• Published 29th Oct 2012
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Big Mac's Dream Journal - Trevosta

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Dangerous Territory

Rainbow awoke to the sun gently shining through her windows. She got up, showered, and began to prepare a simple breakfast. As she smeared apple butter on her toast she realized something.

Rainbow Dash was the fastest flyer in Equestria, future Wonderbolt, and Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. She felt like she should always go for the best, so her house was the best she could afford. She had the finest clouds, the purest rainbow springs, and had used it all to build a sky mansion. Thankfully airspace was a lot cheaper than land.

Being on the ground, with Big Mac and his family caused her to realize something, she was lonely.

She barely spent any time, except for sleeping or reading, in her house, and even then, she did that a lot elsewhere. When she was at the Apple’s last night, with the constant noise, the gentle warmth of the family’s presence, and the perpetual smell of delicious food, she found that she was far happier than she had ever been in the beautiful floating mansion that she had built.

“I hate being alone…” She muttered to her empty kitchen. Then she realized something else. “Why did I make such a big kitchen? I don’t cook.”

Determined to get out of her cold, silent, empty house, she took off for a comparatively long day of work.


It was almost two-thirty, and Big Mac was working with his sister.

“Come on, Brother, “ She was also still pestering him for the full story of how he got together with her best friend. “Jus’ tell me.”

“Nnope.” He answered, tactfully.

“Why not?” She asked, while strategically placing empty baskets around the base of the next tree in the row.

“Yer gonna have ta ask Dash.” He responded, before rearing up to relieve the tree of its burden.

Mere moments after he had kicked the tree, the object of Mac’s affection cleared a hole in the dreary cloud cover and descended angelically in the shaft of sunlight, before alighting gently in the single patch of sunny ground in the orchard.

“Nice entrance.” Applejack complimented, while Mac agreed with a nod and a smile.

“Thanks.” Rainbow said, puffing her chest out at the praise. “I’ve been working on it.” Then she trotted over to her special somepony, nuzzling his neck gently. “What’s up?”

“Work, as usual.” Mac answered, returning the slightly sappy display of emotion. “Gotta get these down ‘afore they git too ripe.”

Applejack shook her head, clearing it of the weirdness that arose from the show of affection between her best friend and her older brother. “That’s right, an’ right now, he don’t have time fer distractions.”

As Applejack finished telling her friend off, she kicked the next tree in line, loosing most of the apples and one Pinkie Pie.

“Oooof!” Pinkie wheezed as she hit the ground hard. “Hey Applejack! Hiya, Rainbow! Howdy Big Mac!” She said, while bouncing to her hooves. “Oh, Applejack, I came by to remind you about Twilight’s ‘Welcome Back From How To Be A Princess Training!’ party. Don’t forget, it’s informal, and not a surprise party, and it’s just gonna be the six of us girls, and you said that you could bring some fritters.” Pinkie licked her lips, already imagining the fritters, and completely oblivious to her friends’ confusion. “Oh! I almost forgot! That would have been silly of me! Do you know where Rainbow Dash is? I’ve been looking for her all morning, and I can’t find her anywhere.” She finished with a hopeful expression, switching between the three ponies in front of her.

“Uh… Pinkie?” Rainbow started before she was cut off by,

“OHMYGOSHRAINBOW!!!!” Pinkie leapt at her friend, tackling her and smothering her with, well-intentioned, hugs. “I thought you were lost and then we would need to organize a search party, which isn’t that much of a fun party because everypony’s scared and looking for somepony else, and then if we didn’t find you, you would end up adopted by wolves and slowly work your way to the alpha position of the pack, and eventually find your way back to civilization having acquired a love for howling and bathing with your tongue, which isn’t as bad as it sounds, and then we would have to teach you how to be a pony again, and all those fancy things like ‘the proper use of a fork and spoon,’ which might not be a bad idea anyway.”
Big Mac snickered, causing Rainbow to stick her tongue out in mock annoyance, before looking at Pinkie and asking, “Uh, how long have you been looking for me, Pinkie?”

“Like, ALL MORNING!” She said, sagging into an exhausted slump. “I looked everywhere; I checked your house, the library, Sugarcube Corner, the basement at Sugarcube Corner, the attic at Sugarcube Corner, the back room at Sugarcube Corner, the spa, Rarity’s boutique, Fluttershy’s house, Applejack’s barn, Big Mac’s room, and even Quills and S-”

“Wait!” Rainbow cut her off, “W-Why did you check Big Mac’s room?”

