Consciousness stirred. That fundamental spark of awareness. With it came a sensation of waking up from a long nap. I felt old and dried out, immediately aware of how stiff my muscles were. But there was a new feeling, wasn't there? Or more accurately, there was a lack of something. That urgent sensation. It took me a moment to realize it, but it was gone.

Smiling, regardless that my body felt like one big, bandaged bruise, I opened my eyes. I felt the pupils in each eye contract sharply at the light and winced. Several seconds of adjustment later and the sunlight from a brand new morning greeted me through the window. I appeared to be alone in a very familiar looking clinic room.

Equestria. I was still alive? For once in my rather short life so far, I just took the moment to relax and let in the light.

It took a good five minutes or so of daydreaming before I got down to the business of testing muscles. Oddly enough, despite the massive levels of bandages, I seemed to be reasonably intact. My muscles were stiff and cold but oddly lacked the soreness I was anticipating. Even my forelegs could be moved properly again.

A little perturbed, I wondered why I was so heavily bandaged. Did I have bad burns? Was my skin missing? I decided confidently against taking said wrappings off. Unlike unwrapping a gift that's contents were to be celebrated, I preferred my squishy insides to stay well, inside. Instead, priority quickly dictated that I needed to pee and I rolled to get out of bed.

Oh for the love of all that is right and just in the world! That redefined bad idea! Rolling over caused the series of IVs to be pulled from my neck and forelegs, and not in the gentle and happy manner in which a cute nurse would remove them. Wincing, I couldn't halt damnable gravity in time and tried to make my dead drop off the side of the bed as graceful as possible.

And it's a stone-filled stomach flop with half rotation! The crowd goes wild! I decided I must still be significantly underweight as the noise of me planting my face into the wooden floor was still rather quiet; not unlike dropping a wet sack of potatoes onto cement. I winced and shook my head. Well, I was off to a great yet predictable start and it had only been my first meter or so of spatial movement.

Groaning lightly, I shakily stood up off the ground and tested my leg muscles. They held, thankfully. It would be kind of embarrassing to die two feet from a hospital bed via starvation. Things were looking up! I took a tentative first step and felt a light tugging in strange areas. Huh. Muscle atrophy, maybe? I wasn't a medical expert so I had no idea what could cause tugging like that.

Step two had me writhing on the ground in agony. Again. Son of a bitch! Next time, check for catheter in sensitive bodily orifices prior to accidentally stepping on the connected tube while walking! Burning sensations in awkward places came forth and I groaned again. Okay, so if I had one of those things in me, I must have been here quite a while then.

After checking myself for bleeding, I discovered that the catheter was one of the 'soft' variants. Okay, so it mainly hurt because I twisted it sideways before yanking it out. That made a little more sense and I felt considerably better. No blood was usually a good thing in my experience.

I resumed my walking, now at a hobbling pace with the newly acquired stinging sensation between my back legs. The bandages were stiff as well so I took things slow and careful as I headed towards the door. That's when I heard voices.

"But how am I supposed to plan a party if I don't know where it is?" whined a very distinct Pinkie voice. And the voices were familiar. That was even better.

"Jus' hold yer horses, Sugar Cube! Doesn't he have ta wake up first?" replied the unmistakable Applejack. My heart soared. I was actually alive! And in Equestria still!

"But, but, but, decorations!" Pinkie continued.

A light snickering came next. Wait, that snicker sounded distinctly unlike the other two voices. "Can't ya just load it into your cannon, Pinkie? That would be way cooler anyway," the voice suggested. Rainbow Dash! Wait, she was talking about me and it wasn't vindictive or cursing my very name? I had expected her to be angry after my forced teleportation of her. I sighed weakly. Even if she was, I still couldn't apologize. I don't regret making sure she got out safely. She had a dream here and somepony to share it with. I didn't have much of anything, only having been here a week prior. Oh wait, I still didn't really have anything. My few friends were probably mad at me for the 'almost dying' and 'lying to them' things. Hopefully in that order, anyway.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that. It's portable, too!" Pinkie exclaimed, lightening up instantly and throwing a sizable wrench into my moping.

"Ah've been meanin' ta ask ya how yeh go about doin' that, by tha way," Applejack mentioned suddenly, sounding curious.

Rainbow Dash snorted. "She's Pinkie. Seriously, 'nough said," she replied simply. Sadly, having spoken to the pink mare myself, I had to agree.

"Aww! Dashie knows me so well," Pinkie cooed, sounding almost flirty.

Applejack laughed and made a clicking noise. "Ah think it's one o' those things ah shouldn't ask 'bout, ah guess," she finally admitted.

"Didn't Twilight try that once?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh! Yuppers. Then the bees and Derpy happened. Oooh, and the hydra!" Pinkie shot back, sounding excited.

Well, that sounded exceedingly unpleasant. The universe is protective of its secrets, I suppose. Either that, or Pinkie Pie is some sort of reality warper with a sense of humor. "Yeah. Let's just hope she wants to come to the party. She still sounded kinda upset the last I talked to her," Rainbow commented. What? Twilight was upset with me? My heart sank a little. Oh yeah, I did kind of lie about coming back and she had to haul me to safety using her magic. She was probably more than 'kinda' upset.

"Still? Fer cryin' out loud. It's Princess Celestia. She's not gonna do anything rash," Applejack grumbled. P-Princess Celestia?! My eyes widened. I had upset her and she sold me out to the Princess? Oh no. Images of slave labor camps on the moon came to mind as I started to panic. Surely, I could still apologize?

"Oooh, but the Princess said she'd come to the party! Doesn't that mean Twi will probably come anyway?" Pinkie theorized. Everything started to add together. I felt my pupils contract as panic set in. I'd never seen anything to do with these princesses yet. If they were some form of shadow op government and I just offended a prime operative, what was my punishment going to be? Wait, didn't that make all of the Elements of Harmony agents of the princesses? My eyes widened as I realized Pinkie never said what kind of party it was. If party was a code word for execution, I was in serious trouble.

It was time for action, then. Looking around the room, I rapidly noticed that there were only two exits. The door obviously led into the hallway, where the agents of death were waiting. That left just the window. All right then, here we go! Hopping up on my bed, I slid the window open and peeked outside. Crap. It was a side window, which meant it opened onto the street. Far too late to withdraw my action now, I ignored the confused glances tossed my way and tried to kick off the bed to hurl myself out the window.

Alas, this was only partially successful. The bandages around my legs were way too stiff to get a proper thrust going. The bed went one direction and I went the other at greatly reduced speeds. This managed to get, well, most of me out the window. Oh, and cause those aforementioned sensitive areas to smash into the window frame, making an explosion of agony to dance up my spine as I smacked against the outside of the building with my chest. I heard a rolling sound and a crash from inside as well. Oh, the bed was on wheels. Go figure. I contemplated the errors of my escape attempt while hanging upside down by my back legs. That could have gone so much better.

"Moon Mender?" I heard a soft, yet innocent sounding voice from somewhere in front of me. Twisting my head, I managed to see a very familiar white unicorn filly running up to me, purple and pink mane bobbing rapidly.

"Oh uh, hey, Sweetie Belle. Nice day, huh?" I tried to distract, voice cracking towards the end due to disuse.

She stopped a meter or so in front of me and tilted her head. "Um, yeah. Do you need help or something?" she asked quietly, looking perplexed. I was probably an amusing sight, wrapped up like a mummy and hanging from a window.

"What tha hay's goin' on in 'ere?!" I heard a very distinct Applejack shout from behind me. Oh crap!

Kicking with my forelegs against the side of the building, I managed to vault myself off the window frame, flip once, and land gracefully on my butt outside. Sweetie Belle dove aside to avoid my descent and winced as I smashed into the ground.

"Ow! Sorry, Sweetie Belle! Gotta go," I apologized rapidly, before getting up and hobbling around the back of the building, wincing the entire way. Damn these bandages!

She looked surprised but stood up again and followed after me. "Wait, where are ya going?" she asked as I took off across the street. Aside from being a tad stiff and now sore in uncomfortable places, I found that I could move as if uninjured, oddly. Why was I wrapped up, then? Stupid bandages! They were more of a hinder than a help at this point.

"Wha?! Horse apples! Where'd he go?" I heard Rainbow Dash exclaim loudly back at the clinic.

I dove into an alley between two houses and into a large pile of leaves I found, making sure to bury myself as best I could. There was no time to get away. Much to my surprise, I felt someone messing with my tail a few seconds later. Oh no! It was outside of the pile still.

Even more surprising, they tucked it inside and covered it up. I saw a single leaf moved from my right eye, and Sweetie Belle smiled down at my panting form. "You must be hiding from AJ and Rainbow, right? I'll help!" she declared, looking like she was enjoying herself. This wasn't hide-n-seek! My life was on the line, here.

"Shhh. I need to get away from them. I need time to think," I whispered. She smiled and nodded, resuming covering me up with leaves. A short ten seconds later, I felt something tiny and warm push up against my chest as she slid in and covered herself as well, going dead silent.

Both of us held our breath as hoofsteps could be heard suddenly outside, walking across the harder dirt. Oh crap! How close were they? The hoofsteps stopped out on the street, three meters away or so. I felt Sweetie Belle go rigid and I swallowed, trying to control my breathing.

"Wha? Tha hoof prints stop on tha edge o' the grass 'ere. He musta gone off between tha houses, an' towards tha woods?" I heard Applejack reason, thankfully incorrectly.

"How'd he get so fast? Dang. I'll take to the air and see where he is," Rainbow returned, before I felt a light breeze. Thank goodness she wasn't closer or she might have blown away my hiding spot!

A merry giggling followed, with, "Maybe he's playing a game? Like tag or hide-n-seek? That would be really fun after being cooped up in that room for so long!"

"Who knows with that crazy stallion. Why'd he go an' run away, anyway? Ain't it custom ta say yer playin' one o' those games before jus' bookin' it outta there?" Applejack asked, sounding skeptical.

Pinkie snickered in amusement. "It's fun either way. Maybe he just wants some alone time?" Pinkie offered in a surprisingly lucid observation. The distinct sensation of her staring right at me suddenly came into being. Uh oh.

"But why run away? He could'a jus' said somethin', right?" Applejack questioned.

"I dunno. Let's go peek in the forest! We can't turn him down if it's hide-n-seek!" Pinkie declared as if it were a universal law.

There was a light, accented groan followed by, "Ya really are kinda random sometimes, ya know that, right?"

My blood turned to ice and it felt like my heart stopped as Applejack walked towards our hiding spot slowly, hoofsteps getting closer and closer albeit muffled by the grass. Time seemed to drag forever at that singular moment. It felt like an eternity but she finally passed us by. I watched the tip of her tail stir some leaves at the edge of our pile as she went.

Thankfully, my eyes were amber instead of blue like the rest of my color scheme! Blending in might be a little harder otherwise. I turned my visible eye forwards again. Then I froze as I saw Pinkie Pie looking directly at me. She wore a fascinated smile and surprised me by winking rather than sounding the alarm. Instead, she returned to her prior closed-eyed smirk and pounced past, following Applejack.

"Do you think we can find him before Rainbow?" she asked in a gleeful manner as she disappeared from vision. What happened? Whose side was she on?

"Oh, yer on! Ah'll hound him down in no time," Applejack agreed, suddenly sounding excessively competitive. Whoa! Was she always like that, or was it Rainbow bringing it out in her?

"But you're a pony, Silly! You'd need to bark more if you were a hound," was the last thing I heard before the voices disappeared at a surprisingly fast pace. Sweetie Belle and I didn't dare move for a good ten minutes, however.

---

The forest along the outskirts was peaceful, anyway. It was a chilly, Fall day and the leaves were beginning to drift off the trees. I vaguely recalled them changing colors before the incident, and I tried to gauge how long I'd been asleep. Now the sun slowly drifted towards the horizon, nightfall coming. I estimated it had been about four or so in the afternoon when I woke up. On further estimate, that made it now close to six o'clock.

"So you're worried about Twilight being mad at you?" Sweetie Belle asked, still tucked against my chest and emitting a diabetes-inducing level of cuteness. Both of us were packed into a small pocket we found under a few roots of a large tree. You'd have to be practically on top of us to see us from the air and we were only visible from a meter long segment on one side at ground level. However, it was rather nippy outside. I was kind of glad the little filly had followed me, as she was considerably warmer than I was. Maybe I had lost a lot of blood? Oh, and the company was nice, too. I made a mental note to not refer to friends as space heaters in the future.

I whispered back, "Yeah. I overheard them talking about how upset she is."

Sweetie giggled. "I don't think they meant mad. She visited you, like, almost every day. You probably just worried her. Fluttershy, too," she explained.

"I'm just worried after they mentioned Celestia," I muttered quietly.

"Ooh! Princess Celestia? Does she want to see you or something? She was here the day of your incident, but didn't get a chance to talk to you then. Uh, well, obviously," she enlightened, almost managing to confuse herself towards the end.

My mind skipped a few gears. "Wait, she was here?" I asked, feeling like the blood drained from my face.

Sweetie Belle giggled whimsically. "Yeah, she helped Twilight pull you back. Twilight is a little, well, sad because of that, I think," she explained, frowning a little in concern.

"Er, why? She didn't want me back?" I asked, swallowing a tad painfully.

It earned me a gentle shove to the chest. "No! She was just sad that she might not have been able to with just herself, I think. She never said directly. I just saw it in her eyes, really," Sweetie corrected, looking a little distracted in memories.

It dawned on me that there were indeed multiple definitions of 'upset'. I frowned and considered it. Well, ultimately, I probably just made an idiot of myself again. The best thing to do would be to simply slink over to the library and apologize directly to Twilight. If she says I'm clear with Princess Celestia, then I go and apologize to Fluttershy, who was the next most bothered by my attempted martyrdom. And then everypony else. That was a lot of apologies!

"I think you were really nice, though. Sis says you're a dying breed, or something like that, but I think you're honest and kind. I don't really understand but you saved Equestria even if it meant almost dying, didn't you?" Sweetie Belle interrupted, knocking me out of my planning and earning a choked back gag of surprise.

"Oh, no, no! I'm no hero, Sweetie Belle. We, well, we don't know how much danger Equestria was ever in, but I didn't want to take the chance. I'm," I muttered, trailing off and realizing the base facts.

Sweetie tilted her head and looked back up at me from her curled up position. I sighed and shook my head. "I'm just me. I'm not important enough. I mean, risking all of Equestria just for me? If I did that, even if the threat came to nothing, I doubt I could ever live with how selfish that would be," I continued, wondering if anypony was that important.

My friend and tree hiding companion smiled and nodded gently. "You're still important to your friends. But I think I see why Sis likes you. Although it makes her say more and more mean words about Prince Blueblood," she muttered, suddenly looking a tad annoyed.

I frowned, still attempting to process my own feelings alongside the dribble of new information the little filly constantly surprised me with. "Prince Blueblood?" I asked hesitantly. I hadn't realized there were any male rulers.

"He's a jerk. He made Rarity really upset at the Gala a while back after she was all set to, oh, what did she call it? Court him? I have no idea what that means, but oh was she mad!" Sweetie explained, shuddering.

"Are there two princes, as well? Sorry, I don't know much about your lifestyle here and didn't read anything about him in the book Twilight gave me," I asked, trying not to sound stupid.

She giggled however and nodded. "That was the first I'd heard of him, too, don't worry. He doesn't have wings like the princesses, so I doubt he's as powerful," she muttered, smiling up at me innocently.

"The princesses are pegasi?" I questioned, tilting my head. So much for equal representation.

"They have horns too. They're really pretty, with their flowing manes and beautiful jewels. I really, really like their manes," she cooed, swaying happily.

Both horns and wings? I hadn't heard of such a being, but it certainly sounded convenient. "So they can fly and cast spells as well? Wow," I muttered, impressed.

Sweetie Belle nodded happily. "Yeah. They're so amazing! I mean, Princess Celestia raises the sun each day! Her magic is so strong," she agreed, sounding a tad jealous as she looked up at her tiny horn.

"Oh don't worry, Sweetie Belle. I'm sure one day you'll be able to um, wait..." I muttered, trailing off as my brain slowly tried to shift from first gear to cheese. "T-The sun?!" I almost screamed, blood feeling like ice cubes.

Sweetie Belle looked surprised but nodded rapidly. "Yeah, she raises the sun each day. Princess Luna raises the moon each night. Why?" she asked, as if it were natural.

"B-But it's a massive... How?! Does she rotate the planet or? Even that, it-it's insane!" I muttered, my fragile mind starting to twist in upon itself. I'd heard of powerful magic back on my own world but this was just madness!

Sweetie Belle giggled and shook her head. "She raises the sun as her sacred duty. She's Equestria's ruler, alongside her sister. What's so strange?" she asked innocently.

My head gave a throb of protest and I suddenly felt exceedingly sore all over. Of course, I had just gotten a lot of exercise. "I-I guess. Um, do you think you could h-help me get to Twilight's library?" I asked her weakly, deciding it was best for my sanity to just not think about it.

She smiled and nodded. "Sure. I didn't really wanna do the dumb errand I was on anyway and Rarity will understand if it's to help you out," she reasoned, a light scheming expression dancing across her face.

I smirked as I saw her grin. "Naughty little filly. Does Rarity know you're this devious?" I asked her in amusement.

"Devi-wha?" she questioned, tilting her head towards me.

"Oh, sorry. It means sly, or tricky," I relayed. Sometimes I forgot she was a young filly. She was very patient and mature for her age, it seemed. She was probably more of a mediator for Scootaloo and Applebloom.

She perked and giggled, shaking her head. "Nah. She thinks I'm a paperweight most of the time. But she's a nice big sister, don't get me wrong. Just, well, frustrating," she muttered, sitting up and looking a tad exasperated.

I nodded and smiled, trying to sit up, too. I immediately smashed my skull into the underside of our tree nook, and winced. Sweetie snickered in amusement before shaking her head at me. She was probably used to me bashing my skull into things by now.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked curiously after a few moments.

Frowning as I struggled to squeeze out from under the tree, I rapidly realized I had no idea. "Um, I can't remember. It, well," I muttered before lowering my eyes. Her curious smile shifted to a concerned frown, but I shook my head. "There's a lot I don't remember still, is all. I might have, but I dunno."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about what happened," she apologized, looking down slightly. Did she really know to begin with? Part of me was glad she was so young. The concept of genocide was probably blunted on a lack of understanding. This world didn't need such concepts and I wasn't about to introduce them.

I placed a bandaged hoof on her cheek and gave her a gentle brush, lifting her head up again. She gave me a questioning look until I smiled and shook my head. "I'm glad I can stay in Equestria and not have to leave anywhere. You ponies are wonderful, without a doubt. Anything beyond that... It's all right," I assured her softly.

She smiled, eyes softening before nodding and reminding, "We'd best get to the library. I'll keep watch ahead of you until we get there."

Wise. Rainbow was probably still in the sky and who knew about Applejack. I didn't know where Pinkie stood still, so that was kind of like rolling a die. Of course, Sweetie Belle was probably right. This was all a misunderstanding, more than likely. I guess I'd find out once getting back to Twilight.

Slowly, as I was quite tired and sore at this point, I headed after the little unicorn filly as she rolled across the ground 'stealthily'. She tumbled from tree to tree ahead of me, peeking out around the sides cautiously. I didn't have the heart to interrupt her playtime with the fact that her jolting motions were probably far easier to spot from the air. Thankfully my bandages were now far from white after all the dirt and grass got involved and were fairly good camouflage.

Regardless, town was actually only a quarter of a mile away and we made it back within ten minutes or so, at my current stunted pace. Sweetie Belle slunk along between a natural alley leading up to a side street. We'd have to slip between the two houses and across the street in order to reach the library. She 'scouted' ahead, striking me as a little obvious with her ninja poses, but she was way too cute to tell off.

I slipped behind a dilapidated, retired rain barrel while she slipped closer to the street to peek around. That was a fairly obvious choice as she was far less suspicious looking than a walking lump of dirty bandages. Still, I felt a little bad that she was putting her own neck out for me.

Sadly, she didn't quite make it to the street before freezing. My eyes widened and I dove into the overturned barrel instead, peeking through a crack in the bottom of it. It was probably the crack that earned its retirement.

Sweetie Belle slowly started to back up into the alley but it was too late. The orange earth mare with the blonde mane had already spotted her and trotted over. Crap!

"Oh, hay there, Sweetie Belle! Yer lookin' mighty dirty, ha ha! Can ah talk ta ya fer a minute or two?" Applejack asked, sounding friendly enough. I started running escape plans through my head just in case.

Sweetie laughed nervously alongside her, and nodded. "Well yeah uh, I mean no, wait, I don't mind of course!" she hastily returned. I made a mental note that the filly was terrible under pressure, for future reference.

"Hmm. Are ya all right? Come ta think of it, yer Sis mentioned that ya were missin' a few minutes ago. Hour's late fer ah shoppin' trip, she reckon'. Where have ya been?" Applejack asked, getting a concerned look on her face. Oh no. Sweetie Belle was getting in trouble because of me!

"Oh, well... I saw a frog that was lost. So I had to g-get it back to its stream, of course!" she rapidly lied. Ug. It had to be a frog?

Applejack momentarily looked confused, but it didn't last long. Her eyes narrowed as she lowered her face to the little filly. "Yer actin' awfully suspicious, Sweetie Belle. Ya haven't happen'd ta see Moon Mender around, have ya?" she questioned, eyes scrutinizing the unicorn filly's every movement.

I couldn't let Sweetie Belle get in trouble over me. My mind rapidly tried to think of a way out when I felt the light pulse in my left, front hoof. What was that? Extending my awareness to it, I lifted the bandaged hoof up to my face inside the barrel. It was only lightly wrapped, with tufts of light blue coat coming out from around the edges of the bandage. Did that mean it was in better shape? I felt out what that pulse was and was surprised at the ease of scanning my system. The magic flowed through me gentler now, as if water going through carved grooves, rather than trying to splash around rocky crags. To my curiosity, it drew easily into my left hoof; far easier than anyplace else in my body. A memory stirred in me. This hoof?

Sweetie Belle backed up, bumping against the front of the barrel. "I, well, I haven't seen him. W-Why?" she asked weakly, averting her eyes.

"Ya don't seem surprised he's up an' about. Yer not fibbin', are ya Sweetie?" Applejack asked, advancing again.

No! I had to do something. This hoof! A flash of pained memory slipped through my skull as images of it splitting into the shape of the creation symbol and igniting came forth. Ignoring them, my mind pushed the magic forwards as if muscle memory. Alteration. It was basic magic that focused on changing things. As an engineer I'd been really good at it. Still, I didn't have much to work with. A master blacksmith can only do so much with crude iron. The hoof began to glow as the symbol carved into it lit up with my magic. The bandages unwound themselves and drifted away from each side in midair, causing me to smile. They had been touching the symbol, so I could use magic on them! I could use magic on things that touched the symbol.

"Um, well he, uh," Sweetie continued to stutter.

"Ya have seen him then! Where is he? Ya know what bad, lyin' fillies get," Applejack warned.

I pushed the symbol into the old wood of the barrel. The magic was there. Not the same as a unicorn's and nowhere near as strong as Twilight's in any sense, but it was uniquely mine. My mind touched upon the symbol on my hoof and flooded out into the wood and iron of the barrel alongside lines of magic. Gravity, inertia, thrust, motion... All of these things needed to be modified.

"Ah! B-But Applejack, I just wanted to," Sweetie Belle muttered weakly.

Applejack just started to step forwards and lean closer when the barrel I was in exploded into movement. I popped out of the top of it as it split in half, the tightly woven boards that made up the sides coming undone and expanding rapidly into a platform and six crude legs. The orange mare looked more than a little startled as I changed the barrel. Taking advantage of her surprise, I sprung forwards using the walking platform and scooped Sweetie Belle up off the ground just as she was starting to turn to look. She yelped, but I nudged her behind me as the top of the barrel folded partially back around us, forming a protective shell.

"No! I can't let you punish Sweetie Belle. She was only trying to help me," I warned, scowling at the gawking Applejack.

Not giving her time to recover, I folded the top back around us and ordered the platform down the street at full speed. Six 'legs' made of iron and wood carried us like a giant beetle towards the library. "Whoa! Cool!" Sweetie muttered as she looked closer at my glowing hoof pressed against the boards. I kept my breathing under control and slowly focused on dodging surprised ponies as I headed for the library.

"Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!" I called out as I swerved and trotted around the clusters in the street. They seemed largely surprised at my makeshift transportation, but were oddly not that panicked. Of course, I was going out of my way to miss them and apologize so they probably assumed there was little danger. Or they were so jaded by the normal happenings in town that they really didn't care about a reasonably non-violent one.

"Mender! Hold up ah bit, would ya! Ah just wanna talk ta ya!" Applejack shouted, as I heard a galloping noise from behind me.

Damn she was fast! Our platform angled itself down as it sped up, leaping up a hill and making a break along the final stretch for the library. "Will ya wait up?!" I heard her shout, more irritated now. An impossibly powerful impact hit the right back leg a second later, splintering the wood as if it were twigs and causing us to spin violently. Sweetie yelped but I caught and steadied her with my right hoof, forcing more energy through my left. We leapt after one full rotation, using the energy of her kick to propel us at the door. Two tiny shields formed in the platform's outstretched right 'leg' and I spun them as they contacted the door handle.

The door popped open in the same instant we crashed into it. I kept a firm grip on the door as we slid across the now familiar wooden flooring. Pivoting, we rotated as the door reached maximum angle and I used our backwards rotation to slam the door shut. Focusing, I rapidly started engaging every lock I could find on the door.

"Alright, alright! You don't need to slam the door. I'm coming!" I heard a rather annoyed sounding Twilight call out from upstairs. Oops. I rotated the platform around while peeking through the crack in the front, just in time to see Twilight come down the stairs. She gave us a look of shocked horror shortly before her horn started glowing. Uh oh…

I realized we were trapped. Sweetie Belle lowered herself nervously to the floor of the platform, slipping in behind my right foreleg as I watched Twilight through the crack. Applejack was behind the only exit to this now very horrifying building. To make matters worse, I saw Rainbow Dash flutter down and slowly start to attempt to work the window open outside to the left.

A rapid pounding came from the door behind me. "What in blazes do ya think yer doin', Mender?!" I heard shortly thereafter, barely audible through the heavy wooden door.

"B-Back, monster," Twilight warned nervously, her horn still glowing angrily as she lowered herself to the stairs. She was scared of me? I started to open my mouth to say something when she opened fire, unfortunately. I let out an exceedingly high-pitched scream, rather embarrassing of my gender, and rapidly raised a shield up using a front leg. The barrier barely deflected the bolt, causing it to tear through the side of my platform instead and knock us back into the door. From my cowering position, I stared in shock at the new hole in my vehicle.

Sweetie Belle peeked out from around the busted section, earning another gasp from Twilight. "Sweetie Belle? Are you okay? Let her go!" the lavender unicorn demanded.

"I-I will! Please, j-just listen," I begged, peeking around the side of the opening, just above the little filly.

Twilight widened her eyes. "M-Moon Mender? What are you, but you were..." she muttered rapidly.

"Just please. Sweetie Belle didn't do anything wrong, so please don't punish her. She only wanted to help me," I begged, lowering the platform to the floor shakily and opening the front so she could get down.

She surprised me by turning around and looking up at me instead. Huh? "You rescued me and stuck up for me?" she asked quietly, suddenly wearing a warm smile.

My mind idled into reverse. Sweetie Belle hugged my left foreleg before I could reply. My magic faltered as I suddenly realized how tired I was. The platform, or what was left of it, anyway, slowly lowered us to the floor. "Oh fer cryin' out loud! Ah wasn't gonna hurt 'er in tha first place," Applejack muttered from the other side of the door.

Twilight recovered rapidly and bounded the remaining two meters towards me. I almost panicked, but Sweetie Belle had a hold of me so there wasn't much I could do! There was no impact or subduing blast though. All I felt was Twilight's warm coat as she latched onto my other foreleg, pushing both Sweetie and I gently into the wall next to the door. I was momentarily bewildered, then turned a deep crimson as she pulled me into a tight hug, Sweetie Belle incidentally getting sandwiched between us. I tried to avert my eyes, shifting them just in time to see a cyan and rainbow pegasus flutter through the now open window wearing a smirk. She landed next to me on my right and unlocked the front door, sticking her tongue out as my eyes widened towards her. I fidgeted, trying to shift from her but Twilight wouldn't budge.

"I'm so, so sorry for everything, Mender! I'm glad you're awake," Twilight muttered into my neck as she squeezed me. Oops, back to blushing. Threat of imminent death can only hold back the feelings of an amazing girl pressed against you for so long, I guess.

"Twi, it's all right. I'm sorry, too," I reminded, realizing Sweetie was right all along. I'm glad I listened to her this time.

Rainbow snickered. "Aww. You two are so cu-," she started taunting with a grin, just as she slid the last lock.

Wham! The door slammed open, taking the cyan mare with it and flattening her against the wall on the other side. "Woo! Totally party time, right here! I brought the cannon," Pinkie assured whimsically as she bounced through the doorway. I saw Applejack flattened on the step, glaring up at the pink tush bouncing away from her. I just assumed she got bowled over as well. Wait, cannon?

"Pinkie! I'm trying to apologize here!" Twilight growled, switching from adoring to irate in a second. Whoa! I was suddenly worried as I was still attached to her.

Pinkie giggled and nodded merrily, seeming unfazed as she spun and cart-wheeled. I got even more tired just from watching her.

"He already knows about Celestia. I'm sorry, Twilight," Sweetie Belle apologized from in-between us, looking up at the lavender mare.

Twilight swallowed and nodded as well, looking back at me instead. "It's all right, Sweetie. Mender, I wrote a letter to the Princess the night I got so worked up. I panicked and didn't know what to do so I kinda ended up telling her everything," she explained quietly, looking more than a little nervous but still clenching me as if I'd fade away should she let go. It wasn't a hug anymore, but instead felt like a strange form of assurance.

"Ya were right ta be honest with tha Princess, Twi," Applejack assured slowly, getting up again and walking inside at a far more relaxed gait than her pink friend.

Pinkie nodded agreement enthusiastically, then tilted her head as a light groan came from behind the door. Rainbow Dash slowly stumbled out, holding her forehead with a hoof. Applejack held a hoof up however, preemptively halting a Pinkie outburst. "But ta do that, ya had ta betray Mender's trust instead. Ah'm not sayin' ya made the wrong choice. It's just somethin' ta think about," she added slowly, as if carefully picking her words.

I swallowed heavily, remembering my nightmare. If Sweetie was right and the Princess helped pull me back then this was definitely the right choice, wasn't it? My memory shifted back to those frigid moments I spent all alone on that ship, in the middle of a massive void and the only other living thing vaguely nearby being a complete monster. I'd wanted so desperately to just let someone else deal with it. I hadn't been brave and strong. I'd just felt tiny and weak, dealing the only hand I had left and hoping it was enough. Truthfully, these ponies meant more to me than I did now. This way of life and everypony in this wonderful world; it was all so pure and beautiful.

I hated myself for risking it. Maybe I should have died with the rest of my race? I tried so hard but did I deserve this outcome? I was all that was left. My old race was gone and everyone I knew and loved, dead. And I couldn't even remember them. Did I deserve to be happy when millions of my race lost everything? It was overwhelming. Screams of pain and despair echoed through my head as I remembered. There was nothing but memories of misery from my past life. I wondered if I had seen anything apart from that.

"Mender..." Twilight whispered gently.

I snapped out of it in time to realize my cheeks felt warm and wet. A sense of disgust came over me as I used my now freed right hoof to wipe my eyes. "Ah, sorry," I muttered, embarrassed.

Whack! I reeled sideways from a moderate blow to the side of my head. Stars exploded nonetheless and I felt a sharp sting tear through my left cheek as I hit the wooden floor and slid. "Applejack! What are you doing?!" Twilight demanded, moving in-between her and I while Sweetie Belle sprung over to check me for damage.

"That there's fer worryin' everypony with yer shenanigans. Ah imagine Rainbow, Twi, an Fluttershy'll have their own two bits ta add later, but consider yerself paid in full with tha rest o' us," she explained, expression neutral and stoic.

All things considered, she probably could have snapped my head off with that hoof hit. She pulled her punch and let me off gently, then. I had expected worse. Slowly sitting up, I rubbed my left cheek and drew back blood on my hoof. Yup. I was definitely going to get a black eye from that one.

"T-Thank you, Applejack," I spoke gently, eyes softening towards her. That oddly made me feel better. Well, mentally.

Her stoicism slipped and she nodded, acquiring a gentler smile. "Then consider yerself forgiven. Pinks an Rare wouldn't'ah voiced as much, so ah knew ah had ta be the one," Applejack added, averting her gaze slightly from the still angry looking Twilight.

"Applejack, I wasn't upset with him at all. Well, maybe a little sad that he almost died. And that he was gonna miss the awesome party I planned, but," Pinkie protested with a little less energy than usual.

Applejack shook her head gently, glancing over at the pink mare. "Ah know yer a forgivin' mare, but he made ya sad still and Ah'm sure he didn't mean ta," she explained in a quiet but sturdy voice. Rainbow Dash still looked shocked and remained quiet.

"Then why did you do that? He's barely out of the clinic an afternoon and you decide to hit him?!" Twilight asked crossly.

Rainbow Dash finally snapped out of it and let out a snicker, raising a hoof between Twilight and her pony of affection. "Relax, Twi. That was barely a swat for AJ here. Plus he seems to have accepted it," she pointed out, now wearing a smirk. Did that mean I did something right in her eyes?

I smiled weakly and nodded, trying not to wince and risk damaging my ego further as I felt my cheek swelling. "She let me off easy for what I did to you ponies. I still feel like I owe you more," I muttered. Sweetie Belle quietly shook her head as she reached up with a piece of tissue in her mouth to dab at my cheek. Whispering thanks, I bent lower to make it easier for her. The tissue felt really soft and I wondered where she'd gotten it.

"I'm not mad at you at all, Mender. You were amazingly noble and if anything, I should be the one to apologize. I gave out confidential information about you without consent or even informing you," Twilight replied, turning around to focus on me instead, albeit with a far more positive expression.

"Is Princess Celestia mad at me?" I asked carefully. I decided to keep the banishment, black ops, and execution ideas to myself for now.

All four mares looked bewildered, but Twilight laughed nervously a second later. "You have quite the imagination, Mender. No, she's happy she helped save you," she assured, trying to smile.

"But?" I questioned, noting her hesitation.

She sighed and noticeably sagged. "She just asked me if it was all right to get an account of the event so she could estimate the level of danger to Equestria," she muttered.

"Er, ah might be missin' somethin', but that doesn't sound so bad," Applejack pondered out loud. Pinkie went back to smiling and enthusiastically nodded her agreement.

"Yeah. Are ya worried that she'll do something to Mender?" Rainbow asked curiously.

Twilight shook her head, to my relief. "No, she reported herself that the link faded after the explosion of the Grosh ship. Mender's not dangerous to Equestria," she assured, making me feel even better. I had planned on asking her if the explosion had worked. But if it wasn't that, I could only think of one other reason for her distress.

"She wants a personal account. From me directly?" I asked gently, masking my nervousness.

Twilight nodded softly. "Sort of. She wants the direct images from your memories, if at all possible," Twilight informed weakly, looking down.

I reeled back in surprise. Oh crap! If Twilight was forceful I could only imagine the level of violation being mind raped by a goddess would bring. She must have seen my reaction, as she rapidly shook both front hooves towards me.

"W-Wait! She said when you're healthy enough to. And she wants me to perform the spell, not her," Twilight rapidly over-corrected, although scarily accurate with the second half.

"Healthy? Is the ritual painful or something?" Rainbow asked from behind her, sounding a little uncomfortable with the concept.

Twilight shook her head, peeking back over her shoulder. "No. It just takes a lot of energy from him. He essentially won't get any natural REM sleep for the night we choose to do it, which might be detrimental to his health at the moment," she reasoned. Oh, I had to be pseudo sleeping?

Rainbow started snickering mirthfully, however. She held a forehoof up to her muzzle as she restrained it. "Better eat some Silphium beforehand," she warned, barely holding back the laughter. Huh? What was Silphium?

"Er, huh?" Twilight muttered, apparently as confused as I was. Pinkie Pie burst into laughter almost instantly.

Applejack chuckled as well and shook her head, though. "It did sound ah tad awkward, but ah think ah get it. He has ta be sleepin' but he won't be rested up after, right?" she asked, smirking still. Awkward? I was seriously missing something.

Twilight slipped back into scientific mode rapidly and nodded. "Yes. I'll be peeking through his mind as he sleeps, which means he can't slip into REM and replenish his natural energies. My mind sort of, well, keeps his awake?" she attempted to explain.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Applejack looked truly thoughtful but Twilight suddenly looked perplexed. A single beat later, she suddenly went scarlet in the cheeks and glared intensely at Rainbow. "Hey!" she protested. The cyan mare burst into laughter of course. She joined Pinkie Pie in rolling on the floor.

"That is disgusting! You are so horrible, Dash!" she growled, sounding oddly embarrassed.

I was just deeply confused. I'd assumed as Dash was laughing, it was because of what she said earlier but I had no idea what Silphium was. Sweetie Belle looked equally confused so I didn't feel as badly.

Applejack must have noticed my quiet confusion, as she explained a second later, "Silphium, when ingested by ah mare, works as ah potent contraceptive."

"Contra-what?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously.

Pinkie winked at me while upside down, ignoring the filly. My cheeks went scarlet, oddly similar to Twilight. "Yeah, wouldn't want Mender to become a daddy!" the pink mare squealed, sounding deeply amused. What the hell?! Where did they get, oh. 'The night we do it.' I mentally groaned.

"What? Mender's going to be a daddy?!" Sweetie Belle asked in sudden shock. Oh for the love of all that was just and fair! That's it. Twilight was never going to speak to me again.

"Argh! That's it! Mender needs rest so out!" Twilight growled, horn starting to glow menacingly. Dash made a yelping noise, zipping out the window behind her as if trying to escape incoming mortar fire. Of course, Twilight was scary like that.

Pinkie giggled and made a light, excited snorting noise before rolling to her feet. "Aww! We were just playing. But Mender does need his rest! Sleep well, cuz it's totally party time tomorrow!" she assured me, giving a wink before hopping out the door like a rabbit with a sugar high.

"Ug, fine. Tomorrow evening, though!" Twilight called after her, sounding a little tired herself suddenly. Regardless, she followed Pinkie out the door with the warning just to be sure.

"Ah reckon Ah'd best let tha nurse know yer checkin' out an' not in some tree somewhere, rah-ight?" Applejack offered calmly after Twilight wandered back inside, head hung slightly.

I sighed and nodded to her wearily. The aftereffects of using my magic again were definitely felt, even though I hadn't done much. It was like any other muscle, however. I was just heavily out of practice.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about the whole running away thing earlier," I apologized. Sweetie Belle giggled as she finally took the tissue back, rotating it using her tongue. I saw little dots of blood on it.

"Buh iht waas phumn!" she protested, tissue still in her mouth.

Applejack chuckled and patted her lightly on the head, having moved up next to me to get out of the way when Twilight went after Pinkie. "Fun is all fine an' dandy but it's only common courtesy ta let tha nurse know he's all right," she explained, smiling at the little white filly.

I suddenly thought of something horrifying but decided to be as polite about it as possible. "Thank you, Applejack. Um, where am I gonna stay tonight if not the clinic, though?" I inquired as nicely as I could muster.

"Here of course," Twilight answered instead, coming back inside slowly and closing the door.

I was momentarily taken aback, memories of almost getting run over with a mattress coming fresh to mind. I must have looked surprised because she suddenly blushed while Applejack started snickering merrily.

"Ya have'ta admit, you two last part'd on some rocky relations," she reminded, absently waving her hoof in the air.

"Oh yeah. Twilight kicked him out!" Sweetie Belle suddenly seemed to recall, leaning back against my right foreleg. Wait, why was she still here?

Twilight winced and nodded. "I know. We have a few things to discuss but please give me another chance?" she requested quietly.

Smiling, I nodded gently to her. I was just happy she was giving me another chance instead. The day's events rapidly caught up to me an instant later, surprising me. I wobbled suddenly, feeling the slow throb of my headache spike from the magic and a light, warm trickle go down the front of my muzzle from my nose. Too much magic, too quickly.

"Whoa nelly! Ya had best be makin' yer way upstairs an' ta bed. Ya look mighty unstable on yer hooves, so let me help ya," Applejack offered, moving a little closer.

I flinched slightly and shifted away from her. She froze for a moment and her eyes softened, her nod assuring me followed by a gentle smile. I relaxed and gave in, letting her hook my left foreleg over her shoulders and slowly leading me to the stairs. She meant what she said earlier. That punch really was my payment, then.

"Oh, Sis's nose sometimes does that if she works on dresses for too long," Sweetie Belle pointed out, trotting after Twilight as she went up the stairs following us.

"Yes. He overused his magic back there. He'll be fine. He'll just sleep well tonight," she assured.

I heard a weak sigh behind us, regardless. "But he did it to save me. To get me out of trouble," she muttered.

"Oh, fer crying out loud. Ah wasn't gonna hurt ya, Sweetie!" Applejack protested. Again.

I chuckled tiredly and added, "Yeah, and technically I was the reason you were in that position in the first place. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

There was light scratching as we reached the top of the stairs, I noted. Spike was writing gently on a long, unrolled parchment that was spread a good ten feet across the floor.

"Hey, Twilight! I almost finished the first alphabetized segment of," he started to greet before turning around and giving a surprised start. "Whoa! Applejack? Moon Mender?" he added questioningly.

"Hey, Spike. Mender woke up and is going to be staying with us tonight. Can you help Applejack get him into bed?" Twilight requested, coming to the top of the stairs after the three of us cleared it.

Spike tilted his head. "Bed? Is he sleeping with you?" he questioned. Even half asleep I still managed to blush.

"Ug! Spike! Mattress, then. Sheesh," Twilight groaned behind me, a matching blush almost apparent in her voice.

Spike didn't seem to understand his faux pas, but shrugged and guided Applejack and I towards the other corner. I was surprised to see the folding mattress set up there again.

Applejack wordlessly picked up my surprise. "We brought it back 'ere after ya went in the clinic. Twi said she wanted ta have ya close ta run some tests fer ah little while," she explained gently, helping me lie down.

Sweetie Belle helped adjust my pillow as Applejack actually pulled my blankets back up for me. "Um, thank you, you two," I muttered, somewhat unsure of how to gracefully handle their kindness.

"Considering she belted you not even ten minutes ago, that's the least she can do," Twilight muttered, rolling her eyes as I watched her walk around Applejack to examine me.

"Whoa, she what?" Spike asked, sounding a mixture of surprised and amused.

Applejack looked less entertained. "Ah told ya why. Ah let him off easy fer the amount o' needless worry he gave us," she professed.

Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly. "I guess we have different definitions of needless, then. He was brave and honorable, actually ready to give his life to save us," she defended. Er. Brave and honorable? I almost wet myself. If there had been any other option, I would have run screaming. But the only other options I know I couldn't have lived with. You can't outrun yourself.

"He coulda let Dash stay an fly 'em through yer magic even faster. Or held off on tha reckless explosions until yer spell was done. Poor Rainbow almost tore herself apart over all this," Applejack growled, tone of voice rising. Sweetie Belle swallowed nervously and backed away from the two mares, bumping into the edge of my mattress.

"It doesn't work like that. Twice the mass, twice as slow to move! Would you prefer they both almost died? He did that for her," Twilight explained, blush now gone and looking irritated instead. Sweetie Belle climbed onto the mattress, over me, and hid on my other side. Rainbow must have taken this really badly. I wish I could apologize to her right now.

Applejack stomped a hoof down. "He didn't have'ta blow up so soon. It wouldn't'ah been an issue iffin he just delayed ah minute or so!" she argued, gesturing angrily in my direction. I swallowed weakly. She was right, of course. It all boiled down to me being too weak. After I'd gotten hit by that blast in the back, my body just kinda gave out. I should have been stronger. Rainbow could have stayed to the last moment and nobody's feelings would have gotten hurt.

The sick feeling came back and I held in the urge to throw up. "Why are you attacking him?! I screwed up in the first place. If it weren't for my scanning spell, they wouldn't have gotten into trouble at all," Twilight growled, not quite as loud as Applejack. No, it wasn't her fault. It wasn't.

"Why are ya protectin' him so hard, Twilight? Can't ya just let 'er go at tha one punch an' be done?!" Applejack redirected. She growled low and her snarling face burned into my mind. I winced as a low static audio bled through my hearing.

"He's a worthless pile of shit after all! Why protect him in the first place?" Applejack demanded. I reeled in agony as her words tore at my heart. The room started to spin as I fought to close my eyes. Still, she continued, "He's a runt! He failed the breeding examinations and is barely fit to be a janitor, let alone a... Why do you support him?!"

I choked back the vomit and sobbing, eyes opening to a darkened room full of glowing red eyes. My vision warped and distorted, spinning as if I had a massive fever. Maybe I did? I felt like I was burning up. The eyes stared wickedly at me, curved mouths twisted in laughter as I tried to spin away from them. They had me completely surrounded, however, and I cried out, trying to get someone, anyone to come help me. I clutched tightly at the only thing that gave me comfort. A memento. Some called it silly or childish but it was all I had. I...

Everything was washed away in lavender and it felt like I stopped breathing, if but for a moment. A lovely smell and soft feeling drifted over me, even as my beloved memento faded from my memories. My mind felt sleepy suddenly, and I gave way to the soft light as reality bled back into being. W-What happened? The soft sensation solidified into a warm coat and gentle heartbeat pressed tightly into my chest and a harder push against my forehead.

My eyes re-focused just in time to see Twilight's open from an inch away, her horn pressed against my forehead again. She pulled me out of the nightmare?

"Ah can't keep him down fer long with that blasted hoof gettin' in tha way. Could ya hurry it up ah tad?" Applejack asked, sounding a bit irritated. Uh oh.

All of my muscles relaxed instantly as I forced the tension away. The magic focus went with it and I felt the elongated ribbons connected to my left foreleg go limp. The ends drifted away from Applejack's face and hooves as she continued putting her full weight on my waist and back legs, holding me down. My death grip on Twilight's back also lessened, but I saw her blush lightly as my hooves slid off her back.

"Mender, are you here now?" Twilight asked gently, smiling.

I swallowed and nodded quietly, unsure of how to respond or even what happened. "Thank Celestia fer that! Those bandages were darn annoyin' when they kept tryin' ta tangle me up or crawl up mah nose," Applejack muttered, shaking her head rapidly and blowing air out her nostrils a couple times.

Spike, whom I just noticed, let go of Sweetie Belle, who bounded back up onto the bed again. "Are you all right, Mender?" she asked rapidly, sliding to a stop at my left side.

I nodded tiredly as Twilight moved her horn out of the way. "Um, yeah. I just don't know what happened," I muttered.

"Ya started freakin' out an squeezin' Sweetie Belle like ah stuffed animal er somethin'," Applejack informed, causing me to swallow.

"I'm okay. They got me free of the bandages. But are you all right?" Sweetie asked, still sounding concerned.

Twilight frowned, shaking her head as she brushed her horn along my temples instead. Her warm breath drifted down my neck and I tried hard not to blush. "I'm sensing his magic settling down again. It was a panic attack. But your magic activated too, so this could be dangerous if unchecked," she explained. Her tail swished impatiently as her lower half stuck off the side of the bed.

"Is that why his eyes glowed?" Spike asked, approaching on the other side of Twilight and sitting down lazily.

"Ah reckon it's ah good idea ta keep him 'ere with tha magic expert, then," Applejack admitted, finally releasing my stiff waist. "Ya back then, Mender?" she followed up quietly.

Staring at her again, I tried not to shiver while nodding. She hadn't really said that, Mender. Calm down. She doesn't think you're a useless runt. Right?

There was a moment's hesitation. Something silently noticed or maybe a rogue thought in her mind. I saw her eyes flicker for less than a second, averting her gaze from mine. Then she snapped them back onto me and covered the building frown with a warmer smile. "That's good. Ah guess ya should take 'er easy fer ah few more days," she added, nodding solemnly.

"Maybe you should leave for the night?" Twilight returned instead, glaring at the orange earth mare over her right shoulder.

Applejack sighed and nodded more tentatively this time. "Ah'll get outta yer hair. Ah only seem ta be makin' it worse fer now. Come on, Sweets. Ah'll take ya back to Rarity, too," she finally relented, motioning to the white filly on my cot.

"Aww! Do I have to? Sis is gonna kill me," she whined in protest.

Twilight hesitated for a second before sighing. "Look, I'm sorry, AJ. I'm just a little stressed right now, is all," she interrupted, apologizing.

Applejack stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back in surprise. After a second or two, the soft smile returned and she shook her head. "Ah understand, Sugar. Rainbow's been talkin' with me almost every day 'bout it, an' ah'm ah tad stressed too. Ah..." she started to explain before frowning at me.

Jittery, I looked away rapidly, directing attention to Sweetie instead. She was frowning and looking down at the fabric she'd given me earlier. Wait. Fabric? I suddenly noticed the tiny saddlebags on her sides. Oh.

"That was for Rarity, wasn't it?" I whispered, getting a closer look at the now bloody piece of fabric.

Sweetie Belle looked up at me in surprise, but then smiled. "It's okay. It was for a good cause," she assured hesitantly, absently brushing a hoof over the piece.

"Will Rarity understand that?" Spike asked, sitting on my other side now and looking concerned at Sweetie Belle.

Twilight migrated over to Applejack while we whispered, tilting her head. Applejack seemed to draw assurance from her and nodded to herself. "That's not entirely true, ah 'spose. Ah've been ah bit worried mahself, too. Ah pony grows on ya after ah while, ya know?" she finally offered up. I grew on her? My heart wanted to believe her but my mind was ever the skeptic. I pretended not to be listening.

"Yeah, I know. He's important to me. I just wish I hadn't screwed up so much. It's stressed me out," Twilight returned. I frowned. Important? As a pony or guinea pig?

Sweetie distracted my stalker tendencies by sighing, seemingly paying no attention to the mares. "If she gives me time to explain, it might not be as bad. Does blood wash out?" she asked innocently.

"Way too easily," I assured before I really realized I was talking. I'd had that impression before, I was suddenly distinctly aware of.

"Whew! She might not be as mad at me, then," Sweetie Belle muttered, looking relieved. My darker thoughts lightened a little and I smiled at her.

She perked and returned my expression a moment later, nodding. I assured her, "Don't worry. Rarity will understand. I'll even come by the boutique tomorrow and explain."

Her eyes got as wide as saucers and she grinned, hugging my chest gently. I chuckled and patted her lightly on the head.

"Besides, Princess Celestia left it up to you, right? She still has faith in you," Applejack continued, snapping my attention back to their conversation with that name.

Twilight sighed and shook her head wearily. "It's not her I'm worried about. Still, thank you," she returned quietly. I tilted my head and Applejack smirked suddenly, looking past her lavender friend and right at me.

"Well shucks. Iffin' that's all yer worried about, he's right 'ere ta ask, after all. Hey, Mender?!" she called out, surprising me.

Twilight looked momentarily shocked before glaring at the orange earth mare. "Don't you dare!" she warned. What were they talking about that was so dire?

"Do ta think Twi 'ere is a horrible pony deservin' some punishment?" she asked, totally ignoring the unicorn's sputtering protests.

I blushed lightly, more than a little confused. Sure, I was apprehensive about meeting the Princess, but I trusted Twilight's judgment most of all. I shook my head as Sweetie let go of me and gave a questioning look back at the mares.

Twilight stopped and stared at me in surprise, tilting her head. "You aren't angry that I told the Princess? That I almost got you killed?" she questioned incredulously.

I smiled softly and shook my head. "I was in good hooves. Rainbow's a goddess of flight. I don't think we were ever really in danger after you cast it. It was a simple mistake made during a stressful moment," I reasoned. Technically true. I'd gotten most of the damage due to the communication dish skirmish, not on the first approach to the Aegis.

Twilight exhaled lightly while Applejack laughed. "Careful ya don't let Rainbow hear ya say that. She might try ta court ya next," she warned, wearing a smirk.

I chuckled and shook my head. That I didn't have to worry about, at least. "I don't think she's interested," I observed, brushing the faux warning off easily.

Applejack just snickered and nodded. "Ah didn't think she'd be. Anyways, ah should be headin' home. Ah'll see ya at tomorrow evenin's get tagether," she assured, maintaining the friendly smile through her slow drawl.

Twilight nodded and answered for me, "Of course! Could you also clear Sweetie Belle with Rarity? It'll save Mender having to tomorrow."

"Aww! But I wanted him to visit!" Sweetie Belle complained, frowning sadly. I chuckled, feeling a little more useless than before, but I suppose it's for the best.

"He still can visit if he wants. Plus you'll see him at the party, right?" Twilight reasoned to the little filly, not missing a beat or losing her smile.

Spike snickered and nodded as well. "I bet you could get Rarity to let you come over early and help decorate, too. I'll... help her with your duties in your absence, of course!" he offered, smirking towards Sweetie Belle.

Twilight gave the little purple lizard thing a knowing skeptical look, but Sweetie beamed. "Really? You'd do that?" she asked, sounding absurdly excited. I resisted snorting at his ulterior motives.

"Of course! No sweat," he assured, grinning now. I noticed his teeth for the first time and was surprised to note their razor points. Those kinds of teeth weren't meant for a veggie diet. I found myself debating what he actually ate. Somehow, I doubt he'd be Twilight's assistant if it were too gruesome, though.

Sweetie gave him a gentle hug before squealing, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Spike! I can't wait to help Pinkie tomorrow."

Applejack gave a soft chortle and nodded. "We best be off then, squirt. Ya have ah long day tomorrow, an' ya need ta get some rest, ah reckon," she pointed out, motioning towards the stairs.

Sweetie Belle nodded, hopping off the cot and excitedly bounding down the stairs. "So much energy," Twilight muttered, shaking her head.

"Youngin's. Ah'll see ya'll tomorrow, okay?" Applejack affirmed as she headed back down the stairs. Twilight giggled and nodded, following after her.

"Yeah. I'll see you two out," she offered before disappearing from sight.

I watched her tail disappear down the stairs before softly exhaling. That had gone better than anticipated, minus the whole 'panic attack and lose control of my magic' bit. Still, if it was going to be a problem, here was admittedly the best place I could be. My attention was drawn to the shivering Spike a moment later, however, who was still sitting next to me. There was a momentary lapse of concern before I noticed his almost predatory grin. Excited jitters?

"Score!" he finally shouted, quiet enough to not carry down the stairs. I couldn't help but laugh at his exuberance. He smirked at me and raised a claw expectantly. Figures. Some things were universal I guess. Rolling my eyes, I gave in and bumped a forehoof into his clawed hand, earning a widening of his grin.

I sat back and watched his tiny celebratory dance while waiting for Twilight to come back...

It was there for but a moment. Like a dying echo as it bounded off a cliff. My conscious awareness flickered, momentarily focusing on where it used to be. I felt a certain sense of distress at finding nothing. No. Nothing wasn't what I was afraid of. A stirring of awareness, as if I slowly opened my eyes to a new day.

That nagging sensation. I frowned, right ear giving a twitch of annoyance before I flattened them both back against my head. Before me spread the infinity of stars, winking and shifting innumerable. It wasn't exactly cold, yet the absence of heat. There was nothing around me but the gently drifting chunks of rock. Nothing at all, air included. That wasn't a problem, though. I wasn't breathing so I didn't require air. I wasn't breathing because I wasn't here. This was a dream, right? The cooling remains of a broken planet as it drifted slowly away from our star. The same star that had brought forth a thousand generations of my old people. Now I saw the telling rings being extended around it as it was milked for gas and energy. A certain emptiness filled my chest and seeped from my eyes as I watched. Why bring me back here?

That stirring again. No, the link was gone, right? Of course it was. My old body was reduced to the consistency of fine dust and scattered to the solar winds by now. You don't get much deader than that. So why show me this? My mind either felt sentimental or masochistic, I suppose. Still, there was no denying that sensation, even if it was barely a second.

An echo. I frowned, letting my idly swaying legs still, for all the good they were doing at the moment. Besides, it's not like I was actually here anyway. "Madness. This is... They're gone, all right? We need... They might find us here. We need to..."

It was a whisper in my mind and I frowned. A male voice. Like a radio signal but for my skull. Pleasant. Mentally, I went over potential causes. Skull fracture perfectly aligned to form some sort of audio spell? Highly unlikely. Whispers of an elder being urging me to perform his unknowable designs? I doubt I'd get off that easily.

"They can't be all... ...parts of the Grosh ship is... ...think there was a counter..." followed. A droning sensation kept cutting out the words. It wasn't unlike the static sound of an empty television broadcast. Different voice this time and mention of that hellish name. Damn. Why couldn't it have been the skull fracture? So much easier.

I grew desperate. Creeping whispers of madness as the mental isolation slowly drives me insane? Probably not. It wasn't Tuesday yet. Radiation from Rainbow Dash causing a brain tumor to form, brandishing vivid hallucinations? Nah. Scan would have picked that up. I rapidly ran out of ideas.

Another voice rudely interrupted my bout of adamant denial with, "No! There has to... another explanation. They're... ...near the moons. Hiding, yes! They're not all..."

It was much clearer than the others and distinctly female. I also was surprised by the accent. Heavy rolling of the tongue with sharp uptakes on the 'ta' sounds. Where had I heard that accent before? Images of a cat purring came to mind, earning a frown. That sensation reared back rapidly. It was like I was almost remembering something, balanced carefully on the apex of my mind, but I didn't know how to move to get it to fall towards me and was deathly afraid the wrong shift would cause it to tumble away forever.

My eyes widened as I rotated in place, suddenly aware of it. A ship drifted into sight from behind the moon! It was a ship. The design looked Kel... Wait, what?

My mind jerked awake as Pinkie Pie landed on my chest.

---

My world spun as I hacked and coughed, flailing about as the pink monster sat unforgiving on my chest. She giggled in delight at my reaction, as if a devil slowly sampling my soul like a fine wine. My mind was lost somewhere in the metaphor before Pinkie was finally hoisted off of me with a purple glow.

"Pinkie! I told you to stay downstairs with the decorations!" a familiar, 'Twilight Sparkle' sounding voice lectured. It was hard to tell with my mind spinning from the lack of air and sudden awakening.

"Aww! But he's totally awake now. Does that mean I can decorate up here, too?!" she requested. My eyes widened as it looked like she suddenly drew a cannon out from behind her. Somehow. I filed it under system shock.

Twilight growled, ignoring the cannon completely and tossing the pink pony backwards onto her bed. Pinkie let out a giggle and 'Wheee!' as she bounced off what used to be the well-made bed.

"Are you all right, Mender?" Twilight asked, smiling upon reaching me.

Rolling over onto my side, I winced as I looked up at her but managed a tiny nod. "I'm fine. A little tired and sore today, but all right," I assured.

She exhaled softly and nodded before resting her horn on my exposed left forehoof. "I'm glad. Part of me was afraid you wouldn't wake up again," she admitted, eyes tracing the grooves cut into the hoof. It was a desperate measure and last resort but was now promising new potential, I noticed. Her concern made me warm up a little though. Wait, how long was I out for if she was worried? Glancing towards the window, I was greeted by a warm afternoon light. Oops.

I blushed and finally managed a smile. "I'm fine, Twi. Although we probably have a lot to discuss," I pointed out. Pinkie Pie got off the bed behind Twilight and disappeared from my point of view with a grin. Now what was she up to?

Twilight lifted her horn off my hoof and smirked knowingly. "Indeed. If I saw correctly, that little show last night was magic. The hoof, right?" she reasoned, dead on as usual.

"Don't let anyone ever tell you that you're not one heck of a smart mare," I complimented, snickering at her smirk.

Her cheeks flushed at the same time that her eyes softened as she smiled at me. "Needs more smooches!" Pinkie suddenly declared from somewhere behind Twilight. Wait, what?

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as her expression took on something similar to my train of thought. I wasn't left any time to react, however. A pink burst of mane collided with Twilight's rump, moving at ramming speed. The lavender unicorn gasped sharply in surprise momentarily as she lost her balance and stumbled forwards. Her still open mouth pushed into mine as her right foreleg outstretched to catch herself.

Time lagged hard and my mind joined along as my heart hung up the 'Out To Lunch' sign. A jolt of electricity sparked through me from the contact and I was oddly aware of the warmth and texture of her lips against mine. Her weight continued, pushing her chest into mine as she fell forwards. I was oddly aware of her warm coat mingling with my own as I was pushed backwards into the pillow. Her mane billowed out in slow motion, drifting to each side of my head.

A single heartbeat came and went as my eyes widened drastically. Hers infinitely surprised me by lowering, if only slightly. My mind couldn't process anything, and I screamed at my body to not move an inch. Every fiber in my forelegs wanted to reach up and pull her closer. No!

