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.
Wooh! Timing! Just finished chapter 3!
EDIT:
. . . Why did I finifh this so fast? Now I have to wait another week!
But seriously, kudos to Kiroberos. I loved Memory Pending, and this one is turning out just as awesome so far. I think what I love most about your work is how insanely and awesomely weird it is.
YES!!!! UPDATE!!!!
Wow Mender is really dense, how could he not understand earlier that it was the princess
Mender go with twilight ;)
Lol, it just had to be Lyra who stood in his pee, and she had to be the one to help him!!!
Trollestia was on good form there!!!
Also, Fluttershy or Twilight??? Tough choice. Fluttershy is kind and sweet. Twilight is nuts and has CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are in the right order!!!
Yeah, go with Fluttershy. Or even both!!!
WHOO WOO, Now I can't wait for chapter 5, also nice scene with what you did with Lyra there.
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Dammit Lyra, can't he have just one day where something doesn't go wrong? Is that too much to ask?
1943453
. . . Compulsive Disorder of Obsessiveness?
1943481 You know, I've never actually thought about that part.....I've just known that part of the joke!!!!
I like it!!! And in reference to what we're discussing...
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Very nice portrayal of celestia!
This shall be an interesting party to read about. Hope Twilight doesn't explode or evolve into rapidash (as funny as that would be).
This story is so awesome! But the updates take soo long!!!
Keep up the fantastic work though!
Fantastic chapter!
Loved the potrayal of "Tia". 5 stars.
As usual, I can't wait for the next chapter!
1943514
Thats awsome. I'm saving that picture.
We will just call his bad luck "Moon Mender Luck!"
Love Celestia in this. It shows her wisdom in how she approached Mender. That way he wouldn't act the part just because who she is.
Oh this was just awesome
Trollestia is the best -lestia
Hate to be nitpicking, but I think I found something your proofreaders might have missed.
Shouldn't that be "anticipate"? (Twilight inside me speaking )
Anyway, another amazing chapter Thank you so much again for this!
Also
Is that a Game of Thrones -reference I see there, or am I just over-analyzing? Either way, gave me the shivers. I just couldn't help but to imagine Sean Bean's voice saying that
Loving this more by every chapter
1943122
It did indeed! I also got out early today
Omigosh. I had no idea that the sequel was finally out! Let's do this!
I'm curious as to what Fluttershy is doing. My headcanon has changed drastically since reading "Memory Pending".
Super duper awesometastic!!!
Can't wait for the next chapter!
I know this has been said a few times but...
Trollestia
Also, I'm eager to see what happens next!
And i know it will be worth the wait.
just one more stupid request, which you can just skip :
Do longer chapters!
Oh god I'm addicted to this story
Celestia is interested in seeing some little magical prodigies between Twilight and Mender, hmm?
1943453
I agree
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As I was getting towards the end of this chapter, my mind started to drift off to thoughts about Game Of Thrones, since I had only just finished downloading another episode. Then, as Mender describes daylight cycles and I'm in a trance, skimming over the words, I faintly notice 'Winter was coming', and abruptly shit bricks.
Quite. Good Chapter
1943876
D'oh!
Yeah, every so often one of those typos slips by me... Although considering I'm not the only one going over these chapters in advance, that is... very odd that it managed to survive that long. But, still, I should have caught that. Editor FAIL!
I can safely say that Kiro most likely was not making a Game of Thrones reference... unless he's been reading/watching it behind my back and has been withholding discussing it with me! ... wait, no, that's not likely. It's probably just a coincidence.
(Besides, they'd be screwed if it was GoT winter coming. Just imagine the sudden appearance of "Pony Others" in this story. O_O )
Well, maybe Lyra should have watched where she was going, so as not to walk into the piss T'is a great chapter, quite enjoyed it. Am now eagerly awaiting more!
This is great, I think I'm going to make a habit of making a meaningful reply on every chapter seeing as your going through the trouble to reply to my comments every time :P
in any case I'm loving this potrail of Celstia as I said last time. for some reason I expected a more of a "Wait What!?" reaction from Mender when he found out she was the princess instead of a stupefying shock but then as I though about it the dumbfounded unable to speak thing fits his personality more.
I shale also make the rather obvious prediction that Rarity has some sort of fashion item for Mender, perhaps a pair of saddle bags, or something for his hoof, yes, a boot like item is my guess.
