And Most Bite
It was a typical day in Ponyville, inasmuch as that meant anything. That was especially true since the recent opening of the School of Friendship had made exotic creatures, major political figures, and exotic creatures who were major political figures much more common sights than before.
Twilight Sparkle trotting by the side of a pale pink half-horse, half-albatross as tall as Celestia and wearing similar regalia might have seemed unusual a few years ago. Might. This was still Twilight, after all. But these days, it was just a few more squares to fill in for ponywatcher Bingo.
Queen Novo, for her part, didn’t seem any more impressed by the town than it was by her, though she had other things on her mind. “I’m… sorry,” she ground out, “for saying you were trying to steal from me again. Silverstream’s her own ‘griff, and you and her friends were right that I need to respect that.”
“I appreciate that,” said Twilight. “And your accusation was understandable given the circumstances.”
“And your track record.”
Twilight waited for another apology. She gave up after they passed a few more houses. “You’re not going to let the incident with the Pearl go, are you?”
Novo arched an eyebrow. “You immortal?”
“I’m actually not sure.” Twilight shuddered as lines of thought she tried not to follow came to mind. “It’s not exactly the sort of thing I want to test.”
That got a wingshrug. “Then I guess we’ll both find out how long I can hold that over your… head…”
Twilight’s head darted back up, especially once she realized she was walking past the hippogriff, who was staring down another part of an intersection. She doubled back and said, “Queen Novo? Is everything alright?”
“Depends.” Novo jabbed a talon down the street. “Who is that?”
Twilight followed her, looked for anyone other than the only creature in that direction, and finally turned back. “Who, Cranky?”
The queen leapt, half takeoff, half pounce. She slammed into the ground in front of the jack, her impact making the supplies in his cart bounce as she spread wings three times as wide as he was long. “Cranky Doodle Donkey,” she said, each word dripping with more disdain than the last. “I guess it really is a small world these days.”
“Novo.” Cranky barely glanced up at her before checking the contents of the cart.
“That’s Queen Novo to you.”
The most acknowledgement that got was a grunt as Cranky continued the visual inspection.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Novo leaned in close, beak snapping with every word. “Am I bothering you?”
“No more than last time.” Apparently satisfied, he turned back and gave her a once-over. “You look just as self-righteous.”
Novo all but shook with fury, pupils narrowing to pinpricks. “Don’t you start with me, you ass.”
“You trying to insult me or just describe me? I can never tell with you.”
Novo's head tilted ninety degrees as her talons dug into the dirt road. “Oh, you want to know if I’m being insulting? How about—”
At that point, Twilight pushed herself out of her own shock and the comforting embrace of the spectating herd. “Okay!" she cried, galloping up to them with a force field on the tip of her horn. "I think we all need to take a moment to settle ourselves—”
Novo gave her a side-eye filled with the avian madness Twilight usually saw in Fluttershy's more troublesome feathered patients. “You mind your own business, Princess Sticky Hooves.”
“With all due respect, Queen Novo—”
That got a dry snicker from Cranky. “So none?”
Twilight gave him a look. He pretended to care. “This is my business. I can hardly claim to be the Princess of Friendship if I stand by and let an international incident unfold in front of me. This sort of misunderstanding is why I founded the school in the first place. And it sounds like you could use a neutral third party to help with this.”
Novo scoffed at that. “Oh, there’s no misunderstanding here. Cranky knows exactly why he’s banished from Mount Aris.”
“Which is why I’m not there.” Cranky sighed. “Look, if we’re going to do this—”
“You know we’re going to this.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course we are. Otherwise you’d have to admit you overreacted for once in your life. When Pinkie told me about her stay in Seaquestria, I thought she was exaggerating, but you've barely changed since the last time I saw you."
"You lost more hair." Novo sneered. "Or do you expect to believe that your actual mane?"