Another thud of our hearts. Her eyes widened again, realization dawning behind them. A sharp intake of breath through her nostrils, our muzzles still sealed together. She suddenly retreated off me as if burned; as if I were actively on fire. Her face was aglow with flush as I no doubt mimicked. Instead of facing me, however, she shifted to a glare and swung around at the now ecstatic Pinkie Pie behind her.

"Oh, so cool! It actually worked! You two are so sweet together. Of course, I'll have to get Fluttershy to sample, too, so you three can figure out which," the pink one started to gush out.

"Pinkie! Why the hay did you do that?! That was... That was my first kiss!" Twilight screamed with surprising intensity. To my surprise, Pinkie actually stopped talking and looked up at Twilight instead.

"Really? You've never kissed anypony before?" Pinkie asked, sounding playful yet surprised. Everything dawned on me in a single instant. I stole Twilight's first kiss. Oh crap. I was dead. I was going to go down the stairs this time with my cot on top of me for added measure!

Twilight let out a strange mixture between a snarl and snort. "Of course not! I well, I was always too busy with my studies as Princess Celestia's student to worry about stupid, pointless things like that!" she spit out. The dagger of ice slicing my tiny heart open was oddly comforting. Maybe it would numb the physical pain of the multiple series of blunt force trauma I was probably about to receive.

"Aww! It's not stupid, or even pointless, Twi. Didn't it make you feel warm and happy?" Pinkie asked, eyes starting to water slightly. Uh no. Everything was falling apart. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Twilight looked taken aback by her expression before hardening hers again and scowling. It didn't last, however, and I watched her eyes shift back over to me for a split second's hesitation.

The scowl shifted to a look of frustration as she reached up with her left forehoof and gently held her forehead. "I... I don't know. I've never felt this way before. I don't know what to think anymore," she muttered, causing me to swallow weakly. Admittedly, my mind was still reeling from finding out I was still alive. This was a bit difficult to process and I wasn't sure what to think.

Pinkie looked miserable still, however. "But did I do bad, then?" she asked gently, eyes large and watery. Twilight swallowed, looking uncomfortable before shaking her head.

"Uh, no, no you didn't. It was just, um, something I wasn't ready for. Do you think you could decorate downstairs for a few more minutes, Pinkie?" she hesitantly asked.

Pinkie glanced between us before I watched her expression shift from miserable to positively ecstatic within seconds. I added it to the growing Pinkie Memory Reel of things that would scar me for the rest of my life.

"Sure thing, Twi! And I'll keep everypony else away, too!" she assured, throwing a salute and bounding down the stairs before Twilight could get a word in otherwise.

The lavender unicorn sighed before turning and facing me again. I tried to remain neutral as she blushed lightly and snickered. "Rarity wanted us to wait until you were up and about before broaching sensitive subjects, but I guess Pinkie got a little exuberant. Ug," she explained, suddenly looking really tired.

"It's fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. It's like my mind keeps thinking I should be dead, not kissing cute mares," I reasoned sarcastically.

Twilight blushed but smiled and nodded up at me. "I understand. How are you feeling this morning, aside from that?" she asked, sounding a little concerned and walking closer again.

I watched her sit down on her haunches a foot from the cot before returning, "A little tired. Um, dreams again. Not as bad as before, but..."

Her eyes widened a little. "Memories or…?" she led along.

I shook my head. "Images of the remains of the ship and star we orbited. And a tiny scout ship going along the remains. Not Grosh," I elaborated, swallowing.

"Ship as in space vehicle, right?" she requested in confirmation.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. As cool as it would be to have boats in space, I doubt it would be as effective," I admitted wistfully.

Twilight laughed, tension lifting a little. "Yeah. Kind of like pirates but for space. Space Pirates?" she guessed, assumingly not realizing how accurate she had been.

"Careful. Those actually existed," I warned, winking at her.

"Oh, you're kidding. Ug. They're probably a lot scarier and meaner than our versions too, right?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"It wasn't a pleasant world," I reminded, before adding, "Regardless, I'm very happy to be here instead."

She smiled again and nodded before standing up off the floor. "Agreed. So let's keep you here. It's probably nothing, but I want to do a dream study on you tonight, just in case. Is that okay?" she asked, tilting her head a little. It was easier to manage looking at her after she shifted back to her professional tone again, I noticed.

I nodded, of course. "If it means anything, it didn't feel as hostile this time. I was detached. Bodiless, I think," I added, frowning.

She nodded and smiled before climbing up onto my cot with me. My eyes widened and I couldn't stop the blush as I suddenly remembered the feel of her lips. Oh crap. Stupid body!

She surprised me again by grabbing my forehoof instead. Huh? Oh. She examined the lines and grooves that were cleanly sliced into its form, frowning.

"Is this some sort of focusing symbol?" she asked after a few seconds of examination. I nodded softly.

"Yeah. It just helps me focus on an effect I want. It was made to help make fire, but it's just a general concentration symbol," I replied.

She nodded absently, seeming deep in thought. Her examination continued and I felt a tingling sensation as telekinesis slipped down into the cracks.

"Structural integrity loss. The nurse was worried about that. She said it can support you, but you should wear a covering over it to prevent things from getting wedged inside," Twilight enlightened as she continued prodding with her magic.

I sighed. I'd figured as much. Still, as a price to be paid, that was getting off cheap. I wondered about my lower back, however. It was still bandaged, so I couldn't tell if I had a scar or anything. Well, what used to be my lower back before I became a quadruped. Back back? No, that sounded stupid. I should really find an anatomy book at some point

Twilight's magic prodded yet again a second later, but this time slipped inside my hoof completely! I gasped, momentarily wondering if she'd sliced into my hoof accidentally or something. Calming down, I felt her warm energy sliding up my left foreleg. Oh, she used the hole to inverse the thing I did last night.

Her energy pooled into my chest and I closed my eyes, simply letting her past. It felt distinctly like her as it coiled around my energy inside of me. I felt her testing internal organs, making sure the energy was recovering correctly, and checking along the surface of my skin under the bandages. She was doing a medical checkup. I couldn't help it, though. The energy felt so much like hers, the massive amount of strength behind it, yet it was so graceful. Beautiful, yet a little intoxicating. I felt my face heat up as my energy started to feel out hers. That familiar light-headed sensation drifted through me, similar to the last time she had connected her magic with mine.

"M-Mender, that's distracting. Cool yourself off and l-let me focus," Twilight requested, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Ah, um, s-sorry!" I muttered, rapidly pulling back all my energy towards my core.

Twilight made a light gasping noise in surprise as I did so. I was momentarily confused until I felt her energy slip and rush in to fill the sudden void. Her body fell against mine as it felt like I was suddenly dropped into warm, blasting air currents. The billowing heat surrounded me on all sides as I retreated inside my own mind momentarily, unable to process anything but lavender light. Her level of magic was... It was beyond anything I'd seen before. Her, a small pony, contained more energy than the prior arch-magi of the university!

Two violet pools of light opened up in my mind, before a light giggle resounded through me. "Mender, don't retreat like that. This form needs your magic as much as it needs warmth. You create a void by retreating quickly. Um, I need you to come out now," she requested softly.

Wait, this form was dependent on magic? Interesting. I gave her an inquisitive 'look' as best I could with no physical body. She caught it regardless, it seemed, and an image formed in my mind. I saw myself and her from outside of our bodies, suddenly. An aura of light burned off her before getting sucked into my hoof?

"You partially pulled my psyche into you when you retreated. This, um, it would be bad to stay like this for too long. Could you push me out, please?" she muttered, softer than before.

I felt the connection easily enough. There was an odd sensation as I grew curious and felt along the lines leading back down my foreleg. It went both ways, didn't it? If I shifted into her at the same time, that would make it even more of a link, wouldn't it?

Suddenly her eyes widened and she 'felt' scared. "N-No Mender! I'm not r-ready for this. I need to... I need to think things over," she pleaded. Ready? What wasn't she ready for? I tried to push a questioning sensation towards her as my progress down the link halted.

She sighed weakly. "We all have magic in us. You know that, right? Well, we unicorns can manipulate that, not just in ourselves, but in others too. By melding two magic pools together, we can cause various effects between ponies. Please, let me go?" she requested gently.

Various effects? While vague, based off her reaction, I could guess at a few of them. Temptation struck once more, and I realized that she really couldn't stop me if I just kept going. We might be linked, able to remain together forever, even!

The pang of guilt hit a second later and I remembered. All those feelings and thoughts when faced with the same choice on the Grosh ship. Was anything different? Not really. As much as I wanted to be accepted and stay here forever, there were some things that just couldn't be sacrificed. I couldn't live with the thought of hurting these ponies.

It was decided in an instant. I expanded out again and shoved. Twilight was ejected a moment later and shuddered as her body sat back up on me, psyche full back inside of her. She looked down at me softly and I winced, looking away in no small amount of shame.

"What did the Grosh offer you in return for Equestria?" she suddenly asked, voice quiet but solemn. I swallowed, wondering how much Twilight and Fluttershy had seen in my memories while trying to pull me out of that, well, whatever that was that I fell into.

I sighed. "You six. And a research position with immortality benefits," I returned, closing my eyes gently. Maybe if I didn't look at her, she wouldn't see what a monster I was for even thinking about it.

There was silence in return and I feared the worst. Why was this so hard? What was my problem with this? All I had ever known was myself. To encompass others in that reality was both exciting and terrifying. Sure there had been other soldiers. At least I think there had been. I can't remember anything specific, but a more general feeling of companionship was there. That wasn't like this at all. We weren't friends. Just individuals mutually working towards a common cause. They were allies, just like our nation's allies. This... These ponies were my first friends. At least, I think that's how friendship works. It's been a bit rocky, sure, but I think they were my friends. Now, I valued this world more than my old one.

Of course, when all was said and done, my body was out-pacing my heart. Things were happening too fast. Battle was easy in comparison. I knew my targets and exactly what needed to be done to approach the goals given to me. I don't remember much and certainly never a time where I wasn't fighting. This was so different. I just wanted to step back and flee. I wanted to hide somewhere and scream until I felt my head clear and my blood cool off. Yet here I was in the middle of a party getting put together with a cute unicorn sitting in my lap. No, not cute. Twilight Sparkle was gorgeous. She held a more level feeling of maturity and self-assuredness. Fluttershy was beautiful, too, but hers more stemmed from an innocence she seemed to almost drip.

After never having dealt with females before to my knowledge, it was overwhelming on my body. I didn't fault it for getting flooded with hormones. Just because it was justified, however, didn't mean I had to put up with it. I needed to fix this somehow.

Twilight surprised me out of my self-examination by giggling suddenly. "You're so different. You're a lot like me in some ways. We both worry and overthink things from time to time. Still, I'm not angry. The answer you gave him was quite obvious," she reasoned. I glanced back up at her in time to see her nose press lightly into mine. She sighed and rested her horn against my forehead again. I braced for magic, but none came.

A moment passed and I smiled lightly. "I guess blowing him up was as obvious an answer as any," I agreed, hoping that much was a given. Nothing says 'I hate you and want you to drop dead' quite like reducing a few dozen kilometers of space into fine dust.

She giggled again and nodded. "I missed you," she suddenly confessed, her hoof running along the fur on my chest.

"Why?" I asked, quieter while trying to not blush again. She was just resting against me. No test or examination. Just for comfort. My mind didn't know what to do, so I simply slid my hoof up and down her foreleg.

"You make me laugh. You're smart and can hold a conversation about advanced things. You're also full of fascinating things! I like you," she explained, taking my hoof up again and examining it.

It never came, as anticipated. I'd been listening for anything actually intimate to be added to the list, but it wasn't there. See, body? There's all the proof that was needed. She could get everything on that list by just being my friend. What was it that I wanted from her, anyway?

I stared emptily at the hoof she was holding. That pervasive sense of being lost came back to me. Everybody from my past existence was dead. Why was I still alive? Did I honestly deserve a second chance to find my purpose? There were no readily apparent answers and I somehow doubted there ever would be.

"Mender, what's wrong?" Twilight asked hesitantly a moment later. A glance back up at her told me she had switched her attention back to me rather than the gashed up hoof.

I shook my head, however. "I'm all right, Twi. Just tired. Pinkie takes a lot of energy to keep up with," I politely lied. No sense in worrying anypony needlessly. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.

"Well, if you're sure. You can wander a bit if you feel like it, but be back by six for the party. I also want to discuss your dreams and magic after," she informed, standing slowly and stretching before getting back onto the floor.

I nodded and tried my best self-assured smile. I probably looked like Fluttershy at a heavy metal concert, sadly. Although that's pretty accurate for how outpaced my mind felt.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Rarity was by earlier and asked for you, but you were still sleeping then. She requested you either drop by later or somepony let her know when you woke up," she relayed.

I tilted my head and questioned, "Er, why does she want to see me?"

Twilight shrugged absently as she trotted over to her personal bookshelf. "She didn't say. The only thing she mentioned was something about saddlebags," she tacked on idly as she focused on searching through the titles of her books.

Rarity made me a saddlebag? I frowned and wondered what the occasion was. I hoped it was an occasion, anyway. I certainly didn't have the bits to pay for it, obviously. Well, I'm sure that should she want me to pay for it, she'd offer some sort of payment plan. She knew of my lack of funding.

"I think I might go for that walk after all," I muttered before tacking on, "Maybe I'll go see what she wants before the party gets started."

Twilight smiled at me as she turned around, a book seemingly on potion making floating next to her. "That's probably a good idea, Mender. You could do with some fresh air after being cooped up in the hospital for so long. Just please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help you out," she offered quietly. There was a distinct moment of hesitation as she looked at me. It was as if she wanted me to say something but was afraid to ask directly.

I nodded and tried to give my best assuring smile. She confused me something terrible but ultimately I'd just prefer to have a little time to myself to think. Plus, I really was interested in what Rarity wanted. Up to this point, she was the one who'd given me the least amount of problems. If she really did have a saddle bag, it would be worth it just for that! From what I'd seen of her work, I knew it would be top quality. Still, the why of the situation concerned me. It wasn't my birthday, at least that I knew of. Maybe it was to celebrate me NOT being blown to tiny little bits? Deciding to just go with that, I nodded gently to Twilight and slowly got out of bed.

Thankfully, she was there to brace against me as I stumbled. My left foreleg was surprisingly weak and caught me off guard. "Careful, Mender. I think the magic put quite a strain on that leg. Take it easy for a few days, all right? You're also not fully recovered from the incident," she warned.

A lapse of lethargy passed through me suddenly and I slumped against her warm coat. It made sense. My body wasn't fully recovered from the massive level of damage it had received. Plus, it had just spent almost two weeks cooped up in a bed, being fed intravenously through a tube. I took several deep breaths and steadied myself on my hooves.

"Mender, you need to take it easy, okay? Your body took quite a shock," Twilight warned gently. Her eyes softened as I managed to shakily stand on my own.

I nodded and flushed lightly, fighting back my own thoughts. It really would be nice to stay here with her. A pity it was so hard to think coherently around her. My not thinking properly wasn't fair to either Fluttershy or Twilight. I needed to figure out a way to clear my head.

"I'll be careful, Twilight. I just need to clear my head a bit," I assured.

She smiled uneasily but nodded after a second or so. "All right. Just be back in time for the party," she reminded.

Nodding, I slowly and carefully made my way downstairs.

---

The day was a reasonable one. Light cloud cover kept the temperatures down well enough. I felt a light breeze also drifting over my coat, making for a rather pleasant experience. It was Fall now and I figured things would be getting chilly soon. It amused me when I read that they even had snow. Most species capable of controlling their climate wouldn't let their planet's rotation around the star interfere that much. Of course, I had no idea if the planet really rotated around a star. Or if the planet was actually rotating. Hell, I didn't know if I was even on a planet at all!

Regardless, I took my time as I walked down the path. The day was almost too bright and I found my eyes starting to ache if I took them off the ground for more than a minute or so. I guess I simply prefer the night in this instance. I'm named after an aspect of it, after all. A bit of noise came from my right as I rounded the street on my way to the Carousel Boutique. I saw a group of young foals playing in the grass just off the street. What day was today? If I recalled, the town had its own school for the young foals. It wasn't late enough for them to be out yet, so it was either a day off or they were playing hooky.

Sadly, my thoughts were halted once again by my poor skull smashing into something. There was no give to the harsh metal wall at all as my momentum carried me forward. I squished momentarily into the surface before gravity took over again and I fell over backwards. My landing was surprisingly gentle as I landed on my haunches. After shaking the dizziness out of my head, I looked up at the source of my newly discovered headache.

An imposing looking Stallion stood in front of me. He was nowhere near as big as Big Mac, but wore an impressive looking set of armor. It was a shiny golden chest plate and helm set with some sort of plated hoof guards. Wait, was this some sort of law enforcement pony? I hadn't seen any prior to this and frankly didn't think that they were needed here. He gave me a cold, stoic stare that hinted at a detached level of calculated efficiency, and I shuddered.

"Oh my! Are you all right?" came a soft-spoken inquiry from behind the guard. I shifted my attention past him to note an almost regal looking mare approaching from his left, my right.

My eyes widened drastically as I drew in her looks! She was the purest white that I'd ever seen. Her hair was alive with softly cascading rainbow colors. It was vastly longer than Dash's, but provided a much softer color variation. The colors complimented magenta eyes. To my shock, she had both regal wings and an elongated horn extending from her forehead. Both? What was the name of those? I racked my brain trying to remember what that book had said about them. There was something important that I was forgetting.

Answering her would be a good start, I decided, finally replying, "I'm all right. Um, I'm sorry I bumped into your friend."

She giggled gently, her eyes softening to match her tone. I was suddenly shocked at the weight of knowledge she seemed to contain behind those eyes. "Oh, I do recognize you. You're Moon Mender, Twilight Sparkle's friend. Worry not. I'm certain my guard is undamaged," she assured, smiling again.

"You have me at a disadvantage," I pointed out, deciding to ignore the slight rib from the obviously well off mare. Her own guard? She's probably upper class, at least.

She surprised me with an odd smirk that came out of nowhere, before returning, "You can just call me 'Tia' if you want. I'm a friend of Twilight's. She talks a lot about you."

I averted my gaze from her rapidly as I blushed. She talked about me? "I didn't know that. Well, a friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine," I assured, trying to will the blush away.

Tia nodded politely to me, still wearing that understanding smile. "Friends are very important. I'm glad Twilight has opened her heart to them. I was actually on my way over to the library right now. Do you know if she's busy?" she asked.

"Well, Pinkie Pie is over there right now to do the decorations for the party tonight, but Twi probably wouldn't mind company," I cautioned. If she was friends with Twilight, she probably knew Pinkie. That warning should be self-evident if so.

"Oh my. Well I don't want to get in the way of anything. Wait, do you know of any good places to eat here?" she suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Well, probably not out of nowhere. I knew firsthoof how fast hunger could sneak up on you.

I frowned but nodded slowly, suggesting, "Well, Twi eats at a cafe near here. But she only ever gets dandelion sandwiches anyways, so that might not be the best recommendation."

Tia laughed warmly and nodded. "She is a bit stubborn sometimes. Shall we go and see if the food is good there, ourselves?" she asked a moment latter.

I swallowed uncomfortably and probably paled a little. How much had Twilight told her? "Ah, you seem really nice but I kind of don't have any bits," I admitted, blushing as I felt a tad pathetic.

Tia shook her head softly, smile widening. "Nonsense. I'd just like some company, you know. Besides, I'd like to talk to you more, if you don't mind," she insisted.

Well, I suppose there's no harm in that. Rarity didn't know I was coming, anyway, so no loss there. "I suppose I could," I finally agreed.

Tia nodded sharply and smiled. Her two rather stoic guards moved back into position near her at the same time. I swallowed my nervousness and followed after her. She waited politely for me to catch up, and a guard fell in to either side of us. Swallowing, I couldn't decide which way to shuffle or who to distance myself from more. With nothing else for it, I headed towards the cafe, leading the way. I should have stayed in bed...

A few minutes later had us arriving at the cafe in due time. Tia made quite a stir, to my surprise. She must be quite a bit more famous than I had originally thought. The waiter looked like he was going to pass out when we walked up. He was so flustered that he tried to bow to Tia when she approached! She introduced me respectfully and nodded towards him to have us seated. Admittedly, I was more than a little impressed by her good graces. I had a sneaking suspicion that Rarity probably liked her. I was unaccustomed to them taking our orders then and there, but the white mare took it in stride.

"So how has Twilight been as of late? She writes to me frequently but it's always nice to hear about it from a third pony perspective," Tia inquired after we got comfortable at our table, the flock of attendees dispersing a little.

I nodded quietly. "She seems a little stressed but that could just be Pinkie Pie affecting her. I was worried she would be mad at me after what happened but she didn't appear to be at all. It's a little confusing, honestly," I admitted sheepishly.

Tia laughed lightly and shook her head. "Far from it, Mender. She likes you quite a bit," she assured as those strange bodyguards settled in close to the table.

"I just wonder how much of it is my being an interesting test subject," I wondered out loud.

"Admittedly, it probably had a lot to do with it at first, knowing Twilight. These things have a tendency to grow out of simpler things. If only you read some of her letters to me recently!" she tantalized. My cheeks flared up, predictably. Oh my. Twilight shared a lot with this mare! I guess that did leave certain topics open, however.

"Well, an Earth Pony that does magic is pretty rare, I guess," I returned, attempting to change the topic. I didn't particularly feel comfortable with somepony else giving away Twilight's secrets to me. Plus, it would tell me how much Twilight had told her. If she acted confused, I could just play the idiot.

"Rare is an understatement. What types of magic were you trained in on your world?" she asked curiously.

My blood chilled a little. "M-My world?" I asked hesitantly. Or it went the other direction! Twilight had told her pretty much everything, then. Who was she that Twilight hadn't talked about her yet?

Tia nodded politely, still maintaining the warm smile before informing, "Twilight tells me many things. I'm her confidant, worry not. I haven't told another soul."

I swallowed uncomfortably and nodded. She was a closer friend of Twilight's than I thought. "Ah, I'm just surprised is all," I muttered, looking around to make sure that nopony was listening. To my surprise, I saw that there was a three-table radius where nopony sat. It looked highly intentional to me.

"I apologize for startling you. Perhaps I should have been more open from the start," she apologized.

I smiled again and shook my head, feeling a bit better now that I saw nopony had heard. "It's all right. I just wanted to keep it a secret. Ponies tend to underrate my sanity when they hear the story," I explained.

Tia nodded politely again. "I understand, of course. I don't doubt your sanity in the least, worry not."

I had to laugh at that one. "I wouldn't go that far. I doubt I'm holding a full deck of cards," I corrected between snickers.

She gave me cold deadpan stare for several seconds before seemingly realizing my playfulness and joining in the laughter.

"Ooh, I think I might like you. You have no idea how nice it is to get away from responsibilities from time to time. You're good at getting somepony to let go," she complimented, smile shifting from polite to warm again.

"It's not always a good thing. I'm not the best at motivating myself, either. At least not without probable cause," I admitted. Sure, my lackluster approach stemmed from the utterly hopeless war I had been a part of, but this place was infinitely better. Even if it did feel like I had jumped from one event to another so far.

"Living with Twilight will help balance you out, don't worry. You never answered my prior question, though," she reminded.

Prior...? Oh! "Oh, I'm sorry. I was an Engineer, I believe. My magic revolves around barriers, physical trait manipulation, and repair. I was a more supplemental role, it would seem," I explained to the best of my abilities.

"Oh? For such a grim place, you weren't trained in any attack magic?" Tia inquired curiously.

Why was she interested in that? I hesitated but nodded a moment later, answering with, "Yes. Just one technique. An energy blade. Rainbow Dash's fly by attack was the first I'd used it in actual combat."

"Huh. I was expecting something a little bit scarier. You aren't going to use it anymore, are you?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

I chuckled at that. "Maybe as a glorified letter opener. There's no need for it in this dimension. The less these ponies know of my old world, the better," I muttered, feeling a little bit down again. These ponies didn't need to know about that hellish place.

"A noble stance. What if you needed to defend yourself, however? Or defend Twilight and Fluttershy?" she asked next, watching me in an oddly focused manner.

That was an extremely specific question. She knew I liked both of them, without a doubt. Why she was so adamant on this was beyond my guessing, however. I frowned and considered it. I didn't know what she was looking for in my answer, so I simply went with the truth and quietly explained, "If we couldn't escape and the only other option was them dying, then yes. I would use it without hesitation. But I don't think it will ever happen. Twilight is amazingly powerful and I have suspicion that Fluttershy is far from defenseless herself."

Tia stared at me carefully for a surprisingly long time. I started to fidget nervously after almost thirty seconds of her rather intense stare. Finally she smiled again, however, and I exhaled sharply.

"Twilight vouched for you already but I still wanted to ask. I see she's right. I don't believe you'd willingly hurt anypony," she explained.

I slowly shook my head. "I love it here, even with the horrible luck and multiple blunt force traumas to my skull. I'd never hurt these wonderful ponies intentionally," I added, looking to the side at the filled tables. I oddly notice that a bit of a crowd was forming towards the cafe entry with quite a few ponies whispering and gesturing towards us. Wow, Tia was popular! I started to feel a little self-conscious.

She must have noticed. "Don't worry about them. You're my friend so just treat me like normal. Trust me, it's refreshing. Can you show me your magic?" she requested.

I tilted my head and gave her a skeptical glance. Did she mean right here, in the middle of the cafe? She gave an encouraging nod and smile. Sighing, I lifted my left hoof up, staring blankly at it for a moment before nudging my inner pool of energy into movement. Not sure what she actually wanted me to do, I simply activated the channeling and watched the symbol under the bandages start to glow. A few seconds later, the wrappings drifted free from my hoof and into the air. All I did was temporarily turn off gravity for them. The current from my hoof pushed them away gently as a natural result of the energy emission.

Tia's smile broadened as she watched. There was that feeling in her eyes again! It was as if a great deal of time resided behind those twin pools of magenta. She suddenly struck me as far older than I had originally thought.

"You're not levitating them. You told them to ignore gravity, right? Twilight is right. It's a far more physical magic than a unicorn's. Can you levitate something?" she asked curiously.

I shook my head. "No. I can only manipulate what the rune on my hoof touches. Basic manipulation as well. It doesn't feel like I have enough energy in me yet to manage anything complex or permanent," I elaborated.

Tia seemed to think for a moment before asking, "So like most unicorns, you need mental exercise before you can manage more?"

A wave of gloom washed over me and I put my head down. I'd been so proud of my magic. Now it, like me, was starting over. Worse yet, I was surrounded by magic users of phenomenal skill. Heck, the partial unicorn sitting across from me was probably stronger than me, too!

Tia gave me a soft smile, sympathy showing rather plainly before seemingly thinking of something. "I understand your frustration of course. But might I make a suggestion?" she asked softly. I nodded while patiently listening. She continued a moment later with, "Your body is that of an Earth Pony, so it's geared towards directing its magic through constitution. My suggestion would be to train your body alongside your mind. Healthy diet and exercise would do a good job of jump starting your magic as well, I'd assume, based on your body.

I blinked slowly, considering what she had said. Wow. That actually was really intelligent. Twilight being friends with her suddenly made a lot more sense. "Wow. Thank you, Tia. You just might be onto something there," I admitted, running the concept through my head again. In all likelihood, it would help to greatly expand my magic pool. If I could do that by doing what I had intended to do anyway, I could use the time saved for training my control capabilities. That would speed the process up significantly!

Tia giggled lightly and nodded. "Be sure to run it past Twilight as well. She deals more with experimentation and advanced theory than I do. She might be able to help you out even more," she pointed out.

"Still, thank you for your help. Things haven't been going well since I arrived. It's nice that something might be working in my favor this time," I thanked again.

She smiled and sat back in her chair as the waiter brought out our drinks. Tia had a tasty looking shake of some sorts and I had ordered tea. Fell in love with it ever since Rarity had served it to me. Sadly, my first sip told me she had spoiled me. It wasn't nearly as good as the stuff she had made.

"Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect before I had met you. I was a bit apprehensive after the first letter Twilight sent," Tia returned. Had my delicious, delicious tea not been in the way, I might have slammed my face into the table out of frustration. Was I never going to live that down? She giggled and continued with, "Relax. Then I was deeply puzzled by her sudden change of tone in the letters after that. I was worried she was being manipulated. She's very intelligent but quite young still. Most ponies have good intentions but you should always be careful. It didn't help that you weren't from here."

I nodded this time. That much was just playing it safe. I could accept that easily enough. She continued before I could say anything, with, "But now I see that you're just a normal pony with his own fears and troubles. Twilight was right and for that, I'm glad. You have my blessings."

As happy as I was to hear that, I was a little confused. "I'm glad, but your blessings in what, might I ask?" I inquired.

Tia giggled lightly. "Why in the pursuit of happiness, of course," she furthered simply. Smiling, I nodded and took another sip of my tea. I should have known something was wrong by the way she eyed me eagerly as I sipped. "And Twilight, obviously," she tossed on after I had a good mouthful of tea.

It momentarily went into my lungs as I attempted to inhale at the same time. Seconds later, I was reduced to a coughing and sputtering lump on the table. Tia promptly added a "Gotcha!" before bursting into laughter.

It felt like an eternity passed before I could breathe properly again. Gasping, I tilted my head up to glare at her. She was still giggling merrily, however. I politely waited for her to finish. "Oh, this is just too much fun! I don't do this nearly often enough," she finally spoke up in a wistful manner.

Sighing, I decided that her life was probably pretty boring if that was the case. My irritation faded rather rapidly after that. "Well, try to warn me ahead of time when you decide to choke me half to death," I muttered wearily.

To my surprise, she grinned and nodded. "But of course. We shall have to do this more often. You're quite good at relieving the stress of a day," she complimented. At least I think it was a compliment.

"Your life doesn't feel so bad after watching my daily maiming, concussions, and almost asphyxiations, I take it?" I asked, using the napkins she floated my way to dab the tea out of my coat.

"Well, tragedy is popular for a reason," she pointed out, earning another eye twitch and glare before she snickered and continued, "Oh relax. I tease. As much as you probably don't believe me, I have to say that you really are a good pony. Your luck will turn around soon. You have two cute mares after your attention as well."

My mood shifted in a morose direction and I sighed before placing my head down on the table. "I just wonder if it's not karma or something. I lived when my entire species died. Why was I the lucky one? Maybe it's just paying me back?" I reasoned quietly.

Tia shook her head softly. "One can never know the future. Not even the strongest magic can accurately predict it. Asking yourself if you deserve the place in life where you find yourself is equally futile. If you can't find a reason to be here, even though I see several, make your own reason instead," she suggested.

I frowned and considered it. "A... A reason to be here?" I asked, not sure what she meant.

Tia nodded politely and continued, "Of course. You're incorrectly worried that the sacrifice involved in your arrival was too great, right? Even if they actually intended to save only you, you can still choose to give a reason for it all. You don't need to wait for something else to give you that reason."

She surprised me considerably. She definitely gave me another point of view, and a wise one at that, but there was something off about her reply that made me uncomfortable. Something she knew and wasn't revealing.

Still, she had a good point. They hadn't sacrificed themselves for me specifically. Even though I lived when they died, it didn't exactly make me special in any regard. She raised an eye to me, so I snapped myself out of it and spoke up with, "You're right of course. I'm not that special just because I didn't die."

Tia snickered and shook her head. "Of course you're not special because you lived. You're special because you're kind and many a ponies' friend. You're special to them," she corrected.

Frowning, I considered her words. They matched well with what I had been told a while ago. Ponies took more away from interactions with others than I noticed or gave credit for. It applied to me as well, I supposed.

"You're really wise. Twilight's lucky to have a friend like you," I complimented. This was a good friend of Twilight's, I reminded myself. She wasn't going to have bad intentions. I really needed to do something about the paranoid tendencies. Oh, and the hormones.

Tia smiled warmly, but looked away from me. "You're quite a lot of fun as well. Surely you can be my friend as well?" she asked.

My eyes softened and I smiled. "Of course, Tia. Are you going to be at the party later tonight?"

"That's the whole reason I'm in town. Of course I'm coming. I think Twilight wanted me to meet you," she reasoned, a hint of playful sarcasm in her voice.

I averted my gaze. "A little late for that. I guess she didn't anticipated me literally running into you in town," I muttered, face giving a tiny jolt of pain in protest of the memory.

Tia leaned back as her salad and my sandwich arrived. "I doubt she'll mind. She's very patient and understanding," she assured as the waiter bowed politely to us.

It took her a moment to glance back at me, but she finally noticed my incredulous expression. She hesitated, then giggled. "Okay, she's patient and understanding when scary feelings aren't clouding her judgment," she appended.

Chuckling, I brushed the surface of my conveniently still unwrapped hoof against my sandwich. A quick tweak in magnetic properties later, and it was stuck to my hoof as I picked it up. Tia watched me curiously throughout, a mixture of amusement and possibly considering me the laziest stallion she'd ever seen. That last part could have been just me reading into it, though.

Shrugging, I took a small bite of the sandwich, not wanting to rush anything. My body was used to an IV supplying its nourishment still. I could potentially get one hell of a stomach cramp should I rush eating. Tia simply nibbled gently at her salad. A small fork drift in front of her effortlessly and fed her bite by bite. Levitation magic must be so useful. Still, things were looking up for me now. All that was left to do was get Twilight to check out this new dream issue, and convince this Princess Celestia pony that I wasn't totally insane. Oh, and apologize to everypony for worrying them. Especially Fluttershy. It worried me that I hadn't heard from her yet, nor heard anything about her. Was she mad at me or something? Maybe Twilight would know.

"Hey, this is pretty good after all. I'm going to have to thank Twilight for the recommendation, through you of course," Tia spoke up.

Snapping out of my usual spacing out mode, I smiled back up at her. "That's something to be said about somepony who eats the same thing often enough. They get really good at quality testing the dish," I reasoned, gesturing idly in the air with my other hoof.

Tia simply smiled and nodded, oddly seeming to actually enjoy my company. I hadn't known her for long, but she seemed to be really tense. It was like she didn't get the chance to unwind all that often.

The rest of the lunch period went uneventfully, although the crowd gathered and continuously whispering near the entry to the cafe was a little awkward. I knew they were here for Tia, but it still felt like more than a few directed attention at me. The giggles that sporadically drifted from the mares in the crowd were particularly distracting. That's something I'd noticed almost immediately. I'd not been around females prior to arriving here, as far as I knew. But their laughter! There was just something about it. I couldn't really explain why it was so appealing. It was like something deep inside of me stirred and cheered every time I heard it.

It was about forty minutes or so before we were done eating, if one included the conversation and waiting prior. As anticipated, Tia easily managed the bill, floating some gold looking coins out of a small pouch tucked away in her large chest jewelry. The owner of the restaurant almost fell all over himself trying to make sure that we had a pleasurable experience. I was a tad perplexed but Tia seemed to be used to that sort of thing.

"But I insist! Surely if there's anything we can send with you, I can get it packed up immediately," he continued to assure.

Tia smiled gently and shook her head as I wrapped my hoof up again. She watched me finish the final rotation as the owner deposited the bits. I hadn't paid that much attention to the final tab between the giggling mares and trying to focus my magic long enough to wrap the bandages again. Hopefully it wasn't too much. Even with her being obviously well off, it didn't feel right to leech off of her like this. The first bodyguard went ahead of us and stomped his hoof down once in front of the crowd. As if on cue, they parted in a line to allow us through. Tia went on ahead and I trailed slightly behind her. Awkwardly, a couple of the mares brushed lightly against me as we passed. I stumbled while trying to avoid one, and another managed to catch me and support my balance until I could get back on my hooves.

"Don't mind these kinds of mares. Are you okay?" the mare next to the one who caught me asked. The questioning mare had a cream colored coat and a rather poofy, dark blue and pink mane. It was definitely unique. Her friend who caught me hurt my eyes, however. She was a bright mint color with a messy cyan and white mane. She gave me a friendly enough smile as she helped me to get my balance again. The second guard motioned the crowd back as Tia stopped and looked back at me.

"Yes, I'm all right. Thank you, um..." I started before hitting a snag.

The one still grabbing my left leg smiled warmly and nodded. "I'm Lyra. This is my fillyfriend, Bon Bon. How did you pick up that sandwich with just one hoof?" the minty mare asked.

Er, oops. Um... Tia started back towards me again, frowning. Before she got too close, however, Lyra frowned and examined me. Huh? Was there something on my face? Before I could ask, she suddenly flailed and gasped. "It-It's you!" she declared at the top of her lungs.

"Lyra?" Bon Bon questioned, tilting her head towards the other mare. I shrank visibly however, doing my best impression of a shivering dough ball.

Lyra growled as Tia made it to me. "I stepped in your pee like, three weeks ago! You ran away from me!" Lyra reminded at the top of her lungs to the entire crowd. Oh crap! It was her. I thought she looked familiar...

"Lyra! Is this the best time?" Bon Bon asked her quietly.

Tia stopped in front of us instead. From my new position I realized how tall she was. "He's had a rather rough last few weeks. I know that much personally. Are you all right, Mender?" she asked gently.

Lyra gasped and oddly fell into a bow. That was the second pony to bow to Tia. Warning bells went off in my mind. "I'm s-sorry, Princess Celestia!" Lyra apologized rapidly.

A pause. Oh. Tia? Celestia? Celes... Oh crap. Decidedly, my body chose that moment to gargle with my yet beating heart. The newly revealed Princess Celestia sighed and made a motion with her head. "Shall we take a walk, ponies?" she suggested.

I don't quite remember moving. I think one of the guards came up and pushed me along from behind.

---

The sun slowly sank towards the horizon as I sat quietly in the grass, watching the iridescent sky. The oranges, purples, and blues mixed together so nicely that I really didn't want to leave.

Tia, or more appropriately, Princess Celestia, sat a meter or so to my right. Her eyes absorbed the colors of the sky as she watched her sun go down. It was beyond strange to realize that her sister was out there somewhere, directing the moon into the sky at the same time. She caught me looking a moment later, and I rapidly turned my head away, feeling insecure again. At least the mint pony had forgiven me for earlier transgressions before leaving. Lyra was it? She seemed nice enough once she stopped trying to murder me. Honestly, I hadn't realized "stallion smells" were so hard to wash off. Unhealthy obsession with how I picked up my sandwich, though! That was a little creepy. She went on to explain how awesome fingers were and how she wished she had some, like a dragon or something. Bon Bon looked like she wanted to die, though.

"Still feeling awkward, Mender?" Celestia asked a moment later.

Sighing, I shifted uneasily. "A little. You got me good, that's for sure," I pseudo-complimented.

She giggled lightly again. "I only did so to keep you honest. And technically I never lied. Twilight Sparkle is indeed my friend." True enough, I suppose.

"So you were asking about my magic to make sure I wasn't a threat, right?" I deduced, absently motioning with my right forehoof.

The princess smiled and looked back out at the sky. She was quiet again for a moment before nodding and asking, "You understand why I had to do as such, right?"

"Of course. You're the ruler of Equestria. I'm a potential risk to your nation."

She frowned but nodded again. "Twilight ultimately can take more risks than I. Normally I don't ask her to, of course," she started to explain. It had been a nagging thought before I went to bed last night. I don't quite know why, but I think it was the way she said it.

"She told you about me almost right away, didn't she?" I interrupted, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.

Celestia smiled again at that. "You're clever. You two really would make a good pair," she complimented.

Of course. She told her probably right after finding the memories of another world and form in my mind. It was dangerous not to. I just didn't understand why she didn't tell me. "It was the right call. I could potentially have caused a lot of damage, and not much was known about me," I agreed quietly.

"She was right, however. Twilight's gotten to be a good judge of character since becoming a Bearer. She said you yourself were harmless, and that the real danger was what you represented." I could tell she was directing the topic away from Twilight being at fault. That probably meant something.

"But you're the ruler of Equestria. You can't just trust Twilight, no matter how faithful she was. Too much was at risk," I concluded for her.

Celestia remained quiet for a moment and glanced back out at the sky. She hesitated before finally nodding. "Yes, this country is my responsibility. I need to be thinking about its welfare. I asked Twilight to keep an eye on you until I could make it to Ponyville myself that weekend. A potential hostile invasion is extremely serious, you must realize," she agreed.

It rapidly snapped together. She had been flustered because of us jumping ahead of schedule. Twilight had wanted to wait for the Princess. Instead of her feelings becoming clear, however, I simply became more confused. How did she feel personally if she was simply told to look after me?

My mind shifted back to her eyes slowly closing as I felt her lips push harder into mine. I pushed back the heat that was threatening to drift into my cheeks. No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. There was definitely something there. Now what about me? I tried my hardest to feel out what I thought of her, but things kept getting mixed up in my head.

"You're quiet, Mender. Are you okay?" Princess Celestia suddenly spoke up. As my thoughts had stolen my concentration, I couldn't help but jump when the silence was suddenly broken.

"Oh! Sorry, Your Highness. I was just trying to sort out my feelings. And everypony else's," I apologized.

She shook her head, however. "Please, either Celestia or Tia. I meant it when I said it was a comfort to just pretend I'm a normal pony for a while," she requested. It felt awkward, regardless. I seemed to be stuck thinking of her as Tia. Maybe that's what she wanted? She continued, " And if you're worried about Twilight, don't be. I was a little concerned when she started getting attached to you, but now that I can see for myself what you're like, I'm happy she trusts you."

I had a sneaking suspicion she could see a lot more than she let on. I decided to just be open rather than risk her ire. "Why didn't she just tell me that she was in contact with you, then?"

"I told her not to. You'd hardly have acted natural had you known you were being watched. You have my word that she isn't under any orders now," she assured, somehow guessing at my insecurity before I myself did. I was a bit impressed, and just a little frightened.

Still, all Princess Celestia would need to do was say the word. Twilight practically worshipped her, from what I'd seen and heard.

Celestia smiled gently after a moment, my inner turmoil halting the conversation reasonably well. I stared once again out at the colors of the sky as they slowly shifted towards the horizon. It couldn't be that late yet. Maybe this place followed a more natural seasonal daylight cycle. That would mean that the day would be getting shorter and shorter. Winter was coming. Really, I just wanted somepony I could trust. Failing that, maybe a good, sturdy tree I could kick until I felt better.

Rainbow Dash? No. She was loyal, but not exactly to me. Plus she might be mad over the teleport incident still. Applejack? Heh. And get punched again? Pinkie? It worked surprisingly well last time, but this seemed a little sensitive for her level of energy and violation. Fluttershy? I didn't know what she was doing or where she stood on what had happened still. I didn't want to offend her. That left Rarity. The only thing she had done that was necessarily bad was eavesdrop and work me a little harder than I would have liked. She also took things reasonably seriously it seemed. Maybe she'll have some advice?

Gently, I stood up and stretched out my back legs, earning Celestia's attention again. "Miss Rarity said she wanted to give me something today, so I should stop by there before the party, I think."

"I'll be at the party as well. May I speak with you more there? You probably have a lot of questions," she requested.

I sighed but nodded slowly. She was insistent on clearing Twilight's name. Idly, I wondered why. She continued before I could ask, though, with, "Good! You have about an hour before the party. Best not be late. I don't believe even I can stop Pinkie Pie from going to find you if so."

That I laughed at. "Oh, I know her a little bit. I won't be late."

She smiled and nodded towards me as I turned and headed back into town, directing my legs towards the Carousel Boutique.

Yawning quietly, I peeked about the town as I strolled, being more than a little happy at my ability to walk properly. It was hard for me to believe that it was less than three weeks ago that I could barely walk on four hooves. Now I could at least manage to look around a bit without risk of cracking my skull on the ground.

As per the usual, there were a few stares as I headed towards the Boutique. Oddly, there were more whispers than usual. Surely they were used to me wandering about while looking half dead, right? They should just be thankful that I wasn't in a mechanical walking barrel this time. They picked up the deeper into town I went, growing in participants and volume. I grew uneasy as I started to pick up Princess Celestia's name, and picked up the pace a bit.

Sadly, three mares intercepted me no more than a dozen meters from the Carousel Boutique. "I'm, sorry to interrupt, but you're the stallion that was with Princess Celestia earlier, weren't you?" the cream-colored mare with the rose red hair asked. I swallowed nervously but managed a weak nod.

"Ooh! What's your name?" her friend asked almost immediately. The sudden half prance forward caused her blonde mane to bounce excitedly. Oddly, her coat color reminded me of Pinkie. With her level of energy, I wondered if they were related.

Regardless, I took a step back from the display of excitement. "I'm, my name is Moon Mender. Uh, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'm Rose," the cream and fittingly rose-colored mare spoke up.

"Lily!" the slightly more energetic, blonde and pink one added.

The only one to not speak yet nodded along and smiled, adding, "And I'm Daisy. Lily and I run the herb shop in Ponyville, and Rose handles the flower stand." Her lime colored mane shifted gently as she nodded. It looked a little strange with her light purple coat.

"Ah. Well, that's nice," I returned, admittedly unsure of exactly why they were talking to me.

All three smiled, however, seemingly oblivious. "You were that stallion that Pinkie Pie threw a party for a few weeks ago, weren't you?" Lily asked a moment later.

I started to nod in agreement, but Rose interrupted before I could even open my mouth. "Huh? Oh, that party. I never actually saw the pony it was for."

Daisy giggled, however, correcting, "Yes you did. He was the bandaged lump that slept on the sofa for most of the night." My eyes drooped as I gave an irritable glare towards her.

"What?! No way. I could have sworn that was a throw pillow," Rose muttered, her brow becoming scrunched up.

"Is that why you almost sat on him and Sweetie Belle?" Daisy asked skeptically.

Lily added at the same time, "Are you sure you weren't drunk?"

My ears drooped a bit and I sighed. You know it's a bad day when somepony mistakes you for an inanimate object.

"No, I wasn't drunk! And I stopped when I saw her," Rose defended sharply.

Sadly, a few more approached while they went back and forth.

"Oh, you're the stallion that's been staying with Twilight, aren't you?" a yellow colored mare with a golden mane spoke up.

Blinking, I swallowed again and started to open my mouth. A chorus of "Ooh"s interrupted, however, from the trio in front of me. A blush drifted into my cheeks and I stuttered out, "It's not like that. She's my friend!"

"You're friends with all six Element Bearers, aren't you?" Lily asked in amusement a moment later.

I didn't like her tone or implications, but I nodded anyway. "Uh, yeah. It's kind of a long story. I was trying to get to..." I started to excuse myself.

"And friends with Princess Celestia! Are you some sort of secret agent or something?" Rose asked excitedly, halfway through my attempt to excuse myself from the conversation.

"Would he honestly tell you if he was a secret agent?" Daisy reasoned, giving Rose a gentle nudge with her left forehoof.

That was a very good point. All three were interrupted by a loud voice from above, shouting out, "Whoa! Nice crowd you got going, Mender!"

Oh crap. That sounded like... Rainbow Dash swooped in an instant later, blasting all three mares in front of me with a rather sizable gust, earning a trio of yelps. The rest of the crowd seemingly decided that now would be a good time to back up and give the high-speed bolt of cyan fur a bit of landing room.

After standing back up fully from her landing, Dash smirked over her right shoulder at me before rotating around fully. "Oh, hey Dash. What are you doing here?" I asked, carefully bracing against the wind she indirectly caused. Scratch that. I still wasn't all that stable on my legs.

Dash glanced about at the crowd before puffing a little and snickering. "I was looking for you, duh. Twi said you seemed a little upset when you left and asked me to give you a little company. I guess you found some company on your own, though," she commented, gesturing to the crowd.

I glanced about at them, uncertain. Some looked surprised, others more curious, and all were watching me. "Ah, yeah. Um, I don't know?" I offered, which was to say, told her nothing.

"He was eating lunch with Princess Celestia!" Rose spoke up.

Rainbow gave me a speculative glance, to which I shrugged and elaborated, "I bumped into her shortly after leaving Twilight's. Kinda maybe literally. She invited me to lunch and said she wanted to talk to me." I didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"Whoa. Got asked out by a Princess. Nice going, hot stuff," Rainbow cooed, tossing me a wink.

Obviously, I whipped out my trademark blush. "Dash! You know it's not like that!" I protested. It didn't help much as I heard the whispers and gasps start up around me. Great.

Rainbow took it in stride, of course. "Hey, no need to be modest, Mender. You've got both Twi and Fluttershy hot after you, and you're friends with the coolest, bravest pegasus in Equestria!" she declared, puffing her chest out even further and widening her stance.

Her cocky grin met my irked glare blow for blow. "You forgot fastest," I reminded sarcastically.

She gave a pert nod and wink. "That's just a given with how awesome I am!" she assured, sounding amused. Okay, she was just screwing with me now.

The door to the Carousel Boutique slowly opened behind the crowd, however. To my surprise, I saw both Rarity and Fluttershy peeking out through the doorway. The latter's eyes widened upon seeing me, and mine followed suit. Fluttershy! Mine widened even further when she lowered herself slightly and looked past Rarity and back inside. She was scared of me?

Dash had turned around and peeked at point. "Oh, Rarity's? Is that where you were headed?" Rainbow asked a moment later, looking back over her shoulder with a smile. I buried the emotions as fast as I could and smiled back, nodding.

Rarity smiled softly at me and strolled out of the shop. Fluttershy took that moment to dive back inside and out of view, of course. "Moon Mender! What a pleasure. I was looking forward to seeing you at the party tonight. I hadn't expected an early visit," Rarity spoke politely, drawing out her sentence spacing smoothly as she walked towards us with certain elegance. Wow, she was certainly laying it on thick. It must be the audience that brought it out in her.

"I would have been here earlier, but Princess Celestia wanted to speak with me. Ah, I'm sorry," I excused, nodding courteously to her.

She giggled softly as she stopped maybe a meter away from us. Dash had backed up as she approached and now stood to my right side. "Oh I would never forbid a meeting with the princess. What was it she wanted to speak to you about?" the white unicorn asked, pleasant smile dancing onto her features.

Rainbow snorted derisively. Uh oh. "What else could it be about, Rarity? She probably wanted to know more about his magi…" she started. Damn my reaction speed! Still, my shoulder jabbed into her side as fast as I could manage. "Ow! What the hay did you do that for?" she asked, glaring at me after recovering from her stumble.

"Oh. Oh! Perhaps we should take this inside, dear?" Rarity offered, suddenly seeming to realize what the topic was and looking a little more flustered.

Rainbow frowned over at her but lost some of the edge on her expression. Oh sure. Believe Rarity. There couldn't be a logical reason for me to nudge a pony. I obviously go around all day assaulting random ponies in the side. "Oh. Well fine," Rainbow acquiesced in an irritably nonchalant manner.

It was too late at that point. Due to my lack of reflexes, almost everypony present with more than a dozen brain cells to rub together had figured out what she had been on the verge of saying. More whispers from the crowd could be heard. There were over two dozen ponies at this point, and it was getting hard to hear individual voices.

"Wait, was that what you were doing at the café?" Rose suddenly spoke up, separating from the front of the crowd again and stopping just in front of me, looking a little eager.

I swallowed nervously and took a step back away from her. "Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about," I answered, trying to shrug off the suspicion.

"That's good. Neither do we," Lily muttered, giving a suspicious looking glance at her friend.

Rose seemed to pay no heed though and bounced back and forth on her hooves in a rather exciting and oddly mesmerizing fashion. "I thought it was just a rumor but Lyra was going crazy over it earlier, saying he could hold up a cup of tea with just one hoof! Magic!" she exclaimed, eyes widening and dancing with energy as she stepped closer to me again.

"That is simply preposterous, ponies! He is clearly lacking a horn, so Lyra simply must have gotten confused," Rarity tried to redirect. Oh, thank you!

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow to her, however. "What are you talking about, Rare? You know he," she started before pausing for a moment. A look of dawning graced her face with the punctuated, "Oh."

"Are you serious, Rose?" Daisy asked, looking at me instead of her friend.

"Yes! And hey, he's cuter than Lyra described!" she returned, suddenly looking up and down me. Oh crap.

She was suddenly way too close for comfort, my privacy zone expanding by several meters along with my nervousness. I edged away from her as I shifted my gaze back to Rarity, begging for a way out. Rarity sighed and held a hoof to her forehead, just below her horn. She suddenly looked like she really could use a full spa treatment. Oddly, I had no idea where that thought came from.

My concentration was cut short in surprise, however, as I heard a light and faintly echoing squeak, shortly after the comment on my appearance. Huh? My mind reeled with a dip of vertigo momentarily, but I shook it off easily enough and glanced back at the Carousel Boutique. That squeak, which was oddly a mixture between a whimper and yelp, was excessively cute enough to be a certain yellow pegasus I knew. Had she heard the comment? More importantly, how had I heard her in return? A strange compulsion bounced into my mind.

Both Dash and Rarity gave me a questioning glance as I suddenly ignored the crowd entirely and trotted past the unicorn mare, going inside the Boutique instead. I heard murmurs following me, and the distinct sound of two other sets of hoof steps on the entry step behind me after I entered. It didn't take me long to find the shivering pink tail that hid behind a rather large supply chest. At least I assumed it was supplies. I guess Rarity might have some other reason for keeping large chests of various gemstones, textile tubes, and spools of thread. Regardless, the soft pink tail shivering behind the chest clearly didn't belong.

"Fluttershy," I murmured quietly.

The tail went rigid, followed by an audible gasp. With glacial movements, I saw her pink mane, and then finally her left eye peek out from around the chest. The eye widened and I watched her visibly shrink under my gaze.

There was a long pause where we simply looked at each other again. I slowly sat down in front of her, eyes softening. Why was she suddenly avoiding me? Not making any sudden movements, I simply sat in front of her, breathing slowly. After several more rather awkward moments, she must have realized that I wasn't going anywhere and slowly peeked out further from around the chest. Her eyes softened a little as she simply watched me, those twin pools of teal shivering lightly as I saw moisture start to build up along the bottoms of them.

"Fluttershy..." I heard Rarity muttered from behind me and to the right. The main door gently closed as well, due to what I assumed were Rainbow's manipulations.

The pretty yellow pegasus winced, tears finally coming as she lowered her head and buried her face in her hooves. "I'm sorry," she whispered, shivering again. Deciding it was for the best, I lowered myself further down into a laying position, leveled out eye to eye with her.

"For what, Fluttershy? What's bothering you?" I asked carefully, trying hard to corral my mind's natural tendency to start guessing.

She stayed frozen like that for a long moment. Rainbow appeared on my right side and sat down next to me, looking down at the shivering yellow pegasus with a frown. Rarity's hoof steps could be heard getting closer behind me as well. Fluttershy sighed and continued staring at her hooves.

"I… should have visited you sooner. I just don't know what to do. I mean, what to feel around," she tried to mutter, already quiet and fading to nothing towards the end.

That much I could work with. I swallowed weakly and nodded. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable with my feelings. They're there, but I'm trying really hard to keep them under control and figure them out," I tried to assure, voice jittering a little.

She surprised me by shaking her head rapidly, however, mane fluttering back and forth. "No. It's not… that. Twilight had me, um, help her pull you back from your bad spot. But I accidentally saw some other things, too. In your memories," she squeaked out, hiding her face again in her hooves as if she was afraid I'd hit her or something.

Oh. Oh crap. She knew about when I first arrived! "Oh! Uh… I can explain! Um, I'm really, really sorry! Honestly, I didn't mean to look!" I exclaimed rapidly, feeling my blood drain from my face and shivering. Unconsciously, I lowered myself further down to the floor.

Fluttershy stopped shivering for a moment and looked back up at me, looking slightly confused instead this time. "Um, what?" she asked hesitantly.

Oh. Uh, oops. "Oh my. Who else did you look at aside from Twilight?" Rarity asked behind me, sounding surprised. Crap!

She was right on cue. "You checked out Fluttershy's flank too?" Rainbow asked, starting to laugh.

Fluttershy's cheeks went crimson as her eyes widened. I only saw it for a moment, however, before she buried her face in her hooves again, releasing a timid, "Oh my."

I could appreciate the feeling, and joined her in hiding my face. Mine was out of shame, however. "Oh relax, girls. Let's not let this get out of hoof again. It's a natural reaction. It simply wouldn't be feasible for such a pretty mare to go unnoticed, right? I'm sure he meant no harm by it, right Mender?" Rarity requested, resting what I figured was her right forehoof on my back and patting.

"Of course not. There's just so many… feelings whirling around in my head. I need to sort them out. Then do something about these stupid hormones," I groaned, whacking my forehead on the wooden floor.

Fluttershy let out a weak sigh and shook her head, still blushing lightly as I peeked up at the noise. "It is, well, natural. You're a very, um, kind stallion. It's just…" she started to explain before frowning and hesitating. After a moment of staring off into space, she shuddered and rapidly shook her head. "No, no, no! I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It's not you. It's me."

"Flutters, you need to relax. Nobody's blaming you. Mender's just a stallion. They look a lot. Take it as a compliment!" Rainbow pointed out, smirking down at me instead. I returned a rather annoyed stare.

The yellow pegasus didn't seem assured, though. "I know. It's not what I saw. But I can't get it out of my head. So much. How do you even stand it? There was… It was all around you," she whimpered, curling up on her side instead.

Oh. It snapped back into place and I felt my blush drop away, sitting up again. The cyan pegasus next to me gave a questioning look, but I stared past Fluttershy instead. Honestly, I'm surprised Twilight was alright with it. No. In all honesty, I didn't know why I was still alright with it. Maybe I wasn't? I don't think anypony, or anybody in this case, ever got adjusted to such a thing. Rarity approached and peeked at me from my left.

"The war. All of the death. I know," I muttered, eyes drooping a little. My memories were still a mess. There were no coherent events in them, but many images were still present. Like the photographer went out on a drinking binge and got shots at random before falling down a cliff and trying his best to recover the camera. Regardless, the pictures weren't pleasant.

Dash frowned, this time at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you know that's not his fault," she tried to defend.

Rarity interrupted with a sharp clicking noise from her tongue as Fluttershy winced and curled up tighter, as if physically hit by Dash's words. "Of course she knows that. But when she thinks about him, those memories come with," she explained. Explained. She knew already, I suddenly realized.

Fluttershy nodded weakly, tears now coming down her cheeks. "You're really nice. For all that to happen, to you and your race; it's terrible. It's horrifying. I can't…" she muttered again, shivering visibly now while barely producing more than a whisper.

"Um, should I leave? I don't want to stir up uncomfortable memories for you," I offered, quietly looking down at her. The last thing I wanted to do was make the shy pegasus more uncomfortable than I was already making her. She had probably been talking to Rarity about it when I rudely interrupted.

Wait, why had I interrupted? I suddenly couldn't recall why I had wandered in here in the first place. She was scared and needed help. But I don't know why I thought that. Of course, I was no stranger to having large gaps of memory missing, between already being diagnosed with amnesia and spending an uncomfortable amount of time unconscious through blunt head trauma prior to the coma. I guess I should just be thankful it only lasted a couple of weeks. And from what I heard, I had Twilight and Fluttershy to thank for that. It made what she saw even harsher, though. She had done it for me.

I digress, however. I'd never had gaps of memory while awake. This was a little troubling. Perhaps I'd talk to Twilight about it again. Although it probably was nothing, like she'd already tried to convince me. Maybe she was right and I really didn't have anything to worry about?

Fluttershy interrupted my thoughts by sitting up in front of me. Her eyes looked a little bloodshot, now that I was close enough and she had them fully open. Were the images giving her nightmares? "Please. No. I want to… Well, I want to get used to you again," she murmured, voice a little stronger this time.

Rarity smiled and nodded politely off to my left. "Yes. Replace the memories with happy ones instead. Both of you should let those images go, honestly. Surely it isn't doing Mender any good either, right?" she suggested, motioning towards me with her right forehoof.

Letting out a puff of air, I nodded weakly and glanced away from the yellow pegasus. I felt really tired, in truth. It felt like I was going full-bore for so long that I don't remember the last time I really relaxed. Not that lack of memory should really surprise me at this point. Not including the coma, I think the last time I rested was after helping Applejack fix her wagon.

"I could definitely do with a little more forgetting, honestly. My dreams still aren't exactly pleasant," I admitted finally with a shake of my head.

Fluttershy sat up again, shifting to a light smile instead. It still felt a little timid, though. "I'm sorry for, um, avoiding you. I want to get used to you again," she apologized quietly. Again.

I looked away from her slightly. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Fluttershy," I expounded, feeling a little better that she was at least being open with me again. I hesitated, but finally got up the courage to add, "It's true. I like you. You make me feel, well, safe. You calm me down and have already stopped me from panicking on multiple occasions. Plus you're… Well, you're beautiful. I'm trying to fix the other things, don't worry." I ignored the light gagging noise coming from my right, of course.

Predictably, she resumed a light blush, but her smile didn't go away this time. "I'm not that special," she whispered, losing her force of voice and looking down again.

