Chapter 23 : When Ponies Call you on the Phone
"Uhm... I'm just somepony who needs to know something. Are you... Mary Morris?" The voice asked.
Mary blinked and looked up from inspecting her hoof idly. She stared at the phone, holding it out at leg's length as if it were dangerous. Tentatively, she put it back to her ear and repeated herself.
"Who is this?"
Is she with the school? Who would be asking for me by name? Annoyingly enough, the speaker on the phone did not answer Mary’s question right away.
Instead, the line became muffled for a second, and Mary heard what sounded like other voices in the background, possibly arguing. Well, this is odd. Bobby, what did you do now? The squeamish voice reappeared after a moment, sounding a little flustered now.
“Oh, uhm, my name. I’m… Amelia? I go to… school with… Robert. I am calling about him. Yes.” The stranger on the other end of the line sounded unsure about that, or perhaps nervous. There was a loud, slapping noise in the background.
Mary didn't notice that so much, though. Instead, she stood up off the wall; her back straightened and her ears twitched furiously atop her head. Could it be… A girlfriend…!? she thought. Her mother senses were tingling.
“Alright,” Mary responded tentatively, in a very calm tone. She believed the stranger, after all she hadn’t been given a reason not to. However, it seemed like this call might be between the girls on the line and her son. The question is, what is this about? “I take it you’re calling to speak to my son then, Amelia?"
"Er... yes... I'm trying to talk to Robert about... stuff. Is he home?" They also, Mary noticed, sounded a little too old to be asking for her Bobby.
Mary's eyes narrowed a little. "Yes, he’s home. What did you need to talk to him about?”
The voice returned, oddly sounding a bit more confident now. “Oh, nothing super important.” They laughed, again sounding a little nervous, then continued on, once again suspiciously confident. “I just needed to ask a question about an assignment is all."
Mary frowned at one side of her mouth and held out the phone to stare at it. After a moment, she shrugged. Bobby, you better be behaving yourself. “Give me one minute, dear. I’ll go and fetch him for you.”
The voice on the other end brightened and replied happily. “Great! Thank you so much Mrs. Mary-” There was some squabbling on the other end of the line, then the voice came back with, “I mean, Mrs. Morris.”
Mary smirked and looked at the phone with an amused look. “Of course, dear.” She replied, then set it down up on the counter. Well she sounds cute, Mary thought while trotting out of the dining room towards the back door. Bobby had definitely better be behaving himself... I wonder why mystery girl was calling him Robert? Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions...
Stan was surprisingly not in his recliner or office despite not being at work. He was taking full advantage of his meager three days off for the Christmas holidays. On top of that, his rust red beard was coming in strong once more; to keep him warm for the winter, he had claimed to her several times.
“Hey, Mar.” Stan called and looked up from the couch as his wife entered the room. “Did you just get off the phone with mom?” The man was, of course, referring to Mary’s mother, who lived in Canada.
Mary frowned a little, swallowing, then continued past her husband. “Er, no, love. I’ll get to it, I said I would. In fact, I’ll call her in just a moment.”
“Oh,” Stan responded, perhaps with a little too much disappointment in his voice. “Like I said, I could talk to her if you would like-”
Mary interrupted him, tail swishing and a hoof waving towards him. “No no, it’s quite alright, love. I’ll get to it.”
Stan shrugged, still looking a little downtrodden. “Alright then, I’ll stop pestering you about it. What is up, then?”
Mary paused at the back door and tsked in irritation. Not from her husband, but from the fact she was about to brave the cold outside in just her shorts and t-shirt. She still mostly wore just shorts and a t-shirt. Getting other clothes on was typically a bigger hassle for her as a pony. True, she had a fur coat, but it didn’t seem to help too much.
“There’s a girl on the phone for Bobby.” Mary responded simply to Stan, eyes locked in a staring contest with the cold wind blowing flurries of snow outside. It was an impressively white Christmas this year.
Stan stared at Mary’s back, the words she had spoken dawning on him after a moment. “Oh,” he said, wondering if he needed to say anything else, or if his wife was already thinking what he was thinking. “Uhm…”
Before Stan could say anything more, however, Mary opened the door, letting in a blast of cold. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
Stan chuckled. “Well alright, this’ll be the final straw if not, though.” He heard his wife return his laughter on her way through the door, just before it shut with a clatter.
Outside, Mary shivered in the sudden drop of ambient temperature. “Freezing freezing freezing…” She repeated the word over and over as she danced slightly on her hooves towards the garage door, only a short distance from the house.
