Chapter Seven: Surprising Social Situations
“He what?” Galley asked, tentatively taking a few steps on her own around the hospital room. Celestia nodded with a sad sight, the gryphnoness’s wings flaring slightly in aggravation. Flexible casts covered her forelimb and leg, magic humming as healing crystals embedded into the magic-gauze hybrid item soaked into the gryphnoness’s afflicted bones. Having been fitted that morning with the experimental cast, Galley’s ability to walk was certainly a positive sign. Apparently having been asleep the day before when Celestia came to visit she was only now getting the news of Jason’s predicament.
“We don’t know if we can even connect to a realm close to Jason’s, let alone one along his timeline. There’s a chance we may be able to find the right one, but Discord says we just won’t know. If more odd occurrences start cropping up around his tower, that’s a good sign. But as of now…”
“Nothing?”
“A few random spikes of magic here and there, so there’s something, but as Jason told me this morning, to focus on that would only be destructive long-term. He’s just accepting that there’s a chance, but an equal or greater likelihood of not. It could be an hour, or a century, or never to even discover a connection. And that may not even be to his world; that’s just how it works apparently.”
Galley’s ears flattened, the image of the grown many crying as she rested against his side surging to the fore.
The thought made her feel a lot worse than she expected.
How much more is he hurting now?
“Discord did send a note though, so at least Jason got to tell his family a simple message. He’s been staying busy though, that much I can easily see. Twilight has him booked with various scientific meetings at his request,” Celestia’s violet eyes flickered over to the gryphoness. “But I’m sure he’d appreciate a visit. You are, after all, his first friend here.”
Galley nodded, a slight smile on her fully-healed beak. “I was going to ask if that was appropriate when you first arrived, actually.”
“I’ll see that it’s arranged. He requested to stay busy or otherwise be left alone today aside from a brief meeting with myself, Cadence and Twilight. I think tomorrow morning would be a good time,” Celestia remarked as Galley nodded in agreement.
“Tomorrow it is.”
“So, this filter can purify air for an hour or two?” Powder Vial asked, examining the dissected gas-mask 40mm filter on the table.
“Depending on the severity of the contamination. Certain toxic gases are very corrosive, so that’s a limited use. But in general, a few hours in a medium-contaminated atmosphere is likely. It filtered radionuclides too.”
“Ah, that has to do with the fusion and fission items you mentioned.”
“Correct, and I can attest they certainly work for that, and other uses. That said, I don’t have many more of these to examine though,” Jason admitted.
“Oh, that’s fine! I think that some of these materials have counterparts here. This will greatly improve our own mask filters to say the least!” Powder exclaimed happily, the blue unicorn clopping his hooves together with a smile, then turning pensive. “You said you can attest to their effectiveness in a contaminated environment?”
The unicorn’s maroon eyes widened in surprise, a strange darkness seeming to flicker across Jason’s gaze, almost predatory that caused the pony to scoot back an inch or two.
“Perhaps another time, but yes.”
“No worries. I don’t wish to pry.”
Jason shook his head, gesturing to the pile of items taken from the tower that now sat in the research facility near Canterlot, located somewhat near the now-official firing range. The few hours after breakfast had thankfully continued to distract the man from the looming reality of his predicament, and he genuinely did enjoy teaching the eager scientists about his various items accumulated over the years.
But that could only go for so far. Jason knew it was an uncomfortable truth he had to face, but if he could slowly acclimate to his position in this world, all the better.
And yet I know it will all come crashing down soon enough, just like those months eventually did. Fine one day, and then…
“As a note, these items are not regular possessions for humans, Professor Vial. I have them because most of these items I needed at one time. Or rather, most are things that I needed at one time but didn’t have.”
Powder waved a hoof, clearly seeing a subject he did not want to prod into. “I understand. Regardless, thank you for letting us examine these various items. We certainly haven’t touched the ones you preferred us to leave alone. You’ll be happy to know that your water filters have already shown promise for future application. I think we can adapt their design to bring clean water across every country!”
“That is fantastic,” Jason replied, a smile quickly taking place of his previously dark expression.