"Oh, that I agree with him over. You're very special indeed, my dear," Rarity reinforced, giving a wide smile to her friend.

The blush expanded by several magnitudes and she started fidgeting with her front hooves. "I, um, thank you. I really do want to be your friend, Mender. I'm not sure if I want more than that, but…" she finally managed to get out, sounding as if she were straining to actually push the words out of her mouth.

Smiling, I nodded gently. That was the best I could have wished for heading into this situation, really. "Thank you, Fluttershy. I want to be your friend too. Are you coming to the party?" I inquired, curious about her standing.

She let out a surprised gasp. My eyes widened a little, but she rapidly stepped forward half a leg length. "Oh, of course! Um, why would I miss it?" she defended, looking surprised that I'd even had to ask.

"She has a point ya know. Of course we're all going to be there. You're already our friend," Dash insisted, giving me a light shove on the shoulder with a hoof. Sadly, I tipped and wobbled a bit before Rarity snickered and gave me a push back in the other direction.

I nodded, really unsure of what I could say to something like this. Thankfully, I really didn't have to say anything. Rainbow's gasp beat me to the punch. "Oh horseapples! The party!" she exclaimed suddenly, eyes widening.

Huh? Oh! Looking around, I finally managed to spot a clock on Rarity's wall. Seventeen fifty-five? Uh oh. That left five minutes before the party started. "Uh, I'd better get going! Pinkie will hunt me down if I'm late for the party," I whimpered. Dash nodded, looking a tad apprehensive herself.

"Run and you can make it. I'll stall them!" she exclaimed before turning and galloping towards the door. She flicked the knob with her muzzle as she hopped, weight pushing the door open before a single flap of her wings sent her hurtling into the sky in a blur. Damn that mare was fast!

Turning around and trying to start into a sprint at the same time was probably a really stupid idea, however. As it turns out, even two weeks in a coma does horrible things to your body. Not that I needed the coma excuse with my general lack of finesse in this body, anyway. Regardless, I tipped and promptly ran my face into the wooden floor instead, skidding along a good foot and a half on my nose.

I heard a light squeak behind me, indubitably from a very surprised Fluttershy. Her noises were very distinctive, I decided. Well, as much as I could decide as the nerve endings in my face screamed out for mercy. Attempting to recover what little there was left of my dignity, I simply rolled with it. For a moment, I balanced perfectly on my forehead before falling in the other direction onto my back. With all the grace of a drunken hippo, I flopped backwards and rolled sideways, spinning myself as I went. With my momentum somehow still intact, I came out of the spin on my legs again and booked it towards the door at top speed, utterly afraid to look back at the two mares in my shame…

---

In an ideal world, I would have slid through the door totally on time a few minutes later, with everypony there happy to see me and congratulating me on my physical prowess. I'd then be the guest of honor of the party, and have a grand old time. The night would then end on a high note with a swooning purple unicorn and yellow pegasus, and gentle kisses to welcome the coming sleep.

Instead, I lay spread eagle on my stomach a dozen meters from the entry to the library, with a bruised face and dignity, puffing like some makeshift steam device. Damn. "Okay, this 'ere is mighty sad, Mender," came a familiar accented voice from the direction of the door. I didn't have the energy, nor heart to look up at Applejack as I heard her hoof steps coming closer.

"Haa…" I managed to murmur airily as I exhaled, world still spinning. As to not throw up, I kept my eyes closed. That was as close to "Hi" that she was going to get from me at the moment.

"Ya know, it was only ah couple blocks from Rare's, right? Ya really need ta get yerself back into shape," she added after a few more seconds. I heard the light puffing noise of a bit of dust in front of me, and assumed she'd sat down.

I managed a miniscule nod into the ground, wincing at my aching legs. "Yeah… Ugh. Can't move," I finally got out. They wouldn't mind if I took a little nap here, right?

There was an exasperated sigh, followed by, "Ah figured as much. 'ere."

My surprise doubled when something rough and grainy wrapped itself around my upper body with no little amount of nudging and shoving. My eyes opened a moment later just in time to see her tighten the rope and pick up the other end in her teeth, shrugging as she started dragging me in the direction of the library. Well, this was awkward. It was kind of comfy, though, in a dust up my nose kind of way. Silently, I hoped Ponyville would get some rain soon.

Raising my head feebly as we reached the steps, I managed to angle the slope off my collarbone. Applejack took note and pulled me up the forty-five degree angle before continuing into the library.

The explosion of light and sound was magnified by my spinning head. Cheering exploded all around the room as the lights flicked on. "Surprise!" several of the ponies shouted, Pinkie at the forefront and very much the loudest.

Pause. Most lost their grins and I got dozens of confused looks. Suddenly, I noticed a visible twitch and picked Twilight out of the crowd near the front. "Oh come on! Four hours. I leave you alone for four hours! How do you do this, Mender?" she shouted, looking a little exasperated.

Dash predictably burst into laughter, this time drawing many others along with her. My irritation spiked, but once I thought about it, she had technically done her job. Twilight was mad because I bashed my face off Rarity's floor, not because I was late.

"Oh who cares! He's here now, so it's time to party!" Pinkie declared, doing a lazy series of somersaults towards my position on the floor. She, and the sensation of horror in me as she approached, were both cut short by a sudden flash of light, however! Twilight was suddenly standing between us with no visual spatial movement whatsoever. What?! She could teleport without charging? What I could recall of my lessons labeled that as a 'Blink' technique. Appropriate, honestly. It allowed the caster to move from one spot to another, usually a short distance away, in the space of an eye blink. To do so impulsively with no charge time was masterful, though!

"Oooh no! No, no! He's already injured. He takes it easy tonight," she prescribed, stomping her right front hoof on the floor. Pinkie giggled and started to turn around her, but was easily snatched out of the air in a lavender aura.

She took it in stride, of course. "Wheee!" she squealed as she spun about defying gravity. Twilight tossed her into the pillow cluster next to the couch before lifting me up with a similar aura. Absently, I noted that the pillows used to be on the couch. I had slept against them at the last party. The unfazed Applejack nodded to Twilight and undid the rope as I dangled in the air in front of her. This really wasn't helping the dizziness.

After Applejack untied me, Twilight walked over to the couch with me floating lazily in the air behind her. She hopped up onto the end cushion and smiled warmly at me before gently setting me down next to her. "There! Now you're safe and sound for the rest of the night," she concluded, nodding sharply. Was that on her checklists somewhere? Or was she ordered to watch me again? I nudged my thoughts back into check. Celestia had been very insistent that it wasn't Twilight's idea. That either meant that Twilight had expressed discomfort in spying on me and honestly wanted to just be my friend, or that Celestia wanted to keep Twilight in my good graces so I'd be less suspicious. But what was that old adage? Innocent until proven guilty?

Twilight's look shifted to puzzled instead when I took so long to answer, but I slowly got into a vague sitting position instead, leaning against the back of the couch. "Thanks, Twi," I finally managed.

The impact with the couch directly above my head jarred me. I glanced up and saw Rainbow Dash, perched precariously on the top of the couch's back. "Ooh, guarding him all night?" she asked, smirking. There was a light whispering from various locations around us, and I quickly realized that the crowd was still at full attention.

Twilight scowled up at her before defending with, "You know it's not like that, Rainbow!"

"Oh! Can we have you, then, Mender?" was suddenly shouted out from the left. I glanced over and blushed as Rose waved from the front of the crowd. Wait, we? I saw the other two flower themed mares standing next to her a moment later. To my discomfort, both were smirking.

Rainbow Dash started snickering again, but Twilight looked utterly shocked. She glanced over in the direction of the three flower mares as well. "Wait, what?!" she muttered in disbelief.

"Well, he's personal friends with the Element Bearers and Princess Celestia. Plus, he's cute and an Earth Stallion who can use magic!" Lily explained simply.

"He can what?" Twilight asked, visually shifting from surprised to annoyed in seconds before turning and glaring back at me. I saw Rainbow avert her gaze in the corner of my eye. Tempting as it was to rat her out, I didn't think it would impress the Element of Loyalty all that much.

"Sorry, Twilight. I got caught using it," I apologized softly.

She sighed weakly and nodded, turning back towards the group to our left. A frustrated murmur interrupted anything she was going to say, though. "Okay, yeah. I can't let you do that. I let the secret out! I totally didn't think it was a secret in the first place. Sorry, Twi," Rainbow muttered. Sorry, Twilight?

Twilight nodded once, a light smile playing at her features. She had probably guessed it had something to do with Dash, I'd imagine. She opened her mouth again to speak. Once again, both her words and my sulking were interrupted by a third party.

"I offer my apologies for being late, Everypony. The moon rising here is beautiful without the Canterlot lights to wash it out," spoke the elegant voice of the Princess of the Sun, from the direction of the library's entry.

The crowd was like a gentle retreating wave as the collective bowing commenced. The prior whispering tapered into nothingness at the same time, a seemingly mutual respect for the Princess telling everypony to allow her to speak.

Everypony minus Twilight of course, who instead released a quiet gasp.

"Princess Celestia! You made it!" Twilight exclaimed a moment later, hopping over the back of the couch like a little filly before scampering over to her teacher. I saw that Rarity and Fluttershy were both with the Princess as well.

I smiled softly as I watched, finding it more than a little cute to watch the usually reserved unicorn get so excited. Well, I watched until I heard the barely audible coo to my right. Instinctively, I glanced in that direction, just in time to see Pinkie Pie balancing carefully on the other armrest. Uh oh... She wiggled her butt like a cat, giving me a predatory grin before pouncing.

I managed to inhale sharply but couldn't quite get the scream for help out before she collided with my chest. My stored air supply left as rapidly as I had acquired it, and not nearly as noisily as I would have liked.

It was kind of like being molested by energetic chipmunks wielding cotton candy. I couldn't catch my breath as she tickled me mercilessly, her mane blocking my vision at every turn. She purposefully ruffled my own mane up as I squirmed, trying to get away from her. Dash must have heard my squeaks and gasps, as I heard her start to snicker from somewhere reasonably close above me.

"Whoa! Harsh, Pinkie. Flutters, you should see this!" she tacked on in a break between the laughter.

I finally managed to get a hold on Pinkie's head and pushed her out of my viewpoint. Just as I got the pink curls out of my eyes, Fluttershy popped into view next to Dash on the back of the couch. "Oh! Oh my. You're not hurting him, are you, Pinkie?" she asked timidly, actually looking a little worried.

Pinkie sat up on me and laughed, shaking her head until her mane flailed everywhere wildly. "Of course not! I'd never hurt such a good friend," she assured promptly. She seemed to know how to deal with the yellow pegasus, anyway.

"Just tickle me until I can't breathe. Got it," I groaned wearily, glaring up at the pink lump of energy masquerading as a pony.

She giggled merrily, of course. "Oh you know you like it!" she defended, giving me a surprisingly flirty wink. Wait, no. She had acted like that with one of the girls, too, if I recalled. It was probably just her way of playing.

"Two can play at that game you know," I reminded, grinning back. Her eyes widened as she grinned, making to dive off me. Far too late, my pink friend.

My left foreleg exploded into a mess of bandages, snagging her and mercilessly returning the tickle treatment at every conceivable angle. She burst into spastic squealing as she squirmed and laughed, trying to climb up the back of the couch. Hey, at least they were all clean and new. What the pink monster really deserved were the gross and messy ones I had on earlier!

"Whoa! Awesome, Mender," Rainbow complimented, laughing as she kept blocking Pinkie's climbing path.

I made a clicking noise with my tongue as I sat up again. Less than half were tickling. Heh. Sorry Rainbow. "I'm not letting you off the hook either, Dashie," I warned, winking at the cyan mare.

All she had time for was a questioning glance before I snagged her too. She started squealing before I even proceeded with the tickling.

"No! No, no! Please?" I cut short her pleading as I pulled her out of her weak attempt to fly away while hysterically laughing. Pinkie's giggles only escalated as her friend got pulled in too. Even Fluttershy giggled lightly as she balanced on the back of the couch.

"What the hay is going on over there?" I heard Twilight ask, seemingly finally noticing her friends' plight.

Pinkie immediately tried to climb over Dash after she crashed into the couch cushion, and used her as a step to get towards the top of the couch. Guess it was every mare for herself! Fluttershy wobbled and clutched to the cushion as Pinkie giggled and clung next to her. I should have seen it coming.

All four of us gave out a yelp as the couch spilled over backwards.

Curling into a tighter ball, I remained as solid as I could manage against the back of the couch. My mind reeled with disastrous memories as I decided that they might not find me if I simply didn't move.

"Mender, relax. It was an accident," Twilight assured, still sitting on the cushion to my right. Instead of answering, I buried my muzzle further into the couch. It was a disastrous accident, though!

Fluttershy's hoof movements became almost hypnotic as she kneaded the muscles along my back, giggling lightly as she worked another knot out. How had she convinced me to let her do this again? I winced as the memory reared its ugly head.

The couch tipped, me being flung up the back of it. Fluttershy had been balancing on the top and gasped as she went over backwards. There was no other choice. I released the tendrils from Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and kicked off the couch with a light twist. I had next to no momentum and was far out of shape but I managed to barely snag the flailing, panicked pegasus and spin.

My back gave another throb of protest as I remembered the feeling of contact with the floor. The little yellow pegasus also wasn't as light as I anticipated. Not as heavy as Pinkie, but she definitely didn't have hollow bones! The mare in question let out a timid coo as she worked another knot out, earning a groan of appreciation from my mouth.

"Are you three about done yet? You've missed a dozen spins already!" Rainbow barked from somewhere behind me.

Twilight shifted sharply. "Relax! We're just looking after Mender. We'll join in a bit," Twilight retorted sharply. I didn't have to see her to hear the irritation in her voice.

"It's all right. This is quite a lot of fun!" Princess Celestia assured. I couldn't blame Dash for being grouchy. The princess had trounced her attempts at mischief so far, and even got her once earlier. Apparently the Sun Princess was extremely empathic and perceptive, able to hit upon just the right questions or dares to almost assure the target bowed out. From what I understood of the game, the target then had to do a universally assumed bad act, which changed every time somepony did so. Regardless, Celestia was unscathed and Rainbow Dash had already drank a mixture of orange juice and milk, and been forced to sample leftovers found at the back of Twilight's fridge. Needless to say, she was a little grouchy now. Regardless, I had already decided that playing that game would be bad for my health.

"Aww, come on, Mender. I planned this juuust for you! You can really get to know us and have fun at the same time!" Pinkie pleaded.

I sighed, enjoying the gentle massage from Fluttershy, alongside her newfound comfort level with me. Twilight was tucked pleasantly into my other side as well. Honesty, I could have easily fallen asleep right here. Twilight spoke up first, however, pointing out, "She has a point there. You could learn a lot about us. How about a few rounds, then we go back to this?"

That nagging sensation returned. I was holding them back again. "You two can keep playing, don't worry. I'm just tired and a bit sore," I excused weakly. I really needed to jump up the exercise regimen.

Fluttershy timidly sat on the cushion to my right, a little ways away from me on the couch while uneasily watching the game. "I'd really rather stay here. Um, spin the bottle truth or dares isn't exactly my favorite game," she muttered. Oh, well true.

Twilight giggled but nodded. "You two can stop after a couple of rounds. Just try to relax and have some fun, Mender," she added with a light pat to my other side.

"Yeah, don't be so scared. Sheesh. You can handle a little bump," Rainbow reminded. It wasn't so much the bump as Fluttershy landing on me. Plus that look from Twilight when she saw me skid to a halt holding Fluttershy. Now I can't shake the feeling that they're both sticking close to me to spite the other. This wasn't what I had intended at all.

Rarity sighed tiredly as she rested a hoof on the bottle in the center of the group. "Please, girls. Twilight and Fluttershy can share Mender easily enough. Can we please get back to the game?" she requested politely. Sweetie Belle snickered from the other side of her, but her eyes remained glued on the bottle. Apple Bloom sat next to her as well, looking towards me instead. Scootaloo seemed very much uninterested in the game and remained behind her two friends, staring at the ceiling. It was interesting to see all of the Element Bearers together again. They all had their own lives, really. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting.

Fluttershy released a light burst of air to my left, startling me. A quick glance told me she was no longer there. Rotating on the cushion, I watched her gracefully land next to Rarity, who shifted over to make room. For a moment, the yellow pegasus glanced backwards; not at me, but Twilight instead. She smiled with just the corner of her mouth. Twilight frowned for a split second, hesitated, then returned the smile. The entire exchange took all of a second or so, and I'm pretty sure I missed something in the space of time it took me to look between the two of them.

Twilight stepped down off the couch and sat down next to Fluttershy. Both scooted apart, however, then looked back at me. Seriously?

I felt more than a little confused as I shakily stood and chambered off the couch. Why couldn't I just be given time to think? Careful of my left forehoof, I took the three steps to get to the group before popping down again.

"Woo! Hey, Mender! Are we ready to start again, everypony?" Pinkie wasted no time in asking. She sat off to my right, on the other side of Twilight. Oddly enough, Spike sat to her left, and shifted closer to Twilight when she sat down. Was he playing too? I momentarily wondered why he wasn't sitting next to Rarity. A glance back in her direction reminded me that she was surrounded by the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. That meant all six friends were playing, potentially Spike, myself, and even Princess Celestia directly across from me!

Applejack nodded sharply and smirked. "Darn tootin'! Ah'm up next," she answered confidently. Before anypony could react, she flicked the bottle with her hoof while glaring playfully at Rainbow. The colorful pegasus grinned back, and the tension between the two could almost be seen in the air.

The bottle started to slow, and all focus shifted to that a moment later, minus Scootaloo of course. I could have sworn I heard a light snoring coming from her. Regardless, the bottle slid slowly past me and pointed at Fluttershy instead. The timid mare gasped and widened her eyes at the bottle.

Applejack let out a puff of air and shook her head, obviously having been hoping for the multicolor-maned mare instead. "Well, shucks. Truth er Dare, Fluttershy?" she asked, shifting to a warm and friendly smile instead.

Fluttershy still froze up, eyes locked onto the bottle and starting to shiver. "Ah! Um, well," she muttered, visibly panicking. I realized suddenly why she didn't like the game.

Smiling, I extended a hoof and rubbed the small of her back, right under the wing bases. She started momentarily before glancing over at me while frozen in place. Her uncertainty shifted to a timid smile and I felt her muscles relax a little under my hoof. She nodded, oddly to me, before answering, "Um, truth please."

Applejack smiled at her and settled back down to the floor again. "Alrighty then. Truth. How did ya know about the trouble goin' down two weeks ago, before Dash went ta get ya? It's been botherin' me," she asked, seemingly out of nowhere. That wasn't like the questions already asked.

The topic promptly fell out of my realm of knowledge. Fluttershy looked as surprised as I felt, so I at least decided that it wasn't some bit of memory I just blanked on. "Oh? Um, when was that?" she asked hesitantly a moment later. A nagging sensation drifted through my thoughts. Something was bothering her.

"Oh, yeah! You met us halfway to your house and acted like you already knew something was wrong," Rainbow suddenly let out.

Applejack gave her a questioning glance. "Weren't ya tha one who told me in tha first place?" she reminded, raising an eyebrow.

Dash sighed. "A pegasus like me has a lot on her mind. My memory slips sometimes. So what?" she defended awkwardly.

"It was just a bad dream. I dreamed of Mender being sick," Fluttershy almost whispered. I noticed once more that everypony suddenly went instinctively silent as soon as she started to talk.

Twilight nodded and smiled. "Probably apprehension from the previous day. It was probably coincidence and Fluttershy's instinctive desire to check up on him again," Twilight reasoned, smiling pleasantly at the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy looked less than convinced.

I simply frowned. That was the day of the incident that they were talking about. It didn't fit. If Fluttershy had met them halfway, how had she known I was at the farm? I hadn't told anypony, and logically it would have been closer to go to Rarity's. She would have known that I had left Twilight's library. Maybe she checked around for me after leaving Twilight's? But she didn't check the farm because I would have seen her. Nopony except those who were there all along knew that I was there! She didn't seem to be the type to call of a search based on an assumption. So she probably didn't search. So how had she known I was at the farm?!

It all suddenly snapped into place. "Please, wake up now, Mender. You need to wake up," suddenly echoed in my mind. My eyes widened and my mouth went dry as I stared at Fluttershy. It was her! She looked largely unsure, and seemed to be intentionally looking away from me. But, what did that mean?

My mouth opened but I curbed the thought before it exited. What was I supposed to say? Pointing out that her dream might have been some sort of psychic communication technique seemed like it would only get me laughed at. Still, she looked unsure of their attempts to assure otherwise.

"Are ya all right there, Fluttershy? Ah'm sorry 'bout askin' somethin' so personal," Applejack suddenly apologized, startling me out of my personal monologue. She jumped a little as well, but shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I was just thinking about it again," she explained, shifting from her more timid voice to a tired sounding one instead.

Rarity smiled affectionately and encouraged, "Why don't you spin, and then rest a bit. You look a little listless."

Fluttershy gave a half-hearted smile and tentatively spun the glass bottle again. It moved maybe three inches. "Oh dear," she muttered quietly, looking momentarily intimidated by the bottle.

"Ya need ta get at least three rotations, Fluttershy. Spin er again?" Applejack encouraged warmly, still smiling. As disturbed as I was at the discovery, it was defused a little bit with the yellow mare's incredible levels of cuteness. She let out a weak whine and batted at the bottle some more with her right forehoof.

Subtly, the bandages on my hoof slipped apart at the bottom, and my rune contacted the wood floor. Feeling along the hard material was simple. I felt the bottle out with my mind and took note of the light impacts from her hoof. The kinetic magnifier was simple after that.

The yellow pegasus squeaked as her next hit rocketed the bottle into a tight corkscrew, and she rapidly retreated backwards, hiding partially behind me. Instinctively, I shifted my left foreleg out to cover more of the startled mare. Apparently, momentarily, the bottle had become scarier than I was?

"Whoa there! That was ah darn good spin, Fluttershy!" Applejack complimented, giving a proud nod and smirk. Twilight frowned as she watched the bottle carefully. I retreated out fully to further avoid suspicion.

"Um, really?" Fluttershy asked carefully, peeking her head out from over my foreleg.

Rainbow Dash nodded instead. "That was an awesome spin!"

The mare behind me blushed softly before smiling and looking less nervous. She shifted forward a bit to move back into place, but bumped my leg. In surprise, she froze and glanced down at it before shifting her attention back to me. There was surprise in her eyes when they met mine. A moment of hesitation followed by a gentle smile from her later, I pulled my leg back to me. I'd not meant for her to get scared. Slowly, I returned her smile and gave an assuring nod. To my surprise, she didn't move forward even after my leg was no longer present. Instead, she slipped back into a sitting position rooting to where she was instead. Well Twilight did say that she only really had to play for one turn. Mentally chuckling, I turned my attention back to the bottle which was finally slowing down.

Everyone glued their attention back to the spinning bottle, of course. Eager eyes widened as it slowly rotated and pointed directly at the rainbow-maned mare herself. At first, Dash looked surprised. Then she smirked and glanced back up at Fluttershy expectantly. "Totally going dare. What'cha got, Fluttershy?" she asked cockily. Heh, of course she'd pick dare. Truth was really potentially dangerous, especially from Fluttershy who knew her secret.

"Oh um, I guess…" Fluttershy started, and then frowned. She hadn't planned this out. Smirking, I leaned over and whispered suggestions of sky spelling to her. She gasped and blushed furiously before looking at me in surprise. "Oh! Oh. That would be bad, Mender…" she muttered timidly.

Rainbow glared at me instead. "Hey, no giving her ideas," she warned, almost as if she knew what I had suggested.

"Oooh, now I'm curious, though!" Pinkie exclaimed from the other side of Twilight. She swayed happily back and forth on her rump, seemingly unable to hold still for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Ooh, me too!" Sweetie Belle chimed in almost instantly.

Twilight shook her head next to me. "No, no, we must adhere to the rules. No suggestions from anypony else," she rejected, even though she was smirking widely. She must have heard my suggestion. I tried really hard not to laugh.

"Oh, I know. Um, Dash, I dare you to um, go bird watching with me tomorrow," Fluttershy finally spoke up. Wait, was that even allowed as a dare?

Rainbow Dash blinked and tilted her head, while Applejack started snickering. "Are ya sure that's allowed, hun?" she asked between breaths.

"There's nothing saying the dare can't be delayed," Celestia sagely chimed in, smiling politely at Fluttershy, who seemed to relax at the ruler's words.

Rainbow took the ruling as a cue, of course. "Ha! No sweat then!" she exclaimed, sitting up fully and bounding her right forehoof off her chest. A second later she winced, and a loud rumble could be heard. She clutched both hooves to her stomach and fell forward again, tucking up. "Oh, dang."

"Feelin' ah little under tha weather there, Dash?" Applejack reminded mirthfully, smirking at the sick mare. Wow, their rivalry was indeed rather intense.

Dash snorted and glared back up at her. "Oh shush. It feels like a swarm of parasprites got loose in my stomach. I don't even know what those leftovers were!" she complained, massaging her stomach with both hooves.

Twilight blushed lightly and coughed, looking away from the display. I snickered and lay down, careful to keep my left forehoof tucked under me and still in contact with the floor, just in case. Note to self, never eat Twilight's leftovers.

Regardless, much to my amazement, the cyan and rainbow pegasus managed to extend her muzzle forward and whack the side of the bottle. It spun erratically, shifting from the center of our loose circle. Twilight had to shift back a little in order to not interfere with the spin.

The bottle started to slow and Rainbow sat up and eagerly watched as its rotation headed for me. Oh crap! She would doubtlessly want retribution, and either truth or dare would prove disastrous. My magic flickered out and lessened the friction on the bottle. As anticipated, its speed drop lessened and the nozzle slipped past me, slowed for Fluttershy, and finally settled on Rarity.

"Aww! Horseapples! You got off lucky, Mender," Dash warned, smirking at me. I gave a sheepish grin in return.

Rarity smiled and looked to Rainbow Dash. "I do suppose I'll have to pick truth, then," she requested. Dash smirked knowingly at the white unicorn and nodded.

"That's fine. Something good, then! So, since the disastrous Gala, have you seen anypony else you'd be interested in?" Dash asked, eyes narrowing and grin predatory. Wait, that sounded more like gossip than anything. Why would Rainbow care? Oh. She was tailoring her questions and dares to try to get under ponies' skin. She really did play to 'win,' didn't she?

Rarity's eyes widened, but she remained in surprising control of her features, if she were truly nervous. "Oh, well, um, why would you like to know?" she asked carefully. To my surprise, the bottle pulsed with a neutral looking gray light. It was enchanted?

Pinkie slipped fully upright and pointed a hoof towards Rarity before accusing, "Oh no! You're avoiding the question!"

The fashionista scoffed indignantly. "Of course I'm not! I was simply curious," she excused. The bottle flared up with a vibrant red color almost instantly. Oh! It was a lie detector! She scowled at the bottle a second later, huffing.

"Ha! See? Ya really need ta answer now," Apple Bloom added, nudging Rarity in the side.

"Ah, yes, well…" Rarity muttered, looking flustered. Yeah, that was enough. My conscience couldn't take it anymore.

Glancing over at Twilight, I saw that she was giving me a rather brutal glare, so I figured she'd have caught on by now. Yeah. There was nothing else for it. "Actually, she doesn't have to answer, because it's technically not her turn," I defended, looking back up at Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"Beg pardon?" Rarity asked, looking quite a bit surprised. Rainbow tilted her head towards me instead.

"I cheated. I manipulated the bottle so it wouldn't land on me," I explained, pulling my left hoof off the floor and showing the line of energy still connected to the floorboards.

Rainbow Dash scowled instantly and stamped her right hoof down. "What?! Then I want a turn against you instead!" she declared, sounding more than a little irritated. Rarity exhaled and visibly seemed to deflate a bit, however. That made me happy.

Applejack chuckled and shook her head as I looked down at the floor. "Why'd ya cheat? And why say anythin' 'bout it?" she asked, voice sounding curious.

"I didn't think it was fair for Rarity to be asked an uncomfortable question, so my conscience got the best of me. And as to why I did it at first, well, I was scared of what Rainbow would ask me or tell me to do," I spoke truthfully, as Dash smirked and rotated the bottle to point at me instead. As expected, it glowed a soft green color as she finished.

Dash raised an eyebrow at me, but rapidly shook her head. "No avoiding it now. Truth or dare?" she asked, slipping back into her amused expression. Interestingly enough, I saw Rarity mouth something, but being neither particularly gifted at lip reading, nor adjusted to how the ponies' lips move in the first place, I had no idea what she was saying.

Regardless, it would seem that I had to pick my poison now. I weighed the options in my mind. Truth would be disastrous. I had a lot of hidden memories that I'd really rather stay hidden. Alienation and embarrassment were likely. Dare would potentially get me injured, and probably be humiliating, given Rainbow Dash's pattern so far. Still, that was mildly better.

"Well?" the rainbow mare asked impatiently.

I nodded and braced myself, answering with, "Dare."

She giggled. "Quite a few secrets, huh? All right. Dare!" she exclaimed a few seconds later. I shifted uneasily as she thought for a moment, before ordering, "You already smooched Twilight, so that wouldn't be as effective. So I dare you to kiss Fluttershy!"

The squeak behind me fired off before my mind even processed the dare. Turning, I glanced back at Fluttershy, who was now rapidly shifting away from me. Her eyes quivered timidly and she looked terrified. No, this wasn't how I had planned this evening to go.

"Hold on ah minute, Rainbow. We're not supposed ta include anypony else in the dares and ya know that," Applejack reminded.

"Hey, he deserves the full rules because he cheated! It's only fair," Rainbow defended, glaring over at Applejack.

Pinkie waved both forehooves energetically. "But why Fluttershy?! We shouldn't make her do that," she pointed out, motioning towards the yellow pegasus and myself. That stung a bit, but I actually agreed. I sank a little bit regardless.

Rarity huffed, however, defending me by pointing out, "Surely he's not a punishment to kiss. You two are being insensitive."

Applejack sighed wearily. "Look, he has ta do it no matter what, so jus' let Fluttershy decide. If she says no, then he has ta do whatever tha next thing is that Pinkie has."

Twilight slapped her forehead with a hoof and asked, "And how is that fair to Mender?"

"It's not! He cheated, remember?" Rainbow growled.

"I'm starting to think that he had a good reason to," the purple unicorn muttered in return, rolling her eyes.

I finally sighed. "We shouldn't fight. I'll do it, as promised," I interrupted. Fighting over a recreational activity was rather stupid.

Everypony looked back at Fluttershy at the same time. She let out a shy squeak and shifted further behind me and away from sight. Wait, she was using me to hide from myself? Trying not to laugh at that thought and potential deeper meanings, I shifted so I could see her fully, ignoring the almost giddy squeak from what sounded to be Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy shrank under my gaze, shaking a little bit but kept looking between Rainbow and me. "I um, I don't know. This is a little fast. I'm not like Twilight and..." she started to whisper. It was difficult to hear above the party music and talking.

"I told you, Pinkie made me!" Twilight interrupted in a harsh tone. The yellow mare visibly winced, while I mentally mimicked.

"Twilight! That was insensitive as well. You should consider the effects of your words before speaking. And relax, Fluttershy. Nopony is making you agree," I heard Rarity speak gently. I smiled as I listened. She certainly had good intentions, anyway.

Fluttershy looked less than certain. "But if I don't, he's going to have to..." she started to explain. That. That right there was all I needed to hear. Her desire was the important thing.

Smiling, I turned back to Rainbow and shook my head. "I refuse the dare, Rainbow," I interrupted, earning an extremely surprised expression.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow asked, seemingly shifting from surprise to confusion. Rarity's smile grew larger, however.

I ignored the surprised gasp behind me and looked over at Pinkie instead, inquiring, "What do I have to do now?" Her grin was massive as she giggled gleefully. I swallowed, wondering if her reaction was from my going along with her desire to guard Fluttershy, or if I had just requested my own death sentence.

The excessively pink mare immediately dug into a bag I hadn't noticed nearby. She must have gotten all of the punishments herself. "This is my last one! That means we'll have to stop after this," she informed, voice muffled from her head being inside the bag.

"Ooh, that means Mender gets the honorary last turn after this. Tradition!" Celestia surprised me by informing. Wait, honorary last turn?

Rainbow immediately scoffed at the idea. "He cheated! We should just stop the game after this," she argued.

Celestia simply smiled, however, gently revealing, "Twice, actually. But the first time was simply to help Fluttershy spin. He also came clean shortly after."

Rainbow's rose-colored eyes softened a little, but I shook my head. "I still cheated," I reminded.

"Here it is! My super-duper grand finale punishment!" Pinkie suddenly blurted out, causing me to jump. A little warning next time?! She pulled a glass bottle out of her bag with both hooves and set it down in front of herself. It was a pretty looking silvery tint, and was filled with a light purple liquid, probably lightened by the glass. A large cork resided in the bottleneck. It wasn't very big. Maybe about eight ounces of liquid?

"What is that?" Twilight asked suspiciously a moment later.

Pinkie giggled. "The punishment! Drink up," she ordered, giving the bottle a healthy slide in my direction. My eyes shot open and I barely managed to catch it before it bashed into Sweetie Belle's nose.

"Are you sure that's safe?" the young filly asked, shifting back a little.

"It's Pinkie Pie. She's not gonna give ah pony somethin' dangerous ta drink, don't ya worry," Applejack assured, giving a confident nod in her direction. I swallowed, but slipped the cork out of the bottle.

A light flowery smell wafted into the air. Well, that was unexpected. I thought it would smell terrible. Of course, that said nothing yet for its taste. I prepared my stomach for internal violation. "How much?" I asked wearily, taking a couple more sniffs. The smell was disarming in nature.

"All of it!" Pinkie cheerfully replied.

Figures. Wincing again, I braced myself before bending down and snatching the top of the bottle in my mouth. Well, if it was anything like medicine, faster was better. I bit the bullet, or bottle in this case, and whipped my head back. My mouth was instantly flooded with a chalky, powdery syrup which threatened to overwhelm my tactile sense. I tried not to cough, but was surprised by the strawberry taste. Opening my eyes again, I took a tentative swallow and was greeted by a sweet taste flooding over my tongue and down my throat. This wasn't bad at all! Which concerned me a little. This was supposed to be traumatizing. Did I have different taste buds then the average pony?

Several seconds passed as I drank down the rest of the liquid. It was actually kind of delicious. After I set the bottle down, I noticed that all eyes seemed to be locked on me. I gave a sheepish shrug and informed, "It was actually kind of tasty."

"What?! I was sure that it was gonna be something horrible," Pinkie groaned, looking a tad disappointed. Well, comparatively, for Pinkie Pie.

"Then what's the point of it being a punishment?" Scootaloo finally spoke up, apparently having started paying attention when I wasn't looking.

A tingling sensation suddenly went through my stomach and I felt a burst of gas go up my esophagus. In the most degrading way possible, I let out a rather large belch. To my surprise, it was accompanied by a blast of purple and pink smoke, directly from the pits of my stomach. Uh oh. I somehow doubted that was a healthy omen for me. Twilight looked on in surprise, widened eyes following the moderate cloud of smoke as it hit the ceiling.

"What in tha hay is that stuff?" Applejack asked suspiciously, watching it slowly disperse on the ceiling.

Twilight's eyes narrowed, however. "Where did you get that liquid, Pinkie?" she inquired, shifting her gaze back down to me. That tingling in my stomach continued, rapidly becoming a dull ache. It felt like my insides were expanding rapidly and I winced.

Pinkie didn't miss a beat, nor lose her smile. "Oh, I got it this morning from Zecora ," she explained simply. Who?

Twilight let out a low groan, however. "Pinkie, that was a potion you just gave him. Did she give you any instructions?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

A light bulb seemed to come on in Pinkie's head. She dug into her bag for a few more seconds before pulling out a piece of paper with her mouth. In one fluid motion, she spewed it towards Twilight. It stretched through the air, a long tail of iridescent colors oozing along before Twilight caught it with her magic.

Things quieted, except for my suffering stomach. Twilight read the note over carefully with all three eyes, frowning the entire time. My head swam with colors as I tried to shake it off as best I could. Potion. What was that again? A liquid that did something magical. Yeah.

"Pinkie! This is concentrated! Zecora say to mix it with water or juice at a three to one ratio. This is an eight ounce bottle, so that means," Twilight muttered, falling into calculation towards the end.

"Is that bad?" Fluttershy asked quietly, looking a little gray. Wait, that wasn't right. Things bled together as I turned my head and a wave of dizziness came over me. What was the potion's effect?

I heard Princess Celestia warn, "He might need medical attention. Potions can be very bad for you if you overdose."

"Uh oh. This potion was supposed to make thirty-two ounces. You only need three to get the full effect! You gave him enough for almost eleven ponies," Twilight interrupted, groaning. Prismatic and monotone hues were starting to mix as a rush of bile flooded up my throat. I gagged, not expecting the sensation.

"Oopsies..." Pinkie spoke up, swallowing quietly. Her voice hit a nerve that caused tingles to dance up and down my spine. I couldn't stop myself anymore. The rush came up my throat and I promptly threw up all over the hardwood floor.

Scootaloo burst into laughter almost instantly, while Sweetie Belle voiced an, "Ew!" Part of me had to agree with her. The mixture pooled in a congealed manner, consisting of a purple and blue frothing slime. Of course, the colors might not have been accurate because the wooden floor was currently pink and green.

"Oh dear. Well that should make him feel a little better, anyway," I heard Celestia mutter. My eyes remained fixed on the floor between my feet, however. The room was still spinning wildly.

Rainbow Dash groaned wearily. "Is that all it does? I really think that's enough punishment," she admitted uneasily a moment later.

"Zecora's note says it's a mild hallucinogenic, but also that it has a bonus effect that 'punishes' those that lie," Twilight furthered. Her emphasis scared me a little.

"Zecora really don't like ponies who lie, ah have a feelin'," Apple Bloom deduced. It was a bit difficult for me to think, but it sounded like she spoke of prior experiences with the aforementioned individual. My eyes widened slightly as the pool of liquid in front of me started to bubble and churn. That was weird. What would cause that? My vision shifted and dripped as the pool took shape, slowly bubbling and rising upright.

Oh sweet merciful goodness... The shape of a frog rapidly formed out of the ooze. It had to be a frog?! It blinked twice, in an extremely slow fashion. I idly wondered how alive it was. Not that I really felt like moving much to find out. I was suddenly aware of how tired I truly felt. It was as if I hadn't really had any time to myself for weeks. My very soul, if I truly had one of whatever type, felt downright exhausted. Maybe I was being melodramatic, but the lethargy was there regardless. I was vaguely aware of talking going on around me, but it was echoing and sounded really far away. Wait, where was I again? There was something important...

The frog stood up slowly and grinned ear to ear at me. It felt familiar. Maybe I'd seen it in a book somewhere. It didn't seem all that menacing, but then it opened its mouth to talk.

"Hello! I'm an alien from another dimension," it informed, bowing politely.

Oh, okay. That made more sense than it being a living puddle of puke. I welcomed it to our library as humbly as I could. Which was to say, rather informally as it wasn't actually my library. Still, I should at least try to make guests comfortable.

"Jolly good! Did you know that I happened to have a rather conflicting admiration for two mares? One thinks I'm a pet animal, though, and the other is only interested in me because I'm an oddity, I worry," the frog informed.

No, I indeed hadn't known that. Although a talking vomit frog was indeed an oddity. It was strange, but I almost thought that the little guy might have been asking for advice. I sat down on a nearby mushroom and shook my head at him. I tried to explain that he needed to trust in what they tell him, otherwise the friendship might be compromised.

He looked disheartened still, however, adding, "It's all so confusing because I've never felt this way before. Plus, my instincts make me focus on more, well, intimate details. I'm new to this dimension and I don't even know how I'm going to support myself without leeching off these wonderful ponies!" To his credit, he did look a mess. Maybe frogs weren't so bad after all?

I tried to assure him that the ponies were indeed nice and wouldn't mind helping a kind fellow out until he could get on his feet. Er, flippers? I had no idea what frog anatomy was labeled as. The colored lights on my mushroom shifted and shimmered in the moonlight. It was pretty, really. He sat upon his lily pad, drifting to and fro with the ripples.

"It's a bad situation. Plus, I kissed one already! Sure it was an accident but that didn't stop me from really liking it," he added after another moments though. He pulled a pipe out of the water and took a few nervous puffs, blowing a large cloud of bubbles into the air.

I tried to convince him that it was a good thing. He really did need to calm down a bit.

"I can't stay calm! She's cute. No, she's gorgeous! Plus the other makes me feel so warm and safe. It doesn't help that Rainbow Dash entrusted me with the true identity of her secret crush, either. I want her to confess, but it really does serve as a reminder. If I could just tell..." he tried to explain. Unfortunately my world veered sideways as the earth shook. The piercing scream, sounding like hell itself, tore through the heavens above, instantly giving me a headache.

When I looked up again, the frog was gone. Oh wait, everything was gone.

Maybe it was the potion-induced unconsciousness. Maybe I had a weekly quota. Maybe I was just incredibly unlucky. Regardless of the reasons behind it, I found myself in the other reality. Well in all honesty, I had no idea if this place was actually real or if it was some kind of delusion put together by my brain to further torture me during my lack of consciousness. Twilight seemed to believe that the link was gone, and maybe she was right? This could just be a sign of my slowly decaying sanity, of course.

The only reason I knew that I was in space this time was due to the view out the window. My subconscious had taken me to the inside of a spaceship cabin, it would seem. The disembodied projection feeling remained as I peered around the interior. In a way, I was grateful that at least my technical training had carried over to my pony body, no matter how awkward it was. It was kind of like knowing how to do complex math without any memories of ever learning it. The skills and knowledge was simply there. In this case, I must have paid attention in some divination class somewhere, because I knew how to manipulate my mind outside of the context of my body.

The cabin was comfy. Not military, that much was certain. It still felt a little cramped, but had personal touches. A couple fanciful pillows, colorful bedspreads, and an array of pictures on the walls brightened the room up quite a bit. Functionally, a bunk bed for two and single lavatory was rather luxurious by itself, though. It cost serious funds to push extra mass through space, after all.

In short, I had no idea why I would be here. If this were an elaborate setup on my mind's part, I don't even know where it could have gotten the information to use as a backdrop. Failing that, the only other option was that something was linking me back to that hellish place, even though Princess Celestia herself said the link was gone. Unlikely, but go ahead and call me paranoid if you want. I made further note to stop talking to myself again, as to not further fuel my own insanity.

Looking to my own 'body' did nothing, of course. There was nobody there for me to see. The surrounding area gave me little to go off, as well. Given no choice, I closed my vision and opened my Mind's Eye instead. A glorified meditation technique in most cases, the Mind's Eye did have a practical purpose in this situation.

Being not in my actual body, be this either dream or some sort of projection, the Eye activated almost immediately. The world shifted into shades of gray and I glanced about, looking for anything that stood out for me. If this were a dream, I'd probably get nothing. I really hoped I'd get nothing.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the case. Half a second passed and I picked up a light blue glow coming from the lower bunk bed, barely a meter away from me. Damn it. So this was either a dream that was exceedingly convincing or I was really here, being pulled while my body slept. Or maybe I was rendered unconscious, as my last memory served? Of course, I could have just died from a potion overdose.

Snapping out of my distraction, I looked into the sheets. It wasn't very hard to find. The blue glow made it easy to locate, but I almost wish I hadn't. My mind ached in a dull, frozen manner as I looked at the small book lying on the mattress. Its worn wrinkles graced the simple blue dyed leather cover in dignity. The simple lock adorned one side, metal showing a gentle rusting that mirrored the spine decorations. The key lay barely three inches from the book, somewhat defeating its purpose, but telling me something important. It had to be important. If only I knew what it meant.

The door slid open with an audible mechanical hum before I could ponder it further. I froze, wondering exactly how visible I was to the natives of this place. With no other option, I watched helplessly as two individuals entered the room. Then the helplessness shifted rapidly to shock instead.

Both of them walked upright on two legs. Further, they both wore clothing; space contact suits to be precise. They had no helmets on, however. The true surprise came from the blue fur covering their faces, long ears extending back almost a foot, short muzzles, whiskers, and slit pupils. They were my old race! They looked like I had. Well, prior to the explosion, death magic, and massive bodily trauma.

Further, they possessed a curved build, both major and minor mammary gland sets, and a distinct lack of extended upper canines. They were females! The one in the lead was a little taller and had her hair tied back into a ponytail. Her eyes were a pretty teal color and looked right through me. The smaller trailed behind her a little, sporting a relaxed cascading hairstyle and brilliant blue eyes. She lingered in the doorway and glanced about the room wearing a frown. The taller one walked right through me, giving me the rather discerning view of the inside of her stomach before I killed my perception. That was something I could have lived my whole life without seeing! Well, technically I had. I considered this existence my second life regardless.

The tall one stopped at the other end of the room by the time I'd pulled my perception back into place. "What's bothering you, Keela?" she asked quietly, upon observing for a moment.

The one called Keela jumped slightly, as if spooked. "What? Oh, sorry, Sis. I guess I'm just a little unnerved still," she excused quietly. So they were sisters? Or really close. It made me wonder what family structure was like in my old race. There were no memories of that sort of thing at all. Did I have family too? If these girls were real and not extremely strange dream figments, then maybe I had family left too?

"For one as sensitive as you, visiting the remains of our home planet can't be comfortable. How are you holding up?" the yet unnamed female questioned in seeming concern.

The younger looking one shook her head tiredly before walking into the room further. Oddly, she drifted a little in her trajectory and walked around me. A subconscious thing? It didn't seem to be that big of a stretch to think that there were other specializations too. My magic focused on three distinct subjects. Maybe she focused on detection or divination of some sort?

My mild distraction abruptly ended with a wave of vertigo. My vision spun to the right rapidly, just in time to see the older girl pick up the small book. "I'm all right, Nirru. Just tired. You've been quiet too, though," Keela pointed out, sitting down on the bed next to the newly named Nirru.

Nirru sighed, setting the book down again and dropping my nonexistent stomach out from under me. Ug! "I'm just frustrated. So far, we've only found this book. We need to find survivors," she muttered quietly, looking down at the cover.

Keela exhaled gently and smiled, replying with, "This is a survivor. It's perfectly intact. Its magic is strong, but very strange. It's not just an Aegis Artifact."

An Aegis... Artifact? That was totally new to me, unfortunately. It must have something to do with the Aegis Barrier, but there weren't even the faintest of chimes in my memories at the name. That's how it had worked before. Some sort of external stimulus would occur, and the memories involved would slowly start to drift to the surface. It was sort of like blowing up submersibles with depth charges. This topic seemed to be firing blanks, however.

"What feels so weird about it? Furthermore, what does it do?" Nirru asked abruptly, snapping me out of my contemplation. Ah well. This sounded more interesting anyway.

Keela frowned and slid her small hand along the surface of the book. It momentarily felt like my mind was being brushed against. Instinctively, I held rigid and gave out no signs of life. Crap! That book! "It feels like the owner is still alive. I have no idea what it does, though. Being a book type, it will need to be opened to find out.

"That's not possible, though. At least, if it really is an Aegis Artifact. The very definition requires that the creator be dead," Nirru pointed out skeptically, frowning down at the book as well, but making no motion to touch it like her sister.

Keela didn't respond immediately. I felt her energy dancing along the book, and in turn, myself. I made no motions and withdrew my energy the best I could as to not be detected, but she was extremely insistent. "It feels like there's consciousness in this life-force. It's unlike the other artifacts I've handled. It's alive. The owner is alive. I can almost guarantee it!" she proclaimed, sounding confident.

"Can you find anything else out about its owner?" Nirru inquired curiously, surprising me a little. Her uncertainty was slipping fast. She really trusted Keela, it seemed.

"He's very far away, but feels very close at the same time. I'm not sure what to make of the feeling," Keela muttered, still frowning as she slipped a claw into the lock. There was a ripple and distortion once she was barely a millimeter in, and some sort of invisible field held her at bay completely.

It was irritating. I glared at the book, trying to make my mind remember more about it. All I truly accomplished was giving myself a headache, of course. It was important from somewhere! That much I could be sure of. The headache got worse and reality started to bleed, images melting through my perspective. Uh oh.

"He?" Nirru asked suddenly, eyes widening and little. It was almost impossible to hear her as her voice echoed and dropped off.

Keela said something in return, but I couldn't quite hear it as the backdrop of the world fell out from under me. For a moment, everything was deconstructed into base energy dancing wildly. Then it all went black.

---

It was the oddest sensation. Kind of like you just popped out of a blender backwards, only to realize that nothing was moving in the first place. My mind snapped back into its normal spot with a crashing wave of dizziness and nausea. A headache mixed with a dull beating sensation along my left eye followed. What the heck happened?! Was I having seizures while talking to the magic, dimension-traveling frog? Wait. It suddenly occurred to me that the frog might have been a bit nonsensical.

My eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of the gently spinning room with mild disdain. After a moment to adjust, I realized with no small surprise that I wasn't in the clinic bed. Huh. Normally when I wake up from a 'nap' of unspecified duration with a splitting headache, I'm greeted with the sight of the emergency medical facilities. Managing to catch some features as they slid by, I rapidly noticed a couple large bookshelves, another bed, a desk, and a lavender blur. Huh.

"Ah! I was wondering when you'd be up! I was just coming to check your temperature again. How do you feel?" the fuzzy blob that spoke like Twilight asked, sounding happy.

I tried blinking. It didn't help much. "What happened and why does my face hurt?" I asked wearily.

"Hey, you're awake! Finally," a new, blue blob announced, floating up in front of my vision as well. Okay, that sounded like Rainbow Dash. I must be back in Equestria at this point.

The blob Twilight sighed weakly and relayed, "You got a massive overdose of truth serum mixed with a powerful hallucinogenic. You then proceeded to shout out some rather, um, interesting things at the top of your lungs in-between throwing up. Rainbow Dash, uh, kicked you in the head and knocked you out at that point."

I blinked slowly, head giving another throb of protest. "Hey, he started to blab about sensitive information! I didn't have any choice," Dash defended, crossing her forelegs. I momentarily got distracted by some square looking object tucked under her foreleg. Wait, the frog wasn't real? Damn frogs!

"Dash..." Twilight warned, looking over at her floating friend. My vision slowly started to focus again, and my memory caught up alongside it. Oh, oh crap.

"How much did I say?" I suddenly asked, apprehensive.

Twilight had shifted into focus enough for me to pick up a noticeable pink tint to her cheeks. She gave a sheepish grin regardless. "Well, mostly about Fluttershy and me. Um, just confirming what you thought about us," she elaborated. Yup. Everything the frog had said was actually me.

"And I'm sorry for hitting you," Rainbow muttered a moment later, rubbing the side of her neck with a forehoof while drifting further into my field of vision. I glanced back at her, but she continued with, "But hey, you're awesome enough to survive a space battle against a powerful alien boat thingy, so I doubt a little bonk to the head is going to even slow you down!"

My eyes widened a little at her sudden bragging. Wait, she actually said I was awesome? Wait, she hit me in the head?! She took it in stride, of course, returning a wink and playful smirk. Twilight laughed before climbing up onto the bed and pressing a forehoof to my forehead.

"How are you feeling, anyway?" she inquired curiously, frowning a bit before pulling her hoof back and adding, "You're actually a little on the cold side."

"I feel… a little bit sick," I agreed, shifting onto my side and looking at the mare sitting next to me. She held a look of concern that was much clearer now that she was close enough that my fuzzy vision didn't matter.

Rainbow zipped down and landed next to the bed as well, taking a curious peek at me. I now realized the object she was holding was a book. Dash liked to read? That was a little surprising, but I guess I didn't doubt it all that much. Everypony had facets of themselves that were a lot deeper than appearance. She caught me looking and grinned, pulling the book out and flipping it face forward in both hooves. Daring Do and the Three Heads of Cerberus? Oh, it was an adventure novel, by the sounds of the title and picture on the cover. She liked fiction, then? I smiled gently while looking at the cover.

"Daring Do is awesome! Don't knock reading until you try it!" Rainbow exclaimed, rocking back and forth on her back legs in an almost giddy sway.

Twilight giggled at her display and nodded. "Indeed. Although I believe he's already a fan of reading, Dash," she pointed out, looking amused.

The rainbow pegasus puffed up, looking proud, if not a bit relieved. What, was she afraid I was going to rag on her for reading or something? "Yup. I love reading. The books Twi gave me when I got here saved me quite a bit of face and social faux pas," I muttered, blushing a little. Not all of them, sadly.

"Foe wha?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head at me questioningly.

"Faux Pas. A slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct, usually done in a social context," Twilight explained as if on cue with no hesitation whatsoever.

Without missing a beat, Dash snorted and started laughing. "So making an idiot of himself? I kind of wish I'd seen you when you weren't prepared then! Oh, that would have been even more hilarious!" she exclaimed in-between snickers. My ears flattened back. Of course she'd bring up that. I knew I hadn't been the most socially suave pony to grace the lands, but she didn't need to remind me of that fact.

"Dash! Be nice. He's truly new to Equestria, so a few social blunders are actually totally expected. You shouldn't tease him for it," Twilight scolded, outright frowning at the pegasus now.

Her laughter died down to a light snickering and she bobbed her head in agreement, assuring, "Don't worry. I'm just teasing a little. Mender has a ton of guts and I can totally respect that. We made an awesome team, after all!" She smirked back at me and raised a hoof expectantly.

I barked out a short laugh, and then extended my hoof as well, earning a firm, but still gentle bump from hers. Twilight rolled her eyes again, but now wore a smile instead. Heh. If she thought this sort of thing was awkward, I doubt she'd appreciate the camaraderie of a barracks, if I recall correctly.

"Anyway! I've got to get going. I have to meet with Fluttershy to, uh, bird watch, I guess. A dare is a dare. Oh, um," Rainbow started slowly looking down at the book she had tucked back under her foreleg.

"Yes, you can obviously borrow it. This is a library, Dash. And even if it wasn't, you know I'd let you," Twilight reminded, smirking at her friend.

The cyan coat complimented Dash's blush well, and she nodded with a suddenly sheepish looking grin. "Thanks, Twi. You're the best. I'll talk to you two later, then?" she offered, fluttering into the air again without effort. I momentarily admired her flight capabilities. Having wings would be so cool.

"Of course. I'm dropping by Applejack's later today to help her with the barn if you want to visit," Twilight agreed. I almost saw a knowing glimmer in her eyes, and shuddered. Whoa. I hadn't realized Twi had a playful side to her like that. Oddly, the revelation wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Rainbow blushed outright now, but smirked still and nodded. "Ha, you got me there. Sold! I'll try to drag Fluttershy there too," she admitted, giving a mock salute with her free foreleg.

"That would be a good thing, I think. See you there!" Twilight replied cheerfully, a rather warm smile on her face. I was a little suspicious of why it would be good. Silent dread slipped into my mind again. I smelled plotting.

Dash threw up another salute before twirling once in the air and bursting off through the open window on the other side of the room. I watched her go, still amazed at the level of speed the mare seemed to exhibit with such ease. Everypony here was so amazing, but admittedly, the Element Bearers were extremely skilled ponies in their own way.

"She really does love the Daring Do saga. Don't let her fool you, though. She was hanging around here extra-long so she could apologize," Twilight suddenly explained, tacking a giggle onto the end.

I snickered and rotated to view Twilight fully again. "She's a sweetheart once you get past the exterior, it seems," I agreed, maintaining a soft smile up at her.

It earned me a nod in return, followed by, "Just like you, it seems." Her playful mimicking was cute, but her tone caused me to blush furiously as her eyelids lowered a little. I swallowed.

"Uh, what do you mean?" I asked uneasily.

She smirked as she crawled a little closer, her hip now pushing up against my leg. "You're a gentlecolt, of course. Fluttershy knows you refused the bet for her sake. I also happen to know you find me attractive," she pointed out. Less than half a meter of air separated us. I felt my heart start to beat faster, a light sweat starting at my forehead.

"I'm, um, I didn't mean to offend you!" I exclaimed, hopefully derailing any awkwardness at my apparent reveal last night. Why hadn't I realized that she was one of the mares I'd talked about last night?! For some reason, the Twilight Sparkle I associated with my crush didn't always sync with the one that was probably my best and first friend. The heat in my cheeks was probably visible and didn't help much, though. I only hoped that she'd forgive me if she were mad.

Twilight closed her eyes but continued smiling softly. A moment passed and I watched her eyes flicker slightly under their lids. She seemed to be hesitant about something. They flicked open partially a moment later, but remained at half-mast. "You definitely didn't. It was shocking to realize that a stallion liked me in that regard, but it was far from offensive. It was just something I've never had happen to me before," she assured.

My system went fully into shock as she slipped back up onto all fours, leaned over, and dropped herself on top of my blanketed form. Her head rested against my chest lightly as, for a moment, she hugged my torso. The heat magnified significantly in my cheeks but I fought it back as best I could. She was hugging me! No, wait, that wasn't accurate. She was resting on top of me. Cuddling!

"A-Ah. You did say you were, um, studying a lot during your time in Canterlot," I muttered, attempting to simply keep talking to stop myself from locking up.

She giggled and nodded against me. "Yeah. Not much time for boys when you're Princess Celestia's personal student. Which is why I was, well, hoping to ask you for a favor," she requested, looking back up at me.

Her eyes were warm and held a certain amount of pleading, it felt like. Locking mine to them, I knew there was no way I could say no, even if I had wanted to in the first place. She was gorgeous, and whether she knew it or not, she could definitely dump on the female charm to influence my thinking. Just the way her mane was splayed out, intermingling with the fur of my coat. Her warm cheek against my chest mixed with that soft smile. No! That kind of thinking was definitely not helping me just answer her!

"Well, you can ask me for anything, you know. Besides, I do owe you quite a bit," I finally managed to spit out, blushing furiously still. Yes! Just focus on how much you owe her, Mender! No need to think about how warm she felt, how gorgeous her eyes were, the soft fur against my chest, or the amazing mind and soul sealing it all together. Er, crap.

She laughed. It was melodious and quite pleasant on the ears. "Relax. I want the request to be mutual with no strings pulling it one way or another. I, um, haven't exactly been very good at sorting intangible things like my feelings. So a bit of experimentation is in order, I think!" she explained, a certain level of determination flickering into her eyes.

Okay, that was adorable. I smiled at her and nodded. Wait a second. "Er, experimentation with what?" I questioned, suddenly realizing where this might be going.

"Hee! You like me. I think I might like you back. How else am I going to decide if I don't have any experience otherwise? The empirical method has never failed me yet! Well, not too much, anyway. So I want to try kissing for real now," she explained, sitting up and leveling her face with mine.

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. Or at least if it didn't, my chest went numb and I couldn't feel it beating. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out. My brain stumbled over itself. She started giggling again. "That's an ambitious start, but we should try normal kissing first," she warned playfully, leaning closer. I could almost feel her breath on my muzzle, she was so close. She added, "Last chance to say you don't want to."

She leaned closer and closer while waiting. I started shaking a little but couldn't make my brain form proper thoughts correctly. Did I want this? She was gorgeous. Her personality was amazing. So essentially, hell yes! But was this too fast? She'd only known me for three weeks now. Did she really know what she wanted?

No, that was a moot point. She had decided to experiment just for that reason; to figure out what she wanted. Who was I to deny her that desire? I closed my mouth again and smiled at her instead, only managing a nod. That was all it took. Her smile turned into a grin and she leaned forward all at once. For the second time, our muzzles locked together; this time of her own volition.

My sense of time ground to a halt again. Her eyes softened and slowly closed as I relaxed backwards, pulling her with me. A light hum escaped against my lips from her, and both of her forelegs slipped over my shoulders. A deep floral scent drifted into my nose as I breathed in her scents. The sensations were enough to make me light headed. She was fully willing this time, which made the sensation of her lips against mine seem so much better. Jolts of heat and tingling sensations danced up and down my whole body. I didn't deny my instincts this time, and wrapped my forelegs tightly around her back, pulling her as close as possible.

The noises she made when I squeezed her closer to me were delightful. Her smells surrounded me on all sides. I couldn't escape them even if I wanted. Even though it felt like I was starving for the touch, our movements were deliberate and slow. She sampled different movements, one at a time, as if savoring my flavors. I let out a light hum, refusing to have it any other way. The heat in my cheeks expanded through my face and down my neck. My right foreleg slowly massaged up and down her back, kneading the muscles gently. My unoccupied hoof extended up and held her cheek softly, cradling her as I tilted a little bit to give her more room.

She started shivering almost uncontrollably. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign. She finally pulled away slightly, splitting our lips apart enough to draw in several panting, ragged breaths. My eyes opened rapidly and sought out hers, looking for any sign that she enjoyed it. Her eyes were still closed, but a deep flush extended along her cheeks.

