Chapter 10
With everypony now present, Twilight felt a growing sense of apprehension. She had to tell them, but what should she tell them? Telling them the whole story would take longer than their natural lifespans, and they would die of old age before she really even got started. Well, except for Spike. The ink flowing through her body told her that Spike would remain with her for a very, very long time. An epoch or more, in whatever form she happened to take.
Knowledge swirled in her mind like hot gasses in a nebula, giving rise to new thoughts and ideas; Spike could be given the ink—maybe not right now—but there could come a time when it would be appropriate. When he matured. At that point in time, Spike could get a promotion, becoming the Assistant Librarian of Souls.
“Corbie is out like a light,” Spike reported, and his words pulled Twilight from her thoughts. “Nuance is sleeping, and so is Radiance. Everything is quiet and the night is ours.” Spike rubbed his distended, swollen stomach, burped once, and then gave Twilight a sheepish grin. “Pigging out on ice cream with Corbie was great. She really needed a nice time after having such a bad day.”
“Yes.” Twilight nodded and sounded distracted, as she was still under the influence of the ink. Overcome with an odd feeling of emotion, she reached out her foreleg, wrapped it around Spike, and with an earth pony strong yank, she pulled him into a hug, needing to feel him near her. He was her first friend and perhaps, the creature she trusted the most.
“I think Trixie wants her answers,” Spike said while Twilight squeezed him, and he pointed over at Trixie, who was sitting in a chair, staring.
Still holding Spike, Twilight turned her head. Her friends were gathered, her closest associates, the ponies she trusted to run things when she couldn’t. All of them had been tested and found true. Even Sumac could be trusted far more than his age might suggest, as he had kept the secret of how he had received his wings from his own mothers.
“Hey, Pebble, I figured out what sort of dinosaur I would be.”
Twilight’s ears perked so she could better hear the soft-spoken words coming out of Sumac’s mouth. She watched as he pulled Pebble closer, and she wondered what Pebble was doing here. Pebble hadn’t been summoned. Twilight sighed, realising it didn’t matter, and she somehow knew that Sumac hadn’t even shared his secret with her. Yes, Sumac could be trusted.
“And what sort of dinosaur would you be?” Pebble asked.
“A lickalottapus,” Sumac replied while he elbowed Pebble in the ribs.
With perfect deadpan response, Pebble looked Sumac in the eye. “That’s news to me, ‘cause I haven’t been licked. Get busy, fool.”
Applejack facehoofed, Rarity turned pink while giggling, laughter erupted from many, and all of this happened while Lemon Hearts shouted, “Sumac!”
The colt cringed, his new wings fluttering, and without looking at Lemon he asked, “Am I in trouble?”
“No.” Lemon began laughing, big deep belly laughs, which made it difficult for her to continue. “That’s some amazing innuendo, and I’m proud of you.”
“Lemon! Don’t encourage him!” Twinkleshine shook her head and fought to hold back her own laughter. “Trixie, help me sort Lemon out.”
Booping Twinkleshine on the snoot, Lemon asked, “Is it time for some good old fashioned ‘easy peasy Lemon squeezy?’”
Unable to contain herself, Twilight began laughing while Twinkleshine’s face turned as pink as her mane. Even Spike was laughing, and this worried Twilight just a bit, as she now wondered about Spike’s innocence. Sumac was looking smug and Pebble was still staring at the colt with a deadpan expression that was a perfect mimicry of her mother.
Still laughing, Twilight could not help but feel that something was missing. “Say, where is Boomer?”
Without so much as blinking an eye, Trixie replied, “Tonight was her support group with Megara and Silver Lining.” She had answered without an explanation, much to the annoyance of many.
“Support group?” Baffled, Twilight’s head tilted with equine confuzzlement.
“Carnivores helping other magnificent predators.” Trixie blinked once, then again, and then added, “I’m very proud of her for being so responsible. Also, I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you more about it. Privacy, ya know.”
“Spike?” Twilight looked down at the dragon in her own embrace.
“Sometimes I attend meetings. I don’t have to talk about it.” With that, Spike went silent.
