Book 1: Chapter 11
Broken Bones
“I won't say the pain will go away completely. But, if you felt none, what would that say of you?”
Something stirred. Looking up from the floor, Twilight glanced over at Luna. It was well into the night again, and she had been asleep all day, surely she wasn't–
Luna cracked her eyes open. Flicking around the unfamiliar room for a second or two, they finally settled on Twilight, whereupon they relaxed. “Good morning,” the alicorn mumbled.
“Luna?!” Twilight popped out of her chair. “Luna!”
“Yes, that is my name–”
“You're okay! You're alright!” Twilight was bouncing on her hooves, unable to hide her emotions.
“Of course, should I be anything but?” Luna mumbled again, yawning.
Twilight rushed to her side, her eyes alight in happiness, yet her lips were starting to sour into a frown. She moved to hug her, but tensed up and stopped short. “You– you got hurt! You almost died! We had to carry you all the way here and go find an antidote and we were so worried and–”
“Wait, wait, slow down.” Luna pushed herself up and, gritting her teeth, rested against the wall. “What happened?”
“I– you... You don't remember anything?” Twilight asked, simmering down.
She shook her head. “Not as much as you seem to know. I do have small, hazy memories of fighting, shortly after spending the morning talking with you. However, after that I cannot remember a thing, and now I am waking up here.”
She tried stretching her forelegs, but grunted and looked down to her chest. Eying the swathes of bandages incredulously, she tapped a ginger hoof around her torso. “It appears… I have been stabbed of some style, correct?” she muttered between pained, sharp intakes of breath.
“Well, yes,” Twilight began, “but there’s - stop that! You’re only going to make it worse. As I was saying, that’s not all that happened.”
“Oh?” Luna muttered as she tested herself, breathing deeply and rotating her forelegs, gasping as her pain threshold was met.
“Luna, stop.” Twilight caught her gaze and held it. “You were poisoned. That’s why you were unconscious, and why we’ve all been worried sick over you. We ran here as fast as we could, and luckily we found a cure in time. Please, just relax for a while. There’s no need to examine yourself.”
“I see.” Luna let her hooves rest by her sides. “It seems to me that much has happened since I was incapacitated. First and foremost, where exactly am I?”
“Right.” Twilight sat back down. “I should probably start from the beginning. So, while we were traveling...” As the moon continued its ascent into the sky, Twilight recounted the last three days. From the race to Iezno to the storming of Midnight’s Den, no detail was missed. But as her recountance went on, her enthusiasm and energy began to wane, until her voice hovered just above a whisper. She could barely keep eye contact with Luna. “But you're awake now, so everything's alright.”
“Twilight?” Luna asked, the first time speaking since the mare begun her story. “Twilight, are you alright, though?”
“I'm fine.” Twilight nodded, looking away.
“Are you sure?” Luna shuffled from her position and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I mean, I guess so.” She put on a brave face and looked up at Luna. “You're better, that's what matters.”
“No, Twilight. I can tell that something is troubling you. Please, I am asking not as your princess, nor your teacher, but as your friend.” Luna looked into her eyes, muttering, “I am worried. The life in your eyes has dulled.”
Twilight hung her head. She stared at the wooden floor for moments on end, trying to summon the will to force her feelings out of her throat. It was easier to mutter them aloud to a pony who couldn't hear them. Now, they sunk like anchors into her gut.
“Twilight–”
“I'm horrible,” she whispered.
“What?” Luna cocked her head to the side, leaning closer. “I couldn't quite hear–”
“I hate myself,” she whispered again, but louder.
Luna remained silent for a moment. “Why would you ever say something like that?” she asked. “Twilight, what happened?”
“Thirty-nine.”
“Thirty-nine?” Luna wondered aloud. “What do you mean?”
Twilight looked up to her. Her chin was trembling, her eyes red and puffy. “Thirty-nine ponies,” she muttered. “All dead. B– because of me.”
A chill overtook Luna, traveling from the tip of her horn down the the base of her spine. Wasting no time to even think, Luna rose from the bed and, taking her first steps, grabbed her hoof.
“Twilight, come here,” she said softly. Setting the unicorn on the bed, she wrapped her in a hug. An uncomfortable tightness gripped her around her wound, but she shut it out. “It'll be alright.”
“I– I– I was j– ju–” Twilight sobbed into her shoulder.
