Ch17 Scream and Shout [edited]
Jake and the Kid
Chapter 17
When In Doubt
Run in Circles
Scream and Shout
***
Private Sweets came bursting out of the Carousel Boutique as if his tail was on fire. In his haste, his hooves got crossed as he attempted to make a turn, resulting in an awkward crow-hop, half a loop, and a skidding halt in the center of the street where he remained frozen in place, half-crouched as if to leap into the fall air. After all, he was surrounded.
All around the panicked stallion, mares watched the handsome Pegasus panting for breath in the middle of the street with mixed degrees of enthusiasm. Some paused in their afternoon shopping as if to check the young stallion for a price tag, hoping that Tall, Dark, and Handsome was on sale this week. Some of the grocery shoppers seemed to examine him as if looking for bruises and trying to figure out the best place to squeeze to see if he were ripe. Several single mares and at least one married one traced his path backward in hopes of finding perhaps a slightly saner brother in his path. Various eddies and ripples formed in the street traffic as mares began to drift with the currents, all of which met at one disguised Royal Guard who was seriously considering a career change.
“Really, what a rabbit,” Bon Bon snorted in derision as she made her way out of Rarity’s boutique in a much more decorous manner. “I guess he’s at his best sneaking up behind unsuspecting mares in the dark of the night.”
“Now, now, Bon Bon. You know you don’t mean that” Lyra said as she followed her life partner out the door. She gazed with concern toward the large dark stallion, though contrary to what might have been expected, her concern was more about the mares who were slowly making their way toward the stallion than out of any real worry about his current state of mind.
The last mare to step out of the doorway was the proprietor herself, Rarity. Standing behind her customers, she allowed a small, I-Know-A-Secret smile to cross her face as she shook her head in amusement at the jet black Pegasus in the middle of the street.
She had received quite a shock when Bon Bon and Lyra had all but dragged the reluctant male into her shop. His color, his size, the obscenely drooping horn sprouting from his forehead, had all given her a turn, for about a second, but that was how long it had taken her to look beyond the superficial and realize that the stallion looked nothing at all like young Jake.
That had left her with the puzzling question of just what was going on. After all, it could not have been a mere coincidence. She had only listened with half her attention as Lyra begged her with all her might to please do something about the awful horn that 'All Day Sucker' was sporting before she was forced to do something drastic, with a plunger and some duct tape.
Never one to refuse a challenge, Rarity had quickly removed the novelty horn from the hapless stallion’s head and after a bit of thought, and a few measurements had produced a small skullcap that conformed perfectly to his wide forehead and held the tacky plastic novelty firmly in place. During the operation, she didn’t fail to notice the familiar way the big Pegasus shied away from her measuring tape, and that his eyes kept darting toward every shadow in her shop as if he expected something terrible to emerge from them.
That attitude, combined with the knowledge that his appearance and presence in town had to be related to Jake, had given her a very good idea of what was going on. The final clue was his measurements.
Some time previous, Princess Luna had given Rarity and Lamina, Luna’s personal Hoofmaiden, the job of designing new uniforms for the Night Guard. In order to get a good grasp on the concept, they had drafted a number of Royal Guard to be carefully measured for their wide diversity of body types. Simply put, they had requested the 'est' of the Guard: fattest, tallest, smallest, thinnest…
With the aid of some Nocturne mares to assist with the project, the measurements had gone... with a bit more drama than she had anticipated. A proper mare requests a stallion to disrobe, or unarmor in the case of guards, with the greatest of tact and style. The Nocturne mares treated their volunteers more like Hearth's Warming presents that needed to be unwrapped, examined, compared, commented on, and exchanged. One or two had even taken their present home.
Possible, Rarity had to admit, the normally sequestered Nocturne mares might have gotten just a bit too enthusiastic about their task. The majority of the stallions had found the experience somewhat traumatic, the poor dears.
Rarity had a very good memory when it came to measurements, even better when they involved one of her rare male clients. Even though she’d only measured the stallion’s head this time around, that had been enough for her to identify him as one, Sweets, a royal guard trainee at the time she had last seen him, but certainly graduated by now. Clearly, somepony, or more probably some princesses, had decided he’d make a good stalking horse. The dye job that turned the white Royal Guard the deepest shade of indigo was truly first-rate and Rarity made a note to find out the artist responsible One never knew when one might wish to adopt a more striking appearance, for example, dressing as Nightmare Moon for the next Nightmare Night. Oh, that would be a treat.
The little matter of the stallion’s identity out of the way, Rarity had been free to enjoy the much more interesting drama playing out in her shop. For all the disdain Bon Bon had appeared to show ‘Tail Sucker’ as she’d labeled Sweets, and didn’t Rarity want to know all about that story, Bon Bon had seemed to spend a lot of time looking at him from beneath lowered eyelashes, at least when she didn’t think anypony was looking.
On the other hoof, Lyra had been a total flirt, constantly brushing against Sweets. She’d put Rarity in mind of a hungry Opalescence, but unlike Rarity’s cat, it was unlikely it was an extra bowl of food Lyra was angling for.
***
Sweet’s couldn’t remember ever feeling more humiliated. The last day had gone so well, and he was sure Bon Bon’s attitude toward him was softening. Now he had gone and acted like a spoiled foal on his first visit to the dentist. He was sure she must despise him even more than she had right after the tail sucking incident at the train platform.
“So, you’re the stallion who’s been helping Bon Bon at the Sweet Shop,” a soft feminine voice whispered in his ear, the comment accompanied by a moist breath of air and the sweet scent of carrots.
Sweets looked to his right and standing a few inches away was a mare with an orange mane and tail, with three carrots for a cutie mark. She was running her eyes across his cutie mark in a way that suggested she was seriously tempted to taste the lollipop imprinted on his flank.
“I’m Carrot Top. I understand you’re only helping out Bon Bon temporarily. I could use a nice strong stallion to help root out my garden,” she said in a suggestive tone. She batted her eyes at him and looked up at him from under lowered eyelashes. “I can make it well worth your time.”
The golden colored earth mare was suddenly shoved out of the way by a slightly older purple mare with three daisies for a cutie mark. “Why, hello there. I’m Cheerilee. I’m the school teacher in town. As it happens I have some work I need doing in the schoolhouse. Wouldn’t you do it for the children? I’m afraid I don’t have much of a budget. But maybe I could exchange a little education for your work. I’m sure there are all sorts of things I could teach you,” she all but purred, while leaning in and nuzzling him lightly under the chin, causing him to rear back slightly.