All of my yes continues to be yours good sir :)
1943126
I don't know why, but Menders character is coming across as the kind of person you want to slap upside the head from time to time. He goes from being as dense as a brick during one topic, to completely over thinking another. While your just like: "dude, how could you not pick up on her thinking/saying that all along?" Maybe if somepony told him or, he realised that he needed to pay more attention he wouldn't feel this way to me. Still awesome regardless
Excellent chapter. Loved the interaction between Celestia and Mender. The scene with Lyra was hilarious. Can not wait for another chapter.
I love seeing menders interactions with other ponies, they're always so hilarious! XD
oh you devilish troll you
As expected, another great chapter! The conversations in this chapter felt really natural, for as far natural goes for conversations between a god-ruler-troll and the most socially awkward pony alive.
Keep up the good work!
Hello, 'Kir.
I'm back.
In response to your question, let me put it this way; I can talk a big game, and I certainly love hinting at things, but when it comes to actually sitting down and reading sex or gore, I tend to...falter. That's not to say I won't read the version you have to go in the back of the now extinct Blockbusters to rent, or give it my honest opinion, but I'm kind of...burned out concerning clop and grimdark. I know you won't care (you put it apart from the main story because you knew others would feel this way), but I can't help but feel like I'm cheating you out of my full attention, what with all the hard work you put into writing it. I'm sure at least some of your readers will give it its due. If not, I'll just have to mustard up the guts.
Now that that's out of the way, on with the show! Reading this chapter for the first time, most of it just flew over my head, leaving me with a sense of confusion and annoyance at the Princess. On the second time 'round, I understood why she did what she did. Too often do we simplify the Princess's role, or just flat out make fun of her. She has an entire kingdom to rule and protect; figuring out the threat level of a potential invader is going to be top priority. That being said, she still wants to get away from her duties every once in a while and have some fun to keep her sanity levels in check. I can't even begin to know what that feels like, so forgive me if I don't want to criticize her actions.
I'm glad M&M (as he shall be called forever more) has someone like Rarity who's somewhat removed from the Love Triangle Of Death™ to talk to and ask advice. Everyone needs someone like that, especially when that someone is as mentally bankrupt and emotionally eviscerated as M&M.
I know I'm probably going to eat my words after chapter 5, but what could be so important that Fluttershy hasn't been able to see M&M yet? I mean, I know only a short time has passed since he woke up, but seriously! It's like the whole universe is conspiring to put these two together! It's like I'm reading Spike's Rainbow Dash! It's like I'm too invested in a story about ponies! And I can't wait to see 's rebuttal.
On a completely unrelated note, someone should organize these Ponymotes; they're all mixed up.
Aahh, that reaction. Priceless man, priceless.
It's small things like that, that makes this story even better than most others.
-Glassed
Poor Celestia can't go for more than one conversation without ponies bowing down and groveling before her, inadvertently revealing her identity. I knew she'd get a good impression of Mender, though, so at least he can relax about one thing now. I like the way you wrote Celestia, by the way. Everything felt natural and believable, and made me realize it's actually pretty rare to see Celestia just have a fairly normal conversation, even in fan fiction. I wonder what her reaction would be if Mender ends up with Fluttershy, though. Celestia obviously cares strongly about Twilight's happiness, so I'm sure she'd be sad if Twilight got her heart broken to any degree. She's probably too reasonable to be anything more than sad, but she might not be able to help being at least a little grumpy with Mender. Maybe just toy with his paranoia a little.
That scene with Lyra was perfect, by the way. I had to stop reading for a few minutes when she recognized where she'd seen Mender before. Like he could've gotten away without that little incident coming back to haunt him.
But hmm, most of this chapter was conversation that didn't really reveal much new information to us, so I think I'm going to have a hard time rambling on quite as much as I usually do. Guess I'll have to reply to your reply then. 1943126 1st: I'm definitely eager to hear Rarity's take on the romantic elements of the story. We all know that's her forte, after all, so I bet she'll have some interesting input for Mender. Although I wonder if she might not get a little protective of her friends too, as I'm sure she'll figure a love triangle is bound to end badly for at least one pony. 2nd: Avatar was an okay movie, but I couldn't help but think of this thing they did where they had a mental bond created through these tendril things that came out of their ponytails. Worked on all kinds of animals and things, though, not just each other. And 3rd: yeah... I didn't really think Keld was particularly likely. And it's been like 8 years since I last played Magic, so I have no idea what's going on with it now. Oh yeah, 4th: funny, the similar magic affinity didn't even occur to me. Are they going to have a "My shield is bigger than your shield" contest? No offense to Mender, but I think Shining would win that.
