• Published 21st Dec 2012
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Forgiveness Pending - Kiroberos



Moon Mender's adventure continues right where left off. He jumps at the chance for a new life, but will his old one truly leave him in peace? Some things are better off forgotten.

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Chapter 04

A few minutes later had us arriving at the cafe in due time. Tia made quite a stir, to my surprise. She must be quite a bit more famous than I had originally thought. The waiter looked like he was going to pass out when we walked up. He was so flustered that he tried to bow to Tia when she approached! She introduced me respectfully and nodded towards him to have us seated. Admittedly, I was more than a little impressed by her good graces. I had a sneaking suspicion that Rarity probably liked her. I was unaccustomed to them taking our orders then and there, but the white mare took it in stride.

"So how has Twilight been as of late? She writes to me frequently but it's always nice to hear about it from a third pony perspective," Tia inquired after we got comfortable at our table, the flock of attendees dispersing a little.

I nodded quietly. "She seems a little stressed but that could just be Pinkie Pie affecting her. I was worried she would be mad at me after what happened but she didn't appear to be at all. It's a little confusing, honestly," I admitted sheepishly.

Tia laughed lightly and shook her head. "Far from it, Mender. She likes you quite a bit," she assured as those strange bodyguards settled in close to the table.

"I just wonder how much of it is my being an interesting test subject," I wondered out loud.

"Admittedly, it probably had a lot to do with it at first, knowing Twilight. These things have a tendency to grow out of simpler things. If only you read some of her letters to me recently!" she tantalized. My cheeks flared up, predictably. Oh my. Twilight shared a lot with this mare! I guess that did leave certain topics open, however.

"Well, an Earth Pony that does magic is pretty rare, I guess," I returned, attempting to change the topic. I didn't particularly feel comfortable with somepony else giving away Twilight's secrets to me. Plus, it would tell me how much Twilight had told her. If she acted confused, I could just play the idiot.

"Rare is an understatement. What types of magic were you trained in on your world?" she asked curiously.

My blood chilled a little. "M-My world?" I asked hesitantly. Or it went the other direction! Twilight had told her pretty much everything, then. Who was she that Twilight hadn't talked about her yet?

Tia nodded politely, still maintaining the warm smile before informing, "Twilight tells me many things. I'm her confidant, worry not. I haven't told another soul."

I swallowed uncomfortably and nodded. She was a closer friend of Twilight's than I thought. "Ah, I'm just surprised is all," I muttered, looking around to make sure that nopony was listening. To my surprise, I saw that there was a three-table radius where nopony sat. It looked highly intentional to me.

"I apologize for startling you. Perhaps I should have been more open from the start," she apologized.

I smiled again and shook my head, feeling a bit better now that I saw nopony had heard. "It's all right. I just wanted to keep it a secret. Ponies tend to underrate my sanity when they hear the story," I explained.

Tia nodded politely again. "I understand, of course. I don't doubt your sanity in the least, worry not."

I had to laugh at that one. "I wouldn't go that far. I doubt I'm holding a full deck of cards," I corrected between snickers.

She gave me cold deadpan stare for several seconds before seemingly realizing my playfulness and joining in the laughter.

"Ooh, I think I might like you. You have no idea how nice it is to get away from responsibilities from time to time. You're good at getting somepony to let go," she complimented, smile shifting from polite to warm again.

"It's not always a good thing. I'm not the best at motivating myself, either. At least not without probable cause," I admitted. Sure, my lackluster approach stemmed from the utterly hopeless war I had been a part of, but this place was infinitely better. Even if it did feel like I had jumped from one event to another so far.

"Living with Twilight will help balance you out, don't worry. You never answered my prior question, though," she reminded.

Prior...? Oh! "Oh, I'm sorry. I was an Engineer, I believe. My magic revolves around barriers, physical trait manipulation, and repair. I was a more supplemental role, it would seem," I explained to the best of my abilities.

"Oh? For such a grim place, you weren't trained in any attack magic?" Tia inquired curiously.

Why was she interested in that? I hesitated but nodded a moment later, answering with, "Yes. Just one technique. An energy blade. Rainbow Dash's fly by attack was the first I'd used it in actual combat."

