Chapter 58
It didn't take me long to realize how amazingly little we'd ended up bringing, apart from the tools Big Mac wanted to repair while here. Those had been deposited back into the wagon when he had finished even, so all we had were some personal effects in a bag for each filly, my saddlebags, and Big Mac's saddlebags.
Given the depressingly little amount of stuff we had to do, I made a humble suggestion that maybe we should walk around and help other ponies pack their things up, too. That had been both a blessing and a mistake at the same time. Still, Big Mac looked both honestly surprised, and then very pleased at my suggestion. With that, the seven of us set out to be as helpful as we could!
Stretching my left leg out lightly, I watched as my magic rotated in place, planes of barriers drifting through the air via lines coming from my forehead. It drew less attention, I discovered, if I connected the magic there. Probably second nature to see and they didn't notice the lack of horn right away.
The elderly couple, whose names I'd never gotten, watched in fascination as the three fillies and little dragon rushed about their cabin, snatching up suitcases and bags alike and depositing them onto the front step. There my magic snatched them up with a scooping motion and lifted them through the air in an arc, depositing them on the back of the wagon as gently as possible. Big Mac then slid them further in and arranged it in the back as sturdy and stable as possible. This was the sixth family we'd helped so far, and a small crowd was starting to follow us, if just to watch the performance. I was pleased, if nothing else, at the fact that the whispers and talking I kept hearing were generally pleased and kind in nature now. Even if it got me a bit tired, helping others made me feel warm and fuzzy, and seemed to be doing a good deal of repair for my reputation as an uncertainty.
Every time the couple tried to help, of course, Apple Bloom would assure them that they could handle it no problem. The younger families and couples we'd let help haul things, but I had to agree with her assessment. Just let them have a break from having to haul all this stuff. Smiling, I lifted the last of the bags up and set them down for Big Mac, nodding to him as he gave me a smile back and picked the cluster up with his teeth, sliding them against the base of the grouping he'd made.
"Well now, that was mighty nice o' ya! How much do Ah owe you fine ponies, for services rendered, o' course," the elder stallion asked gently, smiling as he stepped off the porch of the cabin and towards us.
Smiling towards him, I shook my head softly. "Not a thing. We finished with our packing super-fast, so we decided to just go around and help others finish, too. Don't worry about it," I assured. It was far easier, I discovered, to turn down payment for an impromptu service than it was for an extended one planned ahead of time. I think it was that whole 'contracted ahead of time' thing.
He looked impressed, but smiled as I nodded to the four younger members of our traveling help squad. Tank obviously couldn't do much heavy lifting, but proved invaluable regardless by hovering around me in low orbit, occasionally bumping and prodding bags that I hadn't gotten fully onto my barrier scoops as they went through the air. The others rushed back up, looking pleased at the large amount of bags in the wagon. Instead, I shifted back to Big Mac.
"See anypony else in need of packing help from up there?" I inquired, adhering to the pattern we'd formed so far.
Glancing about, he squinted, but then gave me a pleased smile and shook his head. Oh? "Ah-nope! Looks like almost everypony's ready ta set out!" he exclaimed, hopping down from the top of the wagon. Wow! That was fast.
"Are we even allowed to set out this early?" Carrot asked, stepping out from the group following us and slowly walking towards Big Mac. A grayish unicorn stallion with darker purple mane and tail, and surprisingly bright green eyes followed after her. A parchment rested, unrolled, upon his flank, and I guessed that he must be Written Script, her husband. Trailing a bit slower was a little filly, also a unicorn, with a more purple coat and golden mane and tail. Oh, she had mentioned a daughter!
Big Mac tilted his head, but nodded a moment later, adding, "Ah think so. Derpy said they were runnin' ah bit behind without tha help o' tha Town Organizer, but they should be ready by midday, which is right about now." Town Organizer? Was that even a position? I'd not heard of it, and wondered at the undoubtedly strange stallion or mare that would accept something like that.
"Ah, is Twilight okay? I hope she is," Carrot asked almost immediately, frowning lightly. Oh. Okay, no, that didn't surprise me in the slightest. Not nearly as much as it should have, anyway.
"She's having personal issues and not feeling well. She'll be fine," I answered for him, smiling gently at the mare, who relaxed and nodded.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that you'd undoubtedly know, being in her herd. Sorry, Mender," Carrot chirped, finally smiling towards me. I snickered and shook my head, but she perked up again and gestured back to the two now sitting behind her. "Oh! This is Written Script, my husband, and Dinky Doo, our daughter," she introduced, grinning back at them.
I perked and nodded to each in turn as Big Mac joined me as well. "Um, nice to meet you," I offered, somewhat unsure of what to say. Carrot snickered in amusement before whacking me across the shoulder and almost tipping me over.
"You don't have to be all awkward, Mender. Sheesh. You're already a good friend to the Apple Family, so you're totally fine by us carrot growers, too! Uh, well, at least I grow carrots." Her assurance derailed a little bit, but I still smiled and nodded to her.
Written Script nodded as well, adding, "It is nice to meet you finally. Carrot, of course, assured me that the articles written about you were complete rubbish, but as you probably know, it's always nice to see something ring true with your own eyes." Well, that was indeed true. Despite 'knowing' all about somepony from countless interactions even, it was always a good feeling when you saw them doing something you knew to be completely in-character for them. That sensation of it being 'right' for them bled off onto me, leaving a content feeling.
"Um, your magic is really cool," Dinky whispered a moment later, partially hiding behind Carrot, who smiled happily down at her. Okay, that I could sympathize with. Being nervous around new ponies and large crowds was also something I knew well.
Relaxing, I lightly lifted my hoof up towards her, and watched it slowly start to glow a faint blue in color. Her eyes widened, but she made no attempt to move whatsoever. A slight flicker came from the left as a pretty lavender wildflower snapped off lightly and drifted into the air, the thin little line of light that connected it to my body being almost invisible. Sliding it along with the wire, I gently presented it to her, causing her to perk up and stare at it in surprise as it drifted there.
A moment later, she smiled to me and her own horn lit up with a soft golden yellow color, the same as her eyes, and took the flower off the little platform I held it on. She drifted it there for a moment before perking up again and tucking it just above her left ear, looking pleased as it hung in her mane, incidentally matching her coat quite well. I'd picked it because it reminded me of Twilight, but it was a pleasant surprise.
"See? I told you he was a gentlecolt, Script," Carrot suddenly cooed, sounding rather amused. Huh? Glancing up at her again, I noticed she was smirking at him with a rather knowing expression.
Shaking his head, Written Script looked back to me for a moment before finally smiling again and nodding. "Yeah, fine. You were right. He's obviously not letting the newspapers get to him like I guessed, so you win," he finally admitted. Win what? Suddenly, I had the sneaking suspicion I was host to a bet or something.
"Yes! I do love your private stories for me. Extra tasty this time?" Carrot requested, winking at him. He blushed and looked away, and I decided I probably shouldn't ask, or I'd regret it.
Big Mac took my turning away from her as a hint, it would seem, and nodded to me. "Eeyup! Ah'm gonna go hook up ta tha wagon. Gimme ah few," he requested before trotting back towards our cabin. Relaxing, I smiled and nodded to the Crusaders, then gestured to Spike. He sprinted the distance to me and hopped up as I ducked, settling onto my back, facing away from my head this time.
"That was a lot of fun, but I'm really tired now!" he exclaimed, flopping backwards and using my mane as a makeshift pillow. I just walked on as the three fillies fell in beside me, all of us heading back towards the cabin.
"Yeah, but I really do enjoy helping others. It kind of gives you that warm feeling in your stomach," I tried to describe, considering it for a moment. No, actually that sounded kinda stupid, but I couldn't take it back now, I guessed.
Snapping out of my daze, I noticed that we weren't the only ones on this path. Carrot and her family followed gently behind me, her having a soft discussion with her husband about something. Oddly, he was blushing lightly and keeping his eyes glued onto the path in front of him. Dinky Doo followed behind, not really paying attention as she watched a butterfly drift past. Further, at least a dozen others I didn't recognize were still following me, regardless that the 'show' had ceased. Weird.
Averting my gaze, I tried not to feel self-conscious as I walked, starting to get nervous before I even realized it. Why were they still following me? Was I supposed to be leading them somewhere? What did they want?!
"Uh, Mender?" Sweetie asked softly to my left. Ah!