“Really? I thought Big Mac was going to give you a hand with that,” Carrot Top said in a catty voice. “Did he run out of wood?”
“Hay, what’s the party about?” a familiar voice said from overhead.
Sweets looked up to see Rainbow Dash blocking his aerial escape route, her eyes were bright with mischief.
An anonymous mare in the crowd that was gathering around him shouted up at her, “I think they ’re having a bachelor auction. Highest bid gets to have the big stud come and help out around the place.”
“Really?” Rainbow ran her eyes over him in a way that made him feel like the last piece of cloud cake on the plate. “What’s high bid? I’ve got a few bits set aside for a special occasion.” She leered at Sweets and added, “And seeing as how you’re into cosplay, I have this really sweet Shadowbolt costume from Nightmare Night I wouldn’t mind dusting off. If you’re into bad mares, that is.”
At that moment the village mailmare swooped by, nearly knocking Rainbow out of the sky before she back-winged enough to come to a stop nearly on top of Sweets. "Does he work for muffins?” Derpy asked. “I've got a door that needs put back up, and I'm willing to pay him with a hot muffin."
“What’s going on Rainbow?” asked a member of the Pegasus’ weather crew, who had just swooped down to join her boss.
“Great timing, Raindrops. You got any bits on you? Stud auction going on. We could share him,” Rainbow said with a mischievous lilt to her voice.
“Now wait a minute,” Sweets protested but was drowned out by a half-dozen mares suddenly offering him short-term employment, with generous, if ill-defined benefits.
***
Rarity was a bit taken aback by the reaction Sweets was getting. She could sort of understand it if they had known he was a Royal Guard, but as far as they knew, he was just some poor sucker from Canterlot. Literally. Looking at the crowd of mares she noticed that most of them were spending more time glaring at each other rather than at Sweets. The horseshoe dropped, and she smiled a superior smile. This wasn’t about getting their hooves on a good looking stallion, or at least not completely; this was about stealing him out from under, or over as the case might be, their rivals.
Then again, once she took a second look at the stallion without the detachment granted by his status as a client, perhaps they had a point. That dark hide, those wings like storm clouds, that long gleaming dark horn. He could have stepped right off the cover of any of a dozen romance novels. All he really needed was a pair of dragon-wings and a suitable outfit, which she’d happily make for him at cost, and he’d be the whole sinister evil package. Rarity flushed slightly and suddenly recalled her mad-bit stash. If this wasn’t something worth blowing it on, she didn’t know what was. She’d be the envy of every single mare in town as she promenaded up and down the street by his side. She had just the most darling naughty outfit that would be perfect for the situation. And when they found out his true status and profession, they’d all be green with envy.
“How much are you paying him?” Rarity asked Bon Bon. She had to repeat the question, slightly louder, to be heard over the bidding war that going on around Sweets.
Bon Bon was looking a bit thunderstruck, and a lot annoyed. “I’m not paying him anything. He’s working off a debt,” she snapped, not taking her attention from the mob growing around the perverted tail muncher. “Have all those fillies lost their minds?” she muttered under her breath, but not quietly enough to escape the keen ears of Lyra.
“That’s not what you were saying while we were cleaning up a little while ago,” Lyra said. “If I remember, you were very impressed with his ability to follow orders quickly and to the letter.”
Rarity gave a little cough, and her interest sharpened even further. Good at obeying orders. He just got better and better.
“It’s not like I care if he goes to work for some other pony!” Bon Bon said. “I only need him for one more day and then he can go wherever he wants!”
Bon Bon’s tone of voice did not match her words, and Rarity took a good look at the candy maker, and the rather hurt expression in her eyes as she watched the mob of mares clustering around her not-hired help. Rarity shifted her gaze to Lyra and saw how the musician was constantly looking between Bon Bon and Sweets, her expression alternately determined and worried. Last, of all, Rarity looked past Sweets’ handsome legs, toned flanks, magnificent wings, to catch the desperate looks he was directing toward Bon Bon. Looks that screamed Save Me!
“My luck holds true, but never let it be said that Rarity stood in the way of true love. Guess my bits are safe for that rainy day after all,” the dressmaker muttered to herself. She stepped up to Bon Bon and gave her a strong nudge with her shoulder. When she had the mare’s full attention, she gave her a fierce look. “Well, are you or are you not going to rescue the poor thing? He wouldn’t be in this mess if you and Lyra hadn’t insisted on dragging him down to my shop. Are you a filly, or a full-grown mare? Take responsibility. Go and save Mister, part-timer.”
“Yeah,” Lyra cheered. “Let's go save him from those harpies before they tear the poor thing to bits.”
***
Sweets very nearly cried tears of joy and relief when he saw Bon Bon and Lyra wading into the crowd of mares surrounding him. He had never realized how scary a mob of MILBs could be.
The big stallion’s ear suddenly twitched as a high piping voice cried out, “Jake!” Sweets frowned. Where had he heard that strange name before?
“Jake! Over here, Jake!” called the voice again, and Sweets’ eyes opened wide as he remembered where he had heard that name before. And who had mentioned it. A pony didn’t forget his first, and maybe only, face to face meeting with Princess Celestia. What she said on the other hoof tended to blur as a result of the sheer awesomeness of being the focus of those intense violet eyes. Fortunately, Pumpernickel had repeated Princess Celestia’s briefing word for word while they had run the necessary errands to get him ready for his assignment.
Sweets’ height allowed him to look down Mane Street to where a small figure was dashing toward him, running on its hind legs. The weird appearance of the creature caused him to shy instinctively, his protective instincts aroused by the numerous mares surrounding him. Training and the briefing he had received before leaving on this mission moderated that he respond quickly. This had to be the human filly who had accompanied the real Alicorn stallion, whose existence was the cause of his current assignment. That made her protection his charge. Sweet snapped out his wings, preparing to spring into the air over the crowd of mares surrounding him, just as a hovering Derpy shoved her muffin into his face.
"Oops, sorry! I just wanted to give you a free sample. So do you want to eat it here or take it home? While it’s still hot?"
***
When she spotted Jake, Curry had started running toward him with no thought of the consequences. Very nearly giving Sneaky a heart attack. For just a moment she had totally forgotten that the herd of mares surrounding Jake were not the dumb animals from back home, but intelligent, and magic, creatures. Her mistake was driven home when a mare, all by herself on the street, turned to look over her shoulder when she heard Curry’s footsteps.