Behind the door was the unmistakable sound of Bobby’s out of control electric guitar. Admittedly, it was very professional sounding, Mary thought. At least, as professional as that sort of music could get. At least on occasion Bobby did tone it down and play the instrument in a much more placid fashion, often creating some very interesting sounding tunes.
Those less ear wrenching sounds, however, were the rare exception only.
Mary sighed and hurried her way into the garage. This fur is useless, useless I say! It really was, she considered. It barely kept her any warmer than she thought she would probably be without it. I guess I would look quite silly without the fur, though. Sillier than I already do, anyway.
It was only just warmer inside, rather than out. Standing in the far corner beside a space heater, along with his birthday present, a guitar, was Bobby.
Mary thankfully didn’t have to yell or anything over the music. Her son ceased playing as she stepped inside.
“Hey, Mom.” Bobby straightened up slightly and killed his equipment. “What’s up?” He used one hand to pull back the long, wild hair that grew to either side of his face.
Mary tried to keep from frowning, and answered plainly. “Bobby, there’s a girl on the phone asking for you-” She blinked and stood back from the door, shocked, as her son dropped his brand new guitar and shot past her like a bolt of lightning.
“Thanks! I got it!” Bobby responded simply on his way past.
Mary continued, still in shock. “-her name is Amelia and she’s calling about… oh, nevermind.” Her son had already exited the one car building and was taking strides up the back porch stairs.
Teenagers, Mary thought simply, then sighed. She gave the garage a glance, then shut the door and made her own way back to the house. I swear that boy is a walking disaster waiting to happen. Maybe I should talk to him about girls… She didn’t exactly relish the thought.
Mary opened and quickly shut the back door, then paused at the floor mat to shake the snow off of her fur.
Stan spoke up from where he was still seated on the couch. “Mary, don’t forget to call mom. Also…” He trailed off, and Mary paused in her own furious mixture of shivering and shaking to listen. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Mary took in a breath. “I will, Stan, don’t worry. I’ll do it now, in fact. What did you-” Before she could finish, and after giving her head and coat a quick shake, she heard a few giggles from nearby.
“Mom, you looked like a doggy.” Anna was watching Mary from the opposite doorway, and carried her giant pony plushie along with her.
Mary’s expression darkened a little. “Anna, dinner is in just a little bit, go clean up okay? We’re having… shoot what are we having… Meatloaf?” She looked over at Stan, who shrugged then glanced to the television. Her daughter moaned in complaint, and rather than whirling about to leave or do what she had been told, entered the room and approached Stan.
“Aw, but mom,” Anna whined, then tossed the giant, cyan colored plush toy on the couch. “I don’t want meat loaf. Also, it’s really weird when you eat meat. Can’t we have-”
Mary thought about standing up to confront her daughter, but instead trotted past. “Anna, go get cleaned up. Mom’s diet is her own business, okay? And take… Pinkie Pie back up to your room. You always leave her lying around.”
Anna must have forgotten what she had initially complained about, because she instead targeted the subject of her stuffed toy. “Mom! She’s not Pinkie Pie this is Rainbow Dash! Rainbow. Dash. Do you know how upset she would be if you didn’t get her name right?” The little girl’s protests raised an octave on and off as she went on, stating with fervor the issue she had taken with her mother’s lack of interest in the closest thing they had to clues. “How can you possibly get them mixed up they looked nothing alike on the show!”
Mary heaved a sigh and paused at the doorway, looking to her husband for help. She had fought this battle too many times of late. Stan, unhelpfully, was busy eying the giant toy with scrutiny.
Seeing she would get no aid, Mary moved on and trotted towards the kitchen. “Dinner in an hour, sweet pea. Put Rainbow… Uhm, put Rainbow Flash upstairs-”
Anna cried out in complaint. “Dash! Mom, her name is Rainbow Dash!”
“That’s what I said, dear.” Mary continued saying, and saw that Bobby wasn’t near the kitchen. “Put your pony back in your room.” She spotted what she was after, however. She put the kitchen phone up to her ear while waving a hoof absently to her daughter’s begrudging response.
Rather than catching her son’s conversation, however, Mary heard the dial tone. Drat, she thought and replaced the phone back on its hook. I guess I missed it… Whatever it was, anyway. Bobby you had better be behaving… Huffing out a breath of withheld air, Mary stood up and leaned back against the door frame, forelegs crossed in front of herself. Now what was I about to do?