"The Dreamboat Special is a statement. Now, can we at least do this without making it yet another piece of Ponyville street theater?” Cranky waved a hoof over the still gathering onlookers. Some of the more enterprising salesponies from the farmers’ market had already moved their booths. “I don’t have any dignity to lose, but I don’t think you want the pegarazzi sniffing around.”
Novo cast a wary eye at the skies. Twilight couldn’t spot any light glinting off of camera lenses, but she knew that was no guarantee. “Fine. Sparkle, you come with. Having a mediator isn’t the worst idea.”
A disappointed moan rang out among the crowd. Twilight rolled her eyes and caught Cranky doing the same. He offered her a subtle enough hint of a grin that she might have imagined it “Clear a path, everypony," Twilight said, though Novo was already marching into the crowd. "This is clearly a personal matter.”
“Says the busybody,” Novo said just loud enough for Twilight to hear as she followed.
“But she’s a royal busybody,” Cranky grumbled at his usual volume behind them. “The way you bash creatures over the head with your own crown, you don’t have a leg to stand on there.”
Novo stuck her beak in the air. “That’s what the fins are for.”
“Of course they are.”
Twilight held back her next eyeroll. Someone had to be the bigger creature here, after all.
"So, did you want to start walking towards my house at some point?"
"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight muttered as the first flash bulb went off overhead, "you owe me for this one."
A brief eternity of verbal barbs and candid photos later, they arrived at Cranky's house at the edge of town. Once the three of them were settled in his living room, Twilight felt that she could really get down to business.
“So, how did you two meet?”
Twilight told herself that the matching incredulous stares were a sign of progress.
“Really,” Novo deadpanned.
“If I’m going to act as an effective mediator, I’m going to need some background on your dispute. I've gathered some context on the way here, but I've made plenty of faulty assumptions based on incomplete information in the past.” Twilight ignored Novo's snort and offered the best smile she could. "Therefore, let's start from the beginning: How did you two meet?"
Cranky sighed, head tilting back in thought. “How much has Pinkie told you about my search for Matilda?”
Novo snorted again. "Right. 'Matilda.'"
That got an angrier glare out of Cranky than anything she'd said thus far. “Who, I will add, is now my happily wedded wife. She's just visiting friends in Canterlot today.”
“Uh huh. And I’m a lionfish.”
Cranky opened his mouth, but Twilight blurted out “You searched all over Equestria” before he could say anything else.
That got a nod. “And beyond. Donkeys… we don’t really have a homeland of our own, but we get by just about everywhere. At the time, that included Mount Aris.”
“You should’ve seen him back then, Sparkle. Riding into Buckbeak Harbor with a steely glint in his eye like some hero out of a dime store paperback." Novo smirked. "If you ignored the receding maneline.”
“And that’s the thanks I get for keeping your precious Pearl of Transmutation from turning your whole city into a bunch of newts.”
Novo matched Cranky glare for glare. “Yeah. It is. Because then you turned around and tried to use it for your own selfish gain, like certain other ponies I could mention.”
Twilight liked to think of herself as a reasonable mare. A student of Celestia not just in magic, but in statesmareship and diplomacy. She'd also been dealing with Novo all day. “Okay, you know what? I admit that I made one of the worst mistakes of my life that day, but Celestia still told me to come to you with her last breath."
All the anger bled out of Novo's expression. She looked at Twilight less like a nemesis and more like a bratty child she had to put up with. "She seemed fine to me."
"Only after I reversed her petrification. Because I went out and found a solution. But you decided you’d rather hide in Seaquestria for the rest of time. Yes, I was going to use the Pearl. I was going to use it to save Canterlot from the Storm King, along with the day-night cycle.”
Novo just raised an eyebrow. “And how were you planning on changing back, exactly?”
“I would’ve brought it back as soon as we were done.”
“Uh huh. Tell you what, why don’t you ask Celestia when she’ll be done with the Amulet of Aurora while you’re at it? She told my grandmother she'd only hold onto that one for a moon.”
Twilight felt an eyelid start twitching. “Did you miss the part where the entire world was at stake?”
