... it feels like forever... But-” Shame crossed Rainbow's face and she rubbed the back of her head while her ears fell. "Ha... yeah, I guess that falling from-"
Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth and made a quiet 'ssshing' sound as two ponies- a Mother and son- that she recognized as Orange Marmalade and Mars Orange came into view.
"-From a tree that tall and into a glass plane would give any pony a fear of heights!" Dash said uncomfortably as the citrusy ponies passed by.
Marmalade stopped, pulled her sunglasses down, and looked at the pale yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy!" She exclaimed with a sickeningly saccharine voice. "How have you been?" She covered her mouth fiending concern before that hoof entered far too close to the pegasus’ marginal and secondary coverts on her left wing. "Oh dear,” her tongue clicked and she smoothed her hoof over the appendage in an attempt to seem motherly. “I thought that spring molt was over for pegasi!"
Fluttershy ruffled her feathers and pulled away from the rather loud curly maned mare who smelled a little too strongly of burgamount and cloves. "Yes... it is..." she muttered, flapping her wings self consciously, a few loose feathers falling.
"Then you must be terribly stressed," Marmalade tsked, picking one of the said feathers up with her hoof, twirling it about, before discarding it to the stiflingly warm and humid, though barely felt summer breeze. "You should get yourself to the spa! Maybe that one handsome stallion is in and he can give you a full massage and a preenin'.." She grinned suggestively. "I know if I had the wing span I would most certainly let him preen-"
"Ahem!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, zipping to make eye contact with the interloper as she saw her friend growing increasingly uncomfortable.
Marmalade stopped in a way that suggested that the record of her brain had skipped and needed to be reset. "Oh, yes..." her hoof twirled in the air, grasping for something. "Rainbow... Th-rash... was it?" she asked, adjusting her large lemony yellow sun hat.
"Dash. Rainbow Dash," The pony snorted, her wings flicking and her ears pinning with hostility.
"Riiight..." Marmalade began, trying to keep her voice as syrupy as she could with such body language. "Rainbow Dash..."
"Yeah, do you need something? Because me and my friend-"
"My friend and I," Fluttershy quietly corrected. "Sorry..." she squeaked when Dash gave her a small glance.
"My friend and I..." Dash continued, her wing reflexively splaying out to highlight the obstacle course’s challenges. "Are kinda in the middle of something important. So, is there something you actually wanted or needed?" she asked, her nostrils momentarily flaring out.
"Oh, right." Marmalade put on her best face and smiled through the dander the tomcolt feather duster was blowing her direction. "Fluttershy, I was hoping to ask if you by chance have seen Heartbreak, and if you have, if you could ask her when she would be open to looking after my darling little Mars..."
"Uhm... well," Fluttershy began, fretfully as she was put on the spot. "I don't- I mean, I can't speak for H.B., but it might be a while before she can do anything like that, on account of her having been so sick recently..."
Marmalade's face crinkled. "Still? Surely if she's under your care she should be well enough to no longer be contagious anymore..."
"I mean... Everypony recovers at a different rate... but she might be able to... but she still seems to have a cough... and uhm... well... I..." Fluttershy waffled until Rainbow Dash came to the rescue.
"Look, if she sees H.B., she'll pass on your 'message'. In the meantime, we were having something of an important conversation going on here. Alright?"
Marmalade stifled a haughty harrumph and pulled out a drink that was sweating condensation from her saddlebags. She took a long noisy slurp from the straw in said drink before going back to address the ponies. "Alright, I suppose that would be much appreciated, Fluttershy..." she said, turning so sharply that her tail nearly whipped at Dash. "Mars, Sweetie, come along...I don't want you getting influenced by the feather collectors..." she muttered the last part not so subtly under her breath.
Rainbow Dash looked as if she was about to fly off the handle as Marmalade trotted away, her canter taking on an undeserved smugness. The only reason she didn't zip up to the intruding pony was that Fluttershy lifted a hoof and shook her head.
