9 - Step//Out
"I can see it." His companion spoke with a joyful yet reserved voice. All he could see was her shadowy form on the hill top, with the moon at her back.
A pony wearing a dark blue hood crested the same ridge. He stared down at the small town, drifting his eyes over to where his companion had pointed. He sighed before talking. Not having spoken in many hours, his gruff voice caught her attention. "Are you sure that’s it?"
The unicorn mare turned and tilted her head with a small giggle. "You think I’d lie about something like this, silly?"
He wanted to roll his eyes at her childish behavior, and he sat down with a grunt to take a break. His limbs were heavy and tired after hours of walking. "For your sake, I believe you." The pony pulled a flask out of his cloak, and quickly opened it to gulp it down.
The mare laid down, flicking off her light blue cloak. As she stared dreamily at the ashen forest in the distance. The moon reflected off her icy blue mane. "I know it’s here; I can just feel it! Oh, I can’t wait!"
They sat in silence for a while, the stallion not taking his eyes off of something. The mare eventually noticed this: "Hey, spacing out now?"
"Quiet," he muttered quietly, standing himself up again. She watched him with curiosity as he lowered his front half, and without warning, he spread his wings and leapt into the sky with great speed.
After only a couple flaps of his wings, he grabbed something with his whole body, hovering in place for a moment. He looked at his work with a smile, before dropping back to the ground carefully, his lower half just barely touching the ground. The mare stared in confusion. "What was that?"
He opened his arms to show her, and what she saw made her eyes glow with intrigue. He held a small bird made of purple energy, wearing a carrier bag. The thing seemed to struggle in his hooves, as it likely only had one objective: to deliver.
Without hesitation, the stallion opened the carrier bag and shook it, dropping a scroll into his other hoof. The mare raised her eyebrow. "What are you-"
"Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?" He snapped at her roughly, causing her to recoil, though she never dropped her curiosity. He carefully opened the letter, making sure not to leave any impression that it had been tampered with.
She watched as his eyes scanned the paper with growing surprise. There was a growing fire in his gaze that caused him to release one loud, sharp laugh, which startled her. "Oh, this is rich!"
The mare took a step forward, intending to read it herself. But the stallion quickly rolled it back up with barely contained anger. She could tell quite easily when not to interact with him. He placed the scroll back in the bird’s bag and slammed the ground with his free hoof. Then he took a couple of long breaths before shaking his head. "Our job just got a whole lot harder," he said with gritted teeth.
He shot her a sharp, commanding look and said, "Write a letter to Specter." The stallion released the bird with a dismissive throw, and it stabilized itself before shooting off towards its destination once again.
She looked at him in confusion, "Why? What did the letter say?"
He growled angrily again, "It is not an it as we thought at first. There’s been a change of plans."
She nodded with a bit of concentration as she levitated out a quill and paper. "What should I write?" She asked the stallion as he paced.
He stopped and looked at her with a dark yet determined expression. "We have a time limit; the train arrives in two days."
Luna stayed silent in her sea of stars, as she always did. Meditating internally and watching over the ponies of Equestria. A job that she did diligently and masterfully, some would say. She tried her best to stay hidden when helping ponies overcome their fears. But all too often, they knew it was she who had given them peace.
Ponies, generally weren’t keen on bad dreams. However, there were some who seemed unaffected. And many more who would assume it was Luna that chased away their nightmare. Sometimes, these ponies would tell her to leave them to help someone who needed her help far more. She always shook her head, but gave way to their wishes of unperturbed horror.
The ones she would not allow were those of a foal’s nightmares. For Luna, a foal’s mind was the purest form of innocence. It was a place where those magical fantasies that foals always thought of would become reality. And where nobody should be able to reach them. Luna watched over all subjects, but she gave extra close attention to the little ones.
Nightmares for foals were often silly, but that was from an older perspective. A giant teddy bear chasing you down a hallway begging for hugs might be terrifying for a filly or colt. But for a grown pony, it would more than likely elicit nothing more than laughter. Most foals' nightmares were like this: silly monsters, silly scenarios. Nonetheless, she spared them from these moments.