"Huh. I was expecting something a little bit scarier. You aren't going to use it anymore, are you?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

I chuckled at that. "Maybe as a glorified letter opener. There's no need for it in this dimension. The less these ponies know of my old world, the better," I muttered, feeling a little bit down again. These ponies didn't need to know about that hellish place.

"A noble stance. What if you needed to defend yourself, however? Or defend Twilight and Fluttershy?" she asked next, watching me in an oddly focused manner.

That was an extremely specific question. She knew I liked both of them, without a doubt. Why she was so adamant on this was beyond my guessing, however. I frowned and considered it. I didn't know what she was looking for in my answer, so I simply went with the truth and quietly explained, "If we couldn't escape and the only other option was them dying, then yes. I would use it without hesitation. But I don't think it will ever happen. Twilight is amazingly powerful and I have suspicion that Fluttershy is far from defenseless herself."

Tia stared at me carefully for a surprisingly long time. I started to fidget nervously after almost thirty seconds of her rather intense stare. Finally she smiled again, however, and I exhaled sharply.

"Twilight vouched for you already but I still wanted to ask. I see she's right. I don't believe you'd willingly hurt anypony," she explained.

I slowly shook my head. "I love it here, even with the horrible luck and multiple blunt force traumas to my skull. I'd never hurt these wonderful ponies intentionally," I added, looking to the side at the filled tables. I oddly notice that a bit of a crowd was forming towards the cafe entry with quite a few ponies whispering and gesturing towards us. Wow, Tia was popular! I started to feel a little self-conscious.

She must have noticed. "Don't worry about them. You're my friend so just treat me like normal. Trust me, it's refreshing. Can you show me your magic?" she requested.

I tilted my head and gave her a skeptical glance. Did she mean right here, in the middle of the cafe? She gave an encouraging nod and smile. Sighing, I lifted my left hoof up, staring blankly at it for a moment before nudging my inner pool of energy into movement. Not sure what she actually wanted me to do, I simply activated the channeling and watched the symbol under the bandages start to glow. A few seconds later, the wrappings drifted free from my hoof and into the air. All I did was temporarily turn off gravity for them. The current from my hoof pushed them away gently as a natural result of the energy emission.

Tia's smile broadened as she watched. There was that feeling in her eyes again! It was as if a great deal of time resided behind those twin pools of magenta. She suddenly struck me as far older than I had originally thought.

"You're not levitating them. You told them to ignore gravity, right? Twilight is right. It's a far more physical magic than a unicorn's. Can you levitate something?" she asked curiously.

I shook my head. "No. I can only manipulate what the rune on my hoof touches. Basic manipulation as well. It doesn't feel like I have enough energy in me yet to manage anything complex or permanent," I elaborated.

Tia seemed to think for a moment before asking, "So like most unicorns, you need mental exercise before you can manage more?"

A wave of gloom washed over me and I put my head down. I'd been so proud of my magic. Now it, like me, was starting over. Worse yet, I was surrounded by magic users of phenomenal skill. Heck, the partial unicorn sitting across from me was probably stronger than me, too!

Tia gave me a soft smile, sympathy showing rather plainly before seemingly thinking of something. "I understand your frustration of course. But might I make a suggestion?" she asked softly. I nodded while patiently listening. She continued a moment later with, "Your body is that of an Earth Pony, so it's geared towards directing its magic through constitution. My suggestion would be to train your body alongside your mind. Healthy diet and exercise would do a good job of jump starting your magic as well, I'd assume, based on your body.

I blinked slowly, considering what she had said. Wow. That actually was really intelligent. Twilight being friends with her suddenly made a lot more sense. "Wow. Thank you, Tia. You just might be onto something there," I admitted, running the concept through my head again. In all likelihood, it would help to greatly expand my magic pool. If I could do that by doing what I had intended to do anyway, I could use the time saved for training my control capabilities. That would speed the process up significantly!

Tia giggled lightly and nodded. "Be sure to run it past Twilight as well. She deals more with experimentation and advanced theory than I do. She might be able to help you out even more," she pointed out.