“No, shh,” Luna cooed, rubbing her back. “You needn't explain anything.”
“B– but,”
“Twilight,” Luna whispered, “you’re safe now.”
Twilight, offering no further resistance, allowed herself to weep. She was quaking, her muscles trembling as the pent up emotions from the past two and a half days evacuated her system. Tears stained Luna's coat and mane, the alicorn's hoof massaging up and down her back as the moments ticked by. Slowly, her sobs began to lessen. Her breaths were deeper, her tremors dying out. By the end, she hung limply, held up by the alicorn's grasp.
Like the slow creaking of a door ajar, the two fell apart.
“I– I'm sorry,” Twilight mumbled.
“It's fine, Twilight,” Luna murmured. She pushed Twilight's mane back in place with a hoof, drawing it across her cheek to dry her tears. “Better?” She nodded. “Good. Would you like to talk about it? Do not feel like you must.”
“Yeah.” Twilight wiped a hoof across her nose. “I– I lied when I told you what happened. When you got hurt, Donevyn and Sky didn't get rid of the rest of them. I did.” She peered at Luna. “I got so angry, for what they'd done to you, that they rob and kill innocent ponies, that they were so eager to hurt-” she stopped herself, exhaling. “Looking back, it frightens me how I wanted to... y'know. I couldn't control myself, and igniting charges was instantaneous. I just kept firing and- and I ignored them the second they died. I didn't think about them when they dropped to the ground, I looked for somepony else.” Her words died in her throat.
Luna spoke a moment later, deliberating over each word, “Twilight, anger tears out the essence of any pony. Furthermore, you were protecting yourself. One moment of outburst in desperate circumstances does not define you.”
Twilight shrugged, looking down at the blanket beneath them. “I don't know. Was I protecting myself? Luna, I still have my magic. I could've easily knocked them all unconscious, or chained them up, or– or something. But instead, I chose to kill them.” She picked at a loose strand of fabric. “Why? Because I wanted revenge.”
“They were murderers,” Luna pointed out. “If somepony did not put a stop to them, they would have only killed more travelers.”
“That's not the point!” she cried, looking up at Luna. Her hooves trembled. “The point is I turned to violence. The moment I was scared and angry and lost, I turned my world into a bloodbath. I wasn’t even defending myself!” Her voice cracked and hushed in her throat. “I killed them as they ran, I killed ponies as they were trying to escape! I hunted them down!”
“The next day, I had to choke two ponies to death! I felt them struggle as I suffocated them! I could feel their hooves pound against my magic for mercy, and I gave them none!” Hot tears rolled from her eyes. “I wasn't even angry! They didn't do anything to me! I... I killed them because they were in my way.”
“Twilight...” Luna whimpered, moving closer.
“No, stop.” Twilight shied away. “I'm a horrible pony.”
“You're not.”
“Yes, I am!”
“No, Twilight, you are very, very far from a horrible pony. I have met some of the most vile equines to exist. They hurt those around them for fun, for perverse ideals. You,” Luna put a hoof on her shoulder, “you are a smart, gifted, sensitive mare caught with hooves bound.”
“But I did all of those things...”
“Yes,” Luna admitted with a sigh. “However, that doesn't mean you're cruel. Sometimes, it is not so much what you have done, but why you have done it.”
Sniffling, Twilight shrugged off her hoof. “I still did it though. I can't ever take it back.”
Luna remained silent, thoughts thrashing about in her head. Breathing in slowly, she ground her teeth together. “What do you think of me?” she asked quietly.
“What?” Twilight looked up to her, trails of glimmers still running down her cheeks.
“Do you think I am a good pony? Be honest.” Luna held her gaze.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“...Because you- you follow your heart, I guess.” Twilight swallowed, looking back down to the blanket. “You're kind and- um, you try to help other ponies out, and you stand up for what is right.”
Luna sighed. “Yes, that I do. I have followed my heart, I have succumbed to gusts of emotion, and in turn that lead me to some of my darkest days. I razed cities, ordered thousands of prisoners to be executed, and quite literally left a path of flames, torching and looting from one innocent village to the next.” She looked up to Twilight, who was staring at her in disbelief.