It was extremely rare when a foal would have nightmares about real, tangible things. A deceased parent, a family member they hadn’t seen in far too long. Being abandoned by friends or family. Other foals bullying them. And in extremely rare cases, a parent’s abuse. These dreams always horrified Luna, and she would always enter their dreams to comfort them. And in the morning, after coaxing enough information, she would send someone to save the little one from their awful situation.
But there was now one particular foal in the realm with only nightmares. And each nightmare was seemingly just as bad as the last one. These nightmares weren’t a foal’s nightmares. They were the nightmares of even the most traumatized older ponies. It wasn’t often that she could catch glimpses of these dreams due to his mental blockade. But when she did, she wept for the colt; for her, it was nothing more than the emotions he felt. She couldn’t stand it. She begged for him to open up every now and then. Which fell on nobody else’s ears.
But this night was different and desperate. She could feel the colt’s discomfort heightened; it was nearly the only thing she could focus on. How could someone have hurt this one so badly, yet she had never noticed him until only a few days ago? Some dark magic, one would assume. But disregarding the how, she wanted nothing more than to save him from his nightmare.
On this night, she reached out her consciousness to the suffering foal. And whether it was because he wanted her help or for some other reason, she actually found that she was able to enter.
I sat there and watched my village burn.
I had been pulled away and not even given time to grieve. Even as we stood on a hilltop and watched the smoke billow into the sky above. Every house, alleyway, and shop. Everything I’d come to know was ablaze.
Tears were constantly leaving my eyes, but I wasn’t allowed to whimper or wail. When I stopped to look back at my village, each time I was yanked by my captor.
"Quit stopping, or I’ll hang you upside down and walk the rest of the way!" He barked at me.
I turned back around and looked up at the man with hatred. His orange-blonde hair covered the scar on his right eye. Dark brown eyes that looked soulless as he dragged me away. He was dressed in the finest red silks, and his armor was of the highest quality. The young prince of the realm himself had ruined my life.
He had burned my village; he had killed them—killed everyone!
He grinned at me and said, "Don’t look at me like that, little gem. Those villagers were filthy. You don’t need them."
My vision faded out and I refocused on a new scene farther in the future. When they were testing me, realizing the extent of my cursed healing. As they whipped my back for what felt like the thousandth time, flaying my skin off. The prince commanded me, "Heal."
And so I did. I healed my wound, and when I was done, the process would repeat itself. Some days it was whips, some days it was other things. Swords, maces, and knives. I could never get over the pain of broken ribs, no matter how many times they smashed my sides in.
I lived like this in agony for many months. The only reason I hadn’t gone insane was because of the other children who had been abducted in similar circumstances. Some had amazingly destructive powers; others had greatly useful powers; others could heal, but not nearly as much as me.
It really hurt when they’d leave one day and never come back, but it was often the reality.
Every day it dwindled more and more; there were only a few of us left.
My vision shifted again; this time I was older and a few years had passed. I was healing them on the frontlines like I was used to. Except, everything wasn’t like it used to be.
Everyone I saw was like a ghost. Every patient I walked up to was unrecognizable as a human. Just a dark mass of miserable energy screaming at me to leave them alone. It was only when I raised my hands to heal them that I realized I didn’t have hands. I had hooves.
I panicked for a moment, realizing I was a kirin again. My hooves flashed between being on fire and not being there at all, as the screaming grew louder from the things around me. They weren’t humans anymore. I had made them into something else entirely. Visions of them on fire flashed in my eyes, screaming in pain.
My tears came out freely. "Stop!" I gasped and pleaded, "Please stop."
I choked on my tears, "Someone help."
And after a few moments, it did. It hadn’t only stopped, but I was also in somebody's embrace.
I opened my eyes. I was in the same cozy bedroom as before. And I lay sheltered under a much larger blue mare’s wing. She hugged me tightly to her side with her wing, nuzzling the tears off of my face. "Hush now, little one, you’re okay."