"Y-Yes?" I spoke up, snapping out of it and glancing to my left towards her. I turned my head just in time to see the path curve off to the left, just like I remembered it doing then. Wait...
My legs went right into a rather sizable boulder and over I went, sliding over the thing face first in an arc as I flailed each leg out to its respective side. Aww, crap! Three seconds later, I had my face flat into the dirt on the other side of the stupid thing, limply lying across the top of it as Spike slid off, rolling onto the grass next to me.
"Um, rock?" Sweetie pointed out hesitantly as she walked around it and peeked down at me. Why, thank you for that urgent warning. Sliding the rest of the way, I momentarily flipped forwards and fell onto my back instead with a little nudge off the thing. Upon righting myself, I could very easily make out laughter behind me, and flattened my ears back, heat rushing into my cheeks. Well, I'm sure that was inspiring!
Written Script was snickering a bit as he looked around the rock at me, but his wife was laughing hysterically on her side in the grass, and added, "I've never seen a pony just sorta flop like that! Ha!" Damn it...
The heat rushed further into my face, and I took a couple steps backwards hesitantly, looking back and forth between the amused ponies. They were laughing at me. I'd made an idiot of myself and they were all laughing. At me. The heat reached my ears and I felt them tingle, getting a bit dizzy as I flicked them around. Even Dinky was giggling, and a bit of nausea hit me. This is why I didn't make a good leader!
Between chuckles, Written Script managed to walk up to me. "Heh, are you okay, anyway?" he asked, brushing my nose with his left hoof and knocking dirt loose.
My voice caught as I looked past him at the others, Carrot wiping her eyes and wobbling to her hooves again. "Heh. Just whoop, and over he goes... Ha!" she whispered to herself, apparently finding it hysterical. The dizziness hit all at once and I couldn't stand it anymore. Spinning around, I scooped up the suddenly surprised Spike before quickly trotting in a straight path through the grass towards our cabin, dead set on not showing my face for at least the rest of the day.
"Mender, wait up fer us!" Apple Bloom yelped, and I heard three sets of hoofsteps running up behind me. At least they weren't laughing at me. Why couldn't I even pay attention to where I was walking?!
"Um, sorry," I muttered, not entirely sure as to what for, but it sounded right. I didn't look at any of them as we set a brisk pace, reaching the cabin as Big Mac was pulling the wagon out from the little side barn that was set up.
He gave me a confused glance as I shot past him, went around the side of the wagon, and piled into the back of it. The tarp was still over the tools, and instinctively, I slipped under it and frustratingly whacked my muzzle into the corner panels. Two weights pushed into my right side as I hid there, and another practically burrowed under me, having no obvious concern for my personal space. Unsurprisingly, Sweetie popped out from under my chest a second later, smiling at me as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo slipped under the tarp to the right.
"Oooh, are we hiding? From who?" Sweetie asked, surprisingly innocently. Her smile was very reassuring, however, and I guessed she realized I was actually upset and just trying to be nice.
"Everypony but you five. Where's Spike and-" I started to ask, before a rather warm and fur-less form slipped in on the left, squeezing between my side and the wall. He really was warm! Tank was shoved ahead of him, tucked into his shell except for his head and neck as Spike shifted him into the corner in front of me now.
I gave the turtle a somewhat confused stare, not expecting him to be so close, and distracting me somewhat from what just happened. To my surprise, he lowered his head and rested it lightly on the top of my muzzle, as if assuring me as well. Maybe tortoises were intelligent, too?
"Shhhh," Spike whispered, putting a claw to his mouth and gesturing behind us as the wagon started moving again. I tucked my head back down and tried my best to project the image of a really lumpy bag of sand. They couldn't see me, because I couldn't see them, right? The two Crusaders to my right tucked into my side, wrapping their tails into the tarp as Sweetie hauled mine up with hers, burying her face in my chest. Ah, she subscribed to the same theory! Surely, she was invisible now.
Rapid hoofsteps sounded from the other direction half a second later, followed by a bit of rough panting. "S-Stop! Not used to... I can't run like you, Carrot!" I heard from outside, in Written Script's voice.
"Mackey, have you seen Mender? He was headed this way, but he got to the top of the hill first and we lost him. Wow, can he move when he wants to!" Carrot exclaimed, not even sounding winded. Maybe it was an Earth Pony thing, considering her husband was a Unicorn? Or maybe it was a berserker thing...
"Eeyup," Big Mac answered slowly, not actually stopping the wagon. What?! No, Big Mac! You're my friend!
"Uh, which way did he go, then? Is he in the cabin?" she asked hesitantly after a good five seconds of waiting for more information.
"Saw him scoot past, but Ah didn't look ta see where he went. Ah gotta get this 'ere cart up ta tha gatherin' spot. Ya know that, Carrot," he explained slowly. Heh, that clever... Every part of that statement was true. Sure, he had 'heard' me get into the wagon and us talking, but he didn't 'see' it.
There was a tired sigh, followed by, "All work and no play, Mackey... Fine. He must have gone into the cabin. Come on, Script!"
Written Script gave a groan and pant as I heard a set of hooves take off back behind us. A moment later, his followed and I exhaled. "Um, thanks, Big Mac," I whispered quietly after another ten seconds or so, relaxing and tucking my back legs up under me.
"Eh, just rest. She'll wise up soon 'nough, but ya at least got til we leave. Saw tha spill, an' there was nothin' ta be ashamed of, Mender," he returned, managing both assuring and easy going at the same time. I guess he didn't need conviction of tone to get his point across.
"She probably just wants to apologize and make sure-" Sweetie started to reason. It devolved into a cute squeak as I curled a bit and pulled her against me, closing my eyes.
I heard Apple Bloom giggle lightly, but nopony said anything for a good thirty seconds. "I know," I finally admitted, followed by, "It's more a sense of nervousness I get around others. Them laughing at me because I looked stupid was just part of it." It was fine if there was something constructive or involving problem solving for me to focus on, but purely social context absolutely terrified me. It was exceptionally weird because nowhere in my recollection of my original self did he have the same problem. Was this issue purely mine, then?
Spike made a light clicking noise and then a humming sound. "So, you have a phobia for crowds, but only when a lot of focus is aimed at you?" he suggested. Phobia. Well, that was actually remarkably accurate. Frowning, I finally nodded gently while tracing a hoof along Sweetie's back absently. She cooed, and I smiled, taking notice and brushing a hoof along her cheek as she pushed her muzzle into my fur.
"What's ah phobia?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head towards me curiously. Hmm, that was harder to explain.
"It's like a really, really bad fear of something that you can't always explain why. Most of the time you can't control it, and it can get so bad that it practically paralyzes you," I answered after a moment's consideration.
Scootaloo perked up at that. "Oh, so that's why you ran away! You got embarrassed, but you were also scared?"
"Sort of, yeah. I was disgusted with myself and afraid of what they were thinking of me, so I had to escape," I elaborated, frowning as I considered it. I felt like I had to impress them. It felt like I was being judged for it all, honestly. Maybe those articles had affected me more than I thought? It felt like I needed to assure everypony that they had been wrong, in order to defend myself.
The cart slowed a little, and I glanced towards the front panel, but nothing seemed different. I did hear hoofsteps starting to approach behind us, and wished Big Mac would move faster. That would probably be suspicious, though. I was really surprised when he spoke up again instead.
"Ya need ta tell Carrot that. She ain't one ta judge ya, an' probably just got tickled by how it looked, is all. Don't mean she thinks less o' ya. She ain't one ta go lettin' ah problem she caused fester, either," he slowly warned. Ah, so she was the persistent type. Wonderful. Still, he was probably right. She'd been nothing but nice to me so far. "Carrot!" he called out suddenly a second later, making everypony in the wagon jump. Ah! No! Traitor!
The hoofsteps caught up with the wagon rather rapidly, making a sharp turn as they'd been drifting off towards the camp square instead. "Oh, yeah, Mac? I'm still looking for Mender, so I can't be long," she warned, from right on the other side of the panel behind me. My breathing caught and I went rigid, listening carefully to every little sound. Sweetie's heart hammered against my chest as well, as she pulled herself a little closer.
"Ah just wanted ta know why ya laughed at him like that. Ya tripped over things yerself, before," he asked rather calmly. Oh, he wasn't giving my position up. Why was he doing this for me, anyways?
