8 - The Music in You
George arrived at his pony home and took a moment to look at it. It was the first time he really had the chance without feeling immediately pressured. It seemed curious to him that a pegasus would live on the ground, Fluttershy excepted, but Aqua had been a creator, and he wanted his creations to sit comfortably on something, so there it was. It was a little larger than a single-pony house needed to be, and brightly colored in complimentary shades to his riot of colors.
It felt like... Aqua's home. For a moment, George wondered if his ponysona had actually constructed the house or not. Putting the thought aside, he brushed the door open with a wing and proceeded inside for the mess he... It wasn't there.
Twilight was though. Everything was put away cleanly, likely triple-organized. She turned to see him and smiled brightly. "Oh, hello there! How did the visit with Octavia go?"
George blinked blankly before it hit him. "I'm not the Aqua you saw before."
"There... is more than one?"
George sighed softly. "The other Aqua you saw was my... He was my friend, but once he heard how I reached Equestria, he took the opportunity."
Twilight put a hoof over her mouth. "He didn't! Oh no! We have to warn Octavia. I mean, you're at least part of Aqua, but your friend..."
George blinked at that. "Part of him? I already told Octavia."
She winced a little. "The way you said that... She knows, doesn't she?"
"Everything."
Twilight sank dismally. "She's going to be so upset with me. Wait..." She sat up. "Does that mean you've made up your mind?"
Had he? Of course he had. "I'll get out of everyone's way."
Twilight held up a hoof. "If you were just going to go anyway, why did you come back at all?"
George looked over his shoulder, but there was nothing there but a closed door. "I thought he was hurting you, and he was, just... not physically. He told Octavia he was the original Aqua."
For just a moment it looked like Twilight might ask why that was bad, but it came to her quickly enough. "You did the right thing... Are you... going back to your, um 'life' then?"
"Yeah..." He walked past Twilight. "I can't just vanish like that."
Twilight sucked in a breath softly. "I wish the original Aqua thought that..."
George looked back at Twilight and they met one another's gaze for an uneasy moment.
She coughed into a hoof. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"What was he like?"
"Hmm?"
George turned to face Twilight directly. "Aqua, the real Aqua. What was he like?"
"W-well, he wasn't my friend, not specifically..." Twilight ran a hoof over the floor. "He was nice, creative, and..."
The door burst open, admitting Lyra into the house, her horn still glowing from the effort. "Wait!"
George blinked at the mint-green unicorn. "Hello?"
Lyra let out a huge breath of relief. "You're still here, thank Celestia. Please, don't run off!"
George settled to his haunches. "You caught me. What's up?" Hearing Lyra out didn't seem like much to ask.
Lyra leaned against the side of the entry hallway, panting for breath as the door swung shut behind her. "I... wanted to talk to you. I started this whole fiasco." She pushed off the wall and approached George. "You really do look like him... It's uncanny..."
George quirked a smile. "That's thanks to Twilight."
"Not entirely." Lyra shook her head. "I saw the, uh, other Aqua, flying off... You're a much better fit." She reached out a hoof for his chest. "Please, don't go..."
George recoiled at the request. "Look, I'm just a painful reminder."
Lyra pressed close. "You can be a fixed mistake. Please... I know Octavia's hurting right now, and I know what you told her, but it was right, and the truth. Give her time..."
"I shouldn't make her! She doesn't have to adjust to me, wearing the sk--"
Lyra stuffed a hoof in his mouth. It was just as annoying as ever he saw in the cartoons, but it didn't taste as poorly as one might guess. Lyra tasted kind of minty. "The other Aqua, he was wearing the, uh, skin. You? This is you..."
Twilight glanced between the two, obviously confused. "He's a human."
"Well, sure, he was born a human, but he could be a pony, and he wants to be." She spread out her hooves. "Vinyl showed me the song you made... It was great! Kinda sad, but great. Please, there's a spot for you, just waiting..."