“Ahhh! The horror! The horror!” the pony cried out, rearing up on her hind legs and draping one foreleg over her eyes in a dramatic gesture, before falling to the ground in a dead faint. It reminded Curry a bit of Miss Rarity, and how she’d behaved on seeing Jake for the first time, only a lot less well done.
The mare’s behavior did do two things. Firstly, the eyes of everypony in the street and some looking out of their houses at the commotion turned to stare at her. Secondly, Curry skidded to a stop and stood in the middle of the street like a rabbit in the headlights. She took a few steps back under the force of those looks.
“Are you crazy?” a wheezing voice said from just behind her, as Sneaky trotted up, his sides heaving and looking almost as green as he had before up-chucking all over the little princess.
“What the buck were you thinking?” he fumed, placing himself between Curry and the crowd of mares down the street.
“Sorry, sorry. I just saw Jake, and, and, I didn’t think.”
“Is Jake the decoy’s name? Sorry to tell you, but that ain’t him. Check out his horn. Your friend’s fake horn dangles all over the place. You’re looking at a real dangerous monster over there. You should have seen the way he destroyed one of Sweet Apple Acre's orchards. Ripped it all to shreds."
“But--”Curry tried to protest. There was no way Jake would have done something like that. she was cut off before she could even start.
“Never mind arguing with me,” Sneaky snapped. “Back away slowly. Maybe we can still escape while that monster is distracted by all those mares.”
Curry looked over Sneak’s back at all the wide-eyed mares staring in their direction and swallowed nervously. “I don’t think that’s going to be happening, Stinky.”
“That’s Sneaky. And, it sure as buck won’t if you don’t shift your tail.”
“Ahhhh, it’s a monster!” nearly every mare in front of them cried out, almost in sync with each other, just before their grouping exploded outward like a panic-stricken flock of brightly colored tropical birds, literally in the case of some Pegasus mares.
Ponies dashed every which way, some rushed into buildings and slammed the doors and shutters. Other raced back and forth across the street while others ran in circles. Through the maelstrom of brightly colored bodies, Curry spotted the large black shape of Jake, even though he was a little difficult to see in the moonlight. There were some white crumbs smeared over his face, that helped a bit. He was carefully and steadily marching toward her, which in the chaos made him stand out as a single red rose in a bunch of white ones. Beside him, were two strange mares, who, while they shifted nervously on their feet and stayed close to his sides, did not seem to be part of the general panic.
Curry took a hesitant step around Sneaky, meaning to move toward Jake, only to let out a sudden squawk of alarm when Sneaky’s magical field enveloped her.
“Not this time, brat,” Sneaky said in an exasperated tone.
Curry was lifted into the air and suspended over Sneaky’s back. She settled onto him, habit causing her legs to clamp around his barrel and the fingers of one hand to wind into his tangled mane. A protest at his cavalier behavior rose in her throat and was cut off when he whirled away from the approaching Jake. It would have been a cool move, if not for the staggering, and the fact he almost galloped face-first into the nearest building, even with, or perhaps because of, Curry's attempt at steering her mount.
“Hold it right there, Private Eye. What the hay are you up to?” a familiar voice demanded from overhead.
“Rainbow Dash,” Curry cried out in relief when the familiar rainbow-hued Pegasus plummeted from the sky and planted herself firmly in front of Sneaky.
Sneaky heaved a sigh of relief at being able to hand off his unwanted responsibility. “Finally! About time one of you lot showed up and did your job. Get him out of here before that monster makes a snack out of him,” he said in what he clearly thought was a commanding voice but was a bit too slurred to carry off.
Curry was in a state of confusion, but she possessed certain conditioned responses that cut through unnecessary things like being stuck in the middle of a maddened crowd of stampeding ponies. Reaching out with her free hand she caught hold of one of Sneaky’s ears and twisted. “What do you mean, Him!” she asked in her best Facing-Down-The-Stupid-Boy-Bully-In-The-Schoolyard voice. “In what way do you think I look like a boy, hmm?”
***
“Ahhhhhhh! Not the ear, not the ear.”
Bon Bon shuddered as the monstrous creature attacked the poor pony it had jumped onto. His heart-rending shriek sending shivers down her spine. She had been trying to talk All Day Sucker out of playing the fool, and to get him to back away from the thing, to no avail. What did he think he was, a member of the Royal Guard? Now she stopped trotting alongside him and grabbed his tail firmly between her teeth as he continued on. “No, you can’t,” she mumbled through a mouthful of the delicious tail, which she couldn’t help but notice because it was flavored with the sweet taste of all the ingredients Sweets had handled during the day.
Despite digging in her hooves, Bon Bon found herself dragged along as All Day plodded toward the monster, who was now roaring at Rainbow Dash, its no doubt huge fangs bared while continuing to claw at the poor unicorn it was perched on. Why didn’t Rainbow Dash do something? She was supposed to be a hero. She should be doing something heroic, so certain brain-dead stallions wouldn’t get themselves all the way dead trying to be something they were not.
“What are you doing, Bon Bon?” Lyra asked curiously as she paced alongside her friend. “Don’t you think you should save stuff like that till we get back to the shop? Bit of a crisis going on here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Idiot,” Bon Bon mumbled in an exasperated tone while trying hard not to drool.
“Curry! What on earth are you doing to that poor stallion? Stop that this instant,” Rarity cried out as she trotted past All Day in a decorous manner, while still managing to move quite quickly.
Both the unicorn stallion, who Bon Bon now recognized as Private Eye, and the strange mottled creature, who looked vaguely like one of Lyra's 'Humanworld' figures, stopped and looked slightly ashamed.
It was a perfect example of a commanding tone, and even Bon Bon could not help but drop the tasty tail she had been tugging on in response to it.
To Bon Bon’s relief, All Day paused in his progress and then heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to move away and to leave the problem to ponies better able to handle it.
“Wait a minute,” Lyra exclaimed, her tone of voice raising all sorts of warning signs in Bon Bon. She looked over at her light green marefriend and felt a shiver of trepidation run down her spine.
Lyra’s eyes were so wide and bright they were almost glowing in the dark. Sparks popped off the tip of her horn, and Bon Bon ‘knew’ that only happened when her excitable marefriend’s body could not contain the overwhelming sensations filling her up. Truthfully, under her worry, she was a bit jealous. Previously Lyra had only displayed that level of manic during their private times.
“A human!” Lyra whispered, her voice quivering, ears perked up, and tail swishing in a hypnotic pattern that in other circumstances Bon Bon might have found more than a little intriguing.
