Chapter 36
Winter frost has finally fallen on Ponyville, thanks to the typically methodical and precisely coordinated pegasi. With farmwork taking a backseat and the winds too sharp for casual flying, the ponies began to simmer down. Which isn't to say they became quiet and withdrawn, but rather their buoyant personalities were subdued to "human on espresso" level.
Following an invite from the perky party pony Pinkie Pie, you and Sweetheart have gone over to Sugarcube Corner(closed whilst the majority of the family were seeing relatives for their equivalent of Christmas). There, in the warmth of baked goods, the three of you hang out upstairs in the living room. You and Sweetheart, stuffed with muffins, cakes and other sweets, are sprawled out on the couch. She has already dozed off to sleep, using your leg as a makeshift pillow. You can't resist occasionally running your fingers over her fluffy sunny yellow ear and cheek, eliciting a few sleepy hums.
Your other hand is occupied with the chess game set up on the table between you and Cutie Pie. It is the same delicately carved and toothpainted(that is, the painters did not use magic, but rather their mouths, which is considered quite the artistry here) game that Princess Celestia gifted to you following your initial arrival to Equestria. The pieces were different, but you'd adapted admirably. You frown exaggeratedly as Cutie takes her king and jumps to the other end of the board with it. "You can't do that!" You cry out. "It's against the rules."
Cutie huffs. "Think outside the box, Skinny. It's the only way to move forward in life!"
It takes you a good few seconds to process that. "Cutie..." (she'd insisted you call her that ever since she found out it was her nickname - apparently it made her feel 'super gooey and cozy like cinnamon buns frosting, specifically the yellow kind') "... if we all thought outside the box, nothing would ever get done."
Her pink fluffy grin widens. "I know! But I am, and that's why I'm unequivocally... the winner." She beams a thousand-dollar smile that almost, almost tempts you to crown her chess princess.
But not quite.
You take the king and move it back. "Noooo." you whisper melodramatically.
The pink pony's eyes narrow, and she pulls a frosted donut out of her incredibly curly cloud of mane, sticking it near your nose. "Sense the sugary goodness... it can aaaaaall be yoooouuuurs if you concede this victory...."
Who could resist a Pinkie Pie confection?
The king moves back to where it belongs and you chomp down the donut. Everybody wins.
"This was so much fun!" Cutie declares in a squeaky voice, hopping around. The sudden loud noise makes Sweetheart briefly fly up to the ceiling in a fright, before flopping down confusedly into your arms. Her fuzzy yellow face blushes a deep red as she realises what happened, and her ears pin themselves against her head. "Eh, hehe..."
You stifle a giggle, and poke your nose against hers fondly before letting the small embarrassed pegasus drop to her hooves.
"What else can we do?!" Pinkie exclaims, completely ignorant of the little moment. "I was going to the spa in the afternoon, Skinny, do you wanna come? I mean, between you and me, you look like you could use a little fixer-upper after crawling around with worms and tentacle monsters all weekend."
Sweetheart rubs her hooves together awkwardly. "Actually, I've got to get back to feed the animals... I didn't realise I'd slept so long." She titters. "Anon makes quite the pillow." The yellow pony looks up with adoring eyes.
"Pssht!" Cutie makes a dismissive gesture. "I'll look after Skinny! Right, Skinny?" She nuzzles the palm of your hand.
Sweetheart blinks. "I suppose that'd be ok... but please make sure nothing happens to him."
Cutie gives her a military salute, and you shrug. "Sure. Spa. I can do that."
Apparently unable to stop bouncing, Cutie hops alongside you all the way to the other side of town, where indeed two vaguely Asian-looking ponies with inverted fur and mane colors(blue and pink, respectively) run a relaxation health spa. The place is extravagant, its burgundy exterior more reminiscent of a small castle or mansion than the more conservative thatched-roof pony dwellings around it.
"So, what exactly is gonna happen in there?" You ask cautiously from your cheerful companion. The pink mare smiles widely.