"Still, thank you for your help. Things haven't been going well since I arrived. It's nice that something might be working in my favor this time," I thanked again.

She smiled and sat back in her chair as the waiter brought out our drinks. Tia had a tasty looking shake of some sorts and I had ordered tea. Fell in love with it ever since Rarity had served it to me. Sadly, my first sip told me she had spoiled me. It wasn't nearly as good as the stuff she had made.

"Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect before I had met you. I was a bit apprehensive after the first letter Twilight sent," Tia returned. Had my delicious, delicious tea not been in the way, I might have slammed my face into the table out of frustration. Was I never going to live that down? She giggled and continued with, "Relax. Then I was deeply puzzled by her sudden change of tone in the letters after that. I was worried she was being manipulated. She's very intelligent but quite young still. Most ponies have good intentions but you should always be careful. It didn't help that you weren't from here."

I nodded this time. That much was just playing it safe. I could accept that easily enough. She continued before I could say anything, with, "But now I see that you're just a normal pony with his own fears and troubles. Twilight was right and for that, I'm glad. You have my blessings."

As happy as I was to hear that, I was a little confused. "I'm glad, but your blessings in what, might I ask?" I inquired.

Tia giggled lightly. "Why in the pursuit of happiness, of course," she furthered simply. Smiling, I nodded and took another sip of my tea. I should have known something was wrong by the way she eyed me eagerly as I sipped. "And Twilight, obviously," she tossed on after I had a good mouthful of tea.

It momentarily went into my lungs as I attempted to inhale at the same time. Seconds later, I was reduced to a coughing and sputtering lump on the table. Tia promptly added a "Gotcha!" before bursting into laughter.

It felt like an eternity passed before I could breathe properly again. Gasping, I tilted my head up to glare at her. She was still giggling merrily, however. I politely waited for her to finish. "Oh, this is just too much fun! I don't do this nearly often enough," she finally spoke up in a wistful manner.

Sighing, I decided that her life was probably pretty boring if that was the case. My irritation faded rather rapidly after that. "Well, try to warn me ahead of time when you decide to choke me half to death," I muttered wearily.

To my surprise, she grinned and nodded. "But of course. We shall have to do this more often. You're quite good at relieving the stress of a day," she complimented. At least I think it was a compliment.

"Your life doesn't feel so bad after watching my daily maiming, concussions, and almost asphyxiations, I take it?" I asked, using the napkins she floated my way to dab the tea out of my coat.

"Well, tragedy is popular for a reason," she pointed out, earning another eye twitch and glare before she snickered and continued, "Oh relax. I tease. As much as you probably don't believe me, I have to say that you really are a good pony. Your luck will turn around soon. You have two cute mares after your attention as well."

My mood shifted in a morose direction and I sighed before placing my head down on the table. "I just wonder if it's not karma or something. I lived when my entire species died. Why was I the lucky one? Maybe it's just paying me back?" I reasoned quietly.

Tia shook her head softly. "One can never know the future. Not even the strongest magic can accurately predict it. Asking yourself if you deserve the place in life where you find yourself is equally futile. If you can't find a reason to be here, even though I see several, make your own reason instead," she suggested.

I frowned and considered it. "A... A reason to be here?" I asked, not sure what she meant.

Tia nodded politely and continued, "Of course. You're incorrectly worried that the sacrifice involved in your arrival was too great, right? Even if they actually intended to save only you, you can still choose to give a reason for it all. You don't need to wait for something else to give you that reason."

She surprised me considerably. She definitely gave me another point of view, and a wise one at that, but there was something off about her reply that made me uncomfortable. Something she knew and wasn't revealing.

Still, she had a good point. They hadn't sacrificed themselves for me specifically. Even though I lived when they died, it didn't exactly make me special in any regard. She raised an eye to me, so I snapped myself out of it and spoke up with, "You're right of course. I'm not that special just because I didn't die."

Tia snickered and shook her head. "Of course you're not special because you lived. You're special because you're kind and many a ponies' friend. You're special to them," she corrected.

Frowning, I considered her words. They matched well with what I had been told a while ago. Ponies took more away from interactions with others than I noticed or gave credit for. It applied to me as well, I supposed.