“You betrayed my trust.” Novo looked away to consider the wedding photos on the mantle. "Can we get back on topic?"
“You left my friends to drown!”
A hoof on Twilight's withers interrupted the terribly tempting spells she was considering. “Don’t bother, kid," said Cranky. "You touch the Pearl without Novo’s say-so, you’re dead to her. Especially if you do it behind her tail.”
That got Novo to stiffen and turn back. “You would know. Sparkle, you had good intentions, I’ll give you that. But this jack tried to use one of the most powerful, most sacred artifacts in the world as a baldness cure.”
Twilight turned to Cranky and didn't say anything for a few moments. She couldn't; too many thoughts were vying for attention. Finally, she settled on “Really?”
He just shrugged. “Wouldn’t be much point to finally finding Matilda if she didn’t want anything to do with me when I finally did. And if that thing could give me gills, well…”
“Okay." Twilight took a deep breath. "Well. This is what I was talking about when I mentioned faulty assumptions. I have to admit, that is pretty outrageous.”
Cranky chuckled, of all things. “If you think that’s outrageous, you should hear what got me kicked out of Saddle Arabia.”
“But that isn’t even the worst part,” said Novo.
Twilight blinked. “It isn’t?”
“The worst part is what he did to get me to look the other way while he tangled with the guard jellyfish.” Once again, Novo leaned in close to Cranky, like she was ready to peck his eyes out. “You know where he is.”
“‘He’?” Twilight echoed.
He met her gaze, a rock before the pounding surf. “I may.”
Novo sneered. “Don’t you piss on my leg and tell me the tide’s coming in. You two were inseparable then. I can’t imagine what it would take to change that now.”
“A lot can happen in thirty years, Novo.”
“A lot can, sure. Enough?”
The staring contest stretched on for another few uncomfortable moments. Cranky looked away first. “It was all my idea.”
“I never even got to say goodbye, Cranky." Pain filled Novo's eyes and strained her voice, the sort of old, unresolved pain Twilight had seen behind Skystar's facade. "I looked away when the alarm sounded and next thing I knew, he was getting you out of there fast as he could.”
“He wanted to go back." Cranky's gaze sank to the floor. "I told him to write a letter.”
“If he did, I never got it.”
"I wouldn't know. He dropped me off at Klugetown, told me he needed time to think, and swam away. I didn't see him again until he saved my life eight years later."
Twilight cleared her throat and squirmed a little when both creatures jumped. “I feel like I’m missing some key context here.” Also like a voyeur, but she wasn't going to say that.
Cranky sighed and made for the door. “Come on, Princess. We’re going into the Everfree. A spare alicorn never hurt in there.”
It was a typical day in the Everfree Forest, an even more meaningless label than for Ponyville. Depending on the forest's mood—and Twilight still hadn't ruled out that the place had a consciousness all its own—it might be barely more menacing than the Whitetail Woods or a primeval deathtrap waiting to consume the unwary. The Tree of Harmony helped, but even it could only do so much.
Whether or not the forest was aware in its own right, everything within recognized strength, and the arcane might Twilight usually kept boiling under the surface was enough to keep the trek uneventful.
It also left her entire body limned in violet light like her horn midcast, and her eyes and cutie marks both glowing like searchlights. "I feel ridiculous."
Cranky shook his head. "Trust me, kid, I've seen a lot of creatures with less power than you let it get to their heads. Feeling self-conscious about that kind of thing is a good sign."
"I'm right here," Novo drawled.
"And who said I was talking about you? Thirty years later and you're still touchier than that Yearling kid who tagged along when I was holed up in those ruins near O'erlando."
One good thing about the magical aura was that it obscured the little twitches as Twilight processed that sentence. "When we resolve this, could I ask you about... literally everything you just said?"
Cranky shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Keep up those jabs and we'll see." Novo's scowl shifted from Cranky to their surroundings, turned a muddy sort of blue by Twilight's glow. "You sure you know where you're going?"