"Only the most super-duper chill-out experience of your LIFE!" She exclaims, throwing her bushy cotton candy mane about. "Aloe and Lotus have the soooooftest hooves in Ponyville, and they'll turn you into jello in 15 seconds flat!" Without further ado, she pulls an oversized timer out of... somewhere... and taps the button on it. "Starting... now!"
Suddenly, Cutie headbutts you and it's at that moment when you truly get a sense of the reserved strength all earth ponies hide as she somehow manages to be strong enough to fling you through the spa doors. You scrunch up, bracing for impact, only to find your landing cushioned by two sets of mattress-like hooves. You're not sure whether they've been informed about your arrival or not, but with lightning speed, you find yourself stripped down to your underpants and lying on two massage tables(accounting for your greater height).
Before you can so much as squeak, Aloe and Lotus put their hooves on you and it is... unspeakably good. Clearly experts of their craft, the pony sisters handle your muscles as if they're clay. On the bed next to you, Cutie Pie taps her hoof impatiently, though her voice carries humor. "Hey! What's a girl gotta do to get some service around here?"
Snapping out of their enthusiasm, Aloe and Lotus share a brief mental tug-of-war over who gets the cool alien and who has to look after a boring old pony, and eventually, one of them(you have no clue which is which) concedes.
As you enjoy the massage, Cutie sneaks a peek at the Amulet chain still around your neck. An idea pops into her head. "Ooh, have you tried the barrel bath here, Skinny? It's super fun. There's a bubble bottle too!"
"A bubble bottle?" You mumble sleepily, having nearly dozed off under the treatment.
Cutie nods extremely fast. "Yup-yup-yup! Just one little squirt of magic and BOOOOOM!" she spreads her front hooves wide. "Bubble City!!"
"Suuure... we can do Bubble City..."
You regret the decision as soon as you say those words, as the masseur takes her heavenly hooves off of your back to go set up the large wooden barrel. You push your lazy ass off the table and rub your chest. Even though it is exceedingly warm inside the spa, the Amulet is still cold to the touch.
Suddenly, you feel something tapping on your neck and instinctively jump off the table. There, splayed out on the table is Eris, chewing on one of her talons. You're about to tell her off for scaring you, only to remember you're in a room with three other ponies.
"Hiiiiii!" Eris waves. "Whatcha doin?"
You ignore her and move towards the bath, watching the water rush in from the tap and trying to ignore the untimely appearance of your strange spirit daughter. "Non?" Her little wings flapping, Eris floats over to you and starts poking you, singing obnoxiously: "I'm here I'm here I'm here I'm here I'm here I'm here..."
"Anon?" Pinkie gives you a worried look, obviously noticing the pensive expression on your face. "I said the bath's ready."
You take a deep breath. "Right."
All three of you sink into the hot, steamy waters inside the barrel. It's almost scalding, and makes you feel like a boiled lobster. "Oh, that's nice." you mutter.
"Did I mention I'm here?" Eris purrs. "Let's get outta here and play somewhere! I checked that last memory of yours and I wanna try chess, pleeeeease? Pleasie-weasie? Non? Helloooooo!" She blows air into your ear. Unable to do anything else without alerting Pinkie, you simply scowl at her.
Meanwhile, the pink pony plays submarine, her usually curly mane suspended in the water, giving her a rather ethereal appearance. Popping out, she spits a nice stream out of her mouth, giggling afterwards like a schoolgirl. "What's the matter, Anon? Don't you like the bath? OOH! I forgot! The Bubble Bottle!"
Cutie grabs a green bottle from the side and spurts some liquid into the bath. Within seconds, massive amounts of foam start spreading, to the point where you lose sight of her.
But not Eris, who takes to dancing the cancan in an effort to gain your attention. It wouldn't be so bad if she also didn't have background music. Fucking magic...
"Anon?" Cutie's voice asks somewhere in the world of foam. "Where aaaare youuu?"
You squeak as she blows a raspberry on your stomach underwater, before emerging. "THERE you are!"
Seeing you unamused and tense, she raises an eyebrow. "You know, I've seen a lot of strange stuff in my time, but I've never seen bubbles make anyone crankier."
Cancan music blaring in your ears, you breathe heavily, wishing for Eris to just end her weird sugar high already. Did she skip all my memories about manners?