Just then, Mars trundled after his mother past the two mares, a container of bubble solution strapped to his saddlebags and a heart shaped bubble wand in between his teeth. Awkwardly, he spun around, cheerfully oblivious to anything the adults were talking about as he populated the area with bright iridescent soap bubbles.
"Hello, Mars," Fluttershy said in her kind hearted way. "How are you doing today?" she asked, as if she hadn't just had a rather distasteful interaction with his mother.
"Oh! Miss Fluttershy!" The tickled pink orange colt said, pausing from his activity. "I'm doing alright..." He swirled the wand in the bubble solution.
Fluttershy noticed a small bracelet with beads of blue, pink, and white was adorning his left forehoof. "That's a very nice bracelet you have there!" she said sweetly while giving him a small soft smile.
Mars stopped in his tracks, a bit of a blush touching his cheeks. "Uhm.. thanks... A... filly! A filly I know gave it to me..."
"That was awfully nice of her." Fluttershy replied.
"Mars! Get over here!!" Shouted Marmalade who had sat herself down between two mares, one apricot and one grape in hue.
"Ugh..." the colt grumbled, attempting some defiance by pretending not to hear his matriarch. "Is H.B. going to read for us again? I heard she got really sick..." he inquired, his voice giving pangs of genuine worry.
"She is getting better every day, but we'll see how she's feeling this Tuesday..." Fluttershy replied reassuringly.
"Oh, well, okay, cause I got the newest Danger Mare book, and though mom has read it, I really want H.B.-"
"Mars Bergamot Orange!" Marmalade shouted, pulling down her black sunglasses. "What did I just say?!"
"But mooooom!" Mars protested. "I was just-"
"Now little Mr!" His mother coldly countered, her friends giving disapproving stares.
Mars put the wand into the bubble solution before screwing the tubs' cap back on and stowing it in his blue saddlebags. "You have a nice day, Miss Fluttershy..." he sighed.
"You too, Mars," Fluttershy replied, sympathetically waving a hoof.
"Mars!"
"Coming, Mo-ther!" He trotted back grumbling something unintelligible under his breath.
Rainbow Dash shook herself from the transfixing spectacle she had bore witness to. "Wow. Fluttershy, I have no idea how you do that. Especially with what's been going on..."
"Do what?" Fluttershy cluelessly asked.
"Just be... that... nice. Even to her son." Rainbow Dash said, her wings ruffling. “Especially after she called us ‘feather collectors’ under her breath...”
"It's not his fault that his mother is..." Fluttershy paused as if to find the proper words, but when none came to her... "That way. Besides, maybe my small kind action will lead him down a better path. A little kindness usually goes a long way!"
Rainbow Dash looked around the park at the obstacle course she had set up for a certain currently absent broken hearted pony. "Yeah... usually."
"U-usually..." Fluttershy repeated, growing contemplative over the time spent with the tan mare.
"So! What do you think H.B. well say when she sees the awesome setup I laid out for her?" Rainbow Dash asked quickly to change gears as she saw her friend's mood beginning to spiral.
"Wha?" Fluttershy asked, turning away from those thoughts. "Well..."
Dash puffed herself up. "Cause there's no way that any pony could turn this down! She'll start by trotting six laps around the park, as many push-ups as she can by the swings, a short swim through three of the ponds, climb up the wall, swing off that rope, before sliding on this gravel right back in front of us all the while being timed!" She gave Fluttershy an expectant grin. "Well?! Honest opinion here."
"H-honestly?" Fluttershy stammered.
"Yeah! Honestly!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed puffed up with pride, as she polished her right hoof against her chest.
"It's a nice... obstacle course..." Fluttershy hesitantly began. "But..."
"But!?" Dash exclaimed, her puff deflating. "But what?"
"But H.B. was really hoping to just ride her bicycle..."
"Bicycle!?!"
Fluttershy nodded. "Bicycle."
"She wants to ride her bicycle?" Dash asked with a mix of disappointment and incredulousness.
"She wants to ride her bike," Fluttershy echoed, nodding.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her temples and then sighed a bit before throwing her forehooves forward, letting out a groan of frustration. "Do you think you could maybe change her mind?" She asked a Fluttershy that started out with a meek nod but soon turned to a sullen shaking of her head to a 'no'.