She sighed weakly and hesitated, momentarily falling silent before finally saying, "I didn't really laugh at him. It's just, well, how he flopped over like that. It just struck me as hilarious and I couldn't help it! He wasn't hurt or anything, and, well, okay, I just didn't think. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, and certainly don't think less of him for tripping, so don't even try to accuse me of that!" Her tone was rather defensive, which surprised me. She really did feel badly, then?
"Nah. Ah knew that already. He just needed ta hear it fer himself," Big Mac assured. I wasn't really surprised at this point. Him being right helped in that regard. He seemed to almost know me better than I did, which said something about his wisdom. Smart and wise? Now that was a rare combination!
Silence took over for a few seconds before Carrot finally questioned, "Wait, what? I thought you said-" Oops. My turn to defend him.
"He said he didn't see where I went after I ran past him, which was true. He didn't turn and look. I'm sure he felt me enter the wagon, but he was, um, nice enough to talk to me about the situation while pretending I wasn't here," I corrected, lifting myself off Sweetie Belle's barrel and peeking up over the left side of the wagon, the tarp still covering my head like an exotic, oddly yellow hood.
Carrot looked surprised more than anything as she shot her gaze up towards me. Written Script, who was following behind her and looking a little tired out, smirked, however and started chuckling. "Remind me never to try to pull a fast one on Big Mac," he muttered, sounding amused at the play on words the big stallion pulled off.
He got a glare from his wife in return, instead. "Don't worry. If you ever forget, I'll buck you in the head a couple times to jog your memory," she warned. The scary part was, I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. If I recalled correctly, she took a really bad stance to anypony getting scammed. Oh, wait. Of course I recalled that correctly. She'd almost pummeled Snapshot for it in front of me.
If Written Script was bothered by it, it didn't show. "Aww, but then who would you get to write the stories you so love?" he teased playfully, speeding up a little and catching up with her pace.
She shifted from irritated to a playful scowl and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh fine. A week on the couch instead, then," she appended. Was that really a penalty? Given my experiences so far, Equestrian couches were really, really comfy. Did they have an uncomfortable couch, then? Wait, what purpose did an uncomfortable couch serve? That seemed a bit counterintuitive.
"That seems more a punishment for you, honestly," he pointed out, oddly wiggling his eyebrows at her. Wait, what did that expression mean? I'd never seen it used before, I suddenly realized.
Carrot blushed and looked away from him before giving a weak shove to his right shoulder. He laughed as he stumbled slightly, and then stuck his own tongue out at her instead, mirroring her earlier gesture. That one I at least knew!
Dinky Doo caught up to her parents at this point, but shifted a bit more to the right, approaching the wagon instead. "Um, don't mind them. They have weird fights sometimes," she whispered up at me. Weird? Snickering, I nodded down to her in understanding. Oddly, a weird fight sounded better than a normal one.
Still, that left one thing I needed to do regardless. "Um, I'm sorry for running away, Carrot. I get self-conscious when I become the center of attention and everypony was laughing at me, so..." I managed to get out, trailing off towards the end.
She lost her blush and turned, looking up at me instead while walking alongside the cart. For a moment, she just stared, eyes searching my face before a light smile played across her muzzle and she shook her head. "I'm sorry for laughing, again. You don't have anything to apologize for. We don't have a wagon or anything, and are all packed up already. Mind if we walk alongside for the way back?" she asked.
"Isn't that more Big Mac's choice, him being the driver and all?" I reasoned, gesturing to the right at the stallion pulling the cart. Sweetie popped up to my right a moment later, hooking her forelegs over the cart wall as she peeked down at Carrot. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed suit on the other side of me, and I heard Spike smoothing the tarp out again behind somewhere.
"Does that mean we're done hiding?" Sweetie chirped, smiling down at the recently spotted Dinky below her.
Carrot Top giggled at that and shook her head. "Mackey doesn't mind. I'm only asking because you have to be okay putting up with us for that long. And no, Mender better not hide from me anymore," she returned, giving me a playful wink that sent a chill up my spine. That mare was scary!
"Well, when you put it like that, of course you can walk alongside," I muttered, averting my gaze slightly and shivering. Images of her breaking me in half over her shoulder suddenly came to mind.
Her expression flattened with a frustrated glare towards me. "It was a joke! You really are too sensitive!"
Blinking, I kept my eyes averted and sighed to myself. Yeah, she was probably right. Spike hopped up to Sweetie's right side just as the little filly leaned over and pushed her muzzle into my neck as I shrank down a bit. "Relax, Mender. Carrot is really nice and not meaning anything by it," she assured quietly.
Looking over at her for a moment, I exhaled before nodding and slumping against the wall, lowering my head a little. "Yeah, I know. Carrot has been really nice to me so far. It's just, well, it hasn't been a very good vacation and I'm kinda out of it. Really tired, honestly," I admitted, feeling significantly worse than when I left. Well, fatigue-wise, anyway. My leg felt surprisingly better, which was a positive point I clung to.
"Yeah! With all tha craziness goin' on, ya barely had time ta sleep properly. Ya should take tha next few days an' rest up," Apple Bloom suggested after a moment of silence. Hmm. Well, it was a couple days or so until Tia wanted to see us, so that was probably feasible at least. I wondered how Twilight was doing, as I more than likely would be with her again shortly. Was it a problem where I'd have to take care of her? If so, I might have to enlist Fluttershy's aid, at least for any meal preparations. Of course, Spike would be an amazing help there, too!
"Yeah, you're probably right. I hope Twilight's feeling better as well. Otherwise, I might end up taking care of her instead," I said, releasing my thoughts out loud.
Carrot frowned for a moment before looking back up at me again and asking, "Do you know if she’s okay? Did she write? It would suck to get sick during heat!"
"Actually, I think it's the estrus causing it. I can't remember exactly what happened, but something about doing something she wasn't supposed to, and it hitting her hard? I think Luna said it was something to do with being in a herd now or something," I tried to relate, frowning as I realized the details were a bit fuzzy. I should have written it down in my database somewhere.
Carrot blinked once, and then widened her eyes a little, her pupils shrinking down a bit. Wait, was she...? "Oh. Oh! Twilight, of all mares, is... Uh, slight change of plans, Script! We may want to stop as close as the Apples’ farmhouse and spend a night there, okay?" she suddenly suggested, turning to him instead. Uh oh. A fear reaction from the berserker probably wasn't a good sign.
He gave her a confused glance, having redirected his attention down to Dinky Doo instead, but Carrot rapidly shook her head and added, "Remember our honeymoon? First three days?" Eh?
His eyes widened a little and he flushed in the cheeks before looking away. "Uh, well, yeah. You got just a little on the crazy side," he muttered, swallowing uneasily. I suddenly had the urge to as well.
Carrot nodded at that. "Yeah, well now Twilight has it. I'm sure you remember the doll incident," she reminded. Okay, now I definitely didn't want to know.
"Ah! Yeah, just to be safe, we should definitely stay out of town tonight!" he suddenly agreed, mimicking her reaction when I told her. Aww, damn it! Okay, so my likelihood for living through the night just dropped a few dozen percent. But what form would my death take? What problem exactly were they talking about? Would I be blasted apart by an enraged unicorn? Or maybe my cells would tear apart at a molecular level from some sort of radiation she was admitting. The possibilities!
Carrot turned back to me after they unanimously decided upon their course of action and warned, "Just be careful that Fluttershy didn't goof and think about you too much as well! You don't want both of them after a piece of you, if you know what I mean. She might not be as powerful as Twilight, but don't look her in the eyes if she's acting weird!"
Piece of me?! Oh, oh hell. Did that mean they actually did have carnivorous phases or something during this time of year?! Why didn't any of the books say anything about this? Not being eaten seemed kinda important! "Um, this seems bad! What should I do?!" I asked, eyes widening.
"Play dead! Mares in that condition have their senses rattled, and she might not notice!" Carrot advised.
"Run! Run until you can't run anymore!" Written Script added, looking kind of like he'd rather be doing that right now instead. But, no! Those were conflicting suggestions! Which one was I supposed to do?
Apple Bloom coughed next to me lightly, almost causing me to yelp and flail off the side of the wagon. "Uh, why don't ya just check on 'em first? Ah know Twi can be scary sometimes, but it feels kinda like yer overreactin'," she suggested calmly, peeking down at those two as she said it. Well, yeah. If I could tell if they were dangerous or not via observation, it might stop me from making an awkward faux pas if they were fine.