All of the gathered ponies stared expectantly at Pinkie Pie, hoping that she would give a reasonable response. “I thought you might be looking for a book.”

“An’ jus’ what book did ya think she’d be lookin’ fer in mah brother’s room?” Applejack said, saving a moment of indignity for the other two, who were sharing a look of worry.

“Well, I thought that maybe, Big Mac was secretly a literary connoisseur, who only shared his massive private collection of fine writings with Rainbow Dash, but I guess that I was wrong…”

Everypony laughed lightly, although Mac and Dash shared a nervous shudder at the near revelation of a shared secret.

“Oh, Rainbow, I wanted to remind you about Twilight’s ‘Wel-” Pinkie ceased her reminder when Rainbow Dash shoved a hoof in her hyper friend’s mouth.

“I got it, Pinkie.”

“Okie Dokie!” And with that, Pinkie Pie bounced off towards town, happily humming a tune.

“Do you think she has any idea about us?” Rainbow Dash asked Mac, who couldn’t answer her.

“Ah wouldn’t be surprised either way.” Applejack mused. “She coulda known ‘bout it soon as it happened, or she might not know ‘till ya git married.”

Rainbow’s blush flared up, and Big Mac stepped in, “Now jus’ hold on.” He scolded his sister, “We’re gonna take this slow. We don’t want ta rush inta anythin’ too quick, so we ain’t even near there yet.”

“Relax, Macintosh.” Applejack defended herself, “Ah was jus’ messin’ with ya.” Then she recognized the irony, “Wait… Rainbow Dash is takin’ somethin’ slow?”

“Sh-shut it.” Rainbow said, rubbing one of her forelegs and looking away from the siblings in front of her. “I-I-I just don’t want to end up hurt, you know?” She sighed, letting her ears and wings sag, “I can bounce back from a crash, but relationships are sacred to me.” Big Mac pulled her into a tight hug and she sniffed, trying to fight back the flood of emotion. “Aw, man! Now I’m getting all sappy!”

“Ah think it’s sweet.” Mac assured her, receiving a halfhearted roll of the eyes.

“Ah think this whole thing is weird.” Applejack informed them. “But, Ah couldn’t wish anythin’ but the best fer the both of ya.” She then fidgeted slightly, “Now, if ye’ll excuse me, Ah gotta use the little fillies room. Mac Ah expect the next ten trees bucked by the time Ah return; Ah don’t care if Dash stays or not, but ya gotta git back ta work.”

Mac stood up straighter and gave his sister a mock salute, to which Applejack stuck out her tongue, and Rainbow giggled. Then Mac walked over to the nearest tree and lined up a buck.

“Well, Mac,” Rainbow started, “I guess we won’t be getting together tonight, with Twilight coming home and everything, unless you’re here when I bring your book back.”

“Oh!” Mac said, remembering something. “Ya can keep the book if ya want; Ah’m done with the story.”

“Wait!” Rainbow shouted at him, “So you know how it ends?”

Mac was slightly startled by his marefriend’s outburst, “Uh… Eeyup… Ah did write it.”

Dash blinked a few times, “Oh, right. So how does it end? No! Wait! Don’t tell me! Augh!” Once again, her wings drooped to the ground, “Ok, don’t tell me, I’ve got to get back to work, I need to patch up that hole,” She said, looking towards the opening in the overcast sky she had created, where a single sunbeam was shining through. “Then, I’ve got to go down to the western quadrant, we’re breaking in some newbies and overcast is the most difficult.” She explained, then elaborated further. “You have to keep it kind of thin, so it doesn’t turn into rain, and it still needs to be thick enough to keep it grey and dark. Ugh, I hate taking care of cloudy days, and nopony likes them!” She finished her explanation with a grumpy pout.

Mac chuckled a little as he kicked the next tree, “Well, Ah love cloudy days.”

“Really?” Rainbow couldn’t believe it, “Why?”

“Applebuckin’ in the sun is torture, plowin’ is even worse.” Mac explained, placing new buckets around the trees, “An’ farmin’ in the rain just messes up yer fields. So, some shade feels real nice.”