After giving herself a moment to think, Mary remembered that Stan had been saying something. Hm, what was he going to say… Oh, right, I need to call mother. She sighed a bit at that. Her mom was a little difficult to talk to. She worried, after all, a lot, and telling her the truth about what had happened to her just… didn’t seem like an option.
Mary blinked while frowning at the floor, then looked at her front two hooves. They were odd things; pale orange beneath the thin fur that covered her entirely. She had considered time and again how to go about telling her mom about them. After all, every time anyone had found out about her the plans she had made never exactly worked out.
In the end, Mary resolved to at least try and keep this secret from the rest of her family a little bit longer… Not forever, if it came to that, but a little while longer… Her mom could be angry later if she wanted, or cared.
Mary picked up the phone of the cradle again and dialed the number for her parents house.
“Hey, Mar, I—” Stan walked in as the phone began to ring. “Oh,” he said, then lowered his voice. “Sorry, I’ll talk to you in a moment.”
Mary furrowed her brow, still waiting for the ringing to be put to a stop. “Stan?” She recognized that look on his face, just before it had disappeared. He seemed to have been worried over something. “Stan what’s—”
“Mary!” The outburst of an elderly woman’s voice through the phone interrupted what Mary had been about to say.
“Hi, Mom!” Mary turned around and spoke into the phone immediately with the happiest voice she could muster up. “How are you? I’m so sorry I didn’t call again sooner, things have been—”
Her mother finished the sentence for her. “—crazy, yes. You’ve been saying that a lot lately, Mary. I worry so much though that you won’t tell me why, and with Stan out of the military now I— Are you sure it isn’t about money? You know your father and I don’t mind—”
It was Mary’s turn to interrupt her mother. They did this, finishing things or adding points back and forth tirelessly. After all, if one of them didn’t, the other would keep going. “Mom, no, it’s not money, I promise. I can’t tell you though, not yet, it’s—”
Her mother jumped in. “And your husband’s parents are alright? Is it Bobby then? I know you said he’s been doing better in school but—”
Mary squeezed her eyes shut and returned fire. “Mom, no, everything’s fine! Better than fine. In fact, everything’s looking up lately, I think. I know I was calling you a lot just a little while ago but stuff has really, really gotten better… for the most part… There is a complication, but it’s nothing we can’t handle-
Her mother gasped. “Child, you are starting to sound like you did when you were expecting Anna. Are you pregnant again?”
Mary thumped her head against the door frame and spotted Stan out of the corner of her eye. Where is he going? The man had walked backwards out of the room as though he thought he was being stealthy.
“No, Mom,” Mary replied wearily. “I am most definitely not pregnant. You know I can’t get pregnant anymore.” She sighed and leaned against the wall, then slid down it until she was seated on the floor.
The position was a little uncomfortable, so her hind legs dragged themselves underneath herself so she could sit ‘pony-style’ as Herbert had put it. Anna had called it doggy-style but that had to be put to a stop for obvious reasons.
Mary’s mother heard her daughter’s sigh. “Well, I know, but this still sounds very suspicious. So, what’s the matter then, Mary? I wasn’t born yesterday you know. Please tell me?”
Mary bit her lip. “It’s nothing, Mom, really. Forget I said anything, pleeease,” she begged. Before her parent could jump in, she continued on strong. “Before I ask how Dad is, I do need to tell you though, we can’t make it up this year… I’m sorry. No it’s not money or the plane tickets. I know this is last minute, but it can’t be helped.”
A sigh answered her from the other side of the phone-line. “That’s too bad. Herbert told me to surprise Anna with this giant toy… horse thing, and I was really hoping to see her reaction to it… I’ll mail it down though, alright? Or should I hold onto it?”
Mary slapped a hoof to her forehead, briefly forgetting her own rule about not doing face-hoofs because of how much they hurt. Darnit, Herbert, she thought angrily to herself. “Just hold onto it for now, Mom. We’ll be up soon, okay-! I promise we will, just not for Christmas.”
The phone line was quiet for the briefest of seconds.
“Alright, dear. Just bear in mind we’re here in case you need us,” Mary’s mother replied. “Would you like to talk to your father?”
Mary exhaled as quietly as she could, already feeling the stress of the ordeal melt its way out of herself. Her left hoof began twisting in the air absently, wrapping her ponytail around itself. “No, mom, I don’t think so. I was just calling you to let you know we can’t come this year. I gotta go, too. I need to start dinner now or I everyone will start losing their minds.” She chuckled some, and was joined in by the kindly voice on the phone with her.