Oh, I know what else I can do! Try to figure out why Fluttershy is taking so long to show up. Hmm, is she just having a hard time coping with almost losing probably the first stallion she's ever been at all close to? Is she afraid that he's more interested in Twilight, and doesn't want to get in the way? Is she preoccupied by something else entirely, and feeling guilty that she hasn't gotten to see him yet? Is she just trying to be polite, and let him come to her when he feels up to it? Is she just nervous/shy about seeing him again, so is stalling, possibly getting her own advice from Rarity, so they'll accidentally run into each other in the boutique (probably literally)? Is she madly flying all around looking for him behind the scenes, but just happens to be a moment too late everywhere she checks, so now she's working herself up into a paranoid frenzy that he hates her now for some reason and left forever as soon as he woke up? Is it just convenient for the plot? Who knows!
Also, I have to agree with Mender's suspicions that Celestia might know something she's not telling. I had a similar feeling from that "Even if they actually intended to save only you" line of hers. May have just been misinterpreting/over-thinking it, but I wonder if perhaps Celestia knows who his former race's allies were to some degree, and suspects they somehow had something to do with Mender's survival. We already know Rainbow's rainboom was a big part of what pulled him through, though, so it's hard to see how anyone else could be involved at the same time. But either way, hmm... maybe Celestia is actually some sort of planetary representative with full knowledge of the happenings in the rest of the galaxy/universe, but deliberately chooses to keep Equestria isolated from all of that through the use of some sort of dimensional separation magic. She does control a star, after all, and it's a little unclear exactly how much of the night sky Luna creates, so they really could be in their own little pocket reality. Maybe the princesses even came from some other world originally. But then you'd think they'd be a little more powerful than they appear, so I'm probably just making crap up.
So much for less rambling than normal.
Aww, I'm late for the party! Ah, well. Let's snack up and read. *Grabs a conveniently placed bowl of cereal and begins rambling*
I see what you did there. Not even from the show! Your excessive use of ponified language is really evident in your writing.
Glad to see that Mender laughing for once, even if he was laughing at himself. Still, though, it proves that his pessimism isn't dominating his personality.
Ahh, Mender has good taste in beverages. Glad somepony else is able to enjoy the fine herbal delicacies that reside in tea.
Oh, you had to reel it back in, didn't you, Kiro? And what better time than when he's being escorted by Princess Celestia?
Hollup, hollup, hollup, hollup, hold up! Did Lyra successfully manage to pay so much attention to Mender's abilities that she completely ignored the abundance of other ponies around her and the presence of Princess Celestia? You've got some serious dedication to your fascination, Lyra!
I'd comment here, but I can't find anything to say that everypony else is likely already thinking.
You know, you're really portraying Celestia as a machina for Mender's character development in this chapter. I hope this conversation with her serves Mender well.
1943481 Compulsive Disorder of Obsession. That's the noun form of Obsess.
Yay update!!!
1950716
Obsessiveness sounds more fun. And I enjoy making up words.
You said I could stop at the first epilogue on "Memory Pending"
Now why would I want to do that when this is so much fun?
Though I'll admit, right now the story feels like it's... meandering a bit. The first one always had this air of mystery to it thanks to the fact that we knew nothing about Moon Mender's past and were learning about it alongside him. It gave the story a focus and sense of direction even in the chapters where MM was just meeting the pony gang. Because we had an end point (finding out who Mender is) in mind. Now things are awkward as we wait to see just which of the plot threads you're spinning winds up catching as the main one.
(For the record, my money is on the dream sequence)
I'm sure this'll be even better once the plot really picks up, but for now it just feels a little awkward. Kinda like how Mender's feeling in this...
Whoa.
Meta.
I'm just gonna wait for Pinkie's party and the ensuing hilarity that comes from it.
If you hadnt made that alternate ending i wouldve wrung your neck!!! That first ending made me cry
1943396 He's only been conscious for like 3 weeks. You have to understand that he hasn't gotten around much.
1974664 I remember the first ending making my brain hurt, then sending me into a spiraling lament. It was fun!
1943278 - Kaille
Hmm. Well there are 168 hours between each chapter posting, and so far my average wordcount per chapter is 8106 words. That means that if you read 48.25 words an hour, it would last you all the way until next posting! I'm glad you like, though! I'm not sure if weird is good or not. Hmm. There are lots out there that are weirder. Like turning AJ into a pair of panties.