George shook his head slowly. "You, uh... You know humans?" Twilight he could figure, she had been to Canterlot High, but Lyra?
"Oh, yeah, for sure. I dated one once, didn't work out, long story. Look." She reached with both hooves and directed his face directly at hers. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want any of this and I'll wish you luck."
He tried to force the words, to claim he didn't want any of it. That he... was... He was ready to accept his little job, and his circle of dubious friends, minus one, and his family with their smiles that hid what...
Lyra wiped away a tear from his cheek. "You can have it... The, uh, multiverse lost one Aqua. We learned our lesson. Let us take care of this one."
He tried harder to speak, but all that came was a choked sob. She pulled him in and he wept into her neck, feeling useless and weak. "Cry all you want," she insisted. "Let it all out..."
Twilight looked less sure than Lyra by far. "Is this..."
Lyra moved to shove a hoof in Twilight's mouth but she hopped back out of the way. "Is this really a good idea?"
A soft knocking drew eyes to the door.
"Who is it?" asked George, voice thick with his tears and snot.
"It's me," came the refined voice of Octavia. "May I come in?"
George smirked a little. A pony with proper manners. "Please."
She opened the door gently and slipped inside. "Lyra? Twilight? I didn't... We need to talk, after this." Her eyes settled on George and she shivered softly. "I... was hoping to speak to you first, before you... did anything."
If not for Twilight and Lyra, he would have already left, but there he was, and she was. He dipped his head towards her. "I'm sorry for... parading him around like this. I know it must hurt."
"It does." She advanced on him, nudging Lyra out of the way. "But... he would never forgive me."
"For looking at me?"
She smiled thinly. "For turning you away. You... I wasn't lying. I want to know you better, the source of this music that echoes with Aqua's soul. Will you share it with me?"
He shrank a little. "I... Don't you want me gone?"
She swallowed thickly. "It hurts, yes... but so do many things we learn to cope with." She looked at George appraisingly. "You could have tried to take advantage of me, but you didn't. You could have let your friend have his way with his terrible lies, but you wouldn't allow that either. I... can't and won't promise you will ever have my heart..." She put a hoof to her chest. "But I think we could become friends."
Lyra bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Please, join us. We want you."
"And my music?"
"That too." Lyra grinned hugely. "We want the whole package. We want the painting and the drawing and the composing and even the part that just likes to sit around talking about how things work." She leaned in. "You do that too, right?"
George laughed softly. "I usually did that alone, though one of my friends liked listening when he was, uh, intoxicated." High as a kite was a better description.
Lyra pointed at herself. "Well now you can do it with us, in the open, without any of us being drunk at the time."
Octavia pointed past George to his room. "May I?"
"May you what?"
"I would like to finish your statue." She smiled a little. "I would like to make the last stroke that brings you to us, if you agree?"
Twilight raised a hoof. "If you'd rather go home, we'll do that instead. Nopony here is going to force you, right?" The other two mares looked properly shamed before all three sets of eyes settled on George, awaiting a reply.
George opened his mouth, reply leaping forward. He would...
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to sit comfortable - to sit comfortably
George blinked something before - George blinked something before
but you hadn't - but you didn't
*****
I'm a little sad to see this one end, but the story has reached its conclusion and I can't reasonably argue against it.
This one resonated deeply with me for some reason. I find that I really like Aqua/George, and would like to imagine that he finds some peace and a happy life in Ponyville.
7277352 Typos nudged out. I need to confer to see if this will be where it's set to rest or not. Not like I -couldn't- continue, but it felt like a natural stop.
Well, that went better than I expected... and... EVIL TWIN!
<chuckles maniacally> Excellent work Text! Discord would approve... does approve... may knit a sweater made of approval and taco sauce, but still! Evil Twin!