“Oh, I got this note a few moments ago when you were talking to my assistants about the, erm, what is that thing again?”
“That would be a cell-phone to wi-fi hotspot.”
“Right. Anyhow, Princess Celestia found somepony to answer your, what did it say, cultural questions.”
Hmm. Let’s see how awkward this will be. It’s a perfectly valid question, but…
“Perfect, if you could please tell the Princess I’m on my way.”
Jason blinked as a pink alicorn waved to him, the man massaging his temple with a free hand.
“Ok, so, Alicorn,” he pointed to Twilight, “Alicorn,” now to Celestia who was trying her hardest to not smile even wider with amusement, “Alicorn,” he gestured to the pink newcomer, who then smiled and pointed to a particular stained-glass window in the royal throne room.
“And the final grown Alicorn, Princess Luna who you briefly met. My name is Princess Cadence.”
Jason blew out a breath and shrugged. “Alright. So, are you all over a thousand years old?”
At this Celestia let out a titter, waving a hoof at the poor man whose brain was obviously beginning to short-circuit.
“In short, no. Technically Luna was imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years, and natural born Alicorns such as myself and my sister age at a different rate than Princess Cadence or Twilight here. They are both adults, but not in the same thousand-year way I am.”
“Right, the Nightmare Moon thing, Elements of Harmony….hat brief history lesson got a bit muddled around everything. Just a bit confused.”
Twilight laughed softly, her wings shuffling briefly. “It’ll sink in soon enough. Nice to see you Cadence by the way!” she remarked, horn igniting as the young soon-to-be ruler vanished with a soft *pop*.
“And she’s the ruler currently? Ish?” Jason asked, Celestia starting to nod, and then shrugged herself.
“Formally it’s a transition in progress, but not quite yet. When that occurs Luna and I will help her adjust for the first few years behind the scenes. Of course, we can step in when absolutely needed such as in this case,” Celestia explained. “Depending how things go, our retirement might be pushed off a tad, but regardless, Twilight is our successor. Princess Cadence here is the ruler of the Crystal Empire to the north, with Shining Armor as her husband. Twilight is his sister whom Cadence was a foalsitter for as she grew up.”
“Huh, alright. I’ll try to keep track of the family tree,” Jason replied softly, Cadence wagging a hoof at him.
“Don’t worry about it. I’d say you’ve got a bit more on your mind. I’ll take it from here, Celly,”
As the Alabaster alicorn trotted off, Cadence gestured to a side room, which Jason briefly recalled being that for diplomatic meetings. That had taken three or four tours of the castle, the man simply refusing to get lost again after not finding the kitchens for two hours after the first explanation
.
Which isn’t to say it still didn’t happen.
Looking at the human curiously, Cadence gestured to a seat, which Jason plopped down into with a sigh.
“Well, Jason, I hope I can help answer your questions. Celestia and Twilight are rather busy but thankfully I got Shining to watch Flurry Heart.”
“Who?”
“My baby girl, the other other alicorn,” Cadence replied with a soft laugh. “I’ll gladly direct you to a few resources on the types of ponies and such. Alicorns are…a tricky and touchy topic. But back to your concerns,” the Princess replied, her eyes then narrowing ever so slightly. “Huh. Interesting.”
“What?”
Cadence gestured to her flank- or rather, her cutie mark. “One of my official titles is the Princess of Love,” she explained, regarding the human with genuine interest. “My magic can help me see the threads of love or rather, attraction between individuals; and not just the serious stuff. Simple affection and the like, or perhaps more vague relationships.”
“Erm, sorry to disappoint, but I’m about as single as single can be, Princess Cadence, even moreso now that I’m in another dimension,” Jason remarked with a slight huff, not able to resist a slight, amused smile.
“True. And yet despite your weird magical signature, there’s something I can see. A general concern perhaps?”
Oh, well this makes it actually less awkward!
Ish.
Jason let out a relieved breath, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. “Was I that easy to read, I wonder, when I mentioned long-term concerns to Celestia?” he mused.
“Jason, she’s been reading all types of creatures for intent for a thousand years. I’m pretty sure and subtleties would probably have been picked up by her.”