“No! I mean, that’s not likely,” Sucker said, as he tried to step into Lyra’s line of sight.
Lyra easily side-stepped the larger pony, and twitched her tail out of the way of Bon Bon’s teeth in a well-practiced, and slightly flirtatious, maneuver. She pranced over to Rarity, who was looking a bit worried.
“I can’t believe it,” Lyra said, addressing the scrawny looking creature on Private Eye’s back. “I mean, I can believe it. You’re sitting right there in front of me. I mean, I knew humans were going to come back. The signs were all there. But, I didn’t really think I’d be lucky enough to be one of the first ponies to meet you. I can meet you, can’t I?”
The little creature blinked her small eyes and looked over at Rarity nervously. “Is she related to Pinkie Pie?” she asked in a high pitched voice that could have come from any small filly. In fact, if you were to close your eyes, you could easily imagine her as being a member of the Apple family with that distinctive rustic accent.
“Is she really a human?” somepony asked breathlessly from behind Bon Bon, and she turned to see Carrot Top standing behind her, staring over her shoulder at the ‘human’ on Private Eye’s back. There was an avaricious gleam in her eyes that was explained when she said. “I’ve heard that they grant wishes.”
“Really?” several other mares asked simultaneously.
Bon Bon grew nervous as she noticed that the previously panicked ponies, had stopped their mad dashing about and were slowly converging on the area around the small human. A lot looked nervous and/or merely curious, but far too many had the same greedy look in their eyes as Carrot Top.
“She is not a human!” Private Eye shouted, in a slurred tone. Despite the speech impediment, his voice was laced with annoyance and derision. “She. Is. A. Snipe!” He enunciated with great emphasis on each word. “Humans can’t leave their world and come to Equestria. They lack any personal internal magic and so they can’t interact with the portal. Anypony who’s taken a few moments to research Moondancer’s journals would know that.”
Bon Bon had not taken her eye off the maybe-human, ready to yank Lyra out of the way if it looked like it was about to turn vicious. As a result, she was maybe the only pony to see the look of dismay that crossed the little being’s face as Private Eye made his pronouncement. A moment later the little thing’s strangely expressive features took on a puzzled look, followed by one of realization, and finally a certain amount of smug satisfaction.
Curry had been shocked when Sneaky said she had no magic, but she realized that his other point meant that was wrong. She couldn’t have come here if she didn’t have some. That showed he didn’t know nearly as much as he thought he did.
“Moondancer’s journals were lost hundreds of years ago,” Lyra shouted back at the drunk unicorn. “All we have are notes from ponies who read them shortly after they came to light just after the War of the Sisters. I’ve never heard anything about Human’s lacking magic. If anything, the stories say the opposite. They are overflowing with more magic than any pony except Celestia and Luna.”
The small - Snipe? - beamed with goodwill toward Lyra, while lightly thumping Private Eye between his ears with a closed up paw. It couldn’t have been much of a blow, because the stallion only twitched an annoyed ear in response.
“Moondancer’s journals were not lost! They were merely relegated to the back shelves in the archives and buried under subsequent storage,” Private Eye said.
“Really?” Lyra asked, her eyebrows pricking up in interest.
“What does all this have to do with getting our wishes,” several ponies cried out. The entire herd started to clamor, demanding that the Snipe/Human grant them their individual wishes. They began to crowd in closer and closer.
To Bon Bon’s dismay, Sucker pressed himself between several ponies and positioned himself between the crowd and Private Eye. Bon Bon swallowed nervously, and joined him, the hairs on her neck standing straight up as she turned her back on the creature.
“Thank you, dear, So nice to see a pony who can keep her composure when all those around her are losing theirs.” Rarity complimented her as she took up her place beside Bon Bon, her horn gleaming in the evening light.
Lyra moved into position on the other side of Sucker, her horn also glowing softly. Her lyre floated up above her head. “Back off. I have a musical instrument, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
The crowd of ponies actually drew back a few steps at that, more from puzzlement than out of any fear, but the pressure from the ponies behind them pushed them forward once again fairly quickly.
Rainbow Dash hovered into place above Sucker. Bon Bon looked up at her and was surprised to see her grinning in a very inappropriate manner given the circumstances. “I know something you don’t know,” she caroled. Or at least that is what Bon Bon thought she had said, due to the loud clamoring from the crowd of mares drowning out the brightly colored Pegasus’ words.
***
Curry perched on top of Sneaky, not feeling terribly worried about the loud crowd of ponies shouting at her. She was much more focused on the big black pony that had his back toward her and Sneaky. For one thing, she was wondering how she had ever thought he was Jake. He was slender as a reed next to Jake’s bulk and at least two or three hands shorter, but that still made him the biggest pony she had seen since she arrived in this magic world. In fact, unless she missed her guess. He was slightly over the official height limit for ponies, which topped out at fifteen hands.
This was all noted by the horse-mad part of her mind that never stopped noting down everything and anything about any pony or horse she happened to encounter. The rest of her was taking note of the fact that he was very obviously, of his own volition, placing himself, and his marefriends between the rowdy herd of mares and herself.
Curry leaned over and shouted into Rarity’s ear, that being the only way she could be sure she was heard. “Is he a friend of your’s?”
“A very good friend in this situation, darling,” Rarity replied, somehow managing to raise the volume of her voice without doing anything as gauche as actually shouting. “You can trust him implicitly if you are in need of assistance and none of us are around.”
Curry took note that the pony with the candy cutie marks on her flank turned her head to stare in surprise at Rarity.
The vocal output of the herd surrounding Curry had risen to the point where she was forced to clap her hands over her ears to muffle the roar. but even that did not help with what happened next.
A blast of sound washed over the crowd like a wave, eliminating the chaotic ranting from the herd even as it beat against her body with massive physical force, resonating in her chest and ringing her ears with words that were more felt than heard.
“Citizens of Ponyville. What is Transpiring here?”
Under Curry, Sneaky’s legs folded as he bonelessly dropped to his belly at the sheer force of that voice, bouncing once in the street before lying motionless. All around her, other ponies were similarly being pushed down, forced to bow before whoever was above them. Though, unlike Sneaky, who'd done a full collapse with all four legs, they had only bent their front legs gracefully as they lowered their heads. Come to think of it, they didn’t look like they were being forced, so much as they were paying horsey respect.