"H.B. really doesn't seem to like sudden changes," she said, ruminating over everything that happened. "She can be really..." Fluttershy paused, trying to think of the nicest way of putting it.
"Stubborn?" Rainbow Dash mad libbed.
"D-determined.." Fluttershy said with a reluctant smile.
Dash closed her eyes and sighed before stemming her forehooves and taking a deep breath, waiting a few seconds and letting go. "You know what? This can still work."
"You really think so?" Fluttershy asked hopefully. "You'll have time to meet up with Lt. Fast n Fit?"
"Yeah! Totally! I just need to make a few adjustments! Just leave it to me!" She said, ascending before zipping around the park.
==========
Twilight snorted herself awake, the embers of a dream scattering from her mind like silver fish that had been caught munching on priceless Canterlot tomes.
Quick and elusive and once caught, the effort only resulted in a mess that made it near impossible to form any coherent idea of what had just been scurrying about.
A piece of paper clung to the unicorn's face as she felt the maw of post slumber dehydration chewing at her head.
‘How many days have I been at this?’ She thought blowing at the errant loose leaf in an attempt to dislodge it.
As the text scrolled paper finally stopped clinging to her face, it gracefully fell and passed the books she had read. An advanced book that had information about Cutie Marks, Houy H. Nieghhnm’ Curious Cutie Mark Collection, and for some reason a copy of Stardust Gailmane's 'Everwhen' that was placed on top of the stack.
Twilight groggily hovered the graphic novel over to her while at the same time rubbing the sand from her eyes.
"I wonder what Heart- H.B." she corrected herself. "Come on, Twilight... It isn't that difficult to remember what your student likes to be called, right?"
As she asked herself that question, she felt a sort of... nostalgia about it... A strange emotion that felt familiar and yet out of place.
‘After all, didn't Princess Celestia once tell me that 'friendship was something that you couldn't learn from books'? Yet here my friends and I are, acting like teachers to a pony named Heartbreak...’ she thought to herself.
She frowned, the grog of sleep must still have been futzing with her feelings because after thinking that one thought she was met with a bitter taste over the whole situation.
Just then, the book in her grasp momentarily super l dipped down as she lost focus. Regaining that concentration, she hovered the rather unassuming looking title in front of her eyes.
"You know what?" she asked herself in a hushed tone looking over to see Spike restlessly turning in his sleep. "I'll have Spike deliver it to H.B. to let her know that I'm thinking of her..." She paused and considered her phrasing. "In a positive way..."
She grimaced at those other thoughts she had about the branded tan mare. They were crunchy, vexing, difficult thoughts that made her ears pin.
‘It would be so easy to maybe... use the Elements of Harmony and force the magic to bring her into, you know... harmony?,' suggested a whispering and intrusive thought.
Twilight bit her lower lip and shook her head. "Easier, maybe, but you don't know the unintended side effects that could have!" she told the thought in hopes of dispelling it.
Just then, Spike roused and turned on his little bed.
"Flutt.. wait... Twilli... where... Luna... don't go..." he whimpered and whined, his back leg kicking from what seemed to be the beginning of a panicked dream.
Twilight walked softly over to the dragon dreaming and lifted his blanket to retuck him in. "Spike... remember the Canterlot Gem Gardens?" she whispered in his ear frill.
Almost instantly, the baby dragon's frown turned upside-down.
"Mmmm... yeah..." he said in his sleep, a bit of drool dribbling on his chin. The sparkling many faceted and hued memories of the place seeped into his dreams. He licked his lips before pulling the blanket to a more comfortable position over himself and turning over. "Mmm... Come back my... sapphires... amethyst... oh... milky quartz! Garnetzzz," he muttered before going back into a deeper sleep.
Twilight could only giggle at the almost precious moment. These were the things she missed...
Just then she spotted her alarm clock next to her bed and an alarming realization plucked her out of the moment: because she had fallen asleep at her table, she had forgotten to set her alarm! It was 9:45 am and the train to the Crystal Empire was due to leave in fifteen minutes!