“Ok, fair point. My question is honestly a rather simple one,” Jason remarked. “What are pony, or rather, most races views on other creatures? I have no idea what the general perception of me is going to be. Am I going to be seen as some sort of monster? An aberration? Some creepy thing from beyond the dimension? Would creatures even want to be friends with a human here? Thus far I’ve been very welcome, but I don’t know if that’s the exception or the rule. Princess Celestia said that humans aren’t a totally alien idea, but I get the idea that only a few even know about the alternate dimension thing.”
A very sly and knowing smile slid across Cadence’s features, and Jason got the distinct feeling the Princess picked up on something he didn’t.
“I can safely say that the reaction will be mixed. Celestia has filled me in on your situation and human history and customs, at least as you’ve explained it. There will be those who view you as such, a monster and creature to be shunned. But that will be the minority, I think. Most ponies are very accepting once they get over the initial shock or any rumors that may abound. That is why we’ve aggressively combatted any media influences,” the Princess replied, sighing slightly. “Ponies are naturally good but many, like humans it would seem, are subject to influence from various forces. I’d prefer if such forces portrayed you in the light many here see you as. A lone wanderer from another world who wants to fit in with a new life. Is that fairly accurate?”
“I’d say that’s a decent description. I have to admit, the ‘lone wanderer’ is a rather appealing title, if not slightly melodramatic,” Jason replied with a grin. “But that answers most of my questions, honestly. Humans are naturally social animals, even those who enjoy solitude. We bond naturally with others and even inanimate objects if we personify them out of boredom or whim.”
“Ah, and you are worried that such social needs will be unmet here, due to societal, cultural, or racial differences?”
Jason blinked, raising a hand before dropping it with a nod. “That’s…exactly my concern. If I’m going to have additional barriers to making friends, I’d rather know that from the start as opposed to discovering it the rough way.”
Cadence let out a thoughtful hum, picking up a pen and tapping it on the table in thought. “As I said before, I’d say you’ll be alright. Plenty of creatures, pony or otherwise, wouldn’t mind being friends with a human. Due to the wide variety of sentient creatures here, species is not as heavily-weighted as you may think. Many societies shun inter-species relations, while others are neutral. Equestria culturally does indeed harbor some negative feelings towards such relationships, but we are working to purge those in time. Similar to what you explained to Celestia, Humans have shunned others for such practices? Race, viewpoints, and so forth?”
“Correct.”
“Then I believe our societies are similar, if I have read both Twilight and Celestia’s reports correctly. The minority will have negative views, and possibly influences the masses, but the same can be said for those harboring positive views, even if also a minority.”
As the man nodded, Cadence’s expression changed, becoming genuinely concerned. “But I get the sense you are thinking in much longer terms than friends, am I right?”
Jason began to nod, but then shook his head as a sad chuckle left his mouth.
“In a manner of speaking. I still haven’t fully accepted my situation, and I don’t think I will for a time. It’s a lot to process,” he whispered, eyes looking at the dark wood conference table. “In losing my world, I lost my future, my plans, everything. I have to start everything over here, even if that eliminates some possibilities. For example,” Jason added, gesturing to the curious Alicorn.
“You may be the Princess of Love, but I don’t think that will help my situation. I have since sorted that aspect of my life away on arriving and understanding my situation. I have no family here, and certainly no chance of even sharing my life with another individual like that, and that is another thing I have to process and accept. I suppose the simple question I have is how best to accept that and what resources I may have available. Perhaps seeing a psychiatrist may help, but…”
Of the many things Jason expected, Cadence to burst out laughing was not one of them, the Alicorn’s sides shaking with genuine mirth as she smiled, a genuine and hopeful gesture. “Oh, Jason, you’ve got it all wrong,” the Princess remarked with a cheery grin, the man rather curious as to why the atmosphere in the room seemed lighter, the light in the window seeming a bit brighter and happier. “My statements on inter-species relationships wasn’t meant to just include friends. In fact, I’d say my words apply even greater to more intimate relationships.”