“Well, thanks.” Rainbow said, “At leas somepony appreciates all the work that goes into overcast. Now, I guess I better get going, gotta keep the newbies from flooding downtown.” And with that, she took off, exiting through the hole in the clouds and sealing it up behind her.

“Macintosh!” Applejack called from the far end of the road, returning from her break. “Ya ain’t done with those ten trees!”

“You ain’t back, yet!” He responded.

“Oh yeah?” And with that, the race was on. Both siblings pushed harder to get finished with their task before the other.


“Up anchor, an’ hoist the mainsail.” I commanded to the few ponies and dogs still conscious. High tide was almost upon us, and we needed to get moving to be able to get through the reef before we ended up as flotsam.

They rushed to follow my orders, hoisting only the sails I commanded them to, keeping the speed of the ship low enough to wind our way through the twisty labyrinth of submerged rocks.

Vincent, Gilda, and Daring Doo took to the sky, scanning the edge of the reef to find the best point of entry for the mid-sized ship.


“Hmmm…” Rainbow Dash mumbled. “That’s a pretty good idea… He’s lucky none of them drank the water.”


We entered the waters that contained the nautical graveyard, and could immediately feel a difference in the surf. The seas became choppy, as the shallow points caused the small swells to break and toss the ship.

I wrestled with the helm, and barked out orders to the crew, making sure that we kept the ship on her course. I watched ponies and dogs wrestle with ropes as they went slack or became taught. Occasionally, a large swell would slam against the hull, knocking over anyone who wasn’t standing firm, and shaking loose any ropes that weren’t secured tightly.

The airborne spotters worked out a useful and effective, system. Daring Doo and Gilda were scouters, attempting to find the widest passage through the maze and to more open waters. They would fly out together, and take turns staying back to mark the forking paths, while the other would scan each one for the most promising path. They then relayed the information to Vince, who stayed closer to the ship, giving me precise directions, to avoid puncturing the hull and direct us down the correct paths.


“Like I said, lucky.”


“Large stone to port, keep her straight.” He called down. “Ease her to starboard. Now, hard to port.” I yanked the wheel to the left and the ship rolled opposite, and threatened to my crew into the sea, but they managed to hold on.

We had been going like this for almost half an hour, when I heard screaming from below decks. All on deck were so alarmed by what we heard, that we may have made slight contact with the reef.


“Screams?” Dash scratched her chin, “What’s going on…?”


I quickly turned the lumbering vessel away from the destructive forces of the corals beneath us and refocused on the directions of the male griffon.

More screams echoed the first, and I struggled to stay focused on the task at hoof; because, high tide wouldn’t last forever, and getting the ship marooned in here during low tide spelled disaster.

A sudden commotion demanded my attention for just a moment, and I examined to see Cookie, stumbling up from below deck and gasping like a fish on land. I attempted to tune out this distraction and focus on the visual and audible cues from my airborne guide, but Cookie wasn’t about to have any of that.

“Cap- *gasp* -‘n, *wheeze* they *pant* be *puff* waikin’ *choke* op!” the chubby chef then collapsed and continued to try to get his breath back, and I was left to attempt to figure out what he was trying to tell me.

“… They’re wakin’ up?” I guessed, and judging by his nod, I was correct. “Good! Ah’ll see what Ah can do.” I scanned the able bodied ponies on deck for the one that I trusted most to take the helm. “Smoky Mirror, take the wheel. Ah gotta visit our downed crew.” With a loyal salute, Smoky Mirror tied off the rope she was pulling on and took over the wheel.

I hurried below deck, hoping to get to the sick bay and back before something went wrong on deck. My urgency increased as a scream from down the hall made my ears ring. I stumbled as fast as my peg-leg would allow me to hobble.

I skidded around the doorway where the sick bay was set up, and immediately saw Chance sitting up in his cot, staring blankly.

“Chance… Ya alright?” I asked the normally cheerful husky.

He snapped his head in my direction, and I noticed the vacant, glassy look in his eyes. He seemed to be almost looking through me or over my shoulder, and whatever he thought he saw there was absolutely horrifying; because, he started to scream.

I recoiled in shock from my crewman’s reaction, and then noticed something even more worrying; the rest of the semiconscious crew turned to me standing in the doorway in response to Chance’s screams, with the same vacant stare on their faces.