"Sure as I can be. It is the Everfree." Cranky wiggled his ears. "Besides, if I can hear the river by now, you should be able to."
The surroundings sights, sounds, and smells clicked in Twilight's memory. She gasped as an idea that had been clamoring for attention under her embarrassment and friendship calculations finally came to the fore, broken concentration dismissing her aura. "Wait. You're taking us to—"
They pushed through the last of the foliage just then, revealing a familiar river and its equally familiar inhabitant. "Oh my shells and guppies, is that the pitter-patter of donkey hooves I hear? And Princess Twilight, I haven't seen you since the wedding! Sorry again for not letting you in until after the vows. And..." Steven Magnet's excitement collapsed, leaving a sea serpent looking more out of place than usual. "Oh. Novo."
"Hello, Steven." Novo stood tall and looked him in the eye. If her own eyes were watering, Twilight wasn't going to say anything.
Steven twiddled his claws, glancing around and clearing his throat before saying, "Is that a piece of the Pearl around your neck?"
"It is."
"So diving into the river and acting like I'm not here isn't an option." He still sank back in up to his shoulders as he said that.
Novo narrowed her gaze and brought a talon to her Pearl shard. "Try it and find out."
After another few moments, Steven slid back out and rested his elbows against the shore, head in hands. He sighed out a breath that blew back the others' manes. "I'd apologize, but I doubt you'd accept it after all these years."
"Depends." Novo marched up between his arms, glaring up at him. "Are you sorry?"
He nodded. "Out of all the crazy adventures Cranky and I got up to while we were looking for Matilda, you were my one regret. You're not the only heart I broke. I won't pretend you were." Steven gave a wry grin and twirled his facial hair. "Everyone loves the mustache once they get over the whole 'sea monster' thing. But you..." He shook his head. "You weren't just another pretty face for me to distract while Cranky went rooting through census files and crystal balls."
"Uh huh." Novo's face stayed impassive, but Twilight spotted twitches along her ears and wings. Those were the first signs Silverstream was about to go full Pinkie Pie. "I'm sure you'd say that to any of those other pretty faces if they showed up."
"I never got a decent conversation out of any of them." Steven grinned. "Do you remember that day when I found you pacing along the docks, fretting to yourself?"
Novo glared back at Cranky, who looked he could stand there all day without giving a single horseapple. "Mother had trusted some random donkey to save the kingdom and told me to stay out of it. What else was I supposed to do?"
"And I spotted you, and started talking, and found the most bitingly clever creature on Mount Aris."
She looked back up at him and sighed. "Steven..."
He didn't seem to hear her, gazing off into memory. "We creaturewatched for the rest of the day, until the sun had set and King Ruggiero had to call you back to the palace."
A reluctant grin found its way onto Novo's beak. "Creaturewatched and came up with insults for every outfit we saw."
"How that harpy thought he could get away with that hat, I will never know." Steven shifted, head leaning on just one hand as his grin widened. "And that night, when you snuck back out—"
"Those were good times, Steven." Novo shut her eyes. "But you broke my heart and left with the pieces."
The serpent frowned. "Well, I left mine there. I'd say we're even."
"Are we?" Novo took flight, hovering so they were face to face. "Did you have a loveless political marriage and a chick you tried to protect from that kind of disappointment? Did you lose half your kingdom and catch yourself thinking of me even while evacuating 'griffs out of the capital?"
Steven matched her gaze, impassive. "Any thinking creature who lives in the Everfree Forest has some regrets, little bird."
"You don't get to call me that any more," Novo ground out, on the edge of tears, screaming, or both.
"You're right. I'm sorry." Steven sank a ways back into the river, eyes falling on Cranky. "I didn't have a loveless marriage, but I did have a falling out with the best friend I ever had, barely forgave him until he saved my life a few more times, and spent the last ten years living in the middle of nowhere because I still couldn't forgive myself." He looked back at Novo and shook his head. "I didn't even hear about the Storm King until one of my friends from Ponyville told me about the whole mess. Rarity's never going to let me hear the end of this if she finds out I held back something this juicy."