My vision cleared for a moment, allowing me to see my savior. I vaguely remembered her from before, with a mane of stars that flowed like water and light blue eyes. She wore a lovely black crown. I looked confused for a moment, and before I could even open my mouth to ask, she answered.
"I’m Princess Luna, little Mellow." She said endearingly as she hugged me even tighter. "I’m sure you know of me?"
I gave a small nod, and she smiled before leaning down to nuzzle me once again. She held her head there for much longer as she spoke softly, "You’re safe with me in your dreams. There’s no more need for tears."
"T-Thank you, Princess."
"Nuh-uh, just Luna. Okay?" She corrected me with another comforting brush of her wing over my back. "And you’re very welcome."
My eyes widened quite a bit. "Did you… see my whole dream?"
"That was not a dream, more of a horrific nightmare." She shook her head and recomposed herself: "No, I didn’t. Would you like to speak about it?
I shook my head vigorously and said, "No, no, it’s okay."
She sighed, "Best not to hold things in, lest you fall into an ever-widening pit of despair."
She didn’t question it further, as I allowed my mind to recover. I lay my head against her side and listened to the fireplace roar next to her bedside. "C-Can you… save me from that? Every night?" I asked quietly, with hope.
She hummed, "Yes, I can. But only if you allow others in. You must ask for help and allow it in your heart."
I left the warm comfort of her wing blanket to stand between her front hooves. I stared into the fireplace as it crackled and danced, "It’s hard…"
She wrapped her hooves around me a bit, "I know it is. Trust me, I understand the feelings you’re going through, Mellow."
I just stood there for a while, taking in the warmth of the fake fireplace. After a deep sigh, I looked up to her, "Thank you, Luna. I hope we meet a third time."
"As do I—wait, a third time?" She looked puzzled at me and seemed to think internally.
She lifted her front hooves to pull me towards her barrel in a deep hug. "I can’t wait to meet you in Ponyville. Be good for Twilight, okay?"
I giggled, "I think you need to tell Twilight to be good for me."
She returned the laugh and ruffled my mane. "Maybe I shall, little one."
I awoke hazily, blinking my eyes open with a small yawn. My entire vision was fluffy yellow hair, and I followed it up to see Fluttershy still fast asleep. She was holding me comfortably against her chest. She was super comfy to sleep against, so I laid my head back down to allow myself to wake up more.
I remember having awful nightmares, though I could only vaguely recall them being old memories. But the least hazy part of my night was meeting Princess Luna. I don’t remember much about the encounter, but she was nice. I was still worried about meeting them both, but from the short interaction we had, she seemed pleasant. And a pony that goes around chasing off nightmares can’t be bad, can she?
My eyes felt dry, I recognized it as the feeling of dried tears. I must’ve cried in my sleep, silly me. They were just old memories, they can’t hurt me anymore. I just have to allow them not to hurt me, it should be easy! I’m away from everyone who hurt me now.
I heard another yawn and felt Fluttershy’s chest rise abruptly with the sound. I raised my head, and after she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she met my gaze, "Oh! Mellow, good morning." She said with a smile. She carefully let go of me, "You could’ve woken me up, little one; it wouldn’t bother me. We’re both early risers, it seems." She continued with a giggle.
I nodded and averted my gaze. "I know I could've, but… you were soft." I said quietly, a blush appearing on my face.
She leaned down and gave me a quick nuzzle. "Would you like to come with me to check on all my animals?"
My ears perked up, and I tilted my head. "Can I really?"
She moved off the bed, stretching her legs eagerly. "Of course! I’m sure the animals would love you."
The thought excited me, until I remembered the fire. My eyes grew wide with worry. "But—I ruined their homes. Will they be mad?"
"Not at all silly," Fluttershy said, rubbing her nose against mine. "Little colts need sunlight too."
I nodded, "O-Okay. Let’s go!" I said this as my small smile returned.
Fluttershy helped me put my cloak around my neck, clicking it on with a pop as she picked me up gingerly and placed me on her back.
Just as we were about to leave the castle, Twilight came in through a separate hallway. "Oh? Where are you two going?" Twilight said with curiosity.