“It's true, there is no benefit to lying here. Clearly, at one time, I was not a virtuous pony. Now, however, you say otherwise. Why? When Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, I was sent in tow. In a prison of my own thoughts, I had an eternity to think over my horrendous actions. I can only assume that your perception of me is due to the revelations I came to, with the philosophies and actions they've influenced, which all revolve around this: there is no way to reverse the past, Twilight, but we can atone for them in the present.”
“How?” Twilight's eyes beseeched her, dark in the depths of hopelessness. “This place is nothing like Equestria. I wouldn't know what to do in the first place. I feel like if I opened up to anypony, they would take advantage of me. I just– I'm afraid I might have to hurt somepony again.”
Luna frowned. “Unfortunately, that is most likely true. We aren't from Anarkhos, so we have to play by their rules. Yet, that shouldn't poison your character. You can still do what is right. Find what matters to you, what drives you, and act upon it. Whether that is your friends, defending those weaker than you, or any other cause you find worthy, I cannot tell you. You must find it within yourself. However, once you understand why, the weight of your actions will ease.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked quietly, plucking each word from a boiling cauldron of emotion. “I feel all torn up on the inside, and as much as I'd be willing to do to go home, having to do this again... It scares me, Luna.”
“I promise, it will help.” Luna kept her voice gentle and soft. “I won't say the pain will go away completely. But, if you felt none, what would that say of you? The fact that you feel so strongly means that you are far from tainted. Trust me.”
Twilight nodded faintly, remaining silent. She felt numb, as she had a couple nights before. She was tired, she wanted nothing to do with herself.
Luna leaned forward and hugged her once more. Slowly and indecisively, as if taking her first steps in a new world, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her. She exhaled a breath she hadn't known she was keeping in, and finally, her cauldron began to simmer.
“It'll be alright.”
-~-
Twilight's eyelids creaked open. Groggily, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her left legs were dangling, her body on the cusp of balance. A soft, fine wool blanket fell over her back as she laid on her stomach. It felt like her nose was wedged between two pillows.
Shuffling over and propping herself up on her forelegs, she discovered she was right. Two pillows had been flattened and shoved from the center of the bed – a common sign she had been sleeping there. Perplexed further, Twilight ran a hoof through her mussed mane and looked to her side. The doorway was open, sunlight leaking through.
Twilight groaned and fell back down onto the bed. How she ended up sleeping here, she no longer cared. What did matter, however, was that it was already morning. The peacefulness of sleep would have to end once again.
“Twilight, you should get up.”
Turning her head towards the other side of the room, she spied Luna sitting in the chair she once occupied. The alicorn was sifting through her own saddlebags, pulling out various items and arranging them into groups.
“It's already noon,” Luna continued. “We decided that since the village of Decanter is a day and a half's trot from here, we needn't leave at dawn. However, I've let you rest long enough; we must disembark soon.”
Twilight stared at her for a moment, turning her eyes into intimidating slits. How dare she prevent her from sleeping. But Luna didn't even spare her a look, instead going back to her saddlebags. The mare's assault broke down as quickly as it started. She turned her face back into the mattress, bundling up the blankets around her. “Just, five more minutes,” she grumbled, her voice muffled.
Luna chuckled. She prodded at Twilight with a healthy dose of sarcasm, teasing, “I thought you would want to be outside. Imagine the cool air, the sunlight in your eyes, the cold, hard ground beneath your hooves instead of being cooped up in a bed all day. Does that not sound–” she paused for a moment, sprinkling in a soft giggle “–delightful?”
Twilight rolled to the side, staring her down once again. “Don't make me hate you,” she mumbled.
“Come now, why so hostile? All I am trying to do is stop you from sleeping the day away, as any good friend should. You should be thanking me.”
“Stop,” Twilight pouted, her face visibly frowning even as she tried to sink into the mattress. “I'm tired, Luna. Just a few more minutes, I swear.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “Oh good heavens, is somepony going to wither away and die without their beauty sleep?”
“Yes,” Twilight declared with a “humph”, before grabbing a pillow with her magic and covering her head.
The room fell quiet. At first, Twilight accepted it gladly; Luna had given in. With a sigh, she nuzzled in closer to her pillow. Yet, as time wore on, alarm bells began to ring. There was no way she would actually give up, was there? What was she up to?
The faintest of tugs pulled on her cocoon. Twilight almost didn't notice it, and brushed it away as her imagination. Seconds later, another tug by her hooves, pulling some of the fabric loose. It was nothing strong, hardly more than what a foal could muster.