“Right.” Twilight nodded. “We all deal with things in our own way and that should be respected. Me, I choose to talk about stuff, and oh boy, do I have a story to tell you guys… whew! Heh… it’s gonna be a long story… does everypony have snacks? We’re gonna be here for a while.” A hesitant laugh slipped out and for a brief moment, Twilight worried that she might lose her nerve. Feeling a squeeze of her leg, she looked down, saw Spike looking up at her, and felt the strength to go on.
“—and that’s what happened. More or less. In a nutshell.” Twilight let heave a sigh of relief and her ears twitched to the sound of breathing all around her. She didn’t know how she felt, and she feared the questions that were sure to come, as she wasn’t sure she had answers just yet. Not everything had been put together and she was still coming to grips with resuming her old life.
“I think you need a hug,” Spike said while he wrapped his forelegs around Twilight’s neck and squeezed. The little dragon held on, locking his claws together, and did not let go.
“Sumac tried to stop you.” Applejack’s face had a seldom-seen stern hardness to it and she glanced at the colt out of the corner of her eye. “The stubborn little cuss tried to cripple you.” There was a sharp, deep inhale, and the earth pony mare shook her head. “I must confess, I am bothered by this. Was this temper, or out of control emotion, or what? Is this something we need to fix?”
Twilight was not prepared for this reaction, not at all. “Sumac was doing what he felt was right. He was willing to take this burden on himself to spare me. I’ll not have him punished for something I believe was the right thing. I think it speaks highly of his character.”
“I don’t agree.” Applejack let out a huff and then began chewing on her lower lip. After a moment, she continued, “We talked about this Twilight… that temper of his—”
Sumac cleared his throat. “I’m still in the room.”
“Shush!” Applejack held up a hoof in Sumac’s direction to silence him. “Now, I get that these were difficult and unusual circumstances, but I am still bothered that it happened. For now, I’ll let it drop, but we’re gonna talk about this some more, later.”
Reaching out, Pebble booped Sumac on the snoot with her hoof. “You get into too much trouble without me around. Stop that. Get into trouble with me.”
Rarity, holding a wine glass in her magic, sat in silence, staring at Twilight and Spike. Her eyes glimmered with concern, a certain anxious twinkle, and tiny wrinkles formed worry lines in the corners of her eyes. Rarity’s continued silence spoke volumes and after a time, her eyes narrowed somewhat while she sipped some wine.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy continued to cling to one another, cuddling, doing what pegasus ponies do. Neither said anything, and both looked troubled while Rainbow stroked Fluttershy’s neck. Seville was rubbing his temple and Pinkie Pie sat beside him, tapping on her chin with one hoof while rubbing with a circular motion over her tummy with the other.
“Sumac did what he felt was necessary.” Twilight’s words were soft and held no resentment. “And I did what I felt was necessary. Looking back on it, I cannot help but wonder if it was his alicorn-nature manifesting. We have powerful instincts to do things, to take action. It’s complicated, and Celestia and I have talked about this. Cadance ascended young, and then was trained to deal with her impulses and instincts. I was ascended as an adult, and Celestia observed me while I adjusted. It is Celestia’s opinion that it is better to ascend when young, but we have varying opinions on the matter, and that’s fine.”
“That seems like something awfully complicated to say, so little about, so casually,” Seville remarked.
“Well, we are living in a time where the alicorn population is growing.” Lemon Hearts reached over, placed her hoof on her son’s neck, and patted him while she smiled.
“I was smart and focused and I sorted myself out while I had my growing pains, but others haven’t been so lucky—”
“Twilight, you’re talking about the Gosling incidents, aren’t you?” Seville’s ears pitched forwards, angling to point right at Twilight.
“Not in a bad way!” Twilight cringed a little from Seville’s accusations. “Celestia said that male alicorns are fierce protectors and immensely territorial. Gosling is adjusting. It… just… it might’ve been easier on Gosling if he had ascended when he was a colt… about Sumac’s age or so. I think Gosling turned out just fine, but I can see Celestia’s point on the issue. He had a rough time of things.”