Grabbing a quill and a scrap of parchment, Twilight scribbled a haphazard message regarding 'Everwhen' book before teleporting downstairs to grab everything she needed.
"Uhm, let's see, notes? Check, supplemental reading? Check. A scarf?..." she paused and nodded. "It might be summer, but The Frozen North is called ‘The Frozen North’ for a reason, so check!" she cheerfully said, putting every object she had checked into her saddlebags.
She put the bags on and was just about to walk past the kitchen but had a sudden urge to stop.
"Do I really need anything from here?" she asked, tapping her chin. "There's sure to be snacks and drinks on the train, what could I possibly need from-"
Just then, from the sink that had possibly one too many dishes piled in it, which was something that Twilight would definitely be addressing with Spike at a later date, glistened the little dragon's sippy cup...
"The same sipping cup that he said he was going to wash," Twilight said, disapproving in her voice as she walked into the kitchen. "The same sipping cup that I was drinking from the night prior..."
She looked over the messy collection of dishes, silverware, plates, tumblers, and yes, that ever shining, almost gleaming sipping cup...
"Fetting sipping cup..." the purple unicorn practically growled.
Where did this anger come from? Was it the fact that Spike had failed to do what he said he would do or hadn't even the mind to soak it? The fact that her student almost died because of her small negligence on that one fateful April 1st?
Or was this frustration at herself and how honestly tempted she was with a particular, apt kinda gross, thought that kept fluttering around her brain, like a moth to a glowing lamp.
Twilight hovered the cup and shook it ever so slightly. The sound of liquid contained within sloshed adding to the forbidden desire that kept poking at the poor purple pony...
The magical aura was almost, like gravity, pulling the three holed spout to her trembling lips... but at the last moment, she lifted a hoof and blocked it from touching her mouth.
"Twilight Sparkle!" she chided herself in a voice none too dissimilar from her mother's. "Get a hold of yourself!! That-" she addressed the cup. “It has been out all night! Well, not all night, maybe three or four hours... but still!" she said putting it back in the sink.
Suddenly, the clock chimed that it was five minutes to the hour.
"Besides that, you don't have any time to debate yourself over something so mundane..." Twilight quietly adjusted her saddlebags and rushed out the library door.
All was quiet for half a minute after she had left... only for it to be broken by the kitchen window opening followed by a magical reddish colored aura nabbing the sipping cup, pulling it up and out said window before it partially closed.
===========
Heartbreak looked at Cream Puff. The filly looked as if she was going to serve her head braised along with potatoes and innings on a silver plate when she found her in the farriers, however, now she happily skipped and pranced beside her, overjoyed.
"Butter ma biscuits an call me gravy! That there Thor Rush really did ma hooves right!" she said, ponking into the air before skipping around Heartbreak.
Heartbreak seemed to be stifling a smile and a giggle over the filly's antics. "Well, " she began, acutely aware of her walking cycle as an expected crack almost caused her to trip. "I'm glad one of us is pleased with the results..."
"How come ya didn't know yet hooves were that hard?" Cream Puff asked, tilting her head at Heartbreak.
"Well, uhm, I... just never did..." she said, eyes wide at the stabbing question.
"Are all ponies from... uhm... Min... Minn... Minn-"
"Minneighsota," Heartbreak finished.
"Min-neigh-soder!" Cream Puff whickered. "Are all ponies from Min-neigh-soder hard hooved?" she asked.
"Uhm.. well, I don't know, up till now, I didn't have to ever think about my hooves all that much..." Heartbreak replied, her face scrunching at such pointed questions.
"Ah bet ya didn't hav' ta think about it an no other Min-neigh-soder pony had ta think about it, them y'all must hav' ta be all hard hooved an' Ah bet Ah know why that is!" Cream Puff exclaimed, momentarily admiring the shine on her hooves.
"Oh?" Heartbreak asked, watching the little filly as she sped to catch up with her.