“Luna, stop.” Twilight grumbled, pulling her rear legs up towards her stomach, and the blankets with them.
But the pulling persisted. It grabbed ahold of a corner by her back, tugging away. Bit by bit the blankets came undone, wisps of chill dancing along her skin. This would not do. Horn alight, Twilight yanked back.
A pop echoed throughout the room. “Ow,” Luna moaned, metal clanging to the floor.
Scrabbling her way upright, Twilight propped herself up on her forelegs. “Luna, are you okay?” she asked.
The alicorn rubbed her temples, her eyes were slammed shut. “Yes, I am fine. It was foolish of me to toy with my infant magic like that, I should've known better.”
“Wait, that was your magic?” Twilight shook her messy mane out of her eyes. “Since when did it become strong enough to do that?”
Luna shrugged, bringing her hooves back down and rummaging through her bags. “I don't know. I can only assume being unconscious for a couple days helped mend my reservoir, as I discovered earlier this morning that my grip had grown.”
“Oh, okay.” Twilight pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed a foreleg apprehensively. “I'm sorry.”
“Think nothing of it.” Luna shook her head, then gritted her teeth as she further provoked her headache. “My earlier point stands though: you should get ready.”
“Right.” Twilight's mutter morphed into a yawn, stretching her legs above her head. Blinking her eyes and shaking her body of its aches, she worked out of the blankets and stepped down onto the floor. Turning around, she used her magic to remake the bed, fluffing the pillows and making sure everything was orderly.
“Here.” Twilight felt a pair of saddlebags hit her hooves. “Sky and Donevyn went to the market this morning,” Luna elaborated. “We should be sufficiently prepared for the rest of the trip. I already organized your bags for you.”
“Oh, thank you.” Twilight smiled, as she picked up the bags and began to fasten them around her.
“Wait.” Twilight looked up, and Luna slid her light vest and sheathed sword across the floor with her hooves. “You would want to put these on first.”
Twilight obeyed, letting the straps of her saddlebags slip as the whole pack dropped to the floor. She examined the vest, still soiled and roughed up from the days before. Swallowing, she put it on, buckling it in place. It fit snugly, which worried her. She had broken it in already, a testament to a time she didn't particularly enjoy.
Picking up the sword, she gave it a look over too. She hardly even remembered it while running to Iezno, and hadn't even brought it with her to Midnight's Den. It bore little signs of use, the scabbard still pristine and the pommel gleaming in the light. “Do I even need this?” she asked.
Luna looked up from her bags. “I would keep it. A blade is more than just a weapon. It's a tool, it's a deterrent, and a source of respect.” She shrugged. “I understand you might not feel comfortable with that, but for the moment it'd be a smart decision to keep it around.”
Twilight nodded slowly. Pulling out the blade a few inches, she looked down at the polished steel, the slight groove of its fuller. The edges glinted, razor sharp and capable of cutting through skin with the lightest of pressure. The blade looked back at her as well, her reflection warped and pulled. Her nose was scrunched into a fine point, her eyes blown up to unreal proportions, and they were so big to the rest of her face that she seemed terrified, even. Exhaling, she sheathed the sword and clasped it around her.
Going back to her saddlebags and putting them on, Twilight walked towards the doorway. “Are you all ready, Luna?” she asked without turning around.
Footsteps worked across the wooden floor. “Of course. Donevyn and Sky should be waiting.”
Waiting they were. “Jeez, what took you two?” Sky asked as they exited Viridian's house. She and Donevyn sat to the side of the door, lounging about on the pathetic grass that poked through the dirt. “We've been here for hours.”
“More like twenty minutes at best,” Donevyn muttered.
Sky shot him a look but continued nonetheless, “Also, we got everything you asked for, Moonguid- er, Luna. Sorry.” She pointed towards a small sack that dangled beside Donevyn's saddlebags.
“Good.” Luna nodded. “Now, get up. We have quite a distance to cover, if your geography is correct, Sky. We will want to be setting up camp by dusk. Do you know how far Decanter will be from an afternoon's trot?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Sky rubbed her chin, staring off across the street. "If I had to guess, we'd arrive by mid-afternoon the next day."
"So, I guess we're going to be trotting the entire way through?" Donevyn asked as he stood up, stretching his legs. "Luna, don't you think that might be a lot for you to handle?"