As Jason’s eyes began to widen, Cadence trotted over to sit next to the surprised human, a pleasant smile still on her face. “In fact, I overheard a mare or two remarking on how oddly attractive our new dimensional newcomer is.”
“Wait, what?”
Jason felt his cheeks flush both out of embarrassment and surprise. The idea had never really occurred to him that…
“As I said, Jason, our society places a lot less emphasis on race or species than perhaps yours would, as a single-sentient one does. To answer your question bluntly, no, you are not taking the correct approach,” the Princess added. “We’ll find a job for you soon enough, and we all hope you can enjoy living here for as long as that may be. Make friends, find love, go on adventures!” The last three statements were punctuated by a flaring of Cadence’s wings, the Alicorn obviously enjoying such possibilities.
“I’ve seen couples from all different races having quite happy romantic lives, each with their own challenges of course, but still happy nonetheless. With some exceptions from the obnoxious minority here, the heart wants what the heart wants. A yak falling in love with a gryphon? Pony and hippogriff? Species being a barrier to love is a wall that is lessening day by day! Of course, inter-species relationships are the majority, but love is love. However, I assume this is a bit much to process?”
“That I’m on an alien planet where the inhabitants might not see me as a monster, and that I can have somewhat of a normal social life, and possibly something more? That’s quite a lot to process indeed,” Jason admitted, running some fingers through his hair. “You seriously heard some ponies, erm, mares…?”
“Yup, and I doubt they’ll be the last. Sure, some may view you as a monster or a ‘lesser being’, Jason, but those narrow-minded being have the same view of other races in this world. That said, I would argue for the much larger portion the term ‘exotic’ also applies to races outside of one’s self, humans included, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Whether that view applies to you in terms of races here, however, is none of my business.”
That brought an even more defined blush to the man’s face, the term ‘exotic’ having never been applied to himself in any way shape or form.
Ever. To say it made the man’s brain overheat was an understatement.
“Perhaps first things first. I’d be fine with a few friends here, that alone would just be a rather nice thing. After that, well then maybe I can come to terms with the idea that something else can even exist,” he replied. “I still find the idea just-it’s a complete contradiction of the concept I was preparing to accept. And then there’s the whole different species thing that will take some getting used to…ok, too much thinking,” he muttered.
“Hmm. Well it sounds like you’re taking a logical approach. Thankfully for you, romantic gestures seem to be the same here that they are on your world, well, specific species-specific ones aside. I wonder if…”
“Friends first, Princess Cadence. Princess of Love indeed.”
Now it was Cadence’s turn to become flustered, wings flaring as she pouted slightly. “Sorry! I mean, it’s kind of my purpose, ruler of a nation or not! My apologies for jumping ahead!”
Jason couldn’t help but grin, waving a hand at her. “If it makes you feel better, if, or when that aspect of my life decides to rear its head, you’ll be one of the first to know.”
As Cadence let out a very un-ruler-like squeal of joy, Jason couldn’t help but be reminded of another purple Alicorn.
Two ponies in their element. Love and Science.
This talk answered a few of my questions, but now I’ve got a dozen more.
But those dozen can probably wait until after I get some friends. Yep, definitely wait on that.
Jason winced and grasped his head, a familiar migraine stabbing at his temples. Cadence looked over in worry as the man fished out some pain medications from the small black backpack at his side- the container traveling wherever the human went.
“Sorry, headache,” he muttered, taking a swig of clean water from a bottle also produced from the backpack.
“Hmm. We’re still trying to figure out why that happens, but we have a few theories. Celestia will let you know when they find out the cause. We’ll gladly see if any of our pain medications can be tolerated by you,” Cadence offered.
“I’ll have to take a whole day off to figure that out. Finding out a mild pain medicine for you acts as a serious hallucinogenic for me would be quite the experience.”
Cadence chuckled, nodding as she trotted towards the door, pausing briefly as her demeanor regained a bit more of a serious air.
“Was that your main concern, Jason?”
“Primarily. But now I’ve got a lot more to think about.”