"You're really wise. Twilight's lucky to have a friend like you," I complimented. This was a good friend of Twilight's, I reminded myself. She wasn't going to have bad intentions. I really needed to do something about the paranoid tendencies. Oh, and the hormones.

Tia smiled warmly, but looked away from me. "You're quite a lot of fun as well. Surely you can be my friend as well?" she asked.

My eyes softened and I smiled. "Of course, Tia. Are you going to be at the party later tonight?"

"That's the whole reason I'm in town. Of course I'm coming. I think Twilight wanted me to meet you," she reasoned, a hint of playful sarcasm in her voice.

I averted my gaze. "A little late for that. I guess she didn't anticipated me literally running into you in town," I muttered, face giving a tiny jolt of pain in protest of the memory.

Tia leaned back as her salad and my sandwich arrived. "I doubt she'll mind. She's very patient and understanding," she assured as the waiter bowed politely to us.

It took her a moment to glance back at me, but she finally noticed my incredulous expression. She hesitated, then giggled. "Okay, she's patient and understanding when scary feelings aren't clouding her judgment," she appended.

Chuckling, I brushed the surface of my conveniently still unwrapped hoof against my sandwich. A quick tweak in magnetic properties later, and it was stuck to my hoof as I picked it up. Tia watched me curiously throughout, a mixture of amusement and possibly considering me the laziest stallion she'd ever seen. That last part could have been just me reading into it, though.

Shrugging, I took a small bite of the sandwich, not wanting to rush anything. My body was used to an IV supplying its nourishment still. I could potentially get one hell of a stomach cramp should I rush eating. Tia simply nibbled gently at her salad. A small fork drift in front of her effortlessly and fed her bite by bite. Levitation magic must be so useful. Still, things were looking up for me now. All that was left to do was get Twilight to check out this new dream issue, and convince this Princess Celestia pony that I wasn't totally insane. Oh, and apologize to everypony for worrying them. Especially Fluttershy. It worried me that I hadn't heard from her yet, nor heard anything about her. Was she mad at me or something? Maybe Twilight would know.

"Hey, this is pretty good after all. I'm going to have to thank Twilight for the recommendation, through you of course," Tia spoke up.

Snapping out of my usual spacing out mode, I smiled back up at her. "That's something to be said about somepony who eats the same thing often enough. They get really good at quality testing the dish," I reasoned, gesturing idly in the air with my other hoof.

Tia simply smiled and nodded, oddly seeming to actually enjoy my company. I hadn't known her for long, but she seemed to be really tense. It was like she didn't get the chance to unwind all that often.

The rest of the lunch period went uneventfully, although the crowd gathered and continuously whispering near the entry to the cafe was a little awkward. I knew they were here for Tia, but it still felt like more than a few directed attention at me. The giggles that sporadically drifted from the mares in the crowd were particularly distracting. That's something I'd noticed almost immediately. I'd not been around females prior to arriving here, as far as I knew. But their laughter! There was just something about it. I couldn't really explain why it was so appealing. It was like something deep inside of me stirred and cheered every time I heard it.

It was about forty minutes or so before we were done eating, if one included the conversation and waiting prior. As anticipated, Tia easily managed the bill, floating some gold looking coins out of a small pouch tucked away in her large chest jewelry. The owner of the restaurant almost fell all over himself trying to make sure that we had a pleasurable experience. I was a tad perplexed but Tia seemed to be used to that sort of thing.

"But I insist! Surely if there's anything we can send with you, I can get it packed up immediately," he continued to assure.

Tia smiled gently and shook her head as I wrapped my hoof up again. She watched me finish the final rotation as the owner deposited the bits. I hadn't paid that much attention to the final tab between the giggling mares and trying to focus my magic long enough to wrap the bandages again. Hopefully it wasn't too much. Even with her being obviously well off, it didn't feel right to leech off of her like this. The first bodyguard went ahead of us and stomped his hoof down once in front of the crowd. As if on cue, they parted in a line to allow us through. Tia went on ahead and I trailed slightly behind her. Awkwardly, a couple of the mares brushed lightly against me as we passed. I stumbled while trying to avoid one, and another managed to catch me and support my balance until I could get back on my hooves.