"Yeah, I'll try checking on them first. I mean, how bad could it be?" I seriously questioned.
Written Script averted his eyes, and Carrot Top smacked herself in the forehead. Oh, wait, yeah. Wasn't there something she'd mentioned about that whole tempting fate thing? Well, even if I didn't tempt fate, given my luck, I was probably screwed anyway. Smiling, I nodded down to them and dropped back down to the bed of the wagon to at least relax for my last few minutes in Equestria.
* * * * *
The crowd was maybe even a little bigger than when we'd left. Significantly more unruly, too, as I heard cheers and, scarily enough, wolf whistles as we pulled into the final stretch before Ponyville. I should have just broken off with Carrot and Script, as he insisted I call him, and hid at Sweet Apple Acres instead. Even logically knowing that the attention wasn't focused on me, my apprehension still spiked going into such a high-energy atmosphere. If they were all welding weapons and trying to kill us, I'd be the first to rally the charge. With them presenting hugs and affection, I was hiding behind the lip of the wagon. I guess I was a bit backwards like that.
She wasn't in the crowd, but I hadn't expected her to be, of course. Crowds I already knew to not exactly be her thing. To my surprise, however, she was waiting nonetheless. We turned into the outskirts of Ponyville's southern entry and she flitted into the air, my eyes drawn to her beautiful yellow and pink coloring before the empathy link even kicked in. Okay, never mind. Worth it.
Smiling, I watched Fluttershy dance upwards from her vantage point waiting on the roof of a nearby house. Her eyes were alive with energy and happiness as she fluttered lazily into an arc, and then drifted right towards our wagon far faster than I had seen her go before. I beamed up at her, hopping up onto the edge of the rim, suddenly not caring who saw me.
"Yay, Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom squeaked out, but the yellow mare didn't slow. Uh oh. Heh. Seeing it coming, I braced and hopped up as she flew in, catching her and going over backwards, cushioning her landing as I hit the hay on my back. Smiling, I opened my eyes again to greet her when she simply ducked in and pushed her lips against mine instead. Okay, this was a much better greeting! Closing my eyes again, I pulled her tight and closer to me, the heat coming from her body burning across my fur as she actually wrapped her forelegs around my neck. Despite the wanton 'need' in her kiss, she didn't try to deepen it, and backed up again after six or seven seconds, her mane falling around me and framing her blushing, but very happy looking face.
"Mender, I missed you so much! Oh, I never knew how, um, hard it would be to not just fly over to the cabins and pounce on you! Oh, oh my. Um, did I say that out loud? Oh, but it was horrible!" she squeaked, voice drowned out by the sounds of rapid talking, kissing, and pounces going on around us in other wagons and groups. Yikes. It sounded like she led the 'charge', even if by accident.
My attention also shifted momentarily to my fellow wagon riders as well. Scootaloo was turned away from me, wings twitching awkwardly and her forelegs crossed, while both Sweetie and Apple Bloom were unabashedly watching, the little unicorn sporting a pronounced blush. Spike we had almost landed on, and he was recovering from his sideways dive to get out of the way, Tank latching onto his arm and trying to lift him to his feet again. Oops. Heh.
Fluttershy utterly demanded all my attention, however, reclaiming it by settling down on top of me fully. I blushed and smiled up at her, shaking my head. "I missed you, too, Fluttershy. I'm sorry it was so tough, but I'm here now," I tried to assure, brushing the right side of her mane out of her face. Her smile widened and she leaned in to give me a softer kiss to the lips again before snuggling into my chest, burying her face in the crook of my neck and nuzzling upwards. Holding her tight, I rubbed up and down her lower back, under her fluttering wings before they too settled, wrapping around me.
"Aww, ya'all are adorable, ya know?" Apple Bloom suggested, smirking at the two of us. Sweetie Belle watched still, with silent yet avid fascination playing across her features. Heh, I knew she was imagining joining us, lovely images dancing through her mind.
If Fluttershy was bothered, she certainly didn't reveal it. "That was terrible! Um, I don't, well, I don't care what other ponies think! Next time I'm coming with you to the cabins. Um, I want to be with you and keep you company. Being apart for this long was horrible," she whispered, pushing her face a little harder into my chin. My blush extended, but she just kept going, adding, "I'm not going to let you out of my sight all day! No, I won't even leave your side all day!"
There were no complaints. She smelled amazing, felt warm, and oozed affection with every little word she released. I just squeezed her a little tighter and nodded, kissing her forehead as she cooed and tucked her back legs up, turning sideways so she was in my lap. The soft fur of her thigh slid along, then settled awkwardly along more sensitive areas and I blushed even more furiously. She made no move to, well, move, however, so I just fought myself back under control and squeezed her shoulders gently. Yeah, control. Definitely important in a wagon full of young fillies, an estimated teenage dragon, and a potentially naive and unaware mare.
Big Mac pressed on, however, despite the flurry of 'battle' around him. I heard his name shouted out in a familiar accent as we pulled into the slightly less busy town square. Fluttershy's ears perked up curiously, so I slid over to the side, careful to avoid almost flattening Spike again, and boosted us up to the edge of the wagon to peek over the front.
Applejack grinned at us from the direction of her market stall, trotting quickly towards us. To my mild surprise, Rarity was hot on her tail, albeit moving at a slower, more refined pace. The orange mare plowed right into Big Mac as he slowed to a stop, pulling him into a strong hug. Rarity shifted to the flank, however, slipping past the reunited siblings and up to the corner I resided on with Fluttershy.
"Mender, welcome home, Dear! I must say, you are looking significantly better than when you left even. Your leg looks wonderful, and I see your saddlebags are still in one piece! Why, whomever made them for you must be a master seamstress if it survived all I heard you went through," she cooed playfully, fluttering her eyes up at me.
I gave her a knowing smirk as Fluttershy suddenly moved back a little. I shot her a curious glance until I saw her take up my left foreleg instead, examining it with a timid smile on her face. Ah, she must have forgotten. Heh. "It wasn't the most relaxing 'vacation' ever, but yes, you make one heck of a saddlebag set," I complimented back at Rarity, enjoying how she puffed up at every word.
"Oh, we absolutely must get caught up. All of us! You and Big Mac must recount the amazing tale of the water rescue, and the apprehension of that unscrupulous mare in the forest! But first, there was a reason I was glad your saddlebags survived in one piece," she teased, winking to me as her horn lit up. Oh? Wait, how did she know about all that-? Rainbow, I suddenly realized, a split second later. How much had she been telling them? Uh oh. Did they already know about what happened with Sweetie, and Rainbow herself? I didn’t think the mare would rat herself out but…
Two buttons floated into the air, complete with fastening clasps. My eyes widened as the pinks, blues, purples, and whites glittered in the sun, distracting me out of my sudden burst of paranoia. A star burst right next to a butterfly, with matching colors for each, were carved somehow out of one, solid crystal! No wonder she hadn't had it ready by the time she gave the set to me. Fluttershy gasped as she saw them, and then blushed while Rarity lined them up, presenting them against the back set of saddlebags.
"I think they'll go lovely, don't you, Fluttershy?" she inquired, peeking over with an impish grin to the blushing mare. Fluttershy had both hooves covering her muzzle, as if afraid of shattering every window in the town square with a high-pitched squeak if she dare let her jaw open. Instead, she nodded furiously, earning a grin from Rarity.
Smiling, I opened my mouth to thank the mare, but she shot me a sudden playful scowl and clamped my muzzle shut with a burst of telekinesis. Eh?! "Don't you even try, Mister! These are already part of the saddlebag set, and as such, you are not- I repeat, not- going to pay for them!" she adamantly warned. A heartbeat passed, and I started snickering, shifting her scowl to a confused head tilt instead.
"Rarity, I wasn't going to offer to pay for them. Trust me, I know better than that with you now, when you say gift. You're more stubborn than AJ sometimes!" I corrected. The confusion shifted into a grin instead. Hearing her nickname, Applejack perked and looked past her brother, giving Rarity a scowl instead.
"Her, more stubborn than me? Yeah right! That ain't ah challenge, is it?!" she suggested, puffing up a bit herself and stepping around Big Mac fully. Oh boy. Well, it was good to see her being, well, herself. Actually, looking closer, I noticed her eyes were a healthier color, with significantly less bags under them. Hopefully that meant she was sleeping at least a little better now, but I still held true to deciding to have a chat with her about it.