Cadence couldn’t help but smile, waving at some guards posted nearby. “Well, I hope it’s in a good way. Feel free to send me a letter or ask Celestia. I think your other request was easily filled by the way,” she then paused, brow furrowing in genuine concern.
“Are you doing alright thus far?”
The man gestured around him; Jason not able to give an immediate answer. “I don’t know, honestly,” he admitted. “I’ve dealt with severe trauma before, and I’d say this qualifies as such. Likely, I’ll handle things fairly well for a time, and then once I can relax subconsciously it will all come flooding out. Maybe that’ll be days, or weeks, or longer. But I suppose I’m doing as well as can be expected. I am very grateful for you, and, well, everypony’s help. Having a kind welcome certainly alleviates a bit of stress.”
Cadences eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his answer; the alicorn clearly wanting to ask more but not prying. “Well, I’ll have the guards show you around then. Take care, Jason.”
Following the royal guards down the plus castle hallways, one of them levitated a familiar item over, the man looking inside the thin gym duffel bag.
Looks like just one I’d see back home.
“We have a few private training grounds, Sir, with the items you requested. The Princess wanted us to assure you they weren’t out of the ordinary in the slightest,” one of the unicorns remarked, prompting a sigh of relief from the human.
“Well, nice to know punching bags and weights exist here. Until I know more, I’d rather not assume anything. Last thing I’d want to do is request a bag and then find out everyone-ah, everypony is a pacifist.”
That got a good-natured snort from the unicorn, his head shaking back and forth as they trotted along. “While we dislike violence, it is a reality of the world. Ah, here we are.”
Gesturing to a small hallway that branched into a few smaller rooms, the guard levitated over a small satchel as well as a thicker piece of parchment.
“This is an enchanted map to show you the layout of the palace- well, most of it. You’re free to come where whenever you’d like. The Princess has set aside one of the private diplomat gym rooms for you, at least for the immediate time.”
“Thank you….and it was Tungsten Link, right?” Jason asked, the unicorn grinning.
“Yep, I’m surprised you can tell underneath the armor. The enchantment makes us all look fairly similar.”
The man waved a hand as the guards took their leave, Jason looking around the surprisingly-normal gym room. While some things were obviously geared towards ponies, the weights, punching bag, and rowing machines looked bipedal-compatible.
Then again, there are bipedal races here, so I guess that’s a necessity.
As he wrapped his hands with tape, the man took off his shirt, setting aside a water bottle as he took a few experimental jabs at the resilient bag hanging from the ceiling.
“Well. At least I can have a somewhat normal workout routine,” he muttered.
As he ran through a few sequences of weights, rowing exercises, and stretches, the man then found his hands shaking slightly as he walloped the punching bag.
“You’ve been through worse, you’ll adjust to this too,” he muttered to himself, “at least, I hope so.”
Galley semi-hobbled down the Palace halls, grumbling at the nurses’ suggestions to move. Her limbs ached but the gryphoness counted herself lucky. Most broken limbs, especially hollow-boned ones like hers, would have laid her up for months.
Thank heavens for pony magic and that emergency crystal.
And Jason of course.
“Ah crud, not again,” she heard a familiar voice mutter from down a hallway. “Ok, so the enchanted map doesn’t orient itself automatically if upside-down. No wonder I ended up here.”
Poking her head around a side hallway, Galley’s green eyes widened on seeing Jason turning a piece of parchment this way and that.
“This map has levels? Of course it does, it’s a castle. Ok, so I want the bottom floor, no not dungeons.” he muttered to himself. “Diplomat suite where are you?”
“A few hallways off, but pretty close,” Galley piped up with a slightly nervous smile.
Why am I nervous?
“Hey, Jason.”
The man blinked in surprise, a genuine and wide smile splitting his features. “Huh? Wait, Galley? Erm, Private Stonefeather,” he corrected taking a few paces forwards. His shoulders seemed to relax ever so slightly, a genuine tone of relief creeping into the man’s voice.
“You are looking a lot better than when we first met.”