“Okay, you take care of those animals you keep in that barn of yours, Mary,” her mom replied jokingly.
Mary smirked and stared flatly at the ground. “I will, Mom… Yes… okay… I love you too. Yep… Okay, bye now. Bye.”
She sighed as the other end of the line hung up after a moment. Well, that wasn’t so bad. I’m glad I didn’t wait another day to do that.
“Hey, Mar?” Stan’s voice piped in all of a sudden.
Mary looked up from where she was still seated on the floor. “Oh, Stan, could you hang this up for me?” She held up the phone to him from where she sat. “I told mom, just like I said I would. It went a lot better than I thought, too.”
Stan’s eyes widened as he stepped forward slowly and took the phone. “You… told her?”
Mary blinked at him, then stood up quickly. Her hooves clattered on the bare wood floor as she did. “Oh, no no no, I didn’t tell her. I told her we couldn’t make it up, is what I meant.”
The tall man had stood motionlessly where he had taken the phone. He finally let out his lung full of held air. “Oh, alright then,” he chuckled, obvious relief in his tone. Afterwards, however, he coughed and followed after Mary. “Listen… Mar… there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you today.”
Mary was humming to herself, trotting calmly into the kitchen to get started on that dinner she had mentioned earlier. She opened the freezer up to fetch what she had in mind for her family. “Oh?” she asked her husband without looking up.
Mary grabbed the box of meatloaf in her teeth, then set it on the stove. A few seconds had passed by, so she turned around. “Stan?”
Her husband was standing still in the doorway, still holding the phone in one hand.
Stan shook himself after a moment of being stared at, and hung up the phone with out looking. “Uhm…” he paused, while Mary watched, until his eyes flickered over to the counter.
“Oh!” Stan exclaimed, then laughed heartily. “Meatloaf! That’s right, you already said that in the family room. It completely slipped my mind. Sorry, I was just wondering what was for dinner.” Smiling, and walking slowly, he stepped into the kitchen towards Mary.
Mary raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Well, don’t get too excited, big guy. This is nothing compared to what I have in store for Christmas day.”
Stan stopped at the counter and continued to eye the box of frozen meat. He didn’t reply to her.
Is he alright? Mary poked her husband’s side, putting on a slightly worried look. “Hey, space cadet, you in there—?”
Suddenly, Stan growled and turned to face Mary, making her shriek in surprise. The taller being picked her up, flipped her over on her back, and held her aloft. His arms formed a wide cradle beneath her, with one arm on the back of her neck.
Mary’s eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates the moment she had felt her hooves get tugged from the safe, welcome feel of stable ground beneath them. Still, the more welcomed sight of Stan’s eyes meeting hers replaced it.
After a moment more of growling, Stan began chuckling, instead. “Ah, lass, why is there no’ yet food on your thane's table? We fightin’ men canno’ defend the hold on an empty stomach ye’ know.”
Mary managed to take a breath, now calmed down, and put her hooves around his neck. “Cute. Very funny. Hysterical.” She said each word pointedly, moving her head a little closer each time she did so.
Stan hefted her once, getting a better grip. He chuckled again, his reply a bit more restrained. “I realized I hadn’t picked you up in… a while.” He smiled warmly, one of his hands stroking her shoulder.
Mary blinked, then looked down at herself. “Yeah, years actually.” She turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
Stan furrowed his brow. “Well it’s… I don’t know, you didn’t seem like- and…” He sighed, then laughed. “Does that mean you won’t mind at all if—” He was interrupted.
Mary kissed Stan, rather than let him talk his way into something he wouldn’t be able to figure out. Dumb oaf. She pulled away, and winked happily. “I don’t mind anything at all.” After a moment, she added, “Within reason, of course.” After all, she thought. You are your dad’s son…
Mary continued and gave him a lick on the nose. That, at least, had actually been one of their things before the pony incident. “Can you put me down now? I have to cook so you don’t all starve and this home can remain sane.”
Stan smirked, “Aye, lass.” He gingerly lowered her to the ground, then let her slide down onto the tile floor.
Mary’s hooves met the floor again with a clop.
“Anna!” Mary shouted at the sight she could not believe she had just seen. “What have I said about cartwheels in the house?” In her hooves she held a carefully balanced assortment of food for the dinner table. Bobby had been nice enough to set the table.