Her eyes quivered slightly before cracking open and looking into mine. They never opened fully, giving her a warm, sleepy look. "Oh wow. Why did I wait so long to do this?" she whispered weakly, nose and muzzle still pressed against mine.

Did that mean she liked it? "Was it, um, good?" I asked hesitantly. It sounded good and I remained hopeful.

She smirked instead of answering directly. Several small pecks a moment later told me much more specifically. "I think I might need more, hmm, experimentation to figure it out," she cooed lightly after the third or fourth small kiss.

I exhaled weakly, relief flooding my system. She must have noticed it, as she giggled merrily before capturing my lips once more, this time with a hungry groan. Her kiss was a little stronger now, but I just let her move at the pace she wanted. My heartbeat quickened as she arched up, pushing me back into my pillow as she tried to almost drink me in. Jolts of pleasure and happiness drifted through my mind and it was difficult to form full thoughts. She practically purred as I pulled her down tighter into the kiss, wishing I could feel her more through this blanket! She started to shiver again as her forelegs extended to each side of my head. Was this good? Did she like it? I had no idea what to do with my forelegs, so I simply went with instinct and tried to pull her as tight against me as possible.

A loud impact sounded out off to my right a moment later, followed by, "Hey, Mender! I forgot to ask. Can you help me later with, um, whoa!" Rainbow Dash's voice trailed off and died. Oh. Oh crap!

Twilight shot up into a sitting position instantly, flush extremely obvious on her cheeks. "Ah, I can explain!" she declared rapidly. Wait, what? What was going on?!

Rainbow Dash recovered fast, however, and had acquired a smirk by the time I looked over at her. "There's not much to explain from this angle. So, how long have you two been an item?" she asked coyly, getting it entirely wrong. My heart skipped a beat.

"What?! No, we're still just friends! I was just trying to figure out how I felt and well, experimenting a little bit," Twilight tried to explain, looking as pink as I'd ever seen her. I frowned up at her instead, that leaving me with conflicting feelings. Still friends? Did she mean that, or simply want to keep her feelings a secret? I tried to assume the latter, but it was still a little painful to consider.

Dash chuckled, before pointing out, "It looked like you were enjoying it plenty from your end, Twi. You don't need to hide it." Wonderful. She just had to push the lavender unicorn; the only one in the room capable of shattering every bone in our frail, squishy bodies with her mind! I was dead. Rainbow was dead too.

Twilight frowned and rapidly shook her head. "I, well, I'm telling the truth. It was an experiment!" she defended adamantly, stomping her right forehoof for emphasis. I winced but didn't dare say anything as it smacked into my chest.

"Twilight, stop it. How do you think that makes Mender feel?" the cyan pegasus asked, losing her smirk and actually frowning. Which part? The wanting to not admit her feelings, or the blunt force trauma to my chest? Not that it mattered if Twilight got mad again and threw me instead of the bed this time.

Shivering, I tried to keep the situation, and my voice, under control. "N-No! It's all right! She has every right to experiment. It's, um, okay," I assured weakly, not entirely sure where I was going with it. Rainbow gave me a skeptical, unamused looking stare, and I swallowed nervously. Twilight let out a quiet whining noise, however, surprising me. Glancing back up at her, I saw that she was looking down at her own hoof instead as it rested on my chest.

"I'm sorry. You're right, Dash. I need to be honest, especially to myself," she muttered to herself. Wait, what? Was she, uh, maybe that was sarcasm and she was actually pissed? Scenarios of her snapping and painting the library floor with my blood came to mind. Something about having a pony you know could rip you apart with her mind sitting on your stomach made it really hard to relax. In substantially different ways than a less powerful mare. I think.

I shivered nervously, the image of the full size bed smashing down the flight of stairs clearly present in my mind. That level of force exerted on me, via accident or murderous intent, would result in an extremely quick death. She was stronger than the archmages in my memories, and considering what I could remember them doing to recruits like me, that was terrifying.

Rainbow shook her head in my peripheral vision. "You two need to just talk to each other about it. Besides, we could all stand to be a little nicer to him," she reasoned, catching me off guard.

"Ah! That's really not necessary! You all have been really nice to me so far. Probably a lot more than I deserve for putting everything you know and love in danger. Really," I repeated, not wanting to be a further drain on these amazing ponies. Oh, or be crushed violently by psychokinetic powers. Living was high up on my list of priorities, ironically.

Dash shook her head and walked closer, giving me a stern glance as I looked over at her. "Mender, relax. Again. You need to stick up for yourself a bit more," she groaned, looking a bit exasperated.

Frowning, I shook my head. "There's no need to. Twilight hasn't done anything wrong," I insisted.

"Mender, I did!" Twilight groaned out, pushing lightly down at me with both forehooves.

It happened without a conscious decision on my part. Unfortunately, I wasn't looking at her when I was suddenly jolted down, and panicked. Wincing, I rapidly closed my eyes and cowered, flattening my ears down.

There was a pause, and then I heard her gasp. Risking a glance up at her, I saw that she had both hooves covering her mouth. "Oh no. No, no, no! You're... You're scared of me?" she muttered, looking visibly horrified.

My eyes widened and I tried to shake my head to assure her to the contrary. Then I realized that I'd be lying. I kind of was afraid of her. She was ungodly powerful.

Dash sighed, now a few feet from our bed. "Well, you kinda threw a bed at him. What did you expect?" she questioned in a surprisingly irritated manner.

Twilight winced as if burned and looked away from the cyan mare, eyes starting to get wet. Did she truly regret that? Swallowing nervously, I started to shuffle out from under her using my forelegs. Rainbow was right. We really did need to talk this out more. Talking involved thinking about what I wanted to say. Thinking was a lot harder when a gorgeous girl was on my lap. Well, sort of. Did it count if there was a blanket between us?

Twilight's eyes shot fully open again as she must have felt me moving under her. Before I fully realized what was going on, she collided fully with my chest again and pressed her now wet face into my fur. "No! Please don't go anywhere. I'm sorry. Having somepony scared of me feels horrible," she pleaded, voice muffled by my coat.

Rainbow chuckled and finally smiled. "Mender's afraid of everypony at first. Just be nice to him," she suggested in an exceedingly amused sounding voice, giving Twilight's side a pat.

I glared at her while giving the significantly less threatening lavender mare an assuring hug. "You blew me up, dropped several things on my head from absurd distances, and got me in trouble with others on many occasions," I reminded in annoyance.

She promptly laughed, of course, returning nonchalantly, "Details, details! I think we're a pretty good team now, right?"

That much I had to agree with, and had to nod. Twilight slid her left forehoof gently down my chest, however. When I looked back down at her, my eyes locked with hers. Tears slid down the fur on her cheeks. I swallowed again, urges stirring inside of me. Crying was hardly fair, although it definitely did a good job of almost making me forget that she could pull me apart with her mind.

"Mender, please. Tell me what I can do to make you feel safe around me," she requested quietly. She really did look traumatized. Plus, Twilight was never known for her social skills, so pure probability dictated that she truly felt bad. But how could I be sure that sort of situation wouldn't crop up again?

"Don't throw beds at him?" Dash suggested, stretching out and flapping her wings gently. After a moment, they sped up and she lifted into the air again.

Twilight's ears drooped as she glared at her flying friend. Dash just grinned and winked at her, earning an eye roll. Twilight smirked, however, and I exhaled in relief. Rainbow did know how to defuse a situation, that was for sure. Almost as well as she created them!

I sighed. That, of course, just left me. It was true; I was terrified of the lavender unicorn at times, as surprising as it was. It partly had to do with her massive level of power and skill, obviously. But part of me was afraid of her purely because she was female, I realized. Kissing wasn't unheard of in my memories, from a technical standpoint. I doubt that I had personal experience in it before Twilight, but I knew what it represented. Still, the aspect of the female was what scared me. On some subconscious level, I think it had been influencing my actions since I came to Equestria. She felt like she was more important than me. Well, Twilight obviously was, along with the rest of the Element Bearers, but even normal ponies like Lyra or Bon Bon felt 'better', for lack of a better word. Well, if you could consider Lyra normal.

Extending my right forehoof back up, I gently wiped the few fallen tears away from Twilight's cheek. It didn't look like she was a pony who cried in front of others very often. It felt so contradictory. Part of me wanted to hug her and kiss her again until she stopped crying, but another part of me was afraid she'd rip off the arms I used to do so. No screaming sensation of agony came, however. Twilight simply stared into my eyes from a few inches away, both pools of lavender shivering periodically. I felt myself warming up again and wasn't entirely sure what to do.

Rainbow interrupted before I could decide on anything. "Well, you two seem to be a little bit better, so I'm going to go find Fluttershy. Do you need anything else before I go?" she asked politely, grin shifting back to a soft smile.

Twilight blinked twice, then smiled weakly and looked over at her. "No. Um, thank you for bucking some sense into me, Dash," she thanked quietly after a moment's hesitation.

Rainbow waved a hoof nonchalantly towards us before dismissing it with, "Oh relax. I just want to see you two be happy. That's what best friends are for!"

Twilight smiled fully, finally, and nodded. I couldn't help but join in as well. She really was a good mare, when she wasn't dropping things on my head. Before either of us could reply, however, she started lightly blushing. "Speaking of seeing, think you two could let me watch later when you're more comfortable with each other?" she suddenly asked, tossing in a wink after.

Twilight blushed furiously at the same time my mind spun, trying to fully understand what she had just said. She reacted much faster, however, and blushing shock switched to blushing irritation. My eyes widened as several pillows and a few books drifted into the air around us. Rainbow took her cue and launched herself backwards. She stuck out her tongue as she went, barely managed to dodge two high velocity pillows, then burst back out and off the balcony a heartbeat later, laughing hysterically.

I sighed quietly a moment later, blushing still. Twi nodded and slowly hauled the pillows back onto the bed. She turned back to me a moment later, smiling shyly again. I started to smile back when she ducked in and put a far more timid kiss on my mouth. My mind spun but that soft, warm sensation filled me again. This one was kept short, however. She slipped back an inch and smiled again.

"Please, don't be scared of me. I, um, regret what I did in the past. I overreacted to a rather simple thing, and will never hurt you again. Can you forgive me?" she asked softly from all of an inch away.

For a moment, I hesitated. She seemed honest. Taking a risk, I leaned forward, pecking her lips timidly. For a brief moment, I caught myself flinching as I did so. She smiled against my lips however, and I managed to relax. We broke apart again a moment later and she nodded approvingly. "That was much better. Thank you," she added softly, seemingly in no hurry to get off my chest.

A moment passed and she faltered slightly. "Still, I've never had a boyfriend before. I, um, admit to liking you quite a bit. There! I said it. What do we do now?" she questioned hesitantly.

I blinked once in surprise, and then frowned. "Uh, I've never had a fillyfriend either, if that's the term. We're both kind of new to this. And what about Fluttershy?" That last part I barely managed to add.

The lavender unicorn blushed and shook her head gently. "Oh, uh, didn't she talk to you before the party? She came by not more than an hour after you left, asking for you," she revealed, seemingly a little hesitant about something. Uh oh.

"She was hiding from me at the Carousel Boutique when I saw her. We didn't have very long to talk," I explained uneasily. At least not between her hiding behind furniture. But she wouldn't like it if I said as much.

Twilight frowned and exhaled abruptly, angling her lips so her bangs puffed into the air, momentarily. "She lost her nerve, then. What to do..." she muttered, a bit of frustration sounding through in her voice. I swallowed. That didn't sound good.

"Is it to do with the memories she saw when you two helped me?" I lead, trying to get anything that would be helpful. Twi obviously knew about her issues already.

She surprised me by wincing instead. "Yeah. Another thing I goofed up. It hurt both of you by me asking for her help. I should have just taken more time and not hauled anyone else in," she groaned out tiredly, looking down again.

I frowned and started to move closer to her again to comfort, but she shifted back a little. "No. I thought you already knew her feelings. If I'd known she hadn't told you and your mind wasn't made up, I wouldn't have tried to experiment. I'm sorry for," she started to apologize, before my hoof gently pressed onto her lips.

"Please, Twilight. Don't be so hard on yourself. You helped me by asking her for help. If she doesn't like me anymore because of things she saw, then that's between her and me. You didn't have-" I assured softly. It was my turn to be interrupted, though.

Twilight gasped and shook her head rapidly. "No! She doesn't dislike you. She knows you only wanted to protect what you loved. She's proud of that and happy. The images are what hurt her. She thinks about it every time she sees you still, and says, well..."

I frowned as she trailed off. This is where Fluttershy had technically stopped, too. "She doesn't want to get in a relationship with me, right?" I finished, pretty sure that it was just in need of verification at this point.

The unicorn sighed and nodded, exactly as I figured. "She doesn't think she can give it her all anymore, which wouldn't be fair to you. She was very insistent that she didn't think of you as a wounded animal, though," she explained, seemingly tacking things on as she remembered. Her expression looked stressed, and I realized she was winging the conversation on the fly. Lack of planning made for a very stressed out Twilight, it would appear. It wasn't the reason I had expected, but the outcome was the same. I'd prepared myself for it a hundred times over, so why was it still painful? I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry. She still needs to tell you herself. I insist. And I apologize for kissing you. I thought you had already picked me," she admitted uneasily. Uh oh.

The distinct feeling of screwing up came to mind. So I liked Fluttershy and Twilight, but Fluttershy didn't return my feelings because of my memories from my past 'life'. But not knowing that, I just shared a rather intimate moment with Twilight, who was now rapidly regretting it due to the feelings she saw me having for the other mare. She now refused to acknowledge otherwise until I'd talked to Fluttershy about it, who was currently probably off avoiding me with Rainbow Dash.

My head start to spin and I sighed weakly. If Nurse Redheart wouldn't have a stress attack upon seeing me again, I'd seriously consider jumping out the window while screaming. Instead, I settled with a heady sigh and shook my head. "I figured as much already. Really, Twi. I accept what she thinks of me. I just need to get my head straightened out and figure out what I think about you. Although I'm really pretty sure I already know the answer to that one," I explained, blushing lightly after.

Twilight smiled but also shook her head as well. "I know you like me. I'm glad for that, but I would have believed you without the truth serum issue. But I know that you also like Fluttershy. I just want to have you settle your feelings for her first," she explained, gently warding off my hoof away from its attempts to brush against her shoulder.

I was surprised at the brief spike of irritation that went through me. I frowned. With a bit of focus, I calmed myself. I had wanted more. That distinct urge was identified again. Hormones? Not entirely, it would seem. The noticeably cute mare practically sitting on me frowned, looking unsure for a moment. I hesitated. Had I gone too far? I reined in my feelings as best I could. She hadn't intentionally teased me.

"Uh, are you okay? Um, did I say something wrong?" she asked cautiously.

I shook my head rapidly, hoping she wasn't upset. "No! Of course not."

She frowned further and I shrank a little under her gaze, earning a groan as well. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Mender! What can I do to make you more comfortable around me?" she asked, moving her face close to mine again, following as I backed into the pillow.

"Um!" I managed to squeak out in a weak voice. Uh oh! She was getting irritated now.

She suddenly smirked, however. It was a knowing and predatory grin. Quite familiar, considering I'd seen it all of fifteen minutes prior. "Of course, a little positive reinforcement might help," she whispered, brushing her nose against mine. I couldn't help but blush again, a gentle smile sneaking onto my face.

It was accompanied by the soft rumbling of my belly. Twilight looked confused for a moment and I peeked down at my tummy, now blushing even harder. She followed my gaze before giggling merrily. "Or some breakfast first. That works too," she agreed a moment later. I hadn't realized that my body could ask questions for me.

"Ah! Uh, I'm sorry?" I offered, unsure of what to do in this situation.

Twilight giggled again and shook her head. "I won't hurt you. Stop apologizing for every little thing. Let's go get some breakfast, then!" she assured, sounding surprisingly chipper. She stood up again in one fluid motion, sliding backwards and off the bed. My back legs immediately started tingling as the blood rushed back into them. I smiled at the tickling sensation while sitting up finally, attempting to pull the blankets off of me.

Sadly, I wasn't anticipating the wave of dizziness accompanying the simple movement. Twilight started laughing hysterically as I became a confused, tangled ball of blankets at the foot of the bed. I glared up at her as best I could while upside down and prone.

"You'll never change," she muttered warmly, giving her head a final shake before her horn lit up. I felt her slowly start to undo the blankets and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

My stiff muscles released sparks of happiness up my spine as I slowly stretched out. Combined with the warm feeling of the Sun beating down from above and the gentle breezes around me, I was finally feeling pretty good. Heck, I should have gotten outside long before this! That thought jolted me into paranoia and I rapidly looked all around me. Several uneventful moments later, I decided that maybe, just maybe, I was going to have a good day. Maybe even one without blunt force head trauma, full body burns, or multiple lacerations.

Twilight lagged behind a little, looking at some sort of flower alongside the path we were on. She was still smiling pleasantly, which was oddly contagious. Still, it was nice to see her in a good mood. Less painful, too. Although admittedly, the only time she had almost hurt me since I woke up was when I broke into her home in a mechanical monstrosity of nightmare, seemingly taking a young filly 'hostage' at the same time. Maybe it was about time to start giving her the benefit of the doubt?

She smiled up at me upon noticing my attention, and trotted to catch back up. It was a delightful treat to watch her mane sway gently in the sun as she moved, the pretty purples and violets being illuminated softly. Her eyes carefully roamed along my bandages as I concluded my stretch and straightened into a sitting position. She'd taken some of the bandages off this morning, but for precautionary measures, the main one stayed on for now. That left my lower back, hips, and navel with light wrappings. It had been the worst where the flak lasers had hit me, I assumed.

Twilight, concluding her seemingly seventh or eighth assessment of my condition for the day, brought her gaze back to my face instead. "How are you feeling, Mender? The walk isn't too much for you, is it?" she asked politely, a timid and somewhat concerned looking expression gracing her features.

The way she was moving, I probably could have taken a nap and still kept up. Still, I was thankful for her concern. "I'm holding up well enough. A little stiff and drowsy still, but feeling pretty good, all things considered," I muttered back, stifling a yawn. Getting poisoned via potion and spilling a few secrets here and there was a little depressing, but at least I was alive still. Mostly. Keep thinking on the bright side, Mender! Twilight hadn't been the one responsible for that little incident, though, so I shouldn't be irritated at her.

Twilight snickered in an oblivious manner, adding a nod a moment later. "Admittedly, your recovery has been amazing. Not only from the wounds you received in closing the link, but in resisting the potion effects yesterday," she complimented. It was a little weird now that I considered it. With my current constitution, I should have practically keeled over from that much potion, and slipped into some sort of alchemical coma or something.

"Just chalk it up to the universe having a weird sense of humor?" I offered idly, standing fully now and gesturing towards the path again.

Grinning, she picked up the subtle motion easily and fell in right next to me as I continued towards the farm. We walked in relative silence for the rest of the way. It wasn't very far of a walk, from the center of Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres, but admittedly, I was getting a little tired. As much as it felt good to be moving again, my full recovery was a ways off, it felt like. It took us a solid half an hour and I was shaking a little bit by the time we got there. Unsurprisingly, Twilight was giving me concerned looks by then.

Sitting down, I took a tactical pause in order to regain my breath. My legs felt a little shaky still, the tension from use already creeping up my muscles. Damn. Even for my runt physique, I was out of shape. I figured I'd have lost a little strength during my two weeks of coma, but this was ridiculous. I guess almost dying really takes a lot out of you.

"Maybe this was a bad idea? Are you sure you're okay?" the concerned sounding lavender unicorn asked, tilting her head down to peek under my bangs and into my face.

I smiled and nodded softly towards her, not quite trusting my voice to not crack yet. Twilight shook her head but grinned, probably thinking I was stubborn. I hoped she understood, though. I needed to fix everything that was off with my body. More strength and endurance, less hormones, a larger magic pool... Everything would help me fit in better. Maybe eventually, I wouldn't have to mooch off these wonderful mares anymore.

She didn't look entirely convinced, however, and opened her mouth to say something further. Thankfully, she was interrupted by a sweet drawl coming from the direction of the nearby barn.

"Howdy there, Twi! An' Mender came with too?" Applejack smiled warmly as she rounded the barn. I honestly don't think that I had ever been so happy to see the rough and tumble mare. Of course, we hadn't gotten the best start, with her being practical and down to earth, and me being, well, an idiot.

Twilight smiled again in an instant while turning, giving a small wave. "Hiya, Applejack!" she shouted back to clear the distance. It was a little sharp to my poor, potion-addled eardrums, being right next to her and all, but I restrained my reaction to a wince.

"Mender said he needed the exercise, plus I figured that he could put his skills to good use," Twilight continued, once the orange mare was within civil talking distance. It wasn't hard to pick out the light blush on her cheeks as she said it. She had asked me to come, in reality. Fluttershy might drop by later today and she had been hoping to talk to the elusive yellow pegasus. Plus, I saw it in her eyes when she had asked. She had wanted company.

"Oh! Ah think ya might be on ta somethin'. He's pretty handy with the engineerin' if Ah recall," Applejack agreed, snapping me out of my daze. I suddenly realized that I actually had no idea what she needed help with. Well, not that me having no clue what's going on was actually all that different from normal.

I nodded regardless. "I need to get myself back in shape, but I think you knew that already. Um, I also didn't exactly catch what you wanted help with in the first place," I elaborated, tilting my head to the side.

Her warm smile shifted into a slightly knowing one, but she nodded. Instead of answering immediately, she motioned behind her with a flick of her head before turning. Twilight and I caught the intent and followed after her as she headed back around the side of the barn.

"As ya'll know, tha last harvest of tha season'll be 'ere soon. It gits ah might busy 'round 'ere before then, an' Big Mac an' Ah usually have ta call in tha relatives from all around ta help," she started to explain. We rounded the side of the barn and crossed into the opening. My eyes widened as I saw the mess that covered the ground. Several large crates were strewn about the floor of the barn, most opened with their contents spilled out. Gears, cogs, wooden planks, chains, and some sort of rail system appeared to have been packed in them, as far as I could tell.

Twilight looked amused instead of surprised, but simply nodded. "She took my advice and is going to partially automate the packing process," she tacked on, stopping next to AJ, who stayed in the barn doorway. I took a few steps further into the barn, and scanned over the piles of parts. Automation huh?

My mind instantly shifted to that of an assembly line. I suddenly realized what the rails and chains were for. Each piece started fitting itself together in my head. There would be the wooden conveyor belt itself that would probably line up with the lift. The curved rail pieces indicated that they wanted to turn the boxes as they approached, so if convenience dictated...

A glance at the wall behind me and to the right showed a lightly traced square on the wall. Bingo! A chute system to the outside, for pouring in the apples. They'd then travel along the line and be inspected before being dropped into the crates. I walked slowly alongside the wall, mentally structuring the raised platform the inspectors would stand on. After loading, the crate should be sealed. Nails were probably impractical for ponies. Glancing up, I saw another lightly traced square on the ceiling. Well, the floor of the loft, technically. So they were going to drop the crate lid on from the ceiling? Made sense. Then it would be latched and sent around the bend to the lift, either to go past and be stored on the ground floor, or hauled up to the loft. Storage was reasonable in this scenario, but the real perk was that it would only take a few ponies to operate the thing. I halted my self-tour in front of the lift. It would need a foundation for stability, but that wouldn't be too hard to...

"Uh, Mender?" Applejack suddenly asked, sending a jolt through my system! I jumped in surprise before whipping my head over to look at her. Was I not supposed to have walked here?!

Wham! My muzzle cracked off the side of the support beam to my left. I reeled, gasping as I stumbled sideways away from it. Son of a! My right side hit the nearest rope holding the lift up. I fell over sideways and landed on the lift platform frame. Huh. Guess they still haven't put the actual platform in. The force of my collision with the rope caused the entire frame to spin around with me still on it! I let out a dizzy wail as I went around in circles several times, the support ropes wrapping me up in an instant. In the space of a second later, the room finally stopped spinning and I let my head droop over the side of the frame. A painful stinging sensation beat with the rhythm of my heart against the side of my muzzle. Ow. Thank you, reality. I knew I hadn't gotten my quota of pain yet today.

"Oh fer cryin' out loud! Yer never gonna change, are ya, Mender?" Applejack asked, starting to chuckle as she walked back to where I was hanging.

Twilight followed, looking slightly less amused. "Seeing you in action on a regular day, I'm suddenly not surprised that you managed a few bruises in the space of four hours," she tacked on.

I sighed, trying to yank my back leg free from its midair suspension. "Thanks for rubbing it in. Uh, a little help here?" I begged, only managing to rotate myself a bit.

"Whoa! Tha way yer displayin' yerself, Ah ain't rubbin' nothin'! Manners, Mender!" Applejack suddenly scolded, sending a deep spike of panic and embarrassment through my system.

"Oh, sweet Celestia's Sun! Ah!" Twilight squealed instantly after Applejack seemingly brought it to her attention. I didn't react quickly enough to stop her from getting a healthy glimpse, but managed to roll up with my other leg and properly cover myself.

"S-Sorry!" I apologized, wincing as I tried to pull myself up onto the frame.

I saw Twilight go scarlet, seemingly unable to close her jaw again. Her reaction reflex had brought both hooves to her eyes, but I saw a little crack between them. Applejack just burst into a copious laughter. "Ah'm just teasin' ya. Ya didn't intend ta flash us tha goods, obviously. 'sides, it's not tha first time Ah saw that sorta thing. We don't exactly wear clothes ya know?" she pointed out, stopping in front of the lift.

"Applejack! He... You shouldn't have looked!" Twilight whimpered, shrinking visibly as she gawked at her friend. She honestly looked traumatized.

Applejack smirked and raised an eyebrow to her. "Ya caught ah big 'nough gander yerself, Ah think. Yer actin' ah tad strange there, Twi," the observant country mare pointed out, causing an even deeper blush. Admittedly, I was feeling a little warm as well.

"Ah! Nothing! Rainbow accused us of that too, but nothing is going on between us!" the lavender unicorn defended, stomping her hoof against the ground. Her blush was still readily visible, of course. Ouch. As much as I enjoyed being reminded of how she viewed me, technically that was a suspiciously specific defense.

As predicted, Applejack never lost the warm smile. "Ah never said ya were, but that explains ah whole lot."

Twilight winced and shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no! I don't know what to feel yet, and until I do, no!" she adamantly declared. I couldn't help but think that it was a bad idea for Rainbow and Pinkie to be pushing her like this. She didn't cope with stress very well, and I didn't particularly feel like getting caught up in any bursts of rage she might fall into. Again.

"Getting a little dizzy here," I reminded, hoping to derail the potential homicide. And maybe get somepony to help me down.

Applejack laughed and turned back to me. "Impatient, ain't ya? Ah'll have ya down in ah sec," she assured, looking over the mess of ropes wrapped around me.

Twilight remained anchored to where she was, staring down at her hooves with a faint blush still. I watched her quietly as the other mare tugged at various ropes, trying to loosen them up a bit. Twilight was so confusing. Well, she was a lot of things. Cute, adorable, intelligent, innocent, good natured, loyal, drop dead gorgeous... I stopped for a moment, realizing where this particular train of thought was going. Calm down! She was also indecisive, overly analytical, a perfectionist, stubborn, and somewhat insensitive. Switching back to my previous adjective, I simply went with 'confusing'. She seemed halfway between thinking of me as a friend or experiment, and as something more.

My hormones weren't helping, of course. Had I thought it through properly, I probably shouldn't have let her kiss me. Thinking was what I definitely hadn't done, though. I should have considered Fluttershy first. Of course, all this was against my instincts anyway. Two mares held my interest. If anything, that should have set off enough warning flags to send me screaming into the forest as fast as possible. Probably involving a makeshift rocket.

My thoughts were interrupted by ropes being garroted into my neck. I gasped and thrashed, causing Applejack to immediately release the vile things.

"Whoops! Sorry. They're ah might bit tight," she apologized, stating the obvious. That snapped Twilight out of her daze, causing her to glance up again. A moment later, I finally managed to get the rope off my neck.

Any and all proceedings were then interrupted by a knocking sound coming from the front of the barn. "Hello, anypony? I was told that I could find Applejack here," sounded out in a distinctive Rarity tone.

"Oh, ya need somethin', Rare? Was tryin' ta untie Mender back 'ere," she explained, turning and walking towards the newest arrival.

I could barely make out the white unicorn from between two of the large crates. Applejack headed through the gap between them, squeezing as needed.

The lavender unicorn wasted no time at all in surprising me. Her lips pressed into mine rapidly, ignoring the awkward sideways angle we were at. I started in surprise, followed rapidly by blushing. I didn't even have time to close my eyes before she backed up an inch or two again, however.

"Thank you, Mender. You could have caused me some serious stress by revealing too much, but you didn't. So thank you," she added to her oh so warm smile after the kiss.

I blinked slowly, totally unsure of what I was being thanked for. "But, um, why would I intentionally add more stress to your life?" I asked. The idea was totally foreign to me. Why would somepony waste the effort in doing something unnecessarily cruel to somepony else? I understood that there were some extremely mean individuals in existence, but they didn't exactly get anything from the exchange.

My confusion oddly seemed to make her more content. She smiled softly at me and shook her head. "Asking that must mean you're being honest. I'm glad you're taking my desires to wait well. I really do want to talk to Fluttershy about things first," she assured weakly, frowning and seeming a little unsure.

"You thought I wouldn't understand, didn't you?" I asked quietly, managing a smirk. It was a shot in the dark, but something told me that she was the cautious type. Just a hunch.

She averted her eyes. I was right! "Well, you do have a tendency to jump to conclusions and come up with some fairly convoluted ideas. I was a little concerned as this is fairly important to me. I don't want to screw it up by offending you."

Ouch. Well, she was still accurate. At least she was being straightforward and to the point. "I'm glad it's important to you. I admit that I'm a little concerned about what you think of me," I admitted.

Twilight looked slightly confused before asking, "What do you mean? If I like you as more than a friend?"

That seemed safe enough, so I simply nodded. She smiled and I felt relieved. "I think that much is safe to assume. Now the only question is if I'm ready for a relationship." She sounded nervous after she said it and I swallowed. If she decided that she didn't want a relationship either...

My thoughts derailed suddenly, plowing off the three hundred foot cliff and into the rocky ridges below. What the hell was I doing?! Twilight wasn't supposed to be treated as a last resort. Was I screwing up what it meant to like a mare? Fluttershy. She made me feel safe and calm. Twilight made me feel warm and wanted. I liked both of them quite a bit, but I needed to figure out my own feelings first.

That was the truth. I was frustrated and let it direct itself at them. My feelings weren't their problem! It wasn't fair of me to take any action in regards to a relationship without properly thinking it through first. I'd been doing the opposite. I liked both of them, so I was just waiting for whichever made the first move, then? I berated myself for being so selfish. This would require quite a bit of thought. Feelings for Twilight felt murky and heated, gravitating towards thoughts of kissing her. That felt dangerous to think about, so I decided to consider Fluttershy first.

"Equestria to Mender?! You still awake?" the now irritated sounding unicorn asked from right in front of me. I started abruptly and looked back up at her. Shock hit me hard as I realized that her eyes were starting to water.

"Did that bother you? You went all quiet and sad looking and I didn't know what to do," she asked before I could say anything.

Frowning, I managed to somehow shake my head through the ropes. "No, I just zoned out. I realized that you were right. It's not fair for me to jump into this without thinking it through. So I have a lot of thinking to do," I explained. Well, to the best of my abilities. Admittedly, I wasn't the best at getting my feelings across.

Twilight surprised me by looking shocked, herself, before responding with, "Oh. But does that mean that you don't...? Ah! Sorry; you're right of course. If I can take time to think about it, you obviously have the right as well."

"What's wrong, Twilight? Is there something bothering you?" I asked, more than a little concerned about her reaction. She had spent at least half of the reply backtracking.

She swallowed timidly, but looked away. "Just, um, talk to Fluttershy soon, okay? I really would like to get back to my usual routine," she requested, confusing me even more. Somehow.

Before I could ask for clarification, however, she simply extended her foreleg up and gave the bottom of the lift frame a solid shove. My eyes widened as I was spun around rapidly in the other direction as before. The ropes lost their tightness in an instant, letting centrifugal force take over. With an embarrassingly high-pitched yelp, I was flung free of the frame and hurled towards the pile of nails, bolts, and gears next to us. Damn it. Putting my forelegs up to shield sensitive areas, I braced for impact.

Gravity decided to take a coffee break instead, however. My body stopped a mere half a meter from the pile of sharp and pointy things. Thankfully I had an absurdly powerful unicorn on my side! She pulled me back over to herself, giving me a light smirk and pointing out, "The more I see of it, the more I think your level of bad luck is about on par with Pinkie's Pinkie Sense. I should run some tests."

I rolled my eyes, getting a little tired of being upside down. "Fine. I really would like to get my dreams scanned again as well, speaking of tests," I reminded, closing my eyes to reduce the dizziness.

Mercifully, she flipped me back over, before assuring, "I'll do the scan if you want me to, but I really don't think that you have anything to worry about. Princess Celestia said..."

"I know what she said. I'd just feel safer if you took a peek at it yourself," I interrupted gently, looking down a bit. It wasn't that I didn't trust Celestia. She was a wise ruler. From what I'd seen of her, however, she was fallible. That wasn't a bad thing, but I trusted Twilight more.

Twilight seemed truly surprised instead of mad, however. I suddenly hoped that I wouldn't have to explain all of that. She gave a warm smile a second later, though, and nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad you trust me that much, Mender. You're a really good friend and, well, I'm glad," she muttered, suddenly seeming to mentally stumble over something. The light pink tint gracing her cheeks confused me, though.

"What was all tha screamin' 'bout? Oh, ya got Mender free?" Applejack suddenly asked, walking up from the side of my vision.

Twilight squealed in surprise and spun to face her two approaching friends, looking extremely guilty. I didn't have time to analyze further as the magic holding me up flickered away alongside her concentration. I landed unceremoniously on my butt, along with other sensitive things. Daggers of pain lanced through my navel and I winced, screaming out in an airy, soundless wail before falling forward and dropping flat like a bag of wet sand. Son of a bitch!

Applejack chuckled somewhere above me. Mentally, I imagined stabbing her a few times to make myself feel better. "Oh dear!" Rarity added, sounding further behind me somewhere.

"Uh, hi girls! Um, what brings you here, Rarity?" Twilight asked, oblivious.

Instead of giving in to the pain and homicidal urges, I slowly and tenderly pulled my back legs up into a tucked position, gritting my teeth the whole time. Oh for the love of all things just and righteous, somepony please kill me now! Why did they have to be external?!

"Uh, Rare here wanted ta' try an' proposition me fer her fancy party comin' up," the only mare with a heavy accent explained, also ignoring me now.

My entire body shivered and jolted as I felt two hooves slowly push into my back. They kneaded my lower muscles carefully, not applying too much pressure, but slowly massaging along my spine, relaxing me a bit.

"Are you all right, dear?" Rarity asked softly, from barely a foot above me.

I groaned miserably, trying my best to form a coherent thank you for her. "Er, he only dropped from half a meter or so," Twilight pointed out. I wished I could have glared up at her. Pity the raw ache prevented the rotation of my stomach.

"An' right onta tha stallion parts! Ah've seen it happen ta Big Mac ah few times. Looks mighty painful, Ah'm guessin'," Applejack explained, earning a new level of respect in my mind.

Twilight let out a sharp squeaking noise and I felt her move closer to me. "Oh no! I didn't mean to, Mender!" she assured. Thankfully that much was obvious. Had she intended to, it probably would have hurt quite a bit more.

Slowly sitting up, I shook my head while keeping my eyes closed. "Ow. I'll be okay," I managed to get out, in between my voice cracking and the reverberations of agony as I moved.

Twilight gently helped me up, supporting me with a foreleg. Rarity stopped her massage and lifted from the other side of my body by the shoulder, until I was sitting up again. I nodded and smiled at her as she brushed along my side, frowning. I glanced down and noticed I had collected a bit of dust from the floor in my coat. Mentally shrugging, I just let her go crazy and dust my coat off. Instead, I glanced back at Twilight instead.

The lavender unicorn looked incredibly guilty, but didn't say anything. Applejack interrupted before I could speak, regardless. "What were ya doin', anyway? Ya almost looked like ya were in some sorta trance or somethin'," she questioned, walking around to sit next to Twilight and be fully in my sight.

I shook my head at her, still not feeling all that great in the lower stomach. "It wasn't a trance. I was just figuring out the system for the conveyor you wanted to build to package up the apples," I corrected quietly, looking back to my right at the front wall and the square traced on it.

Applejack gave a start and tilted her head. "Wait ah minute. Ah never told ya that we were makin' ah conveyor."

"I know. These parts are pieces of one, so it was fairly obvious. Then I saw the tracings you made in the wall and ceiling and figured out the direction you wanted it going. You want a system to drop the covers on the crates after sorting the apples, and then deliver them for easy storage, right?" I asked, mostly for clarification purposes.

Twilight shifted to an amused smirk and looked over at the still surprised Applejack. "See? I told you there's a good reason to have him help. Now we don't need to try to buy the plans for the conveyor," she rubbed in, me obviously missing a lot of information.

I frowned but shook my head, asking, "Wait, there were plans to go off of?"

Applejack sighed and lowered her head, looking exceedingly dejected. "Well there would'a been if Ah had bought 'em. Twi 'ere convinced me not ta spend tha extra bits an' have ya look at it first ta see if ya could figure it out," she explained.

Twilight vouched for me? Wait, if I could pull this off, I could save Applejack bits! I could start paying her back for all of the hospitality so far! My delight couldn't be contained and a warm smile crept up out of nowhere. I found I couldn't nod my head fast enough. "Of course I'll try to put it together. Anything to help you out," I agreed.

The farm pony gave me a warm smile, but Twilight displayed a knowing one instead. "You don't owe us anything, Mender. You do realize that she's going to pay you for this, right?" she asked coyly.

My heart sank as I glanced back at Applejack and earned a still smiling nod. "Iffen ya can get tha thing workin', it would only be right ta pay ya fer yer work. Ah would've had ta bring in ah professional and Ah can't afford that an' keep tha project worth it," she explained gently.

I frowned, this not sitting well with me at all. Then an idea struck me. I turned to Rarity instead, assuming she'd be closer to the heartbeat of the town. "Hey Rarity? Do you happen to know what the rate is for a hotel room in Ponyville?" I asked.

She surprised me by gasping, and vehemently denying, "I'm not that type of mare!" This was accompanied by a rather pronounced blush.

I blinked slowly, a little confused. "Uh, what? I just figured you'd have more out of town visitors than Applejack or Twilight. Nopony has mentioned prices to you?" I elaborated, unsure of what I had said wrong prior.

She stared at me for a moment with a blatant expression. I tilted my head, and she exhaled softly, as if relieved. Twilight looked as weirded out as I felt, but Applejack started snickering.

Rarity shot her an icy glare before looking back at me and continuing with, "That is true enough, I suppose. Last I'd heard, several weeks ago, mind you, the hotel prices were about thirty-five bits a night."

My mind jumped on the math like a rabid ferret. "Okay, so at a twenty percent markdown, that would be twenty-eight bits. That is probably close to what rent would be. Applejack supplies the bed, and Twilight supplies the room it's in. Cutting that in half, that meant that I owed each of you fourteen bits a night for room and board," I reasoned, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Applejack frowned, glaring at me suddenly. I'd never seen an expression shift so rapidly. Oh crap! Was that figure too low? I knew I should have researched pricing a little more before suggesting something like this. Wait, the way Rarity reacted led me to believe that I might have been wrong about the hotel thing. From what little I could remember, which thankfully included basic vocabulary from my old dimension, a hotel was a place of temporary lodging for those displaced from a more permanent living arrangement. What if it was a little different here, though? The way she reacted indicated some sort of ill reputation establishment. Had I just compared Applejack and Twilight to that?!

"No, Mender! We're not going to...!" Twilight started to berate before stopping and giving a questioning look. At her yelling, I had dropped my belly to the floor and tucked my ears down as hard as I could. Oh no. No, no, no! I should have researched this way more.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to compare you two to anything! You're reputable mares, and I wasn't insinuating that you perform mating requests for monetary reimbursement. Please! I'm sorry..." I apologized as rapidly as I could, hopefully heading off any bouts of rage or homicidal thoughts.

"Wait, what?!" Applejack suddenly exploded, expression shifting to shock even quicker.

Twilight's cheeks went pink and she looked away rapidly. Rarity reacted the best and simply coughed lightly, however, admitting, "I do believe that little misunderstanding was my fault. But you really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that, Mender."

Applejack rested a hoof on her forehead and shook her head weakly. "Again. Ah shouldn't be surprised by now, Ah guess. Ya didn't offend. Ah jus wanna pay ya somethin' fer yer work," she muttered, looking down at me after finishing explaining. Oh.

"And I said I wasn't going to hurt you again!" Twilight yelled suddenly. I let out a yelp and dove sideways and away from her in surprise. Of course, I rolled right into the pile of sharp and pointy things that I had saw prior. Stupid nails.

---

Things always seemed to go in patterns for me. The unfortunate thing is that there always seems to be a quota for the amount of pain I'm required to go through. I gritted my teeth and winced as Applejack pulled out the twelfth and final nail. Speaking of that quota.

"Disinfecting," Twilight reported instantly. A sizzling sensation hit the spot where the nail used to be embedded in my back. I gasped, but thankfully the merciful unicorn continued with, "... And healing." The pain faded instantly and I was finally able to slump forward to the ground. Rarity, who was at my side, patted my shoulder as I tried not to get grass up my nose. Wait, I was supposed to be trying to think positively. Well, at least I'm not allergic to the grass. Or iron. Or blood loss.

I heard Applejack spit out the nail behind me. "That's some handy magic, Twi. How come ya never used that before?" she asked a moment later.

There was an exasperated sigh before the unicorn returned, "That's because I learned it only a few days ago. At the rate he gets injured, it was all I could do to lessen the hospital fees." I let out a frustrated groan and looked back at her, just in time to see a wall of lavender descending towards my face. I winced as she lightly batted me on the end of my muzzle. "No. You're not going to pay for those either," she preemptively declared.

Sighing, I turned back around and glared straight ahead again. They just didn't seem to get it. "You're a Gentlecolt for trying to make it up to us, don't worry. But you can't be expected to without any source of income and while injured still," Rarity soothed, bending down and trying to smile at me, eye level.

I sighed weakly, staring at the root of the tree we were under. Applejack hadn't wanted to get blood in the barn, which was understandable. In frustration, I whacked the front of the root I'd been glaring at. It barely shook, which only served to irritate me further. A moment later, something reasonably solid skipped off of my head. I let out a stifled yelp, and then glared at the infuriating red object rolling away from me on the ground.

Twilight sighed weakly and walked up next to me, lifting the apple up with her magic. "I'm definitely going to have to run a few tests on you at some point in the future. You have the absolute worst luck I've ever seen," she admitted, tossing the apple backwards.

"Yer just noticin' this now? He only has good luck when it counts, ya know? Like givin' ah giant alien battleship tha ol' what fer!" she exclaimed. I blushed a little but didn't look up again. It was mostly because my head hurt, but I also wasn't sure if I was supposed to be honored or depressed by her viewpoint. Still, Twilight had a point.

The white unicorn next to me sat up fully again, shaking her head slightly. "I personally don't feel his luck is too entirely bad. Sure, he's a bit clumsy from time to time, but he's only been in the physical form of a pony for all of three and a half weeks. Surely, he deserves a bit of a break due to that, no?" she suggested reasonably. Well, I thought it was reasonable, anyway.

"She has a point. Honestly, his progress is astounding if you take into consideration the age of his body. He's technically been alive for less than a month," Twilight concurred, nodding. I glanced back and caught her smiling down at me. She blushed and looked away rapidly upon noticing my attention. Had she said that purely to make a case for me? She had to have realized it was different due to me being alive for much longer prior.

"Indeed! To project an air of such sophistication while being so young! You're truly talented. It makes me wish Applejack was such as well," Rarity praised before glancing over at the now glaring farm mare.

"Yer still pushin' fer that? Ah already told ya, Ah can't make it. The last harvest is comin' an' there's no time ta be off prancin' about in fancy clothes," Applejack repeated. Well, technically it was the first time I had heard it, but I assume that they had been discussing it while Twilight and I had been talking.

A light blush distracted me momentarily. Yeah, talking. Mostly. "It would just be for a few days, Applejack. Please?!" Rarity practically begged, edging a little closer to her friend.

"Ah'm really sorry, Rare. Ah know yer desperate if yer askin' meh. Ah really wish I could help ya," she apologized, subtly putting herself down.

Rarity sighed and nodded, to my surprise. Was there some sort of context that I wasn't aware of? "Yes. I didn't believe that you'd want to go. I'm just running out of options. Twilight's already going on behalf of the Princess. Fluttershy practically passed out when she realized how crowded it would be. You know she only accepts crowds when all of us are there to back her up," Rarity replied weakly. I'd guessed as much about Fluttershy, but Applejack and Rarity seemed to have a deeper understanding than I realized. They knew each other's tastes.

Twilight nodded as well. "What about Rainbow and Pinkie? Surely they're not busy," she suggested, gesturing with a hoof towards Rarity.

"No such luck, I'm afraid. Rainbow Dash unsurprisingly has the entire public appearance schedule of the Wonderbolts memorized. She was a little miffed at my attempt at trickery in trying to let her think they were attending. And Pinkie Pie is still banned, remember?" Rarity returned, looking a little stressed. Banned? I swallowed nervously, not entirely wanting to know how the friendly enough seeming pink party pony got banned from somewhere.

"Oh yeah. Ah forgot they got real upset after tha Gala incident. Ah would've thought they'd be over that by now," Applejack muttered. Yup, definitely didn't want to know.

Rarity sighed and nodded, brushing her mane back gently before noticing me watching her again. She gave a soft smile down towards me before shifting her attention back to Applejack. "What of Big Mac? I suppose he's needed for the harvest as well?" she asked after a moment's apparent thought.

Applejack sighed as well, but nodded. "He does tha figures an' fancy mathematics. Ah don't think we'd have ah smooth time without him 'ere," she explained. Silent but smart, huh? I could definitely appreciate that.

Rarity looked downright depressed for a moment and shook her head. "If I hadn't been asked to provide the dresses for the fashion show there, I wouldn't be nearly as upset. This could really make my career! If I were to show up without the guest attached to my invitation, why, it would be shameful! Outrageous! I'd be laughed out of the party," she lamented. Whoa. Rarity dealt with an entirely higher level of social performance than what I was used to! I can see why Fluttershy didn't want that kind of pressure.

There was a quiet moment, followed by an awkwardly uncomfortable feeling. I glanced up at the white unicorn again, only to discover that she was staring intently at me. Er, did I have something in my mane?

"Wait a moment. I suddenly recall that you are a personal friend of Princess Celestia herself! Everypony saw you having lunch with her," she reminded, for as of yet unknown reasons. I still didn't like where this was going.

Twilight predictably blanched. "Wait, what? Just because he eats lunch with her once, doesn't mean that they're best friends. Is that why that rumor is spreading like wildfire?" she questioned, sounding more than a little irritated suddenly. What did I do?!

"Um, not to interrupt, but what rumor are we talking about?" I interjected cautiously. If it was about me, I at least deserve to know what it is, right?

"Ah heard it too, down in tha market this mornin'. It's mixed up more than Pinkie on fermented cider. Somewhere between ya bein' ah clandestine lover, an' ah secret agent," Applejack explained, looking back down at me.

Damn it! This was all Rainbow Dash's fault. She had to go screaming at the top of her lungs that I had a date with the Princess. Twilight slapped a hoof to her forehead, sighing miserably.

"Wonderful. Well at least there's no real harm in any of it, I suppose. If they want to be silly, then so be it," the lavender unicorn acquiesced weakly. She didn't sound convinced. Of course, saying "No real harm" and referencing me in the same sentence would probably make a lot of ponies uncomfortable.

"Oh, but I intend to use it to my advantage, with Mender's support, of course," Rarity corrected, looking remarkably devious for such a refined mare. I swallowed timidly. Regardless, she continued before I could voice any opinions, further enlightening with, "Seeing that everypony seems to be busy, I'm tentatively considering asking Mender to go with me to the party instead, purely for appearances, of course. If they want to perpetuate the rumors, so be it. That assumed, Mender should be a very eligible 'date' for the evening."

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked instantly, devoid of any tone fluctuation at all, expression deadpan. Uh oh. Wait, what?!

Applejack nodded skeptically as well. "Admittedly, Ah get the point behind it. Yer usin' tha rumors ta puff up Mender's reputation an' make yerself look good fer yer designin' show. Ah just question how, well, wise that is. Mender's ain't exactly known fer his social graces," she pointed out.

Ouch. My ego suddenly hurt a little. Although I sadly had to agree for the most part. "Oh relax, you two. It's not an actual date. He's coming as a friend, of course. I simply want to avoid any potential social stigma," Rarity explained carefully before sitting down again next to me. Giving a test shift of my muscles, I decided that they weren't quite ready to move yet and did absolutely nothing. It was surprisingly effective at making me feel better as well.

Twilight's glare didn't relent, however, and I had to mentally stop myself from fidgeting. It wasn't even directed at me, yet I found myself trying not to shake. Still, what could I honestly say in her defense without giving away exactly what she told me not to? She seemed to realize this too, and kept it to a silent glare instead.

Rarity looked a little flustered, however. "Twilight dear, what's wrong? You seem awfully upset at me. May I ask?" she requested politely. I'd never seen the white unicorn actually look unsure, admittedly. Twilight must mean a great deal to her.

Finally, Twilight let out a huff and relaxed a little. "It's nothing. Just, well, don't let him wander off and maim himself or something," she warned pointedly. I suddenly got the impression that my choice had been made for me already.

"Splendid! Then it's a date. This is in Canterlot, Mender, so pack warm! Oh, and we shall have to spend a night there, of course. It will simply be far too late by the time the event is over to catch a train back. I'll pay for the room, of course. Oh, and we absolutely must size you and get a wonderful suit made before the party! Oh, there's just so much to do," Rarity started rapidly explaining. Well, more suggesting. Wait, I didn't own any clothes, let alone warm things. Wait, I had to spend the night in a hotel room with Rarity?!

Twilight started growling again, predictably this time. "Then you'd best go do it. And I'm sure I can work him into my old quarters at the palace, so you don't need to worry about a hotel!" she berated, tone sounding irritable.

Rarity looked taken aback, but Applejack just chuckled. "No need ta get so defensive, Twi. She said it was just ah friendly thing. But we do have ah lot of work ta do, Rare," she excused politely, giving the white unicorn a gentle nod.

Rarity coughed lightly, but nodded. "Of course. Do come by in a couple days to get measurements, Mender," she requested, doing a polite bow and recovering her smile as she looked over at me instead.

The best I could come up with was returning an uncertain nod, trying my hardest to smile back. She departed slowly, with the elegant and drawn out gate of a true noble, of course. I exhaled weakly as she left, avoiding the burning sensation of Twilight's gaze on the back of my head. Applejack just gave another laugh and gestured towards the barn again, starting a pace towards it herself. Shaking my head, I sighed wearily. The day had already felt long enough, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it was far from over.

Okay, so this was a mess. Carefully weaving between the piles, I moved another group of planks in with the rest. We were finally wrapping up the sorting of the parts into the various piles on the floor of the barn. Applejack had taken off already, leaving the finer points of the sorting to the ponies that could use magic, it would seem. Although she did have the harvest to take care of, so I didn't exactly blame her there.

Smiling down at the last of the planks, I glanced back up at Twilight. At this point, I was growing a little concerned for the unicorn in question. She only got half as much done as me, mostly because she insisted that all of the nails and screws be aligned in the same direction. She was now smiling proudly down at her very exact, orderly piles. It was oddly kind of endearing, and I caught myself smiling softly at her. It was strange. The more I sorted out the feelings, the weirder I felt over the whole situation. Fluttershy had obviously distanced herself, which might have led to some of it, but surely not all. Spending so much time with Twilight had given me greater appreciation for the mare. She seemed honest in her desire to not hurt me anymore.

Okay, that was a total lie. I blushed as I realized it. As much as I was trying to stay distant, I couldn't help but get giddy little butterflies in my stomach when I watched her. She was a scary individual when upset, sure, but that's just because I knew what she could do to me. When she was happy, such as now, staring at her gave an entirely different feeling. I wasn't naive. That warm feeling was new to me, but I realized what I wanted. It was maddening some days. How would males on my home dimension stand it?

My eyes started to roam a little. All right, so it was really maddening. Her coat was well maintained, looking so soft in the barn light. Her form was sleek and streamlined. She lacked the muscle tone of Applejack, and the corded muscles of Rainbow Dash, but she was far from unhealthy looking. I blushed lightly as I traced gentle curves with my eyes. Her hips were particularly pleasant to take note of, and I saw her tail was well maintained, similar to her mane. My eyes drifted back that way, tracing along her mane that almost seemed to glow in the warm light of the Sun seeping through the barn's front door. It complimented the gorgeous shade of her eyes as they almost sparkled with energy when she was excited. It always made her look so cute. The light flush of her cheeks didn't help either, of course. Wait a second...

Twilight was staring right at me at this point, blushing softly and fidgeting with her right front leg. My blush expanded significantly and I politely looked away, coughing. I hope she hadn't noticed too long ago and saw me ogling her flank. Again. Well in her mind, anyway. The first time had indeed been an accident.

A light giggle. Her voice always caused me to melt a little, but I kept my hormones under control. No sense in getting her mad at me again. "Um, you don't need to look away, Mender. I don't mind you looking at me. It's just surprising, is all. I'm rather plain looking, honestly," she excused, looking down towards the floor of the barn instead.

I blatantly recoiled, shocked. "Twilight! You're far from plain. You're... You're gorgeous. I mean, I do find a lot of mares cute or pretty, but you're by far the only one I'd say was truly beautiful," I corrected softly, frowning now.

Twilight's eyes hit saucer size almost instantly. She looked shocked for a moment before her eyes softened and the blush in her cheeks magnified sharply. "M-Mender! I, well, I thank you, but I just don't know. I've never had a stallion think I was pretty." While she had barely choked out the first part of her statement, she calmed down a little and now looked reserved. Or was that a shy expression as she nervously looked at me.

Smiling, I shook my head. "I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to, Twilight. It's not just because you'd rip me limb from limb either if I tried," I assured her, nodding.

Her ears visibly drooped and she shook her head. "I told you that I'm not going to hurt you, Mender. I don't want you scared of me, okay?" she asked softly, walking towards me again. I hesitated and took a half step back, unsure of her intent. Was she mad at me for staring and only acting this way to get me to lower my guard? Her eyes softened, but she didn't stop walking. "What can I do to show you that I won't hurt you?" she asked a moment later, stopping a half-meter in front of me.

I swallowed but stood my ground. She was serious. "I, uh, have no idea, Twilight," I answered, as truthfully as I could manage.

Her eyes searched mine for a few seconds before she nodded. To my surprise, she started smiling. "It's a well-documented issue. Your situation is unique, but I bet I could figure out a way to let you have more confidence in dealing with me. Wanna give it a shot later?" she asked warmly, looking oddly excited.

Oh well. I couldn't see any particular harm in it and agreed with, "Sure. I don't see why not."

The lavender pony grinned instantly, instilling a sudden paranoia in me. Had that been the wrong choice? "Excellent! I'll study up on some of the techniques. Research and experimentation have never failed me in the past, so it will undoubtedly work here too!" she exclaimed excitedly.

More experiments? Smiling, I agreed with, "Well, your last 'experimentation' was a lot of fun. I'm sure I'll like these too, right?" Her happy expression shifted to that of a shocked blush in a heartbeat, earning a grin from me.

"Cool your jets, Lover Boy. We need to talk to Fluttershy first, don't forget," she reminded, playfully sticking her tongue out at me. I laughed, but nodded gently. She had already been more than adamant on me talking to Fluttershy about things. She didn't need to remind me any further. She continued before I could say anything else, however. "But I am serious. I'm, well, even if you don't end up picking me, you need to move slowly in the relationship. I'm a little worried that maybe kissing like that was too fast. It would be way too fast for Fluttershy," she voiced, an odd mixture of nervous yet sad sounding. Wait, slow? I'd never heard of that adjective being applied to mates before.

Swallowing my pride, and possibly sense of self-preservation, I decided to throw caution to the wind and ask Twilight what she meant. "How does slow apply to a relationship?"

She had started to turn around, but froze when I asked. Her initial expression seemed to be of surprise and curiosity, but she nodded quietly. "Well, to take your time dating and getting to know a pony before moving on to the more, uh, physical aspects of a relationship," she explained, causing even more confusion. Dating? This was another word that I'd not encountered before. Well, not in this context. To be 'dated' was to be old or out of place in your time period, if I recall correctly.

"Uh, what's 'dating' mean in this context?" I inquired, deciding that if she answered the first without hesitation, she shouldn't have any problem with the second. I hoped.

A large blush exploded over her cheeks almost instantly. Oops. Guess I was wrong, there. "What, um, what do you mean, Mender? Surely you've heard of dating before. What did your society do to pair up males and females for mating?" she questioned, sounding gravely embarrassed.

Uh oh. It had something to do with mating rituals. Please don't kill me, Twilight. Guessing that I had just made an idiot of myself again, I lowered my head and drooped my ears. "Sorry, Twilight. Honestly, I don't think I've heard that word in that context before. From what I've pieced together and remember, there were no direct mating rituals. Sure, sometimes females took in a male specifically for such in the higher circles, but most of our breeding was done through clinics," I explained quietly, formulating it at the same time. It wasn't as if I had anticipated having to explain this to anypony. Dreams and vague memories showed me the clinics and I knew the male concubine facts. Everything else was purely speculation on my part, of course.

The lavender mare didn't look all that surprised. She did lose her smile and look away, however. "I expected as much. Dating is when a couple goes out and has fun together, with the purpose of testing compatibility and feelings for each other before anything more, um, intimate. Well, that's usually the case, anyway. There are exceptions, of course," she expanded upon, shifting back into analytical mode. That probably meant she was uncomfortable talking about this topic.

"So that's what you wish to start with, right? Dating? It makes sense if you aren't sure of your feelings, although admittedly, I have no idea what's expected of me," I confessed, blushing again but managing a smile this time. For once, I wasn't irritated at making an idiot of myself, especially if it made her more comfortable.

Both of us were interrupted by a sudden light fluttering sound above us. I glanced up for a moment until an impact sounded, and a light ruffling. What was that?!

Twilight must have seen me glance up and giggled lightly. "Oh, don't worry about that. Uh, Applejack has a slight issue with, um, birds in the loft. I told her I'd look into it later after this," she explained, fidgeting a little. She seemed nervous for some reason. Uh oh.

It dawned on me. Traumatic experiences in an individual's past could lead to painful phobias. Twilight must have had something happen to her involving birds and was too embarrassed to say anything to anypony! Applejack probably asked her to take care of the issue without even considering her feelings. How rude. Hmm. Well birds didn't sound too dangerous, so maybe I could help her with them? I wasn't as likely to get in the way or make her use more healing magic on me again.

"Oh, I understand, Twilight! I'll help you take care of them after this, then," I assured, nodding and smiling warmly at her.

She paled considerably. "You, um, you do? You don't need to do that!" she assured rapidly, shaking a little. Whoa! It was a nastier case than I had thought. But she was being so brave and trying to hide it. I wondered how long she had kept this pain inside.

Blushing, I shook my head again and opened my mouth to insist that I could easily help her on the issue. She interrupted before I could, however. "What do you think of me, Mender?" she suddenly asked out of nowhere.

My brain did a flip inside of my skull and I totally forgot what I had been about to say. "Er, wait, what?" Complete sentences eluded me as my brain shifted from sixth to reverse.

"About me. I mean, I know you think I'm pretty. Somehow. And fun to be around despite our conflicts in the past. I wanted to know what you think we could be to each other, though," she elaborated carefully, intensely locking eyes with me.

Swallowing, I shifted nervously off my left side. This wasn't expected at all. How did the conversation shift from birds to our future?! Although if she was insecure about things concerning her phobias and personality, that might have prompted this. She might have suddenly worried that I looked down upon her for having a phobia. Still, fear of birds wasn't that out of the normal range of things. Heck, I once met an Artificial Intelligence who was afraid of them. Well, she had a lot of problems other than that, but it still fit!

"Well, I really do like you a lot. You feel very mature and stable to me, honestly. You're extremely intelligent and I look up to that. You're also scarily powerful, which admittedly terrifies me on occasion. I would like to..." I started before trailing off and frowning to myself. I'd gone over this a hundred times in my head, but always managed to hit a snag here. She felt almost untouchable. Like she existed in a reality apart from my own. Above me and impossibly real. It was hard for me to imagine myself 'with' her in any romantic regard. I didn't know why. Technically, her kissing me should have made it easier, but it didn't. Funny thing, that.