Rarity didn't miss a beat, however, turning and flicking her mane to the side slightly. "Surely, you don't think you can compete with moi in generosity, do you? Let us not fight on this most wonderful of days, after all," she returned rather coyly. Well, that wasn't going to go over well.
Sure enough, Applejack stomped her hoof down and bristled a little, eyes narrowing. "Oh, Ah can be real generous when Ah want ta be! Name yer terms, an' Ah'll show ya!" she boasted. Huh. As strangely amusing as this was, it seemed a little self-defeating at this point.
I raised my hoof up, drawing both their attention at once before carefully pointing out, "Is it really 'generosity' if the only reason you two are doing whatever it is you were going to do, is to win the competition? Normally I wouldn't consider something truly 'generous' if it's only in light of being self-serving."
Both mares gave me a blank look, before Applejack averted her eyes and scratched the side of her head lightly. Rarity blushed faintly and coughed, nodding towards me instead. "Okay, you're right, Dear. Forgive us. We got a bit carried away," she apologized.
Snickering, I shook my head and held a hoof up to her. "No, it's fine. I was just trying to make sure you two didn't fight. Especially over something I-"
Over a hundred pounds of pink fur landed on both of us a second later, flattening both Fluttershy and me down sideways onto the hay covering the wagon's bed. Spike gave out a high-pitched squeal as he flipped into the air, knocked straight out of the wagon by the pink blur. I watched his claws flex, and ribbons of green light shot out and snatched the side of the wagon as he went over, causing me to relax knowing he was okay. Instead, I turned and looked right into Pinkie's eyes as she grinned down at me.
"Mender! I totally missed you! Ever since I tried to snuggle you and you got all flustered at me and turned off my connection and then I got sad and lonely in my room, I couldn't stop wondering how you were doing so I baked lots and lots of food up for all of us and now we're going to have a ‘The Stallions Are Back, Again!’ party! Tonight! You're invited. Like now. I'm inviting you. Oh, and Fluttershy, too, of course!" she started rapidly firing off, mouth going almost faster than I could see.
Fluttershy let out an airy squeak, followed by, "C-Can't breathe!" Ah! Pinkie gasped in surprise as she started to get off me at the same time I tried to push her back a bit. Neither of our efforts worked, however, as she suddenly vanished in a cyan blur. Well then! Most of the gang was here now, anyway!
"Pinkie! I told you to be gentle when they got back! This, is not, gentle!" Rainbow lectured, her forelegs wrapped around the pink one while she held her upside-down from the closest tree. As expected, her change in orientation didn't appear to bother Pinkie in the slightest, who just grinned up at Dash, who held her there by her hips.
"Oooh, Dashie! If you wanted me in this position, you could have just asked!" she chirped, winking up at the pegasus for a moment before Rainbow squeaked and dropped her. Pinkie laughed hysterically all the way into the bush at the base of the tree, leaving Dash glaring and beet red up above. Heh, it was good to see nopony had changed while I was away, anyway! I was a little sad that my other favorite mare wasn't around, though. She either forgot, which was next to zero in probability, got busy, which was slightly more probable, or wasn't feeling well, which was likely.
Helping the dazed Fluttershy back up to her hooves, I peeked over the side at Applejack and Rarity again. "Do either of you know how Twilight is doing? She doesn't appear to be here," I asked, causing Rarity to glance back my way and Applejack to give a start, tearing her eyes from the tree bound pegasus.
"Oh, she's well under the weather, I fear. Hasn't come out of her library for days, and has kept it locked up tight. Applejack and I were just discussing going over there to have a talk with her when you arrived. So timely, I might add," Rarity pointed out, smiling gently up at me. Spike was already next to her instead, apparently having recovered from his spill with record speed with her around.
Apple Bloom hopped down from the wagon and trotted over to her sister now that Applejack's attention was directed our way again. The orange mare smiled at her, then nodded to me in agreement. "Yer welcome ta come along. Ah imagine she might actually open tha door if yer there," the farm mare reasoned. This was a lot more level headed than Carrot had made it out to be, which was reassuring. I nodded to her, when Sweetie popped up next to me as well.
"Yeah! If Twilight's feeling sick, we should all go over there and try to help her out," the little filly suggested sagely. True! Not to mention there was safety in numbers! For the most part. Except of course when dealing with a being powerful enough to flatten all of town square with a single thought. But I was trying to stay positive!
Rarity smiled for a moment, then shifted to a sharp glare almost instantly. Eh?! Sweetie's eyes widened as she started to sink back below the lip of the wagon, but Rarity's blue aura shot around her far faster and hauled her skywards. "Ah! Mender, save me!" she squeaked, lashing out towards me with her forelegs. I caught one of them, allowing her to hang on as she swayed there, Rarity giving her a light tug.
"We are going to have serious words, young miss! About how it is absolutely not anywhere near okay to poison the subjects of our affection! Ever!" Rarity suddenly announced, causing the little filly to squeak and accidentally let go of my leg. Her wail was rather pitiful as Rarity hauled her in and spilled her to the ground in front of her. My eyes widened fully as the white unicorn actually flicked her hoof back about a foot and paddled Sweetie across the rump!
"Whoa!" Scootaloo muttered as all attention was instantly drawn to the yelping filly and her furious looking sister.
My eyes remained wide as I stared at the scene and Applejack sat down again, apparently far too bewildered to continue her arguing, be it playful or not. "Uh, right. Anywho, do ya mind comin' with us ta visit Twilight, Mender? Ah think ya'll help her recover faster. Or at least open tha door fer us," the orange farm mare inquired, muttering the last part with her eyes averted. I honestly didn't think anything would cause Twilight to lock herself inside the library, but I suppose I was still somewhat new here.
Glancing over towards Fluttershy for confirmation on her own desires, I noticed she appeared to be just finishing up examination of my foreleg. She gave me a warm smile, me realizing she suddenly became aware I was looking at her. She hadn't been paying attention? "Oh, it's looking much, much better, Mender. The coloring is nice, and your muscles are recovering alongside the fur. I think it's simply wonderful," she cooed, nodding twice to me and gently lowering my leg back to the floor of the wagon.
Spike managed to tear his attention from Rarity now, given she was preoccupied with a rather harsh whispering to a very sullen looking Sweetie Belle, and gave us a questioning glance. "Uh, I think he meant to ask if you were gonna come talk to Twi with us," he pointed out, amazingly having apparently paid more attention than Fluttershy had to my conversation.
To my surprise, the mare shrank against me a little bit, eyes dancing quickly as she swallowed shakily. "O-Oh! Um, well, if Mender wants to go talk to her, of course! When are we, uh, going to talk to her?" she squeaked out hesitantly. Okay, something was very off.
Applejack frowned, and Rarity glanced up from her scolding to give her friend a questioning glance. I probably more resembled Rarity, but at least AJ seemed to know something, asking, "Is this about what happened tha other night?" Other night?
The mare in question shrank further against me, burying her face in my barrel and nodding against my fur. I gave Applejack a questioning glance instead as I pulled the pegasus closer against me.
"What happened?" Big Mac asked, a rather stern tone to his question as he sat down gently while still hooked up to the wagon.
Applejack sighed, but shook her head a moment later, scratching idly at the dirt near her hooves. "Ah don't fully know. Just saw Fluttershy fleein' tha library right quick two nights ago. Normally Ah don't consider Twi one ta give her much fret, so Ah was ah mite concerned, honest, and went ta talk with Fluttershy," she explained in a quieter volume.
That was more than a little strange. Turning back and looking down again, I didn't get my head all the way down before I felt Fluttershy gently nuzzle into my neck again. "Um, thank you for helping me, Applejack. I was, well, flustered after my visit with Twi," she whispered softly, sliding down my collarbone and letting her head rest against my chest. The sensation was interesting, as I felt her listening intently to my own heartbeat. It was relaxing, and then I realized it wasn't me that was relaxing while listening to it, but her.
"Aw, shucks, Sugarcube. Ya know Ah'd do ah heck of ah lot more fer ya, if ya wanted," the country mare offered, smiling honestly towards her.
Rarity nodded in agreement, but looked significantly perplexed still, apparently having momentarily forgotten about her issues with Sweetie. The little filly slowly slid away from her while she was distracted, covering her butt and fidgeting. "What happened, Dear? Surely you can tell us. We are your most sincere friends, and obviously won't spread anything you don't wish discussed," Rarity pointed out, managing a gentle smile to the pegasus.