Anna gave her mother a hurt look and shrank back. After having cart wheeled all the way around the table to her seat on the other side, of course. She gingerly pulled out her chair with an ashamed look, that may or may not have been legitimate. “...The same thing about backflips?” she asked slowly.
Mary’s eyes narrowed some at that answer. “Anna, no acrobatics, of any sort at all, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt or break anything. Rough housing is not allowed, missy.”
Anna groaned and flopped into her chair unceremoniously. “But it’s too cold to do it outside anymore! And it’s sooo cooool! Mom, my cutie mark says that it’s what I’m good at, and-”
Mary set her daughter with a renewed look that said she wasn’t playing around. “Anna—!” she began.
Bobby interrupted her. “It is pretty cool, Mom. Dad, you think it’s cool, right?” He grinned smugly at his plate.
“Bobby…” Stan began warningly.
Mary straightened up after making it to the table and set the last thing of food on the table. She inhaled and exhaled once before speaking. “Alright, this isn’t the mess with mom hour, guys. Anna, I don’t care about… Sweetie, you’ll be good at whatever you want to be and pursue, don’t let your… anything else determine what you want to do in life but yourself.”
Anna opened her mouth to protest, but Mary continued. “Bobby, I appreciate you being nice to your sister but it’s time for dinner.”
Bobby scowled. “I was not being nice to her, I was—”
Mary ahemed loudly and rang a spoon held by her hoof against a dish. “Now, if everyone, Bobby.” She paused and gave him a flat look. “Would please give me a moment, I have a couple announcements. First, we will be staying here for Christmas, as I’m sure everyone knew.”
Anna awed aloud, while Bobby did not react outwardly. Stan was staring down at his filled plate.
“The second,” Mary continued. “Is that you will be going to Church on Christmas Eve, as normal, with Grandpa and Grandma, but without me.” She kept a close eye on her two kids, waiting for some sort of reaction.
Anna folded her hands in front of herself. When she spoke, her voice was carefully measured parts of both cute, and endearing. “But Mom, if we’re at Church for so long we won’t be able to be here and enjoy the holiday with you! Christmas is supposed to be about family togetherness.”
Mary smirked. “It’s tradition, darling, and thank you for thinking of me, but it’s just for two hours.” She looked across the table curtly to Bobby, ignoring the grumbling of defeat that Anna went on with. “Now, that’s all I had, so we can say grace and eat,” she concluded.
Bobby groaned aloud, unsure if being promised his driver’s license for eating at the table was worth it.
“Which will be said by Robert,” Mary added promptly.
Bobby’s expression sunk. “Aw come on, that’s not part of the deal.”
Mary turned her chin up slightly at her son. “Oh yeah?” She jokingly began. “Well, I’m the mom, kiddo.” She grinned across the table at her husband.
Stan, for his part, looked to be on the edge of interjecting, but stayed out of things, good natured as they were; at least, for his family.
Bobby grumbled, hunched over some, but folded his hands. Before he could begin though, Mary raised a hoof towards him.
“Ah, actually, Bobby. I have a little deal for you.” Mary had put on a mischievous grin.
Bobby looked at his father, who glanced back without moving otherwise. Finding no help there, he moved on. “A deal?” he warily asked his mother.
Mary nodded and hummed. “Yes, a deal. If you tell me about this girl you talked to, then I’ll say grace tonight.” She smirked, and was surprised when Bobby burst out with laughter. “Uhm, am I missing something?” She looked at Stan, who shrugged.
“A girl actually talk to him? Without running away?” Anna snickered and shrunk away slightly from the death-glare she got from her older brother.
Bobby went on to fold his arms, and replaced his amused expression. “I didn’t know her, Mom. At first I figured she was just some girl from school, or something. I’ve been pretty popular lately thanks to how good I am with my guitar.”
Mary continued to listen, while Stan continued to eye his plate of food, stomach rumbling.
Anna, however, interjected with another crack at her sibling. “You’re only good because of your cutie mark,” she grumped, looking at him darkly.
“It’s. A tattoo,” Bobby replied with conviction to his sister, then cracked his knuckles under the table. “And I got good on my own, alright? I’ve been practicing for five years so-”
“Bobby,” Mary simultaneously prompted and warned her son. “Please continue. Anna, it’s rude to interrupt.” She gestured across the table with a hoof.
Anna sighed and set about stirring her peas with a fork.