She made an impossibly quiet sound a moment later, and I closed my eyes. Surely, if I couldn't see her, she couldn't see me, right? That somehow made the confession easier, and I started with, "I would like to be important to you like that, and have you let me care for you. I just have my doubts that I'd be able to, well, reach you. You're one of a kind in this world, and it feels like I, as an intruder here, shouldn't be considered for such good fortune." Every word was extremely carefully chosen, of course. I decided to leave out the extreme paranoia about her relationship with Celestia.

Twilight predictably blushed. "Mender, I want to be important to you, too. Just trust that instead of worrying about if you're worthy or not," she returned, calling me out on my polite wording. I guess I did kind of consider myself unworthy of her, didn't I?

"But thank you. That helps me quite a bit. How do you feel about Fluttershy, then?' she asked less than a second later. This one I'd seen coming, however.

Sadly, that didn't make the answer any less complicated. "I'm not entirely sure. She makes me feel comfortable, which is amazing considering I'm an alien dumped into the middle of a new land with nothing to his name and who started off thinking that all of the natives wanted to kill and consume him," I groaned out, rubbing a hoof to my temple. At least I'd progressed a long way since then. Kind of. Oh fine; at least I knew they were vegetarians.

Twilight giggled pleasantly and shook her head. "Fluttershy is really good at making ponies feel comfortable when she doesn't feel threatened herself. Although from what I've read, you need more than comfort in order to love somepony," she pointed out, sitting down in front of me. I thought about it a little more. Technically she was right. Fluttershy was adorable, very cute, and made me feel safe. Was that enough to base a relationship off, though? Was it fair, to her, for me to try to base a relationship off that only? Everything was new to me, and it was frustrating having no idea what I was doing.

"I think you might be right. Now that I consider it, I'm not entirely sure my feelings for her were like that in the first place. I mean, she's cute and very, very kind, but I never intentionally looked at her in that way before." It was more pondering out loud than any direct statement. A light scraping came from above afterwards, along with more of the flapping noises, however. I raised an eyebrow and looked up again. Those sounded like destructive birds. Maybe we shouldn't be waiting to chase them away?

Twilight interrupted with, "You mean when you accidentally looked at her flank, right?" My gaze burned back down to her instantly, cheeks flaring up again. Of course she wore a smirk. For a moment, I thought I heard Fluttershy gasp. Then I realized it had just echoed through my head and chuckled mentally. True, that's exactly what she would do had she been here.

"Of course, given your wording, that would also indicate that you intentionally looked at mine," the mirthful lavender unicorn continued, giving a more playful smirk. Damn, she was a brat when she wanted to be! This was a whole new side of Twilight that I hadn't seen before, and I didn't particularly know how to deal with it. Well, what was that song? Fortune favors the bold.

I nodded in return, smirking. "Of course I did. You're definitely not hard on the eyes," I managed to get out, suppressing the urge to wince and hide behind the crate next to me.

Twilight's eyes widened drastically and her blush magnified tenfold. Her smile remained, however, and I eased up on my tense muscles. "You're a charmer when not cowering from me," she teased, slowly swaying closer to me. My pride made me hold my ground as she approached. If she was going to murder me, I could at least die with dignity. She leaned past me however, whispering into my ear, "I like it. Relax."

My turn to blush. Had it been that obvious that I was tense? I let out a little sigh and did just as she had suggested. She smiled gently at me from inches away. A sudden urge came over me, and I slowly leaned forwards.

Twilight turned away however at the last second and picked up a bunch of the wooden planks for the support structure. They drifted easily into the air around her so easily. I almost fell on my face, wobbling for a moment to recover my balance. "What about Applejack? She might be employing you," she asked instead, hauling the woodpile over to the corner of the barn.

My mind whirled with the sudden topic change and I had to do an about face to catch up. "Wait, what?" I asked a moment later. Okay, try to catch up, anyway.

She snickered, causing me to scowl but sigh. Was she intentionally throwing me off guard? "I've never really thought about it. Mostly I'm too preoccupied trying to make up for my terrible first impression. She's very kind though, and has been extremely hospitable since." I followed her over to where she was lining up the boards as I replied.

She smiled, agreeing with, "Applejack would like that description. You don't think she's pretty?"

I laughed, pointing a hoof over to the nails pile. "Nails. And don't get me wrong. Applejack is very pretty in her own unique way. She's not adorably cute like Fluttershy or subtly gorgeous like you; she holds a practical charm, in a down to earth kind of way," I tried to explain. Twilight didn't miss a beat and yanked a pile of nails over to where we were as I positioned two of the interlocking planks into a cross brace.

"You always seem to compliment me the most," she groaned as we instinctively swapped roles. She snagged both planks in her telekinesis and I magnetically picked up three of the sturdy nails with my left, glowing hoof.

"You're the one I like the most in that way, so isn't that normal?" I questioned, giving the nails a light kinetic burst of energy. They drove themselves into the board all at once an instant later.

Twilight smiled at me for a moment before starting at the sound of the nails. She looked momentarily amused when she glanced down at my work. "Well, admittedly, that makes me more than a little happy. Maybe I've been, I dunno, over-thinking things?" she muttered, turning back to the board pile and lighting her horn with magic.

Twilight, over-think things? I tried not to laugh as I realized I tended towards doing the same thing. I instinctively ducked as two more boards flew in over me and lined themselves up in a light magical aura. "I'm probably as nervous about things as you. Everything is going a little faster for me, and admittedly, it's a tad hard to keep up with mentally," I tried to assure.

She smiled pleasantly and nodded, expression relaxing a little. "Then I guess it will be new to both of us. Uh, well, if you pick me, of course," she backtracked, eyes widening at the last part.

This again? I sighed as I grabbed the next set of nails. "Twilight, we're pretty much assured that she's..." I stopped and frowned. Fluttershy didn't like me like that. I'd already figured that much out. Whether she did before she saw my memories, I'd probably never find out. For such a gentle soul, the prospect of war and death was probably grim indeed. I felt bad enough that she had to see what she did. "She just wants to be friends, Twilight. I don't blame her for that and frankly, I'm sad that she had to see what she did in the first place, regardless of it being the reason she changed her mind. I just want to be absolutely sure that's what she wants so I don't hurt her feelings, is all," I furthered after straightening out my mindset.

There was a light, contented sigh that echoed out of nowhere and everywhere at once. Frowning, I glanced around again. Okay, that time I swore I heard the timid yellow mare in question. Was it just my imagination? Twilight smiled and nodded at me as if she'd heard nothing, so I decided to keep it to myself lest I sound even less sane than she already thought I was.

"I understand. I'm sure she would as well if she heard that. Relax, Mender. I'm glad you like me like that. I think, um, I think I really do want to give it a try. Oh dear, I think I'll need to do some more reading on the topic," she groaned, shifting back and forth on her hooves. I lowered the hoof that had the nails and ducked again as her magic followed her swaying, whipping the boards back and forth in front of me, predictably.

I just shook my head and chuckled. At least I didn't try to figure out everything by reading about it. Well, not that it was a bad way to do things, but she might be content with just experimenting more, too. I grinned to myself as I remembered her last one. "Twilight, relax. You have all the time in the world," I assured regardless.

Well, it wasn't just assurance, I guess. Something still felt off about the whole situation. My instincts told me that she was more important than me, and I shouldn't be so lax and loose tongued around her, to be respectful and subservient instead. Not just because she was an Element of Harmony, one of the most important mares in Equestria, or could single-handedly tear the fabric of my being apart with her mind, but because she was female. The frustrating thing was not knowing where the instinct came from. What was my old culture like to instill such a nigh panic over the issue?

"...but I should be fine as long as I experiment slowly. Oh, and get lots of research and notes taken!" she continued from a statement I was apparently missing the first part of. Oops. It was easy enough to gather what she had been saying, however. Not that I knew how to respond anyway.

Further, not that it mattered, as she apparently wasn't looking for a response in the first place, and simply continued with, "Anyway, what about Rainbow Dash?"

After Applejack, I had been anticipating being grilled on Dash as well, so it wasn't as much of a surprise. Thankfully, the boards stopped flailing and I was able to sit up again, proceeding with driving the next set of nails into them. "I trust her with my life after what we went through. She really pulled her own back in my dimension, and showed me how truly loyal she can be. She's amazing." Twilight smirked at my explanation, and I saw it coming.

"Sounds like you like her too," she cooed a second later.

I rolled my eyes. "Twilight, I came from a world with no females in day to day activities. Every mare here is going to be at least a little cute to me. So yes, Rainbow is very cute. But you know her heart is also taken, and so is mine," I reminded, giving her a skeptical glance.

She nodded promptly, seemingly unfazed by my admission. "Rarity?" she asked without delay as we swapped plank sets again and moved further down the line.

"Very elegant and beautiful in her own way. She really maintains herself. Maybe a little too much. She's really nice, however, and her heart is in the right spot. I'm glad she's my friend," I returned, drawing forth more nails. This was going faster than I thought it would. Although I should have known better, as Twilight was an extremely intelligent mare and learned fast.

The mare in question snickered at the over-maintaining portion of my answer, but nodded. "Okay, a hard one. Pinkie Pie!" she launched, sounding a little amused.

Okay, that was a hard one. I drove the nails into the board before frowning and thinking about it a bit. I barely remembered to duck as more planks flew in via her magic. "She's a really nice mare and super friendly. Way too much energy for me, however. I get tired just watching her. Still, I've seen her when she's not wound up like a spastic ferret on sugar, and know she has other gears. I like her, overall," I reasoned simply.

Twilight started laughing by the time I was done. "Well, that's fairly accurate. Ha! Still, I think she'd be happy with that reply were she here," she agreed, nodding to me between snickers.

There was another light thump from above us, and more flapping sounds. For crying out loud, what were those birds doing up there? I saw the ropes for the lift shiver back and forth slightly and widened my eyes. Uh oh! We're they pecking at the lift ropes? That wouldn't do at all.

Twilight frowned as I stood up and trotted over to the lift. "I think those birds are on the lift ropes. I'm going to scare them off," I explained, smiling back at her.

Oddly, a look of shock and terror suddenly spread across her face. "No, Mender! It's okay, I'll get them after we're done!" she shouted.

I smiled further and shook my head. "It's okay, Twilight. You don't need to be brave. It's perfectly all right to be afraid of birds. I'll get rid of them," I assured.

"Wait, what?" she asked suddenly, getting an odd look on her face. Shaking my head at the stubborn mare, I reached over with my left hoof and touched the rope, swinging it into the edge of the loft above.

The shockwave shook the entire building, rippling and distorting across the loft floor. Nothing too strong, but that should be enough to scare the birds out of there. A trio of screams sounded through the air instantly, and my eyes widened a moment later. Applejack fell first, going sideways out of the lift hole. Rainbow Dash came next, looking more intentional as she dove after Applejack, her wings extended. What the hell?! A light squeak came from above a moment later, causing me to look up just in time to be greeted by a face full of yellow fur. Fluttershy landed on me with a force that was astounding for what I anticipated she weighed, and we became a pony pile on the floor in front of the lift. She gave another timid squeak upon landing on me, then rolled until she hit solid ground again.

Dash caught Applejack out of the air and spun, skipping and sliding along the ground on her back while cushioning the mare she held. Both of them slid to a stop right into one of the larger boxes still in the room. The side snapped on the box and the entire top collapsed in on them. My eyes widened and I slammed my left hoof into the ground as it fell. The energy shot along the ground and up the side of the box as it broke, killing the inertia and gravity and letting the broken top float free instead, drifting a ways off to the side of them before running out of energy and falling.

Everything slowly came to a stop. Fluttershy let out a pained "Ow" next to me, and Applejack slowly sat up on Rainbow. The cyan mare was blushing furiously as she looked up at the orange mare, who smirked down at her.

Rainbow scoffed a second later, looking away before asking, "Comfy there?"

The country mare let out a throaty clicking that sounded remarkably like laughter. "What if ah am?" she pointedly questioned, nudging a hoof into Dash's chest. Whoa! Well that sounded promising for her.

If she caught it, she was obvious. "Just... I don't care. We didn't crash and die so it's all good," she muttered, scarlet color in her cheeks standing out heavily against the blue of her fur. She was kind of cute when embarrassed.

Fluttershy sat up slowly next to me and looked around. Groaning, I decided she probably had the right idea, and sat up too. My neck hurt from being squashed into my shoulders when she landed on me, but at least it wasn't a direct blow to my head. I don't think I needed another concussion at this point to add to my collection. Then the situation dawned on me.

Slowly turning, I shot an extremely irked glare back at Twilight. She swallowed and edged away from me, shifting nervously on her front hooves. That's why she was asking me about all of them. She knew that the three of them were eavesdropping! That meant the entire conversation was a set up to get me to admit things not to her, but to the three of them listening above.

The unicorn shook her head rapidly, almost hearing my train of thought as I turned fully towards her. "Please let me explain, Mender. I can explain," she rapidly assured, shifting a little closer with her hoof reaching towards me.

Backing away slowly, I frowned further at her. "You let them listen intentionally. Why?" I asked carefully. I'd just started giving her the benefit of the doubt again, and now this. For not spying on me for her mentor, she used some awfully underhanded tricks. Underhanded? Underhoofed? It didn't matter!

"It was mah idea, actually. Ya don't be mad at her now," Applejack interrupted, turning around and climbing to her hooves again. Rainbow Dash looked momentarily stunned, but shook her head rapidly where the orange mare couldn't see.

My ears went back and I glared over at her instead. "Why? Why did you... Why didn't you just ask me?" I growled, stamping my hoof to the ground.

Applejack sighed wearily and nodded over towards the now shivering yellow ball of wings and fur on the floor. "Ah figured it would help Fluttershy ta hear yer thoughts indirectly first, ya know?" she explained slowly.

The murky heat I hadn't realized was there to begin with slowly withdrew back down my neck, and I could suddenly hear quiet whispers coming from the yellow mare.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," was being released from her shivering form, seemingly ad infinitum.

Sighing, I lowered my eyes. This wasn't a pleasant situation in the least. It made me feel unclean, I decided. But I couldn't stay angry at Fluttershy, anyway. She hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't her idea, nor had she tricked me and steered the conversation in ways to benefit herself. If anypony was innocent here, it would be her.

Leaning down, I spoke directly to her instead, assuring, "Fluttershy, it's not your fault so don't worry. You most certainly didn't do anything wrong." The 'you' came out with particular venom. I didn't recall ever being truly mad at anypony before. Irritated, sure. Like when I was forced to dig for twenty minutes longer than what was needed. Or when a bag of apples descended onto my skull at high velocity. This felt different. I was angry. I'd just started to let go of the incident with Celestia and trust Twilight again. Then she did this!

Fluttershy looked up at me, eyes softly wavering and mouth partially open.

"Mender, we're sorry. I was just trying to help Fluttershy. You can see that, right?" Twilight tried to assure, taking a few steps closer again.

My eyes narrowed and I backed up yet again, away from Fluttershy. "That's why you asked about everypony else too, right?"

The lavender mare's eyes drastically widened and she shrank a little. Applejack let out an annoyed sounding snort before stamping her right hoof down with a dull thud.

"Now wait just ah minute, you! Twilight 'ere wouldn't go an' lead ya on without good reason. Can't ya understand why we did it?!" she growled, eyes narrowing at me.

Twilight finally shook her head and spoke up with, "No, Applejack. It was a bad idea. We should have just asked him." the orange mare turned and glared at her as well for a moment before rapidly shaking her head.

My flank brushed past the forward ropes to the lift, and I frowned. I honestly just wanted to get away and clear my head for a while, but the door was past the two mares. I momentarily contemplated fleeing using the lift and my magic, then diving out one of the second story windows, but decided I'd probably just land on my head and wake up in the hospital. Besides, I was oddly getting a little tired of just running away.

"It was not ah bad idea! Fluttershy 'ere benefited greatly from it," Applejack defended stubbornly, directing her irritation towards Twilight now instead, who was strangely shifting more towards me. Rainbow finally managed to recover enough to stand up again behind the country mare. Her gaze shifted past her however and at me instead. Ignoring all of them, I just walked forwards directly in-between Twilight and Applejack. Potentially lethal if either of them attacked me as I was setting up my own flanking position, but I was screwed if they did so anyway. The barn fell oddly quiet as I walked past both, keeping my eyes locked firmly on the exit.

"Uh, where are you, um, going, Mender? Oh, if you don't mind me asking," Fluttershy requested politely, tilting her head at an angle that encouraged her mane to drift absently along her cheek.

I stopped for a moment. Where was I going? "I'm taking a walk. I need to clear my head," I returned quietly, without looking back towards her. Twilight's ears drooped in my peripheral vision to the left, while Applejack's expression hardened on my other side.

"What about mah barn?" she questioned, a bit of sharpness to her tone. Looking back over at her, I frowned. Why was she suddenly in such a bad mood? She was the one who'd decided to spy on me.

"Build it yourself, then. At least there will be no need for spying without me here," I pointed out, admittedly a little on the bitter side.

As expected, she looked significantly taken aback, eyes widening as she leaned her head away from me as if I burned her muzzle. Not waiting for a retort, I turned back and proceeded out of the barn, happy for the fresh air.

---

To their credit, they didn't give chase. Slowly, I trotted along at a moderate pace, much faster than my normal speeds but nowhere near hurrying. The sun was still high above, spreading its soft warmth over the fields of grass and apple trees. There was a certain amount of peace I felt as I watched the leaves sway to and fro around me. I could definitely appreciate the draw of a farmer's life. Compared to my old life, where it seemed like I only stopped moving after I was blown into three parts, this place was heaven.

Slowly, I shifted from the path and walked down to the base of a small creek. The water ran clear and was chilled to the touch as I lightly dipped a forehoof into it. Maybe this really was heaven? My thoughts strayed back to the book, causing a slow sigh. They were trying to find me. It couldn't be just my imagination. Asking 'her' about it seemed pointless, however. She'd probably just say that it was all in my head again. Heh. That would give 'Tia' a real reason to spy on me again. Hell, Twilight would no doubt jump at the chance! Her mindset was practically geared towards clandestine operations.

The bitterness flared up again as I splashed the water about in front of me with a hoof, realizing that I must have sat down at some point. This was kind of pathetic, really. Get upset at the cute ponies displaying interest in you, so you run away and sulk? Real mature, Mender. Angrily, I whipped my hoof out and hit the water, sending a somewhat satisfying spray away from me.

Why didn't I trust them? Why was I so upset? I've been here for barely three weeks and have caused considerable problems in that time, not limited to accidentally dragging one of them to what could be considered hell in comparison. Rainbow Dash almost died with me in that desolate place. Of course they're not going to hold me in high regard.

It snapped into place. Of course Fluttershy was going to lose interest after she saw the hell I came from. Such a view surely scarred a gentle and innocent soul such as hers. Of course Twilight would pick her teacher, mentor, longtime friend, and ruler of the entire country over me, the whelp that had barely even touched upon her life. It was logical.

I wasn't important considering who I was trying to impress. Flicking a tiny rock along the creek, I wiped weakly at my eyes with the other hoof. This was so stupid. I gave a light groan and leaned down instead, pushing my muzzle and forehead into the modest flow of water. The gentle coolness shifting pleasantly over my fur and skin underneath felt amazing, and I relaxed my shoulders, letting my neck gently support my body. This was the first time I'd been alone in a while, and it was kind of nice. I just let the cool water drift past my coat for a moment, feeling the tension exit my body slowly.

Sighing, I sat back up, eyes yet closed as the water dripped down off my face and forehead. Maybe I needed more time to myself like this? Shaking back and forth, I let the water spray off me before giving a faint smile and opening my eyes once more. I was greeted to the sight of a magenta pair of eyes staring back from all of a half meter away.

Giving a rather embarrassing yelp, I hopped backwards to make some distance from the two pools of amused looking color. Given my natural levels of grace and foresight, I promptly tripped while going backwards and rolled. With all the finesse of a beached whale, I crashed into the loose dirt and mud to my right and slid a few inches before coming to a stop, dignity a long lost cause. Rainbow burst into laughter almost instantly, of course.

"You're just too awesome, Mender! I've never seen anypony with such bad luck or total lack of dexterity. I don't even have to prank you to get a good laugh!" she praised, voice mirthful and energetic in between gasping for air from the hysterical laughter. Well, praised was probably the wrong word, even though she made it sound like they were stellar attributes of mine.

I sat up again, glare returning and being blatantly aimed at the spunky cyan mare. "You could have said something. What do you want, Dash?" I asked, normal politeness decaying a little in my foul mood. Not that she normally cared about etiquette, of course.

She returned without hesitation, "Relax. I'm here to make sure you're all right. Ya know, battle partners checking up on each other, right?" I couldn't help but blush a little. Looking away from her, I sighed wearily.

"You don't need to remind me of how I put you in danger, Dash. But thank you," I muttered. It was ironic how I had just been thinking about that.

Her expression shifted to a glare almost instantly, fast enough for me to do a double take. "I told you that I had wanted to stay even longer. Don't you get it? You're our friend, and constantly thinking otherwise is really hurting a few ponies. So knock it off already!" she requested. Well, more demanded.

I'm not sure how prevalent radio was here, or if it even existed, but the effect was reasonably similar. If one rotates the dial through dead air long enough, and then finds a station that's barely managing to transmit to the area where the radio is, there's a light fade in of the sound mixed with the dead static. If one wasn't anticipating such a find, it was quite possible to zip right past the faint channel without quick enough mental reflexes. It was exactly like that, except the sound mixed in with the dead air was a very familiar voice, rather than any music or such. "...such is the nature... ...link faint, yet decidedly real... ...book leads to..." echoed through my skull.

Oh hell. The mention of the book put my nerves on edge, and I glanced around while feeling the blood drain from my face. Sadly, as soon as it had appeared, it was gone again. I now found myself distinctly aware of the sense of static left behind by the 'station,' now nothing more than dead air. Damn it. They didn't even give me the courtesy of being asleep this time.

"Hello? You awake there? As I said, your fillyfriend is going crazy thinking she screwed up, and Fluttershy won't stop apologizing to the dirt floor. Suck it up and go back and at least let them know you don't hate them," Dash continued, apparently repeating a large section of a conversation I zoned out again.

Shaking off the panic, I glanced back at her and frowned. She wasn't going to leave me alone until I did, probably. Wait, fillyfriend?! My cheeks went scarlet this time, instead of settling for just a mediocre blush, and I voiced my surprise with, "Wait, fillyfriend?! We haven't really, uh, decided that we'd make it official or anything."

The rainbow-maned mare smirked, and I knew that she knew that she'd gotten to me. Ug. Today just wasn't my day. Except for that kissing part. That was nice. "Mender, she's totally all for it. Which means, given Twi, she's probably thought about it and researched it until almost going crazy, so I'd take it as a compliment. Although you really wouldn't want to see her when she 'actually' goes crazy, so we should probably get back there," she warned a moment later, glancing back towards the barn. Uh oh. That was the distinct phrasing involved with past experience, I noticed. Which probably meant that I should listen to her advice.

Then I considered it more. An impossibly strong magic user with an extremely orderly and focused personality totally going off the deep end and acting irrational or otherwise, as Rainbow indicated, crazy. It all suddenly clicked into place, violently disturbing my thought processes long enough to at least drive the annoying dead air sound out of my skull. Well then, prior worry about interstellar invaders coming to destroy all of Equestria and everypony I had come to know and love put behind me, I decided my colorful friend and battle partner was probably right. It was pointless to worry about future invasions if a certain, extremely powerful lavender unicorn made Equestria go away before they even got here.

"Right indeed. I don't think I really want to see Twilight when she's crazy, given how she's acted before. Shall we go?" I offered, gesturing back towards the barn with a hesitant hoof.

Rainbow snickered and nodded, taking to the air again and drifting over from the other side of the creek. "Exactly! And don't forget, she's totally your special somepony now," she reminded. Again.

A spike of annoyance struck me. But her smirk indicated that's what she wanted, which oddly made it hard to stay angry at the exact same time. Paradoxical thoughts aside, I glared anyway, putting on a good show before pushing my hoof into the ground on my left side. This time she saw it and laughed, dodging out of the way as little orbs of water started shooting out of the creek at her. She flipped and swirled through the air, laughing as she avoided most of my barrages while dancing towards the barn again. Finally laughing, I ran after at my typical clutzy pace, firing more every time my left hoof touched down while managing to squeeze the happiness out of the few I managed to clip her with. She took it in playful jest as we headed towards our destination. Decidedly, I distracted myself wondering why I could never manage to stay mad at her. It was funny now that I thought about it. If she had gone there wanting to cheer me up and calm me down instead of just check up on me, she was an extremely clever filly. Suddenly, I had a lot more respect for the rainbow-maned mare that was frolicking through the air in front of me.

'Battle Partner', huh? Smiling gently up at her, I stopped firing and just ran after as we rounded the barn.

"Uh, Twi?" Applejack asked cautiously, giving the shivering lavender lump a nudge with her right forehoof.

It had been slightly awkward, but that was pretty much my modus operandi since coming here. Rainbow Dash and I had gotten back into the barn without issue or serious maiming, which is a positive mark on my part. Twilight was pacing around Fluttershy spouting worried statement after increasingly worried statement while practically wearing a groove in the dirt with her hooves. Her expression was a little scary, but snapped back to normal, if not slightly shocked, when I spoke her name. No, that wasn't the awkward part. The awkward part came as Twilight ceased to exist in her current location and then, for all intents and purposes, landed on me in a teleportation pounce technique. I would have been impressed had I not been rendered upside down and sideways. I never thought well when at other gravitational inclines.

Rainbow continued laughing while Fluttershy approached from Applejack's other side, smiling softly down at me. I swallowed nervously and did my best to gently squeeze the ball of lavender fur embedded onto my chest. "I'm sorry! I knew it was a bad idea and that I never should have gone along with it, especially after reading pointers indicating exactly the opposite in 'A Mare's Guide to the Modern Stallion' in chapter eleven! Sabotaging trust in a relationship is a fatal mistake!" she quoted, probably perfectly.

Averting my eyes, I tried really hard not to mention the whole spying on me for Celestia thing. Not that I had time to. "Wait now just ah sec. Relationship? Twi, are ya really datin' Mender?" Applejack asked suddenly, sounding surprised. Okay, I wasn't sure how to think about that reaction. Her surprise was probably justified, but her tone indicated it was because of me, not Twilight.

Rainbow let out a mirthful snort instantly, causing Twilight to lock up on top of me. Of course, anypony who knew Rainbow and had more than five brain cells to rub together at the moment probably could see what was coming. "Ha! Dating? More like making kissy faces with each other in Mender's bed!" she corrected, proceeding to laugh even harder afterwards.

To her credit, the orange farm mare didn't let her expression shift much past the surprise she held prior. Twilight was a different case, however. Her head whipped around and glared at Dash before I could even fully process the comment and formulate a blush in response. "Rainbow! You said you'd keep that a secret!" she reminded angrily, her left hoof jabbing painfully into my side. Suddenly I was a little bit concerned for my relative safety, being this close to a font of rage and magic.

"Twi! That's not tha point. Ya shouldn't have tried ta keep it ah secret in tha first place! Think of poor Fluttershy's feelin's," Applejack lectured instead, interrupting the bout of anger while gesturing towards the now surprised yellow pegasus.

"Oh! Oh, no, Applejack. I'm happy for them. I would, um, rather not be Mender's special somepony right now. I... Well..." Fluttershy started to deny rapidly, pink mane flailing as she rapidly shook her head back and forth. A light blush drifted into her cheeks, as timidly as she typically acted.

It hurt, but at this point, it was a dull pain. Falling asleep with the thoughts since waking up a few days ago had taken the edge off it. "The images in my memories hurt you, and I'm really sorry for that, Fluttershy. I know you only want to be friends, so don't worry about that. If I could at least take away the images, I would in a heartbeat," I interrupted after I saw her explanation start to dwindle.

Applejack closed her mouth slowly while watching me carefully, but the yellow mare just blushed even more before shaking her head. "No, it's not just that. Um, thank you though. I don't think I'm ready to be a special somepony yet as well," she whispered weakly, barely audible from my position, before adding, "Maybe, maybe one day I'll be ready. The images aren't you and won't bother me forever. Maybe then..."

I smiled and nodded, but Rainbow let out what could only be described as a gleeful and diabolical squeaking noise as she suddenly grinned out of the corner of my eye. "Oooh, are you gonna share him then, Twi?" she asked, fluttering a little closer.

The timid yellow pegasus let out a surprised squeaking sound, wings suddenly fluttering rapidly. Twilight groaned, right on time, but Applejack surprised me by giving a warm chuckle. "That sorta thing ain't done too often, RD. Let 'em git used to each other before Fluttershy joins in," she pointed out. Wait, polygamy actually happened here?! Well admittedly, I had a sneaking suspicion that it happened in the inverse in my past dimension too. Anywhere where there was a significant difference in gender ratios probably did similar. Still, something seemed different when it came in the context of myself.

"Uh, hold on a second! I want some time with him myself before I even consider that, okay?!" Twilight warned, pushing me back a little bit and giving Fluttershy a skeptical glance. Wait, what happened to not being sure of her feelings? I winced as I was further squished up against the barn's main doorframe. Further, didn't I get a say in any of this?

Fluttershy shook her head as fast as she could, eyes widening and assuring, "Oh my! No, it would be a very long time before, well, I was ready, I think." Her voice dwindled halfway through and I had to strain to hear the rest through the wheezing of my lungs struggling for air.

Twilight's skeptical expression shifted to that of a soft smile instead, and she nodded to the now red and yellow pegasus. I would have smiled had my neck not been squished at an odd angle. Gasping in again, I tried to shift out from under the lavender mare on top of me. "Hoo boy! Well 'ere RD an' Ah were jus' teasin' ya'all, but it looks like ya had somethin' else in mind," Applejack suddenly spoke up, trailing it with a whistle and smirk.

Twilight went from smiling to glaring in record time, tensing on top of me again. "Applejack! It's just, but..." she fussed, words suddenly failing her. They failed me as well, as she shifted to look fully at the country mare and squashed me further against the wall.

Rainbow managed to keep it to a controlled snicker this time before pointing out, "I think AJ is supporting ya. Although neither of you are going to get him if Twi kills him." She accompanied it with a hoof gesture in my direction.

The lavender mare in question gave a sharp start and whirled around to look at me again. I did my best assuring smile as my eyes watered and I tried to look relaxed rather than attempting to remain conscious. She let out a stifled squeaking noise regardless. The flash was rather on the blinding side, and I was left seeing a rather accurate after image of where she had been before. Twilight materialized back into existence several feet away in the same instant, right next to Applejack. She then proceeded to give me an exceedingly mortified stare.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, Mender! I was just so excited to see you come back. Admittedly, I didn't expect that Rainbow would actually succeed in convincing you," she spewed out at an accelerated rate. Nowhere near the speeds that Pinkie Pie could achieve, but at this point, I couldn't expect the unicorn to keep up with a hole in physics. That was a bit unreasonable, even for one so powerful.

"Hey!" Rainbow squawked, glaring at Twilight's new position as I flopped over on my side, both gasping for air and rubbing my eyes now. Dash reacted so easily to the teleportation. Would I ever get used to Twilight doing that? I doubted it; although it also made me significantly curious. There were so many properties that were interesting in it. How did it compare to 'blinking' from my dimension?

Twilight flinched, catching my attention again as my breathing slowly returned to normal. Damn, I was out of shape. "Sorry, Dash. It was Mender being offended that I was worried about, not the fact that you were going to get him," she quickly amended, giving her cyan friend a sheepish grin.

Rainbow straightened a little and almost visibly puffed up before bumping her right hoof into her chest. "Relax. I had it covered. Besides, Mender and I are Battle Partners, so we understand each other," she assured cockily.

Twilight gave her an annoyed look while Applejack chuckled and Fluttershy gave her a soft smile and nod. I decided to finally speak up with, "If it makes you feel better, Dash, I really do trust you. With my life, actually. You really pulled your own when it mattered the most, and I'm never going to forget that."

A warm blush drifted into Rainbow's cheeks and she smiled at me in an instant, posture relaxing a little. "Careful. Yer gonna swell her head even bigger with that kinda talk," Applejack warned a moment later with a smirk, tilting her surprisingly clean Stetson down a little. Hadn't she just finished falling off a loft and crashing into a large crate?

"Well I think it's nice. That you, uh, trust her. I mean, we do kind of deserve..." Fluttershy timidly whispered, barely audible as usual and getting worse as the sentence neared its conclusion.

Twilight interrupted, shaking her head rapidly to the yellow mare and correcting, "No, Fluttershy. You didn't do anything wrong. It was Applejack and I, well, mostly just me, who are in the wrong. I really screwed up, so if there's anything I can do." The second half of the sentence shifted not so subtly over to me, along with the unicorn's nervous gaze.

I really didn't like situations like this. A faint blush shifted into my cheeks. Shaking my head again, I looked away from her. "I'll be fine. I just would rather you ask me up front next time."

Applejack stomping her hoof down further scared me and I jumped, looking back up at her instead. "Now hold on just ah minute! Twi is right. Ah apologize too, fer bein' downright stubborn on tha issue. Ah don't think it was that great of ah'n idea after all," she cut in, eyes softening. Wait, huh? Oh. That's why she'd been defending it before.

Fluttershy joined the team against me and nodded, adding a soft smile before amending, "Yes, we shouldn't have, well, tricked you like that. I promise that I'll be braver, um, if this happens again in the future. Really! So, I'm sorry." She acquired a faint blush halfway through, and bowed her head towards the end, wings fluttering ever so slightly on her back. Admittedly, she was adorable. But what did I really feel towards her? It didn't feel the same as Twilight, whom I just enjoyed being with. I wanted to protect Fluttershy, helping her when she needed it. She obviously didn't really need my help, but it was a secret little selfish wish inside of me.

I'd learned a lot more about myself today, in all honesty. I disliked dishonesty and tricking individuals when there was no obvious point besides greed. Forgiving the girls was reasonably easy to do, because there was a reason they did it that wasn't for their own gain. They were trying to help Fluttershy, after all. It irritated me, but I realized that I could forgive it well enough. But it did get me thinking. It had been happening without me noticing it in the first place. Over the course of my stay here, I'd been reacting to external stimuli in ways that felt natural to me. Of course, I had started with nothing except for a large amount of technical knowledge and an indescribable panic at being lost in a new, unknown place. But now that I had been more accepted into their culture and adapted, I found myself seeing facets of myself that I wasn't quite consciously aware of.

What did I know about myself so far? I disliked dishonesty, but didn't shy away from it when it would benefit someone's feelings. Rainbow Dash, I noticed, was a good example. Further, I wasn't very confident in my own capabilities. Possibly because of this, I tended to try to figure things out as fast as possible and might have a small tendency to jump to the incorrect conclusion a couple of times. Or a lot. I was further loathed to mentally admit that I might have a little bit of trust issues. Although that was at least partially justified on my part, as I had been spied on for the first week of my stay. Still, I couldn't fault Celestia for wanting to keep her kingdom safe. If it was so easy for me to accept that, though, why the hell did it make me so irritated?!

Then I realized I had been zoning out again. Snapping back to attention, fully expecting everyone's attention to be directed angrily at me, I was pleasantly surprised to find them all staring at Rainbow Dash instead. She shifted back and forth between the stares, expression getting more and more negative with each switch. "What?! Hey, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm so not apologizing!" she defended, crossing her forelegs and looking away from them with closed eyes.

"None of you had to in the first place," I muttered, ears drooping and trying my hardest to diminish the light blush I felt in my cheeks. If anything about my ideals and personality was certain, I wasn't cut out for this kind of attention.

Twilight smacked her hoof lightly into her forehead before glaring over at me again, returning, "Mender! You need to stand up for yourself a little more. Right now. Tell all four of us what you want to make up for this."

I blanched and backed up a little as all four mares shifted their attention to me instead. "Are ya sure this is ah good idea, Twi?" Applejack asked, sounding uncertain suddenly. Didn't I get a say in any of this?! Oh wait, technically that was the point of the 'exercise', I suddenly realized.

"Scared he'll ask for a bit of loving, AJ?" Rainbow teased, bumping her flank up against her orange friend, jarring her a little.

Fluttershy visibly wilted, cheeks going pink immediately. Oddly, I was close to mirroring her in posture, dropping to my haunches and staring in shock at Dash, a familiar heat sinking into my cheeks. Applejack smiled gently at my display and shook her head in reply.

"Of course not. Ah should'a known better in regards ta Mender. In this case, Ah think Twi's idea was ah good one, then. Give us somethin' ta do fer ya. All four of us," Applejack requested politely, recovering her warm smile.

Being around her was like walking on eggshells. She didn't fully trust me still, which admittedly was my own fault for making such a bad first impression. The 'almost eating her with extra-dimensional tentacles' thing probably didn't improve her opinion of me either. Oh, or almost getting her best friend killed in a space battle in an impossibly far away place. Honestly, I should be thankful she hasn't skinned and garroted me yet.

Although this was also getting a bit frustrating. They probably expected me to make some deeply personal and selfish request for them all to fulfill, which I obviously wasn't at all comfortable with doing. I had already forgiven them and definitely didn't want any pity, so it was a little confusing as to why they sought punishment in the first place.

My right hoof nervously scraped along the dirt floor as I rapidly tried to think of a way out of the situation, avoiding the gaze of all four intently watching mares. I was about to vote for panicking and fleeing into the forest when my hoof bumped into one of the screws on the floor. I stared at it for a second before a potential escape occurred to me. Smiling, I raised my head back up to them, earning a mixed response. I saw Applejack fidget minutely, but maintain her smile. Rainbow's smirk widened as she puffed up, awaiting my request. Fluttershy shrank down a little more, but maintained a standing position, barely. Twilight had the most amusing reaction of all, being no reaction whatsoever. A light blush adorned her cheeks and she almost looked as if she was staring past me, not really listening in the first place.

Finally, I announced, "I got it! All four of you," I started, pausing momentarily for dramatic effect. Three of the four leaned closer, with the lavender mare still staring blankly at the floor to my right. "Help Twilight and I finish upgrading the barn!" I finished rapidly, nodding twice in confirmation.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash shifted from anticipation and excitement to confusion a beat later. Fluttershy actually perked up a bit and recovered her smile, nodding to me. Twilight, hearing her name, snapped out of it and looked around rapidly, looking even more confused than her orange and cyan friends.

"Uh, Mender... Isn't that more helping AJ than you?" Dash reasoned, perfectly logically, of course.

Chuckling, I shook my head and walked past the four, the lavender unicorn now looking exceedingly flustered. "It might, but I just asked if of you four, so if you truly want to repay me, you'd better get to it," I reminded, not turning back as I headed gleefully towards the beginnings of the quality control platform.

"What are we supposed to do again?" I heard Twilight ask in a whisper behind me.

---

The sun slowly drifted below the window of the barn, casting an orange tint along the dirt and wood. It was pleasantly warm today, and the soft glow simply added to the ambiance. It was getting late at this point, causing a soft tiredness to drift through my muscles. It felt so different from the overworked sensation in my memories. I guess fighting for your life in a hopeless war and upgrading a friend's barn weren't really all that comparable.

Regardless of ducking another set of boards as they zipped in via telekinesis, I felt reasonably relaxed. Twilight's magic fit the wood softly along the frame we'd already made, setting up the outside of the conveyor belt. After she lined it up oh so expertly, I placed more nails against the pieces and sealed them together an instant later. I shook the wood once and smiled in satisfaction when it didn't budge. The lavender unicorn lagged in her next set of beams, however, and I glanced up and to the left automatically. Sure enough, Fluttershy drifted in with her apron held lightly, carrying a new supply of screws and nails in the cupped fabric. She gave me a warm smile as she lit softly upon the frame we'd just put together, and started pouring the tiny objects into Twilight's newly formed telekinetic tunnel. Working together, the girls made a neat pile of nails and screws directly to my left, earning a nod of approval from me. They were so adorable when they worked together like that. I felt myself blushing as I watched them nod to each other happily.

Unsurprisingly, Dash zipped in a moment later from behind the two, nodding to me and throwing an over the top salute. "Rainbow Dash reporting, Boss! The hole is cut in the loft floor perfectly, and lines up with the conveyor frame underneath for the lid lowering!" she reported, hamming her voice up as much as possible.

Predictably, I blushed at the performance, causing all three mares near me to grin. "Dash, you know you don't need to call me that. I'm just the engineer," I reminded, doubtlessly as futile as it was last time.

Further predictably, her grin widened and she shook her head, returning instantly, "The only engineer here. We don't have any instructions, so we need ya to work your magic." Well, that was true, I suppose. I'd forgotten that they didn't technically have any instructions. Although something seriously struck a bad chord in me when I considered someone asking for more bits for the instructions, too. That didn't seem very fair to me.

Of course, my gap in retort gave way to a stronger defense on their part. "Ah think it's an excellent idea. Yer savin' me a hefty 'mount o' bits already, Mender. Ah might be payin' ya fer the work, but in tha long run, it's ah lot cheaper than ah professional," Applejack chimed in as she dragged another pile of wooden beams into the barn, tied to her with a thick rope harness.

Fluttershy and Rainbow nodded along in agreement, but Twilight flattened her ears back and glared at her orange friend. I tilted my head to her, confused. I didn't even know where to start guessing as to what was wrong.

"Isn't he a professional anyway, Applejack? I didn't think about that before, but what is the going rate for a full-blown engineer?" she suddenly questioned, with a certain level of accusation to her voice. Oh crap. No longer needing to guess as to what was wrong, I started debating how to head off the argument.

Much to my extreme surprise, however, there was no argument in the first place. Applejack stopped pulling the boards, her muscles gently going slack as she sat back on her haunches, ears lowering a little. "Ah know, Twi. Trust me, Ah know. Ah could barely afford ta hire a construction team fer the job. An engineer, which is what's needed fer this, is totally out ah the budget. Ah wish I could pay ya the full price fer the work but..." she started to slowly admit, turning and looking at me instead of Twilight.

The unicorn's features softened as she absorbed what Applejack said. I looked away from her and over to the orange mare as well, smiling and shaking my head. "I already told you, I'm not accepting any bits for this. You're my friend, plus you've done a ton for me. Save the bits," I requested. I knew she was tight on funding before, so taking her bits had never sat well since she mentioned it. After this admission, I really couldn't accept anything from her, however. She had legitimate need for my skills, and I wasn't about to disappoint.

"Mender," she groaned, her right hoof digging into the dirt in front of her as her eyes closed. I tensed, remembering what it felt like for those powerhouses to collide with my skull. She continued before I could react, though, eyes opening softly with a warmer smile on her face. "Yer ah mighty good stallion, ya know that? Why, ifin' Twi hadn't caught hold o' ya first, Ah might have tried my luck ta swoon ya."

My expression froze in that of shock. In my peripheral vision, Rainbow locked up in midair and crashed into Fluttershy behind me, causing a loud thud and a squeak from the surprised yellow pegasus. Twilight also went rigid against my side, whipping her head up to look at her now grinning friend. Grinning?

Applejack burst into a hearty laughter, stomping the dirt floor with her hoofs alternately. "Ha! Ya should see yer faces!" she squealed in-between gasps of air and laughing.

"Oh thank Celestia, it was a joke," Twilight groaned out next to me, slumping visibly forwards as she exhaled.

The mass of pegasi slowly untangled themselves and stood again, Fluttershy blushing but Rainbow looking significantly bewildered. "Haha. Good one, AJ," the cyan pegasus muttered, shaking her head back and forth with her eyes unfocused. Either the fall knocked her for a loop, or the joke did. She had probably geared up mentally to murder me the second the others weren't looking, I predicted.

"Ya need ta be more careful there, RD. Yer gonna hurt somethin' if ya keep crashin' like that," Applejack lectured suddenly, eyes locked on Dash instead of me suddenly.

"Yeah, Fluttershy," Twilight quipped instantly, rolling her eyes as she rotated to look at the two. Seeing as the crisis was averted and I wasn't going to imminently die or be hospitalized, I decided to get back to the task at hand while they were distracted. Carefully, I started counting out the wooden plates that would comprise of the conveyor belt surface as they lay there in stacks. Something seemed off.

Rainbow huffed, shaking her head repeatedly. "I'd never hurt Fluttershy. We've been best buds for, like, forever," she assured, giving the yellow mare a light shake back and forth with her foreleg. Fluttershy smiled softly back at Rainbow, looking oddly appreciative for having just been flattened by her. I wasn't so distracted by the counting that I missed the odd look Applejack was giving them, either. I didn't know much about pony body language, however, and didn't have a clue as to what it indicated.

Not that it immediately mattered, of course. There were larger issues at the moment, I decided. "I don't mean to interrupt and I apologize, but I just noticed your stacks of wooden planks to be used for the conveyor," I spoke up, causing all four of them to glance back at me instead.

"Ah, yeah? It's no problem, Mender. Somethin' wrong with 'em?" Applejack inquired cautiously, looking a bit apprehensive instead.

Although that was the right way to react, in this case. "Well, I did a rough estimate of the surface area of both the treadmill surface and that of the conveyor. By my calculations, you have just under half of the required wooden plates to put this together. Are there others you haven't unpacked yet?" I asked, fidgeting with my hooves a little. If she didn't have any more of them, this was very bad.

Her expression deflated immediately. Damn it. She didn't have any more. I started trying to consider alternatives before she even replied with, "Dang it. That scoundrel said these would be plenty enough ta span tha distance ah needed!"

Twilight looked back at the conveyor and frowned. "A little under half what's needed? Oh, it was wordplay. You do have enough to span the distance you wanted, but a conveyor belt requires extra for the sides and underneath to function," she deduced, shaking her head in what looked like annoyance.

"That sneaky little jerk! I outta pound him into the ground!" Rainbow growled almost instantly, wings flaring up as she fluttered lightly off the ground, looking just about as pissed as I had ever seen her. Maybe more so.

Applejack motioned her back, however, smiling softly. "Ah was dun tricked completely fer this whole project, Rainbow. Still, ya don't need ta hurt anypony fer it. But thank ya. Fer everythin'. Yer ah good mare," she thanked. Rainbow plopped back down on the floor, now blushing profusely and looking awkward. I tried really hard not to laugh. She was just so adorable when embarrassed!

My mind snap-kicked me in the head, though, and I looked back at the wooden planks. Wood! "Applejack, do you happen to have any large logs of wood on hand? Or know where you can pick some up for cheap?" I asked quietly, trying not to interrupt abruptly. If I could still pull off that technique, I might be able to work with this still.

"Mender, the planks need to be exact. Sure it would be way cheaper to make our own, but it would take forever to carve them out, and if they were off in measurements by even half an inch," Twilight warned, looking back up at me, eyes softening as her brow furrowed.

Applejack looked intrigued, however, and smiled. "Ya think it's possible ta make more of 'em, Mender?"

Returning her smile, I nodded quietly. That's all that was needed, though. "Well ah think it's about time ah gave ya ah lil' trust too. Rainbow, can ya zip up ta tha loft an' drag one o' those big logs off that side?" she requested, shifting her gaze to Dash.

The pegasus perked up instantly and threw a sharp salute before zipping up and over the side of the loft in the space of a blink. I took a moment to admire her absurd speed before slipping over to the nearest pile of planks, taking one off the top with a slide of my hoof.

It was an old technique, having been in use since my race had learned basic abjuration and compression magic. Still, for what I remember of our largely scavenger engineering style towards the end, it was invaluable still. My engraved hoof brushed against the surface of the plank. The energy spread, forming an impossibly thin layer over the entire surface of the piece of wood. It was a skilled work of craftsmanship. The way it was cut indicated that it was created using some sort of form press, which made sense. Replaceable parts were fundamental for widespread use of key technologies. My magic traced each curve: the subtle tension lines cut into the surface to allow flexibility, the holes along the ends to anchor it, and even the roughness of each edge. It was easy to feel the exact dimensions and shape using the magic, and I embedded the template in my mind.

The room was dead silent as I focused, breaking the unspoken vigil only as the large log hit the dirt some four meters from me. Dash zipped down after it as I looked up again, propelling it slowly my direction by shoving it from one end. I laughed gently as she approached, holding my left hoof out and stopping the log as she came in. A wide smile adorned her face and she flopped over next to Applejack, both watching me carefully. Of course, I could almost feel Fluttershy and Twilight also staring. It was a little bit intimidating, but I pushed it out of my head and just focused on the technique.

I'd done it a thousand times before. The magic seeped into the wood, taking the precise shape of the template in my mind from the tip of the log. Each edge took focus and an exercise of will, but the results were amazing. With one plank of wood lined up with faint magic in the log, I started to duplicate it right next to the other one, the top surface of the first forming the bottom of the next. It had gone unsaid that I wasn't to waste any space inside of the log. That just wouldn't do. After the second duplicate was completed, the third was started. Then the fourth. Finally, I managed to get six copies of the plank to line up back to back inside of the log, and smiled.

Applejack and Rainbow wore an unsure look by then. Nothing was visually happening, so they were probably wondering what was going on. Twilight's eyes were glued to the log, however, her horn glowing softly as she no doubt watched the magic curiously. Fluttershy instead stared at me, which I found to be more than a little unnerving. I pushed down the blush and shifted all of the lines inside of the log into a barrier, not unlike the type I used to make my blade. This was my specialization, after all. Sure, I might be skilled at spatial manipulation and abjuration, but barriers were my true talent.

The top of the board that I was in contact with made a sharp hissing noise, no doubt the result of the sudden burst of friction caused by the shield slicing through it effortlessly. A burst of smoke raised up as the log jerked lightly, causing all four mares to jump back. I smiled, however, watching bits of wood fall away from the end I was holding. Shifting the shields, I slid out six pristinely carved wooden plates, exactly like the one I had scanned. I doubted I could make any more of them out of what was left of the log; at least not without some serious structural integrity loss.

Twilight made a squeaking noise, eyes widening as she watched me pull the plates out. Applejack seemed less surprised and just smiled warmly, nodding to me. The backlash hit a moment later, causing me to exhale quietly. That wasn't too big of a job, but I was well out of shape, magic-wise. It reminded me that I had a long way to go before I was back to my old self, which was more than a little annoying. The wave of fatigue draped over me like a shawl.

"Well, ah'll be! That's mighty useful there, Mender. If ah can get ya more pieces o' tree like that, ya can make me tha rest o' tha parts?" she questioned, visibly relaxing and looking like a sudden great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Smiling contently, I nodded to her, trying my best to ignore the light headache forming at the thought of more of the same. This was going to be a long day, I had a sneaking suspicion.

"That's amazing, Mender. Doesn't it take a tremendous amount of focus to do that, though? Aren't you tired?" Twilight asked, sounding a little shocked still.

I swallowed weakly and purposefully avoided the lavender unicorn's gaze. "Ah, well it does require quite a bit of focus, but I should be fine. Barrier magic is my specialty," I tried to assure, hoping to not let show my own apprehension of the task. Applejack stared hard at me for several seconds, emerald eyes dragging over my features and seemingly staring into my very soul. I resisted shuddering. "Ah have ah sneakin' suspicion that yer lyin' ta us. But ah need them parts fer the machinery. Yer not gonna be able ta get away with not gettin' paid fer this anymore if'in it's that much work," she warned, eyes narrowing towards me.

"Just don't push yourself, Mender. I'll keep following the directions you gave us while you work on making the parts," Twilight assured, nodding to me before turning to the elevated platform we had finished.

"Why don't you do it, Twi? You're, like, crazy powerful with your magic, aren't you?" Rainbow asked curiously, bobbing through the air after the lavender unicorn as she walked.

I bit my tongue, trying not to let the frustration that question caused get to me. I wanted to be able to help them somehow! "I can't make precise copies like he can. Honestly, I didn't think it was possible until he actually did it. I could cut out the pieces a lot faster and not get tired, but they wouldn't be all that detailed and we probably couldn't use most of them," she explained in a rather neutral manner. It bugged me when I couldn't even guess what she was thinking. Was she upset about it?

Deciding not to take any risks, I offered, "I could probably show you the techniques needed. You could do it a lot better than me, and Applejack needs these parts."

"Mender, yer goin' awfully far fer mah sake," Applejack muttered softly behind me. I swallowed quietly, but didn't turn around. Twilight didn't either and I watched her head slowly lower, her gaze shifting to the floor instead. I still couldn't see her face, and had no idea what she was feeling.

Fluttershy walked past me slowly and placed a hoof gently on Twilight's shoulder upon coming up beside her. "You don't have to tell us, but, um, are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"It's nothing, Fluttershy. Let's just focus on getting as much of this project done as possible before tonight," she spoke gently, finally looking over at her yellow and pink friend. Her eyes looked dull, giving a distinct sense of being sad. Frowning, I watched her turn back around and walk the rest of the way to the platform.

A glance back at Applejack and Rainbow showed that they looked as confused as I felt. Dash gave me a weak shrug a moment later, and I sighed. I guess I'll just have to talk to her about it later. In no small amount of frustration, I swatted the pile of planks I had just made. The top one whipped up from the force of the blow, lightly skipping off the side of my head...

My focus waned as I pulled yet another set of six planks out of a log. I'd long since lost count, but estimated that this was probably my fifteenth or sixteenth piece. It was getting harder and harder to maintain my concentration with my head feeling like someone had taken a splitting axe to it, however. Suddenly, that light tingling sensation danced along the edge of my nostrils, heading towards the bridge of my nose. Not again!

Regardless of my desires, the sneeze exploded out of my nose: releasing a wet, gooey sensation across my mouth and extended left foreleg, and sprinkling the log with little dots of red. Damn it. The timid yellow pegasus sitting next to me jumped a little in surprise at my sudden outburst, but promptly extended the third towel up again to wipe at my muzzle. It was tinted red as she withdrew it, looking like it was dipped in paint. Obviously it was blood, but it was still nice to pretend. It made me at least able to blissfully remain inattentive to the large amounts of the red liquid I'd been losing out my nose and tear ducts in the last hour. It was such a pleasant sensation, honestly, to have that delightful metallic taste in your mouth as it crusted over on your cheeks and muzzle.

There was a light twitch in my peripheral vision, but not from the source I was expecting. I looked up in time to see Applejack turn sharply from her position near the lift and glared at me.

"Oh, that is so it! Yer done workin' fer tha day, Mister! Ah don't need this thingy done tonight, so we're callin' it quits right now," she announced abruptly.

I frowned, wanting to just be done with it, but Fluttershy exhaled quietly to my right, adding, "Oh good. You need to rest after losing all this blood, Mender. At least take tomorrow off, if that's not too much trouble, of course." She looked at me with those brutal, pleading eyes that could melt a Grosh's heart, and I was forced to look away, blushing.

Twilight stood up from her position of putting the actual belt together and walked back over to me, still looking dejected. Swallowing, I watched her carefully, trying my hardest to look past Fluttershy without catching her devastating gaze. The lavender mare looked extremely tired and a little on the sad side. It still bugged me that I couldn't figure out why she was sad, so a part of me was glad for the break. It meant that I could get her alone soon for questioning.

Applejack walked up, looking a little surprised at my lack of protest at her decision, but traced my worried glance to Twilight and smiled, nodding to me. "Ya get ah good night's rest tonight, Mender. More mental exercisin' tomorrow would probably be healthy fer ya too, but don't push yerself. Ah'll get tha extra metal parts ordered fer delivery as well, don't worry," she spoke up, thankfully not saying anything about the focus of my attention she had caught me with.

I nodded, of course, returning her warm smile. Actually, it probably just looked creepy with the stained orange tear streaks and muzzle. "I'm all right. I'll finish the rest of the planks tomorrow for sure, then we can finish the project as soon as possible. We'll get it done in time no problem, this way," I assured softly, feeling more than a little tired.

"Thank ya kindly, Mender. Tha rest o' ya come back after yer daily routines are done ta give us ah hoof in finishin', okay?" she requested further, looking at Fluttershy beside me and the now landing cyan mare on my other side.

"I'll be over after I finish my weather duties, no problem!" Dash assured, giving an abrupt and absolute nod. It felt like that might as well have been a blood oath of some sort.

"I can come over after I feed all of the animals their breakfasts, well, if I'm really that much help, of course," Fluttershy added as well, bowing politely towards the orange country mare.

Twilight brushed her left forehoof into Fluttershy's shoulder and rubbed softly, shaking her head before refuting, "Of course you're helpful, Fluttershy. Having another pony with wings is a huge help, plus you lined up a lot of the boards so perfectly. It really helps to have a gentle touch sometimes, Fluttershy." The shy yellow mare blushed but smiled at Twilight's kind words. The bookish unicorn continued before anypony could comment, however, with, "Even then, as an added bonus, you can help me put Mender back together again after he inevitably injures himself three or four times a day."

My glare was matched only by Rainbow's laughter. Fluttershy seemed flustered, glancing between myself and the now smirking Twilight, while Applejack just chuckled and shook her head, wearing a smile. After a few moments' denial, I decided that technically she had a point. Plus it was nice to hear her joking again, even if it was at my expense.

"True enough, I suppose. It really is a big help to have somepony who's capable of lining," I started to agree with, before trailing off abruptly. The static came back, quietly and almost imperceptibly in the background. I glanced around again, just to make sure that I hadn't missed any speaker systems or something.

"...ook testing number twenty-nine; commence," was suddenly spoken, much clearer than last time and in an oddly familiar voice. Uh oh.

The girls were giving me odd looks by then. "Uh, are you okay, Mender?" Twilight asked curiously, angling her head while looking at me. I was about to answer when a tiny orb of light drifted out of my left shoulder, causing me to jump and stare at it. What the hell was that thing?!

"Probe activated. Getting vague yet conscious energy readings," the voice noted, sounding very interested. It was that girl from my dream! Okay then; there were three possible reasons for this. One, I was high on truth serum again and having a seriously messed up dream. Two, I had used up too much magical energy and was having some vivid yet creative flashbacks from aforementioned dream. Three, it was real and we had some serious problems! Given priorities and threat levels, I was more inclined to believe the third option purely as a precaution. Given that decision, I reacted in the best way possible that I could think of.

Giving out a yelp, I hopped backwards while lashing out with my left forehoof, smashing into the orb with my fully shielded magical limb. It shattered like my frail skull would have against Applejack's hoof, and a piercing yelp echoed through my skull. Ha! Eat that, girl whose name I couldn't remember!

Rainbow hopped backwards as well to clear the sudden blow. Twilight looked momentarily surprised, as did Applejack who yelled, "Whoa nelly! What's goin' on, Mender?"

"A ball of light! I think it might be some sort of probe from the other dimension. I... think it's dead," I declared, gleefully watching the shards drift down through the air. It was worth it to know I disrupted whatever she was doing.

Twilight smacked her forehead with a hoof, sighing. "Mender, there was no source of magic or energy there. Plus, for the last time, Princess Celestia Herself said that the link was gone. You just used up too much energy and need to lie down, okay?" she offered, sounding a little exasperated.

Shaking my head rapidly, I pointed down to the shards of the probe lying on the ground. "The pieces are right there! There has to be something you can pick up," I defended, wishing she'd just believe me for once.

Fluttershy peeked out from behind Applejack, looking timidly at where I was pointing. The orange farmer herself seemed slightly more skeptical, raising an eyebrow to what she probably saw as empty dirt.

Twilight muttered something sounding vaguely like "empirical doubt" before looking down at the spot I directed her to, horn lighting up. I held my breath as a wave of lavender light washed over the dirt gently. My eyes widened as I watched the energy pass right through the shards as if they weren't there. What the hell?

"Mender, there's nothing there aside from dirt, a thin paint residue, and some ancient looking clay jar with heavily fermenting cider of some sorts buried about a foot and a half down," she reported dryly, glaring back up at me. So she couldn't scan it after all. Wait, what?

Applejack coughed lightly and shook her head. "Just ignore that," she requested, blushing lightly and looking away from us. Rainbow shot her a knowing grin, and I just sighed.

"Maybe there's something there you can't detect? Maybe it's only partially merged with this dimension?" I deduced, fishing for possibilities as best I could. That's really the only explanation for why Twilight couldn't pick it up, given her level of skill and sheer strength of magic.

"Or maybe you're hallucinating from blood and magic loss and need to go lie down? Why can't you just trust Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked sharply, glaring at me instead.

Maybe because she was fallible? Or maybe because I wanted to be cautious rather than regret it later? Why couldn't she just trust me?! I opened my mouth to retort just that, but the only answer feasible popped into my head before I could say anything. Why did I keep forgetting her relationship with Celestia? Of course she's going to think the Sun Princess was infallible. Who was I, a mere imperfect mortal, to challenge her perfect teacher's assurance? My mouth snapped shut a second later and I just closed my eyes. It was pointless trying to convince her otherwise, as she was never going to believe me. As bitter as that felt, I knew that there was nothing I could do to change it. I wasn't as important to her as Celestia was, and I'd just have to deal with that.