"Nonsense." Luna stepped out into the street as the others followed her. "This isn't the first time I've been wounded and forced into action. I assure you, I will be fine."
-~-
The sun shone gaily upon the quartet as they made their way through the Domelle. Light and shadow dappled the forest floor alike, golden rays painting the grass in a lush green. Birds chirped their singsong from one tree to the next, light fragrances of the forest dancing upon the breeze.
"I'm not much a fan of complimenting the day's beauty, but I must say it is delightful this afternoon." Luna appeared beside Twilight.
Twilight had fallen into her own world of thought, lagging behind as the other three plowed ahead. Their discussions had been picked up in bits throughout: the road ahead, the village of Decanter and the town of Leese they'd pass through, the eventual city of Lobos. While interesting, Twilight was beginning to trust Luna's cataloging abilities. No, something else was on her mind.
"Huh?" Twilight looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "You're certainly in a good mood."
"I cannot help it, Twilight. I detest being contained, being kept up and held in place. Needless to say, these last few days have been... restrictive to me. Now, moving my legs and in the outdoors, I may be on the other extreme of the spectrum. A simple book would've done fine to free my mind, but now, here– hm. I would almost say it's too intense of a change to handle without being so..."
"Bubbly?" Twilight finished, unable to hide her grin.
Luna looked to her and sighed. "I was going to say 'enthused', but I guess that is as appropriate." She adjusted the bandage around her chest, which had been sinking down. "How about you? Are you not enjoying the tame weather as well?"
"It's nice." Twilight nodded. Any elaboration the other mare wanted was not coming.
"Good."
Neither pony said anything else. Twilight kept her eyes glazed onto the horizon, looking for nothing in particular.
The alicorn breathed out as silence overtook them, and she elected to look around at the trees beside the road, their leaves yellowing and ready to depart. "There, I have shared with you how I feel." She avoided all eye contact. "Now, out with it. I know the gaze that you've carried for the past few hours. It is neither good nor bad, as I remember, but more lost and wandering. I am concerned as to what unknowns are bothering you." The silence lingered. "As a more contemporary tongue would put it, what is... up?"
Twilight snorted, unable to contain herself. "Well, how about this," she began after a pause. "I ask you a question first, and then I'll tell you. Sound fair?"
"Of course."
The two trotted down the road. The murmurs of Donevyn and Sky's conversation ahead rolled past them like the breeze, minutiae that failed to register. Twilight pursed her lips, eyes flicking across the road and out into the distance.
"How does a pony do it?"
Luna looked over to her. "Do what?"
"This," Twilight muttered, her gaze still reaching out to the horizon, her voice quiet and tumbling from her mouth. "One minute we're being hunted, and the next we're laughing and talking about the weather. I don't mind change, but this... this is crazy. As much as I hate to say it, is there any normalcy here?"
A slight frown dampened Luna's features. "It... It depends on your definition of normalcy. Can each days' events be predictably similar to the next? Can you be sure of bread to appease your stomach each day?" The frown deepened. "Nowhere near as certain as modern Equestria, that is true. You've been brought up in a world that has achieved a prosperity never seen before, where strife may perhaps rear its head, but it doesn't seep into the necessities of life as it does here. There is a level of entropy here that you may not be prepared for, and I do not fault you if you aren't.
"However, there can still be constants within the chaos." Luna caught Twilight looking at her and held it. "The inner gears that make you tick, that beliefs you hold to your heart, the fire that burns in your soul; these are what this world cannot take from you, only convince you to give away. If you never surrender them, then there will reside an anchor to tether yourself to."
"But... how?" Twilight sighed. "What I've had to do here, all the necessary evils I've committed in Anarkhos, it seems to contradict everything... I feel like I'm tearing myself apart just trying to keep this together."
Luna adjusted her posture mid-trot. She let her chest fall, bringing her closer to eye-level. Her voice softened. "What we discussed last night... it is still bothering you, isn't it?"
"A little. I mean, I'm grateful for you listening to me and helping me, but I guess... I guess I haven't come to terms with it quite yet. But– but that doesn't mean I can't," she added in hastily. "I just– I think I need some time."
"Is that all?" Luna wondered. "Twilight, don't feel as if you must do this on your own."
"That wasn't what I was saying. You helped, Luna, you really did. It's that I feel like... like..." She pursed her lips together, going silent all together as her brain hummed.
"Feel like what?"