Galley smiled, gesturing to the cast with her uninjured forelimb. “Just Galley, please. And that’s thanks to you and a lot of magic. Apparently if I’m around unicorns for too long I give them a headache since I’m so saturated with the stuff, at least for n-now,” the gryphoness’s voice hitched briefly, the guard feeling an almost physical wall of something clogging her throat. For the briefest moment she was back on that muddy forest floor.
“Seeing me bringing back some stuff, huh?” Jason asked softly, and the gryphoness’s eyes widened in surprise.
How did he…?
“I know what trauma can do to you if you don’t confront and deal with it. If seeing me is going to upset you, I-”
“It’s not that,” Galley whispered, gesturing to the man. “You’re fine. The other s-stuff, not so much.”
Why didn’t I have to deal with this before?
Because I had managed to ignore it, duh.
Jason nodded, staying quiet for a moment. “Alright, then how about this,” he remarked, “Let me know or I guess, Celestia know if things are going to be a bit too rough. I certainly will understand if that’s the case. So, for now, how about we wish each other well, and we’ll see how tomorrow goes?”
Galley nodded, shaking his offered outstretched hand with her claws.
“S-sounds good.”
“Well, nice to meet you officially, Galley. Talk to you tomorrow?”
I can’t just…
Ugh.
Taking a step forward, Galley wrapped her good arm around Jason’s torso, the gryphoness’s sides shivering slightly.
“Thank you, Jason. Really,” she whispered, find it rather adoring the man’s only response was to gently rest a hand on her shoulder.
Dangit, Jason. I’m not used to this. I’ve never been a touchy-feely ‘griff.
Just, thank you.
Wait. Why do I not mind-
“You’re quite welcome. I mean it Galley, if this is too much, well, just think about it, ok?” he replied in an equally quiet tone. “I’ve been there. There’s healthy ways to deal with stuff, but ignoring it while jumping right back into normalcy isn’t one of them.”
Galley nodded, head hanging almost hanging despondently as she waved at the man and semi-hobbled off down the halls towards the medical wing.
It was only after she was out of sight did the gryphoness pause, leaning against a cool stone wall as her claws shook violently.
Well, guess it’s time for that fabled pony counseling option they give us.
And time for me to stop acting so feather-plucking prideful about it all. I can’t deal with this myself.
‘Suck it up, Private. Get the help you need and get back to work.’
I can almost hear my drill instructor’s voice when that stuff happened in boot camp.
Who would have thought a warm bed and kind words would provoke nightmares?
What was it the doc told me? Basically, I was in a place where my subconscious could de-stress?
As the gryphoness paused outside a specific section of the medical wing, a smiling pony waved her over.
“Oh! Private Stonefeather! Princess Celestia said you might be stopping by,” the blue receptionist unicorn remarked. “I think Doctor Birch has an opening in a few moments.”
As Galley sat down, the barest hint of a smile crept onto her features as she glanced at the ‘Doctors In’ descriptions
Of course Celestia knew I’d be dealing with something and make sure the same gryphon Doctor I had a few years ago was on call; I’ll be sure to thank her for that. It’s nice to finally have a friend watching out for you, near goddess or not.
“Stupid,” Jason muttered as he bandaged his scraped knuckles. “Serves me right for not paying attention to how rough that bag was. Take off the tape…”
The man sat on a small bench, feeling the tidal wave of responsibility and emotion looming. The only human among aliens, it was too much to bear at least for now. Seeing Galley up and about had put his heart at ease but the hug had certainly been a surprise.
Were hugs common here? That was a societal difference that had cropped up. Apparently, ponies were very touchy-feely. But gryphons….?
Well, it was still a nice gesture.
And certainly not an unwanted one either; but that’s neither here nor there for now. I’m just glad I could help her. I certainly know about dealing with trauma.
At that thought, the man’s eyes glanced over to a few duffel-bags in the corner of the room, having been retrieved from the tower. His nerves had only calmed once they were in the room with him; even though their use was nigh-unlikely. The lack of his firearms was unsettling, but logic prevailed.
The firearms test certainly proved that for now, the only safe place for those items was deep underground in a safe. The other items in the bags still eased Jason’s mind however. Food, water, the essentials, and some other odds and ends.