Fluttershy swallowed again, shivering slightly as I pulled her a little closer, the urge to let her bury herself completely inside of me surprising me as it popped into my head. Heh. Maybe it was from her? "If she doesn't want to talk about it yet, we shouldn't push her, Rarity," I reminded quietly, kissing the top of her forehead until I felt her relax again.
"It's, um, okay. Thank you, Mender. I feel safer with you here now, and don't mind talking about it," Fluttershy interrupted, giving a light peck to my shoulder before sitting up a little more. I smiled and nodded to her, pushing assurance down the link as best I could. My peripheral vision picked up Sweetie also having slunk far enough away from Rarity to get to the side of the wagon and look up again. Carefully hiding my actions, I pumped the side of the wagon with my right elbow, magic shooting into it, down the wood, and forming a flat barrier under the little filly. At this point, she more than understood it, and tapped lightly on the line connecting it.
Rarity sat down finally, giving Sweetie a light scowl but simply rolling her eyes as the little filly was lifted up the side of the wagon like riding an elevator, and deposited behind me again a few seconds later. I felt her instantly cling to my left side, and smiled a little wider as my tail wrapped past her back, pulling her a bit closer.
Given the patience and time to compose herself, Fluttershy took a couple deep and relaxing breaths before nodding to herself and opening her eyes again. "Um, I knew Twilight was having problems with her heat this year because of being in a herd for the first time, so I tried to visit her every day to keep her company and her mind off Mender not being here," she finally started explaining, not surprising me in the least. Heh. Not only was it in-character for her, but my passive 'tracking' system for the links also showed that. More than once a day, if those were right.
"Well, it was okay until two days ago. She was getting a bit worse each day, looking more frazzled and I didn't think she was, um, taking care of herself as much as usual," Fluttershy continued a moment later, shuddering before sighing and adding, "Well, she couldn't resist thinking about Mender, as I figured was the case. Um, I just didn't realize she was also thinking about, well, me. Oh dear..." About her?
I gave Fluttershy a curious glance, but then noticed Applejack starting to blush lightly, and a grin forming on Rarity's muzzle. Okay, there must be implications I was missing, then. Figured. "She didn't, well, try anythin', did she?" Applejack questioned slowly a moment later, a light frown playing across her expression now. Try anything? Oh. Oh! Rainbow's almost relentless flirting and teasing came to mind almost instantly, and I shot the cyan pegasus a sudden, knowing glare.
From her tree perch, Rainbow widened her eyes a bit and blushed, looking rapidly away from me as I knew she caught the transition. Slight pink caught my eye on the other side of me, however, and I looked left, only to come face to face with Pinkie instead. "Ah!" I yelped, hitting the side of the wagon and causing Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to start, the little pegasus almost falling off the edge of the wagon because of it.
"What's 'that' look about, Mister?! I'm onto you!" Pinkie warned, tone not entirely serious, but eyes still bugging out slightly as she stared at me intently. Oh hell! But how could she even tell?! Er, apart from her being Pinkie Pie, of course.
"Pinkie! Let Fluttershy finish her tale an' git down 'ere!" Applejack demanded, whacking the dirt next to her with her left foreleg. Pinkie gave an exaggerated sulking motion before hopping clear over all four of us and landing almost precisely where the newly formed hoof prints were. Heh, they definitely hadn't changed in my week-long absence, which was assuring. Well, most of them. Twilight was worrying me a little.
Fluttershy exhaled, gathering her wits again before shaking her head. "Um, no, not exactly. B-But she, um, p-propositioned me!" she squeaked out nervously. Proposition? For what? Wait...
"Oh, how interesting! Twilight moves faster than I would have thought. And to suggest it with Fluttershy first, even!" Rarity chirped, sounding far more entertained than she probably ought to at this point, but I wasn't one to argue.
Applejack rolled her eyes, however, shooting the pearly mare a skeptical glare. "Order o' Consumption o' Herds is ah thing of tha past, Rarity. Ya know nopony pays attention ta that stuff anymore," she pointed out dryly. Er, what? Okay, I really should have finished that chapter on herd dynamics in the hospital. Why hadn't I again?
Rarity scoffed and rolled her eyes, however. "I know that, yes! It's simply, hmm. Interesting," she finally admitted, smiling politely again before glancing back to Fluttershy. Looking back to the mare as well, I suddenly got an extreme sense of dread, mere seconds before Rarity asked, "So, don't keep us in suspense, Dear! Did you maybe, how do I say, accept this offer?" Uh, wasn't that a bit private?!
"Rarity!" Applejack shot back almost instantly, outright glaring at the unicorn now as Fluttershy shrank down against me. Actually, this really did affect me significantly, I realized. What did this mean for a herd, though? Fluttershy caught my stare a moment later, and sank even more, burying her head into my coat again as a sinking sense of almost, well, shame drifted down the link. Uh oh.
"What?! I'm merely curious if we are to congratulate our friend or not," Rarity pointed out, smiling politely at the glaring mare. Congratulate? At my confusion, Fluttershy shrank a little further, shivering again. She felt almost sick now through the link before weakly sighing.
"It, um, it's okay, Applejack. I... She, well... She was desperate and she really did need help and company, and..." Fluttershy whispered rapidly, hesitating and swallowing a moment later. I tilted my head to her as Rarity perked up, watching us intently. Sweetie tilted her head as well, but more between us than anything, seemingly deep in thought. "Um, no. That's not entirely, well, true. Oh my. This isn't how it was supposed to happen! I really did want to be in Twilight's herd for a long time now and when she, well, asked me that... It was what I’d dreamed about for so long! Plus, I really did want to help her, too! It, well, wouldn't I be a bad herdmate if I said no?" she squeaked out, blushing lightly and slamming her eyes shut again.
Oh. That meant that Twilight and her had... Applejack's eyes widened significantly, blush forming fully across her cheeks, while her brother looked more surprised than anything, abandoning his easygoing default expression to shift into a frown instead. Rarity, however, beamed and clapped her hooves together lightly.
"Well, let me be the first to congratulate you two! Forming a proper herd is a marvelous step indeed. It’s, well, a bit surprising, but how about we go inside to talk about it," the unicorn suggested, smiling hesitantly towards the shrinking mare before also looking over at me, a bit uneasily. Wait, what?!
Pinkie's eyes got massive as she started to almost swell up a moment later. "Eeeeeeee! Oh my! Oh! This calls for an even bigger party! Twilight and Fluttershy are in a herd together now! Oh, I've gotta go get prepared!" she squeaked. My jaw dropped a little as she smashed me in the face with the revelation, but she shot off towards Sugarcube Corner before I could so much as blink.
"Can't say I didn't see that coming," Rarity muttered, staring awkwardly after the pink bolt of lightning speeding off. My brain barely processed it, still reeling over fully realizing the exact happenings here.
"I didn't," Rainbow muttered a second later, staring with a light frown towards Fluttershy instead of Pinkie. I didn't see any of this coming, and fully agreed with Rainbow. They made a herd, then? I didn't even know what to begin to think about the whole ordeal. It felt like my head was swimming in lukewarm mud, which was slowly getting colder.
Applejack finally shut her jaw again and looked up with Rainbow with a somewhat sad expression, but Rarity recovered faster, smiling back at Fluttershy. "Well, I'm happy for you. Now all that's left is to get Mender into the herd, too. But did you really just leave Twilight there afterwards?" she asked, frowning slightly. Ah, that's right. Why did she run away then, if she'd gotten what she wanted? She hadn't been turned down or anything. I swallowed lightly, but pushed it down as fast as I could, everything inside me flattening into nothing again.
Fluttershy shivered, still not looking back up at me. After almost thirty seconds, she lightly shook her head, responding with, "Um, I had to run away. It was wrong. I shouldn't have, um... We didn't even wait for..." More ice got added to the pit my mind sank into. I resisted shivering, feeling the sadness shifting down Fluttershy's link instead. No. No, I was the male. Even if I didn't understand how it worked for Ponies, I remembered my other culture. Fluttershy was hurting, and I was pretty sure I was still her male. As such, her hurting was bad, and I was supposed to fix that.
I smashed the twisting inside of me down and away as hard as I could, feeling my chest empty out again. It felt like my body dropped a few degrees in temperature as I pulled my lips up into the best smile I could think of. "Well, I'm happy for you, Fluttershy. But you shouldn't have just left Twilight there. We should go see if she's okay," I suggested, trying to bring her mind off it. Getting her near her herdmate again should also cheer her up, right?