1943299 - Vinyl_step
Yuppers!
1943396 - jaccan
Both you and EB are right. He IS really dense and socially awkward. I'd imagine he spent most of the conversation just being happy he didn't screw up and make an idiot of himself, rather than paying attention to the tiny nuances surrounding Tia.
1943450 - bbonet98
You're a half-dozen months too late for the vote. I'm sorry. His relationship has already been decided...
1943453 - Lucky424
Heeeeee. It's almost like there's some sort of narrative causality in play. Although you're a bit too late for the vote. Heh. Hopefully the outcome will to be everypony's liking.
1943459 - Cyber V
I'm glad you enjoyed. This is not the last of Lyra and Bon Bon you will see.
1943470 - High_Wind
He ends up asking this much later. It's TECHNICALLY not Lyra's fault...
1943514 - Lucky424
Normally I don't reply to ponies just responding to others, but I had to comment that I totally saved that pic.
1943541 - Unwitting Brony
Heh, just a bit of system shock. It's good for ya!
1943556 - FreeCentric
Heeeee. It is a very interesting party. I think his first encounter with Celestia went well, though.
1943565 - Stellar starry night
Only once a week. Some updates take a LOT longer on other fics. I've been waiting for months for Behind Crimson Curtains to update...
1943570 - Brony-Sibling
Tia is awesome. It's not the last time you'll see her either... heh.
1943769 - Azu
Didn't you drop a comment suspiciously similar to that?
1943785 - shirotora
Indeed. Further, she really does enjoy being treated like 'normal' as well.
1943876 - Jamza
Oooops! I changed hadn't to didn't and forgot to change the other. Sorry about that. I've been getting a lot of comments on that line, however. Sadly, it's purely coincidence as I do believe Julia points out later on.
1943905 - tigerphoenix
An even more awesome perk! I hope today goes well for you too!
1943935 - BobtheLurker
You'll find out about Fluttershy very soon. I'm glad you found the story again, though!
(1/3)
1943974 - Mark of Two
It's Friday, so not much more waiting now!
1944329 - Starburst
If you peek at my blog, you'll note the chapters do get significantly longer as I go on. I became more and more comfortable with story flow. I'm glad you like it so much, though!
1944371 - TheGreatSako
Oooh, never thought about that before. She might be. She's more likely just trying to encourage them to be happy, though. Heee.
1944425 - FlyingChurro
I'm glad you're still enjoying. And ponies tend to remember things that traumatize them better than usual.
1945143 - Lethargy
Sadly, I have not watched or read Game of Thrones as of yet. I'm surprised how close I got totally by accident.
1945674 - JZG
You know I'd never hold out on you, Julia. You MUST talk about this "Pony Others" concept, though. Heeeeeeeeeeee.
1946009 - tjamesbeard
She really should, yes. Glad you're enjoying!
1946140 - Ryexander
Of course I reply to you. Every single reader is awesome in my mind. You especially so as you've been reading since I first began. His reaction was originally very similar to what you described however. In my second read-through though, I questioned if Mender would really be that vocal about it rather than just going into catatonic shock. I ultimately decided with this route.
Further, I really hope nopony's disappointed in the fact that Rarity doesn't actually HAVE anything for Mender. Technically that was just his and Twilight's GUESS as to what Rarity wanted.
1946364 - Bridgebrain
Will do.
1946366 - Enmar
None of them OC, worry not.
1947337 - Sir Baasz
Best description of Celestia ever. I'm glad you're enjoying, however! And I don't know. If Fluttershy didn't KNOW Celestia already, that would also be a fairly awkward conversation. And very one-sided...
1947650 - Akela Stronghoof
Akela! Where have you been?
1947973 - Master Specter
You're right of course. That's entirely why I separated it from the story. You don't have to read it anymore than anypony else does, of course. The extra bits aren't really essential to the story apart from a bit of character development and maybe doing a better job of explaining future reactions, so you should be totally fine.
I try to take everything in my story as realistically as possible, however. This includes not glazing over what Princess Celestia's true duties are. Twilight indeed can take more risks than her. Twilight isn't responsible for the day to day administrations of all of Equestria, however. Celestia definitely wanted to come and assess the risk for herself, She also does like cutting loose and if she can do both at the same time, heck, more power to her. Mender seemed friendly enough and she was already fairly favorable due to Twilight's excessively positive opinion of the little blue guy.