"Ah bet it's cause of all the ice an’ snow an’ cold!" Cream Puff concluded. "It's done an’ stunted yer hoof growth!" The little filly was now practically dancing around the tan mare as the two of them kept making their way to the park.
"Huh, you might just have a good point there, Cream Puff..." Heartbreak said with a smirk and a side eye.
"Yeah! Though Ah'm all surprised that ya weren't more... uhm... fluffah when Ah first saw ya! Did ya do a big shed when ya first got ta Equestria or sumthan?"
"Uuuh... yeah, I sure did a sheddin' of somethin..." Heartbreak ruminated while tapping her chin.
"Say what?" Cream Puff asked, practically practically stopping in midair before gravity took over and gave her a tumble.
"Ope! Are you okay there?" Heartbreak asked, now concerned on whether or not she should help the little filly back up to her hooves, a deliberation that lasted only half a second was she offered Cream Puff a helping hoof.
"Ah, yeah, thanks!" Cream Puff beamed, pushing herself up on the perforated hoof.
Heartbreak made a face and looked at the spot where the filly had made contact with her. It appeared to be wet with sweat. "You must be doing quite the workout..." she commented, shaking the perspiration off.
"Heh... yeah... that ‘n it feels like it's gonna be a real scorcher taday!" Cream Puff wiped some lather off of her pole. "Feels like them there pegasus that are in charge of the weather have gone an set it ta 450 degrees an’ are trying ta bake our buns, huh?" she asked looking up at Heartbreak.
Heartbreak only blinked and shook her head. "Actually, it feels rather nice... so if they did, I wouldn't have noticed," she said, adjusting her saddlebags.
"Hmmmm," Cream Puff reared up and put her fetlock on Heartbreak's pole, before pulling her head down and placing her muzzle against the mare's forehead.
“Uhm, Cream... What’cha doin’?” Heartbreak asked bewilderedly.
“Checkin’ yer temperature of course!” Cream Puff said looking thoughtful. “Like ma momma always said: ‘A pony’s mouth is the most sensitive part!’”
“Huh...” Heartbreak said feeling more than a little awkward.
“An’ besides, Ah ain’t gonna go an’ checkin’ the other way!”
Heartbreak gave a distressed look at the little filly. “Uhm, yeah. Thank you for not doing that.”
“Hmmm, yer not feelin’ like ya have a fever...” She rubbed her hoof over Heartbreak’s head again. “If anythin’ ya feel a little... clammy? Lil’ cold?”
“We were in with the farrier for a while,” Heartbreak reasoned, before pulling away from the awkwardness. “Or I could be a little dehydrated, I didn’t have much of anything for breakfast other than tea...”
Just then, a pair of shutters opened up in front of Heartbreak and Cream Puff, from which popped out a familiar strawberry-colored filly.
“Did I hear somepony make mention of breakfast?” The bright eyed freckled pony asked, practically sticking her head out the window to the point where she almost lost balance. “Whoa! Oh! Mi-I mean, H.B.!”
“Oh! Hi... Strawberry Shakes?” Heartbreak asked nervously trying to place the face.
“Nah, I’m Sweets, Shakes is in the back setting up our first stock for our soon to be customers for the grand opening oooof!-” She pulled on a cord and unfurled an ornate strawberry themed sign. “The Strawberry Sweets’ Shake Shack!”
Heartbreak looked up at the sign. “Huh, you two actually did it,” she said, pushing up her glasses.
“That we did! We did like you suggested! We pooled our resources-” said Strawberry Sweets.
“Along with something from a mysterious donor...” Strawberry Shakes interjected, popping out from the back.
“Hush about that!” Strawberry Sweets said, giving a nervous cheeky little grin. “We were able to get our dream up and off the ground because you encouraged us to break away from our moms and do our own thing!”
“I just made a suggestion...” Heartbreak muttered, a flush splashing her cheeks as she rubbed the side of her neck with her forehoof.
“Being modest, are you?” Strawberry Sweets asked, winking and making a motion with her elbow. “You think that’ll get you a discount or free stuff?!”