“A-... Are they drugged?” It was the most logical explanation that Rainbow could come up with.


Then the lower deck erupted with a chorus of screams loud enough to drown out my own thoughts. I recoiled as all of the unwell ponies and dogs continued to scream, occasionally getting something slightly understandable out, however most of that was strange and confusing.

“Demon! Let us be!” shouted one crazed pony.

“I don’t want to be fish food!” announced another.

“What a way to die!” and so it went.

I tried to figure out what was going on, but was thrown off by an even worse sound than the shouting and screaming of my crew. The hull of the ship scraped against the seabed and threw me off balance, along with many of the indisposed, who burst into a fresh round of screaming.

“Ah don’t got time fer this.” I muttered to myself as I got back to my hooves. I then left the room and shut the door behind me, figuring that getting the ship through the reef was more important at the moment than playing psychiatrist.

I burst out on deck, and ran up to Smoky Mirror. “What happened?” I demanded.

“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry,” She stuttered out, and I realized that she was stressing out and was probably not in the best state at the moment. “Th-the ship’s j-j-just so big, a-and I think that the tide is going down, and … and-”

“Shhh…” I cut her off, “It’s ok, jus’ go take a short break, an’ Ah’ll take it from here.” I said calmly, as I grabbed the wheel and pushed her softly over towards where Cookie was still panting.


“Sounds like somepony needs to work out more.”


I once again took to taking Vince’s directions and realized with several minor scrapes on the reef below that the water level was definitely receding. Some jagged rocks and pieces of various wrecks protruded from the surrounding sea, where they hadn’t before.

“Vince!” I called up to him, from between directions, “See if the others have any idea how far we got left.”

“Only 15 leagues, Captain!” shouted back my current navigator.

I thought for a moment, still forcing the lumbering ship to do my bidding, when Astro spoke up. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news…” He said rather noncommittally, “but there is no way that we can make that with our current speed.”


“Wow, now he’s paying attention.” Rainbow observed what the characters seemed to be overlooking.


All of the crew heard him make that announcement, and they were now looking at me expectant of a brilliant plan to save the horribly understaffed ship. I took but a moment to decide what I should do next.

“More sails! Fore and aft!” I shouted at the crew, who stared at me in disbelief.


“Ooohh… That sounds worrying.” Dash said, rustling her wings underneath her.


“Cap’n?” one of them ventured, “Are ye sure ye want ta do that?”

“Eeyup.” I calmly reassured them.

“B-but, we’ll be goin’ too fast!”

“Nope”

Hesitantly, one of them saluted me and gave me a weak, “Aye, Captain.” He was steadily followed by more, who went about the task of unfurling more sails. As they did, the timbers of the ship groaned with the sudden additional strain, and the vessel lurched forward with the surge.

Vince continued to shout down directions, now frantically as the ship hurried through the treacherous waters. I repeatedly threw the top of the wheel to one side or the other in order to maneuver a tricky corner. The crew was thrown over the deck with every pitch of the ship below them.

A hard turn to port threw some loose barrels over the side. A similar turn to starboard almost threw a dog overboard, but he managed to grab a rope mere seconds before he was truly tossed into the sea, and he hung from the rafters of the ship, dangling over the reef. I’m pretty sure his name is Lucky.


Rainbow Dash blinked and then groaned. “Of course his name is Lucky.”


As Lucky hoisted himself back on deck, the ship righted and we entered a long, narrow, straight channel, that Gilda and Daring Doo confirmed lead into open waters. Certain that we were going to get out of this labyrinth, the crew cheered heartily, and was cut off by a violent surge forward as the path of the keel was cut off by the reef below us.

The screaming of the incapacitated crew below deck was an eerie confirmation of how everyone on deck felt as the ship recovered from its meeting with the seabed. It began to feel less and less likely that we were going to make it out to open water.

I looked to the horizon, and I could see where the water became darker, indicating increased depth, so I made another vital decision.

“Full sail ahead!” I demanded to a crew that couldn’t contain a ship at full sail. “Gilda, Vince an’ Daring! Grab a rope an’ pull!”

They all knew that it was our last chance to survive, so the weak and tired crew jumped at their tasks with a vigor that they had yet to show. The ship surged over the water, leaving a roiling wake in our path. I fought against any waves and crosswinds to keep the heading true.