"I'm fine." You mutter.
Cutie pouts. "Are you, though?" She pokes the Amulet, and you slap her hoof away. "You've kinda been on edge ever since you started wearing jewelry. And it's made me wonder..."
You interrupt her. "Pinkie, can I trust you?"
"Abso-tootly-lutely." She pulls a nurse's cap out of the water and plants it on her head. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, GO!"
"Ok. Eris, SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!! ... NOW!"
Shocked to the core, the dancing girl drops out of the air, though she materialises an imaginary mattress to fall on. "... A-Anon?"
Seeing red, you snarl, enjoying the dead, gratifying silence in the room. "I don't want to play with you. I don't want to see or hear you. Just-"
Eris vanishes in a white flash.
"Yeah. That. Good." You turn back to Cutie, who's been taking notes on a professional pad. "Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy and maybe I am just losing my mind, but... there's somebody else living in my head."
The pink pony blinks. "Like a poltergeist?"
You shrug. "I guess... something to do with Luna splitting my mind open. Me and magic didn't mix well... maybe I have a tumor, I didn't even think of that! Anyway, ever since then I've been seeing this... girl. And she looks just like that statue at the castle. The one that's made up of all the different parts of other animals."
"You've been seeing a girl in your head that looks like Discord?" Cutie asks.
"Discord?"
She nods. "Discord."
"What's a Discord?"
Mulling for a few moments, Cutie then reaches into the water and pulls out a dictionary and reading glasses. "Discord... Discord... ahh, here we are! Discord. Meaning one: the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Meaning two: Granny Smith when someone eats the pie she left out to cool." She shudders dramatically and throws her glasses and the book back into the foam. "Never. Touch. The pie."
You rub temples. "I'm definitely losing my mind."
"Pfft. No, you're not!" Cutie exclaims. "Crazy ponies don't think they're crazy. They think it's normal to eat cheese. And I swear, if I ever marry someone who eats cheese, I will touch Granny Smith's pie!" She shudders again. "But that'll NEVER happen. Nuh-uh."
"But you tell cheesy jokes all the time." You point out.
Cutie gasps. "I do? ... I do! I'm DOOOOOOOMED!!" she shrieks and splashes into the water. A few seconds later, she shows up again. "Anyway, you were saying?"
"Yeah, I just... I guess I just don't know what to do with all of this..." you gesture vaguely. "I just want things to get back to normal, but it's not gonna happen while I have mischievous spirits of disharmony dancing the cancan in my brain. Or when ponies think I'm gonna take over the world just because I'm wearing a necklace."
Cutie snorts. "Silly colt. Ponies don't think you're gonna take over the world just because you're wearing a necklace! They think you're gonna take over the world because you didn't mention the cancan-dancing mischievous spirit of disharmony in your brain OR why you went to the Everfree Forest OR how you found the Alicorn Amulet OR why you don't have any fur! You know what would solve all of these ORs?"
"Enlighten me, wise one."
"A great... big... PARTYYYYY!!!" she exclaims, splashing water again. "We'll call it the 'Welcome-The-Hyooman-And-Celebrate-His-Birthday-And-Listen-To-Him-Explain-What's-Going-On Party!!"
You pause. "... huh. Now I do feel kinda silly."
She boops you on the nose. "But better, right? You don't hafta worry about things in Ponyville, we got each other's back! We'll figure things out, cause we like you and we want you to like us too."
"Aww, that's a nice thing to say." You grin.
Cutie nods with a self-satisfied smile. "And now, until this spa session is over, you gotta give me ear scritches."
"I what now?"
She rolls her eyes. "You don't think healthcare is free, do you? You owe me at least two hours in scritches, plus interest."
"... I can live with that."
"That's the spirit."
Twilight Sparkle hummed cheerfully as she trotted through her library, levitating a select few textbooks behind her in a magenta glow. On her work desk underneath a window shining light was a cluttered mess of papers, a microscope and chalk. Next to the desk was a blackboard with calculations scribbled on it. Excitedly, the purple unicorn floated one of her books in front of her snout and began magically turning pages to find what she was looking for.