7278212 The worst kind of twin... What'd you think of the story?
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/89/a0/97/89a09726269b131cb908d77a534fa699.jpg
hmmmmmmm yes
7278261
I found it brief but highly enjoyable. Characters seemed smooth and realistic... consistent even in the "pony fags" commentary-respect. I'm sorry to see Aqua-clone^2 took it so hard, but at the same time, folks often don't like being called out... let alone called out when they feel cheated (ignore the stuff they did to 'earn' it in the first place).
I think Octavia and Lyra pulled off a very kind act, even if it might hurt coping with Aqua-prime's loss. But, on the whole, it made a fun story with understandable progressions.
Find dead friend. Freak the hell out. Panic and sob to local hero/proto-diety/princess/old friend for help and comfort. Said lh/p-d/p/of spins a possible solution and doesn't think about the repercussions at the moment, in favor of trying to 'fix' it. Average Joe fits the bill and flips out a bit, doesn't have much to lose and a lot to gain, but still feels the urge to tell his friends. Friends are all over. One, impulsive and a bit obsessed, jumps the gun and ignores everything they know should be right. End result.... yheah.
I'd love to see this go further but I know you're writing X stories at once while still actively working on Ponyfinder, so I'm good if this ends up being just a splinter story. Every story, even very short ones, open up ideas for other folks. Some of them might even run with it themselves.
And on a mechanical note, you're catching more of your typos the longer you're writing. Good job on that!
7278391 You make me curious. What angle would you want to see pursued?
7278401
Personally?
I'd love to see how our protagonist adapts to his rather abrupt and (apparently) permanent transition. It's not quite like the Text in your other stories... he didn't really have a choice to begin with once he started. He was rather, compelled, to get there, only to find out he's replacing someone else.
Twilight's actions, in this case, ARE a primary cause of the situation, which can lead to some remarkable character building and story. Imagine Celestia finding this all out... doing the wrong thing while attempting to help... and yet kind of pressuring the victim by exposure? THAT'S a friendship report that might need a few extra chapters to clear a conscience of.
Of course the relationship between Octavia, Vinyl, and Aqua^1 would be interesting, though not completely original. It's a flavor we're all somewhat familiar with, but given the situation and the stories that you tend to write, I can see it being a fun ride.
Then we have EVIL-TWIN! <queue maniacal laughter> Not only is our protagonist kind of held by his morals to stay, but even if he wasn't being semi-pressured by hurting mares who want to be his friend and recover at the same time, he can't justify leaving (going home to Earth) since his evil twin is not only capable of causing trouble, but hurting Octavia/Vinyl/Lyra/Twilight at the same time... let alone anyone else who knew Aqua-Prime. We have the start of a redemption/villainy arc that can easily span a dozen chapters or even jump stories. Evil Twin Aqua can mess up Aqua^1's life just by existing... mix that in with feeling cheated, hurt, entitled, or fan-gasmy about everything and anything with a proven history of ignoring the ethical or even sensible actions and you have a plot gold mine.
And that's before even tapping Twilight's apparent ability to CUSTOM QUERY THE MULTIVERSE for alternate reality versions of ponies or just plucking out a fix.
What about the mysterious "vendor" (cough cough David Silver self insert cough cough) that seems to be peddling multiverse Twilight magic anchor artifacts? What about if the 'completed/stabilized' figure is damaged or destroyed in the future? What happens to the ORIGINAL figures in the Earth home? What about if THOSE are destroyed or... LE GASPE (That's Fancy for "le gasp") they're sold at auction when the house is put back on the market... and some other brony buys them and repaints them? Do they get pulled? Do they replace Aqua^1 or EVIL TWIN Aqua^2? Are they universal figures, in that ANYONE who touches/paints them gets pulled? Does this use Twilight's magic or something else without her knowing?
And that's also assuming Twilight's blood-powered Everglow portal NEVER gets triggered by any unsuspecting Aqua's.
<Pinkie Pie would be popping up by now with musical instruments for dramatic effect> Etc. Etc. Etc.
In short, you've left a TON of room for any number of possibilities... let alone the straight forward "He stays and get s to be friends (with possible benefits)" story.