Fluttershy gave a start at my voice suddenly, as did Sweetie, and both looked over at me. The teal pools met my gaze, and I just maintained my smile for her. Warm and assuring was what I needed to aim for. She just stared at me, a light shiver going through her as she swallowed again. No, this wouldn't do. I didn't know enough about Equestria's social behaviors to really help her, or properly fake a smile, even. I never knew enough, so I'd better just get her to somepony who did.
Giving her a nod, I hopped up and downwards from the wagon, landing on my hooves next to Rarity. The mare nodded to me, agreeing with, "This is a very good idea, I agree. I'm... well, glad you’re being understanding about this. Let’s just, everypony get inside and we can talk about this more then." Her voice was slightly hesitant, but vaguely positive sounding still. She always did like staying stately. I maintained the smile and nodded towards her, shifting it to acknowledging instead as best I could.
Her expression faltered a little and she tilted her head towards me. "Admittedly, this is a bit surprising to me, too. I thought you'd be a little more shocked than this, honestly," she continued, adding a tiny, forced sounding giggle after. Oh just shut up already, cow. She pretended like she knew everything there was about her friends, but she was just as blind as the rest.
A flicker, and I snickered, shaking my head. "It was surprising, but I'm just happy for them. Still, we should check on Twilight. I'm a little worried about her," I insisted. This was taking too long. Fluttershy needed to cheer up and leave, well... No. I turned away from Rarity in time to hide the light spasm I felt run through my right eye, and a headache form. Perfect time to get a headache. Wonderful. I ignored Big Mac's frown as my vision tightened, focusing only on what was in front of me as I stood fully again and walked towards the library.
"Uh, Mender...?" Applejack asked softly as I passed her. No. Fuck off, AJ. You weren't important at the moment. All that mattered was cheering up Fluttershy, right? Yeah, that was it. It had to be. Another twist, but I lowered my head and pushed it down hard, making sure not a thing slipped back down the link to any of them, clutching at my right temple with a forehoof.
Bitches. All of them. The fake white one, the hateful and backstabbing orange one, the ignorant and annoying pink one, and the selfish blue one. I hated this. What was I even doing here still? I'd never fit in, and they'd never let me. Why was I just letting everypony walk all over me? Fluttershy and Twilight were all I cared about, and they were happy together. Isn't that ideal? My chest twisted in upon itself, and for just a moment, I felt my smile warp into a bent snarl instead. I should just leave, and let them all be at peace. Who cares about what their 'Princesses' wanted for me? I wasn't theirs to command! Fuck 'em...
But... No, that wasn't... My eyes opened again, as I hadn't realized I closed them. Warped targeting locks flickered around in my vision, selecting nothing in particular as they danced back and forth, flashing yellow and red. Pixels drifted off them, and a distortion bled across my right eye as I shivered for a second there, exhaling heavily and widening my eyes as I saw my breath in the air. Crap. I couldn’t make them stop targeting random things, and forced the process closed to turn them off a moment later. Shivering again, I felt my body heat back up to normal a moment later.
My vision snapped back to normal in an instant, and I twisted my smile up again. Why had I...? I wasn't angry at anything. This wasn't like me. This wasn't...
"Careful, Mender," she whispered, her soft smirk twisting up in my mind, tooth sticking out of the corner of her lip and playing over the bottom one before she continued with, "This is their culture, and is totally normal for them. You wouldn't want them to think you were a crazy monster or anything, right?"
I glared at her in my head, but for the first time, she actually had a point. This was 'normal' for them, and still far nicer than anything I had before. I should be thankful. Her smile shifted to a more normal one, and I felt her nod. "Good. Just stay calm, okay?" she reminded. Yes, everything was… how it was supposed to be. Perfect.
I nodded to her, which probably looked like I nodded to myself. Turning around, I continued smiling towards Applejack and nodded, as if acknowledging her calling out my name. "Are you coming?" I asked her, gesturing my head towards the library again. I had the sudden urge to start snickering as it all struck me as incredibly funny.
Her frown didn't shift in the slightest, but she gave me a tiny nod. That would have to do. With that, I turned again and silently headed for the library, listening to their slower hoofsteps following after.
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Aw sheeit. Didn't see that coming, and don't completely understand what it even was, so now I find myself incredibly worried.
Oh, wonderful. This is just about the worst possible
thingtime for Mender to be getting hacked, having a meltdown, or whatever it is that has him popping fuses at the moment. And he still doesn't understand pony sexuality or herd dynamics. "[H]ow bad could it be?" indeed.And here comes the eventual drama that we all knew was coming. Poor guy seems to be getting hacked, or at the very least some systems are being corrupted. I can't see this ending even remotely well for the poor guy, but given the eventual spring back from when something goes catastrophically wrong for him, I'm gonna say he'll be "fine". Not dead, not out of his heard, not mentally well (probably), but alive with ponies who care for him reassuring him.
Batten down the hatches and shore up any lose cargo. It's into the maelstrom we go again.
...Am I supposed to know what's going on, or will it be explained later?
Well............. Fuck it looks like there is still a crazy still locked up in mender's mind, but it is slowly breaking out. Not good at all.
NOOOOO I WANT MORE!!!
ULTRA DRAMA BOMB!!!
Interesting
Aw hell, can the poor guy catch a break. Guess not, poor Mender, wtf is going on now.
Really Twilight cant be trusted that much anymore, everytime Mender puts his trust in her she would always do something, like now...
Twi for right now you're on my shit list...
Um, was that Prudentia at the end?
If not, what the fuck was going through his head?
Interesting... very interesting, and might i add that the language added a fairly new level to Menders state of mind
, a very good chapter, keep it coming 
Good
But you changed Dinky's parents! Madness!
3839297 I think it was Nirru's or the monster side of him that sounds like Nirru
I wonder if Mender's OS supports antivirus programs. I'd laugh my ass off if all of this buildup climaxed into him finding a copy of Malwarebytes; in addition to him finding out he doesn't have his firewall enabled.
Losing his mind from the buildup endured
Madness suppressed, completely uncured
He loses his mind from the demons at last
Demons that came from a unearthed past
Lost to the madness, he will soon be
Lost to the madness, set your mind free
The nice guy killed, slowly from the inside
Caged in the back, forced along for the ride
As Madness lights up, and Mender's bridges he burns
He laughingly says "Yes! Oh, yes! They'll all learn!"
Watch the Monster take control
Eating his sanity, destroying his soul
While the Mender we know is forced to watch from within
While Madness takes hold, with a skull for a grin
But should he go insane, would he know
Would others see, would it show
If he went insane in a way just so
would anyone see, would anyone know?
~Black Sun Eclipse
PS:
The bold is an adapted original I wrote that seemed to fit
This chapter seemed a good place for it to sit.
Mender snapping? This? This situation right here. Is not good. And I wanna see it happen
Fluttershy and Twilight doin' the dirty? Can't say I didn't see that coming. But Mender's software going phsyco...
Interesting twist!
5/5 moustaches
Huh. Unless I miss my mark, twilight is effectively having the equine equivalent of a really bad PMS rage... The links are making it screw withMender's head as a result... Oh. Oh dear. Talk about looking into the abyss... I've dated women who went nutty like that I the past... I'd rather make like my grand dad and storm The beaches at Normandy than have that crazy infect me....
Oh no...whatever's going on right now, this is really, really bad timing. Crazy Mender plus Crazy Twilight will not end well...
...
Well,
; Mender's PTSD has finally kicked in. 
And by the virus no less...this will not end well.
So, to recap the current situation (in spoiler tags):
Rainbow still hasn't told Applejack about her feelings (liking AJ, let alone also Mender), Sweetie's in the doghouse (or pony-equivalent), Fluttershy has messed up big time, Twilight has most likely entered Lesson Zero phase, and Mender...has found that Equestria has linked to his original self's world in the past and influenced their tech R&D, has still not isolated the virus(es) infecting his computer self, and is finally starting the emotional breakdown that has been pending since...well, forever. How is it that nopony, not even Celestia, has realized that Mender hasn't fully dealt with the emotions of his past(s)? Ugh.
From a drama standpoint, we are looking good for action!
From the reader's perspective...well...