"No... no... ooh! ... no." she mumbled under her breath, the delicate ears springing up and drooping in synch.
Spike had gone to hang out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, which left her alone and solely responsible. So, when the creak of the library's doors alerted her to the presence of another pony, Twilight sorrowfully put down her research and trotted downstairs with her most inviting customer smile on. Might as well try to get someone to read if I can't!
The smile dropped instantly as she recognised the aging pony in the black suit. "Care Taker! What are you doing here?!"
Twilight hopped off the stairs and got into a vaguely defensive posture.
"Ma'am." Care Taker nodded politely, ignoring her distress. "I was hoping to have a word. I didn't really have time for idle conversation back in the Castle, but now I'm here. And I could use your help."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"When you asked Zecora to guard the Alicorn Amulet, she trusted it to me. That is who I am. To you, I will have no further significance."
The purple unicorn shook her head, her inquisitive nature bubbling to the surface. "You don't wiggle out of the question that easily! I want to know exactly why she picked you. What have you got to do with the Amulet?"
Care Taker's lips curled downwards. "She picked me because I lack two things: a horn and anything better to do with my time. Now, are you going to keep asking wasteful questions or shall we get on with why I'm here?" The ice in the old pony's eyes restrained Twilight's curiosity for the moment.
When she simply nodded, Care Taker took a moment to compose himself. "Your friend, whatever and whoever he might be, did not just find one of the most powerful dark objects known to Equestria by accident. It would be better for everypony's safety if we removed the Amulet."
"Shouldn't you be telling this to him? The Amulet can't be taken off by anyone besides the wearer. Trust me, I know." Twilight argued.
The old pony's eyes bored into her. "I'm sure you do. Which is why it'll be your task to convince him. You already have his trust. You have the experience. And you have magic, to protect us if something should go terribly wrong."
"The Princess will decide-!"
"The Princess will decide!" Care Taker mocked. "Yes, well, let's just leave all our troubles for her to deal with. Perhaps you'll delegate dusting this old bookshop to her as well? She might just find the time between raising the sun and keeping the peace between nations. If you're lucky, you might squeeze doing the laundry into her afternoon. No. Leaving the Amulet in the hands of a literal alien is far too risky for my liking."
Twilight finally had enough. "Lucky for you, you don't make the decisions around here." She hissed. "You're welcome to leave Ponyville at any time. I think the next train goes at 4:30 PM."
Seeing that he'd pushed her too far, Care Taker bit his lip. "Alright. You're the Element of Harmony, not me. So I'll trust you. If he is harmless and all of this has a good explanation, then... well, lovely. But if you notice anything offputting, anything at all about your friend..."
Twilight interrupted. "Then me and my friends will handle it."
The two stared each other down for a few moments, then Care Taker relented and turned around to leave.
"Wait." Twilight said firmly with authority that she didn't even know she had. The old pony stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "Honestly, why did Zecora get you to guard the Amulet?"
"... I didn't want to see it affect anyone else the way it did Trixie Lulamoon. She is family."
Crimson Star soared through the chill and darkness of the Canterlot mountains, within the mountains to be exact. This was an extension of the capital city that few ever discussed due to its intrinsic connection with the feared nocturnal aspect of pony society, and it was known as Nightsteed.
Like Canterlot and its unicorns, Nightsteed carried the upper class of thestrals. You'd find no mangy, chip-toothed menials here. The majority of the population were either descendants of Nightmare Moon's army or obscenely wealthy enough to fake it.
What the city itself looked like was actually quite unknown, as the enormous cavern Nightsteed was in enveloped it in a perpetual, comforting darkness, broken up only by occasional specks of light - lanterns - for the benefit of rare daytime visitors. And even though foals liked to tell each other that the fearsome bats' slitted eyes pierced through the dark to snatch up their prey, they actually couldn't see their homes any more than the rest could. They used their ears more than their eyes.