Your next two points being so close together amuse me in this scenario. I know everypony assumed Rarity was going to give Mender a gift, up to and including the readers. She's not. So why else would she call Mender specifically over before the party, I wonder?
Further side note, they do. A few dozen more emotes would also be nice. Oh, and putting them back in the PMs!
1948068 - Nothing Is Constant
Mmm. This is exactly what I worried about, writing a sequel. I don't think I'll do a sequel again, honestly. You have every right to stick with the first story of course. For you, it ended on chapter sixteen.
1948479 - Glassed
Oh you're fine. It's just one chapter. I'm glad you like, though! What happened to sending me chapters to proofread for yours, though?
(2/3)
1948803 - Periphery
Ultimately, I feel sorry for Celestia. Living in an almost crystalline world perspective where everypony treats you the same would be horribly tiring. Plus the weight of her responsibilities mixed in with that means I can perfectly see why she doesn't mind a break to get away. I'm hoping Mender can give her as much 'normal' as possible in the future when they continue to meet. Most fanfics don't even give her a break, you're right. Your other concern I don't think will need to be worried about, however.
Lyra is going to make more future appearances specifically. Not involving pee this time, of course. That would just be weird. Given the applications of urine 'markings' however in a lot of animals, I imagine she had to try REALLY hard to get that out of her hoof. So I think her irritation was a little justified.
The problem with seeing things from Rarity's perspective is that you have that entire discussion she gave to Fluttershy and Twilight that happened when Mender was unconscious, so the readers are missing quite a bit of information. She is indeed very big on the romance front though, and is protective of her friends. But how do you solve that when she's friends with BOTH participants? Tricky tricky.
Tendrils? That's kinda gross. Cute idea, gross implementation. Further, I just recently got BACK into Magic, so I know what you mean. It was years ago the last time I played, and now I just do the computer version of it.
They'd probably end up discussing more theory than who's is bigger. Although THAT would be an awkward conversation for Twilight to walk in on I'm sure. Tempted now. Shining cheats though by being uberfied by an alicorn.
HAHAHA! Loved the second to last reason. I will openly state that one of your reasons is extremely accurate. Although you're probably used to that, being so good at theorizing. You'll find out shortly anyway, so yeah!
I personally like this theory. Although given how strong they appear in show, it's unlikely unless you subscribe to Julia and I's alternate explanation on the ending of season 2. Celestia probably knows a LOT more than she's been letting on, of course. That's almost a given at this point. Maybe I'll do my own world-building and explain some of these things in the story. Oh, and I personally ADORE your comments. The longer the better!
1950667 - ExplosiveBrohoof
It comes ALMOST second nature to me now. I've only slipped up once in this entire story so far that Julia's caught. "Stagehand". It's not changed to "Stagehoof"... c-c
He actually starts trying to be more positive later on. Ironically, he usually only notices it when he's being snarky with it.
That I copied over from me. I love tea. That and it's a subtle shout out to Prism's obsession.
It was opportune. Besides, Comedy = Tragedy + Time. They'll laugh about it later. It won't be Lyra's last appearance. Although she didn't NOT notice the Princess. More like she didn't think the Princess would stop and WAIT for Mender.
Trollestia was indeed at her finest. Still, she accomplished what she needed to! Points of the conversation do indeed come back in later chapters as well, so good call.
1951615 - DrakeRenar1
Every Friday!
1967252 - Bed Head
I agree with you fully. This story, like Mender's feelings and perspective, are a bit lost in transition. Partially I was TRYING to invoke this, but it's really unavoidable for the narrative. I don't want to skip over character development just to get at the plot faster, though. So just try to think of it as a running comedy until the plot catches back up? Further, you'd be fairly accurate on all accounts for your guesses. The story IS also extremely Meta. Especially towards the end.
1974664 - RainbowDash314
I happen to like the poignant finalization of things, though. It wrapped things up much nicer than this has so far. Regardless of horrible levels of depression, of course.
1980999 - ExplosiveBrohoof
Less if you count how most of that he's ironically been unconscious for.
(3/3)
1981730
I have no idea what you are talking about?
1981730
Weird is good.
1981730 At what time is the chapter coming out?
1981742 - Azu
Troll.
1981745 - Kaille
YAY!
1981750 - Cyber V
Few minutes. Putting up a blog and replying to a few more comments first.