Ears pinning back, Seville relaxed a little, but looked troubled. “I’m sorry… I don’t even know why I’m so defensive about it. It… it was a hard time for all of us. Celestia kept reminding us that female alicorns and male alicorns are very different creatures with very different purposes. She’s also immortal and patient and can wait forever for the rough spot to pass while the rest of us are keenly aware of the passing of time.”
“Trixie is feeling a feeling of impending dread. Trixie is quietly panicking. Trixie was already having a hard time raising her son as a sorcerer and now, this happens. Trixie has come to the conclusion that life is not fair. Trixie needs a strong drink.”
Sighing, Twinkleshine shook her head. “She’s regressed back to speaking to herself in the third person again.” Glancing sidelong at Lemon, the two mares exchanged worried looks in a way that only married ponies could.
“For me, it all comes down to this.” Rainbow Dash’s voice was hard and her eyes were flinty. “Twilight, are you okay?”
The question caught Twilight off guard, and the more she thought about it, the more she wasn’t sure how to answer it. Her mind began racing, trying to think of all of the things she could say, to explain herself, to dismiss her own doubts, fears, and feelings. The deluge of thoughts became a flood that washed away her ability to communicate, and she sat there with her mouth hanging open.
“No, Twilight is not okay.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, sighed, and gave Fluttershy a squeeze. “And in true Twilight fashion, she took a job so she could distract herself from her problems rather than deal with them. Look at her, she looks like a fish right now—”
“I do not!” Twilight blurted out. “I am not a fish! I am the Snarkle Sharkle!”
“And I’m a dinosaur—mmmph!” Sumac was silenced by Pebble jamming all of her hoof into his mouth while she pulled him into a headlock.
“You know what we need?” Pinkie Pie asked of nopony in particular.
“What’s that, Pinkie?” Twilight replied, glad that the focus wasn’t on her at the moment.
“A Pebble alicorn.”
“No.” Pebble’s deadpan was firm, unyielding, and somehow commanding.
“No?” Twilight and Pinkie Pie both asked together.
“I don’t want that weakness.” Pebble redoubled her grip around Sumac’s neck while he squirmed and flapped his wings.
“Weakness?” Twilight was baffled by this word, and didn’t understand how becoming an alicorn could be a weakness.
“I am an earth pony,” Pebble stated with pride in her voice. “More importantly, I am a stone pony, like my mother. If I continue to stay as an earth pony, I can continue to refine myself and one day, I will become the greatest earth pony that I can be. But to do that, I have to focus all of my will and all of my concentration on being an earth pony. If I became an alicorn, I’d have to split my attention and focus three ways… or maybe four ways, if you counted the fact of being alicorn as an individual focus. By dividing myself, I would only become weaker. And weakness sucks eggs.”
Applejack began laughing, and it was a smug, self-satisfied sound.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Twilight… but in a being-an-earth-pony-contest, I would beat you down like the old nag you are.” Pebble’s fierce competitive streak manifested and aggression could be seen in her eyes, but not her face. “It’s no small wonder that all of Celestia’s most powerful magics are earth pony related. She knows what the score is.” She pulled her hoof out of Sumac’s mouth, but kept the squirming colt in a headlock. “My mother and I want no part of this weakness.”
“I say we move this to the kitchen, so we can continue to talk over tea.” Rarity eyed her now-empty wine glass with a sour expression. “I have questions I’d like to ask, but I feel as though they would be better asked in private. Twilight, we’ll have to schedule a lunch.”
Tea sounded good, and Twilight found herself in agreement.
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I don't think that you receive enough credit for your ability to differentiate your characters as individuals. About a dozen in this scene, and each with a unique voice. It is impressive.
You're getting me so hyped up for Gosling's ascension!!
Damn you and your non-chronological stories!!! *shakes fist at sky*
8191182
That is not a story that will be written.
8191188
Perhaps not by you... Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!!
I can't back that up.