"To see my animals, would you like to come?" Fluttershy asked.
"No, it’s alright, but um…" Twilight seemed hesitant, as she looked everywhere but at us. "Is that such a good idea?"
My ears lowered, and I felt myself lower on Fluttershy’s back. She must’ve noticed because she turned around to look at Twilight suspiciously, "Now why would that be an issue?"
Twilight waved her hooves, "No, it’s just—he can’t control his magic. I was hoping to teach him some of it this morning." She stopped for a few moments. "And if he has an outburst, you can’t exactly control it."
I had to admit that she was correct. But nonetheless, Fluttershy stamped her hoof in disagreement, "Oh, come now, Twilight. I don’t intend to keep him all cooped up just because he might have a magic outburst. Little colts and fillies need sunlight and fresh air!"
Twilight sighed and bowed her head, "Okay, just be careful. And don’t let anyone see that he’s an alicorn!"
Fluttershy nodded before leaving the castle quickly afterwards. It did feel a little bad to be such a problem for others with such simple things. Every other pony isn’t allowed to see me for who I am. And talking to others is dangerous; otherwise, they might find out I’m an alicorn or whatever.
Ponyville was quite active in the mornings, the daily routine was already set into motion. It was really hard not to stand out, but for the most part, others seemed less intrigued by me. Maybe rumors had already spread, or maybe they were too busy with their activities. I didn’t get much other than a few smiles.
We left Ponyville, to my surprise. She said she lived on the edge of the forest—the same one I’d burned. I could’ve burned her house down if it had been worse!
It was much farther from Ponyville than I first expected, but when we arrived, I looked at her cottage in wonder. It was a very beautiful house. Other than the many, many, birdhouses that sat around it, the house looked like it was part of nature. The roof was covered in grass and bushes as it sat on the edge of a quaint little river next to a flower patch. There were flowers all around—in her windows, on the roof—and I smiled as the peacefulness of the place reminded me of home.
"Your house is beautiful, Fluttershy." I complimented her sincerely.
She giggled, "Thank you! But it’s not just my house."
I was about to inquire about what she meant, but it was as if the entire forest had heard her voice. Dozens of animals scurried out of burrows; birds flew from nearby trees and birdhouses; or they poked their heads around corners. At first I was startled, but they all ran up to Fluttershy and took turns rubbing themselves against her hooves or chirping at her.
There were weasels, ferrets, ducks, bunnies… Even snakes! She had a name for each of them.
Fluttershy slowly lowered herself onto the ground. I carefully stepped onto the ground and hid behind her hooves. She smiled at all her animals, "Now, everyone. This is Mellow. He’s a very kind little kirin, I expect you all to be on your best behavior!"
It only took them a moment before they all nodded with glee. Many of them ran over and began to rub against me, it didn’t help that some were just as big as I was. I giggled as I ceaselessly tried to free myself. "Haha, st-stop! That tickles!"
The bunnies were extra affectionate, all except for one. He stood farther away than the rest, looking at me with raised eyebrows and a tilted head. The rest of the animals swarming me dispersed, and slowly the white rabbit hopped towards me. Fluttershy cleared her throat sternly, "Angel, be nice! He’s been through enough."
‘Angel’ looked over at Fluttershy and nodded, and as he approached me, I smiled and lowered my head to his level. "Hello. It’s nice to meet you." I said quietly.
The bunny gave a small smirk and a nod and reached his paw up to pat my head before hopping away. Fluttershy seemed completely surprised. "Hmm, he usually doesn’t like new people." She smiled and hummed as she petted my mane. "What do you think, Mellow?"
I shrugged with a smile. "Maybe he was intimidated by me?"
Fluttershy giggled, "Oh, Angel? Never." She said with a bit of playful sarcasm. We heard a squeak of protest from nearby, and we both laughed.
My ears perked up as we suddenly heard loud footsteps. I peered around Fluttershy to see what had to be an eight-foot bear. Which was basically a goliath compared to me! I pointed at it and stuttered in fear, "F-Fluttershy, b-bear!"
She turned her head quickly, "Oh! Harry, are you still awake? I thought you’d be in hibernation already."