Novo scoffed. "My heart bleeds for you. Just one thing. Why didn't you ever write?"
Steven crossed his arms. "Would you have read something if I had?"
"I'd have burned it the first chance I got. But at least I'd have known you cared enough to send it."
"I cared, Novo. I always cared about you." Steven shook his head. "But after I ran off like that, I didn't think you'd want anything to do with me. Why would you?"
Both said nothing for an uncomfortable stretch. Just as Twilight finished the mental draft of her letter to Cadence, Novo broke the silence. "Look. I'm not saying we can forget everything. I know I can't let that much go overnight. But..." She clutched her shard of the Pearl. It flared with light bright enough that Twilight had to turn away, shielding herself with an outstretched wing.
By the time she turned back, still blinking the spots out of her eyes, there were two sea serpents in the river. The second was all elegant frills and polished scales, with a familiar three-part dorsal ray hanging over her crown "We can't start over," said Novo. "But we can still start something, even if it's just friendship."
Steven chuckled as he took her claws in his. "Careful. I don't think Twilight will let us say it's 'just' friendship too many times."
That got a smirk. "I'd like to see her stop me."
Cranky nudged Twilight hard enough that she remembered to close her jaw. “What. Surprised he’d fall for a hippogriff?”
“Um. Not really. Species clearly isn't an issue with the Pearl.” Twilight leaned closer and whispered, “Is it wrong that I’m more surprised he’d fall for a mare?”
Cranky threw back his head as he literally brayed with laughter. “Steven’s a sucker for anyone who can clean up nice.”
“I’m right here, Cranky," Steven said, not looking away from Novo's eyes. "And one of us had to be the looks.”
"You're not wrong, pal." Cranky tossed his head as he turned around. "Come on, Princess. These two deserve some privacy. And I can give you some ammunition for the next time Novo gets her feathers in a bunch."
"Officially speaking, I can't accept that."
"Uh huh. And unofficially?"
Twilight said nothing for a good distance, the very picture of royal dignity in motion. Only as they emerged from the forest did she smirk and say, "Unofficially, I take excellent notes."
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I guess they'd get better.
There's an "e" missing there.
This story came out of nowhere and I love it.
I was just thinking “FoME hasn’t done a story in a while” earlier. Nice to see.
Glorious.
Now that’s a crackship if I’ve ever seen one. Makes me wonder what would’ve happened if Steven had been a recurring character. Sea Serpent adventures sound pretty cool
This is simultaneously the most insane story I've ever seen and one of the stories I've read that's made the most sense.
This is brilliant absurdity. Best of luck in the contest.
Sly use of the "Other" tag. It took me until the second horizontal rule to figure out where the story was going.
I infer this takes place before season nine. I wonder whether Queen Novo's attitude toward Twilight changed even a little bit after the events of "The Ending of the End." (And not necessarily for the better. "I see you have Celestia's throne now. Which of your cronies distracted her while you took it?")
Today, tourists flock to O'erlando to visit the theme park whose attractions include a ride based on the book based on that adventure.
It is, but I'm wrong right there with you, Twilight.
Pure unfiltered insanity.
Have an upvote, I really enjoyed it.
And this is why Skystar is the superior ruler to her mother. You will never convince me otherwise. Does make me wonder if Novo ever did forgive Twilight or not. Mount Aris seemed pretty damned happy to see her in Season 8.
I love how Twilight immediately proclaims she's going to be the intermediary, only to get so thoroughly antagonized that she starts a yelling match with one of the two creatures she's supposed to be intermediating between. Point being, I didn't expect to find your dysfunctional interpretation of Twilight and Novo's relationship so goshdarn hilarious. (Granted, I loved this story as a whole too, but that back-and-forth they got into was a particular highlight for me.)
Kudos!
11166534
Yeah, that's worth consideration too. At the very least, I'm surprised I can't recall another fanfic that's tackled them from this perspective. (Feel free to tell me if you know of any.)