8191188 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
8191182
Dan Dlar rferg
vs
non-chronological stories
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/danvs_skywardscream02_1809.png
Yes, from a very strict point of view, by dividing her focus among three or four areas, Pebble would not be able to achieve the same level of mastery that she could by focusing on just one. But this assumes that being an alicorn is exactly like being an earth pony, or a pegasus, or a unicorn. The true power of an alicorn must surely not come from having necessarily greater might or mastery in any one aspect of being a pony, or even of all aspects of being a pony, but of the might and mastery of the respective synergies where each aspect compliments the others. That true power will never come out if one approaches their being an alicorn as the same as being a winged unicorn with earth pony strength.
But that's just what I think
Ohh the reveal. Now comes the hard questions from her friends and she still has to tell the other alicorns.
“Carnivores helping other magnificent predators.”
Ah, the weekly meeting of CHOMP.
C.H.O.M.P? A magnificant acronym for an organisation, second only to the greatest acronymed organisation of them all, "Females Advocating Nominated Gay Intimate Relations and Loud Sex", or F.A.N.G.I.R.L.S.
8191207 That was exactly what I was going for.
Well played, rock pony. Well played.
8191230 *Looks at spoiler text*
Ah you must be the martial artist on this site as your the one focusing on how a techniques and abilities can be improved and perfected. I can tell since that is the very essence of martial arts, not self-defense, not combat, but how one uses what one has...for it is the answering of this question that fighting styles are developed and honed.
8191188 i'm not sure why, and I'm not going to pretend and posture about as though I can or should be making demands for it to be written, but I have to confess, as a loyal fan of your works, reading that such a major event won't receive it's own moment of focus... I Honestly feel insulted by this declaration.
This isn't constructive, or positive, but I don't intend it as negative in anyway... I simply send this because... i feel it needed to be shared. None the less, i intend to keep reading more of your works, despite the strange feeling drawn forth
8191395
I can only write so much at a time. I have a whole lot planned at the moment and for the future. I have to pick and chose which projects I take on.
You have my most sincere apologies. No snark intended. I hate that text will not convey real feelings sometimes.
Another fun chapter if anyone would have some idea of what it feels like to be an Alicorn that would be Pebble since she got to experience what it felt like with Sumac's lantern.
AS to beating Twilights plot like a nag in an earthpony contest maybe if only for the fact Twilight doesn't seem to have done much with her Earth pony talents..
8191188
So, it will forever remain the Weedverse equivalent of a Noodle Incident?
Hmm. Gosling Incident does sound about right.
Good ol' Dash, cutting to the heart of the matter.
8191355
Yeah, that's what I am. Why not?
8191399
you could release an epistological blog or forum post detailing the event, or scatter the same complete details inside your other stories.
It occurs to me that Twilight now has editorial powers over reality (Beyond magic, or is ink literally what magic is?)
she can take a bit of ink that describes a pony that says "strong enough to jump over a 10-story building" and add an extra zero to make the pony "strong enough to jump over a 100-story building"
She can effect narrativium reinforcement or degradation to anything, just as if she had used a strengthening spell or weakening spell.
She can write her stubbed hoof out of existence.
She can write herself as being fully refreshed by a one hour nap.
8191399 it's okay, and I do understand, Really I do. I was just so blindsided by how I felt about that, that I felt I should share, unsure why beyond that. I will say that I will hold out hope that after you've taken on the greater priorities you have chosen, that we can get something approaching that facet of the story some day, but you certainly won't find me rushing you. Keep up your wonderful work
8192005
And if she did stupid shit like that, she wouldn't last long. The ink is self-correcting, if necessary.
8191230
This reminds me of a discussion I saw on being the Avatar
I am increasingly convinced that alicorn in Kudzus stories indeed come with their own set of abilities, on top of the 3 tribes.
Would cutie mark magic count as a fifth set of powers to manage?
Being an alicorn just seems to increase the possibilities for versatility depending on the pony.
But that's just it it depends on the pony, someone like Pebble is too ridgid in her ways to improve much fron acention where Sumacs power will probably only increase exponentially.
Sooo, Gosling is Goosecorn now, and Pebble don't want to be Alicorn. Then who is next, Trixie? Shining? Megara?
Neat.
Nice.
Good hug timing, Spike.
Trixie's reaction seems about right.