"Don't mind these kinds of mares. Are you okay?" the mare next to the one who caught me asked. The questioning mare had a cream colored coat and a rather poofy, dark blue and pink mane. It was definitely unique. Her friend who caught me hurt my eyes, however. She was a bright mint color with a messy cyan and white mane. She gave me a friendly enough smile as she helped me to get my balance again. The second guard motioned the crowd back as Tia stopped and looked back at me.

"Yes, I'm all right. Thank you, um..." I started before hitting a snag.

The one still grabbing my left leg smiled warmly and nodded. "I'm Lyra. This is my fillyfriend, Bon Bon. How did you pick up that sandwich with just one hoof?" the minty mare asked.

Er, oops. Um... Tia started back towards me again, frowning. Before she got too close, however, Lyra frowned and examined me. Huh? Was there something on my face? Before I could ask, she suddenly flailed and gasped. "It-It's you!" she declared at the top of her lungs.

"Lyra?" Bon Bon questioned, tilting her head towards the other mare. I shrank visibly however, doing my best impression of a shivering dough ball.

Lyra growled as Tia made it to me. "I stepped in your pee like, three weeks ago! You ran away from me!" Lyra reminded at the top of her lungs to the entire crowd. Oh crap! It was her. I thought she looked familiar...

"Lyra! Is this the best time?" Bon Bon asked her quietly.

Tia stopped in front of us instead. From my new position I realized how tall she was. "He's had a rather rough last few weeks. I know that much personally. Are you all right, Mender?" she asked gently.

Lyra gasped and oddly fell into a bow. That was the second pony to bow to Tia. Warning bells went off in my mind. "I'm s-sorry, Princess Celestia!" Lyra apologized rapidly.

A pause. Oh. Tia? Celestia? Celes... Oh crap. Decidedly, my body chose that moment to gargle with my yet beating heart. The newly revealed Princess Celestia sighed and made a motion with her head. "Shall we take a walk, ponies?" she suggested.

I don't quite remember moving. I think one of the guards came up and pushed me along from behind.

* * * * *

The sun slowly sank towards the horizon as I sat quietly in the grass, watching the iridescent sky. The oranges, purples, and blues mixed together so nicely that I really didn't want to leave.

Tia, or more appropriately, Princess Celestia, sat a meter or so to my right. Her eyes absorbed the colors of the sky as she watched her sun go down. It was beyond strange to realize that her sister was out there somewhere, directing the moon into the sky at the same time. She caught me looking a moment later, and I rapidly turned my head away, feeling insecure again. At least the mint pony had forgiven me for earlier transgressions before leaving. Lyra was it? She seemed nice enough once she stopped trying to murder me. Honestly, I hadn't realized "stallion smells" were so hard to wash off. Unhealthy obsession with how I picked up my sandwich, though! That was a little creepy. She went on to explain how awesome fingers were and how she wished she had some, like a dragon or something. Bon Bon looked like she wanted to die, though.

"Still feeling awkward, Mender?" Celestia asked a moment later.

Sighing, I shifted uneasily. "A little. You got me good, that's for sure," I pseudo-complimented.

She giggled lightly again. "I only did so to keep you honest. And technically I never lied. Twilight Sparkle is indeed my friend." True enough, I suppose.

"So you were asking about my magic to make sure I wasn't a threat, right?" I deduced, absently motioning with my right forehoof.

The princess smiled and looked back out at the sky. She was quiet again for a moment before nodding and asking, "You understand why I had to do as such, right?"

"Of course. You're the ruler of Equestria. I'm a potential risk to your nation."

She frowned but nodded again. "Twilight ultimately can take more risks than I. Normally I don't ask her to, of course," she started to explain. It had been a nagging thought before I went to bed last night. I don't quite know why, but I think it was the way she said it.

"She told you about me almost right away, didn't she?" I interrupted, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.

Celestia smiled again at that. "You're clever. You two really would make a good pair," she complimented.

Of course. She told her probably right after finding the memories of another world and form in my mind. It was dangerous not to. I just didn't understand why she didn't tell me. "It was the right call. I could potentially have caused a lot of damage, and not much was known about me," I agreed quietly.