That left Curry worried about the way Sneaky had collapsed. She lay forward along his body and grabbed hold of his horn so she could lean out and look down at his face, relaxing somewhat when she saw his eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even. He muttered something that sounded like, “Not now Berry, tired,” while his horn warmed slightly, although not enough to hurt her hand. Satisfied that Sneaky was as healthy as could be expected given his intoxicated condition, Curry released her grip on his horn and turned her attention from the comatose stallion to whoever owned that booming voice.
At first, she could not see anything in the clear night sky, and then a winged shape outlined itself against the disk of the moon. Like a living cameo broach, a dark Pegasus with wings spread wide, slowly floating down toward her. There was something familiar about the Pegasus, and as it got closer and Curry could make out the horn sprouting from her forehead, she suddenly remembered. The pony descending toward them looked just like the carving she had seen on the wall of the old ruined castle.
A shiver went down Curry’s spine. This was the Dark Princess of the Night. The big enemy, the one she needed to defeat to save Equestria.
“But I haven’t even had a chance to study how,” she moaned under her breath. She stared up at the descending Alicorn, dread churning in her stomach. Despite that fear, as the dark pony floated downward, Curry found herself drawing in a sharp, appreciative, breath. The mare’s wispy mane seemed to spread out across the sky, stars, and nebula glowing radiantly in its depths. It was impossible to say where the natural stars ended and those incorporated into her mane started. Her long flowing tail eclipsed the moon, but it didn’t shade it. Rather the ethereal beauty of the moonlight was only enhanced by shining through the glistening mass of hair.
She was gorgeous. The most beautiful creature Curry had ever seen in her life. Well, except for Fluttershy, but that was hardly a fair comparison.
With nary a sound, as soft and gentle as the first snowflake of winter, Princess Luna touched down in front of the small group of ponies who had placed themselves between Curry and the mob. As for the mob itself, at some point, while Curry had been entranced by Luna, they had moved backward, leaving more than enough space for the dark pony to settle to earth. A circle of kneeling ponies surrounded the princess, leaving Curry very conscious that she was the only one present who was not paying homage to the Ruler of the Night.
The princess’ gaze seemed to pierce right through Curry, but despite that, she saw no scorn in the beautiful pony’s eyes. Indeed, her expression was one of curiosity and goodwill. Curry had always wondered how rich people could pay millions for a horse. Looking at the Princess the answer came to her in a flash. That was all they had.
Curry found herself flushing under the princess’ gaze, as it continued for what seemed like hours. If Twilight Sparkle had made her think, Teacher, this pony had Vice-principal written all over her. She felt small and grubby in front of the magnificent creature, unworthy to even be standing on the same patch of ground. Feeling the need to appear in a better light, she swung her leg up and over Sneaky’s back, and got to her feet. Flushing, Curry awkwardly dropped to her knees, she flushed even darker when she compared her clumsy efforts to the graceful bows the ponies were giving the princess.
Behind Curry, Sneaky suddenly let out a wheezing snore, and snuffled loudly, spouting out total gibberish, then, for the final act, he broke wind. The little girl couldn’t help herself, she laughed, her self-consciousness totally gone. She wasn’t the only ugly duck in this collection of beautiful swans.
While the princess visibly flinched, just the tiniest bit, she did not turn her entrancing gaze away from Curry. She spoke in a carefully controlled voice, each word enunciated perfectly with nary a drawl to be heard. “You would be Curry Comb. We have seen the picture that our sister’s beloved student sent us, although you were not so colorfully garbed in it. Is this perchance an example of your native costume?”
Curry, still feeling every inch the grubby urchin looked down, plucking at her clothing with her fingers. “Oh, yeah, well not exactly, Miss Rarity--”
“Managed to find her some temporary covering at Fluttershy’s home,” the pony in question, hastily interrupted Curry. “At the time necessity outweighed esthetics, I’m afraid. I assure you, I am already hard at work on a proper presentation garment. I do hope you will pardon her, and I. We were not expecting you quite so soon.”
“If we recall, there was some concern about her fragility. This seems to answer many of those concerns. We find her current garment.. attractive, and practical.”
“You do?” Rarity blurted out, twisting her head to make sure that Curry was still wearing the same thing that she’d been dressed in ten seconds previously. “Well, of course, you do. And who could ever question your impeccable taste? I mean, I certainly wouldn’t.”
“Ah, Princess Luna?” Mayor Mare asked from her position near the forefront of respectful ponies, who moments before had been a rowdy mob of ardent wish seekers.
“You have leave to speak, Madam Mayor,” Luna answered with a small regal nod of her head, the tip of her horn leaving a faint glowing phosphorescent line in the darkness.
“We… um...I was wondering. To what do we owe the great pleasure of your visit? Have you come about the human?"
“Not a human. Ish, a Snipe.” Sneaky mumbled in his sleep.
Luna arched a patrician eyebrow, a look of incredulity on her face, quickly replaced by a mischievous expression. “A Snipe. How wondrous. We well remember our own futile attempts to catch one back in our foalhood. We are afraid we abandoned the quest, despite the most ardent urging of our sister to persevere. You are a most fortunate pony to have succeeded in such a hunt.” The only reply from Sneaky was a buzzing snore.
Luna blinked and looked a bit closer at the recumbent pony. Once again a delicate eyebrow arched. Luna directed a questioning look at Curry, who could only shrug sheepishly in return. Luna shifted her gaze back to Mayor Mare, “As it happens, we had another reason for gracing Ponyville with our presence. Some days ago, we had cause to converse with one of our subjects. A young Pegasus named Scootaloo.”
Most of the ponies in the crowd looked more than a little concerned over just what the notorious filly might have said to Princess Luna, a few blanched in terror.
“We discussed her camping trip,” Luna finished in a matter of fact tone of voice, her attention already moving from the Mayor back to Curry, and the ponies that made up the group she was with.
There was a collective, gasp from the crowd followed by a Wait-A-Minute-Did-She-Say, pause, while they all looked at each other.
“Her camping trip, Princess Luna?” Mayor Mare asked tentatively.
Luna frowned but remembered that these small town ponies were not used to reading the subtle signs that indicated a Royal audience was over. With some effort, Luna put on a pleasant expression. Smiling as broadly as possible she turned her attention back to the former mob. There was a visible drawing back on the part of the ponies in the face of that teeth-baring smile.
“Indeed. It sounded the most delightful diversion. We have decided that we shall have a camping trip. A contingent from the palace will be arriving momentarily to begin setting up a suitably rustic campsite for us.”
Luna’s wide smile decreased, much to the relief of the ponies facing it, as she continued to speak, “We thank you for this most generous welcome to your home, but we do not wish to impose. Please, go about your business while we converse for a moment with the. . . Snipe, and then retire to the home of my Sister’s student, Twilight Sparkle, to discuss our upcoming activities.”