My fears slowly eased, as she clearly knew the bear. She turned and quickly rubbed my back calmingly, "No need to fear; he’s a kind bear." She lowered her head and whispered, "And overly affectionate."
I was curious what she meant, but it was pretty clear as the bear leaned down and scooped both of us into his arms. Literally giving us both a bear hug. It caught me off guard, but I giggled as the bear gave us a goofy grin. Fluttershy hummed worriedly, placing her hoof on Harry’s cheek. "Be careful with him; he’s still tiny." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Harry nodded and placed us both on the ground before wandering off. "Well," Fluttershy brushed herself off a bit, "would you like to help me feed and take care of them?"
I hopped a few times, "Yes, please!"
I quite enjoyed helping Fluttershy with her animals. It took much longer than usual because she really wanted to teach me everything she was doing. And I had to admit, I’d never been so enamored by something in my life! I didn’t know how much went into caring for so many animals. After we’d fed them all, we even had a picnic next to the river with all the animals. Fluttershy made really good daffodil sandwiches!
The inside of her cottage had been just as pretty but also chaotic with all the animals running about. I was currently playing a game of tag with some mice as Fluttershy finished up a couple things. But as I was doing so, I heard a loud pop, and a new voice hit my ears from the kitchen. "There you are! I was beginning to worry that someone had turned you into a mouse!" The overly dramatic voice said with a sigh.
I abruptly stopped my game of tag to walk towards the kitchen, peeking around the corner. I heard Fluttershy sigh, "Please, you scared me, Discord! Don’t just pop in like that; I’ve told you to knock at my door!"
The sight I got was definitely the weirdest thing since I arrived. This ‘Discord’ was a creature of many different things… mostly dragons, some kind of bird, and goats, to name a few. He was floating midair with no sign of magic and crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you know. I got a little bit worried!" Discord defended himself, placing a hand to his chest, "I sensed a huge magical surge across Equstria! And next thing I know, such a disaster begins in the forest near your house! I was shocked and frightened!"
Fluttershy interrupted him by clearing her throat. She looked over at me; I hadn’t even noticed that she knew I was here. Fluttershy gestured for me to come to her, so I did, walking over and leaning against her side. "Discord, this is Mellow Spark." She gestured to me.
Discord’s eyes widened in curiosity as he put a hand to his chin in thought. Suddenly, his other hand and both his eyeballs poofed off his body, and they began to float around me as his body talked from in front of us. "Hmm? A kirin? Is this the one who caused the fire?"
With one disembodied hand, he lifted my hooves as if to inspect them. He also opened my mouth, checked in my ears, then lifted my cape, "Aha! An alicorn kirin! No wonder there was such an odd magical energy."
He began lifting my wings to inspect them, but Fluttershy swatted his hand away from me. "Please, he’s not a toy, Discord."
His hands and eyes reappeared on his body. "I know, I know! Sheesh."
He began to lounge in midair as if he were on a bed, with one hand on his chin. "Tell me the story! I deserve to hear it after all the worry you put me through!" He feigned being about to faint.
"Well," Flutterhshy began carefully, "we found him in the Everfree forest; he was being attacked by timberwolves, and he awakened his magic and nirik form. Twilight had to suppress the flames with her own magic. And now me and Twilight are caring for him until the princesses arrive."
Discord looked at me suspiciously but turned back to Fluttershy, "I always knew you would be a perfect parent, my dear! So loving and caring!" He fawned over her.
Fluttershy blushed and huffed as we heard a crash in the room over. I thought I caught sight of Discord snapping a finger, but I wasn’t positive. Afterward, Fluttershy rolled her eyes, "Angel! How many times have I told you about doing parkour in the living room?" She trotted out of the room angrily.
Immediately after she left, Discord reappeared right in front of my face: "A random mysterious alicorn kirin appears in the forest. Who doesn’t have his magic prior…"
I felt myself begin to grow nervous and worried, as he was clearly analyzing me. "What are you?" I muttered in genuine curiosity.