Married, of course, to the lovely Queen Angelica.
Come on Cranky, you HAVE to have recent photos of you and Matilda. I know you say you've no dignity to lose, but for your wife'e sake don't Novo's think you're a loser with an imaginary girlfriend.
11166534
Maybe they just ignore their queen on these things...
11166534
Mount Aris, yes. ...remind me, did we ever actually see Twilight interact with the Queen then?
11166534
Now there's material for a sequel to this
And you, FoME, are a genius. This is so awesome and random and actually sounds like it could happen I LOVE IT
11166586
Look up A Queen Sized Apology. It's the best one and without bias.
This is so good!
You know, that is one advantage to being a donkey--that particular insult looses some of its effectiveness.
I mean...you can't exactly deny that one, Novo. It was a little needlessly cruel, that.
To be honest, giving him the chance to regale tales of his many adventures might be one of the few things he'd not be cranky about. Honestly, I don't know why more haven't tried already (particularly Pinkie, considering she's utterly oblivious to his crankiness).
All in all, this was cute.
Does it count as a crackship if it somehow makes total sense? Regardless, this certainly brightened my day.
This story took my expectations and threw them out the window. The cat wasn't too happy when it landed in the dumpster.
In the fanfic multiverse a lot of Novo’s forgive Twilight after they think the situation through and conclude that if the circumstances had been reversed they would have done the exact same thing for the good of their kingdom. And that if they’ll never like Twilight they’ll at least respect her.
That bears the question, is this Novo less introspective than most? Or does she enjoy the opportunity for verbal sniping too much to give it up?
11166298
Typo fixed. Thanks.
They almost certainly wouldn't have. The Pearl of Transmutation is heavier than a duck.
11166323
I'm trying to do at least one release a month. My job consumes a lot of creative energy, but this cadence—I hesitate to call it something as ambitious as a "schedule"—is a good way to encourage a healthy work-life balance.
11166361
Right? A donkey and a sea serpent wandering the world and righting wrongs sounds like a fantastic concept to me. (One that I may not ever write myself, but still.)
11166406
Thank you for flawlessly describing the experience I strive for with every story.
11166487
Yeah, the Other tag's great for when one or more major players are walking (or slithering) spoilers.
Excellent point, and I could definitely see Novo thinking that. Possibly even saying it, depending on just how these two were interacting up until that meeting.
11166534 11166771
Mount Aris was excited to see Twilight, yes, but Novo was notably absent from "Surf and/or Turf." (Yes, that was the usual issues with celebrity voice actors, but still.)
11166586
Twilight had been dealing with Novo all day. Something had to give eventually. And Twilight will only achieve her mental image of the wise, all-knowing, and flawless Princess of Friendship when she learns to abandon it. (I estimate that happens about midway through the timeskip.)
11166729
Naturally.
11166730
Oh, Novo sees some of the wedding photos shortly after her accusation. Note how she never apologizes. She is a capable ruler, but no one said she was a nice person.
11167163
As noted in the previous comment, Cranky really does represent a gold mine of potential stories. It's just a matter of figuring out what they are.
11167385
If a crackship doesn't make total sense by the end of the story, then they haven't adequately pulled off the "ship" part of it.
11167681
Going by you putting the story in your favorites, I'm going to assume this was meant as a compliment and accept it as such.
11168452
This is mostly a matter of personal interpretation. I see Novo as incredibly stubborn and willing to hold a grudge until the end of time. (There must have been some reason why she never asked Celestia for help with the whole Storm King situation.) She's capable of introspection, certainly. It's just that pressing one of her buttons means she refuses to introspect with regards to you. You are a Liar and a Thief and Not To Be Trusted, and this is absolutely a woman who can think in capital letters.
Based on her actions in the movie, she just doesn't strike me as an especially forgiving person.