My irritation dropped, and I exhaled wearily before opening my eyes once more, much softer this time. Twilight was still glaring, but Rainbow Dash looked at me with uncertainty over her right shoulder. No, causing more conflict didn't solve anything. It only served to make Twilight angry with me, which led to almost being squished by a bed last time. Not wanting to risk her aim being better this time around, I simply turned away from the lavender unicorn and walked out through the main barn door.

Okay, so today had a few good points, but overall, I'd have to say that it was largely terrible. The kissing was nice, but mostly overshadowed by the discussion afterwards and what her intent seemed to be. I was an experiment; I had no idea if she liked me, or just liked the kissing and wanted to fool around. She'd said she was interested in me and I really did want to believe her, but she'd lied to me before, and certainly didn't trust me now, so it was extremely difficult.

"Mender," I heard Fluttershy whisper, almost directly into my head it felt like.

"Just let him go, Fluttershy," Twilight added a moment later. A spike of irritation shot through me, but I turned past the side of the barn and got out of sight as best I could. Frustration was an understatement in light of my current outlook. The second I got out of the light from the barn, I swallowed hard and burst into a run. Well, as fast as this body could manage, anyway. There was no destination in mind as I ran as hard as I could, the lump in my throat shifting painfully with each gallop. I just pretended the warmth running down my cheeks was blood again, and headed off into the rapidly darkening night.

---

The moon rose into the night's sky steadily, giving an ethereal glow to the world. It was quite beautiful, and I tried my hardest to relax to the sounds of the forest around me. The light gurgling of the stream meshed well with the chirping of unknown insects all around me. I didn't even know what forest it was, honestly. My head gave a sickening throb as the background static magnified again, twisting through my skull like a rusty screw. Damn it!

"Test failed. Again. The book is somehow lashing out at my probes, as if it had a conscious awareness. In light of that information, I'm going out on a limb and trying to communicate with it," the annoying voice continued rambling on, as if talking into a recorder. Hell, she probably was. Keela. I'd like to say I had remembered her finally, but she simply mentioned her name about an hour ago. I had no idea how long I'd been here.

"Just shut up," I groaned wearily, smacking my forehead into the rock in front of me again. I'd followed the stream here, it running quietly behind where I currently resided. I was tucked up safely against a rock ledge, between the solid material and the deeper flowing water.

The static didn't cease, however, and yet another orb popped out of my body; this time out of my heavily bandaged flank. Not even hesitating, my magic danced out of my hoof, along my skin, and then lashed out with a barrier blade, neatly severing the probe in half. If it was even there, of course. Maybe Twilight was right and I was just hallucinating? Or maybe I was just finally slipping into a higher level of insanity and actually tied up in a mental institute somewhere?

"Okay, I can safely assume verbal isn't working. Seeing as it's a book, I'll try writing," the voice continued, oblivious to my wishes of silence. Didn't she sleep?

I really shouldn't have been surprised when the glowing sheet of paper and a single pen was spewed from my forehead. Rolling my eyes, I glared at the paper, doing my best 'burn and die' expression. Couldn't she at least have the common courtesy to be consistent with where she ejected foreign magical objects from my body? If I was going to be forced into the position of random portal device again, it would at least make things less awkward.

"Are you sentient?" was written at the top of the page in a very neat, concise handwriting. Oh crap. She wrote like Twilight. If she were even half as persistent as the bookish unicorn, I might as well just give up now. That was a rather stupid question regardless.

Picking up the 'pen' with my left hoof, I wrote, "No. Go away. Better yet, launch me into a star and forget I ever existed," right below the initial question. Okay, maybe that was a little on the sarcastic side. Still, it would be so much easier if she actually listened.

There was a long pause at that. I almost started hoping that the shock of getting a reply had given her a heart attack. Alas, I was destined to be disappointed. "You're sentient then?! This is wonderful. But why do you seek self-destruction?" soon appeared questioningly directly under what I had written. She must have a similar page on her side.

"I just want to be left alone. Please forget I ever existed," I requested again, in a steadier handwriting than last time, exhaling quietly. I used my other hoof to wipe the tears from my cheeks and silently shook my head. I'd had enough crap today without needing to be harassed by entities and energies from my old dimension. Or my own mind's avid hallucinations, I suppose was another theory. Of course, given that it was the only reality I knew, did it really matter if it was real or not?

Of course, my bitterness just made me feel even more childish. All I was doing was whining. It was frustrating not fitting in anywhere. Still, what was I honestly expecting? I'd only been in this plane of existence for the grand total of three weeks. Not to mention having spent a good portion of that time unconscious through various machinations against my well-being. The ponies here didn't really know me all that well. Honestly, for Twilight to decide that she liked me after such a short time period was probably way out of the normal trend of things!

"Who are you?" appeared on the page, interrupting my thoughts. Ah, she was changing the topic.

Well, that much was easily answered. "Mender," I wrote vaguely, with no lead in or punctuation. Of course, now that I thought about it, this girl wasn't entitled to get any information out of me in the first place. If she could be appealed to, though, perhaps she'd just dispose of the book? I guess it wouldn't hurt to be civil.

"A strange name. Or is that your species? Are you a construct in the book?" she asked next, elegant writing starting to slip a little. I imagined she was getting more and more excited.

"It's my name. Can you please just destroy the book?" I requested again, noticing we'd slipped off track.

There was a delay again, and I heard an airy sigh coming from around me. Or maybe it was coming from inside of my head. "The book is an Aegis Artifact. The amount of energy required to destroy a normal one is phenomenal, and this one appears to be geared towards defense," she explained carefully. Her writing was structured and slow this time, as if she was holding back bursting into scientific babbling. I caught myself finding it cute and mentally lectured myself. The last thing I needed at the moment was to think about Twilight. Why did that even remind me of her in the first place? Well, obviously it was something she would do, but why did my mind even insist on going through the exercises of making the comparison?

"Regardless, why are you seeking self-destruction if you're still sentient? Although I can't help but notice that you said 'the book' as well." Her writing sped up after she passed the magic babble part. Oops.

I hastily added, "I'm technically not the book. I'm just connected to it. Please, just get rid of it or sever the connection between us or something." She seemed nice enough. Although granted, I didn't know how important an Aegis Artifact was. Convincing her to destroy it might be a long shot, but it was worth a try.

There was another hesitation. A lot was probably going through her mind, of course. More scribbling sounds came from the audio connection she didn't know we had, more writing appearing on the page. "Where are you? What are you? Are you a Keldarian?"

That word. It sent a bolt of agony through my skull, but I couldn't seem to look away. More memories flashed through my mind. Needles and scalpels extending on robotic arms, a splash of blood on smooth metal, and even the sounds of someone screaming over and over again. The waiting. Mud and gore we had to wade through on our occupied worlds. Hatred that was so old that I couldn't remember a time when I didn't have it. Most of all, I remembered the rain. Why was that moment so important?

---

We stood around a partially collapsed convoy. The surrounding area was a scene from what I assumed hell would look like. There were various burning craters, plus the burnt, skeletal remains of what used to be the facility we had taken shelter in looked extremely foreboding. We knew that the Grosh wanted the planet for the resources on it, so we set up evacuation right on top of the reactor coils for the planetary shield. They were busted and the shield wasn't on anyway, but they didn't dare fire their big guns on us from orbit under risk of hitting the reactors instead and cracking the plate of the planet with the explosion. They hit us with invasion waves instead, but those could be fought back for a time.

The weather controls busted too, of course. At this point, I was getting a little tired of the constant rain. Of course, the stupid thing would misread the flames and explosions as 'too high' of a temperature and cause constant rainfall. Although at this point, it didn't really matter all that much.

Three squads guarded the West landing zone, trying their hardest not to die as they listened bleakly to the radio. It was that very same radio that gave us news of other squads failing at exactly that. The amount of Keldarians we were rescuing was almost exponentially proportional to those who didn't make it. So many lives were simply vanishing, being washed away in the rain. Why were we even here?

The radio answered me by crackling to life again, exporting on the status of the covert op to recover the second branch of the research division. Oh yeah, that's why. We were here to rescue a group of four bitches that were so far beyond our station that we weren't permitted to glance upon their bare skin. Heavens forbid their uniforms get damaged in, I don't know, the war across the surface of the planet. The radio reminded us again that our eyes would be gouged out following the mission if we were to catch a glimpse. We weren't part of the special operatives division, so I guess we didn't need our eyes to delay the enemy while dying like Croesians in the rain.

Anger and rage were natural reactions to events around us. An emotional effect paired with an unfettered form of applied, conditional insanity in most cases. The truly unhealthy aspect was to maintain this state for too long. Eventually the screaming rush of blood in your ears died down. The blood would cool again and tempers would settle. But the sanity never fully came back. Once you step outside of that comfortable zone of innocence and into hatred, there is no recovery. I fully believe that it's not within our natural state of mind to want to purposefully end the existence of another being. To destroy all that they are, could have been, and were prior is an atrocity. To wish that so fervently that you would give up your own life to end as many of theirs as possible has to be unnatural for us. It must be an insanity, or we're doomed from the start of our evolutionary track. How could any species that justified such insanity be considered a 'success,' after all?

Yet here I was, with several dozen of my fellow soldiers, all huddled in the broken remains of a bunker near the landing pad in the rain. We listened to the radio repeatedly tell us how others have failed this morning, and how we were not allowed to. Meanwhile, the sounds of particle shots and explosions got ever closer and I double checked the state of the generator I'd just finished repairing, if only to avoid looking out the window.

Yup. It wasn't quite the end of the world yet, but you could definitely see it from here...

---

Ow. If there were ever more distinctive and accurate thoughts to wake up to, I wasn't aware of them. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot that I was aware of at the moment anyway, apart from the demolition project at the base of my skull.

My eyes slowly opened up, greeting the soft morning light with disdain. It only served to further confuse me as I watched water drift by in the strangely brown and gray sky, teasing my mane playfully. Well, falling asleep outside had distinctly different effects than I last remembered. When was that? Oh yeah. Falling asleep under a tree and getting blown up by an overly excited Rainbow Dash. Fun times. Under?

Suddenly solving my strange physics issue, I inwardly blushed and rotated around until I was right side up again. In the process, my body slid off the rock I was unceremoniously splayed on top of and promptly fell right into the muddy creek. Yup, physics still worked! Or at least the heartless bitch known as gravity.

My mind finally took stock of the situation more fully upon seeing the muddy piece of paper a few feet from me. There was no voice in my head, and the paper had lost its ethereal glow from last night as well. I could only surmise that she had 'hung up' after the connection was lost alongside my consciousness. My head hurt even more as I pulled myself up to the piece of paper and stared at it.

The word 'Keldarian' stood out plainly, now being underlined several times in a dirty red and brown color. The same 'ink' had been used to scribble all over the remaining page with various faces, a small yet badly rendered doodle of a bunny, several alien-looking symbols, and the word 'Twilight' written a few dozen times in the spaces between. The throb in my head got worse, followed by the distinct sensation of a light tickle under my eyes and the lovely smell of peroxide and blood. I threw the paper sideways away from me, wincing momentarily at the dancing sensation of scalpels digging into my stomach.

Panicking, I spastically leapt backwards, feeling my stomach instinctively. There was nothing to speak of involving sharp things embedded into me, of course. I took a moment to catch my breath, intentionally not looking at the blasted piece of paper. Well there goes showing it to Twilight as evidence. I don't think it would prove the exact thing I wanted it to. The words spewed all over the page in a psychotic manner were also too choice to assume coincidence. Okay, so maybe I had a thing for the lavender unicorn, even if she did scare me witless on occasion. Nopony was perfect, after all. I doubted this whole relationship thing was that inflexible.

Then it dawned on me, so to speak. It was dawn, or at least early morning. The last thing I had recalled was fleeing from aforementioned lavender unicorn in the evening. Considering the time lapse, that meant that I had been out in the middle of the forest all night. I might not have a relationship with her depending on how pissed off she is at me now. Considering my options, I tried not to panic. Okay, first, I needed to assess where I was. Without panicking.

Glancing about, I listened to the creek next to me, attempting to absorb some of the gentle flow. It was a bit disheartening to realize that it wasn't the same one that I lost sanity and consciousness next to last night. Okay, that meant that I either fell in at some point while raving mad and was carried away by the pitiful flow of water somehow, or more likely, I wandered quite far afield in my lunacy. Chances are high, though, that I lacked the finesse required to navigate the forest in the dark, especially when in the middle of a mental breakdown. So if I had any luck at all, a risky hope, I followed the stream in one direction or another.

It wasn't really a clearing that I was in. In all honesty, I was probably lucky that I hadn't been eaten by some random forest creature that happened to stumble upon me. Maybe they didn't mess with the crazy ones either? The stream was clearly flowing to my right, and was much smaller than the one I had been by last night, so naturally I assumed that by following it to the left, I might happen across where I started. It was worth a shot.

With nothing left to really think about apart from my own delusional paranoia, I started following the stream to the left. With no decisions left to make, naturally I then started to mentally panic while walking.

The forest was peaceful around me, anyway, if not a bit on the gloomy side. It felt chilly and a cool wind blew through, signaling the upcoming season change, I was guessing. Thankfully it wasn't snowing yet, so at least I planned a good time to get lost. I chuckled in amusement at the oxymoron as I wobbled along, my legs feeling like lumps of wet noodles. It didn't help the comparison that I was actually wet and covered in mud, of course. I also noticed that I had various scratches and bruises covering myself. Wonderful. Maybe I had wandered through the forest for a ways? Still, thinking that wouldn't help me, really. I could only hope that this creek rejoined the larger stream or river that I was next to prior. Chances are, however, that I was now hopelessly lost and doomed to an either violent, bloody demise, or to starve to death under a rock somewhere.

Several minutes passed reasonably uneventful, and I simply wandered, taking in the sounds, smells, and sights of nature around me. If I didn't feel and probably look like a drown rat, this would be a really nice place to relax. Sure it was a little dark, but I didn't necessarily mind that so much. Besides, relaxation was probably what I needed a lot more of. I felt like I was a thousand years old, both in body and mind. A rather loud squawking distracted me a moment later and I stopped, looking around for the source.

It took me a couple of minutes, but I finally spotted the small, golden-yellow bird that was lying next to the base of a tree. It was looking around as if in a daze, and had probably fallen from a nest. Upon further examination, I spotted the little brown nest at the lower branches of the tree. Well, trees and I didn't particularly get along well, but the fellow was obviously in distress, so I decided to investigate further.

Walking over slowly, I frowned and peeked at the little guy. It looked back at me, utterly unafraid in the slightest, and made an annoyed squawk towards me. Well, proportionally, if I had just fallen out of a four story building or so, I'd probably be a bit annoyed as well. Sympathetically nodding, I extended my hoof out cautiously to him and cupped him with a tiny force field.

How should I go about this? I could connect it to the tree trunk but I couldn't see into the nest and didn't want to drop the little guy again. Well, there was nothing else for it. I touched him against the tree. The shield extended under me as well and I slowly lifted both of us upwards into the tree again. I was surprised at how complacent the little guy was, but he simply sat there watching me curiously as I lifted us upwards. We cleared the branches easily enough and I nodded to myself. Interestingly enough, there were two other little ones in the nest that chipped up at me when I popped my head up next to them. Leaving the shield detached under me, I raised the little guy up on my hoof and gently made to place him back in the nest.

That's when the unholy scream from hell sounded out from in front of me. Uh oh. Looking up, my heart skipped a beat as a small blur of fury and hatred zipped in with wings extended. I barely managed to duck out of the way before the thing took my head off! The little guy in my hoof started chirping madly and I decided that I'd better get him back into the nest so he didn't fall again. After the winged death passed, I popped my head back up and quickly deposited the little guy back into the nest. Another furious screech sounded from behind me this time, and I quickly tried to duck out of the way. This time they weren't aiming for my head, however, and I ended up getting clipped across the side instead.

I let out a yelp and winced sideways, dropping my hoof against the shield I was standing on in attempts to lower myself back to the safety of the ground. That's when the blur of feathers smashed into my face. There was a sharp, stabbing pain and I fell backwards, everything going black.

---

Ouch. This was the second time I woke up distinctly aware of how much agony my body was in. Groaning, I opened my eyes slowly, only to realize the left was caked with blood. Slowly and tenderly feeling my forehead with my left forehoof, I noted a rather nasty gash just above the eye. Damn it. I struggled to tuck my legs up, and then noticed I was on my left side. My right rear leg gave a flare of pain, and I was suddenly glad that I hadn't been conscious for the landing.

Okay, assessment time. Expending a little bit of my own magic, I felt along my insides to attempt to figure out exactly how badly I was screwed. Now I was lost and badly injured, in the middle of a dark and dank forest with who knows what kind of creatures in it. The scan was rapid, giving rather vague results that I didn't fully know what to do with. Once again I found myself wishing that I had studied the healing arts. Damn it. The bone in my rear right leg was intact, but the muscles appeared to be badly strained. There were no rips in them, but a contusion covered the thigh and the muscles under and along the knee were stressed to their limit. Walking probably wasn't going to be pleasant.

A light chirping noise sounded out and I froze immediately, trying my hardest not to panic and do anything potentially embarrassing. Those demons were still here?! I cursed myself silently for forgetting to check for hostiles before moving! A rather large bird, looking distinctly similar to the little one I put back in the nest, took that exact moment to land in front of me. My skeleton almost jumped backwards out of my skin. Thankfully, my fleshy parts are more durable than that, and it instead only had the effect of me going rigid while staring at it. Oddly, it made another chirping noise and fluttered in place, as if somewhat distressed. Being unable to speak Bird, I had no idea what it was attempting to communicate. I decided to count my blessings that it hadn't gouged out my eyes yet, however.

"Um, please don't attack me?" I requested timidly, hoping for mercy. It seemed unlikely that the tiny bird could outright kill me, but I did have lots of sensitive squishy bits it could puncture repeatedly and bring about agony with. Actually, rather than take a chance, I just assumed that it could somehow distend its jaw like a snake and possibly eat me whole.

If I didn't know better, I'd say it almost looked sad. Much to my further surprise, it actually shook its head. Wait, it could understand me?! Maybe I didn't know better. Tilting my head, I simply asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I definitely didn't know better. The sad part was, in all honesty, I should have realized that the intelligence level of all of the creatures would be significantly greater than what I was used to dealing with. The bird finalized my guess by nodding its head up and down in the almost universal gesture of affirmation.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry for the incident earlier. I was trying to put him back in the nest, I swear!" I apologized, hoping to not offend the newly discovered intelligent creatures. Actually, they were probably more intelligent than me, seeing as I'm the one who just fell out of a tree.

As if reading my mind, the bird gave me its best dumbfounded and exasperated gaze, as if specifically stating that I was an idiot in no few words. It shook its head again and made several more squawks, gesturing back towards the nest.

Not entirely sure what it was attempting to convey, I looked back towards the nest regardless. A tiny little bird was sticking half of its body into view above the nest, and actually waved a wing at me. Further surprised, all I could manage to do was wave back with my left foreleg.

Then what the bird was trying to say became clear. "You already knew that I was only putting him back because he told you, didn't he?" I questioned, glancing back at my new feathered friend.

It gave another nod, before hopping over my two front legs and gently brushing a wing along my injured knee. I gave a wince and shuffled it a little, only to note that it was stiff and shaky. This wouldn't do at all for walking on. About the best thing I could do is make a makeshift brace, then hobble. Not that hobbling would impact my normal speeds all that much.

The bird looked sad again and shook its head, looking back at me. Did it feel badly for attacking me? "It's all right. You were only protecting your young. I'd have done the same thing," I assured, trying to smile through the misery from my leg. Well, assuming that I'm ever going to have kids. Highly unlikely, I'm guessing. It's tricky to reproduce when dead. Not impossible, but I doubt this dimension had that sort of technology. Maybe there was magic for it instead? Doubtful, but I didn't want to assume.

The bird shook its head even more rapidly, but I didn't know what that implied. It could mean quite a few different things, and I just tilted my head towards the small avian creature.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean. I'm terribly lost, however, and unfortunately need to get to work making a splint for my leg so I may attempt to find my way back to Ponyville before starving to death," I excused to the little one, attempting to shift myself to a standing position again. My back, right leg refused to support my weight, so I was forced to form a barrier along the outside of it to push it directly into the correct place.

Okay, wasn't expecting that. The raw agony of moving the knee caused my breath to catch and ice water to shift up my veins, feeling like all of the blood drained out of my head at once. I made a silent wincing and gasp, shivering but managing to not scream like a little baby. While mostly for preserving my dignified appearance, it also had the side benefit of not alerting every predator within three miles to my location.

My eyes had slammed shut during the process, but after several minutes that felt like an eternity, I slowly opened them as the pain ebbed back down. I held the shields rigid against my leg and locked them together before putting them into power saver mode and letting them be. Okay, that was probably the hard part. Now all I had to do was hobble along my merry way. Oh, and find which way that's supposed to be. Oh, and not get eaten in the process. At this point, I might as well tack on not starving to death to the end of that list, as a last resort.

My friendly bird squawked again in protest as I wobbled and started trying to half walk, half hop along as I progressed back to the creek. I gave it a wary glance, but it just looked vaguely depressed again. Come to think of it, weren't there two of them earlier? I distinctly remembered being blitzed from two directions at once on that last attack. Either the one here was hellishly fast and being taught by Rainbow Dash, or there were two of them. Given that Rainbow didn't seem much like an 'Animal Pony', and the fact that there was a nest back there, I assumed the latter. At least if birds still reproduced sexually here.

There has to be a law for serendipity somewhere. No sooner had I finished thinking it, I heard a faint but definitely chirping noise in the distance. Huh? My avian friend looked up towards the sky in an instant, and I watched him curiously as I hobbled along the river. Oddly, at this point I thought nothing of him stalking me. Wait, is it stalking if I know he's there? Further, is it stalking when the target is pitifully slow and wounded, barely able to hold their own in a fight against a chipmunk?

Almost a minute passed before another barrage of chirps sounded off, much closer this time. My friend flitted a little higher into the air and started releasing an oddly loud counter salvo. Okay, the situation was getting a little strange now. He was obviously communicating with the other bird, but why? Taking the volume levels and distance into consideration, it suddenly dawned on me. The little bastard was giving away where I was located to the other bird! Why else would he follow me? Well, apart from an easy meal after I inevitably passed out. I further noticed that I seemed to consider him male for some reason.

Seconds later, I almost had to duck again as a smaller but similarly colored bird dove in alongside the river. So there were two of them, then. I smiled politely at the newcomer, before literally having to not only duck, but also fall sideways into the creek to avoid a fur-covered bolt of cyan lightning.

Sputtering, I slowly wobbled and got back up from the now extremely familiar source of water. Thank goodness for barrier magic. It was significantly more resilient, and waterproof, than normal stints. Upon regaining my footing, I rotated with tiny hops and glared at Rainbow Dash, mildly annoyed, even though I was technically saved now.

She paid little heed to me, seemingly more interested in rapidly looking around the forest in a paranoid vigil. "What have you attracted so far? Wolves or bears? Both? Something more exotic like a manticore or cockatrice?" she asked rapidly, still not fully looking at me.

I scowled at her before returning, "A couple of birds and a deadly blue comet."

"Deadly blue," she started to ask, fully turning to me now, before shifting to that of a glare instead and finishing with a, "Hey!"

I couldn't help but smirk, which caused her to grin in amusement as well. "Okay, okay. So your bad luck hasn't hit the situation yet. Let's get you out of here before it does. It's safe, Fluttershy!" Rainbow called out, looking up again.

"Fluttershy?" I questioned, following her gaze up and to the small yellow mare that drifted into view a few dozen meters away.

Rainbow snorted but nodded. "Well duh. I'm not gonna think to follow a random bird into the Everfree forest without a little initiative. Besides, it came to her first and she got me to help afterwards," she explained in a dismissive manner. Well it's not like it's every day that I get lost in the forest and they need to organize a search party for me. Thankfully.

"Actually, Mrs. Bird is to thank. She was the one who thought of coming and getting me after the terrible misunderstanding and accident earlier," Fluttershy explained quietly as she hovered for a moment before gently touching down on the grass next to me.

I blinked, then realized that she was talking about when I fell out of the tree. The birds had a much stronger grasp on reality than I realized. Hell, possibly more than I did. "They've been on, well, edge since last night," the gentle yellow mare continued in a soft, yet stable voice, giving me a warm smile. She looked happy for some reason. Wait, last night? I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that I was extremely lucky to have spent most of the night unconscious.

"Oh, all those creepy noises that came from the forest? Yeah, that put me on edge too, and I don't even live here. Thankfully," Rainbow muttered in agreement, shivering and sitting down next to me. I couldn't help but notice that she was fully equipped with strapped on saddlebags.

Fluttershy swallowed wearily but nodded. "Yeah. It's worse than that, even. Those poor creatures. Tons of trees were damaged or destroyed in a long path through the forest. With all of the roaring heard, Twilight suspects that one of the nearby Ursa's are acting up for some reason," she furthered, keeping herself busy by unpacking some medical supplies from her own saddlebags. I found it amusing for some reason that she didn't even question the fact that I was covered in lacerations and contusions.

"What exactly is an Ursa?" I asked wearily, trying to ease out my muscles as Fluttershy approached with bandages.

Rainbow sighed and shuddered again. "It's a massive bear that's all glowing and partially see through. Hugely strong; it could probably split a pony in half with one swing," she explained, fidgeting and looking around again. Yikes! If one of those was on the loose, I'm really glad they found me when they did. Given my spectacular luck, I was likely to blunder right into the thing. Then somehow subtly insult its mother without realizing it.

"Oh dear. These bandages are filthy. How are you so clean, though? Um, if you don't mind me asking, of course," Fluttershy suddenly observed, giving me a once over before shaking her head.

I sighed miserably before replying, "I actually spent a lot of time in the creek, sadly. I think I'm going to be wrinkly for quite a while."

Rainbow grinned, but then tilted her head as Fluttershy started slowly peeling the bandages off me. I assumed she knew what she was doing and that there was skin under there. Gritting my teeth against the constant fur pulling sensation, I decided that was a good indication that she was right. Rainbow's confusion slowly shifted to amusement, then to holding back the laughter with her hooves as Fluttershy unwrapped me.

Annoyed, I looked back behind me in order to figure out what was so funny. It only took me a couple seconds to notice that there was very little of my coat grown back under the bandages. It looked like I got in a fight with a razor and lost. Badly. I rolled my eyes and fought back the heat drifting into my cheeks as I just sat through it.

Oddly enough, Dash stopped laughing shortly thereafter. Finding that even more odd, I looked back over at her curiously. Her expression held a frown instead and her eyes were locked firmly on my side. Uh oh. Was my skin missing there?! I whipped my head around to look, only to find nothing technically wrong with me. Fluttershy paused momentarily and looked up at me from her intense concentration and focus. She looked really adorable with the questioning expression and her mouth full of bandage roll. She then peeked at Rainbow, and traced her eyes back to me.

"Dude, what happened to you? I've never seen so many scars," the cyan pegasus inquired quietly, still wearing the frown.

Oh. "The scars are usually hidden by my fur. I'm guessing they transferred over from my old dimension when I came here. I was a soldier, sadly," I reminded, suddenly deciding against looking at Fluttershy.

Unfortunately, she caught my intention before I even fully turned away. The shy yellow mare snatched my right foreleg, softly shaking her head. There was no force behind it at all, and I could have easily pulled away, but something about the way she was staring at me almost forced me not to.

"Please. If it's okay with you, don't treat me any differently. Please? I want to see, um, all of you," she requested, almost a whisper. I felt something inside of me skip. Smiling again, I nodded silently to her. Rainbow made a gagging motion next to us, of course.

"Ya don't have to get all sappy on me. I'm just glad we found you before a bear ate you or something. Then Twilight would really have freaked out," the rainbow-maned mare complained idly.

"Why is Twilight freaking out?" I asked carefully, wincing again as Fluttershy got back to work, removing the last of the bandage around my hips and back, finally.

I was surprised when Dash snorted and whacked me on the snout with her left hoof. Wincing, I looked back up at her questioningly, holding my muzzle with both of my hooves. "Don't be silly, Mender. She's totally into you whether you believe it or not. She's all worried that she went too far with the Princess thing and drove you away forever to be eaten by a bear in the woods or something. You two really do match pretty well, but I think she's a little more grounded in reality," Dash pointed out, snickering immediately after.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. First she's pissed off at me, and now she's regretting it and freaking out over my well-being. I swear, I'm never going to understand that mare. "Well, it did hurt last night. I guess I just want to be taken seriously in her eyes," I confessed, sighing and letting my upper body deflate naturally as I exhaled. The tension was slowly leaving my system as Fluttershy expertly removed the bandages and gently massaged the growing fur down afterwards.

My cyan battle partner smirked again, but nodded in seemingly understanding. "I hear ya there. She can get a tad unreasonable sometimes. You should have seen her the last time she was tardy with a letter to the Princess. Ponyville almost didn't survive," she groaned, resting her forehead on her hoof. She was joking, right? Right?! There was no smile, however, and she truly looked exasperated. I was suddenly more than a little frightened of the lavender unicorn again.

"It was, um, really bad," Fluttershy suddenly spoke up in agreement, nodding her head twice. I was momentarily distracted by the bobbing of her mane as she did so, but rapidly snapped out of it and swallowed.

"Admittedly, I'm a little scared of her. I really don't want to get on her bad side and end up magically turned into a coat rack or something. Or be squished by a flying bed," I admitted wearily, tensing as Fluttershy pulled the last of the bandages free.

Rainbow snickered and shook her head at me. "Relax, Mender. She'd never outright hurt a pony if she didn't have to. Especially you, I have a feeling. Like I said, she's totally into you," she assured, holding up a hoof in almost congratulations.

I rolled my eyes but smirked again and extended mine to lightly bounce it off hers.

Both of us were interrupted by Fluttershy's sudden gasp of, "Oh my!" Rainbow looked past me to where her friend was looking, then widened her eyes drastically. Huh? Uh oh. Was my skin missing there instead?!

My head spun around to assess the damage to my hips and butt. I wasn't at all prepared for what I saw, however. It was even worse than missing all of my flesh back there. Someone had tattooed my butt!

I sighed wearily as Rainbow Dash got the leather harness on again with the help of Fluttershy. "So what exactly does it indicate that my special talent is?" I asked once again.

Rainbow snickered as she raised her left wing to get the strap hooked under it. "Sometimes cutie marks are kind of vague. Guess I got lucky with mine," she admitted. I stared at the rainbow lightning bolt on her flank for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"You're certainly the fastest pony I've ever seen," I agreed, smirking. As anticipated, she puffed up with pride and grinned at me.

"Of course I am. Goddess of Flight, right?" she reminded, winking at me playfully. I felt a little bit of heat dance into my cheeks again but maintained my smile, adding a nod as she glanced back at me. Admittedly, she was cute when cocky. I had no idea as to why she was so attractive, but I certainly wasn't going to act on it. Fluttershy and Twilight would murder me, principles aside.

Snapping out of my distraction, I looked back at my flank again. It was still there of course. The silver gear with eight, evenly spaced teeth took up a good portion of my flank, and oddly had a heart-shaped axis hole. Honestly, I didn't know what it meant. The gear was easy enough to figure out, but was the heart just for stylized effect? The concept of getting my own Cutie Mark had always been there in the back of my head, but I never truly thought I'd get it, being so different from a normal pony. Now that I suddenly had one, I was a little overwhelmed as to what it meant. I thought you were supposed to magically know or something.

"Is it almost on, Fluttershy? We need to hurry up," Rainbow asked, having resumed her cautious vigil of the forest.

My gut told me that there was something I was missing still. "Is there a reason we're in a hurry apart from getting proper medical attention?" I questioned carefully, glancing over at the yellow mare that was just securing the last side buckle.

"Oh, um, yes. The mayor has declared a state of emergency. It's a little scary," she muttered, swallowing timidly while nodding to Rainbow.

The aptly named rainbow pegasus sighed and nodded. "Something really freaked out the animals of the forest last night. Lots of roars, growls, and snarls. Wolves were spotted near the forest's edge and one pony even reported seeing a manticore. Until things settle down again, we really need to stay away from here," she added, far more calmly than her shivering friend.

It was a compulsion, really. Almost everything the yellow and pink pegasus did gave me urges to guard and protect her. Shifting a little, I leaned up and gently extended my left forehoof. She watched me curiously, stopping in her shaking long enough to at least be interested in what I was doing. Her eyes widened further as I made contact with her back and gently rubbed the spot directly between her two wings. The effect was instantaneous, and more than a little surprising. She let out a soft gasp as I massaged along her coat, going in gentle, hopefully soothing circles. Her eyes lidded slightly, and she rested more heavily against her cyan friend as I worked. She was so adorable that I couldn't help but smile.

Rainbow started momentarily as she felt the contact, then glanced back at me and her. Her surprise shifted to that of a warm grin as she saw me gently stroking the other mare. "Between the wings, and the wings themselves are sensitive for most pegasi. Especially the mares. A little on the nervous side, Fluttershy?" she pointed out knowingly. Wait, why were mares more sensitive?

Fluttershy's cheeks tinted a light pink color, but she nodded subtly. Her eyes then shifted back to me, and a smile lit along her expression again. She surprised me further by turning and actually hugging me gently.

"You're a good stallion. I promise that I'm going to get over this. You're never going to hurt me; I know that now," she muttered, almost as if hoping her cyan friend wouldn't hear.

Obviously, she did. "Of course he's not going to hurt you. If anything, he'd rather let himself be hurt than let you come to harm. Remember the rock thingy? And even more recently, the couch?" Rainbow pointed out in a surprisingly gentle fashion. The more I saw them interact, the more I realized she had a special soft spot for Fluttershy. Not to say she wasn't spot on, of course. If I was protective of any of the mares, it was Fluttershy.

The yellow mare retained her pink tinting to her cheeks, which magnified a little before she nodded. Regardless, she seemed content enough where she was, and just looked back over at me with surprisingly curious eyes.

"I'm still glad Twilight is going to attempt to date you first, but maybe one day I'll work up the, well, courage to try as well. If you two allow it, of course! I mean, I don't want to offend either of you. That would be bad. Oh dear, I'm sorry if I just did," she suddenly started to ramble, looking more and more flustered.

I placed a hoof gently to her muzzle to stop her before shaking my head. "It's a strange concept because it's reversed for me. In my culture, I believe that it was the females that used to take multiple male mates, but if it's sometimes done in reverse here, then I might be able to get adjusted to it. You don't need to apologize," I assured, keeping the evil glares and ear twitches restricted as much as I could when she mentioned Twilight.

Rainbow shook her head wearily, turning around to fully face us before muttering, "That is so weird. You must have a lot of guys on your world."

"Well, we did. If my dreams are of any indication, the situation is reversed now. I'm not sure why, but one of them mentioned they were looking for males and-" I started explaining before I suddenly realized what I was doing. Giving a sudden blank, dumbfounded look, I shut up and looked away from both of them. I forgot, they probably think I'm just insane too.

Rainbow stared surprisingly intensely at me. Her expression neither shifted to amusement or scorn. Fluttershy surprised me a little more, however, by smiling fully and shaking her head. "Twilight has, um, trouble believing things that she can't see. It's a little scary, but if you think there's something truly wrong, then I believe you," she whispered softly, timid voice shivering a little towards the end. I'm not sure if it was the thought behind it, or her being literally right against me, but I felt myself soften and relax. I finally let myself genuinely smile towards her.

Dash finally smiled as well, tossing in a nod for good measure. "If it's bothering ya that much, we'll try to talk to her about it. It's a little crazy, admittedly, but I don't think Princess Celestia is totally without error. She'd probably be the first to admit it, actually," my cyan friend offered, gesturing with her hoof lightly towards me.

I nodded in agreement and stood up as gently as I could manage. Fluttershy broke off her hug and helped support me fully as I rose to my hooves again. I wobbled lightly, but slowly limped my way towards Dash, who turned around and lowered herself to the ground as best she could.

"Thank you for not automatically assuming I was crazy. We should probably get out of here, however, before anything happens across us," I advised cautiously before stepping over the prismatic tail and gently making my way onto her back.

"Oh, oh yes. The faster we can get out of this forest," Fluttershy murmured wearily as she took to the air again.

Rainbow smirked as she stood up again, adding, "Don't let her fool you. The only reason she entered the forest in the first place was because she knew that you needed help."

My eyes widened significantly. Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak, blush forming once more as she almost lost control of her hover. "Dash!" she reprimanded in a wavering voice.

"Oh relax, Flutters. He already knows you technically like him like that. Now we just need to get you back to Twi before she turns Ponyville upside down with her freak out session," Rainbow followed up, shaking her head slightly. She abruptly halted and looked back at me, probably feeling me go rigid.

"Do we absolutely have to go back to her? I kind of, well," I started trying to explain. Was there really any other choice, though? I didn't exactly have anywhere else to go.

Dash looked surprised at first, apparently realizing that I wasn't joking. "Wait, seriously? We don't have to, I guess. But she's really worried about you," she professed in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

I stared skeptically at her, unsure if she was joking this time. "So she not only thinks I'm crazy, but has decided that I can't survive a single night without her keeping an eye on me?" I asked sharply, sorting it in my head still.

"Well you did kinda already hurt yourself," Dash pointed out, earning a burning glare. If she felt the same way, why was she here? Shouldn't she have just assumed that I was rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere, deranged yet fine?

"Oh dear. No, Mender! She feels really bad for not going after you. She's really, really worried," Fluttershy tried to convince. I softened my features a little as my gaze shifted to her instead. Her eyes looked into mine with pleading gentleness, and I soon had to look away again. This yellow mare would always hold a soft spot with me, no matter how she considered me, I suppose.

Rainbow shook her head, walking forward slightly and then turning around. "Maybe he's right. This is new to both of them, and until they get adjusted to it a bit, maybe they should spend some time apart," Rainbow suggested, looking back over her shoulder at me.

I met her gaze for a moment before sighing and nodding. "I know she's new to this, and I don't have a clue how to act. Maybe I just want to be taken seriously by her? I'll never be as important to her as Celestia, but maybe one day she'll at least listen," I reasoned. Sometimes seeing her as a 'veteran' of this world made me forget that she wasn't of the same experience level with relationships.

Fluttershy let out a tired sigh and lowered her head, looking reasonably glum as I turned back towards her. After a moment's consideration, she frowned and looked back up, assuring, "Princess Celestia is indeed important to her, but I think that once she realizes how much you mean to her, she'll open up quite a bit more. You two have so much in common. She's never had anypony that she was able to really talk to on her level here. That has to be valuable to her." Her voice was strong and stable, even if a little quiet, and her level of insight surprised me. She knew quite a bit about her friends, it would seem. At first I thought it was just a special connection with Rainbow, but now I noticed she was extremely empathic with others as well. It made me wonder what her thoughts on myself were. Maybe I didn't want to know?

"You two have a lot in common too, don't forget. I can totally vouch for his loyalty and caring. Sure, he's not as brave and steadfast as me, but he'll stick with you through pretty much anything and has a really gentle touch!" Rainbow spoke up, vouching for me. Kind of. I blushed at her words, looking away from both of them this time.

Fluttershy was tinted pink as well, but smiled shyly. "Oh, I know he can be really gentle. Plus, he's so good with foals; I really look up to that sort of thing. Eventually I'd love to have a family of my own, of course. Seeing him be so gentle with everypony, alongside how protective he can be to those he cares about, just makes me feel so, um, well..." She trailed off, eyes widening as the pink shifted past the shade of her hair and well into the red tints.

Rainbow's jaw dropped down a little as she let out a quiet, "Whoa." My eyes felt like saucers before I rapidly looked away again, feeling the dull thud of my heartbeat in my ears as the blood firmly flooded into my head. Did she just insinuate what I thought she did?!

"Does that mean, uh, you're looking at Mender for, well, that in the future?" Rainbow asked, probably without even thinking about what she was saying.

Fluttershy looked beyond flustered, rocking back and forth between her left and right side rapidly. "Well, um, of course he'd make a good father! He's a very gentle and kind stallion and I um, really respect that. So uh, maybe?" she admitted finally, slamming her eyes shut afterwards and looking faint. She seemed to shrink down slightly as her legs buckled a little. My blush magnified and I suddenly felt light headed. I hadn't realized how serious she was, or how much she'd been thinking about it!

Dash was momentarily speechless. After several exceedingly awkward moments passed, she shook her head to clear it before recovering her trademark smirk. "Well, you surprised me, but I can't say that I wouldn't support the decision. I told you that I vouch for Mender," she reiterated.

"I am still here you know," I reminded, letting out a groan afterwards. Did she have to say all of these embarrassing things in my presence? I wasn't a hero by any means. All I did was react to what was thrown at me in the only way I could. I didn't want to, and certainly wish that somepony else would take care of it all, but if it had to be me, I wasn't about to let anypony I cared for get hurt because I abandoned my duties.

"Of course. It's all true, though! Hehehe!" she defended in an extremely mirthful tone, letting out a giggle after.

Fluttershy recovered slowly and smiled back at her friend, then up at me on Rainbow's back. "Well, what I said was true, too. I don't know what I'd do without either of you," she muttered, smile shifting from shy to warm slowly. Her soft blush remained, however.

Dash took it in stride, giving the pink-maned pegasus a soft hug with her left foreleg. "We love you, too, Fluttershy. We'll always be there for you, don't worry," she promised needlessly. That much was second nature for me. I smiled again and nodded in agreement. Rainbow suddenly froze for a moment while Fluttershy blushed and smiled widely. "Wait, I never did get to ask you for my favor that time I walked in on you and Twi making out!" the cyan mare suddenly remembered out loud, in a voice that Twilight herself back in Ponyville might have been able to hear.

Fluttershy let out a surprised yet embarrassed squeak, mane giving a little shiver as she almost lost control of her flight again. I would have slapped my forehead had it not required me to either punch or garrote the mare I was riding on.

"What?! It surprised me so much that I forgot. Can I ask you now?" she requested, looking a little miffed at our reactions.

"Yeah, you can ask. You didn't need to mention the making out thing, though. We were just kissing!" I defended profusely.

Fluttershy seemed to almost shrink more, pink shifting to a solid red color across her cheeks. "Oh. Oh my," she muttered quietly into her hooves covering her mouth.

"I could have sworn I saw tongue. Oh well," Dash debated to herself, smirking at me before continuing with, "Anyway, there's a race coming up soon to celebrate the end of fall, pegasus style. I really, really want your help for it!"

I tilted my head against her shoulder, unsure of exactly what assistance I could be in preparation for a race. Fluttershy peeked over her hooves at her friend, however, looking a little surprised. Still embarrassed, but it looked like she was getting distracted now, anyway.

"It's just the three of us. Is this about, um, Applejack?" she asked. No, it was more of a deduction than anything.

Rainbow smirked wider and nodded. "I totally want you to give me those nifty wings again!" she revealed excitedly, hopping back and forth on her hooves.

My surprise was impossible to contain, and I stared at her in shock before asking, "Wait, you want me to help you cheat?!"

Rainbow lost the smirk instantly, looking both shocked and offended without missing a beat. "What?! No way! I could win the race flying backwards with my wings tied. I need your super wings for a trick I want to pull off on the winner's circle," she rapidly corrected.

Fluttershy's comment suddenly hit home, and everything snapped together. "Your sky writing. You want to use the wings to pull off your message to Applejack after you win the race, because she'll be watching it," I suddenly realized out loud.

"Ha! Exactly! That's my egghead partner!" Dash acknowledged, grinning back at me over her shoulder as I glared.

Fluttershy gasped, however, gaining both our attentions at once. "Oh dear! But there are a lot of ponies there. Everypony at the race will see the message," she warned, sounding absolutely traumatized. Wow, she wasn't even involved and it freaked her out. Still, I couldn't help but find it adorable for some reason.

"Oh, please. I'm not afraid of them seeing it. I'm proud to be going after Applejack! She's totally worthy of being with the most awesome pegasus in Equestria," the boisterous cyan mare declared, slapping her right hoof off her chest and nodding as if punctuating the declaration with her chin.

The shy yellow pegasus shrank back a little, but shook her head. "I, um, meant Applejack. Do you think she'd want everypony knowing she might like other mares?" she asked quietly. Uh oh. I hadn't thought of that.

Rainbow looked momentarily taken aback. She hesitated, and then shook her head rapidly. "Well, of course not. Applejack's the strongest mare I know. She's not going to care if other ponies know about us or not!" she assured, sounding almost as if she herself was her target.

Red flags went off in my head. This seemed familiar. Oh yeah, it was something I'd probably assume; which meant it was probably an absolutely terrible idea! I opened my mouth to point this out when all three of us were interrupted by a rather sizable roar to our right, deeper off in the forest.

Fluttershy whipped around in the air, looking fearfully in that direction while my airlift jumped a good foot and a half in surprise.

"Oh, horseapples! I think that's our signal to get out of here!" Dash pointed out rapidly, taking to the air with a hard kick-start. Fluttershy nodded rapidly in agreement and started rising into the air, considerably faster than I had ever seen her move before. Well, there was something to be said about a healthy amount of motivation. Or was that unhealthy? Yeah, getting mauled and eaten by something rather large was definitely unhealthy.

Rainbow shot into the air faster still, managing to snag hold of her yellow and pink friend as she went. I was amazed at the sheer strength to the cyan pegasus' flying as she managed to not only lift me entirely off the ground without effort, but haul her friend through the air even higher without any noticeable strain.

Obviously not sticking around for ceremony, Rainbow got all three of us well into the clouds before I could even look back.

---

Peeking through the window yet again, I watched the spastic lavender mare pacing rapidly back and forth. Books were strewn here and there, most of them open and discarded where she finished with them. To my surprise, three larger log sections were displayed on stands around her work area; various stages of damage on each one. She seemed to be paying very little attention to them, however.

Normally, I'd contribute that to the other guest of the room; a certain pearly unicorn with curled purple mane and tail, but due to how animate Twilight was, I had a sneaking suspicion that Rarity was only trying to calm her down.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked yet again, dropping down and turning to look at the two mares.

Rainbow was already to the door, but Fluttershy stopped and nodded back at me. "I think it's for the best. Um, if it's okay with you, of course, Dash and I will go in first to try to, well, calm her down a little," she offered quietly.

Why the hell would I say no to that?! Rarity hardly seemed to be having much luck, so let them go in and defuse the situation a little, or blunder in ahead of them and potentially be torn apart by telekinesis? Honestly, it wasn't much of a decision, barring any masochistic tendencies or suicidal urges I might be subconsciously hiding. I nodded rapidly and gestured them in, earning a giggle from the yellow mare.

Rainbow took the cue and opened the door gently, letting herself and Fluttershy inside the excessively large tree-building. I propped up against the wall again and peeked in the window, feeling incredibly similar to a stalker.

Twilight snapped to attention instantly, observing her friends with an almost calculated glare. I could have sworn I saw her eye twitch slightly, too. "You're back! Did you find him yet, Rainbow?! It's not easy to work like this. Not easy at all!" she asked instantly upon concluding her analytical observations. Actually, she sounded a little on the hysterical side. Rarity shook her head wearily and muttered something that was well outside of my ability to hear.

"Whoa, calm down, Twi! I just wanted to know if you made any progress on the identification thing? I also have to tell the pegasus teams what to look out for, if you remember," Dash interrupted, pointedly derailing the outburst.

Twilight stared at her with a rather anxious look for a few seconds before sighing and visibly exhaling slowly. "I'm worried like crazy, so it's kind of hard to focus. I finished the reconstruction of the print, though, but I hit a snag," she slowly replied, almost as if she had to keep a tight leash on her own thoughts.

"Oh? Uh, what is it, then? If I can ask, of course," Fluttershy requested politely, recovering from her stiff shock at her friend's first outburst.

"That's the snag. I've looked through every book I can think of and I can't find anything quite like this print. So I can only assume that I reconstructed it wrong and have been trying to correct and double check my results," the unicorn explained in a rather listless manner, suddenly looking extremely tired.

"Spending a large amount of time worrying over Mender certainly hasn't helped in that regard. Truly, I kept telling her that he's fully capable of taking care of himself," Rarity assured pleasantly, shifting her bangs out of her face with a soft gesture of her head.

Rainbow nodded grimly, but smiled a heartbeat later. "Well, if it will help your investigation, I suggest you relax a little bit more. Don't freak out on him or anything. We found Mender," she slowly revealed.

Here we go. I dropped down from the window and walked around the side of the building towards the door. Might as well get in place for when they called me in and Twilight undoubtedly blasted me to smithereens. I could still hear them surprisingly well, so it didn't matter too much. Twilight should really do something about soundproofing these walls.

There was a hesitation, and I could only imagine Twilight's face. Literally. "Wait, what?! Why didn't you say so sooner?" she demanded moments later.

"Um, we didn't want you getting worked up. We're really sorry. He's a little hurt, but mostly okay. Please don't be mad," I heard Fluttershy report in response. My ears picked up a light whistling noise, but I ignored it. Fluttershy was always so polite. I definitely liked that about her.

"But I've been so worried! Especially with the state of emergency being called by," she started protesting. The rest was washed out by that whistling noise from before. What the hell? Did somepony want my attention or something?

Looking to the right afforded me several realizations. It wasn't a whistle, but a squeal. Further, Pinkie Pie was arcing through the air at high velocity towards me and was now a meter or so from my exceedingly squishy body. Given just enough time to react, I did the most logical thing.

Letting out my best whimper, I cowered as the ball of pink energy that defied physics itself plowed me off the side of the steps. At this point, I was starting to rather enjoy that weightless sensation of drifting upside down after a large impact. It was a peaceful lull before the inevitable end. Oddly, that kind of fit my life, if I thought about it. Although it could be worse, I suppose. She could be a tiger: sharp pointy ends and all.

"I finally found you! I've been looking absolutely everywhere all day. Nopony told me that you had woken up and I really, really needed to find you. But then I was all walking back home from Sweet Apple Acres and saw you hiding in the bushes outside of Twilight's window. At first I thought that it was totally weird, but then I realized that it was you and I was looking for you. Then I sprinted over here and pounced you before you could get away again! But you already knew that. I'm going to invite you to a party! I have to!" the pink blur of fuzziness and distortion said while standing over my limp, newly broken form.

It all bled together and pooled into one long stream of something I couldn't exactly hear correctly, very similar to how the blood was probably pooling in my undoubtedly fractured skull now. Groaning, I shook my head rapidly in attempts to clear it and make sure she too wasn't a figment of my imagination, lest I be accused of insanity again.

There was a sharp intake of breath almost instantly upon me doing so. "No, no, no! You absolutely have to come. I cannot accept 'no' as an answer! It's a party just for you, any way you want it," she protested, seemingly taking my head shaking as a negative answer.

"W-What?" I managed to stutter out between the throbs my head was giving off, tacking on slowly, "I um, don't even know what you're talking about. Pinkie?" I winced momentarily as I shifted a rather sizable rock out from under my head. This was proving to be a fun day already, and I'd only been awake for a few hours! Well, at least the pain wasn't my fault this time. I was seriously starting to consider admitting myself permanently to a medical facility for the remainder of my undoubtedly short life.

"Of course it's me, Silly! That's my name! I absolutely must throw you an 'I'm really sorry for accidentally poisoning you and almost killing you, but thankfully you're better now' party! I feel super duper bad and really, really need to make it up to you!" she announced in another burst of hyper, almost hysterical ranting. Her eyes got bigger and bigger the longer she talked, her face getting closer and closer to mine until she was glaring directly into my eyes. If I'd been lucid and not likely internally bleeding, I might have been considerably more freaked out and frightened than I currently was.

"Pinkie? What are you doing?" I suddenly heard Rainbow ask. She must have come to investigate either the loud noise of my squishy impact, or my seeming absence from the doorstep. Salvation!

Pinkie squeaked and hopped off me, bouncing around my fallen form like some violent, pre-culturally revolutionized tribal member would around their fallen prey as I cooked over a fire. "I found him out here and really had to invite him to my 'I'm really sorry for accidentally poisoning you and almost killing you, but thankfully you're better now' party! It's urgent!" she explained rapidly, skidding to a halt somewhere near my fallen tail.

I heard hoofsteps and managed to glance over dizzily at the cyan pegasus as she approached. "Um, it kind of looks like you squished him a little. Are you sure he's okay?" she questioned wearily, giving me a visual once-over.

"Of course! He's Mender; practically impossible to keep down!" the pink one assured, giving my back, right leg a solid whack with her hoof.

Oh hell! I still felt things! Giving a yelp of intense agony, I curled over and tucked my poor, mangled leg up, intensifying the shield around it to try to protect it from any further torture. "Pinkie! That was the exact leg he injured..." Dash chewed out, honestly sounding slightly impressed. Either she was surprised I was still conscious, or shocked that Pinkie had managed to select exactly the right leg to hit to get the most reaction out of me.

"Whoopsy! I'll add '... and hurting your leg' onto the party title!" Pinkie assured in a way only she could.

Rainbow rolled her eyes before sarcastically asking, "Sure it will all fit?"

"Better than trying to fit all the injuries you've given him on a banner," Twilight reminded as she walked up next to the now glaring cyan mare. My breathing snagged in a flurry of emotions and I forced myself to look away from the lavender mare. I momentarily saw a look of surprise drift into her expression before doing so.

"Oh dear. Is he okay?" Fluttershy practically whispered as she drifted over and landed next to me, between the now guilty looking Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Glancing over towards her, I managed a gentle smile. She returned it instantly and fluttered closer, carefully drawing my leg back out from under me with a soft hoof motion. I had a fair amount of trust in her and allowed her to pull the leg out and examine it, which gave her an odd, dancing energy in her eyes, almost. I had no idea what the mare was thinking.

Of course, during the whole time I spent gawking at Fluttershy, I totally failed to notice Rarity slip up next to Dash. When I glanced back at the prismatic pony, I started a little when I finally noticed the newcomer. There was a long moment where I stared at her, and she stared back at me with increasingly widening eyes. It was more than a little creepy, and I started edging backwards from her timidly.

"Uh, is there, um, something wrong?" I inquired, doing my best Fluttershy impression.

To my surprise, Pinkie let out a sharp yet excited gasp instead. "Oh my gosh! You have a Cutie Mark!" she squealed instantly thereafter.

"Wait, what?!" Twilight asked, snapping out of her seeming stupor just in time to notice as well.

Rarity interrupted all of us before I could be fatally molested by the pink one, regardless. She rapidly stomped her front hooves back and forth on the dirt in front of me, momentarily freaking out as she glared in what could only be described as unadulterated horror. "Forget the Cutie Mark for now! This is an absolute fashion disaster! This simply must be fixed, stat!" she declared zealously, glaring at my flank.

Glancing backwards, I noticed that my fur was indeed still missing in large stripes along my back, flanks, and butt. Oh. Well it did indeed look kind of strange, but I'd hardly call it...

I was enveloped in a blue aura before I even finished the thought and violently hauled into the air, a flustered and fussing Fluttershy following, wings flapping rapidly. "Rarity! He needs medical attention first," she tried to protest.

"Nonsense! It will not do to have him be treated for such a superficial injury while looking like that. Inexcusable. Thankfully, I have just the thing at home to fix this terrible, terrible catastrophe," she assured vehemently, making me dizzy as she punctuated each point of her reply with a dip in her telekinesis. Oh crap. This day was about to get a lot worse, I had a sneaking suspicion.

"I'll heal him once we get there," Twilight interrupted gently, glancing up at Fluttershy as she trotted after the quickly moving white unicorn.

Rainbow let out a low snickering, a large grin adorning her face as she muttered, "Oh, this I gotta see. You coming, Pinks?"

Pinkie gave an enthusiastic nod, seemingly recovering her spunky, happy go lucky demeanor before bouncing after the small group of ponies now violently escorting me to my probable doom. At least it wasn't apples or frogs...

Well, I was definitely right about one thing. The day seemed to be destined to get worse and worse. Still, I tried to stay positive about things. I was in desperate need of a bath, so being forced into one was at least covering that aspect. The smells assaulted my poor nose from every conceivable angle, of course. They were deeply root smelling, but with a sharp, acidic after smell. Was that the proper term for that light stinging sensation that one frequently got after sniffing something? Well, I digress.

The nature of the smell did absolutely nothing for the color and texture of the probable gallons of stuff Rarity dumped into the hot water in the middle of her seeming mental breakdown. A thick lather, pink bubbles and all, was drifting well up to my jaw at this point. Due to how slippery it was making my coat, I was having difficulty keeping my head above water at this angle. She was still fidgeting sporadically while zipping here and there in her bathroom around me, looking at labels and various other bottles of all shapes and sizes. I wasn't sure of the norms of society, but this seemed a little on the psychotic side. Still, she was generous enough to attempt to make me look nice at no charge whatsoever, so I really didn't have room to complain. Much. It still seemed like she was more doing this for herself than me.

"I know that the stuff is here somewhere! I'd just gotten an extra-large supply from Zecora. It simply must be found! This is an emergency," Rarity declared as she sped around the bathroom.

The gentle tugging at my back, right leg continued as she talked. I was positioned in a very unnatural manner, almost on my side with my leg sticking out over the side of the tub. This was all to give Twilight as easy access as possible, of course. Fluttershy at least was sympathetic and rested at the head of the tub with her forelegs wrapped around my chest, gently supporting my head and neck above the soap bubbles. I gave her another warm, thankful smile while further hoping that this stuff didn't dye me pink. Thinking about it more, I decided it would also be bad if it made the fur along my butt grow back pink as well.

"So this is a potion? Are you sure it's safe, Rarity?" Twilight questioned somewhere near my injured leg. The gentle massage of heated, magical warmth didn't miss a beat, even though she wasn't exactly concentrating. I was more than a little impressed, honestly. Sure, I could do more precise maneuvers, but she was way more practiced than I was. Oh, and obviously considerably more powerful. Was I allowed to be impressed and irritated at somepony at the same time?

Rarity waived her concerns with a gentle, nonchalant hoof motion. "It's more of a, how do we say, tonic than a crude potion. It simply stimulates hair re-growth in the most natural way possible. There's truly nothing to concern yourself with," the pearly white unicorn assured confidently. I idly wondered how many last words included that last part in the history of, well, everything. I started mentally preparing myself for a horrible, hair-induced demise.

"I dunno. Pink really suits you, Mender. Are you sure we can't make it grow back pink?" Rainbow asked once more, snickering from her position near the end of the tub, across from Twilight.

Sneezing lightly after inhaling an offensive soap bubble, I finally cleared enough of the froth to speak. "For the last time, no! I don't need pink stripes on my butt," I groaned out. This was exactly why I was concerned.

Rainbow started snickering even harder, but Pinkie let out a sharp gasp. "Hey! Is there something wrong with pink?! I know it might be kind of hard to tell, but I happen to really like pink and take offense to that! Think of its feelings!" Pinkie berated loudly from my right, leaning over the side of the shiny, white tub and giving me her standard, bulging glare. Wait, was she being sarcastic about the pink thing? Deciding I couldn't tell, I figured that considering the color having feelings was probably even more absurd, making the whole thought process a moot point. Damn it. I hate it when I do that.

"Weren't you supposed to be apologetic and supportive of him, Pinkie? We needn't add potential drowning and, even worse, fashion crime to your party banner," Rarity reminded gently, calming down visibly upon pulling a rather large keg of something out from under her sink with her magic. Uh, what was that? Wait, bad fashion was worse than death?

Pinkie's eyes went from buggy to nervous as she blinked a few times before releasing an airy giggle. She then tactically retreated out of my field of vision, leaving me even further confused. Of course, it could just be lasting effects from the fresh head trauma.

Rarity distracted me by hauling the keg over to the side of the tub. She then distracted herself by frowning and looking down at me, barely sticking out of the pink bubble ocean. "Although she does have a point. Pink goes very well with blue, and compliments you well. Perhaps you should consider it?" the seamstress reasoned, smiling at me.

I gave her a rather deadpan stare, and she giggled merrily. "Really now. You males shouldn't be nearly so concerned about colors. I mean, really. Pink is a perfectly acceptable color and compliments many things. I see no reason to rule it out because of some brash stereotype that it adversely affects your masculinity. Haven't we progressed past that as a," she started lecturing, causing me to sink into the water a little. It wasn't that I myself didn't like the color. It was more a matter of what other ponies might do to me if I did add it to my wardrobe. I was runty enough already. Of course, there weren't a whole lot of males in town to mock the choice anyway.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt. Please don't be mad! The bath water is getting a little cool. May it be reheated?" Fluttershy asked carefully in her typical timid fashion.

Rarity hardly looked offended, not that I thought she would be. She gave her timid friend a warm smile, but shook her head. "It shouldn't be necessary, although you're a very kind to be looking over him so well. He should be thoroughly clean now and ready for the application of the tonic," she explained, giving the intimidating looking keg next to her a soft pat.

"I'm pretty much done with his leg, so it should be perfectly fine for him to stand now," Twilight reported, backing off my leg and sitting up again, suddenly reentering my view.