Minor scrapes and grinds caused worrying jolts and forced me to adjust the helm. I could almost feel the sea floor rising up to meet the hull of the ship. The ship was traveling far faster than it should have been, and every time she made contact with the coral columns below the water, it damaged the hull far more than was acceptable, but I knew that I had to make an exception here.


Rainbow had pulled a wing up to her mouth and was now chewing nervously on one of her feathers.


We could see the open water before us, and the ship was traveling far too fast for the water we were in, but we felt we were going to make it.

The ship creaked and groaned against its riggings, the crew strained against their ropes as they pulled, the three that were flying were wincing against the strain on their wings, and I was wheezing for breath as I wrestled the helm for control of the ship. Even through all of this, It felt like we were going to make it.

Just before we passed through the gate to open water, the crew let out a mighty cheer, They slacked up on the ropes, and I even loosened my hold on the wheel. We were sure that we were finally in the clear, but we were slightly off.

A massive jolt shook the ship. The rudder was jerked and caused the wheel to rip loose of my grip, throwing me to the side, and making one of the handles of the wheel hit me in the chin.


Rainbow gasped.


I was dazed and confused, as I attempted to stand up and ignore the searing pain in my jaw, but the ship was in open water.

Finally, as I got to my feet, immediately sided by Daring Doo and several other crew members, I took a quick inventory. We didn’t seem to have lost anything important. Everyone seemed to be here, even Cookie, who had mostly rolled around the deck as it pitched. The crew was tired and exhausted, but present.

Then a shocked gasp drew my attention from the crew, to the maze that we had just left behind.


“Oh no…”


“Captain, look!” Smoky Mirror shouted, while using a hoof to point at something that she found rather shocking.

I followed her hoof, to the wake behind us, and noticed a rather large piece of the ship, drifting off into the distance. There was something eerily familiar about the flotsam, something that I needed to check.

“Somepony turn the wheel…” Vince followed my command, and the boat barely responded; so, he turned it further, and little more happened. “Dang…” I muttered.

“Ah’m sorry, everyone.” I announced, “We lost our rudder, an’ Ah don’t know what else happened, an’ Ah don’t want the ship ta sink, so if ya could, Ah’d appreciate some help lookin’ fer leaks.” The weary crew saluted me weakly and stowed sails, dropped anchor, and followed me into the belly of the ship, where we found minor leaks coming through in several spots where the hull was bowed in from impact with the reef.

A few minor fixes later, merely nailing boards over the leaky seams, and the crew was trudging off towards their own beds.

The very last thing that I remember, before I lapsed into unconsciousness was hearing the haunting, hoarse screams of the delirious crewmen.


“Well, that was stressful.” Rainbow said, then realized that she had been chewing on a feather. “Aw, man!”


A few hours, and one less chewed and mangled feather later, Rainbow Dash arrived at Twilight’s Library. The five mares milled about, set up for the party, and generally enjoyed catching up a bit before the guest of honor arrived.

When Twilight did arrive, she found her five closest friends, that she had missed desperately during her time in Canterlot.

“Hey, girls!” she greeted them, as they rushed in for a hug. As the moment of mutual happiness ended, she decided to ask them a question. “So, the banner?”

The banner hanging overhead, which she was referencing, read, “Welcome Back, Princess Twilig-”

“Oh, well…” Pinkie cut herself off, as though she was building up tension. “We couldn’t fit it all in!” Then she burst out laughing, with Twilight following suit.

Applejack leaned over to Rainbow and asked, “Why was that funny?” To which, Rainbow had absolutely no answer.

The friends chatted, grabbed some snacks, and settled into comfortable positions around the room. Rarity had brought a couch for herself, Applejack merely leaned against a wall, Fluttershy was perched gracefully on a pillow, Pinkie was laying upside down on her pillow, Rainbow Dash had found a perch on top of a bookshelf, and Twilight sat with a new poise on her couch, as the friends chatted.

“So, Twilight?” Rarity asked, “What did you learn at ‘princess school’?” Everypony perked up, deciding that they needed to know what Twilight learned about the inner workings of Canterlot’s royalty.

“Ugh!” Twilight said, sagging down in her couch. “There was so much! Did any of you know that Equestria’s Constitution allows for a monarchy? I didn’t. Princess Celestia says that she has never gone for the title of Queen, because she appreciates dividing her responsibilities with Luna, but I don’t know if I believe her.”