He smirked, "Discord? Lord of chaos and trickery? Savior of Equestria? Fluttershy’s friend? All of the above!" I couldn’t speak for how many of those were true.
"I’ve got it!" He snapped his finger and grinned at me, "You’re not from this dimension, are you?"
"W-What?" I began to panic slightly. "What makes you think that? That’s crazy!"
"Really?" Discord said as if he already had me completely figured out. "Listen, my young flaming friend. I know a lot of things, and one thing I do know is that you—" He pointed one finger at me, which multiplied into hundreds of fingers—"did not exist until a few days ago."
I lowered myself to the floor; he really was some sort of manifestation of chaos…
Discord’s fingers retracted, and he laughed jovially: "Wonderful! Excellent! I love a bout of interdimensional confusion every now and again!"
I still heard Fluttershy arguing with Angel in the other room, so I huffed and stood on my hooves. "Do you know why I’m here? What do you want from me?"
He looked offended. "Oh, I didn’t bring you here! I promise. I’m just as confused as you are, little fellow. I have no need for you other than the intrigue that you bring."
I scoffed, "I just… Don’t tell anybody, okay? I don’t want them to freak out and… get rid of me. I don’t want to go back…" I said, looking down at my hooves worriedly.
"Sure thing," he said. He physically zipped his mouth shut and took it off, dropping it into a nearby portal. As it reappeared, he gave me a thumbs up, "Secret is locked away. Though it does only have one caveat."
I tilted my head curiously, and he leaned into my face with seriousness, "If you hurt Fluttershy, I’ll send you to a worse dimension than your last one must’ve been. Believe me, you won’t want to be there."
I shook my head wildly as fear entered my eyes. "I would never! Everyone’s been so nice to me. I promise I won’t!" I had to admit, being threatened by a god of chaos themselves was horrifying. It certainly sends a message.
His jovial mood returned: "Great! Then you’ve got a friend in me! Oh, do tell, what was so terrible about your last dimension?" He said with both hands on his chin in eagerness.
I shrugged and averted my eyes. "Hellish, war everywhere, entire races being exterminated for being inferior in magic power…"
He nodded a few times in thought, "How’d you get here?"
I shrugged yet again. "I was at war and got blasted by a gravity and spatial mage at the same time… After that, I woke up in the forest."
"Intriguing," he said, backing up a bit. He began speaking a bit louder suddenly: "So, have you tried any sweets from Sugarcube Corner yet?"
I squinted at him oddly but heard hoofsteps right behind me and understood what he was doing, "Oh, uh, no. I passed by it; they smelled really good! I’ve never really had sweets other than a lollipop before."
"Oh, we can change that!" Fluttershy said as she rubbed the back of my mane. She leaned down and nuzzled my cheek. "How would you like to go get a treat for being such a good helper?"
I smiled widely. "That sounds great!" The idea of getting to try something else sweet, especially when the other residents of Ponyville regarded it highly, was exhilarating.
"That’s my cue!" Discord said with a snap as his body disappeared. But right afterward, just his head reappeared. "Oh, and might I recommend the milkshakes? They’re delicious!" He said before disappearing completely.
Honestly, the shock of what I all experienced caught up to me at that moment, and I turned to look at Fluttershy. "He’s weird."
She giggled, "Yep, he used to be a bad pony, but now he’s much nicer. He even helped save Ponyville once."
Huh, so that one was true.
I nodded as she placed me on her back, and we left the cottage for Ponyville. The words he said kept coming back to me, I didn’t want to hurt anybody. But what if I did?
No, it’s fine! I can control my emotions and live like a normal pony. Just like everyone else.
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Well, that chapter intro was thoroughly distressing. I was kinda hoping this would be a fluffy healing fanfic. But it seems like there has to be conflict and drama. I hope it isn't too much. Mellow has gone through more than enough as it is. One of the few times I'm glad Discord is in the know and seems to be friendly with the lead character. Because if anything happened to Mellow, it would make Fluttershy horribly upset. And nothing angers Discord more than an upset Fluttershy.
Another great chapter!
Looks like we've got some trouble brewing. Can't wait to see how that pans out.
