129 - Preparations for Home
Soft Mane stepped into the room with a quiet clip-clop, catching Spike's attention swiftly. He waved at her, "Hey, where are you coming back from?"
Soft shrugged softly, glancing around the quiet inn room, "Just got a letter back from mom. She wants to come."
Spike raised his brow, "That's good, I think?"
Soft gave a gentle smile, "I think so too, but it's a bit weird to imagine the family home will be abandoned. She said she could make a new farm in Equestria, if it meant being closer."
Spike gave a soft aww, "That's very nice of her. You have a great mom."
Soft pointed in the direction of the Luminace church/library, "Yours isn't all bad either."
Spike rolled his eyes, "We're not exactly like that, besides, wouldn't that make her your mom too?"
Soft frowned a little in thought, "I hadn't thought of it like that. She's a bit eccentric, but I could do worse for mother-in-laws. What does she like for her birthday?"
Spike gave her a flat look. "One guess, it ends in ook."
Soft clapped her hands together, "Not my brightest question, but good to know. How's everyone else doing?"
Spike counted on his fingers, "AJ and RD are spending the day sight-seeing around town. Lex is with Twilight studying... something? Wait, or checking in on the little ponies. Maybe both."
Soft shook her head, "That's not like you, Spike, to not know what Twilight's up to."
Spike shuffled his feet on the floor lightly, "I wanted you to get back first... We can go catch up to her now?"
And so they did, walking out of the room. Drowsy End noticed them pass by where she was propped against a broom, having dozed off in the middle of sweeping the front room. "I feel our time draws close to an end, though perhaps you'll come this way again." She frowned a little, "I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but I'll see you all again next time." Rhyming or not, sleep called to Drowsy, and she was not one to keep sleep waiting.
Deciding there was no good reason to try to rouse her, they moved past Drowsy quietly and made their way through the city to Luminace's temple. There they found the temple was having some sort of mass for the faithful. Twilight had joined the group, seated behind desks, facing the priest who was dressed more like a professor.
"And when life gives us challenges," spoke the priest, "We shall see it as an opportunity to learn, as what problem is there, that cannot be solved with knowledge."
A hoof raised in the class, and the priest pointed at its holder. The leatherwing pony rose to his hooves, "Is it not true that there is no problem whose answer does not lie in a book?"
The priest smiled, "While we wish this were so, and it usually is, sometimes, we are the one that needs to write the answer down for the next who follow behind us. For every challenge should be documented, so those who respect knowledge will find their answers. Also, my child, the grammar in that sentence was terrible. Please say a prayer to Luminace for forgiveness, but thank you for bringing that matter to the fore."
The line between classroom and prayer group blurred dangerously as they proceeded. Spike cast his gaze around, looking for Lex in the area, if not in the group itself.
His instinct was correct as he spotted the red-horned unicorn at the back of the room, clearly setting himself apart from the proceedings and watching with silent disapproval.
Lex scoffed, not for the first time, as the priest continued. As far as he was concerned, this entire exercise was backward - while they were right to lionize the acquisition of knowledge, their faith-based drive to do so meant that they failed to fully appreciate it. Doing so at the behest of, and for the approval of, their deity blinded them to the fact that higher learning was the gateway to improving the world for all ponies, rather than being an end unto itself.
Spike and Soft made their way to Lex to park beside him quietly in respect to the ongoing sermon.
"Today we have two very special guests," spoke the priests. He made a gentle gesture and Blue and Yellow emerged from behind his desk. "These two are wards of the temple. They have been wronged in the most severe of ways."
A hoof raised, "Someone burned their books?" Several alarmed gasps rung out at the very idea.
Another hoof went up, "They weren't provided stools to reach the higher books?"
The priest shook his head, "Until their arrival in our halls, they did not even know what a book was, nor how to read a single letter."
The alarmed cries were instant. Calls of sympathy rang out as the faithful of Luminace offered their services to the little ponies.
The priest smiled at Blue and Yellow, "As you can see, you are welcome here. Please, join us and we will learn of the pleasure of knowing. But this leads into the next topic, for what is knowledge, if not used to help those around us? Our lady, Luminace, is a patron of the bonds that tie one pony to another. Not the heated bonds of love, but the enduring bonds of friendship. Romance may come and go, but a good friend is for life." His eyes wandered the crowd, "Many of you, I would not hesitate to call friend, and know that I have many allies, to share triumph and burden. Yellow, Blue, what do you look for in a friend?"
Lex grit his teeth. His childhood had taught him that the so-called "enduring bonds" of friendship were anything but. There had been plenty of other foals that he had wanted to be friends with when he was in school, only for them to spurn him when he didn't measure up to whatever unknowable standards they had. Whether quickly or after some time had passed, the end results had always been the same: repudiation and isolation.
Far more preferable was the absolute nature of duty. That level of responsibility was not something that could be discarded on mere whim, provided that a strong agency stood ready to enforce it, and was far easier to understand as well. But much to his disappointment, Queen Iliana's government didn't seem to extend that far, a failing that had caught him by surprise. And so, once again, those who needed help the most were forced to rely on the capriciousness of "friendship" to provide for them.