Sound, as any nighttimer will tell you, is like water. It's fluid, but it has shape and molds to the location it's at. Through perpetuating sound, any self-respecting bat pony can construct an image of his immediate surroundings within his mind. As such, Crimson Star knew he was part of a line of 38 thestrals moving towards the east block, at least until he broke off to land at a particularly favoured restaurant. The interior, draped in exotic cerulean curtains that cascaded off the walls like waterfall, glinted with light from candles on each table. Part of the aesthetic, they also burned blue from a special wick.
In the center of the restaurant was a table, where she was waiting, standing out amongst the thestral couples by scent and posture and deep, round irises in her smoky eyes. Her bubblegum pink mane, usually tied up in a neat and professional bun, now flowed down her back. The frogs of her hooves rested against the table, as if she was about to leap off. She grinned as she saw him.
Crimson gulped and trotted to the table. "I'm sorry you had to wait, I-" he couldn't finish as Redheart pushed herself up, snaked a hoof around the back of his neck and pressed her lips against his. Caught totally off guard, the bat barely managed to balance himself against the table as Red lustfully ran her rough tongue over his sharp canines, exploring. Closing his eyes, the bat gave himself into the moment, enjoying the feel of her careful nurse hooves around him. It was only a moment though, and finally Redheart receded. Crimson opened his eyes to look at the beautiful pony.
It was Princess Luna.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!" Crimson yelped and toppled to the floor. Luna looked down at him with her usual worldwise eyes(the same color as Redheart's, he uncomfortably realised), and though she didn't open her mouth, words began to echo in the bat's head.
"Child of the night. Listen to the voice of Luna. Thou art dreaming. This is an unreality. Dost thou understand this?"
As he began to think, to really think for the first time since arriving in Nightsteed, Crimson knew she was right. He had no memories of leaving the hospital - or recovering at all for that matter. The restaurant around the two melted away in an instant, leaving nothing more than unclear nothingness around the two ponies. Using her magic, Luna levitated Crimson up from the surface and onto his four hooves.
"Judging from thy distress, we intruded at a bad time?"
The bat forced his rapid breathing to slow down. "Duty can call at any time, I suppose. Still... phew." He was about to pray that the Princess hadn't realised whose visage she took over, before realising he'd be praying to the very mare standing in front of her. So he settled for a weary frown.
"Dost thou realise why we are here?"
Her unexpectedly sharp tone flattened Crimson's ears onto the back of his head, and he shook his head, jittery all of a sudden. He really didn't know.
"We received a letter from the one called Anon. We did not receive thy report."
Crimson cocked his head to the side, confused. "But I sent it in post. It should be arriving at any time."
Luna raised an eyebrow.
"There is a small dragon living in Ponyville, with a direct magical link to our sister and ourselves. Anon is clearly aware of this, so we do not understand why our Guard is not."
He stared down at the vague surface he was standing on, wishing he could wake up and never have to go near the Princess again. "I... I hadn't thought of that. I'm sorry!"
Though he wasn't looking, he could feel Luna's gaze boring through him.
"Since this is thy first solitary assignment, and a stressful one at that, we forgive thee. But good resources are never to be ignored. Thou will give the report now."
Crimson blinked. "A-all of it?"
"Start from the beginning, and when thou hast reached the end, stop."
And so Crimson Star did. He told her everything - how Anon had disappeared into the Everfree without prompting, how he'd found him and protected him from the monsters within, how they had found Twilight Sparkle's saddlebag at the site where Anon arrived to Equestria and what they discovered within the Castle of the Two Sisters. Crimson explained in detail about the mysterious and taciturn Care Taker who harbored Queen Chrysalis's Tradestone as well as the infamous Alicorn Amulet, how Anon had taken the latter for himself, with supposedly good intentions but keeping a lot of uncomfortable secrets.
All throughout, Luna listened without any discernible reaction until Crimson spoke of an event closer to his own heart than any of the others. "When I first saw this Care Taker, he told me this medallion you gave me..." he held up the white stone wrapped around his neck. "He said it was a mark of N... N..." the bat paused briefly, unsure whether to continue.
"Say the name."
"He said it was a mark of Nightmare Moon's inner circle!" Crimson blurted out on command, and blushing fiercely. Luna squinted, and the bat could almost imagine her eyes slitted like in the old drawings his mother kept at home.