11168531
If you accept the prequel book to the movie as canon, Novo didn't really have a chance to call for help and also had reason to be *extra prickly* about ponies taking advantage of her hospitality to steal the pearl, because Tempest Shadow had *literally just done that* and the seapony thing was basically Novo's last-ditch gambit to save her people.
11168922
Yeah but how long do you hide from those who want to hurt you. The rest of your life? Till the end of time? If she had bothered to even trying to do something she might have won . Twilight and friends tried and won because they didn't quit even when seem hopeless.
"Twilight"
"Cranky Doodle Donkey"
"Queen Novo"
"Other"
...Well. You don't see tags like that every day.
Guess I know what I'm loading on my Kindle next.
11169474
That's not even remotely accurate. Novo actively fought back against the Storm King's invasion with relative success and ultimately chose to activate a last-ditch contingency that saved most of her people. In doing so, she actually accomplished vastly more than Celestia, Luna, and Cadance put together, who despite having vastly greater power at their hooves didn't actually save any of their subjects. Twilight and friends "tried" by running away in search of someone else to solve their problems for them, didn't even *try* to do anything to help common ponies along the way, only came back to Equestria when they were captured, and pretty much won by act of plot.
11169842
In fairness to the ponies, at some point, you have to blame the writers for the plot contrivances that got them into that mess as well as the ones that got them out. (See also the marked lack of dragons, yaks, draconequi, et al. at the Festival of Friendship.)
Speaking personally, I haven't read the prequel book. Going solely by the movie, all we have to go on is Skystar's extremely abridged history:
Yeah. They kind of glossed over that part.
11169474
Yes but the fact is she is still hiding and she won't quit till he dies. Meanwhile anyone who might actually want to be free to enjoy the world can't.
this opening feels very British somehow, and i love it
now this is how you do in medias res!
aww, an injection of pathos! i want to give this horse a hug and she only has three lines in the fic so far
ahaha, i am loving this already
gottem
haha, gottem!
he knows what he did!
hehe, love the phrase "pegarazzi", as well as Cranky's insistence here
aww, poor Twilight having to be the adult in the room, despite being at least two decades than either of them!
commentary!
dangit, every single one of these exchanges is upping my anticipation for this story here, FoME!
ooh, now there's an idea to explore in a story! love it already
gottem!
hahahaha i hope Queen Novo never stops rubbing that in! it's just too hilarious every time
ooh, love this retort. and yes, the ponies are in a very interesting position relative to the other species, aren't they? as Twilight's mention of the day-night cycle reminds us!
agh, love how this works both on the dramatic and comedic level simultaneously! a nice bridge from the dip into Twilight getting Real For A Minute
ooh, Stephen Magnet! calling it!
you and me both, Twily!
so true!
aww, i love the lovely word choice here in describing her magic. i don't think it's ridiculous at all, Twilight!
hehehe nice
aww the twitches
ah, love this guy!
hehe, this is just too believable for the two of them
oof! though that does neatly explain why Terramar's parents were so set on living permanently apart from each other
hahaha, Queen Novo is so great!
haha, very nice and so true
hehehe, augh, i can just picture this so perfectly
i love all of these
ooh! ambiguous!
and augh, a perfectly watertight fic as always, FoME! full of delightful character interactions and webs of backstories that seamlessly connect up all the bits of canon in its view to make this world feel just that much more full and real. these two flamboyant, larger-than-life characters with interesting yet completely untold backstories were a great pick for the crackship, and i just can't say enough about how much i love Novo's wit and energy here, and how she bounced off of every other character in the story in a way that made me root for her the whole time, just yass queen, you know? and yes, this is my Twilight bias focusing on her but augh, i just loved her portrayal here! balancing royal dignity and duty with being a mare that has is a pony just like anypony else.
just an absolute delight to read from start to finish. thank you so much for it!
An oddball ghost happened across your fic and read it. Have a review!
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This does make me wonder how much if at all, anygriff actually cares what Novo thinks. In the credits, there is a thing showing Twilight and Novo together. So something did happen between them after the movie.
We'll never know for sure I guess.