All of the ponies were surprised by the acknowledgement. “Ya don’t believe the princess, Twi?” Applejack asked, voicing the question on every mind in the room.

“Hey!” She defended herself, “I learned a lot about the princesses that nopony else knows! They mess around with their subjects! They were just sitting around playing with somepony, like they were a discussing a romance novel! Ugh, but before I start to rant too much, did anything exciting happen around here since I left?”

The general murmuring consensus of ‘no’ was a perfect time for Rainbow to think about how she wanted to make her exciting announcement, but she was so engrossed in her own thoughts, that she missed Applejack’s sadistic grin.

“Rainbow’s datin’ mah brother!”

The announcement left merely a single moment of silence before the room exploded in noise. The noise was initiated when Rainbow Dash jumped in shock at the sudden declaration and fell from her perch on the bookshelf, and then everyone else gasped and began to talk at once.

“Really, Rainbow? That’s surprising...”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Rainbow, Darling! When did this happen?”

“I guess it shouldn’t really be that surprising…”

“I’m glad he found somepony nice…”

“I mean, seeing how the whole ‘working hard’ thing is important to you both…”

“Applejack! I thought that you said I was dating your brother!”

The whole group fell silent at that and turned to stare at Pinkie. “Ah never said that.” Applejack tried to remind her.

“Yeah you did!” Pinkie defended her position. “You were whispering to Rainbow, and you told her that Rarity or I were dating Big Mac, which I must say, I wouldn’t be against, but anyway. Then you told me to get out of your basket of apples, so I did and went home and tried to remember our first date, but I couldn’t, so I guess I wasn’t actually dating him and you were just wrong.”

“Um, anyway, Rainbow, are you really dating Big Mac?” Twilight redirected the conversation, being unsure of how to respond to Pinkie.

Rainbow, now recovered from her tumble from the bookshelf, answered, “Yeah…”

“When did this happen?” Rarity inquired.

“Actually, it, uh, was just a few days ago, like not very long ago at all.” Rainbow answered nervously. All of her friends were watching her intently, with varying levels of surprise and intensity. “So, uh, you guys aren’t about to let this mess up our friendship, right? ‘Cause if Mac’s going to get between us, I can call it off.” Rainbow thought it was a perfectly justified fear, knowing that Fluttershy had been on a date with him, Rarity liked him, and Pinkie Pie might like Mac too, but apparently she was wrong.

“Rainbow!” Rarity said, as though the suggestion was more appalling than eating spaghetti in a wedding gown, “Why ever would we make you do such a thing? Macintosh is certainly a handsome stallion, and a true gentlecolt, that any mare would be lucky to have at their side, and I wouldn’t dare split up one of my closest friend’s relationship, especially with such a fine specimen of stallion. But you know we’re going to need details of everything, as it happens.” Rarity finished by giving Rainbow a comforting hug.

“Yeah, Silly Filly!” Pinkie chimed in, “Big Mac is a big hunky chunk of juicy eye-candy, but I don’t think that he could have done any better than picking you, Dashie!” The puffy-maned mare joined in the hug.

“I’ve got my eye on somepony else.” Fluttershy admitted with a distant smile on her face. “So, no worries here.” And she joined her friends.

“I honestly haven’t put much thought into dating.” Twilight admitted with a light blush, but joined in on the hug anyway.

Applejack wasn’t attempting to hide her discomfort at having her brother talked about and appraised like that, especially Pinkie’s description. “Ya’ll are sick, ya know that right?” But she chuckled and joined in on the hug quickly.

“Thanks, girls.” Rainbow said. “I should have known that you would take it well.” After a few moments, she realized something, something that needed clarification. “Wait… Fluttershy? You’ve got your eye on somepony?” and immediately, attention had been shifted to the other pegasus, who’s eyes became monstrous with the realization that she had indeed let that slip.

“Um… yes?”

Author's Note:

Wow, so I'm having a rough time putting these out in any sort of timely manner...
I'm going to try to fix that, but no promises, seeing how I'm in school and whatnot, but I'll do what I can.


I really do love all of you, so, so much.
Like in the most non-creepy way that one can love complete strangers from the internet, many of which without discernible gender.