"A bone," Twilight decided, nodding to herself.
"A bone?" Luna eyebrows rose ever so slightly. She couldn't hide the confusion in her voice. "I don't understand."
"When something like a chair or a train breaks, you can find new parts to repair it quickly, relatively speaking. With any luck, it'll work just like before," Twilight explained. "A bone, however, is different. It needs to be set, held in place, and then given time to mend itself together. If you set it right, often it grows back stronger. It can withstand more, and hold up where you thought you couldn't. But if you set it wrong, then the whole bone grows incorrectly. It probably can't support as much as it used to, or it might not even support you at all." Her lip quivered, pulling between a frown and a pessimistic scowl. "The problem is, you can't tell until you take off your cast.
"I might be set back in place and be feeling no pain at all, but I can't shake the feeling that, well, what if something is wrong? I've thought about what you said, and you're right, maybe I did help a bunch of other ponies by getting rid of those bandits. I did what I had to in order to save my friends, and I prevented those cruel ponies from hurting anypony else. But thinking this way, rationalizing why I had killed them, I'm afraid of what that might do. Would that only make it easier for me to do this? Would I start turning to violence? Or maybe that'd make me stronger, somehow?"
Twilight looked away, her eyes resuming the vacant look they held before, settled somewhere far off on the horizon. "I... I don't know. And– and I won't know, until another situation arises where I have to choose – not that I want to, but I've accepted that it'll occur somewhere along the way. It's... it's the waiting and the not knowing that worries me."
Luna gave no immediate reply. The seconds creaked by, with nothing but hooves pounding against the dirt and the jangle of saddlebags. At long last, she sighed. "Yes, you're right. This is something you will have to discover on your own. Until then, however, there's not much that you can do. This empty worrying does you no good."
"I... I know," Twilight admitted. She glanced to Luna. "It's probably all just me overreacting and being paranoid or whatever. I don't know. I guess I should just forget about it, right?"
"I wouldn't say that. If something bothers you this intensely, it would only be harmful to completely ignore it. This is important to you, and you're right for wanting an answer," Luna assured her. "Nevertheless, it might be beneficial to relax for now. Some level of wariness is helpful, but so is your peace of mind. If anything can break a pony, it is stress and fear." She nudged her. "Come, let's go see what Donevyn and Sky are up to. Perhaps talking to somepony besides a rambling nag will help."
Twilight smiled. "Alright. Thanks, Luna."
"Of course." She dipped her head.
The unicorn began to pull away, cantering ahead. "Come on then, you rambling nag!"
-~-
"You're crazy," Donevyn muttered.
"Not usually," Sky retorted. "Just think about it. It totally makes sense, doesn't it?"
The two sat beside a tiny, glimmering fire, dusk falling over the forest. Donevyn laid back, propped up against his saddlebags, freed of his armor. Sky sat against a rock by his head, peering down at him occasionally.
"No, no it doesn't. I don't know where you're getting this from."
"Would you just listen?" Sky sighed, before her frustrated expression brightened. She put her face above his, her ruby hair nearly falling in his face. "Hey, how about this. I'll bet you a fifty pieces I'm right."
Donevyn groaned. "No." He rolled to the side, staring into the fire, crossing his forelegs over his chest. "Besides, some ponies don't have that kind of money, either."
Sky tracked him, her face popping up in his vision again, her head sideways against the ground. "I just don't spend my pieces stuffing my face, or whatever colts do with their money. But fine, whatever. How about twenty?"
Donevyn rolled to the other side. "No."
Sky, clambering over the rock, was there again. "Ten?"
"Sky, just drop it."
Donevyn was on his back once again, watching the purple and red clouds hover far above. Sky looked down at him and gave him the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster. "Five? Pleeease?"
"No!" Donevyn turned over and planted his face into his saddlebags. "Just leave me alone," he mumbled through the fabric.
Sky sat before him, gazing down at him intently. "Huh... What about if you win, I leave you alone for a day."
Donevyn's ears twitched. For the first few seconds he gave no reply, and Sky wondered if he was ignoring her. But he soon proved her wrong, muttering, "I'm listening."
The mare lit up. "So yeah, all day. I won't say a word to you unless you ask me first. No poking or creeping or giggling, none of that. You can pretend I don't even exist, and umm... well, do whatever you normally do. Whatever that is."