And buried in one pack was a small metal box, the contents of which seemed fairly worthless to a casual observer; especially how illogical the other supplies would appear.
Only illogical to those who haven’t gone through it all. I doubt they’d have such issues here. But perhaps…
An absurd thought then made the man laugh out loud as he got ready for a shower, head shaking in amusement.
“Oh, seeing a pony counselor. I suppose that might have to be a thing.”
Despite it being said as a joke, the man knew that if he was here for good…it very well might be a possibility.
Focus on the good. Seeing Galley again tomorrow and possibly overseeing another firearm test. What did they say? Something about ‘arcane and arcane-null matter interaction?’
Probably just a ‘shoot this item and let us watch’ thing again. Well, that’ll be interesting to say the least.
Surprise chapter! Normal update schedule after this (monthly at the very least) 
Poor Jason is getting a crash course in the welcoming land that is Equestria! But hey, that's a good thing at least!
As always, feedback appreciated!
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Arcane plus Arcane-null roughly equal to Matter plus Anti-matter.
Only difference is the first leaves debris, the other doesn't.
9967923
That's the realm of Twilight, and thus I leave it to her. As far as Jason is concerned....'I shoot a watermelon, and the entire room explodes.'
Part of how Cadence was talking about love there raised a few concerns, namely that she intends to change his preferences. Sure he as a human may view romantic/sexual relationships outside his species as bad, but that is because his world has only one fully sapient species.
9964637
You don't need to change it, it was fine with it saying Luna was reading his memories. Luna just seems like she's intentionally not doing her job, or provoking memories despite them being nightmares and then not dispelling them. Her peeking in a diplomat's mind is itself something that destroys the princesses' credibility even if it isn't malicious in intent. As for Discord, its more HOW he says it rather than what he says. Covering his tracks with a technically true statement that is actually a deception, to hide that he didn't really "save" Jason but actually caused the problem only to say "whoops, time to spend the rest of your life in equestria!" He just doesn't seem very credible, and I find it hard to believe he isn't pulling something. Or he actually went into it to help rathwr than juat cause chaos and happened to remove Jason from his old life.
9968222
Oh, she didn't mean to change it, only making the point that perhaps the human view simply isn't correct in a reverse sense (i.e. inter-species relationships isn't taboo in Equestria. Humanity simply doesn't have that option) There's no foul play here by the rulers, only a sincere desire to help (even if a certain pink one may be slightly over-eager in that regard!
The reason I removed it is because it made no sense to the current plan of Luna NOT doing anything until asked. Keep in mind, he's an alien. She's not about to root around in his head even to stop nightmares unless asked. For all they know, that could put him into a coma. So until asked, she was staying out of his head, including observing. That's why I removed it.
In this case, Discord didn't cause it but was a bystander out of chaotic interest (i.e. ' Oh, what happens when these two dimensions collide? That'll be fun!') His shy-Pegasus-induced-morality nudged him to yank Jason out, as well as think ahead for a potentially dangerous scenario. It coming off as anything else is either bad phrasing on my part or just Discord being Discord. Even if a helpful thing to save Jason, that's chaotic in and of itself, another reason had few qualms about it (except it had some good intent behind it this time rather than enjoyment only.)
....I get the sense you are wanting the ponies/creatures to have some malicious intent, but that is not my intention. They're honestly just interested in the new human in town!
In this world, magic is likely a form of some sort of radiation.
And if it can transform shit, then it's ionizing radiation--that's the REALLY bad stuff!
Welcome to your worse nightmare, Jason. You're about to know what Daniel Jackson went through.
Well....
....maybe without the whole "ascension thing"--that's pretty much restricted to ponies becoming alicorns after all....
..... and humans just ,,, well ... can't....
.
.
.
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I mean, that would be weird if they could, now wouldn't it?