As far as Lex was concerned, it was an insult to their dignity as ponies.
Yellow and Blue spotted Lex as he thought his dark thoughts and pointed at him, "He's been a good friend to us," said Blue, "And her." They pointed out Twilight, then Spike and Soft.
The priest seemed happy, "It pleases me to know you are not entirely without blessing. You will make more friends while you are here..."
And so the sermon went, finishing with a prayer to Luminace for guidance when lost and a helping hoof, hand, or talon when alone. The multi-racial congregation rose up and began to disperse, though many stayed in small groups as they went. Blue and Yellow were accompanied by the priest and two others who were eager to share stories and get to know the little ones better.
Soft and Spike stood up. Spike raised a claw, "Hey Lex. Got anything you need to finish up before we go?"
"No," he replied curtly, giving a disdainful glance at Twilight's pet lizard, as though just acknowledging Spike's existence was unpleasant.
Spike raised a brow, "Don't have to be a jerk about it. Hey, Twi!" He waved her down, "Have fun?"
Twilight approached with a smile, "It was very educational! I had no idea there were so many eager scholars in the city. The temple here organizes many of the educational efforts in the city." She tapped her chin, "I can sorta see why the city government stays out of it." She looked to Soft, "Did you reach your mother?"
Soft nodded, "She's getting on a train and should be here by tomorrow. Will you be able to get her a farm?"
Twilight bobbed her head, "I'm certain we can settle her in. You said she grows peat?"
Soft rolled a hand, "That's what grows well around Turves. We should ask her if that's what she likes doing, but yeah."
Twilight looked thoughtful a moment, "I know where she could be placed, if that is the case."
One of Lex's eyes twitched at Twilight's remark about the local government, but he let it go. "Twilight, may I speak to you for a moment?"
Twilight perked an ear, "Sure thing, what's up?"
Lex looked at Spike and Soft Mane until they got the hint and moved off. Once they had, he turned his attention back to Twilight. "I'd like you to give me a copy of that plane-shifting spell before we go. Also, I'd like to look at that spellbook that you took from that gnoll."
Twilight lifted the ratty looking leather book and offered it to Lex, "Already copied what I wanted out of it, you can keep it. The plane shifting spell is incredibly complicated. I still haven't wrapped my mind around it yet, but if you want to scribe it from one book to the other, I suppose there's no harm?"
He took the book, placing it into his extradimensional pack. "I don't keep a spellbook. If you let me examine yours for a day or so and make a few notes, that should suffice." He paused for a moment, and his next statement made it clear why he'd sent the others away. "I...enjoyed our date last night."
Twilight brightened, "Oh thank Celestia. I thought I'd mangled half the instructions..."
Applejack sat watching the sunset, "We'll be home soon. It'll be real good to see the family again."
"Yup," agreed Rainbow, wings spread and sitting beside Applejack, "Still, I'm glad we came."
Applejack offered a hoof towards Rainbow, "Somepony's gotta keep that girl from killing herself."
Rainbow met the hoof with one of her own, "Somepony like us, right? Spike's not so bad now that he's all big and awesome."
Applejack's eyes wandered over Rainbow, "Right glad you got yer wings back. You're a far sight prettier with 'em."
Rainbow blushed at the compliment, snapping her wings shut in a moment of self-consciousness as she scrambled to her hooves. "Ah heh... Yeah..."
Applejack rose to stand more languidly, "We've been through some scrapes together. Ahm sure we'll be through some more, but ah'll take 'em if it means you're beside me."
Rainbow gave a quick nod, "I'll second that motion. We'll take what life throws at us, uh, together." They bumped hooves one more time before heading back to the inn side-by-side.
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So... she likes to cook? She wants a hook for fishing? A rook to play chess?
Wow, now the characters catch the mistakes.
5801484 It was a letter of love to my legion of helpful readers.
I wonder how good Yellow will turn out to be, at Data Mining.
5801565
5801465
She wants an Orang-Utan?
A programming language?
OOK.
5801638 Well, Twilight is a librarian so that would make sense. Well, she was until a certain centaur blew up her tree.
5801484 OOK brand picture hangers?
A babbling brook?
5801661 A master of dook? *tries to imagine Twilight's reaction to ferrets*
Lex's thinking is awfully black and white. It's possible to improve the world at the behest of one's goddess. Indeed, that's preciesly what this congregation is doing with Blue and Yellow. It's micro-level, sure, but so is the congregation. The educational services provided by Luminace's faithful do exactly what he wants them to... I think.
I'm not sure how Twilight plans on getting back to Equestria if she still can't grasp plane shift. A scroll, maybe? In any case, giving Lex access to the spell seems... unwise.
Peat isn't an organism but the vegetable equivalent of a bog mummy. (Actual bog mummies, not the undead ones.) Of course, if earth ponies can farm rocks, then peat should be comparatively easy.