"I don't know...." Donevyn deliberated, face still hidden by his bags. "One day is a really short period of time."
"How about three days, then?"
He lifted his head up. "Three... Hmm, I guess that's good enough. Alright, well what happens if you're right?"
Sky smiled. "I get to cut your mane."
Pupils dilating, Donevyn shot up into a protective stance, shying away from her. "You what? N– no, you can't! No way in– no."
Sky pouted. "Aw, come on! I wouldn't do much, just trim it a bit and make it neat. It's gotten all matted and tangled over the past few days. Look, you've got a little twig stuck in there."
He shook his head, leaves and small twigs falling out. "That's because I was just laying on the ground, obviously. I take care of my mane perfectly fine."
"Fine is one way of putting it." Sky rolled her eyes. "Come on, you know it's getting long. As the male representative of our group, you need to be looking your best."
"Sky, I'm the only male in the group. Everypony else here is a mare."
"Exactly! And don't you get any ideas," she chastised him, rapping him on the nose gently. "Honestly, you said it yourself. I'm crazy, so obviously I can't possibly be right, right? This is your chance to get three days of peace!"
"I... I don't know."
Sky turned on a dime, mockery littering her voice. "What, are you having second thoughts? I thought you knew everything and I'm just some dumb, cute filly. Or are you wrong?" She grinned. "Put your mane where your mouth is, boy."
He scowled at her. "You know what, fine! I'll take you up on your bet, and I'll be loving it when I don't have to hear you talk for a few days."
Her grin flickered for a split second, but recovered. "Good! Remember, by the end of the week."
"By the end of the week," Donevyn mimed her with a scoff.
"Umm, what's by the end of the week?" Twilight asked, stepping into the firelight. A stack of twigs and larger branches were in tow, hovering in a purple aura. She looked from one to the other, clueless.
"Oh, n– nothing. " Sky stammered. She looked away, turning from Donevyn.
"Are you sure?" Twilight looked from her to him, setting the firewood down. Luna came up and sat next to her, filled canteens dangling from her saddlebags.
"Yeah," Donevyn snorted. "We're sure."
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
648 users online
737,214 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
YEAAAAA!!! NEW CHAPTER!!
Keep up the good work, I honestly thought you were dead or something
Oh, they're betting on Twilight and Luna being together, nice.
4195354
haha same thoughts here.
Also I'm liking this parallel being drawn between Luna and Twilight. xD
I can't wait to read more.
4195229
Me, dead? My last update on this story was less than a month ago, and I also posted a new story between then and now. Humph. I'm active, sorta.
4195354
>.>
4195364
Thanks!
4195417 well I just pay attention to this story...
though I can understand life getting in the way
it's kinda sad really how many stories out there get left unfinished because of different reasons
if only they would finish it
4195417
Honestly, I forgot about this... At least you update more than other fics, *Cough* Composure *Cough* Heck, with the way you are taking your time to actually throw these two together, it makes me appreciate this story more. All of the fics I like seem to take forever and it's torture.
This reminds me of Olaf...
4196618
Oh look, I've been impaled.
Your pretty good at this dialog stuff. Heck, the story just seems to be getting better the more it goes on. Keep it up.
Yes, we finally get to see story progressing. (Yes I admit, I didn't really care for the flashback chapter).
Can't say much about the chapter, except I liked how you handled Twilight worrying about her morality now and how Luna reassured her.
And now to wait another month for the next update.
I desire more!
The flashback chapters are not necessary but they provide nice back-story for Luna.
Otherwise, the story is great! Though you do tend to overuse both broken and proper Polish words and names.
4284517
Each country's linguistic style and other facets of culture/history are influenced by a certain culture within our own world. Why? Well, it makes things easier. I don't have to make everything on my own. Hurras is the only one I really go in-depth with. Also, only nobility/royalty will have polish names, because of some backstory I have planned and to keep it from being concussive with all the consonants.
Also, I just freakin' love motifs and undercurrents.
Welp, I'm just going to reread this... This is good enough I'll loop back through.
This is most excellent.
So I just blitzed this entire story... More please?
more plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that blade is razor sharp, then someone obviously doesn't know how to hone an edge to a sword. The one thing you don't want on a sword is a razor's edge. It is far to thin and brittle to be useful for more than one strike.
A keen edge, chisel-like, is far better, so that the blade can survive hacking through armor and blocking blows without chipping too badly.