Bobby flipped his hair back and sat up, then went on. “Right, well, turns out she wasn’t from my school, that wasn't hard to figure out. So, like, I thought maybe I met her at a party… er… like that one a couple months ago, which is the only one I’ve ever been to, by the way…” He continued passed that subject, not meeting Mary’s suddenly withering gaze. “Anyway, and I was going to tell you about this later, Mom. I just sorta forgot is all.”
Mary let the first signs of confusion replace the interest she had felt over the matter. Her son was rarely open about things, but he had seemed rather intent on just… telling her. “What do you mean?” she asked, leaning forward onto the table.
Bobby shrugged. “Well, I figured it was a prank because someone figured something out… about, well, the Halloween thing.” He saw the worried looks his other family members were growing, and shrugged.
“Bobby, go on.” Mary could feel her nervousness rising as certain conclusions began to draw inside her head. She was already wondering if she would need to flee the state, or get out to another relatives house.
Bobby nodded slowly. “Right, well, this girl that called me was asking about if I had seen any… uhm... ponies, lately...”
The room was silent for a moment.
Stan coughed, loudly, and got his son’s attention. “What next?” He too, was drawing conclusions.
Bobby nodded again. “Here’s where it gets weird. After I tell her I don’t know anything, and to just drop it, because apparently there’s a video of that night, Mom-” He cut off as Mary let out a short, breathless gasp. “I know…” he went on. “I didn’t know about that, either, by the way. Anyway, like, she said that her name was… Star… Twinkle… Dusk Shine…” He scrunched up his face and tapped the table top with a solitary finger. “Light-bright? I dunno, but she was asking about that night. I told her I didn’t know anything and to not call back, Mom. So, yeah, don’t worry.”
The sound of one of Mary’s hooves clunking a little on the dinner table was the only thing that filled the room.
Stan leaned over the table and grabbed her hoof. “Mar? Hey, it’s gonna be alright, I’m sure they don’t know anything or-”
Mary interrupted her husband. “No!” She shook her head. “You don’t understand.” Her green, pony eyes searched around the table and her kids before facing Stan, then went back to her son. “Bobby! I-” she thunked a hoof against her head again. “Nevermind!” With that, she clambered out of her chair and onto the floor.
Her other family members all called out in their own way, or gave chase.
Mary whirled about once she reached the phone. “No, everything’s fine! It’s-” she growled, furiously trying to hit the call-back button on the phone without pressing any others. “I recognize where I’d heard that girl’s voice before!”
Stan slid to a stop and traded a confused look with Bobby. It was Anna that gasped next, and spoke alongside with Mary.
“It was Twilight!” the two shouted at the boys in tandem.
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
933 users online
1,211,169 hits today, 2,314,256 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.®
Welcome back to writing.
Nice to see this not getting canceled =)
Haha, good plan Stan. Discretion is the better part of valor, after all. And I wonder if that second part is still true given the transformation.
Gotta admit, the scene in the kitchen between Mary and Stan really warmed my heart. It's nice to see their relationship surviving in spite of the changes.
3392218
Posh, have you not been reading my other stories? I've updated something at least once a week. Mary just had to go on a break... I had hoped it wouldn't last three months like this... but ah well.
Things are getting intense! loving this!
Oh, and saying first apparently is the custom on such an event as this so...
FIRST!... *giggles gleefully*'ok, nope, doesn't seem like it?
oh well
Nice was hoping to see this again! So much time has gone by and now we're back on track! Can't wait for the next chapter!
WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE INEVITABLE CROSSOVER WITH MLM AND ATL FOR ALMOST 3 MONTHS NOW.
AND THEN YOU PROLONG IT.
DAMNIT MERLOS!
3392234
No I haven't. Though I'm waiting for Thunderstruck to be completed.
Did not realize you write them both.
I mainly look at the title and sometimes for the author and his/her other stories.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/85255656/Reactions/explosion.gif
3392267
Fair enough, really.
3392263
I could unpost and wait until it's 10k words as I had planned.
Interesting; so, Twi knows how to use Google, it appears, and (having seen pony!Mary on YouTUBE) is now trying to track her down. Well, at least this should kill Mary's last hope that Luna is nothing but a hallucination. Now, I think, we can get to the nitty-gritty of what is going on and why.
You are a mad man. (Emphasis on 'mad.') You apparently write a couple of stories that I greatly enjoy.