"It is so."
When she could see the fear and worry in Crimson's eyes, Luna's expression melted slightly and she gave the bat a reassuring smile.
"The Nightmare is over. She will never return. Thou wears the symbol of her trust, because it is now our trust. We own her, completely, and her existence will be made a force for good in our hooves. That we promise."
Crimson tried to return the smile. Though it was weak, it warmed the Princess's heart. "It did get me past Care Taker." He mumbled nervously. Luna extended herself down to the smaller pony's level and rubbed her elongated snout against his fluffy grey cheek comfortingly.
"And thou shalt pass by many more... in thy next assignment."
'But I haven't even recovered from this one!' Crimson wanted to exclaim. He'd been looking forward to returning to his routine Guard duties at Canterlot. When did he become the Princess's personal Daring Doo? "N-next... assignment?"
"It will be given when thou hast returned to the Castle in flesh. Bring Anon as well, to pass thy guardianship of him directly over to us. If he shall not answer to Twilight Sparkle, he will answer to us.
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10246113
ok
oh no.
Yes this is getting good.
What a wonderful gift and here I thought that people didn't do that for Memorial Day. Anyway, awesome chapter. Also, did Anon wear his boxers into the bath? Eh, so uncomfortable. He should have Rarity make him some swimming trunks or just do it pony style.
Poor Eris, she deserves some snuggles and ear scratches for that... and a lecture on timing.
wheee~ this is so exiting
Lovely humor
Caretaker has a point but unless i dont missunderstand him he dont see Princess Luna as a option. He dont even mention her.
Maybe no respect for her?
... Why wait for the injured Guard to escort Anon ? Just send out Guard to receive there human and let him get escorted to her. Its not like she has only one guard? What is her plan of action anyway?
Odd Eris is on bad terms with Anon. Than again maybe she lacks experiences how to act around others. Maybe she should check that kind of memory out...
-----
Edit:
O damn forget to follow you... Aaaand fixed
more please :)
Nicr
It feels like Luna's ultimatum is gonna be moot in a bit. He was just going to explain anyways; whether or not Luna is a prick first.
10249098
I would have never noticed a thing if you hadn't pointed that out...
Anon! You just went over how she’s your spiritual child! Poor girl was born what, a couple months ago, max? She is literally acting her age and looking for some fatherly attention, poor girl...
I want to head pat Eris and tell her it’s alright.
10250575
Generally, if you meet an animal and it starts talking to you and your first reaction to this new creature is to wax poetic about how beautiful and attractive they are then I'd say there was something weird going on at home with the non-sapient animals. That was my sentiment when reading this and it turned me off from the fic when it kept happening.
No, bestiality has a clear definition
And also no, so far no other animal has proven itself sapient. And in a world full of copied tricks, the one unique one is special. Plenty of ambush predators but only one mathematician.
Wow a little over reactive much anon. All i can say is poor eris
Pat pats for Eris. 🤗
Answer to Twilight? For what? What is Luna planning now?!
Granted, Pinkie has noticed his oddness, but perhaps that's brought about his brashness he would have normally had if he could have communicated from the start. 🤔 But maybe not.
Still would definitely need safeguard analysis to see what's up, maybe even a 'ling to sniff out stuff.
Keep going! ;)
Awesome
I know The Number One Patient is not canon (was described in it's story description after all), considering Crimson's dream points toward him having a crush on Redheart (which was likely developed since they were foals, yet never acted on), a few quotes from said story in the form of memories could very well make it canon, with NMM giving Crimson a mission in Ponyville to find a spot to show up, prompting having a reason for his family to move there.
Guess I could just call it headcanon if I got the meaning right.
10255168
she's in the next chapter
10257637
Fluttershy and him are able to communicate fairly well due to her nature.
10257682
It's one of the things that crossed over during her mind-link with Luna.