This hint was more than obvious to the townsponies, and they beat a hasty retreat.
All except for Sweets, and the mares accompanying him, and of course, Sneaky, who was still snoring blissfully away.
When Sweets did make a move to leave, after making sure the mob was well and truly dispersed, Luna spoke directly to him. “Bide a moment if you will, good pony.”
Bon Bon was torn. The urge to get away from ground zero/Luna was nearly overwhelming, but Sweets was not going anywhere, and Lyra looked like it would take a rope and bridle to get her to leave, with several good strong ponies on the other end of the rope. Bon Bon stayed put, shivering from nerves. Sweets extended one of his wings, and lay it over Bon Bon’s back, offering warm comfort. Without any thought on her part, she leaned into his side while peeking out from under the edge of his wing at Luna, who seemed to be taking the whole scene in what looked like good humor.
The candy maker gave a little squeak and ducked back under Sweets’ feathers when Luna stepped up to sniff the stallion’s side. Bon Bon’s face was only inches from Luna’s horn, a formidable object nothing at all like Lyra's sexy nubbin. This was a clearly a weapon and had drawn blood in combat, perhaps even from Celestia herself. However, despite the fear that was knocking her knees together, a strong feeling of resentment flowered.
Well, small buds perhaps. Blooms at worst.
How dare the Princess act that way right in front of some other mare’s coltfriend.
Bon Bon’s mind seized up as she replayed that thought in her mind. Sweets wasn’t her and Lyra’s colt friend, she told herself firmly. He was a perverted tail sucker who was only going to be here until he made recompense for his criminal actions by supplying all the brute labor needed to finish Pinkie Pie’s commission.
Lyra on the other hand, as she would say, seemed to have no such reservations. In fact, if Sweets hadn’t pressed her firmly against his side with his other wing the instant she moved slightly forward, she might have done something foolish, like getting into Luna’s face and telling her to keep her nose out of Lyra’s business. On the other hoof, given how she instantly snuggled up against Sweets’ side, it was possible her outrage had been a mere ploy aimed at this exact outcome.
Luna was oblivious to the feelings churning inside the trio in front of her. She gave a small sigh of disappointment with one last additional sniff along Sweets’ side in the forlorn hope of the delicious scent she was seeking. “How unfortunate. We had hoped thou would have more of those delightful comestibles. Please tell me that thou have at least had the contract to supply our sister and I signed.” Unspoken, but implied in Luna’s tone was that it was the ‘I’ part of the statement she was most interested in.
Sweets shuffled nervously, and with some reluctance said, “Bon Bon had a rather large commission, and did not have time to go over the details of the contract with me until it was finished. I’m helping her with that in the hope of expediting the situation.”
Bon Bon stiffened beside her slave labor, her eyes going wide.
“Most diligent of you,” Luna said, nodding in approval. “Very well, we understand that true artistry must happen in its own time. We hope that this time shall not be too far in the future. Presumably, thou shalt be able to procure a quantity before our camping trip is complete.”
“I’m sure Bon Bon will be able to do that,” Sweets said, and then with a worried expression, asked. “How long will you be . . . camping?”
“We are not sure. It shall depend on several factors over which we have no control. Hopefully a goodly amount of time in order to allow us to partake in mass quantities of fun.” There was a particular longing in the way Luna said the word fun that aroused sympathy in the soft heart of the detached Royal Guard.
Lyra fumed, thinking dire thoughts as to just what sort of fun the princess might have in mind. Well, she could just cross Sucker off of her list of entertainment options. Lyra already had his dance card fully booked.
He just didn’t know it yet.
“I’ll be happy to assist you in any way I can during your quest for ‘fun’ Princess,” Sweets said, and then let out a grunt as a sharp knee was jammed into his belly, rather closer to where he lived than most of his sparring partners at the academy had ever managed.
“As it happens, you can render us some assistance at this very time,” Luna said, ignoring Sweets strange behavior. “I believe the young Snipe is being cared for by gentle Fluttershy. She has clearly wandered from her domicile. Would you be so kind as to escort her back?”
“I would be happy to do so, Princess,” Sweets answered, dipping his head in a bow, forgetting for a moment that he hadn’t the slightest idea where Fluttershy lived.
“Very well. We bid you a good evening, then.” Luna turned to leave, but before she did, she addressed Mayor Mare directly, and all other ponies who might have been in hearing range, which with her voice constituted a high percentage of the population of Ponyville. “We go now to consult with Twilight Sparkle. We are only to be disturbed for the most urgent reasons while sequestered with our sister’s student. Please, spread the word.”
Raindrops watched Luna trot away, a puzzled expression on her face. Rainbow Dash fluttered over beside her co-worker and asked in a whisper, “Was it just me, or was Princess Luna looking a bit flushed just now? And did you notice the way she was swishing her tail? You don’t suppose ...? Nah, no way, not in a million, million years.”
Sweets forcefully ignored the commentary coming from the Element of Loyalty overhead. Maybe she could get away with thinking, and saying such things. He happened to enjoy being a fully functioning stallion and intended to stay that way for a long time. Turned a doubtful eye toward the small creature standing beside the comatose brown Unicorn he took in her awkward shape and shortage of legs and asked, “Do you need a ride?”
Curry pulled her eyes back from where she had been watching Princess Luna leave with a mixture of relief and regret. Close proximity had done nothing to soften her initial impression of the beautiful mare, and she practically ached with the need to run after her, to run her fingers through that silky mane, to brush out that flowing tail. How could an evil princess look so wonderful?
She had to stop and gather her thoughts before she could answer the big black stallion. She looked behind her at Sneaky, who was still slumbering. “I can’t just leave him here,” she said in a stubborn tone of voice. Curry felt a strong protective urge toward the old smelly pony. He was the first pony she’d met since coming here who had needed her. Who knows what might happen to him if she just left him laying here in the street.
“Don’t worry, Curry. I’ll see that he gets home,” Rarity said, stepping up and giving Curry a nudge with her nose, pushing her toward the black stallion. “Go with All Day Sucker. He’ll make sure you get home safely.”
“Wait, just wait,” the pony with the candy cutie mark cried out, pushing her way out from under the stallion’s wing and then turning to face him head-on. “What’s all this about a contract from the Princess?”
“Sorry. I promised I wouldn’t discuss my business till your big commission was finished,” Sweets said, feeling smug.