*shakes fist/hoof at*
As awesome as it is, it also means that I'll have to wait a lot for updates from each of them! How dare you be a good, prolific and quality driven writer! Exclamation point! Oneoneeleventyeleven!
3392263 Don't you know? Your frustration with every cliffhanger, every plot hole, and every defered awesometastic promise fuels everything, from his most glorious idea blob (brain) to his key clackers (fingers... I'm assuming the keys don't just obey his will... yet...)!
welcome back!
You're bad, leaving everypony with a cliff hanger like this.
Alice Solo fic coming soon, I've got Merlos watching my back with editing. Seeing some of the stuff in the next chapters, I can wait to dangle some of it out of everyponys reach. ::P
3392290
Already read it anyway, so your trolling kinda failed there.
God damn it! I can't believe you did that! She was right there!!!!!
Also, I know Thunder Struck isn't part of this universe, but it could be couldn't it. I mean ho cool would it be for Twilight to meet Glados.
The garage is alive and slightly aroused!
My presumptions of this chapter did a 180 at the start, and then another one right there at the end! Damned teasing!
THIS WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Geeze, your good at this Merlos!
With pleasure!
Mary's Special Talent is motherhood.
Not much of a leap, right? Well, hold on. This is where it gets crazy.
So, if her talent is being a mom, then why doesn't she have her Cutie Mark yet? She's got children, and seems to be raising them fairly well.
Except there's one big thing she hasn't gotten to do since becoming a pony: giving birth. It may have already been hinted at that she's pregnant, and if it's true then it will certainly make for an interesting development on its own.
But I don't think that's all that's going on. Too much just doesn't add up. Namely: If Stan has just now gotten around to sweeping her off her feet again, I highly doubt he's done "that" with her.
So who's the father? Mary certainly hasn't been sleeping around in her current state, and I think we'd have found out by now if the deed was done without consent. That leaves only one possible culprit.
MAGIC!
If you don't believe me, look back at what she did to those police cruisers on accident. She's literally full of the stuff! A musical number away from sprouting wings and a horn, I wouldn't be surprised if the (hypothetical, of course) foal starts out with them.
So yeah, magical alacorn foal who may or may not also be the second coming of Jesus Christ, based solely on the fact that Mary's been feeling a bit pudgy lately. How's that for speculation!
IT'S FINALLY HERE!
merlos, you're such a tease. This chapter, good though it may be, was only enough to whet the appetite!
3392246
protip: if you suspect yours to be the first comment, hit the refresh button on the comments area before posting. This will save you the embarrassment of being ninja'd
you know, this one
i.imgur.com/KUzv7CU.jpg
push it before saying first, because otherwise you look... a little silly.
Mkay, now I've gotta read Twi's POV due to insatiable curiousity. I was trying to avoid it, but part of me knew that as soon as you started to intertwine the stories together I was going to cave and read them all. Good job.
Yay more Mary!
Oh sweet Tartarus! It updated!
And ... not too much happened after that cliffhanger.
You tease.
3392710 You realize they could have had sex before she turned into a pony right? Maybe turning into a pony has had the effect of prolonging her pregnancy. Isn't real earth pony pregnancy longer then humans? Maybe that's the case.
3392674 Well that sucks.
3392967
I wake up and see an email saying this was updated ... I got so happy that I almost squealed
Awesome chapter
She's 20% cooler than Pinkie Pie.
-->"Here's"
Awww yiiiissss, motherfucking Twilight Sparkle.
3393042 Yeah... A lot of women say that and then guess what? 9 months later... I doubt she's already gone through menopause yet (unless she had some surgery to prevent her from having more kids), so she is still able to get pregnant.
It's been awhile since I've read the early chapters, but I don't recall her saying anywhere she has had this done and I don't think she's told us her age either. So unless she's over 50, I think it's somewhat safe to say she is only speculating. Also the author could have a reason she can't get pregnant as well (again can't remember much of the earlier chapters).
Edit: She's middle aged. So anywhere from mid to late 30's to early 40's. Still able to have kids. Possible, but chances are low. And you never know, perhaps becoming a pony has changed things.
After all... IT'S MAGIC!
"He continued passed that subject" should be "He continued past that subject"
I'm still considering whether I want to read Twilight Sparkle's side of the story. I'm only interested in the more recent things: How she got to Earth and what she did leading up to calling Mary, but that would require reading everything that comes before it.