More
This is gonna be fun
Looks on this story as sees "On haitus"
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=bkOCHvdc&id=C1F6E60A332E0FC90B2E1A64254A04A337877CBD&thid=OIP.bkOCHvdcgO8amPWipc0WTQHaFk&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fih1.redbubble.net%2Fimage.256775008.1869%2Fap%2C550x550%2C16x12%2C1%2Ctransparent%2Ct.u6.png&exph=413&expw=549&q=meme+i+guess+i%27ll+die&simid=608055897413320845&ck=DBF90B7DED8299A5417590F686455567&selectedindex=1&adlt=off&shtp=GetUrl&shid=295a319a-6aff-47c0-bed0-cf67d6ca7524&shtk=Ikd1ZXNzIEknbGwgRGllIiBBcnQgUHJpbnRzIGJ5IHllc29mY2xhcnJ5IHwgUmVkYnViYmxl&shdk=Rm91bmQgb24gQmluZyBmcm9tIHd3dy5yZWRidWJibGUuY29t&shhk=7rK1dnh4Q90Qt%2BZyfIpW%2BedUcTbmDi%2BkpkxXC%2B%2BLRes%3D&form=EX0023&shth=OSH.6dwg5fsdmj2CYwJvvnY1VA
I quite enjoyed this so far. Although, I'm still curious about the greeting we wrote in the beginning to Twilight and if that has any correlation with anything. I would also like to thank you, this story has given me the motivation to continue writing my own stories once again. Can't wait for more.
10347524
Can you be more specific?
10348089 In chapter 3 Twilight wanted something written down from the human.
I was just thinking how that could have been something for Twilight to figure out, what with all the mystery behind the fact that magic and Luna were the cause for him to finally be able to understand them and their written language. Unless it was just a small thing to fill in the story. If that makes sense. Just teased my brain a bit lol
10350073
Anything that Anon said or wrote whilst magicless would be incomprehensible to them. Luna opened his mind by infiltrating it with her dream powers and the Amulet imbued him with magic.
So everything he writes or says now gets translated, but that note would still be devoid of magic since it predated the change.
10350081
Gotcha, thanks for the explanation!
10379498
Fluttershy's special talent let's her understand animals. It doesn't work for a normal language barrier.
Plus humans aren't animals.... humans are a virus.
10379522
Wow, someone is filled with self-loathing.
10385902
No I'm not. It's just a fact. Mammals adapt to their environment. Humans force the environment to adapt to us. Humans plunder the natural resources and when used up spread out to continue forcing the environment to adapt to us and continue to plunder the resources. The ONLY organisms that behave in a like manner are viruses. Ergo humans are a virus.
10385943
I've watched the Matrix too
And we have yet to use up all those natural resources, haven't we? The earth regenerates, it was designed to be lived in.
Man is different from animals because he is not an animal, he is a thinking being. He has mastery over the earth because he is above the other creatures on earth. Of course, this only makes sense when one acknowledges that God made man in his image and likeness and set him over the rest of creation. True, we shouldn't abuse such a gift and privilege, but your view of man being a parasite is the inevitable nihilism born of a lack of knowledge of purpose and the meaning of life. If there is no God, then life has no purpose and we are a virus. If God, then the purpose to fulfill our potential as made in His image and likeness, to become good.
10385993
We haven't used up all the natural resources? So you're saying that there aren't people starving around the world? The Earth isn't getting warmer? Deforestation isn't wiping out the forests? Just like how the body will try to fight off a virus and try to regenerate/repair itself, so is the Earth.
Just because we were made in His image doesn't mean we are perfect. Far from it.
Just because we think doesn't mean squat. Just means we have the potential to be smart animals. Though instead we decided to be viruses. Though just because we are a virus doesn't mean we have to be likened to a parasite. We can be a symbiote. A virus isn't necessarily good or bad.
And as for life having meaning... I hate to break it to you but everything in existence has one purpose: Death. Everything eventually dies. You, me, and everyone else were born to die. That is the meaning of life. Now what the meaning of Your life is... that's all up to you.
My outlook at life may seem nihilistic but I assure you it is not. I follow the Gothic philosophy. Essentially it boils down to "live life how you see fit because you never know when you will die." I am a True Goth. I am a Realist. When I look at a glass I don't say it's half full or half empty; I say there's water in it and then drink it.