She glanced over at me at the same time I turned to her. We locked eyes and I couldn't turn away suddenly. She seemed conflicted, then seemed to have the same problem as her eyes softened further while watching me. She was acting nice now to me, but I was still a little irritated over her not even considering my proposal. If there really was danger, wasn't it better to be cautious? Still...

"Thank you for healing my leg, Twilight," I finally managed to get out. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but then softened with an accompanied smile.

Rarity, of course, took that moment to distract me. "Okay then, Mender. Stand up and I'll start gently pouring this stuff on and applying it to the, um, disaster zones with my magic. Hold still while I do, Mender," she instructed politely, giving me a warm nod.

I nodded in understanding as I struggled back onto my stomach. A light test of my leg told me that the lavender unicorn indeed knew exactly what she was doing, and had restored my limb to full working condition. I breathed a sigh of relief and shakily stood up in the bath, letting the pink foam drain off my back as I did so.

"Perfect! Okay, I'm going to start applying it now. Do hold still," the white unicorn instructed, lifting the keg into the air above me. Slight apprehension drifted into my system, but I held it at bay. Just because the last potion, er, tonic from Zecora had ended in utter disaster, didn't mean this one was going to. Right?

Fluttershy gave me an assuring nod, but I heard more giggles from behind me. "You look like a wet rat. I wish I could get a picture," Dash pointed out in an oh so loving fashion. Pinkie clamped both hooves over her muzzle, but I could see the barely restrained grin under them as I glared back at her cyan friend.

All thoughts were interrupted as the cold slime hit my back. "Ah! That stuff is really cold!" I whined, shivering slightly despite my attempts to stay still.

"Oh, you poor thing. You just got out of the warm water, too! I'm sorry," Fluttershy cooed softly, looking extremely sympathetic as she sat up in front of me. "Here, this might warm you up a little."

Before I could even react, she leaned forward and buried my entire face in the crook of her neck, against her left shoulder. Warm, buttercup yellow fur flooded my vision, accompanied by a gentle flowery smell that was absolutely delightful. She herself pushed her muzzle into the mirrored location on me, folding her left wing over my head and ears. Well, she was right about it warming me up. I rapidly felt the blood flood into my cheeks as her mane shadowed out the ceiling light as well.

"Is, um, is it helping?" she asked timidly, a few seconds later. Being pretty much rendered mute and paralyzed, I barely managed a nod of affirmation. Suddenly I was really happy I was facing away from Twilight. She was probably giving my flanks a death glare now. A bit paradoxical, but I'd given up trying to figure the mare out. Females were confusing.

Thankfully the gel stuff started to rapidly warm up. Was there some sort of heating agent in it? "Oh, actually, it's getting nice and warm now. That feels kind of good," I informed quietly. It was a fully welcome, yet very much new sensation to feel Fluttershy smile against my neck. Although I was starting to feel a little guilty. I definitely didn't want to hurt Twilight's feelings.

"Is it supposed to get warm, Rarity?" the aforementioned lavender unicorn asked, sounding intrigued. Well, curious meant Twilight wasn't angry. I'd never seen her both angry and curious at the same time!

"I'm actually not sure. I've never had to use this new formula yet," Rarity returned, sounding interested. The gel got even warmer, and I wondered if it was supposed to compliment some sort of massage technique or similar. Rarity seemed to like that sort of thing, so she probably was interested in using it on herself later, I guessed.

The only problem was that it didn't stop heating up. I frowned as it started to get a little on the uncomfortable side, and questioned, "Uh, is it supposed to stop heating up at some point?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight questioned with a slightly confused sounding inflection behind me.

"Well, uh," I started to voice, when my nose picked up an odd smell. Something was burning. The heat along my back magnified, and I finally risked a glance backwards, apparently just in time to see a light smoke start to come up off my fur. Oh. I was burning.

My voice devolved into panicked whimpering as I locked up, completely unsure of what to do. "Water! Wash it off!" I managed to yelp, not wanting to leap out of the tub and spray the stuff all over my friends. Oh, and Rarity's floor. She'd probably murder me out of principle.

Twilight looked surprised and started to open her mouth, horn lighting up. Pinkie beat everypony to the punch, however, yelling out "I know!" before violently kicking the side of the tub with both of her back hooves. Oh crap.

Rarity barely managed to leap out of the way, and Fluttershy made a panicked squeak as I was torn sideways with the tipping of the tub. I hit the bathroom floor first, and was washed over momentarily by the soapy water before the tub flipped completely and landed on top of me. Unfortunately, Pinkie's violent kick had ensured that a great deal of water was still in the tub, and the slow leak around the edges of the tub and floor didn't prevent me from suddenly finding myself submerged in the water.

The soap burned into my eyes instantly, causing a garbled scream as I slammed them shut in pain. Screaming underwater isn't the most effective. That's when I realized that the soap in the water was what was reacting to the tonic Rarity had put on me. The water started to heat up as well, bringing back a familiar sizzling sensation along all of my skin this time. Damn it.

"Pinkie!" I heard both Rainbow and Rarity scream in an echoed fashion outside of my prison of agony. Rainbow?

The tub was kicked off me a second later, allowing the water to release instantly across the entirety of the bathroom floor. I gasped for air, unable to see anything at all. The smells of burning fur and now identified acid hit my nose along with the sizzling sound. I heard somepony slam the bathroom window open a second later. My guesses were on Twilight, who probably realized the fumes were potentially poisonous.

"Horse apples! Hang on, Mender!" Dash shouted from practically on top of me, it sounded like. Two hooves latched onto my sides and I was yanked backwards, giving a yelp. We hit open air suddenly, and I felt the breeze of outside along my burning skin.

Then both of us landed in water, somehow.

---

That was how I became furless. At least I'm told that I have no fur. Rarity sounded hysterical when she had told me, so it was probably true. Although she could also be upset over her probably badly burned, stained bathroom floor. Both probably caused that reaction, I decided.

"Ugh, hold still, Mender. I'm trying to fix your skin," Twilight reminded nonchalantly. Considering it was my skin and I very much felt it, I didn't think the reminder was needed. Still, her regenerative magic didn't exactly feel like a massage this time around.

"I'm so going to need a bigger banner," Pinkie groaned from somewhere to my left.

Rarity gave a weary sigh in front of me, but a few meters away. I think we were in her living room, although I only had their word for it. "I'm going to need a new bathroom floor after this. Zecora could have warned me that the new formula doesn't get along with conditioner well," the white unicorn complained.

"Relax. I'm going to need new hooves after this! They're still orange," Dash griped from behind me, sounding closer than she was in the bathroom.

A sting of sympathy went through me in that regard. "Thank you again, Rainbow," I muttered quietly, not bothering to move my head. It wasn't like I knew exactly where she was anyway. Looking in the wrong direction was liable to be embarrassing.

There was a definite pause before a light sigh sounded out. "I wasn't gonna let you just lie there, burning. We're both lucky the rain barrel was right outside," she returned, sounding somber.

"I thank you as well, Rainbow. That was very brave. You could have been hurt by the acid as well," Twilight chimed in, seemingly finishing my lower back and moving on to my flanks. At least I assumed she had finished it, as I could feel something apart from agony from the area, now.

"Aww, stop it. No need to get all mushy on me," the cyan mare groaned, sounding embarrassed. I smirked lightly as I could almost feel her blush from here. Then I realized that Twilight thanked her for saving me. Twilight was slowly getting past what happened, it felt like.

Pinkie let out another whine again, adding, "I'm going to throw both of you a really awesome party after this! I really don't like hurting my friends."

"You had the best of intentions, dear. You simply didn't know the soap was what was causing it. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Rarity assured warmly.

As much as I wished it hadn't happened in the first place, I had to nod in agreement. "She's right, Pinkie. You didn't know," I tacked on, ignoring the subtle stinging sensation.

Something warm and with actual fur hugged me around the neck as I rested on my stomach. "You're just too nice, Mender! I promise that I'm going to really make this up to you," Pinkie insisted from a few inches away. I was cold without fur, so I wasn't about to protest her hugging me. That and I was more than a little fond of the pink mare. She really grew on me after awhile, even if she was a little on the hyper and clumsy side.

"Mmm, you're warm," I muttered quietly and in a raspy tone, having not realized exactly how nice it was to have fur. My throat gave its complaints at my use, but I hardly cared. There was a momentary pause and I felt the pony hugging me tense slightly. I let out a tiny shiver as she withdrew slightly, the cold air silently assaulting my now hyper-sensitive skin.

A light giggle, starting to sound like Pinkie as she got back to normal again. "Oh, without your fur, you're cold! Poor little guy," she swooned playfully. I couldn't argue with her, despite how the adjectives were vaguely undesirable. It must be hardwired into the male brain to dislike the word 'little', I realized.

"Rainbow! We need to warm Mender up. Wanna help with your big, soft wings?" the mare asked a second later, leaning back down and holding my head again.

"Aww, why can't Fluttershy-" Rainbow started, before hesitating and grinding to a halt before continuing, "Oh yeah, she left. Ugh. I guess I can, but it's kinda mushy."

A soft, familiar feeling body rested into my back hesitantly a moment late. That was far faster than it should have taken Rainbow to get over to me, however. There was an almost tactile silence as the soft, warm fur slipped up my back and ended in two legs gently wrapping around my chest. The sensation felt familiar, somehow.

"Whoa, Twilight?" Pinkie asked hesitantly after several awkward moments passed. Twilight?! I tensed up and tried to look behind me, before realizing how stupid that was.

A pause. "Yes, Pinkie?" the lavender unicorn in question asked from directly next to my ear. Oh dear. It was indeed Twilight who was residing on my back. Mixed emotions assaulted me, but she was oh so warm and soft.

"Weren't you two mad at each other? But now you're holding him!" the pink one pointed out in an extremely obvious yet self-aware manner. How she said it so we knew she was aware that it was obvious, I have no idea.

A gentle cough sounded from behind Pinkie, followed by, "That is an extremely blunt question, Pinkie. Perhaps we shouldn't pry? Although certainly, if you require our aid to talk things out, we'll obviously be here for you." Rarity sounded thoughtful, but more than a little curious as well. I recalled that she did love to gossip, but doubted she'd let it overwhelm her sense of propriety.

"I'm surprised she doesn't mind that he's all furless and diced up. With all of those scars, it looks like he got stuck in a blender," Rainbow chipped in, adding a light snicker after.

"Rainbow! That's a little rude. I don't mind what he looks like. He'll always be Mender to me," Twilight defended, and I felt her hooves hook together under my chest, letting her squeeze me lightly from above.

A light warmth shot through me, and I felt the telltale heat drifting into my cheeks. Pinkie started giggling merrily, and I realized that my blush was probably quite a bit more pronounced without any fur to hide it.

"Oh, that's very noble of you, Twilight. I happen to agree as well. It doesn't hurt that scars are somewhat appealing to me, though. Each one says something about the pony they belong to, telling a strong history," Rarity agreed in her usual sophistication, but sounding a little strange. There was something to her tone that I couldn't place.

"Yeah! Scars mean you're super tough and have lived through lots. They're kinda sexy, right Dashie?" Pinkie asked, causing me to blush even more.

This conversation, regardless of my taking part in it in the first place, was getting more than a little embarrassing. Rainbow let out an awkward sounding, "Mmph" noise, and then remained silent.

"Oooh, she thinks so too!" Pinkie cooed, sounding a little more pleased than she should, probably.

"Pinkie!" Dash berated, sounding a little annoyed this time.

It didn't matter as the conversation was thankfully interrupted before it could spiral out of control. A light squeaking noise, sounding remarkably like a certain timid pegasus I knew, sounded throughout my head as I heard a door open up. "I'm back. I have the two ointments, Twilight," Fluttershy announced from somewhere far behind me, sounding a little flustered. Probably the main entrance, if I remembered what the inside of the building looked like still. There was that strange sensation again. Focusing a little harder this time, I suddenly saw the faint image of an almost spilt bag of supplies and a buttercup yellow hoof extending out quickly to catch them, just in time. What was that?!

"I, um, think I got everything. Hard and soft tissue treatment for both hooves and eyes, skin salve, throat syrup, and stain cleaner. Uh, for Rarity's bathroom of course. I hope it helps," the timid yellow pegasus informed, landing somewhere near me. I decided that yet again, this wasn't the best place to ask her about the effect.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver, dear! I'll save the bathroom for later. Mender and Rainbow are the highest priority right now," Rarity decreed.

Twilight nodded against me, gently explaining, "It would be a good idea to let the fumes clear out up there anyway. I'm not sure what they'd do to a pony if breathed in." Oh, acid. I forgot about that. Actually, I was kind of lucky it wasn't any more potent than it turned out to be.

"It's just my hooves. Take care of Mender first. He hurts, can barely talk, and is blind as a bat," Rainbow requested gently as I heard Fluttershy start to unpack things next to my head.

Fluttershy let out a soft giggle next to me that was extremely pleasing to the ears before commenting, "That's very kind of you, Rainbow. Still, getting yours set up while Mender's eyes heal won't be any trouble at all. You just need to soak your hooves in this stuff."

Fluttershy always had everypony's best interest in mind. She was so sweet like that. Although my anger was fading now and I was starting to also remember why I liked Twilight as well. Even though she could freak out big time and be a little unreasonable, she still cared deeply for her friends.

"Mmm, take your time. He makes a decent pillow," Twilight murmured lazily right into my ear. I smirked. Of course, her caustic wit at this point was something of an endearment. She's grown on me, and we really do share a lot in common.

"Is that what they call it now?" Rainbow teased, confusing me a little. Call what now?

Twilight groaned and, in lieu of answering, buried her face into the nape of my neck. I blushed lightly but didn't move, simply letting her rest there. I heard movement in front of me at the same time. Pinkie's skin contact left and was replaced by nothing but the chilly air. I didn't have to wait long however, before somepony started gently removing the wrap around my eyes. A soft, flowery scent wafted into my nose and I smiled. "Fluttershy," I whispered, voice unable to go much higher due to increased pain.

"Oh!" she spoke, sounding startled before asking, "How did you know it was me?"

Pinkie gasped almost instantly before I could so much as think, questioning, "Did you get your sight back? Can you see what I'm doing?!" I then heard the distinct sound of her tongue sticking out, as if she were at the doctor's office or something.

"Pinkie, his eyes are closed," Fluttershy pointed out weakly, probably not being heard over Pinkie's ridiculous 'Ah!' sound.

"She's sticking her tongue out. Oh, and you're the only one who smells like fresh cut flowers," I explained simply, still smiling.

"Oh, um, I see," Fluttershy whispered quietly, pausing again in the removal of my bandages. I didn't need to see to guess fairly accurately that she was blushing. Even just in my imagination, it was adorable! I smiled wider as she stopped.

"You're such a sweet talker. The most charming part is, I don't suspect that you're aware of it," Twilight mumbled into my ear, earning a giggle from Fluttershy. Wait, sweet talker? Wasn't that somepony who uses false praise to get something? But Fluttershy really did smell like flowers! It wasn't like I was lying.

"He's just honest, dear. Possibly too honest for his own good, in some cases. I'm honestly surprised Applejack hit it off the worst with him," Rarity continued as Fluttershy took my eye wrappings off. Blotches of light greeted me through my yet closed eyelids. I knew that it was significantly less than what it should be given Rarity's well-lit rooms.

A quiet, yet sharp intake sounded from the mare right in front of me. I swallowed wearily. There was no feeling coming from my eyes, and I felt them almost glued shut by something. They probably didn't look all that healthy. I felt for Fluttershy. She was such a gentle soul, but she had to see some truly terrible injuries. The only reason I could see for her having the medicine in the first place is that she's had to deal with this in her animals before.

"It's not good. The medicine will numb them and help heal, but without magic..." Fluttershy assessed softly. I felt a warm hoof brush along my left temple, probably cleaning the skin a little.

Twilight leaned forwards on me and let out a giggle. "That's what I'm here for, Fluttershy. It's okay. I'm sure he'll recover fully," she assured gently. More for Fluttershy than myself, it sounded. There was no direct reply. She probably nodded or something. Regardless, I felt her tilt my head up and simply let her do whatever.

"This might hurt, but I need you to open your eyes to get the medicine in them. The liquid will make them feel better, so it will only hurt for a couple seconds. I'm sorry..." Fluttershy requested timidly.

"I understand," I managed to rasp out before gathering my legs under me. I didn't want to accidentally hit anypony if I jerked. Not that I was looking forward to the pain, but some things are just unavoidable.

Gritting my teeth together as firmly as I could, I yanked open my eyes with as much speed as I could muster. The blotches of light immediately shifted to blotches of color. After that, all I saw was agony. I didn't even know one could see agony! My breathing snagged on the intake, making me dizzy when combined with the twin spears of pain that just smashed into my skull. The distinctive metallic taste drifted at the corners of my tongue at the same time that all the blood seemingly drained out of my head.

Then Fluttershy hit me with the medicine. At first, all it did was make me give a raspy yelp and flinch away. Mere seconds later, however, it just stopped. The pain vanished possibly faster than it arrived. Then I realized that I actually couldn't feel my eyes at all. It was an exceedingly strange sensation, beaten only by the fact that I still could only see splotches of color, even though I knew my eyes were open.

"Does it hurt now? I can put more in if you need it!" Fluttershy quickly offered, gently shifting me back into a lying position. After a momentary assessment, I decided that I actually couldn't feel a majority of my face, and shook my head softly to decline her offer.

"I'll take over then, Fluttershy. Give him a little of the throat medicine, then help Rainbow?" Twilight suggested gently, probably more to assure her that I didn't need any more of the eye stuff. Twilight shifted in front of me then and switched with Fluttershy, from what I could feel.

I was distracted shortly thereafter by a warm cup being pressed to my lip. A thermos? "I mixed it up while I was there. It's best when mixed in tea, I discovered. Oh, um, if you don't like tea, I can go back home and mix it into something else, of course! It's just what I use for sore throats when I'm not feeling well and, um…" the shy pegasus started to explain before trailing off.

I gave her my best warm smile before shaking my head and accepting the cup. It was surprisingly good, I decided after a few sips. I'd never had much tea before, but she could definitely give Rarity's a run for her bits. It was smooth and had a light minty aftertaste that covered up the normally bitter tang. If there was medicine in it, I certainly couldn't taste it. Moments later, I realized further that there was indeed medicine in it, as my throat went pleasantly numb.

My expression must have been that of happiness, as Fluttershy let out a pleased squeak a moment later. I smiled again and nodded to the yellow mare. "That will help numb your throat, and contains a healing mixture to repair. Zecora is really good at making potions, despite, um, your bad experiences. Please don't be upset with her," she timidly requested.

"Yeah! It was totally my fault that you got too much truth serum. Oh, and got coated in acid. Oh yeah, and the kicking your leg thing. I'm gonna need a bigger banner!" the energetic pink one suddenly declared, sounding as if making a mental note to herself. Oddly, even when sounding guilty, she didn't lose a drop of her normal energy. It kind of made me wonder when and how she actually recovered it all. Did she go home at night and crash in the most epic fashion I could ever witness? There was indeed something to be said about giving your all to everything, if so. It was a little depressing if you thought too hard about it. Kind of like my battalion's motto that I vaguely remembered. Translated, it was something akin to 'Live Free, Die Hard', if I recalled correctly. Although fairly accurate, as we were dumped on the front lines most of the time, if my most recent flashback was to be believed.

The sudden magical current running through the front of my face snapped me out of my dour mental monologue almost instantly, thankfully. I blinked with neither sight nor feeling, a little concerned for what was happening. I assumed Twilight was the cause of the sudden, strange sensation, but then I remembered what usually happened when I assumed something. Thankfully, she explained it shortly after beginning.

"I've never healed something as fragile or complex as eyes before, so I don't trust myself to do it properly the first time. Instead, I'm relying on the slow regeneration the potion Fluttershy gave you bestows, and then accelerating the process," the amazingly brilliant unicorn explained. Well, she'd deny that herself, probably, but I certainly thought so. It really meant something that she wasn't willing to reduce me to an experiment when it really mattered. What Dash had said earlier came to mind again. She really did seem to honestly care for me, even if both of us sometimes forget that. I suppose fights are inevitable, even in the best of relationships. Which means we should expect a lot of them.

Rainbow snickered immediately. "Wow. You just said something that I actually could follow this time," she praised, with no small hinting of sarcasm.

Pinkie giggled at the undertones before asking, "But he'll be super duper fine after this, right? He'll get his sight back? Seeing things is important!" There was the slightest hinting of hysteria at the back of her voice, which was actually kind of disturbing the longer I thought about it. I couldn't imagine Pinkie being serious to any degree without involving the destruction of the world, or something of similar effect.

"Well, in theory. Restoration of chemical burns to tender skin has been done before, but I don't recall any cases where the eyes were involved. So far, the only notable cases involved horns, noses, a few examples of wing tissue, and in one unfortunate event, male genitalia." Twilight paused there, and I felt a shudder in her magical current that oddly matched the one going down my spine. I didn't even want to know how that happened.

Pinkie continued, oblivious of course. "So it will work on his eyes?!" she asked again, a little more frantically this time.

Twilight sighed and focused more energy into my skull. I hope I didn't get some sort of magical brain tumor or something. "I don't know, Pinkie. It should and has a high probability of working, but it's never been done before," she reiterated.

"Relax, Pinks. Mender's one tough stallion. He'll be fine," Rainbow assured calmly, expressing a great deal of faith in me yet again. Well, she was definitely living up to her reputation. I'd never had somepony show such loyalty and faith in me. Well, to my knowledge anyway. I couldn't help but blush a little, somewhat unsure of how to handle such an expression.

"Okay, Rainbow, here you go," Fluttershy suddenly whispered from a little ways behind me and to the left. Whoa! I hadn't even realized that she left. I guess there were perks to being quiet all the time. She'd make a wicked assassin. A heartbeat went by, then I reconsidered. No, she'd probably be the worst assassin in the universe. Followed very closely by myself. She'd decide to rehabilitate the target until they were a functioning member of society again, and I'd trip and fall on my weapon during my first mission.

"Uh, and all I have to do is put my hooves in this? I really don't like my hooves touched!" Rainbow inquired, sounding a bit flustered. I was intrigued, but decided against saying anything. As defenseless as I was at the moment, tempting fate just seemed extra stupid in this case. I can't make it too easy.

"I'm sure, Rainbow. This will heal the outer layer of your hooves that got burned, turning them the odd color," Fluttershy explained. It suddenly dawned on me that the timid yellow pegasus actually knew quite a bit about medicine and treating injuries. She explained things simply, however, so far showing no need to boast about the knowledge. I made a mental note to hopefully remember to ask her about her knowledge later.

Idly, I wondered what Rarity and Pinkie were doing while I waited. I picked up snickering and a few whispers, but it seemingly moved to the other room. Her kitchen, if I recall? Knowing Rarity, they were gossiping or something. Ah well. The constant current of magic running through my face and head was starting to actually get a little relaxing, and I felt myself slowly getting sleepier and sleepier. It had been a long day, seeming as if the day before just bled into it in one long jumble. I doubted that the sleep I got last night was all that restful, if I was truly asleep in the first place. Coma, came to mind instead.

A light humming noise from Twilight snapped me out of it. Instinctively, I looked up at her before remembering that I couldn't see. Then I surprised the hell out of myself by seeing a fuzzy, lavender blur instead of almost nothing. "This is strange. It was supposed to speed up the recovery, but this is almost too fast. Plus the effected zones of the tonic are far too spread out to be standard deviation," the unicorn muttered, almost to herself as I saw her lean in for closer examination, the purple, fuzzy glow from her horn flaring up.

"That wasn't in the other cases?" I asked quietly, voice already feeling better from the medicine. Of course, the other cases probably didn't involve an extradimensional traveler. I really don't like to consider it, but I'm probably a fairly unique case in Equestria. I think.

She smiled, but shook her head. "Not exactly. I mean, the magical healing mixes well with the potion effects, but this is almost as if your eyes are taking advantage of the potion effects themselves and forcing the recovery even faster. They're reacting very strangely."

"Maybe because I'm not originally from Equestria?" I suggested, delighted in the fact that I could see her now when I looked up.

"It could be that your genetic makeup is different from ours, although this seems almost intentional on your body's part. I take it you can see me again, as your pupils are tracking my motions?" she observed, peeking down at me again.

I smiled wider and nodded. Hers became a grin, and then she surprised me by looking around carefully, to each side of herself. I glanced about too, wondering what she was looking for. Fluttershy was to my right now, smiling gently at me as well. Dash was close to her, looking back and forth between myself and her hooves that were stuck in a small, purple tub in front of her. That was undoubtedly the mixture Fluttershy brought. Seemingly nothing out of the ordinary in the situation that Twilight would be interested in, I decided. Well, nothing out of the ordinary apart from the various injuries we all had.

Then I realized what Twilight was looking for when she nodded to herself and leaned down further. Oh, she was looking for observers. Specific observers it would seem. There was no further time for realizations before she lightly kissed me directly on the muzzle, pushing against me warmly but not forcefully. What had I done to deserve this?!

"I'm glad you're back as well," she whispered, a few seconds later upon breaking the kiss. "Please don't run away again?" Fluttershy now sported a light blush, and Dash was grinning at us. I smiled softly up at her, noticing a warm blush similar to the one I felt on my own cheeks.

"Are Mender's eyes about done, if I may ask?" Rarity inquired, sounding as if she was a mere few feet behind Twilight. Twilight leapt back and away as if burned, blush magnifying a few fold.

It took her a few tries, but she nodded rapidly. "He's definitely healing up. Uh, yeah, totally healing up nicely!" she assured, a little too abruptly for her own good.

The white unicorn gave her a slightly skeptical glance, but nodded politely, seemingly deciding not to ask about it. "Well, regardless, I have retrieved the hair regrowth tonic from upstairs. The bathroom isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I'd like to treat Mender's condition first. He simply can't go outside like he is!" Rarity declared, looking a little frightening again. I shrank down slightly, but reminded myself that Twilight would stop her short of killing me. I hoped.

"Relax, Mender. You're thoroughly cleansed of the soap that caused it before. It should work perfectly fine this time," Twilight assured, blush finally fading a little bit.

Looking back over at Rarity, I saw that she was already putting away the vile jug again. Even though it was a little fuzzy still, I could tell that smell from anywhere now that it was thoroughly engrained in my memory. Sighing, I realized that I wasn't going to be given a choice in the matter.

Rainbow's snickering sent a pulse of irritation down my back. "Come on, Mender. Worst case scenario, I have to dump you back into a rain barrel. Ya don't want to look all pink and fleshy until your fur grows back, do ya?" she reasoned bluntly.

Shaking my head wearily, I finally gave in and sighed. "Fine. Just try to hurry, because that stuff is cold," I whined. I might as well get this over with. Rarity gave a somewhat overzealous grin before bringing the jug over my back.

---

That was how I became a four foot wide furball. With a deadpan, mildly annoyed expression, I sat there on my haunches as Rarity did her best to fend the fur away from my face and eyes with deft use of three pairs of scissors at once. I was a little apprehensive with that many sharp, moving objects drifting around my head, but I suppose it was better than suffocating.

"The more I consider it, the more I think that I might have used slightly too much tonic," Rarity deduced dryly, giving the top of my head a shave again, only to have the bottom start to regrow into the spot she just cleared.

"You don't say?" Twilight questioned sarcastically, watching the white unicorn work from a good two meters away, as if concerned the fur would lash out at any moment and attack her.

Rainbow, of course, was still laughing. She had rolled off the couch a couple of minutes ago, but it didn't really faze her much. She continued laughing hysterically and occasionally getting another look at me.

Pinkie was still on the couch, smiling warmly towards me. I was honestly surprised she hadn't had the same enthusiasm as her cyan friend. She'd laughed a little when I started rapidly becoming the world's largest duster, but simply seemed happy at this point. I kept occasionally glancing at her to make sure there were no surprises coming my way, but she only perked and gave me a nod each time I did so. Which meant she was continuously staring at me the entire time. I found that to be a little more unnerving than if she were laughing.

Fluttershy was drifting around in the air above me still. She wielded the largest comb Rarity owned, and was continuously attempting to ensure that my newly acquired fur didn't become one massive knot. I was extremely thankful for that, as Rarity might be encouraged to attack it with extreme prejudice.

Twilight shook her head again, giving me a light smile before going back to her strange construction project in front of her. I actually didn't know why she was still hanging around, having occasionally complained that she really should be working on the Everfree Forest Analysis job. She seemed absorbed in her current project, however. She'd taken two of the cardboard cores from Rarity's fabric rolls and merged them together using magic. They now formed a crude, upside down 'Y' shape. I had honestly no idea what she was planning on doing with it.

"Oh thank Celestia. I think it's finally slowing down some. Now all we need to do is trim and style it, and you'll be right back to normal!" she assured, suddenly looking proud of herself. I remained healthily skeptical with an expression of stoic irritation. Technically, this was all her fault to begin with, for the most part. She was the one who went compulsive on my fur. I could hardly hold it against Pinkie, who was only trying to save me.

"Oh, we're going to style it, too? Isn't that strange for a stallion?" Fluttershy asked timidly, halting momentarily over my head. It was? Wait, what were they going to 'style' it as?!

Rarity gently scoffed at the idea, waving her hoof in the air as if to dismiss it. "Nonsense, my dear. There are many styles that a stallion may apply that can make them look simply dashing! Have you seen that kind Dr. Whooves walking about town? Such a sophisticated look could really help Mender impress the mares!"

I gave her another glare before asking, "What if I don't want to impress the mares, Rarity?" Twilight would probably kill me if I even looked like I was vaguely considering it, after all.

Rarity gave a blank look before smiling politely back at me. "Well, I'm sure the stallions would also appreciate an air of sophistication," she returned with no hesitation whatsoever. Rainbow laughed even harder.

I sighed wearily and slapped my forehead with a hoof. Or tried too, until I realized I couldn't lift my foreleg up that far with all of the fur in the way. "Look, I already feel badly enough for all of your generosity. All of you have been treating me really well, and I don't have a single thing I can repay you with!" I protested, settling for stomping my hoof on the ground instead.

"Really nice except for that whole acid thing, the potion poisoning, the leg kicking, the multiple concussions, lacerations, and general injuries..." Twilight started listing. I was about to protest further when I noticed she'd lined one end of the tube she made up with my face. My eyes widened instead.

"Don't forget the mental trauma, dear," Rarity amended, a hinting of irritation in her voice before shaking her head. Twilight shot her a rather caustic glare. "Besides, Mender, I don't believe you fully understand exactly how much you're saving my career by agreeing to this little soiree. Potentially importing my designs to Canterlot via multiple important and wealthy ponies? For the price of one suit? I'm not even considering that I'm taking up your time for a day and a half to two days! Truly, I should be paying you, Mender!" she further explained, sounding just a little hysterical towards the end. I found it a little hard to believe that not arriving with the guest requested on her invitation would honestly make her look that bad, but she was the expert, not I.

I suddenly tried not to chuckle. Yeah, Mender, you definitely aren't an expert at social situations! Whap! A small, rubber ball skipped off my muzzle and bounced across the floor. I was momentarily stunned before skeptically glancing back over at Twilight. She was oddly taking notes in a notepad that I hadn't seen her carrying prior. The tiny bouncy ball was caught out of the air with her magic as she lined it up in her slanted tube again. Wait, why was she doing this? I glanced at the 'Y' fork and raised an eyebrow. Okay, so it had a fifty-fifty chance of hitting me.

"Oooh, it's long enough to braid, Rarity! He looks so cute," Fluttershy suddenly announced, snapping me out of my curiosity with a replaced sensation of dread.

Glancing back as best as I could, I saw that she had stopped combing me now and was unfortunately braiding my fur along the side of my head. My ears drooped as I felt what little there was left of my dignity slipping away.

"Oh, he looks simply darling! Maybe I won't trim his mane as much if you're going to do that instead," Rarity agreed in a whimsical tone. She totally ignored my death glare, of course. Fluttershy may have been off limits for my irritation, but I held nothing back for the others.

Rarity gave me a knowing smile as Fluttershy squeaked and went to work braiding with a slightly surprising level of enthusiasm. Crap. Well, she seemed to really want to do it, so how was I supposed to say no? The adorable yellow mare hummed pleasingly as she flitted about above.

Thankfully, the pearly white unicorn started to make headway as the tonic undoubtedly wore off. Another ball skipped off my face followed by more furious scribbling sounds, but I simply ignored it this time. Twilight seemed interested in the results as she peered at her notepad. Changing things up a bit, she shifted the contraption to the right so that the other end lined up with me instead.

Whap. So far she was scoring a hundred percent, as the ball took the other path and managed to hit me yet again. She frowned and recorded the results before trying once again. Seeing a pattern forming, I was a little amused when she got frustrated and flipped it over to the other side. What, was she worried about defects in the cardboard? After six more tests with both ends, and twelve more collisions with my head, I saw her start to get a slightly crazed look in her eyes. "I don't understand! Why is this happening?!" she asked in obvious frustration. What part of the universe hating me did she not get?

Rainbow, who had been watching the entire time, started to snicker before asking, "What are you doing, trying to find a measurement of how much gravity hates him?" I rolled my eyes, blaming her for secretly stealing my thought, no matter how true it might have been.

Twilight didn't respond the way I thought she would, though. In fact, she didn't respond at all for a good ten seconds or so. Even Rainbow went from smirking to curious, to looking slightly worried. "Wait, gravity? You might just have something there, Rainbow!" she suddenly exclaimed, whipping back around to face me and launching the cardboard construction halfway through the spin.

I gave her an uneasy grimace. "What do you mean, gravity? You're not going to throw me off a building or something, are you?" I questioned. It might have been a mildly paranoid guesstimate, but sometimes having a healthy air of caution was useful!

She momentarily scowled before playfully batting me on the nose. "Relax, Mender. I told you that I wasn't going to hurt you anymore, and I meant it. Gravity isn't something I had considered, though. It's unlikely, as in order to have the required gravitational pull to manipulate something already containing inertia, you'd require a huge amount of mass, but it's worth a few tests, right?" she reasoned. Wait, was she seriously suggesting that I had a gravitational field strong enough to draw things towards me, to effect things that were not only inside of an atmosphere but already acting under its own inertia? The pure calculation escaped me at the moment, but even with some generous rounding, I doubted that was possible. Unless she was considering magical means, of course.

Eh, what the heck? If the experiments were as mundane as bouncing a rubber ball off my head, I wasn't all that concerned. Yeah, I'd probably live to regret that thought. Maybe. I nodded nervously, and Twilight let out a squeal of delight.

"Yes! I've been wanting to test the source of your seemingly insurmountable bad luck since meeting you! This is gonna be great! Hurry up, Rarity. Mender and I need to get back to the library for some experiments." She hopped lightly on her hooves while going on about it, and I sighed. Her version of 'great' seemed to significantly differ from mine. Sure, it would be nice to quantify so I knew what to avoid, but the process of getting there was liable to be painful, knowing the aspect of what we were testing. How else would one test 'bad luck' without subjecting the participant to events which could go horribly, horribly wrong?

"Twilight dear, weren't you supposed to examine those things brought back from the forest? I hate to spoil your fun, of course, but you mustn't keep the Princesses waiting," Rarity reminded in a rather profoundly proper tone. It was probably to my benefit that she had.

Twilight stopped bouncing and sighed wearily. "Yeah, I know. I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to properly identify the creature," she explained, energy seemingly leaking out of her at an alarming rate.

"It might be a mutation. You should take potential variances into consideration," I suggested after a few seconds' consideration. My voice sounded strange to me for a moment, in a detached sort of way. There was the brief flickering of bodies strewn out before me, gaping burn holes seared into their flesh and horrible disfigurations present across their entire forms. The image was gone and instant later, and I realized once again that it was a memory. We had been familiar with mutations as well, it would seem. But the situation itself with no context didn't say much. Who was responsible for the mutations; us or the Grosh? Hopefully I would never find out.

"I never thought two ponies could say so much, yet so little at the same time," Dash muttered, smirking again at the two of us.

Twilight rolled her eyes again, but wore a smile this time. "Oh hush. You're probably right. I shouldn't doubt that I did the calculations wrong after I re-checked them all night. It could be a significant mutation to a manticore. The claws are very wrong, though," Twilight explained, agreeing with me for the first time in a while now.

Rarity, who was down to my shoulders now with her trimming, smiled and nodded to her in assurance. "Of course, I have no doubt that you'll reach the right conclusion, Twilight. I have the utmost faith in you, and it's obvious that the town, and even the Princesses do as well. Even if you can't identify it exactly, giving a detailed explanation of what you have discovered would be invaluable, no?" Rarity reasoned calmly, which was a little surprising given the topic. One would think a resident in the town threatened would want a more definite solution to the state of emergency. Yet the white unicorn seemed the epitome of calmness and tranquility. Ironically, she threw more of a fuss over my traumatized fur than potential mortal danger in the forest.

Twilight smiled pleasantly at her friend, giving a gentle nod in return. At this point, however, I really had to ask. "You seem really calm, Rarity. Shouldn't you be more concerned with the danger in the forest? That there might be danger to yourself or those you love? That, uh, I haven't seen Pinkie Pie for a good fifteen minutes?" I questioned, changing my flow halfway through as I looked around in realization. Wasn't the pink pony just on the couch next to me?! Glancing about, I confirmed my fears in that she was now entirely absent.

Rarity banished all doubts with an amazingly feminine giggle. "Truly, you are a Gentlecolt to be concerned for my feelings, but a Lady simply must remain composed and dignified at all times. Sure, I'm concerned about the forest, but I must remain calm to deal with it. Oh, and Pinkie wandered back into the kitchen to say something, but left through the kitchen window a few seconds before I returned, parting not but with a sudden gasp," Rarity spoke softly, brushing her mane smoothly out of her eyes. Why the window?!

Rainbow perked up from her hoof bath, both ears twitching slightly. "Ooh, something tells me another party is coming up, then. Finally! All this stress and work makes me really want to kick back and relax," she lazily exclaimed, drooping her head in a tired looking manner.

"Regardless, I don't think anypony needs to worry about it. No matter what I can identify it as, it will only go as far as to let everypony know what to look for. The Princess will probably decide to send a group of hunters to try to capture the creature," Twilight furthered, nodding softly to herself while looking just as tired as before.

Rarity nodded sympathetically before suggesting, "All the better to get it out of your mind sooner rather than later, Dear. We can make sure Mender gets returned to you after he's properly maintained." The whimsical, nonchalant manner in which she referenced me as an item was both shocking and depressing at the same time. Didn't I get a say in this? I distinctly remembered Rainbow's advice this morning about possibly not staying with Twilight anymore.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll see you later today, Mender. Try to arrive intact, this time," the lavender mare requested as she slowly stood up again and shook herself while stretching. Exhaling quietly after I realized I wasn't going to be spared from the braiding or humiliation, I slowly lowered myself into a lying position. Might as well be as comfortable as possible while being psychologically tormented.

"Worry not. We'll make sure nothing happens to the dear," Rarity assured merrily, lightly trimming along my back now.

Twilight gave a nod, then a final smile towards me before heading towards the door.

In all honesty, I really didn't like daytime. There were numerous reasons, but a select few came to mind right away. Squinting from the glare, I slowly made my way towards the giant tree near the center of town. The Sun hadn't set yet and was at that frustratingly annoying angle where it partially blinded you when looking a certain direction. I certainly didn't need any help being blinded right now! The heat was stifling at the moment as well, given my longer than average coat. Rarity wasn't able to fully complete her trimming after Sweetie Belle and crew stormed into the place chirping about a slumber party. It had been a nightmare.

"Why are you so fluffy?" "Aww, you're adorable!" "Yer lookin' ah little haggard there." All three fillies seemed to think something different about my look. Well, actually I think Apple Bloom was more commenting on my expression than anything. That didn't stop Sweetie Belle from pouncing on me and using me as a makeshift teddy bear.

Apparently it was hard to cut my fur with her clinging to me, so now I was a little more, well, fuzzy than usual. Fluffy, if you would. Oh, and the part of my mane consisting of my bangs was braided, much to my dismay. Given my lack of a masculine build, I sincerely believed I could pass for a female at the moment, now. Not that current company seemed to mind.

The timid yellow mare walked quietly to my right, in as much of a hurry to reach my destination as I was, which was to say, not at all. Fluttershy seemed withdrawn and distracted, but still maintained a smile on her face. She was quite pretty to look at, and I caught myself peeking over at her more than once. She'd insisted she had nothing further to do today until nighttime. I hadn't questioned her motives further than that. Our eyes met once again and we both blushed, looking away from each other.

I suppose it was still a nice enough day, all things considered. I'd gotten my leg healed and my fur returned to some semblance of normalcy. I'd discovered I had my Cutie Mark, much to the disappointment of the three fillies. I hadn't escaped their wrath flawlessly, and had been forced to promise my time in helping them to acquire theirs as well. It wasn't a pretty memory, and I'd probably suppress it later today. Still, in comparison to my usual days, it was looking up. I hadn't been almost killed or suffered any blunt head trauma yet. The bouncy ball didn't count. I decided to only give credit if the impact was above a certain velocity. Honestly, it was the only way to keep a track record at all.

Fluttershy shifted ever so slightly closer to me as she lowered her head again. I looked back at her hesitantly but she simply looked deep in thought. I kept walking alongside of her for a while longer before the concern finally got the better of me. If she was upset about something, I simply had to do something about it! To get her attention, I closed the half an inch distance between our shoulders and lightly brushed against her.

She started slightly but looked over at me regardless, a light blush forming when she saw me looking back with lightly furrowed brows. "Are you all right, Fluttershy? You seem down," I asked softly.

She momentarily looked surprised, but recovered quickly with a warm smile. "Oh, yes. Thank you for your concern, but I was just thinking," she returned softly after a moment's consideration. While I doubted this was anything out of the ordinary, I was still a little concerned for the already quiet and reserved pegasus.

"About what, if I might ask? I don't like seeing you upset," I inquired as politely as I could manage.

She blushed even further but kept her smile, adding a nod before furthering with, "I don't know why I'm so silly, but I keep thinking about what Twilight and I saw in your memories. It bothers me when I, um, think too much about it." Her revealed thoughts didn't surprise me all that much. I'd suspected that was what she was thinking about.

"You don't have to deal with it all by yourself, you know. Don't be afraid to talk to me about it," I offered, slightly before my brain fully considered the implications of the statement, and I followed up with, "Or any of the girls of course. I'm sure any of them would gladly listen." The last thing I wanted was to have her think I was taking advantage of her or something! Was it too late already?!

Fluttershy watched me carefully, neither suspicion nor true understanding in her eyes. It was unnerving after a second, and panicking after several. I fidgeted, wondering if she thought I was some sort of abuser or something. "Ah, I'm sorry, Fluttershy! I didn't mean for it to sound like that, honest! All I want to do is help you. I'm not trying to take advantage of you or anything and I understand if you're not comfortable," I rapidly backpedaled, hoping it got to her before she jumped to conclusions and panicked.

The buttermilk yellow pegasus momentarily looked surprised before, much to my shock, she started giggling merrily. It was an uncontrolled, pleasant sound to listen to as she shifted to snickering and swaying. "Oh Mender. You'll never change. That's a good thing of course! I wasn't mad at you and I wouldn't dare to consider you taking advantage of me. You're a very kind stallion, which is why I like you," she explained before leaning in and giving me a soft hug.

As surprising as her trust in me was, I still felt relieved that she wasn't mad at me. Exhaling quietly, I rested my forehead against her shoulder. "Thank you again for worrying about me. I'm okay, though. It's just a bit hard to not think about what I saw when around you, still. You're so gentle, it's hard for me to understand how you could come from such a terrible place," she explained, voice rapidly losing confidence the longer she spoke. She shifted and looked down towards the dirt by the end, but still didn't make any attempt to move.

"Just because I was there, didn't mean I agreed with the violence. A lot of soldiers justify the war like that, but others just want to protect those they care about, and the very place they call home," I justified, secretly calling upon the reasons I told myself that I had participated.

She seemed confused and looked back up at me with a slightly tilted head. Her expression shifted to thoughtful a moment later when she asked, "So you joined the war to protect, right? I think I knew that already. What were you trying to protect?"

That was, well, a very good question. I frowned and looked up at the radiant blue sky above us for a moment. Yeah, that was probably it. My eyes got lost in the azure shades and I relaxed, giving the yellow mare a gentle squeeze. "At first I thought it was for family, but I'm not sure I had any. Ultimately, it was the same reason I had when fighting the Grosh most recently. I wanted to protect those I cared for, and all the wonderful ponies that make this place special. The Equestrian way of life, I guess?" I reasoned, surprisingly enough for the first time. I'd not spent much time thinking about that day. Of course, it was kind of a miserable experience. I didn't know anything about this 'hero' thing, but if that was what it took, I'd rather leave the horrible pain and miserable death to somepony else. Of course, it was asked of me at the time so I didn't have a whole lot of choice.

Fluttershy smiled in my silence and nodded, mirroring my earlier pose against my shoulder this time. "That makes me feel better. Even if you, um, hurt things, you did it for a reason you couldn't control, and to protect your way of life from the evil creatures. I just don't know. How did you make it through that and remain so nice?" she questioned again, pushing harder against me and shivering a little.

I frowned, never liking to see her like this, and gave her another reassuring squeeze. "That level of... Well, let's just call it hatred, is definitely not normal. The emotions required to willingly end the life of something else doesn't sit well with me. It never has, I don't think. It's like it's a form of insanity, and I avoid it with all my might. Even on that ship when I was all alone, I still remembered why I was doing everything. It wasn't ever for me. I could only focus on what would happen if I let them figure out how to make a portal here. That was all that justified blowing up the ship. Stopping an evil and selfish creature from hurting everypony I loved. If there were any other way, Fluttershy, I would have taken it. I'm not a hero, and didn't even want to be there, but considering the alternatives..." My rambling died out slowly the tighter her hugging got. At some point, we'd switched places again, and she was back to hugging me.

"Thank you. Just, thank you, Mender. That's what I'd been hoping all along. You aren't what those images hinted at, and that's all that matters. You, well, I'm just glad that you care so much about us. Thank you," she gushed, in her own soft and quiet way. A warm smile decorated her expression, and her gorgeous blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight. I couldn't help but smile as I gazed at her and gave a gentle nod. She was one of the mares I'd give my life to protect, hooves down. Hooves? I was suddenly amused by how I had started to adapt the vocabulary into my very thoughts.

All amusement slipped and fell off the proverbial cliff as she leaned up suddenly and gave me a timid peck on my cheek. My eyes widened and I felt the fiery magma sensation explode into my face as I tried to suddenly process what she had just done. I must have looked silly, because she suddenly giggled and backed away a little, still smiling warmly but now mirroring my blush slightly. After several seconds, she lightly reached up again and closed the mouth I hadn't realized I'd let drop open.

"That was for protecting us and being such a nice guy. Um, thank you. For putting up with me as well. I, uh, know I can be a bit, um, nervous sometimes and..." she started, looking back down at my hooves again.

That fired up the thought processes once more! "Fluttershy!" I scolded lightly.

She jumped with a start, eyes snapping open as she shuddered. "Oh! Uh, yes? I'm sorry!" she rapidly apologized, shrinking a little closer towards the ground.

"No no. I just don't want you to think you're a burden. I like you, Fluttershy. You're a wonderful mare, and I'd say that even if I didn't think you were adorable, cute, beautiful, and have a massive crush on you. You're intelligent, interesting, kind, gentle, and care so much about everypony else. Honestly, I don't know how anypony could not like you," I pointed out, driving it as hard as I could towards her so she knew exactly how I felt.

Predictably, her surprise and fear rapidly shifted to that of embarrassment and awkwardness. The color in her cheeks flared up even more, and oddly, I felt a little proud to have been the cause of her being absolutely adorable. She pawed at me with her right forehoof as if motioning that I had said too much and ponies might hear.

"Oh you! I'm not, but... Thank you, but I just, well, oh my goodness, I can't even talk straight," she whispered, mostly to herself it seemed. She shook her head rapidly, causing her mane to shift side to side with a sway before rubbing her cheeks slowly.

I smirked and took a bit of a chance. Leaning forward, I gently pecked her forehead before pulling back again. She was just too cute to resist! Besides, it was a show of affection more so than interest in anything else.

The timid yellow mare locked up instantly, going absolutely rigid in surprise. Slowly, she lifted her head again to look back up at me, eyes widened to almost maximum size and shivering slightly as she stared. The blush in her cheeks held a shocking contrast to her blue eyes, and she was suddenly even more adorable than before. Her mouth was still open, having been in mid self-berating when I'd done it. Expanding my smirk, I reached up and gently closed her mouth with an odd sense of déjà vu.

Her muzzle shifted to a smile instead, eyes softening as she watched me with her renewed blush still not lessening. The emotions behind it felt like they had changed, however. She gave me a quick, almost unnoticeable nod and stood up again, brushing against me with her shoulder before nudging her head towards the tree house library a few blocks in front of us.

There was a definite feeling of elation as I returned her smile and nod. I'd made her feel better about something, and that felt even more awesome than figuring out an invention or equation, I suddenly realized. She was happy, and I had helped her get there. With a sudden burst of realization, I looked back at the silver gear adorning each of my flanks as Fluttershy moved ahead. At first I was irritated at it, but now that I think about it, the heart in the center made a little more sense.

"Are you coming?" my gentle friend asked from a few meters ahead, her voice a little louder than usual, if not to only get the questioning over to me.

Smiling more honestly this time, I turned back to her and nodded before trotting to catch up. This time I managed it with only a slight stumble...

---

Having armed guards posted outside of the door was concerning, I decided. At least I assumed they were guards, as they were dressed similarly to the ones I had seen with Celestia in my first encounter with the Princess. They were decked out in a quite different purple and blue color scheme; their chest plate held together by a large, impressive looking gemstone. Most striking, however, were their yellow eyes and bat-like wings instead of feathers. Wait, what in Equestria were they? I'd never heard of a pegasi with membrane wings instead! Of course, they were a little distorted and fuzzy, compliment of my less than stellar eyesight. Maybe they weren't ponies at all? Both guards to either side of the door gave me specifically a stern glare upon our approach. My usually timid companion seemed entirely undaunted, however.

"Halt. We are to let nopony into the building without specific invitation. Exception is granted for you of course, Miss Fluttershy," the intimidating guard on the left hissed out upon my breaching spitting distance.

I blinked but frowned, a little confused. "Uh, but I live here," I reasoned, unsure of what was going on.

Both guards glared harder at me, but said absolutely nothing. "Oh dear. He really is telling the truth. Could you let him in, please?" Fluttershy asked quietly, looking back and forth between the guards and I.

"I'm sorry, Miss Fluttershy. We have our orders. You may enter if you wish," the same guard reiterated, tone slightly less hostile this time. They had both visibly relaxed upon her vouching for me, I suddenly realized. Of course, Fluttershy was an Element of Harmony. That meant she was practically a living legend. For a moment, I was put back into perspective. How exactly had I met such wonderful ponies? Surely the odds were astronomically against me.

"I'll go inside and talk to Twilight. Perhaps I can get permission for him to enter?" she suggested politely, oddly almost looking comfortable with the guard. I wondered what made her so relaxed. There was something I was definitely missing. Of course, I didn't have a clue as to why there were guards standing out here in the middle of the evening, or why the library would suddenly require armed security in the first place.

Both guards nodded curtly and Fluttershy turned back to me, assuring, "I'll only be gone a moment. If you can't enter for some reason, I'll keep you company out here, okay?"

I blushed but shook my head. "I can find something to do until I can enter. You don't have to keep me company."

Fluttershy's eyes softened, her quiet exhale causing her mane to sway softly. That small smile flashed across her muzzle again and she shook her head. "Oh, you're just so cute and nice! I'll come back out and steal you away to my cottage if you can't enter for some reason," she added, eyes closing momentarily as she gave a cute little nod. Oh crap. Think innocent thoughts, Mender! She's Fluttershy, so she surely meant nothing by it. "We can have a perfectly good time without them if they want to be mean," she tacked on after I didn't respond due to fighting back a blush.

Damn it! The heat flooded into my cheeks and I coughed lightly, trying to dispel both the obviously inaccurate innuendos drifting into my head, and the urge to simply take her up on the offer right then and there. She'd been a lot nicer than Twilight had to me so far. I doubted staying in the same house with the stressed out unicorn was all that healthy for our relationship anyway. "I think I'd like that. Thank you, Fluttershy," I returned in an appreciative manner, trying my hardest not to sound creepy. Or let her figure out the thoughts I was trying to banish.

If the timid pegasus was bothered, she was being amazingly stoic about it. Instead, she let out a little giggle and nodded. She surprised me yet again with a light nuzzle to my shoulder before fluttering backwards and rotating to land in front of the door. I watched her graceful movements compulsively, as if she had some sort of mesmerizing effect on me. Yeah, I definitely liked the cute yellow mare. Of course, I also liked the beautiful lavender unicorn who was somewhere inside. As much as she scared the crap out of me and was more than a little high strung, she gave me excited little butterflies in my stomach whenever she got too close. I got along the best with both of them, and each shared compatible yet varying traits with me. I frowned, realizing how badly I didn't want to choose between them. Well, for now, I wouldn't have to.

I snapped out of it just in time to see the guard on the right give me a knowing, rather suggestive wink before gesturing towards the mare opening the door. The less than subtle reference was followed by an even more obvious double eyebrow flick, and I sighed.

"I'll be right back, Mender," the mare in question assured, glancing back at me before giving a nod and walking inside. I watched the light dwindle to a mere crack before fading completely as she shut the door again.

They wasted next to no time after the door shut. "Wow, what a mare! This guy is so lucky to have none other than the Element of Kindness hot for him!" the guard on the right exclaimed wistfully.

What the...? "I am still here, you know?" I reminded irritably. If they heard me, they certainly didn't acknowledge it.

"Ho! You don't know the half of it. I overheard the Princesses discussing the fact that he's already dating none other than Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic!" the left one shot back. The princesses shared gossip like that? Wait a minute.

"You knew who I was all along!" I deduced out loud.

For all the reaction I got, I might as well have been a ghost. "Whoa, Fluttershy would never help the jerk cheat on one of her best friends!" the right one denied, sounding appalled. I'm the jerk?!

"That's just it, don't you see? They're cooperating, if ya get my drift," the other, hear by classified as Jerk One, pointed out.

By reduction, the newly labeled Jerk Two suddenly got a look of dawning comprehension.

"The lucky stud! A herd is kinda rare by itself, but one with two of the Elements of Harmony?!" Jerk Two exclaimed in shock.

"I'm still here! And you knew who I was all along?!" I finally growled out in an irritated tone, stamping both hooves to the ground as emphasis.

Jerk One snorted and looked back at me. "Of course we did," he confirmed, speaking as if I should already know that.

Jerk Two, of course, nodded in agreement. "Think about it. We get to play the 'Just Following Orders' routine and watch you squirm. Then you get both mares inside to pity you and lay on the good stuff!" he explained, causing heat to shoot into my cheeks as I realized what he was insinuating.

"What if I didn't want their pity? That seems kind of pathetic to me," I groaned out, shaking my head rapidly. It was mostly in disagreement, but it also helped clear it of that annoying heat.

Jerk Two shook his head as well but in a slower, more disappointed looking fashion. "Clearly you've never tried it. Pity Sex is the best sex," he pointed out, gesturing empathically towards me with a hoof.

My ears flattened back and I glared, a little irked at this point. "Uh, isn't that disrespectful to the mares? I care for them. Besides, there are more important things than just sex, you know. Both are truly amazing mares and frankly, I should be lucky that they like me back," I tried to explain. Both guards stared at me like I had sprouted mutant tentacles out my back or something. I blinked a couple times and resisted the urge to turn around and check.

"That's single-handedly the most pansy thing I've ever heard. Let me guess, you haven't gotten any since you got here, right?" he inquired in a snide sort of curiosity. Oops, back to being mad.

I grimaced before glaring at him again. What was wrong with these stallions?! Was that truly all they thought about? Sure, I admit to entertaining the idea a couple of times, too, but they seemed downright obsessed with it! "I've been a little too busy trying to stay alive, sorry! There are more important things, you know!" I shot back, suddenly finding myself oddly on the defensive. It wasn't that big of a deal!

"Ha! Called it. See how far 'respecting' them has got you? Mares don't want to be respected. They want to be teased and toyed with! Be bad and daring, and they'll crawl all over you," Jerk One exclaimed, rearing slightly and 'punching' the air a bit with his hooves. My opinion of him plummeted.

Jerk Two shook his head and raised an eyebrow over at his friend. "I was the one who called it, stupid. But he has a point," he concurred, looking back to me before continuing with, "Even the shy, reserved Fluttershy would probably put out if you pressured her a little bit and acted a little spunky. Heck, act masculine in general. You do kind of look like a mare."

Now I didn't know which to be angrier with him for. He insulted both myself and Fluttershy in that statement. The heat got stuck in my cheeks, but for different reasons this time. "Don't talk that way about Fluttershy! She's not like that and deserves your respect," I admonished, voice low and struggling to keep it under control. It wasn't often that I got mad, I realized. I didn't know what to do with all of the anger. It wasn't exactly a feeling I was comfortable with. Still, these bastards deserved it if I just so happened to form a few barriers and knock their skulls around a bit, right?

Jerk Two's vague image smirked. It was hard to see details when everything was fuzzy and out of focus, but I'm pretty sure he smirked. At least, that's what would have fit in context. "Or you'll what? Braid my mane?" he challenged. As funny as that would be, turning off his gravity for a few hours sounded infinitely more promising.

"Teach you some proper manners, of course. Aren't you guards supposed to be stoic and polite?" I suddenly remembered, surprised at the noticeable difference. It was like night and… day?

"Does it look like we're wearing gold to you?"

Jerk One coughed lightly, drawing both of our attention to him before suggesting, "Uh, I really don't think that attacking him is such a good idea." My opinion of him increased a few notches. A guard attacking a pony in the street with little to no provocation didn't sound too legal.

"Don't join him in Pansy-land. I'll just show him why we're guards real fast. Don't worry," the second guard assured, stomping the steps they were on with his front hooves as he slammed back down and glared at me. My eyes narrowed as I focused on him instantly.

At least I would have, had a low but loud creaking noise not sounded from the wall behind him, expanding up the side of the tree. What the hell?! That didn't sound too good. Glancing up the tree, I tried to spot any noticeable structural integrity damage. Movement below my vision flickered forwards at that exact moment. Instinctively, I threw up my barrier across my chest, neck, and face at skin level just as he smashed into me as hard as he could. Sparks flew as his armor scraped harshly off my barrier and I slid backwards from the force of the impact, wincing a little. Well, that hadn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would.

"Ow, ponyfeathers! That felt like hitting a brick wall," the idiot exclaimed, sounding irritated as he glared back up at me. I started to get ready to rear, deciding that bucking him in the face with a shield-reinforced hoof wasn't such a bad idea. Movement caught my eye first, however.

My eyes widened and I maximized my shield as a full tree branch, a few dozen pounds of leaves, assorted bark, a few shingles, and a very pissed off squirrel landed on him an instant later. He let out a high-pitched scream at the top of his lungs as the seriously offended furry attacker seemingly latched onto his nose with an inspiring level of bloodlust. Hey, that would have landed on me had he not knocked me out of the way! Suddenly I was happy about his sudden attack.

Jerk One sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, that's what I was talking about. He's supposed to be, like, cursed with abysmal luck or something, which would probably rub off on you if you attacked him," he explained. Well, there went all my respect for him.

Anything further he was going to say was interrupted by the library's door slamming open, assumingly flattening him into the side of the building. "Oh for crying out loud! First you guys decide to have a perverse shouting match out here, and then you destroy a section of my house in a fight?!" I suddenly heard Twilight yell from the doorway. Oh crap. Never mind; we were all dead. Well, more dead in the flattened guard's case.

"I'm sorry!" I preemptively apologized, shrinking down as far as I could manage; mostly to show respect, but also to hide the sensitive bits that were in the back. More likely that she'd totally forget they were there than willingly attack them, but that was still probably just as bad.

Twilight momentarily gave me a deadpan look before shaking her head and revealing, "Mender, I heard most of the conversation. You didn't do anything wrong." Oh. Wait, she heard that?!

"I'm sorry!" I repeated a heartbeat later for the new reason this time, causing her to slap her hoof to her forehead, right under her horn.

"Um, I'm sorry, too. We shouldn't have eavesdropped," Fluttershy spoke up a moment later, causing me to blush and start to smile at her as she peeked out from around the doorframe.

Twilight sighed again and turned around to Fluttershy. "Oh for Celestia's sake! It's not eavesdropping if we can hear it through three walls, Fluttershy," she pointed out, making a very solid point. Were we really being that loud?

"What does our sibling have to do with this situation?" I heard asked from somewhere inside suddenly. Was that Princess Luna? She had a very good question, however.