*electric synthesizer*
~Rob's a...~
*electric synthesizer*
~Rob's a...~
*electric synthesizer*
~Rob's a mother father gentleman.~
>life has been dominated by the concept of ponies
>still misses when someone on the phone says "somepony"
I guess I can see someone missing that word if it's said pretty fast, it doesn't really sound all that phonetically different from "somebody". But still, come on.
Oooooh. *phone call ends* ... No details? :\ (Totally still think she's pregnant, though.)
I know this is a stretch, but I can't help but wonder if that "clop" was an intentional, subtle innuendo considering that Stan's apparently worried about their love life. Because putting that short sentence into it's own paragraph and directly before a page break gives it an air of importance, but it's such an unnecessary sentence if it doesn't have hidden meaning. Especially since it's basically just re-stating what readers already pictured from the sentence immediately before it.
*gasp* Who knew!? Lol, having him call Twilight her R63 name... good stuff. I can't say I'm amused that it took an entire chapter for it to finally come out that it was Twilight on the phone; having the final scene be what readers expected the resolution to the FIRST scene to be makes the already slow-feeling story feel so much more glacially slow. On top of the fact that this chapter ends on exactly the same cliffhanger as last chapter. "It was Twilight on the phone! She's finally going to get to talk to Twilight!" Same ending.
This doesn't make me want the next chapter any less (I want it a lot), but it does make me want to wag my finger at you.
3393206
Of course, "middle aged" might have advanced somewhat in the years between now and then since it's the mid-point of life expectancy, which will hopefully still be on the rise for a few years. Plus:
Judging from that, she may have already had a bit of a late pregnancy with Anna, who is now, what? Eight? Ten?
I'm not saying you're wrong, but you might not be right either.
'Course, I'd have to be madder than Merlos himself if I thought my own idea was any more solid than the plot of a Michal Bay film.
3393286
Ah, sorry, it was supposed to keep going. Life threw me for a loop.
3393571 Yes I agree. I may not be right. But then again she is a sapient pony capable of bringing life to everything around her. The grass, plants etc... Maybe the oven in her is capable of cooking a bun again.
3392465
There was going to be more, sir, but I didn't want to make anypony wait longer for this. I merely broke up the next chapter... I don't want to use my life's complications as a sword and shield or excuse, but it's all I really have to say for why I posted the story this way. I realize the other hints aren't what everyone wants, but I assure you that plugging was not my intent at all.
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/mlfw3007.gif?1347573323
3393696
The best kind, m' dear.
I might have dreamed this or something, but in an ATL chapter, doesn't Twilight "recognize" Mary as another pony she knows from Equestria? If it really is somepony else's body, and if Mary really is pregnant, maybe it's because that mare already was.
In any case it's not like Twilight to give up that easily... Especially since Bobby told her not to ever call again, which sounds a liiiiiiitle defensive... We'll just have to wait and see...!
3394215
Heh, I think you're thinking of a sentence in which the narrative described Mary as a pony that Twilight could see being her neighbor. As in, she didn't look like a cg or drawn pony, but a real, Equestrian pony.
3394349
Ah, that would explain it. I thought I remembered her dropping a specific name, but I guess it was just as an example. That's what I get for reading on my phone at the bus stop.
3395147
I am glad it didn't disappoint you.
Unfortunately not everyone's happy with me or my story... 
Such is the depressing fate of a fimfic author. I think I now know why Jasonthehuman doesn't write much anymore.
3395875
I'll say.
No, I'm just busy sobbing into my arms about downvotes. I mean, come on guys, you're making a grown wizard cry here! Just tell me what's wrong, I'll look into it! Or at least roll my eyes unironically. 
Hah, just kidding. I'm only frustrated with how difficult writing's become, in the end.
3395936
I've got to assume there's some grumbling over dragging out the cliffhanger through a whole chapter, and perhaps some people totally on board with human->pony stories but not cool with pony->human stories might be pissed at having to read a whole novel to get the other half of this tale.
3395191
I hope you don't think I'm not happy with the story. I complain because I care.
what a cliffhanger!
please don't make us wait too long for the next chapter, I can't wait to see what happens next!
3396833
Well, seeing as how I do have mot of it written already, I just need to find my muse again... I feel pretty in the spotlight at the moment and that usually stresses me out a ridiculous amount.
3397020
ooo, ouch, yea I know how that feels, I can't stand being in the spot light myself
Thank you for updating. I'm looking forward to the rest of this story very much :)
3392816
. (damn some people can read fast)
Heh, indeed
oh well, I got to read it at the moment it got out at least.