"She was right, however. Twilight's gotten to be a good judge of character since becoming a Bearer. She said you yourself were harmless, and that the real danger was what you represented." I could tell she was directing the topic away from Twilight being at fault. That probably meant something.

"But you're the ruler of Equestria. You can't just trust Twilight, no matter how faithful she was. Too much was at risk," I concluded for her.

Celestia remained quiet for a moment and glanced back out at the sky. She hesitated before finally nodding. "Yes, this country is my responsibility. I need to be thinking about its welfare. I asked Twilight to keep an eye on you until I could make it to Ponyville myself that weekend. A potential hostile invasion is extremely serious, you must realize," she agreed.

It rapidly snapped together. She had been flustered because of us jumping ahead of schedule. Twilight had wanted to wait for the Princess. Instead of her feelings becoming clear, however, I simply became more confused. How did she feel personally if she was simply told to look after me?

My mind shifted back to her eyes slowly closing as I felt her lips push harder into mine. I pushed back the heat that was threatening to drift into my cheeks. No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. There was definitely something there. Now what about me? I tried my hardest to feel out what I thought of her, but things kept getting mixed up in my head.

"You're quiet, Mender. Are you okay?" Princess Celestia suddenly spoke up. As my thoughts had stolen my concentration, I couldn't help but jump when the silence was suddenly broken.

"Oh! Sorry, Your Highness. I was just trying to sort out my feelings. And everypony else's," I apologized.

She shook her head, however. "Please, either Celestia or Tia. I meant it when I said it was a comfort to just pretend I'm a normal pony for a while," she requested. It felt awkward, regardless. I seemed to be stuck thinking of her as Tia. Maybe that's what she wanted? She continued, " And if you're worried about Twilight, don't be. I was a little concerned when she started getting attached to you, but now that I can see for myself what you're like, I'm happy she trusts you."

I had a sneaking suspicion she could see a lot more than she let on. I decided to just be open rather than risk her ire. "Why didn't she just tell me that she was in contact with you, then?"

"I told her not to. You'd hardly have acted natural had you known you were being watched. You have my word that she isn't under any orders now," she assured, somehow guessing at my insecurity before I myself did. I was a bit impressed, and just a little frightened.

Still, all Princess Celestia would need to do was say the word. Twilight practically worshipped her, from what I'd seen and heard.

Celestia smiled gently after a moment, my inner turmoil halting the conversation reasonably well. I stared once again out at the colors of the sky as they slowly shifted towards the horizon. It couldn't be that late yet. Maybe this place followed a more natural seasonal daylight cycle. That would mean that the day would be getting shorter and shorter. Winter was coming. Really, I just wanted somepony I could trust. Failing that, maybe a good, sturdy tree I could kick until I felt better.

Rainbow Dash? No. She was loyal, but not exactly to me. Plus she might be mad over the teleport incident still. Applejack? Heh. And get punched again? Pinkie? It worked surprisingly well last time, but this seemed a little sensitive for her level of energy and violation. Fluttershy? I didn't know what she was doing or where she stood on what had happened still. I didn't want to offend her. That left Rarity. The only thing she had done that was necessarily bad was eavesdrop and work me a little harder than I would have liked. She also took things reasonably seriously it seemed. Maybe she'll have some advice?

Gently, I stood up and stretched out my back legs, earning Celestia's attention again. "Miss Rarity said she wanted to give me something today, so I should stop by there before the party, I think.”

"I'll be at the party as well. May I speak with you more there? You probably have a lot of questions," she requested.

I sighed but nodded slowly. She was insistent on clearing Twilight's name. Idly, I wondered why. She continued before I could ask, though, with, "Good! You have about an hour before the party. Best not be late. I don't believe even I can stop Pinkie Pie from going to find you if so."

That I laughed at. "Oh, I know her a little bit. I won't be late."

She smiled and nodded towards me as I turned and headed back into town, directing my legs towards the Carousel Boutique.

Author's Note:

Doom Pie's Audiobook Chapter:
http://youtu.be/VkeqBh2WzJk

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