So... what angle? <nervous chuckle> Um... I've always been a fan of the stories where the good guys suddenly realize that all those good intentions had some VERY unexpected... and rather prolonged consequences.
this story is short yes but at the same time the ending is perfect I tip my hat to you exultant righting.
I have so many questions now.
I have so many questions now.
But seriously, it does feel right to end here. As I've noted before, there's no right decision here. Yes, there's strong support for going full pony, but it still carries a heavy cost. In the end, the decision is a personal one, and so leaving it up to each reader is the right choice.
Of course, if the commissioner says differently, who am I to disagree?
In any case, thank you for this.
7278401 i have an idea, he needs to tell her that he is aqua, but not in that way. that he created aqua and for the most part, had the same personality and same musical talent
Oh, so that's what Silver meant by two humans in one body.
I suppose this is would be an example of why humans aren't meant to go to Equestria, whether in their native form or otherwise.
As Bob demonstrated, his desire for something made him break into a friend's house right after said friend confided in him a secret. A little overboard perhaps but I suppose if one's desire is strong enough, it would blind them to everything else. That and the story needed to proceed in one way or another.
7282197 Did you like said story?
7282212 Brief as it was, I enjoyed reading it though since I read this only after Silver mentioned about the event briefly, I came in with a different idea of how the story might have gone so the two Aquas came as a bit of a surprise.
7282212 oh, umm... i thought there was going to be more and that is a suden end... did he go back or did he stay? whats going to become of his sexualising friend
7282197 i think it is perfectly ok, his friend told him that all his hopes and dreams could come true but than tells him he can't do it. thats like having the cure to cancer and not sharing it
7283587
So it's okay to break into someone's house/invade their privacy if they had the cure to cancer but refuse to share it?
7283706 yes...? that can save thousands of lives, other than that. if some one had a way to equestria, i would break into their house at all cost as long as i knew it was true so i could get their, after that i would go and hide in the ever free for a few years, make a home, make tools, ect before going to pony society
7283706 breaking into some were is wrong, but it is a once in a millennium chance opportunity. that's like breaking into a mad scientist house and gaining magical powers, worth it.
7283715 But what if you were said mad scientist's friend? Would you betray their trust and backstab them as readily as Bob did with George?
Also, neat plan though I curious if you'd change the plan if you were turned into a pony instead of staying human. I mean, the loss of hands would require some adjusting to, as Aqua demonstrated with the doorknob. Unless you ended up as a unicorn of course.
7283741
sadly... yes, if he found a way to make portals and one was to the equestria we see in the show and he denied me entry evening tho it was completly possible to go their, no injury's. than him telling me no would be like a back stab and ruin the friendship because he knows that my only wish was going to a far away land filled with magic and he is trying to force me to stay in a plain land that only has tec
i prefer the unicorn race because lifting things with the mind beats every thing. other than that, i know how to make solar panels so i would bring some tec and what not. plus ponys can hold things using their jaw, sure thy don't have that dexterity height or hit with a weapon strength but still. if i became a pony i would just integrate into society, other than that, the reason i would run into the ever free is because I'm being chased by said 'friend' and their might be a witch hunt for me. besides, i could just go to the old castle because no one goes their any more, i would add fortifications, make stronger glass or put bars over all the windows, repair the walls and add actual walls, besides. it has a lot of forbidden and unknown magic in the library. if i could have a power, i would settle for something simple but useful like mine-craft but i can build anything because i would be able to build things easier.
Well, this was for sure an enjoyable story
have 10 of these 
As for that ending. I'm pretty sure he agreed. If I was in his situation then I would instantly agree mainly because I day dream about stuff like that often.
Besides that ... I would be leaving a lot behind... but, it's basically how I am: If I was given the choice to stay in Equestria as a pony of my choice then I would pick my bat pony guard OC and live the life of guarding Moonbutt
7293109 There is no right answer.
7293139
For him it's complicated. For me? It's a simple easy answer.
I would never act like Rob though.