Oh look a story I’ve never seen before, let’s see:
*Reads description* Sounds interesting
*Glances at chapter/wordcount* Decent
*Checks last update* Okay sounds great
*Barely notices status before opening chapter*
Wait!!! WHY IS THIS ON HIATUS?!?!?
10388369
I'm busy writing an original novel for the moment. But I'll probably land a chapter or two before the year is done.
10388693
Hmm... that’s fair, I’ll just put this back on my shelf for the next update
First, your paragraphing is slightly off. Remember, FimFic wants two returns in a row -- a completely blank line -- to mark paragraphs so that they format properly to the reader. (Some of us use indentation to mark paragraphs).
Second ... Hoo boy. How did this topic wind up in these coments?
10385943
Stop right there.
All animals alter the environment. Some do it far more than others. Elephants, as a quick example, will clobber a lot of grass. Plant eaters in general will do so. Lets not forget that beaver dams turn out to be a really good indicator of overall ecosystem health in most of North America, and an over-population of herbivores (caused by humans removing the predators that kept them in check) in turn caused a drop in the available foliage, massive deforestation, and a drop in beaver dams. Turns out that those beaver dams were needed for some trees to sprout saplings -- they needed the slow moving water upstream of the dams. Etc.
The claim that only humans alter the environment is just plain factually wrong. If you want to claim that we do it on a bigger scale than other animals, fine.
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*LOTS* of animals think. Language and intelligence are not unique to humans. Tool usage is not unique to humans. Knowledge of family, and even names for offspring, is not unique to humans. Turns out that birds have a lot of this (some species), as do dolphins and others.
There are fish -- ordinary common fish -- that tend gardens to make sure they have food (plant eating fish), and at least one that has been filmed using a rock to bash open oysters to get at the food inside. (a meat eating fish).
No. Just full stop. There is nothing to support this claim except what you were (probably) taught before age 6. If you are not willing to re-examine your childhood beliefs in the light of being an adult, ... I think finishing that sentence would get me a temp ban at least.
Realize that this is 100% your personal belief and philosophy; it is not truth. Not unless you have a definition of the word "God" that makes it true by that definition.
I'm pretty certain at this point that my concept/definition/view of "God" differs from yours significantly.
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No animal will ever abstract, think of eternal concepts like Justice, Beauty, Goodness, Virtue. A dog's thinking is only in reaction to it's emotions and instincts and cannot think of anything it cannot see. Man can enter the realm of the metaphysical, the very concept of 'being' itself, meaning and purpose; things you cannot see, touch, taste, etc. Animals cannot do this, a fish doesn't even know it's in water.
You certainly presume a lot of how/why I know/believe the things I do. I would be happy to explain to you how we can know there is a God outside of any religious concepts but through reason and logic alone. Message me if you're interested so that we don't blow up my friend's comment section haha.
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Ok you're right. I should've said mammals adapt with their environment. Or something like that. I still say because humans brute force or environment to adapt to us it means man is not a mammal. We stopped being mammals about the time we were able to leave large-scale ruins. As we become more parasitic and our population growth has exploded I believe that was when man stopped being animals and became virulent.
10516052
*procedes to blow a SUV sized hole in the house*
When I picked this story up I figured by the time I read it all it would come out of hiatus. Didn't expect it to be so good that I binge read the entire thing.
Incredibly well written story! Very excited for more. I hear you're writing an original novel! Good luck on that endeavour, I've been told the publication process is a bitch.
This story is great. It's got the warm and fuzzies, it's got the mystery, it's got the comf.
EEEEEEE, it's so good.
Upgraded from Good Stuff shelf to Favorites shelf.
Hiatus... My heart bleeds
Until next time
10561159
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfuL2DU_Ekg&t=36s
10562097
Huh... neat... so...your... doing what exactly?
Re -writing?
10562431
rebooting
coming back soon
10563005
What are you planning to change? It seems to have a solid base! Frankly the fact alone he could talk and get still that far was inspiring
10564585
An arc in Canterlot
*Clicks refresh* SIGH.....
10386136
The reason people are starving is because it isn't profitable to feed them. we make enough for 10 billion to eat, and yet with 7.5 billion, millions die.