Awkward but adorable Appledash? I'm okay with this.
Purge the typos! Send them back to Tartarus!
To.
That should be "whose." Though if the colt actually thought it should be "who's," then it's just another sin against grammar, for which he should pray for forgiveness, lest he be beset by the Rouge Angles of Nitemere.
5801734 Blessed be Luminace, for the typos are burned!
sight-seeing
The first one didn't rhyme, the second one did.
knowledge?"
in
The grammar in the leatherwing's question was awkward, but not technically wrong.
I find it ironic how dogmatic and closed-minded Lex is, considering he claims to value science so much.
That's racist.
nor
extra space
I thought it was already established that Lex had no childhood friends.
That's an incomplete sentence, even if he is continuing your thought. This priest is going to get defrocked if he doesn't watch out. (At this point, I'm sure everyone expects the Spanish Inquisition)
That explains why she was so eager to go with Soft. That's nearly as bad as rock farming.
Don't give him your only way home, he's the bad guy!
5801937 Fixes applies in Luminace's name.
5801937
He didn't, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Quite the contrary, he tried many times, and it invariably fell apart, which is what he's remembering there.
5802020 It's not really fair to judge the longevity of something you have never experienced.
5802062 It's not a question of longevity, it's that such bonds are not as "enduring" as they're being described; rather, they're often fickle and easily broken, which is something he has experienced.
5802102 He has never had a true friend, so he cannot know how long a true friendship will last. The kind of friendship the priest described is hard to find, but it is real.
5802130 How do you judge whether a friendship is a "true" friendship? How can anyone know how long a "true" friendship will last? The priest is describing it in terms of an absolute, and Lex finds much fault with that portrayal.
5794508 Even if the comics do change the canon on you, you'd be grandfathered in. Besides they're soft canon, they don't always agree with the show themselves. The show is the only hard canon.
5802143
He's kind of mixing up his terminology when he uses romance and love synonymously. From the context, when he says "the enduring bonds of friendship" he is referring to the sort of friend that values you even if you are not valuable. A friendship that is not based on your traits does not change when you do. Therefore, it will outlast romance, which is just based on both parties being attractive.
5802181 Sure, but there are a lot of presumptions and nuance there. Not exactly Lex's strong suit.
5802189 Fair enough.
I certainly hope this story is not over yet. I at least wanted to see them reach epic level first.
5802341 Oh god, they're only level 8'sh! That would be a while.
And thus did princess Twilight Sparkle bring the holy grace of Luminance's knowledge to Ponyville and the mighty fortress of friendship be cometh a grand beacon of her glory, that all who beheld it would bask in the greatness of her holiness.
As much as I like the AppleDash, go go TwiJack for win or for maximum win TwiAppleDash, at the very least I just do not want Lex to have Twilight, it would be nicer to have Sonata be with Lex.
I can also give an explanation to why I like these pairings beyond the simple fact I enjoy them.
AppleDash is simple as their competitive nature drew them together in Equestria, strengthened by their time in the other realm or being forced to spend more time with each other then they would otherwise.
TwiJack is less of a solid reasoning, just I enjoy the concept that they may have developed feelings for each other over the course of Applejacks tuition, and that Twilight would feel for Applejack since Applejack stuck with her when she needed to go back to the Iliana's realm, while Applejack would feel grateful for being taught magic, something she would never have learnt if not for Twilight.
As for Sonata and Lex, I feel that Sonata's life experience will temper Lex's idiocy (that and they already are attracted to each other), and that as much as I personally dislike the Sombra wannabe,it would be nice to see a happier ending for him then being blasted in the face by the solar goddess becuase Lex cannae take no for an answer.
Maybe I'm being some crazy shipper but those seem like a basis for a reasonable standard romantic relationship.
Okay... I admit that there is far less of a solid reason for TwiAppleDash, other then my simple desire to see it done in a romantic way, rather then simply a pornographic one, my above reasons still stand though and Twilight has already had sex with Rainbow dash, I can see it starting as a threeway but thats the issue, I can not see a more platonic method to kickstart such a relationship.
Then again I think it would be kinda cool to have them go home, only find out Rainbow and Applejack are pregnant and that Twilight is the 'father', just imagine it big daddy Twilight not to mention every ones reaction (not like bioshock).
p.s I was going to look for a picture of Princess Twilight Sparkle in a cliché pimp hat but none that I found looked right.
5802345 Exactly!
5803245 I try to be!
5803662 She was speaking to something that the others couldn't understand.
5801734
Well, presumably Celestia has the ability to cast plane shift, seeing as she said so in her letter.
5803664
Ooh, quills and red ink! A typo's worst nightmare.
Um, sir? ...
What do you mean, "we don't have red ink"?!
dozed
Soft nodded. "She's getting on a train and should be here by tomorrow.
(Soft Mane's mother certainly isn't getting on a train at the city she's travelling to!)
6464684 Fixed,
The "to here" is unnecessary.
Congregation?
6816769 Also fixed!