9968239
Want them to be malicious? Not really, I guess I'm juat predisposed to being suspicious. Discord is the only one I'm sure was screwing with him. As for his nightmares, I just assumed magic+dreams=Luna. With Cadence I just thought to bring up the topic, because unlike people in equestria him having an aversion to a romantic relation to nonhumans is because of its connotations with beastiality, rather than being hateful or looking down on other species. Besides, some people in equestria may just be attracted to certain species. Or maybe the issue will never come up and none of this will matter. *amused shrug*
9968261
Hmm, fair enough. In this case it really is just coincidence. Stress = nightmares. In Cadence's case it was just bridging that gap of species. Some may find a human attractive, some may not. It was just about making sure Jason realized his current approach was incorrect. (I mean, she IS the Princess of Love)
And to be fair, Discord is pretty fair game when it comes to messing with people.
9968260
(Props for SG-1!) I don't think a human can ascend...that sounds like a fic on its own! But on the bright side, his Geiger counters haven't been screaming every time there's a unicorn, so that's a plus!
Yeaaaaah
I've always felt like cadence kind of forces the flowers to bloom instead of nurturing them. What should take months to even a year suddenly happens in less than a day sometimes.
Feels like she's more of a Princess of Forced Rape /Marriages to me.
Wait, shouldn't that be 'minority'?
Also, the thought sequences, the ones in italics, are divided into a lot of paragraphs. It's probably better not to have that much.
I can understand the urge, though. Is this related enough to be in the same paragraph? But I wanna make a bit of a distinction... Ugh, where should I divide this? Should I divide this?
9969796
I agree- and that's why in this case it's just her getting excited. Nothing forced, nothing kind of shifty that has occurred in other fics; just genuine excitement.
9969962
Thanks for the catch! And I'll double-check those as well! Ugh, looks like the format messed up as well- Fimfiction adds spaces sometimes in addition to my efforts.
9970179
Nice and thanks for not being like the other authors!
9970239
Most welcome! Honestly, that aspect of how other authors have utilized Cadence has always bugged me. Her always being a super-nosey/invasive/pushy cupid on steroids never sat right with me. It always went from a touch amusing to 100% cringe-worthy, at least from my perspective.
9970920
Kind of the same with Twilight, but we shall see.
Everyone has made her into this control freak that wants to see your insides with no questions asked.
9971724
Yeah, I've seen that too. No such thing here! In Twilight's case, just an excitable science/magic buff
So far II like this story, but I do think the Cadence Love, romance section was a bit over done. too long and repetitive. Of course I really don't like when HIE story Authors beat the interspecies sex thing into the ground. its a far too common meme that I really don't think would be as big a deal as many stories make it.
We'll done chapter
The Monk
“What else to do? How did people survive boredom in olden times? ... Oh yeah, lots of stabbing." -RushyFiction
9989894
I'm glad you enjoy it thus far! I'll certainly keep that in mind; my goal isn't to beat really any point into the ground, as that gets to be obnoxioius. With Cadence's bit, the goal was (successful or not,) to have it be from a friend point of view, and then the realization it could be taken another, deeper level, with Cadence getting a wee bit too excited about it.
I think there would be an initial inter-species hurdle (Simply because humans haven't ever encountered such a thing,) but after that, I can't see it being a HUGE thing that would take pages upon pages upon....you get the point.
Thank you very much for the feedback!
Ooohhh, I'm looking forward to that test he spoke about. Xd
10001294
Just will have to see about that...
I just found your story and I am liking what I've read so far. One thing, though, the red eyes reminded me of an old movie a Junior High School teacher showed my class named "the Omega Man"... have you seen that?
10054822
Glad you're enjoying it! I haven't seen it in its entirety, but know about it (it is what I am Legend is based off of, among other things.)
Well, considering how much money some folks will pay to have an explodey target to shoot at...
10197841
Fair point
Feather-Plucking? My God the pun!
10250598
Interspecies relationships… well sh!t truss me up like a kangaroo and call me skippy.
11023107
Lore error here. In the episode The Crystalling where Flurry Heart is introduced to the show, Celestia says that they have never seen an alicorn born before. This doesn't make the story ruined, but it's an oddity considering it does mostly follow the series's continuity and set during season 9.
11713132
That's a very good point; I must have overlooked that. To be honest, there's a lot of seasons 6-9 which lore wise is....well, funky-wunky. And don't get me started on some of the writing.
🐉❤