Bon Bon kicked him in the shin. Hard.
***
“You really shouldn’t have said that,” Curry said a few minutes later as she gently rubbed the stallion’s bruised leg. “I mean, I have no idea what you all were talking about, and even I know that.”
“Thank you for your untimely advice. I sort of figured that out myself. What with her trying to break my leg and all,” Sweets answered, looking in the direction that Bon Bon had gone after giving him that kick.
“Don’t worry. She’ll cool down. Eventually. Maybe,” Lyra said, peering intently at the small creature who was tending to All Day’s leg.
“Are you sure you’re a Snipe?” she asked Curry.
“Sure as sure can be,” Curry replied cheerfully, lying without the least little regret.
“Well, let's take you home then,” Lyra said, with an implication that she was not about to walk away from this strange and wondrous creature.
After his foalish attempt at humor with Bon Bon, Sweets was not about to gainsay the scatterbrained unicorn.
He needed her to help him apologize to his candy-mare.
“I’m ready,” Curry said, a worried expression on her face as she stood up. “I hope Fluttershy isn’t too mad at--”
Curry’s words were cut off as a yellow tornado descended on her and gathered her up in a soft warm embrace. “Oh, oh, I was so worried,” Fluttershy whispered as she held the small girl tightly with her forelegs and wings. Only when Curry started gasping for breath did she push the little girl back and run her eyes up and down her body. “You’re coughing. Are you alright? Have you been hurt? Are you cold? You must be hungry. Are you hungry? We’ll go home right now. A nice warm bath, a good meal, and you’ll be right as rain after a good night’s sleep.”
A ball of tension that Curry hadn’t even been aware of unwound in her belly, and with it a warm feeling of lethargy swept over her body. It had been a very long day for her, with tons of excitement. She thought longingly about her nice warm bed at home. Already feeling the soft mattress cradling her weary body as Fluttershy tucked the heavy blankets and comforter around her, creating a cocoon of warmth and security. Her eyes drooped and she leaned into Fluttershy side, feeling the warm Pegasus’s heart beating rhythmically under her soft silky hide, more soothing than any lullaby.
“Yeowch. Stop that, I’m up, I’m up, for buck's sake,” a gravely voice yelled. Fluttershy gave out a shocked gasp and tried to cover Curry’s ears with her wings.
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll just be a minute,” Curry gasped, slipping downward out of Fluttershy’s grip.
Blinking tears of weariness from her eyes, Curry lunged across the distance between her and Sneaky and wrapped her arms in a tight hug around the cranky pony’s neck. “Thank you,” she whispered into his stubbly cheek. She broke the clinch and rushed back to Fluttershy.
Behind her Sneaky actually looked flustered, and allowed Rarity to lead him off with only a single token protest about pushy mares.
“Do you know that pony?” Fluttershy asked, concern in her voice. Just what sort of ponies had Curry been associating with since Fluttershy had carelessly allowed her to go wandering off on her own?
“Yep. He helped me when the little princess was trying to catch me,” Curry said, wisely neglecting to mention just what form that help had come in.
“Little Princess?” asked Applejack, who had just trotted up, asked.
“Yeah, she lives in that big fancy place down the way. Wears a crown and everything. Even has a crown on her flank,” Curry finished her explanation with a jaw-cracking yawn.
“Poor dear. I’ll get you home right away,” Fluttershy said while gently nuzzling Curry’s cheek.
“I will carry her for you if you like, Miss. Fluttershy,” a masculine voice offered.
Fluttershy jolted, and only stopped herself from bolting due to the fact that Curry was cuddled up tight against her side. She had been so focused on her little human charge that she hadn’t even noticed the simply enormous black Pegasus standing almost next to her. A Pegasus who she noticed had an over-sized, and plainly, from this distance, a fake horn attached to his forehead. What sort of strange male was he to run around with something like that on his head? It wasn’t even Nightmare Night. Fluttershy shuddered at the very thought of that horror of horrors.
“Who the heck are you,” Applejack demanded, getting between Fluttershy and the stranger, more for Fluttershy’s comfort than from any fear that the big pony meant the shy Pegasus any harm.
Before Sweets could say anything, Lyra spoke up, while remaining totally focused on Curry. She didn’t look at any of the other ponies as she chattered, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “He’s Bon Bon’s temporary, drafted, assistant. His name is All Day Sucker, and he’s wearing that silly horn because he lost a bet. Bon Bon thought he was one of my mom’s matchmaking efforts. Only now it turns out he was really working for the Princesses, and Bon Bon is mad because she’s embarrassed at making a mistake and treating him like a tail sucking pervert instead of a Royal emissary. Well, he did suck her tail. But, you can hardly blame him for that, because it really is so darn tasty. She’ll get over it, eventually. Princess Luna told Sucker to escort the little Snipe home to Fluttershy’s place. I know now that you’re here he doesn’t really need to, but the Princess did order him, so pretty please let him do it.” With the last little bit, Lyra turned her head and fluttered her eyelashes coyly at Applejack, making the farm pony more than a little uncomfortable.
Both Applejack and Sweets eyes had developed a slightly glazed look as Lyra ran on, and on. When he realized that Lyra was finished, Sweets blinked his, and said to Applejack, who had stepped back slightly from Lyra, “What she said.”
“Well, I reckon you can’t ignore a direct order from the Princess. So I suppose you can come along with us to Fluttershy’s cottage,” Applejack said.
“Yay,” Lyra crowed.
“Eep,” Fluttershy squeaked in distress.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right here with you, Shy,” Rainbow Dash said from overhead. She’d been hovering quietly, enjoying the show, but decided to join in before Fluttershy went into a panic attack due to her being so close to such a finely toned Pegasus stallion. Besides, it had put Dash in an excellent position to look at the way the moonlight glistened off his well-formed rear.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered, folding protective wings around Curry while keeping herself and the little girl behind Applejack.
Sweets was about to repeat his offer to carry the little creature, but after seeing how skittish the yellow Pegasus was, decided to give her as much space as his orders would allow. “I’ll just follow from the air. . .” he gave a sudden oof as Lyra lifted a leg and jolted a knee into his belly. “I’ll just follow behind on the ground,” he amended his statement while wondering how he had ended up in a possible, sort of, maybe, relationship with two such violent mares. Then again, he’d never had what one could call a ‘real’ relationship before. Maybe this was normal behavior. Not that he was sure he had a relationship. Lyra seemed interested, and Bon Bon and he had harmonized very well together when Lyra had played that medley of Candy making songs.