“What?! No! No! I would nev-”
“Cause that would never work! What does get you free stuff is being our very first customer!” Strawberry Shakes shouted, throwing pink and white confetti shaped like strawberries, malted shakes, and little wrapped candies into the air.
Heartbreak snorted and whinnied involuntarily as the rain of little paper particulates paradied down on her face. “Oh... gee... Thanks...” she said, waggling her hooves across her muzzle before blowing some of it out of her mane.
Shakes giggled apologetically. “Sorry, got a little carried away there...”
Heartbreak recomposed herself. “It’s fine... it’s fine...” she said, dusting more pink and white off her sides and even her bike seat.
“And if you’re our first customer, you get your photograph on our ‘Strawberry Fields Forever Customer!’” Sweets announced, pulling another cord and revealing a large wall with square placeholders, each awaiting a potential face.
“This is all really... something girls...” Heartbreak admitted, spitting out a tiny paper strawberry. “But-”
The two little fillies face drooped in unison. “But...?”
“Uhm... you really don’t need to have all this to get me to buy something. We’re both already right here and we’re both pretty hungry,” Heartbreak turned her head. “Right, Cream Puff?”
Cream Puff jumped at the attention being brought back to her after having witnessed such a spectacle “Oh... yeah! Right!”
Sweets leaned on her shop’s counter. “So... What’ll ya have?” she asked.
Heartbreak pushed her glasses up and narrowed her eyes at the menu the two fillies had put together. “Uhm... What’cha got?” she asked.
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Sorry Rainbow. HB is set on being a fat bottomed mare.
Hooray for Updates 🎉
I'll be reading this one
soonlaterShe's a killer queen about her bicycle
11766264
It's the second time that this joke has been made!
Woot, lucky me coincidentally logging into FIMfiction of the day of the update! (And THREE more chapters soon? It's a Hearth's Warming miracle! ...especially as this one feels like mostly set-up and moving pieces around the board for the next bit
)
VERY excited to see more of RD, the Mane Six-er who's had the absolute least direct interaction with HB. Particularly thrilling is that she seems to barely know anything about HB's personality, and that they'll absolutely be unable to understand one another's perspective and give me that TASTY INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT I hunger for. Also woot, more real life equine biology references!
Mars has an overbearing, prejudiced Karen of a mother and a blue, pink and white bracelet, eh? :ThinkingEmote:, :WinkingEmote:, :ICanSeeWhereTHISWillLikelyGoEmote:. Easily my biggest laugh of the update was the subtle gag of her friends being "apricot and grape in hue." A queen reference AND a Gaiman reference right after one another? You do spoil us, Jet.
Nice to see Twi and Spike's plot continue apace, and to see that HB's swearing is continuing it's insidious path to corrupting the entirety of Equestria (so THIS is what Celestia meant when she said her destructive power could eventually rival Discord
)! Incredible irony to read something set in the summer heat as my butt's freezing off in December. Surprised to see the Strawberry mares back so soon, which has me suspicious that they'll end up playing an important plot function at some point; in this book, or in a later one? Who nose... who nose.
11766503
Your comments are always a delight. ^.^
11766503
"Mars has an overbearing, prejudiced Karen of a mother and a blue, pink and white bracelet, eh? :ThinkingEmote:, :WinkingEmote:, :ICanSeeWhereTHISWillLikelyGoEmote:. Easily my biggest laugh of the update was the subtle gag of her friends being "apricot and grape in hue." A queen reference AND a Gaiman reference right after one another? You do spoil us, Jet."
So subtle that I didn't realize it. Is this like a still life joke?
11766651
The gag which, even if it wasn't intentional, I'll still assume was subconscious because that's how art works) being because her two friends' fur are comparatively described as fruit colours, it implies that all of Marmalade's friends fit a pattern of being as very specifically themed around a certain fruit as she is.
11767331
Yup that tracks. These two are also the mothers of the strawberry cousins. The ones that wanted their daughters to compete to see who was the best.
:3
I knew there was a reason for me to still be tracking this after all this time.
11774967
*happy pony noises*