I hope you brought an umbrella, because a big ol' storm of chaos approaches...again...:discord:
Definitely looking forward to Mender snapping. Once the 'big announcement' came, I had a sinking feeling something like this would happen. The next chapter should be good!
I might have missed something but...
Who is this she that is whispering to Mender?
3839644 The only problem with that theory is that Twilight's link hasn't been activated yet.
I think it's more to do with Mender being jealous and having a feeling of being left out to be honest. Which of course, leads to anger.
Ficken Scheiße!
This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it. Mender goes crazy because 'Shy and 'Twi had a 'fling', and remembers bits and pieces of his other past. Now he's 'shorting out'? Hopefully this ends well for all involved.
3839942
I'm not sure if they/he have fully realised that he actually has a complete range of emotions instead of just happy/content and scared for his life.
Now then Mender, bring it.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12875849/reactions/warface.jpg
3839235
estrus has been proven to potentially addle the mind if it's a ..sensitive individual though, not sure you can blame this on twilight
3839297 3839354 3840070
seemed like prudentia, though i can't remember if she usually appeared as a keldarian?
supposed pool-of-mirrors created nirru is the other option but.. mender usually has a more aggressive response to that one
3839335
he did mention earlier he had received canon-evidence pointing towards dinkie not being derpy's filly
I cant tell if its teh psycho sister trying to use her extra backdoor to corrupt Menders programming, or if its the doctors video file slowly leaching into his systems. Its not like he hasnt scanned it thoughroly with a fully escaped context free analyzer buried inside a death box, never mind watched it.
Three days?.. Hope the water supply is sort of working. I remember three day psych outs.
Not pleasant.
Kill them all Mender, you can do it. I believe in you :)
i.imgur.com/LlT9jYy.jpg
But anyway, this chapter was a real roller coaster. It seems some of the mares are still feeling the lingering effects of the heat and, depending on what kind of state Twilight's in, Mender might soon be putting that Baculum to good use
. Unless he blows a gasket and melts down, of course
.
It's like seeing a horrible wreck in slow motion. I can see the drama coming from a mile away, but all I can do is hunker down and hope everything works out.
Not sure if intentional but...
if only he knew....
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le9ftbUOMX1qfu4tho1_400.png
(Looks at Mender's mind) Is that a new crack I see? Excellent.
3840077
That's right... Hmm... Perhaps his, "empathic field" can act as a receiver as well than?
That's one heck of a note to end on...
Makes me wonder if there are classes for these suspenseful endings.
Now to wait on the next update...
Is it here yet?
*long, long intake of breath*
*slow, deep release of breath through teeth*
Given Kiro's warning, I was expecting this chapter to end more along the lines of "No. No no no... nooooooooooooo...." Instead we have an end where everything is primed to boom and it's up to everyone but Mender to realize it and stop it before it's too late. At least hope that's where we'll go, a crazy incident is not going to be fun. Mender getting destroyed by AJ kick was fun and distressing, this may become painful. Actually, the one who may realize first is Rainbow. They built up a lot together over last arc and she's the only one with disc link and sync link.
Was not what I was expecting for this chapter overall either. Hm. Can never skip an opportunity to read the latest chapter, but didn't help the bumming mind-stuff running through my head lately.
Guess I'll go rewatch the new Inari Konkon to lighten my mood...
Whoah, somebody got pissed and it was a mighty good one.
okay..can mender please get a break, once! cant he have a normal day where is doesnt get attacked,slandered,hit on by mares he has no interest in, or be left out on the first time his herd truly becomes official..
3841808 Only at short-range. This happened with Sweetie a few chapters back, but they were within 3 feet of eachother. So no, it's not that either. Like I said, I'm pretty sure this is Mender about to blow a gasket. He does have his own feelings after all.
I can't say for certain, but I'm guessing that Mender's emotional state is broiling with anger. This is probably because he thinks that Fluttershy and Twilight have violated his trust. Not necessarily their faithfulness, because technically they weren't unfaithful, but his trust in his expectations of them. I imagine that Mender always thought that he would at least be included in the fun when they finally decided to have sex (whether with only Twilight, Fluttershy, or both at the same time). Twilight has pretty much been opposed to any sexual relations with mender, even going so far as to be repelled by the very idea, up until now. And now all of a sudden, she decides she can't wait any more and propositions Fluttershy. This wasn't something they had talked about before the estrus so I think Mender is fairly justified in his anger in this. If it were me, I would end it all right there, after blowing up on the lot of them. Thankfully, Mender does not share my extreme emotional reactions in these type of situations most of the time. He will probably have a huge fight and figure it out eventually.
The questions to be answered in the future (assuming that my trust violation theory is correct) are:
1) How will this affect Mender's trust of both Twilight and Fluttershy in the future?
2) How will he actually react to the situation? Will he explode? Will he try to run away from his problems?
3) How long until the conflict is resolved?
4) After resolution, will the relationship be permanently damaged?
5) Now that Fluttershy and Twilight are now in an official herd, does this make Mender the outsider?
I look forward to the answers to these questions in the coming chapters.
3839942 Good I've been waiting for his breakdown for while now, this gonna be good
3842231 Now you've made me even more excited for the next chapter...
3842231 I agree with your thoughts on the matter because I mean up until this point he could fully trust in Fluttershy, but now he comes back from a week of holding himself back from engaging in any *cough* actions...to find that his herd mates had not held back.
He probably feels very betrayed.
They offically started the herd without him, and when you add to that his past problems of being a male in a female dominated society...well lets just say that what they did has probably got him remembering what his past self went through.
I mean just look at what he thought about Fluttershy
Not her lover, not her friend, but just her male...
I think we are going to see one heck of a $&!@ storm in the next chapter
3842298 Agreed. To me that quote you pointed out signifies that he's acting out of a sense of obligation at this point, rather than his own desire.
PREDICTION TIME!
Twilight is going to try and not talk about the whole thing with Fluttershy and maybe sleep with Mender and tell him after he's in the herd. Mender is going to tell her about the Sweetiebelle situation which will anger Twilight. Knowing what Twilight did with Fluttershy and how it's somewhat hypocritical of Twilight, Mender's going to FLIP.
Best case scenario: They scream and yell, cool down talk, things get better.
Worst case scenario: Mender goes nuts, hurts someone, and we have Monster mender in the woods feeling like shit, part 2.
Middle ground: Mender says "Fuck this." and leaves.
And then we have almost everyone rooting for worst case scenario. Goodness, it's rare to have everyone want to watch the OC literally tear apart the main six. I...don't really know what I want to happen honestly. Guess I'd like to see Monster Mender make an appearance.
3842307
I had missed that quote... That throws the entire scene into a different context. Huh. It's amazing what a lack of a single line will do to the tone of something...
Well...I believe, author that you have discovered the formula for how to make one care about an OC. As the main focus, you do what Vonnegut recommends: Make your character's suffer (OC main's especially), to distill their essence. Let them have their triumphs sure...when it makes sense, but in default make them "have a bad day." Put them through their own personalised "ringer." That was a bit of a broad statement, but in general this is what's going on (imo).
Also (in story wise), heat or not, addled or not, the other characters still have their own responsibilities to try and fulfil even in their altered states. Thus, Mender is justified in his response...thus a BAD reaction will be the most realistic (in so far) response to the things that have been occurring. So, then...let's shake the boat shall we?
Why you break fannon!
I love this series and you really take some risky moves but it's really confusing with Mender's feelings for Sweetie. I will love this series even if mender turns out to be into that kind of stuff.
Still, it's one of my favorite series on Fimfiction and I am really enjoying it even with your extremely slow approach. Eh just more to read!
Wow
Mender has some major demons. I'm shocked that Fluttershy and Twilight had sex. Maybe that means they're going to let Mender in on it too? He deserves a bit of action after everything he went through. Can't wait until next Friday (but I will anyway 
).
Finally this fic gets to a point! I could leap with joy! I'm not gonna lie, playing the waiting game for months hasn't been fun, with all the pussy-footing, non-committal answers to problems, and just generally avoiding all interesting things in favour of more monotonous blushing the last bunch of chapters have been, but it looks like we are, at long last, getting somewhere. I just hope we get some actual answers now, and less of Mender's personal philosophy repeated ad nauseam.
Finally, we're moving again. No offense, but these last few chapters have been painfully slow and difficult to read. Too many words and not enough things happening. Mender has been racking up too many good deeds lately, and now he must face his punishment in the name of our amusement.
Oh, man. They got it on.