The one about the human Candy Man had been quite catchy. Candy made out of rainbows sounded quite tasty. Did he want there to be a relationship, he asked himself.
Sweets was still mulling that question as he followed the group of mares to Fluttershy’s home. He had his thoughts all to himself, as Lyra had abandoned him right off the bat to accompany Fluttershy and her friends. The small … Snipe? … was stretched out on Fluttershy’s back, cradled in place by the mare’s wings. Her limbs draped and dangling over Fluttershy’s sides while she slumbered peacefully.
Sweets watched from the fence while Fluttershy carried her charge inside, followed by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Lyra. A second later a high pitched shriek echoed through the air.
“Lyra!” Sweets called out in panic and dashed toward the still open door.
****
Twilight Sparkle was sitting at her desk, going over her reference material. Or she had been, till she noticed that she had been reading the same sentence over and over while glancing over toward the door every few seconds since the moon had risen. Now she sat, staring at the door, willing a knock to come. When at last it did, her heart near leaped out of her chest, even as she jumped to her feet and dashed across the floor to fling open the door.
The librarian’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Luna standing there, looking down on her from her superior height, with maybe just the slightest hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. Our sister tells us that you have urgent matters to discuss in regards to our visitors.”
Twilight took a calming breath and said, “Indeed I do, Princess Luna. Please, won’t you come in? I’ve made tea, and set out the pertinent information for you to peruse.”
“That is most kind of you Twilight Sparkle. The flight was rushed, and we admit to being parched. A beverage would be most welcome while you explain what it is that troubles you so gravely.”
Several minutes later, Luna lifted a delicate cup to her lips and sipped while examining the forensic magic-scan Twilight had performed on Curry. Lowering the cup, she delicately dabbed at her lips with a napkin, and then spoke, “I see why you are concerned.”
“Yes, I would not have thought it possible. But once you’ve eliminated all impinging magical influences, there can be no question. Curry has exactly zero personal magic.”
“That might not be the . . .” Luna started to say but was overridden by a distracted Twilight who floated a stack of books to the desk.
It was too late for Luna to stop Twilight from slipping into lecture mode, so the princess settled back down, raised a cup to her lips and prepared to enjoy the show. Twilight was so cute when she lost herself in her work like this.
The excited scholar gathered her thoughts, and began, “I have formed what I think is a valid hypothesis as to how it might be possible. If it is true, we need to handle the matter in a very delicate fashion. It would be very bad if we were to traumatize young Jake.”
Luna pondered the matter. She was in possession of information that Twilight Sparkle did not possess, which would likely make whatever conclusion the scholar had drawn null and void. On the other hoof, Twilight was living up to her last name, fairly sparkling with intellectual enthusiasm, and most importantly, was completely oblivious to the fact that she was sitting inches away from a former monster. That was something to be treasured more than precious jewels, or even Celestia’s secret stash of chocolate.
“Here, look here, and then here,” Twilight said, floating several books in front of Luna, and then leaned in so she could peruse them at the same time as the Princess.
Luna felt her face heat up as Twilight nuzzled up to her cheek to cheek, the unicorn’s attention fully on the books as she used her horn to highlight the pertinent areas.
With some difficulty, Luna focused her eyes on the research material and felt slightly startled as she discovered it involved several case studies of young unicorns and the way that their immature magic manifested.
“I was trying to understand how Curry could exist with no natural magic in her body, but somehow seemed to be filled with the magic of some other pony. That’s when I recalled an incident with Miss Smarty Pants a few months before my parents enrolled me in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. As you can see, there have been several case studies of similar incidents. Now I know in each of those cases, the manifestation involved an existing object. A beloved doll, a stuffed tiger, and other similar objects. But, you have to consider, Jake is an Alicorn. It stands to reason that he has the potential for something much more all-encompassing.”
Luna considered Twilight’s points while nibbling on one of the excellent biscuits Twilight had carefully arranged on the table in mathematically precise rows. Then the implications hit home and Luna’s eyes went wide, and she turned her head to stare at Twilight. “You think that Curry Comb is Jake’s...”
“Imaginary Friend,” Twilight crowed.
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*headdesks* And when Twilight is proven wrong?
I think it would be fitting for Curry to slap some sense into Twilight... I mean really, she thinks Curry is an imaginary friend?
How did she get in that school for the gifted, was the door just left open the day she turned up?
OMG...........vat a twist!!!!!
really liked those references down there
an imaginary friend made real by magic
cool
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3431136
But Luna knows something Twilight does not. I'm betting you can not dream walk an imaginary friend.
They just need to figure out who would be wearing the leash, and who would be carrying it...
And Twilight gets it completely backwards...
it seems more likely to me that Curry's Magic actually manifested itself by changing Jake into an Alicorn. He already had the Earth-Pony Magic, and if humans are really so magical then she should have been able to synergize with him well enough. It would explain why she doesn't exhibit any herself and why he became an Alicorn.
Would that make Jake...Curry's Foster father?
I really should have given a shout out to Rainbow Double Dash for supplying me with the group of background ponies that flustered Sweets. Minus Trixie, who I just have to use eventually, they are of course the Elements of Harmony from the Lunaverse universe.
Now I have to go back to thinking how Luna is going to break the news to Twilight, and how to fit the Princesses' latest round in their Practical Joke war in. ^_^
Nope. Fucking Damnit, no. That is the stupidest excuse for a human tag...EVER. If that shit isn't fixed, I swear to every bloody deity on the planet I will do everything in my power to destroy this.
4665709
One the one hand, yes that would be a a mean thing for an author to pull...
But on the other Twilight really is crazy enough to think that - and it's a wonderfully dark and terrible idea. A sapient magical AI utterly dependent on the mind of a child for its very life. I can think of few more horrifying ideas.
4665709 the error of your statement is due to you overlooking this:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/14298/petriculture
Ooh. That's a wonderful line.
Gave me a shiver of the good sort.
8857070
Thank you. Always happy when a line or situation resonates with the reader. Hopefully, I'll be doing new material, after I get done Editing Jake and the Kid and all the chapters of Batpony I've already done.
I need to refresh my memory.
"se" instead od "d"
eye'd'
Remove
This is what I found for chapter 17
9434373
used 'he respond' but otherwise got it.
He FARTED!
Didn't the previous chapter talk about how this bit took place basically at night, or did simply a lot of time pass while the mares were surrounding him?
Should be "her and me."
10064560
In the case of dialogue I tend to go by the idea that that different characters have different modes of speech.