That art of Mellow and Luna is exactly what I never knew I needed. He is so tiny! I love it!
Less trouble from Discord than I expected too. Guess he can be kind when he wants to be. Though Angel is probably up to something
Nice save Twilight. Almost thought that was going to be the third hoof in mouth moment for a minute.
Oh Mellow. You sweet summer child.
Keep up the great work!
That world the kid came from really needs a blast of Friendship Magic and probably a year of Discord on Vacation
Twilight is making a mistake in hiding what he is considering how he supposed to make friends if he is forced to hide himself. It's not easy for him to trust others and children should play with others close to their age and the children will have trouble trusting him if he can't be honest with them about what he is. Though he probably will trust Luna easily enough because she saw the dream and knows something about the dream and the body don't match but doesn't care and she understands trust issues. Though I am glad fluttershy was there considering twilight would probably focus on his magic so much that his body would suffer.
great chapter
Thanks for the update!
Loving the story so far, mate!
It's heartwarming to see Mellow open up from the kindness of the ponies after his intense abuse.
Oh no might be kind of bad cuz Pinky pie might scare mellow from her big personality. I recommend getting a nice big chocolate donut
Well that was ominous. Otherwise this story continues to be bittersweet which is interesting.
11581962
I'd honestly love to see Discord follow that giant ass of a prince around constantly and make him even more miserable than what he made Mellow and all the other kids until he goes completely crazy.
Then use his chaos magic to make him sane once more and repeat the process a few times. I would say rinse and repeat until he leans his lesson, but the worst of people similar to the prince seldom learn their lesson and change.
11581995
Agreed. I can see them wanting to hide Mellow's identity to try and protect him and keep everyone from freaking out over the fact he is an alicorn.
But hiding that from anyone he would potentially end up being friends with, would seriously throw a wrench in their friendship later when that secret came out, potentially forever destroying their trust in Mellow and costing him a friend.
Because you simply can't build a good, solid, and lasting friendship on a lie. As when the lie is finally exposed/found out, then the foundation that friendship was built upon will crumble and end up either damaging or completely destroying the friendship.
Not only that, it just seems as though Twilight and the others are spitting on the tennents and elements of harmony, most specifically Applejack's own element of Honesty, by lying about and hiding the fact Mellow is an alicorn from everybody.
It really does seem to be a very hypocritical, two faced thing and dishonest thing to do. Especially from some of the ponies who are supposed to be the literal physical embodiment of the Elements of Harmony, along with one of them being the Princess Of Friendship as well.
11582214
I mean, meeting others is a good idea. Later. Poor Mellow is too scared and traumatized for now. He needs time to settle down and possibly some therapy to be able to deal with the crap he's been through before just letting him interact with foals his age. I don't know exactly where in the timeline this is taking place, but can you imagine Mellow as he is having to deal with Diamond Tiara when she is still a bully? Think that would go over well?
Before he really deals with the populace at large he needs to learn how to deal with stress so he doesn't freak out and get a basic grasp on his magic to avoid things going boom. If he at least has a base handle on his emotions and his magic, then he can start learning how to be a pony and being social.
This story is always a treat when updated. Poor Mellow, he'll probably never fully recover from everything that's happened to him.
11582342
I hope he kept being traumatized as long as possible too.
I know the character and story itself is very different, but It have similar feeling to early part of 'Finding Artemis', very fun to read, very reletable.
Damb Discord
Mellow is a Kid and you have to remind him about his Terrible Dimensions he use to live in.
Interesting, so his arrival event was intentional, him actually being present was not. Let's see what these operatives are up to.
Nice when Discord susses out the protagonist early on.
Twilight has so many countermeasures for her castle. If she has none for that bird, then I question her logic and wisdom.
11582280
Well, Twilight mentioned Flurry Heart, whom she meet in "The Crystalling, Part 1", which is after "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", so if Mellow Spark meets Diamond Tiara, it should be during her reformation process.
Also, I hope we see her and Silver Spoon in this fic, since after she started reforming, she wasn't a subject of any more episodes.