A nice ending for sure. Well done for a short story.
7320892 What would you have done?
7321233 under identical circumstances, the end result would have been the same. I don't think I know anyone that would so rudely smash his way into my story like Rob did if I posed the question. I might try spinning up hypothetical conversations for comparison though.
My situation isn't so cut though, and were Text to approach me... We don't think we would choose to leave Earth.
I would avoid finishing painting the figure at all costs!
Because I think Twilight would enjoy some genuine alien magic to study.
Octavia would definitely share Aqua's fate if she had to tolerate me as her coltfriend.
Nuuuuu, there is no ending point! No way to confirm that he went with the tide of how the story was going or if he chose the indirect path! 0m0 plz make some way to finish what has been made, guess thats all i have to say...
7445893 How'd you like it?
7446231 well if i said it was in a list it would be at the 3rd place from the top (it's my favorites list, its number 3 out of 763 others
i Thoroughly enjoyed it!
7446262 That sounds reasonable.
7446273 but to be honest the last emotion i felt after reading this, was emptyness, so i thought of another story to fill the void! Sadly i can't read stories easily if they aren't bound to end it with something that fit, and because of that i don't read cancelled fics :( but either way, this fic gave hope to the readers, making it easier to know the possibilities of how it would end, yet i don't feel that that is enough! I like to hear how people would end their ideas! I always leave a blank space in my drawings... But i fill it in after taking a picture of it with the blank piece. So people know what could've been! Anyway sorry to ramble and sorry if you can't make sense of this comment
7446308 It was one of those points where neither option (or many other, less obvious) answer would have sufficed. I could have grabbed his soul and demanded he choose and parade that choice in front of everyone, but I think I, and he, would prefer people to consider their own place in life and if they would proceed, and if they want to know about him, think about him.
Ultimately, the person paying for the story gave the thumbs up and we've moved on to other projects, so this one is done for the time being.
7446319 ok and i was just seeing what was going on about it, have a very good day sir
hope to read another chapter about tabitha soon *wonk*
*Reads first chapter*
Great Scott!
*Checks tags*
No dark tag?! Maybe it's just me, but being compelled to do something that will result in losing your species, friends, family and potentially be experimented on and possibly killed is pretty dark...
7466349 You need to read on further. The protagonist has agency and choice. It's a story about a decision, not about disaster or tragedy.
7466368
I did keep going, your Everglow stories gave me some confidence in your writing, but it's a hell of a first impression.
Wow, that was really good! I think you made the best choice possible with that ending. It left me with this weird feeling, but I still like it anyhow.
7610287 It just felt right, in my writer's soul. Any progression would have reduced the story and any ending that followed would have been smaller.
7610301 Tavi should break the other statue and return Rob to Earth. His bad luck if he's in the air at the time and lands in a duck pond in the middle of central park nude. Not sure what city he came from so another idea, Los Angeles - La-Brea tar pits, again falls in, clambers out only to be set upon by a mob of startled geese. So he ends up tarred & feathered like all evil movie cads do. Unknown city, because it is the last statue and there really can't be 2 Aquas in one verse, the return goes haywire & he returns as an Aqua sentient plushie toy. A little girl picks him up immediately 'Mommy, mommy I want this'. Ends up in a 'Toy Story-esque' type world of other returned to sender, damned, brony cads in this little girls toy chest. At least would make an amusing epilogue.
7670220 I like this one wished I'd read it as it was written. Wait til you see my comment on final chapter. Had too many coffees today and here I am still at 2AM.
7788414 And yet I get requests for refunds so ill-frequently.
7789117 I'll ask for a refund if you don't work on this story! D: (I totally own ponyfinder merch...yup...)
SO many typos!
7817399 There is a sequel.
7817403 I meant work on the typos :P
7817403
If there is a sequel, where is it?
This was interesting. Not my favorite but engaging enough.
8231766
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/356849/soul-reclamation-society
8231978
Thank you.
Traitor.
but it's sooo good