For a moment, I could have sworn I saw Twilight twitch sporadically. "Okay, inside! Now!" she growled out. Suddenly, I found myself yanked off the ground in a light purple aura. Uh oh. My 'inescapable pain' alarm started going off like crazy. Jerk Two yelled as the furry avenger was torn from his face, taking a tiny bit of his nose with him, and he himself was similarly lifted into the air. I braced for impact and Fluttershy dove out of the way as the guard and I were tossed through the door of the library at high velocity...

---

Pleasantly, the couch broke my fall. I suddenly had a deep respect and love for this piece of furniture. Not only was it a nice bed, party instrument, and looked fashionable, but it was also an amazing landing pad. Truly a universally appreciated device! The guard wasn't quite so lucky, having the bookcase, end table, and shame to block his fall. Further, I was righted by an invisible force almost instantly and promptly had a pillow adjusted next to me. I blinked as I was gently set down on the cushion and pillow. Twilight walked up with a smile this time. Oddly, the gentle treatment kind of scared me, too. Was she just trying to lull me into a false sense of security?

Regardless, I still managed to glance about the room, having gotten a less than satisfactory examination while flying through the air upside down. The tree samples were still organized in a vague half circle, with pieces of paper, notes, and tracing strewn about. Aside from the crackling fire, the room was devoid of lights and looked very soft, almost homely. It gave a warm sensation, which was welcome, as it was indeed getting a little nippy outside. Maybe I'd ask Rarity for a scarf or hat alongside the suit she was going to be forcing me to wear. I could ask for something in return for being hauled to a foreign city to be paraded about as a social accessory, right? I hoped a simple knit hat and scarf weren't too expensive. Movement caught my eye, however, and I glanced back to the fallen pile of books.

The guard groaned as he crawled out from under it a moment later. Suddenly, the entire collection drifted into the air and sorted themselves neatly before returning to the shelf they came from. They were coated in a magical aura that was distinctly unfamiliar, I noticed. Seconds later, the guard himself was grabbed and hauled into the air as well. "SO, WHAT HAS THOU TO SAY IN THY DEFENSE?! THOUST MADE A MOCKERY OF THINE TRAINING ON THE FIRST MISSION OUTSIDE OF THE CASTLE! WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED!" was suddenly screamed out on a deafening level, causing me to wince and slam my face into the pillow to drown out the noise. What the hell was that?!

The noise stopped, apparently waiting for a response. I took a risk and peeked out over my comfortable hiding spot at the now rigid and trembling guard drifting in the air. He'd slammed his eyes shut and was curled into a little defensive ball, looking remarkably like I probably have on occasion. My eyes shifted to the left to see an exceedingly large and imposing figure standing at the base of the stairs. Her wings were expanded fully and a radiating flow of what almost appeared to be space itself came from her mane. Unfortunately, the details were lost to me as she was still a rather fuzzy blob. A very imposing, scary blob, but still a fuzzy blob. Her size was a little less than that of Celestia, I noticed. Was she younger?

Twilight coughed lightly. "Princess Luna, you're slipping," she suddenly reminded; of what I didn't know.

The figure gave a gentle start and glanced at Twilight momentarily before coughing lightly as well. "Ah, I apologize. We, uh, I tend to get excited and forget," she apologized, voice dropping down to a much more manageable level.

"I-I'm sorry, your highness! I shouldn't have attacked an unarmed, unprovoked target," the guard practically pleaded through his own trembling hooves he was using to cover his face now.

Twilight went from smiling to glaring at him with frightening speed. "That's it? Don't forget we heard the entire conversation prior to that," she pointed out.

"Indeed! You have insulted both our dear Fluttershy, and this kind mare with your words! Apologize to them as well," Princess Luna instructed. Mare? My cheeks lit up again and I looked over at the darkened, midnight blue blob. Was she referring to me?

Fluttershy had closed the door and caught up with us by then. Idly, I wondered if she'd also scraped the other guard from the side of the building. "Oh, it's all right, Princess Luna. I don't need an, um, apology," she declined politely.

"Nonsense. As a guard, no, as a proper stallion, he should learn to not speak to mares that way!" Luna vehemently declared with a surprising amount of passion. Of course, given her first outburst, I suppose I should just count myself lucky that I wasn't blown through the wall. As a further enlightenment, I realized she was indeed talking about me.

Twilight looked over at me again before letting out a biting, knowing giggle and trying to correct, "Uh, Princess Luna? I don't think that you..."

The Princess waived the statement with a hoof gesture, shaking the quivering ball of fur and armor with her magic. "Well?! Thou must apologize!" she ordered again, slipping back into that extremely archaic form of speech. It was hard to understand what she was saying, but I managed to grasp the context well enough. Kind of reminded me of something I had read a long time ago. Even if the words were a fabrication, one could still understand what was being said by their place in the sentence and the context involved. It was quite fascinating. A pity I couldn't remember the name of the book.

"But, um, but that's a-" the guard started to mumble before another violent shake cut him off. Princess Luna gave him another stern glare, causing him to curl up again. "I'm sorry, Miss! I didn't mean to insult you and Fluttershy," he finally just gave in and apologized. As much as I disliked being called a female, how exactly did one correct what was considered essentially a physical Goddess?

"Good. For now, go back to thy duties. We'll be having another chat in time for debriefing," the Princess assured before sliding him in the general direction of the door. He rolled once before scrambling to his hooves and moving almost as fast as I did when being chased by 'carnivorous' ponies.

Once the door finally slammed shut, Twilight burst into copious amounts of giggling. Sighing, I glanced back at her, already knowing she was looking right at me. Princess Luna gave us a curious look, and the lavender unicorn burst into laughter, unable to contain it any further.

"Pray tell, what is so funny?" the Princess of the night asked curiously, interestingly enough, not seeming mad in the slightest. At least, I think I vaguely recalled that was one of her formal titles from that book Twilight had given me back in the hospital. Twilight must be on really good terms with her, too. Wait, I think I read about this somewhere before.

"Oh my. Well, this is Moon Mender, Princess. He, um, is kind of a stallion," Fluttershy chimed in with her usual quiet, soft voice. She slowly got up on the couch next to me and relaxed against the back of it, shifting her mane out of the way of her eyes as she got situated.

Princess Luna stared quietly at me for a few seconds before leaning closer, apparently to get a better look. I was proven uncomfortably incorrect when she sniffed a few times, then leaned back. "Subtle, but yes. Oh dear. I seem to have committed a faux pas in front of a dear friend. Would you accept my apologies, thou with such a pleasing name?" the Princess requested, gently extending a forehoof towards me. Pleasing name? Oh yes, she was the Princess of the Moon as well.

Gently tapping my hoof against hers, we cordially shook them up and down for a moment.

"It's perfectly fine, Princess Luna. It's a pleasure to meet you," I spoke, mentally grinding through the list of possible polite and proper things I should be doing in this situation. The books I'd read a while ago had some, but my memory wasn't the greatest.

The moon princess smiled warmly and nodded at my gesture, so I must have done well enough. Twilight snorted lightly, however, pointing out, "You seem perfectly content to give her formal titles." Oh, this was about Celestia again.

I was about to glare at her once more when Princess Luna giggled lightly instead, cutting off hostilities. "Oh, if my memory serves and this is the correct Moon Mender, my sister gave him full permission to refer to her as either Celestia or Tia. She requested it, in fact," she pointed out a second later.

Twilight visibly deflated, going from glaring at me to staring in surprise and horror at Princess Luna. I coughed lightly before the situation could be derailed further and corrected, "Technically, she was pretending to be a normal friend of Twilight at the time to get me to drop my guard, so I don't want to assume the offer still stands." Sure, I might assume that ponies were carnivorous or that they had selective breeding rituals and enslaved half their species, but calling a princess the wrong thing was just plain silly.

"She, uh, she did what?" the now flustered lavender unicorn asked, surprisingly enough, directed at me instead.

"He speaks the truth. Tia felt she had to catch him acting as his true self so she could be absolutely sure that he was no danger to her, well, our subjects. She has properly apologized and even enjoyed their lunch date, however. She doesn't get many opportunities to just be herself, you understand, and I believe she wished to preserve that relationship as real instead of acting," Princess Luna explained, bringing a shocking level of insight into play about her sister.

Twilight gave one elongated, slow blink, before looking back at Princess Luna. "So she wants to be his friend?" she questioned with a light edge of skepticism that was slightly offending. I swallowed my irritation, not wanting to fight with the mare again. Well, not that it was really fighting. I seemed to do more running away than anything. That was kind of depressing, now that I thought about it further. The worst part was that I had nopony to blame except for myself.

"Is that so hard to understand? My sister is an excellent judge of character, and has openly admitted that she trusts him and finds no direct danger in him whatsoever. If you recall, she should have explained that the reason she had you watching him was due to his link to danger, not what he directly represented himself," she reminded, unknowingly hitting a raging nerve in both of us.

Exhaling quietly, I looked away from the Princess and down at the couch cushion again. This was exactly what I didn't want to think about right now. I already knew that Twilight had essentially been told to spy on me, but now I realized that a large extent of that had been from Twilight herself rather than Celestia. Twilight was the one who didn't necessarily trust me. After a moment's consideration, I decided that I technically had already known that. A lot of the anger slowly dissolved after that.

Fluttershy coughed after almost five solid seconds of utter silence. "You know she's very sorry for that, Mender. She apologized already," she whispered softly into the back of my ear. I felt her gentle hooves massaging lightly into my back and sighed, shifting a little closer to her. She always managed to find a way to comfort ponies that were in distress, I noticed. The kindness she represented was one of the reasons I liked her so much.

Risking a glance back up at Twilight, I saw her staring softly back at me. There were strange emotions in her eyes. A mixture of anger to some degree, but what almost looked like regret as well. I didn't want to jump to conclusions again, however. She gave a soft nod upon catching my eye and added, "I am sorry for spying on you, Mender. I know you'd never hurt us intentionally, and I guess I should focus on my own advice. If Princess Celestia says you're not a threat, I should really believe her." It was more than a little surprising to hear the stubborn unicorn say as much, but it made the butterflies come back as well. She smiled when I did and leaned in, giving me a light nuzzle along the side of my jaw. It was an extremely affectionate gesture, and I blushed lightly as she backed up a little again.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that Tia had said he was your mate now. I must compliment your choice. He's a kind soul," Princess Luna suddenly complimented politely. Twilight went from smiling to blindly lurching sideways in an instant. I caught her by the shoulder before she fell off the couch, thankfully! Fluttershy let out a timid squeak behind me; from either Twilight's almost falling or the word itself, I wasn't sure.

"M-My what?!" Twilight demanded, suddenly acquiring an embarrassed stutter. I blushed deeper as well, but took it in stride considering the Princess thought I was a mare less than three minutes ago. At least that meant she had cemented my gender in her head, which I was thankful for.

"Your mate? Did I misspeak? It has been a while and I'm unfortunately out of touch with more modern language," she admitted awkwardly. Oh yeah! She was locked away on the moon for a thousand years and just recently came back, saved by the Elements of Harmony themselves. That's why she was so friendly with them.

Fluttershy shrank against my back, burying her face in my fur. Twilight groaned lightly, red furiously attempting to take over her cheeks, but managed to explain, "That title is usually reserved for a couple who have, um, actually been intimate with each other. Uh, Mender and I haven't gone that far." Her words were meticulously chosen as she seemingly struggled to maintain her voice.

The blank stare she received from the Princess in return was less than helpful. "We've only been, um, dating for a couple days, technically," I tried to chip in, hoping that I had the terminology right. I was probably worse off than Princess Luna.

Twilight squeaked in surprise and looked back at me in shock, face flaring up with a pink tint. "You technically never asked me out! We're kind of just experimenting, right?" she rapidly questioned, voice edged with a trace of hysteria. My smile dropped as fast as my thoughts. What did asking her to go somewhere have to do with dating? Did she actually like me or was it just one big experiment to her?

"Well, that hardly seems proper. From the letters you wrote to my sister, I almost thought-" Princess Luna stated behind me, before being interrupted by a now flustered Twilight.

"No! Those letters were personal. Um, please don't talk about them in front of everypony," she requested quickly. It was too suspicious to ignore, of course. She doubtlessly wanted to prevent me from hearing them. What had she sent to Celestia? Did she know something about the link between worlds that she hadn't told me? I was suddenly extremely suspicious, but didn't have much to go on.

The timid yellow pegasus behind me spoke up instead. "Um, if it's not too impolite to say, I think you're letting yourself get too flustered. Mender surely isn't pushing you into anything, right?" she cautioned, sounding a little on the ironic side. Advice about staying calm coming from Fluttershy was interesting indeed. Although she probably did have more insight into it than most.

Twilight frowned as she looked past me at her friend. Twice, she opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. Normally she wasn't one to mince words. I waited patiently, but Princess Luna seemingly lacked the virtue in this regard. "Don't be afraid to admit what you're actually feeling, Twilight Sparkle. It doesn't do either of you justice. You taught me to be true to myself," she suggested softly, looking solemn but maintaining a little smile. It made me wonder what it was like to be locked away for a thousand years. Surely she was a definition of stoic as she wasn't stark-raving mad as I'd probably be after that. I was both impressed and nervous as I caught the same weight of time behind her eyes that her sister possessed. To be that immensely old and have no risk of mortality with age was absolutely foreign.

Twilight snapped me out of my thoughts by sighing suddenly. Actually, it probably wasn't suddenly as I hadn't been paying attention again. "You two are right, of course. I haven't been pushed into anything by Mender. Honestly, it's kind of been the opposite," she admitted quietly.

Fluttershy let out a low gasp, but I headed her potential worry with a chuckle. The last thing I wanted was Fluttershy being mad at Twilight, so I decided to disrupt that chain of thoughts before it got anywhere. "We have a lot in common and I enjoy being around you. I get excited, flustered, and happy all at once when I'm with you, and honestly, it's a little scary. I definitely like it, though, and hope you feel the same," I explained slowly, feeling more and more awkward the longer I went on. I knew I was blushing, but it made me feel oddly better as I saw the lavender unicorn following suit.

She nodded slowly before admitting, "At first, you were interesting: a mystery to be tested and solved. Then the mystery shifted as I learned more about you. It went from trying to figure out your past and magic, to trying to figure out why you were fun to be around and such. Then I started getting scared the longer I thought about it and the more I couldn't scientifically justify it. It got worse when I realized I couldn't stop thinking about it, either. I tried to say that you were just like my wonderful friends and that I liked hanging out with them, too, but I don't really want to kiss Rainbow Dash or cuddle with Rarity. It's not that they're female; you went from a mystery I wanted to solve to a truly interesting, kind, friendly odd ball that I just want to pounce on playfully and hug. It's compulsive! It's addictive! It's..." Her admission turned more into a rant the longer she went on. This was the first time she was actually explaining things from her perspective, however. It was as insightful as it was embarrassing, and I could hardly believe that I had caused such a reaction in her! Was this normal or had I done something wrong? Curiously, Princess Luna smiled instead.

"...love? You like him, my friend. It may be scary, but there's nothing wrong with how you feel. Given the chance, your feelings could blossom into something truly beautiful. Take it slow and relax," the extremely wise Princess of the Moon suggested.

Fluttershy's mood shifted completely as she murmured, "It's so cute. You two are really good for each other. Even without considering my place in things, I think you really have something special." The lavender unicorn finally smiled and looked back up fully with that said.

There was a long pause as her bright, violet eyes seemed to almost bore into my very soul. A wave of apprehension spilled through me as I saw her slowly tense up the longer she stared. Her right hoof fidgeted visibly, and I could practically see the gears spinning madly in her mind. This was either going to be really good, or I would wake up a few days from now in the hospital. Well, it had been a little while since I'd seen Nurse Redheart, so it would be nice to catch up.

The nervous unicorn looked down for a fraction of a second before nodding to nopony in particular and asking, "Moon Mender, will you be my coltfriend? Officially?"

There was a long pause where I was all but certain that my heart had stopped. Was I dreaming? Did I die at some point and not notice? If this was the afterlife, it was off to a very nice start. "I, uh, yes, of course!" I assured, suddenly having trouble ordering my thoughts.

The cute unicorn, my now fillyfriend, leaned forward and gently kissed me on the lips, a soft smile decorating her features. It was brief, her pulling back a moment later, but warmth spread through me uncontrollably regardless. "I thought you'd say yes, but I wanted to be sure this time. Now it's official," Twilight acknowledged after I opened my eyes again.

"Aww!" Fluttershy squeaked from next to us now. I glanced over and saw her eyes were soft and watery, a large smile adorning her face.

"More like gross," suddenly sounded from the back of the sofa, on my right. I started and turned to face the familiar, male voice. Spike sat on the top of the sofa, holding a large roll of paper in his arms.

Twilight herself did an about-face, staring at her assistant in shock before turning sheepish, blush rising. "Spike! When did you get back?" she asked quickly, obviously attempting to change the subject.

Spike rolled his eyes but held up the paper in his hands. "I got back, like, five minutes ago. This is the map you wanted from the mayor's office. She wasn't very pleased at being woken up until she found out that Princess Luna had requested the map," the tiny dragon expounded irritably. I was surprised at how easily he accepted the subject change, then decided he probably was too young to care. Princess Luna's ears perked up.

"Oh, thank you, dear Spike! These are the maps the scouts made of the discovery sites in the forest," Princess Luna enlightened, looking exceedingly pleased as she lifted the roll of paper out of his hands with her magic. I was suddenly extremely curious as she unrolled it. Now that I was back among the living and seemed to be staying that way for a reasonable amount of time, I figured it might be interesting to discover just how close to death I had come. If a massive, carnivorous beast had wandered through the forest the night before, I'd have to say I'm probably lucky this time.

Twilight grinned as she noticed my sudden interest in the scroll. I tuned back towards her just in time to catch her pleased nod. "That's what we were doing before you got here. Princess Luna is here to take a look at what I've found so far, and figure out the best course of action in dealing with the situation," she explained, nodding towards the roll of paper.

I glanced as the Princess rotated it, and saw a surprisingly detailed map. It showed elevations and terrain, and had three areas circled with several smaller marks inside of them. It looked almost like a tactics map, but I knew they were probably marking evidence.

"What exactly do you think it is?" I asked, swallowing softly. I'd seen pictures of a manticore in the books I'd read so far, and it wasn't exactly pleasant. Those I knew to be in the forest, after all.

Twilight frowned and shook her head, looking a little frustrated, I'd guess. "That's the problem. I don't know exactly what it is. From the claw markings, it's like nothing I've seen before. The impact angle makes the shape of the claws all wrong. They're formed into too harsh of a curve and far too honed to be a manticore, which has much smaller claws. Further, from the point of impact and depth of the cuts, the amount of force applied should have broken the claws. That indicates something tougher than what we're used to dealing with on, what I think, is a significantly larger body to generate that much strength," she deduced carefully.

Fluttershy grew smaller the longer Twilight spoke, shrinking herself against my back until she was hiding fully behind me. Smiling to myself, my protective urges kicked in again and I pulled the blanket off the top of the sofa in as visible a manner as I could. The timid yellow mare watched me curiously, then blushed as I wrapped her up in the blanket and tucked her against my side. "Um, thank you, Mender," she whispered before burying her face in the blanket further.

Twilight momentarily smiled at the scene, but Princess Luna interrupted with, "It's all right that you can't identify it completely. It might be something entirely new." She was examining the map instead of looking at us, however, and wore a contemplative expression.

I frowned. Maybe not new, but a little bit different? "I'm not sure if it's applicable, but it might be a mutation. Manticore, maybe? It might be more helpful if you just say what's absolutely definite," I reasoned, bringing up my earlier thought.

Twilight gave me a blank look before nodding. "A mutation would also make sense, although it's strange we've not seen the signs of genetic change sooner," she agreed, looking over at her diagrams that were near the log sections strewn about the main room. The sheets lifted into the air with her familiar aura, and shot over to where we were on the couch a moment later.

Twilight cleared her throat lightly as she examined the notes again. "There's not a huge amount of data that could be gleaned from the samples, but here's what I have so far. With shape and size comparisons between all three, I concluded that the claws were over half a foot in length and curved at an almost thirty degree rotation. Further, the depth of the blow along with the fragmenting of the wood further down indicates at least fifty pounds of pressure applied over an unknown, but assumed instant duration. That's over seventy-five percent more than what the strongest recorded manticore was capable of," she read quietly, scanning further along after she finished.

Princess Luna sighed and put the map down. "While interesting and not really good news, that doesn't give us a lot of data," she returned, shaking her head slowly.

"Without bite marks, too, any further information about sociology or diet would be only hypothetical," Twilight defended, looking displeased.

I smiled to her and shook my head. "You've figured out a lot, Twilight. From what you explained, those don't sound like utility-based claws. It's just a hypothesis, but there's a very good chance that it's a hunter. That means it's either omnivorous or carnivorous," I reasoned, trying to further defend her work. I doubted I had to, but I truly wanted to, I discovered.

Twilight furrowed her brow, but nodded. "That's true. It's more than likely," she agreed, before smiling again and gazing softly at me.

"Wouldn't there be, uh, evidence of it being around other than just the claw marks? I mean, you know," Spike spoke up, sounding a little unnerved.

Princess Luna sighed and shook her head in return. "Alas, it is not so. Aside from the destruction to the woodlands itself, there was no other evidence of its existence. Further, the path becomes extremely hard to track the further into the forest it goes. The hunters think it might have turned as it moved, but they were unable to track it due to the forest becoming extremely difficult to navigate," she answered, shooting down yet another lead.

"What caused it to, um, be so angry at the trees though? Trees don't go out of their way to hurt anypony," Fluttershy questioned, sounding oddly like she was sympathetic to the trees' plight rather than simply curious. Although that wouldn't necessarily surprise me.

Nopony said anything. Well, it was more because I didn't think there was a knowable answer at this point. Twilight finally shook her head a good ten seconds later. "I honestly don't know, Fluttershy. It might have been scared and panicking, or in a rage about something. There were no known casualties of animal life," she finally admitted, looking as bewildered as I felt. It sounded like a predator, but didn't do anything akin to such. It was weird to say the least.

We were interrupted by Spike letting forth an inspiring yawn, however. "Is that all you need, Twilight? I'm getting kind of tired," he groaned quietly, eyes suddenly drooping.

The lavender mare smiled and nodded gently to him before giving a light nuzzle to the small dragon. "Of course, Spike. You've been an amazing help and it's way past your bedtime. Go get some rest. You've earned it," she agreed, maintaining her warm smile towards him.

He mirrored it a second later and nodded before hopping off the couch and wandering towards the stairs with a slight sway to his path. I watched him with certain envy, suddenly realizing how close he and Twilight were. He wasn't just her assistant, that was for sure. She treated him almost like a son or little brother, and it was very cute to watch.

"The young one has a point. I have more than enough information to give the hunters. Hopefully, we'll at least be able to catch a glimpse of this thing soon. I should retire back to the forest, however. They're expecting my return soon," Princess Luna excused politely, standing up fully again. Even if she wasn't as large as Celestia, I still found myself a little intimidated as she became much larger upon righting herself.

"Oh, of course, your highness. Thank you for stopping by. I'll certainly continue to look into this matter," Twilight assured, suddenly looking a little flustered by the sudden departure.

Fluttershy was much more reserved and peeked out of her blankets at the Princess of the Moon. "It was nice seeing you again, Princess Luna. I hope you travel safely." I smiled down at the peeking mare, deciding that she was overwhelmingly adorable no matter what she did. Where Twilight inspired nervous butterflies and a certain level of similar tastes, Fluttershy instead made a heat wrap around my chest and gave me a huge urge to just hold her until she was afraid of nothing else ever again.

Twilight's flank almost knocked me sideways off the couch as she bumped it against me. "Careful there, Casanova. She wants to wait, and I'm your only fillyfriend at the moment, remember?" she belted out, twinge of playfulness injected into her voice as she smirked at me.

I blushed and coughed lightly as Fluttershy looked back at me, air of confusion present. Princess Luna just laughed, however, a true and hearty one that she seemed pleased with when it was done. "It was truly a pleasure, Moon Mender. Thou are very much to our tastes, and we hope to visit again soon. We are happy for Twilight in her, how do you young ponies say, 'catch'?" she asked, her request for assurance feeling extremely humorous. Laughing would have been bad, however, so I resisted to the best of my capabilities.

Twilight snickered, having obviously more free reign then I did with the Princess. "Thank you, Princess Luna. He is indeed quite a catch, you're right," she surprisingly agreed, causing another burst of heat to enter my cheeks. She gave a gleeful grin, and I suddenly realized she was enjoying embarrassing me.

"You're a horrible mare," I muttered, glancing away from her excessively mirthful expression and further earning a laugh from the lavender unicorn.

"We shall return later, possibly tomorrow night! Try not to murder each other in the meantime," the Princess requested as she headed for the door, interrupting our charade. Fluttershy ducked back under the blanket as she left, and I idly wondered if she was going to come out long enough to go home tonight. Twilight waved goodbye politely until the door fully closed. She abruptly stopped at the same time I raised my eyebrow towards the sudden screaming outside.

"THOU MIGHT YET GO BACK TO BASIC TRAINING IF A REPEAT OF THIS HAPPENS! WE WILL FULLY DEBRIEF THYSELF UPON ARRIVAL BACK TO THE CASTLE, AND PUNISHMENT SHALL BE DEALT OUT! DOES THOU UNDERSTAND?!" was screamed by a very pissed off Princess Luna the second the door closed.

Twilight swallowed wearily, eyes still wide as she watched the door. Fluttershy burrowed deeper into the blankets and further against me instead, almost as if she was trying to slip under the cushion I sat on and hide completely. Oh dear. I kind of felt bad for the guy now. Kind of.

"Um, Twilight? Can I, uh, maybe ask you a question, if it's not too much trouble?" Fluttershy whimpered from her hiding spot.

Twilight snapped out of her horrified expression long enough to glance down at the shifting blanket that now resided partially under me. "Oh, of course, Fluttershy. I do have a request for you, though, as well," she returned, smiling finally.

Curiosity must have gotten the better of her. Either that, or she truly trusted her friend, as the timid yellow mare soon poked her head out of the blankets and looked up at Twilight. "Oh?" she practically whispered. Ah, still not totally comfortable, I noticed.

"With the state of emergency in effect, I don't really want you to fly home at eleven o'clock at night by yourself. Would you mind staying here for tonight?" she requested politely. A very good idea! Now that I thought about it, I really didn't want her flying back home either if there was something that nasty in the forest. If it came down to it, I'd walk her home myself, but this was a much better idea.

"Oh thank goodness. I was going to ask to stay," Fluttershy admitted, slumping slightly and letting out a long exhale.

"You can use my mattress if you want. I can take the couch for tonight," I offered, smiling reassuringly at her. I'd fallen asleep on this couch before, and almost considered it an old friend at this point.

Fluttershy gasped as if burned and sat up, zipping around me with surprising speed and putting on a pleading gaze. "Oh no, Mender. I couldn't possibly do that! Please, uh, let me take the couch?" she requested, surprisingly adamant sounding. Twilight smiled softly at both of us before shaking her head in the background now.

"Both of you are adorable, but I don't really want either of you sleeping down here separate from the others. Fluttershy can sleep with me in my bed. It's not a big deal," she reasoned. Oh! True. I'm guessing it was socially acceptable as they were both the same gender.

Fluttershy froze, eyes shifting from warm and pleading to shocked and terrified. Despite the decidedly negative emotions displayed in them, her cheeks shifted to a rosy pink color as she swallowed lightly. Okay, so maybe not so socially acceptable? Had I missed something?

"Are you sure, Twilight?" I inquired, attempting to ask for the now rigid mare between us.

Twilight smiled and nodded earnestly, not seeming fazed in the slightest. "Of course. It's no big deal. My bed is plenty big enough." Well that indicated that it might just be Fluttershy. Somehow, that didn't really surprise me, but I couldn't fault her for it.

Twilight got up off the couch and walked past us, heading for the stairs. I gave the shivering mare a light nudge, earning a squeak and sudden lap full of shaking Fluttershy. I frowned and tried to pat her gently on the shoulders before lifting her up again. "Oh no. What do I do? Twilight wants me to sleep with her! In the same bed!" she whispered shakily to me.

"Um, I'm not really grasping the problem. Twilight's acting like there's no social stigma attached to it, but you're acting like there is," I complained, exceedingly confused at this point. Somepony was wrong in this case, or I was missing important information. Again. I was kinda getting adjusted to it at this point.

Fluttershy looked down slowly, upper teeth nibbling on her lower lip before wearily explaining, "I, well, admire Twilight. Apart from concerning you, she always seems to know what she's doing and what she wants. She's amazing, confident, polite, gentle..." I grew more confused the longer she went on. If she respected Twilight so much, shouldn't she be happy Twilight trusts her? This didn't make a lot of sense to me.

"...athletic, brave, graceful, well-kept, beautiful," she continued, oblivious to my inner monologue. Oh. That actually explained a lot.

I interrupted, if only to clarify. "You like Twilight as a little more than friends, don't you?"

She stopped and slowly stared at me for several long seconds before releasing a gentle sigh and sinking back onto the couch cushion in front of me. "I've had a small crush on her for a while. I was hoping that, because she liked you as well, that you'd help me get closer to Twilight too, if we were together," she admitted.

It was a sensation I wasn't entirely used to. Kind of like a sudden impact to the inside of my chest as it recoiled and tightened. The hoof I had been using to comfort her on the shoulder dropped in surprise. Had I misheard her? Did she really say what I thought she did? Was she really using me to get to Twilight? Every rational thought screamed no, but the sudden pain shooting through my chest was almost blinding. It was cold, as if a dagger made of ice had just stabbed through me.

I noticed her questioning expression as I realized I was still staring at her. That confused me, but some part of me clung to the fact that she didn't realize what she'd said. That meant she hadn't meant it like that! That had to be the case. Innocent little Fluttershy wasn't capable of using somepony for her own gain.

Her eyes suddenly shot open with realization and she rapidly shook her head. "No! No, no. I didn't mean that I only liked her. I, um, like you too like that. I like both of you. Uh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to, um, sound like that," she rapidly corrected, causing me to let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"I'm sorry. I tried to not jump to conclusions. I'm... glad you don't just like her," I muttered, completely unsure of what to say. Damn it. Even my heart jumped to conclusions on its own. My chest warmed a little, but I couldn't shake the feeling from before.

She shook her head weakly back and forth, mane dancing in the dim light. "No, I want to make sure you, um, believe me. That was a bad thing to say and I've never, well, done this before. I don't know what I'm doing," she murmured uneasily, looking down at the couch cushion again.

I raised a hoof back up and gently ran it along her jaw, in an assuring motion. "That makes three of us. Relax, Fluttershy. Nothing bad happened and we figured it out right away. Why don't you go up and get ready for bed? I'll wait for you girls to use the bathroom first," I tried my best to comfort and distract.

The yellow pegasus relaxed against the hoof and nodded, giving a faint smile finally. I nodded again to her and she stood up shakily before slowly making her way towards the stairs behind me. A solid five seconds passed after I could no longer hear the hoofsteps on the wooden stairs before I put my hoof back down. What was I doing? Did I even have a clue how to deal with all of these feelings? Was it right to tie mine to Twilight's before my issues were even sorted out?

Nothing but the quiet flickering of the fire answered me, of course. It would be so easy if I'd still been there instead of here. Being a soldier was mentally simple. There weren't all of these feelings to get in the way. Emotions were outright discouraged by the higher ups, I remembered. Think, don't feel. I think that was on a poster. My hoof was still shaking, my chest following suit as I carefully breathed out. Why did the thought of her using me hurt so much? Surely it was nothing compared to getting a laser to the back or being smashed into rocks.

My cheeks heated up again as I almost felt her light peck from earlier. I smiled and chuckled, the thought dancing and mingling with the sensation of Twilight's mouth against mine. The heat shifted to an almost burning sensation as I lowered my head. Being a soldier was simpler, but I wouldn't trade this for the world. Unless it meant protecting them, of course. Even if they didn't need it, a stirring urge deep inside told me to guard them against those who would cause pain. Maybe that was a part of this 'love' thing after all.

"Coming, Mender?" I heard Twilight ask in a rather cheery voice from the top of the stairs, disrupting my thoughts in a rather pleasant way.

I smiled and nodded to nopony in particular before standing up again. My back gave a rather mean spirited creak of discomfort, but I ignored it as I got off the couch. Twilight calling me upstairs; I could definitely get used to that. I grinned before trotting towards the light shining down from the second floor.

It was subtle at first; that creeping madness as the hours went on. The dark was my friend after all, and I stared up into the blackness around the ceiling, currently lying wearily on my back. Or maybe it was the blackness in my head. This could all be some sort of vivid hallucination or fantasy as I'm locked away somewhere, still. Maybe after all the pressure, I finally snapped and decided my life needed more cute, colorful ponies? Or maybe, finally, I had died at some point and this was what heaven was like. Any of those sounded like acceptable answers. It hardly mattered, as I couldn't substitute this reality for anything else, so it was what I was stuck with.

"Test number two hundred and fifty-seven; failure. I cannot seem to replicate the communication with the entity from before. All attempts have now been rejected. Perhaps I offended it the last we spoke? After well, what happened, I could hardly say for certain," the familiar voice of Keela continued to run through my mind. She was sounding less and less professional the longer she went on. From the way she spoke earlier, I could only guess that something extremely bad happened to her connection after I had my bout of insanity. From what I gathered, she got stuck connected to the book and experienced, well, something that had rather disturbed her.

I sighed quietly, literally covered in cut up pieces of paper at this point as I stared blankly up at the ceiling. She was persistent, I'd give her that much! Every one she'd send through, I'd slice in half as it drifted through the air. That seemed to disrupt the magic instantly. Of course, explaining this mess in the morning was going to be a little trickier. I could only guess that she kept bizarre hours, or that our night and day cycles were reversed.

Finally deciding I could use a bit of water, I got up out of bed, careful to slide the mountain of papers quietly to the floor. Both mares had fallen asleep hours ago, of course, and I definitely didn't want to wake them up. I glanced over as I fully stood, of course. It was hard to pass up an opportunity to gaze at them. It was like candy for my eyes!

Twilight and Fluttershy were both tucked under the covers, face to face but several inches apart. I remembered Twilight had started with her back to her friend, so she must have rotated in her sleep. Nothing bad could possibly come from that, right? I decided to remain blissfully unaware and move on.

I walked past the basket at the foot of the bed as quietly as I could, momentarily hearing the quiet snores of the baby dragon wrapped up in his sheets. I smiled down at Spike for a second before slipping down the stairs.

"What was the entity I spoke with, anyway? It announced its presence as 'Mender', which doesn't sound much like a name. It insisted that it was named that, however, so I'm inclined to believe so. Was it some sort of advanced artificial intelligence that existed inside of the book? Or is the book connecting to somewhere else and I'm talking to a true being?" Keela questioned as I walked down the stairs carefully. Ignoring her, I focused on putting one hoof in front of the other. I didn't trust myself to walk blindly down the stairs still, especially with everything blurry and distorted. I'd likely fall down the stairs if I tried that, even when my vision wasn't screwed up. After I ran into the bathroom doorframe before bed a few hours ago, Twilight assured me that my vision should be returning to normal in a day or so. Until then, I simply had to be careful. Especially around varying depth levels that were the same color. Like the bathroom doorframe and the floor of the loft.

With a light boost, I raised my upper body and put both hooves on Twilight's counter. I nudged the tap for cold water and let a little stream go into the sink before cheating and forming a shielded 'straw' with my left hoof. It worked a lot like a drinking fountain at that point, and I sipped down a good amount before sighing and turning the water off again.

"Thankfully, Nirru gave me a fascinating idea that I'd like to try before she gets down here with the data. If it was a book, it must have words in it, right? Well, if it's written in ink, I should be able to try scanning it with a particle projector on several varying levels to try to pick up the words!" she exclaimed, sounding excited.

Uh oh. That didn't sound very healthy for me in the least. I debated what to do when a loud humming sound started echoing through my head. Wincing, I pushed both hooves to my ears and sunk to the floor, gritting my teeth. Oh hell. I had all new respect for those lead x-ray sheets. Our allies had been absolutely crazy to make this a regular part of their medical exams! Magic was so much safer.

Then I realized in horror that it was simply warming up the generator. There was a sudden, bright flash as my body went through the strangest sensation of being turned inside out, boiled alive, put back together, then microwaved. All purely speculation as to how those felt, of course. I gasped as my flesh suddenly felt like it was on fire and smashed my forehead into the floor before throwing up. Everything spun after that and I fell sideways, thankfully missing the now external contents of my stomach by a few inches. Then, blissful nothingness.

---

Blissful nothingness, sadly, didn't last for very long. I drifted sideways gently, not really looking around, but effectively able to turn my viewpoint with my mind. Oh, this again. I glanced about curiously, and was gifted the rather amusing sight of Keela spraying down a machine with some sort of foam. The device in question looked like it had been hit by lightning, then cut into pieces. Damn. If I had done that, I was seriously impressed. Was it weird to be impressed by yourself? I guess not, as a lot of ponies and Keldarians alike probably were. Although looking at it from a third-person perspective was a little strange.

Widening out my view a little, I noticed that my location was different from last time. I appeared to be in some sort of laboratory with various computer devices, scanners, and interestingly enough, a glassed in blast chamber in the corner. One of the scanners was now out of commission, it would appear. My 'eyes', so to speak, were drawn to a glowing book that rested on the floor a meter or so from the smoldering wreckage.

Footsteps sounded rapidly in the hallway as I drifted closer to the book that was now lying neglected. I heard the powered door slide open, but paid little attention to it. The book was exactly as I last saw it with the new addition of a distorted energy shield that covered it entirely. It was an Aegis Barrier, in which the item shared its name. I'd never seen one on such a small scale before, however. I wasn't aware they could be compressed like that. Although from what I'd heard the last time, there was a significant amount we weren't aware of.

"Keela! I heard an explosion. Are you all right?!" Nirru asked upon entering the lab, expression looking nervous and concerned.

Keela sighed as she stood back up fully from the machine, smoke seemingly ceased for the moment. "Yeah. The idea to scan the book didn't work out very well. It apparently likes its privacy," she muttered in an annoyed tone.

Her sister stopped for a moment before shifting to a smirk and snickering lightly, earning a frustrated glare from Keela. "Relax. At least it didn't set your fur on fire again. Besides, you needed the break. Check this out," Nirru offered, holding up what appeared to be an elongated crystal rod. Hmm. My mind gave a dull ache as I stared at it, but memories came back a moment later. Information. Those crystals stored a lot of information that could be read by a computer.

Nirru walked right past the book and myself without notice, confirming that I was indeed undetectable again. I watched with interest matching the speculative look Keela wore as she took the crystal from her sister and slid it into the surface of the computer next to her.

"You found something?" she inquired as she tapped a few buttons along the panel. The screen on the far wall of the lab lit up, and several menus were navigated with precise motions.

Nirru nodded patiently, watching the screen as well. "Indeed. On a hunch, I looked through the soldier index we brought with us from the citadel. Every soldier was allowed one item of personal value to be carried with them. Command said it helped psychologically, but regardless, we kept a log of every object each soldier chose."

Keela shifted to a grin instead as her movements sped up. "You found the book," she deduced sharply. Of course she did, or she wouldn't have brought it up. That also meant that she found me, however. Or at least, my old self.

As if on cue, a full profile popped up on the screen a heartbeat later. It had an extremely familiar looking profile picture, and a full readout of skills, basic background, and a psychological profiling. Overall, I was suddenly made extremely uncomfortable and wanted to look away. Did I really want to know all of this stuff right away? Of course, would I ever have another chance to learn it if I didn't look right now?

"It's not terribly insightful, but does raise a few interesting questions," Nirru commented, sounding perturbed. It didn't feel like she liked the questions she was presented with, to me. Maybe it was just her body language.

"No name listed, but I think that's normal. Just a serial number," Keela muttered, scanning over the beginning bio with rapid eye movements.

Nirru just gave a light clicking noise, but I mentally snorted. We were just numbers all along. It was only a rumor that they didn't even bother to write down our names, but I guess it was actually true all along. The varying amounts of memories that seeing the display caused was exceedingly uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was starting to feel like my own mind was going by a 'need to know' basis and only feeding me information as it came up. It was a rather, well, helpless sensation.

"Expert marks in barriers, abjuration, and transmutation. He could have been trained as a Master with these grades. What caused him not to be?" the younger sister asked a moment later. Ah, barriers did come easily for me. Forming them now was almost like second nature. Abjuration dealt with changing the metaphysical properties of an object such as gravity and inertia, while transmutation revolved around morphing the physical in its entirety. My choice of professions was fairly straightforward with that skill set. I was able to repair and jury-rig things on the fly, and adapt rapidly to changing battle scenarios. That's why I was elected both an engineer and field commander, if I recall correctly.

"He was the reason. Quiet type, and never favored command. He also held dangerous opinions on the status quo," Nirru explained idly, shifting tone to seem a bit bored now. I watched her carefully as she skimmed over the page on the screen.

Keela frowned and looked over at her sister. "A full out dissenter?" she asked skeptically, failing to mask the surprise in her voice.

If I had ears, they would have perked at this. I rotated away from the book fully to pay more attention. I was at least a little interested in who my old self used to be.

Nirru shook her head slowly, however. "Nothing that drastic. No concrete proof, anyway. He was the quiet type so it was hard to get evidence, but due to a few incidents during his growth period, he was flagged as high risk," she explained, confounding me even further. That was the problem with having only single events in your memory. The larger picture was extremely difficult to piece together.

Keela's elongated ears lowered a little, making her momentarily look sad. "So no proof he held views contrary to the government. I see," she muttered softly, looking back over at the screen.

Her sister snorted, crossing her arms fully. "You might not like the way we ran things, but you can't argue with the results. Did you manage to get any data before the, uh, unfortunate accident with the scanner?" she questioned, giving an appraising glance at the toasted machinery.

Keela started, before shifting back to smiling. "Oh, I might have found something of a lead. The computer managed to pick up a few words! It reads something akin to a journal from what I've glanced at. It also references one 'Moon Mender' frequently," she informed.

My nonexistent heart fell into my equally imaginary stomach instantly. Oh hell! That wasn't just a journal! Somehow, it had more recent data in it than since I left. That meant it might have important information on Equestria in there. My mind started whirling at a hundred meters a second, trying to think of a way I could get rid of the accursed thing. Sadly, I snapped out of it a second too late as Keela bent down and picked up the book from under me.

My metaphorical eyes widened as the book was lifted up directly into my self-awareness. Thousands of images exploded all around me like a rampaging movie reel in an all night marathon, without the delight of concessions, of course. Further in line with my luck, it had to lag momentarily on a simply wonderful zoom shot of Fluttershy's posterior before zipping on. I tried not to throw up my meta-dimensional stomach contents as they spun about my consciousness with little respect for my sanity or consciousness.

It all halted in a fraction of a moment later; barely a drop of time in an infinite expanse. My view was locked in a screaming hell-scape with my prior kind frozen in mid-destruction. The ground itself was torn asunder and flames colored the skies as the air started to burn. I saw the beam of light in the backdrop and knew that this was a mere second, with some generous rounding, before everyone in the image burned away. But then, like staring at a familiar image and suddenly discovering something mind-numbingly terrifying about it, my eyes were drawn up to the sky. It was monstrous; a black shadow of absolute nothingness with a web of similarly styled lines splintering from it at all angles. The blot on existence hung in the sky as if suspended by sheer physical defiance, urging a painful tugging in the front of my mind. The second I saw it, I couldn't look away. It was like staring into an abyss. The mind isn't capable of quantifying something that has no end. Looking into it was like seeing into forever, and my mind ached as reality was drawn in.

I snapped back at the last second, hurtling my metaphysical camera off the surface of the planet in the frozen picture. I saw the beams hitting the planet's surface from the star's lit side. The atmosphere burned away and the plates themselves buckled and shattered under the force of the barrage. Some tore loose under the unimaginable power at play as gravity warped. It was a truly horrifying sight to behold, especially knowing that technically my last breath was but a moment later before my magic broke and trapped me in stasis. Further, I saw it fully. The massive thing in the atmosphere could be seen from space. It looked almost draconian in shape, and a web of burning ebony tendrils stretched across an unimaginable amount of the planet! A rough glance told me that it covered at least a hemisphere with the impossibly black manifestations. What was that?! I'd never heard of anything like it before, and I remembered almost everything about our most hated enemy. Was it something I couldn't remember, or something I didn't know about to begin with?

A throaty scream tore my thoughts aside and I looked around as best I could. The image was gone a moment later, replaced by the laboratory once again. The power must have gone out; emergency lights flooded orange luminescence across the bleached floor, making for a rather brutal contrast that was unpleasant to the eyes. Well, if I had any. Oddly, I felt quite a bit different now as I looked about. Gravity was in full effect, yet I floated effortlessly in the air. There were no appendages, so I felt remarkably similar to my consciousness-only state, minus the fact that I felt immensely physical. The sensation was indescribable; like I was so physically there that I transcended normal reality. Everything tinted a light blue as I rotated and glanced at Keela, who was staring back at me in shock. Uh oh. That's when I noticed the literal aura of energy that radiated off me. Testing, I checked my magical energy levels and was literally washed out by the ocean of power I stumbled into. Aegis! This was the book. It had to be. But that meant...

The realization hit me as if I'd tripped and rolled down a hill on my face. Again. The sensation was actually reasonably familiar, but I digress. I was in the book! The book's powers, whatever they were, had activated and pulled me in? Maybe. Or that intrinsic link I seemed to have with the artifact had something to do with it. Regardless, the effect was rather apparent as I rotated around to look at Nirru instead. She looked far more stunned than her sister and was instead reaching for her belt while rapidly backing away. She withdrew a small, metallic looking item with various, fundamentally obvious shaping, and pointed it at me. It was a standard issue officer sidearm. I searched my memory and oddly heard the sensation of a book page flipping. A heartbeat later, I suddenly 'remembered' the exact specifications of the weapon, revealing that it was an energy, pulse-based pistol with high rate of fire and a shield disruption effect. I was suddenly less worried about the gun, and more concerned for my own sanity. Was that an effect of the book?

"Turn it off, Keela! Hurry!" she shouted as her back ran into one of the main support columns for the room.

There was a hesitation before her sister returned, "I don't know what I did to turn it on in the first place!" Not taking my viewpoint off the firearm, I rotated awareness in time to see Keela rapidly digging through her notes, panic readily apparent. Well this was bad. I didn't know what would happen if they destroyed the book while I was residing inside of it. I did a rapid assessment of my defenses.

I recalled that Keela had mentioned that this was a defensive artifact at the same time I discovered the seven layers of Aegis Barriers coated the outside of the book. The more I examined them, the weirder they got, however. From a practical standpoint, I knew next to nothing about how the magic behind the barriers actually functioned. Very little was explained directly to us it would seem. I shifted my awareness against them and realized the barrier I saw, the visible parts of the Aegis Shield, was actually holding the inside together, not blocking anything. I tried to scan deeper into the inside, but there was a mind-numbing absence that stretched on for far longer than existed inside the centimeter-thin layer. Everything suddenly clicked into place. It was an absence so resolute that it felt like it 'leaked' out a ways from the barriers themselves, preventing me from getting any sort of feel of them whatsoever. What was this magic that we had been using? It wasn't a barrier at all, but a thinly held in place sheet of void. A cleverly shaped hole in reality manifested by our magic, somehow!

In truth, I forgot all about defending myself. Something was extremely wrong with how I perceived things. I suddenly realized that there were some things you simply couldn't un-think. This magic wasn't what I had thought it was all along. An Aegis Barrier was supposed to be just an extremely strong, layered shield. But the entire time I had been using them, I didn't understand what I was working with.

Nirru fired three times in rapid succession. The shots didn't even reach the outer field before the absolute nothingness between the two barriers drew the energy into itself. Nothing was left of the blasts once it was done. It consumed the energy like it was a ravenous beast, and I mentally shuddered simply from witnessing the truth.

"Damn it! It's definitely an Aegis. I can't disrupt the energy field around the book. Tell me you have something, Keela!" Nirru swore, slipping sideways away from the support pillar and backing up further, dropping the gun.

I felt the book inside of me. There was no will; no awareness. But it still worked towards my goal with a limited intelligence, I noticed. There was a certain amount of anger that was somehow separate from me, but it was ruthless instead, requesting a quick and efficient solution. It gave me twelve known fatal points on Nirru's body, suggesting that if I hit at least seven of them at once, she was almost guaranteed to cease functioning almost instantly. Further, tendrils made of shielding shaped into rather sharp, twisted points popped out of various locations around the book, as if showing me a perfectly reasonable implement with which to attack.

Okay then, so it was of questionable morality. I decided to ignore it in light of cutting the gun in half on the ground with a simple wave of a conveniently formed barrier tentacle. I had the sneaking suspicion that Fluttershy would have likely passed out from witnessing that, I idly mused. I probably looked like some sort of ancient eldritch abomination or something.

Keela froze behind me, and I heard her lightly mutter, "It's intelligent." It was beyond weird to be aware of something I wasn't looking at.

I shook myself out of it. No, this whole situation was weird. I needed to get rid of this book somehow. If I could figure out how to take it back with me, I could solve everything at once. They wouldn't have either the source of power, or the knowledge that the book contained! The practical ocean of power inside of the book was dizzying, and I fought to maintain coherent thinking. How the hell did Twilight manage to do this on a daily basis?

My attention snapped back to Nirru as she lowered her hands again, both to the left side of her waist. The air itself seemed to distort and fold outwards from itself as she drew forth a hilt and full sheath. It was some sort of archaic bladed weapon, I noted, mentally frowning. No need to underestimate it if she felt it was more useful than the gun, I reminded myself.

"Wait, Sis! Don't use that! If you damage the book," Keela started to scream out, just as Nirru stepped forward and whipped her right hand out in one fluid motion.

My mind forced time to a crawl as she drew the blade. Regardless of my enhanced reaction speed, she had almost finished the cut by the time I became fully aware. Lines of energy danced from the shining white blade as it cut, extending its natural path through the air dozens of feet in front of it and aimed right at me. Along the path of the lines formed a familiar looking absence of matter. It was the same effect as what was between the Aegis layers! It wasn't even a vacuum, although it behaved similarly towards the edges. It was nothing; void. There was nothing at all existing along the path of the cut, leaving air and matter to scream back into place to fill the gap behind it. This wasn't a shield, however. The lines simply created the effect and then let it go. An Aegis Barrier wouldn't be able to block that, I suddenly realized. The book needlessly informed that it would slice through as if we were made of butter.

My thoughts whirled. A moment later, I decided that I had a distinct advantage. There was a force of will and decision behind the energy in the book that was under intelligent control; namely, me. I whipped out a barrier with two tethers embedded in it just in time to watch the effect pass through as if it weren't there. I smiled however as the lines intermixed, connecting me for just a moment to the effect. The sword was massively powerful; possibly more than the book I was in. There was no will behind it, however. It was attacking using a preset pattern built into it. It was static, while I was dynamically adapting to the situation.

I pulled out the energy. Like turning off a light bulb, the attack faded more than a foot before it got to me, dispersing as fast as a disrupted Aegis Barrier wouldn't after the support fields collapsed, as predicted. I exhaled in relief, deciding I really didn't want to find out what would happen if I got my consciousness cut in half.

Nirru's jaw dropped as she backed up more, shaking her head slowly. "No. That's not possible. Nothing can withstand an attack from the Void Cutter," she rejected, right hand clenching down hard on the hilt of the still glowing blade. Void Cutter? Based on context, she must be referring to the blade. Aegis Artifacts had names, then. I felt a little like Twilight as I mentally took notes, trying to piece together the information I was missing. It was a pity she wasn't here. She'd think of a way to get the book back to Equestria, no problem. I blushed as I shook the heated thoughts from my mind. No, this was no time to be remembering the finer points of more recent events involving her.

"It wasn't withstood. It nullified the attack before it connected," Keela corrected softly, standing up fully behind me. I suddenly wondered if there was a scripted maximum length for that effect. Had I not disrupted it, there was a significant probability that it would have not only went through me entirely, but continued and hit her sister.

"We need to vent the lab," Nirru muttered, eyes narrowing as she risked a glance back towards the door. The book reminded me that it would be easier to just slice her in half as she lost focus, but I quelled the advice yet again.

"No! Stop it, Nirru. M-Mender! Please, stop as well," she suddenly requested, causing me to do a double take and spin around to look at her. Her expression shifted from worry to a gentle smile as she saw my reaction. She had guessed that it was me inside of the book?! I watched her carefully, extremely wary suddenly. Had she predicted this would happen as some sort of contingency? What was she planning?

"Wait, what? Who's Mender?" her sister asked in shock behind me. Both of us seemed to have forgotten what we were doing in light of what she just said, albeit for entirely different reasons, I assumed. As much as she seemed surprised, she stopped retreating as soon as Keela drew my attention. The book suggested she might try to attack while I was distracted, of course. I really hoped this thing wasn't some facet of me or something. Was I really that paranoid?

Keela drew a blank look before snapping out of it and nodding rapidly to herself. "Oh! It's an AI that's controlling the book. I read some of the command words from the scan the machine made before being destroyed," she rapidly lied.

Wait, why was she lying to her sister? I suddenly drew a blank and realized that there were a few pieces of the puzzle I was missing still. Keela gave me a stern look before glancing back at her sister for support.

"Can you, um, control it? Is it dangerous still?" Nirru asked warily, sheathing the sword once more but keeping her eyes dead set on me. Similarly, I watched the blade carefully until the last of the glow disappeared into the leather sheath. That weapon was exceedingly dangerous, I noted. It took sharpness totally out of the equation by not needing to cut its target in the first place. It was kind of hard to defend against something that simply made everything in a long, spatial plane cease to exist.

Keela nodded curtly, walking up fully next to me. She seemed shockingly unafraid, suddenly. "Yes. That command renders it neutral, it said. I'll have to read up more on it though," she continued, much more calmly this time. Well, there was nothing else for it, so I decided to play along to the best of my abilities and acted harmless, pulling the barrier tendrils back into the book's form. The young Keldarian girl smiled at my display and gently patted the spine of the book, causing a lightly colored ripple to drift down the surface of the outer Aegis Barrier with each touch. The book further reminded me that I could sever every nerve in her hand and interrupt her nervous system with a few deft barrier movements, but I ignored it. Again.

"You're certain? I can leave Void Cutter with you if you think you might need to defend yourself, Keela," Nirru offered, shifting from suspicious back to her worried, surprisingly sisterly side.

Said sister in question shook her head, however. "It's okay, Sis. I don't want to risk deactivating it, then not being able to turn it back on. Just let me study it for a little bit in its active form, okay?" she suggested, moving back over to where the equipment resided.

Nirru let out a discontented sigh, but shrugged, finally giving in with, "If you think it will get us closer to figuring the thing out, go for it. Just be careful. Oh, and look at page three in the dossier. I think you'll find the information there quite interesting indeed."

Keela gave her a questioning glance, but received only a wink in return before her sister gathered herself again and walked slowly towards the door. I watched it slowly slide shut again before noticing Keela shift her head towards me instead, looking a little confused. I shrugged until I remembered that I lacked shoulders, of course. Feeling a little stupid, I formed a vague shoulder image out of four barrier planes and repeated the motion, much more visibly this time.

Keela cracked a smile suddenly and giggled, nodding to me in amusement. "So it is you, Mender. I think I recognize the biting sarcasm from last night," she muttered, looking a little less tense. I was surprised by her level of trust in the strange, floating, potentially alien entity with almost unlimited energy that resided less than a meter from her. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to try something.

"This is a little new for me, but you did catch me at a bad time last night," I attempted to say. Lacking vocal cords, I distinctly placed my chances of that working at almost zero. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when her eyes widened a little. Wait, I hadn't 'heard' anything when I said it, though.

"Wow! You can use telepathy? That's definitely handy. Wait, you're male?" she suddenly questioned, tilting her head to the side while giving me a curious look.

Oh. She heard it in her mind. Well, more likely, I manipulated the various nerve signals that allowed her mind to interpret what I said as verbal and in my distinct voice. I was suddenly extremely glad that I didn't have to manually do that.

I decided to be diplomatic and returned, "Well, yes. I'm male. My full name is Moon Mender, but most just refer to me as Mender." Names were a show of politeness, right? I tried to remember any rules of etiquette I may have read about at any point. Damn it. I drew as big of a blank as when I tried the same with the Princesses.

Keela smiled and nodded gently. "It's an interesting naming convention. Who are the 'others' you refer to?" she inquired curiously, now ignoring the machines and sitting down on the top of the lab table instead, all attention directed at me. It was a little flattering, and I felt myself mentally blush.

"They're my friends, but I'd rather not go into detail. Is it at all possible to convince you to get rid of this book and forget it ever existed? Maybe, I don't know, launch it into a star or something?" I suggested hopefully.

Keela looked surprisingly contemplative for a moment, before snickering and pointing out, "I don't think that would technically destroy the artifact. The book you're in is extremely defensive in nature. It would probably just get pulled into the star for a few billion years until the end of its life cycle."

Okay, so she could be sarcastic too. I smirked, but decided it had at least cheered me up. There was something about leaving the colorful ponies once you knew them that was utterly depressing. "Well, that would be fine. By that point, any and all relevance the book has would be gone," I reasoned, mentally doing the calculations. I'd be dead by then, one way or another. The link to Equestria would die with me, so at the very most, the book would then simply be a colorful story, if anyone existed that could still read Universal Common at that point. Or if it was even found again. A cold, inert, pathetically small object drifting through space had an astronomically small chance of being found. Last I checked, space was a pretty big place.

She smiled suddenly, looking a little too amused for comfort. "You're not actually in the book, are you? The book is a connection to somewhere else that you can act through, right?" she deduced, causing me to mentally twitch again. Why did she have to remind me of Twilight so much? She was definitely a sharp one, that was for sure.

"Does it matter? I really just want to be left alone," I groaned, getting tired of the conversation already. Wait, was it still a conversation if it was purely one-sided in a verbal context? I snapped out of the distraction yet again, the dizzying ocean of energy weighing heavily behind my eyes like muddy, lukewarm swamp water.

She lost some of her smile and nodded gently before scrolling the long forgotten computer screen down two pages. "If you can answer my questions, I promise that I'll try my hardest to help you. You seem like a really nice guy," she promised, scanning the page with her eyes. I glanced up at it as well. The document appeared to be only three pages long, with the last page detailing my old self's career. It was a list of combat operations for the most part, until one got down to the last three entries.

"Led Rescue Operation EX6?!" Keela suddenly read out loud. Oh yeah, that must have been the extraction mission I had remembered earlier. It didn't seem entirely relevant, however. Immediately under it was, 'Selected by Doctor Kyliona As Punishment', followed by, 'Elevated to B11 Status'. Disturbingly, the entries simply ceased after that, being replaced by over a dozen 'Classified' labels.

"He was the commander in charge of the rescue mission," she muttered again, sagging a little in posture.

I frowned at her reaction but quietly mentally corrected, "Lieutenant."

She snapped her head up and back at me rather rapidly, eyes surprisingly wide. "Do you know about him?! Where is he now?" she rapidly asked, borderline on demanding. I sensed a potentially deeper connection and backpedaled rapidly.

"I, um, don't know. It just said he was a lieutenant in the promotions listed," I excused rapidly, not very good at the whole 'lying through my teeth' thing. At least, not with last second excuses, anyway.

Keela's eyes narrowed momentarily before she sighed. "Please tell me? I'm partially responsible for him getting punished and I'd really like to know," she requested, expression softening.

Uh oh. My potential landmine radar was flashing like crazy. I had been punished for something regarding whatever it was she did, and was then classified. Somewhere after that, I had somehow ended defending a vault on an extremely doomed planet, blown to crap, then transferred to another dimension full of colorful, talking ponies. I was missing a few pieces still...

"The truth?" I asked hesitantly, to make absolutely sure she really wanted to know. There would obviously be things I couldn't tell her, but I could let her know ultimately what happened to the individual she apparently knew.

She frowned, hesitating at my question as if not expecting it, but finally nodded. I sighed weakly before informing, "He's dead. He died on the final day of our last planet."

She closed her eyes softly and slumped, bringing her hands to her knees for support. I watched the gentle movement of her throat as she fought to swallow before nodding. "I kind of knew, I guess. It's not like I really knew him that well, of course, but well, he saved my life and paid for it," she finally explained, shaking her head gently. I watched her soft pink mane, er, hair sway back and forth as she did so, bangs draping back in front of her eyes as she looked back up at me again. Her almost sapphire blue eyes seemed to stare into me and I was forced to look away. "Can you tell me how he died?" she asked quietly, apparently composing herself a little. What was her relationship to my old self?

"He was charged with protecting one of the vaults. He gave his life to charge the Aegis Barrier but persisted as the Planet Busters hit," I furthered, unsure if I wanted to give her all of the details.

Regardless, she didn't ask for them. She smiled gently and nodded, sitting back upright. "He always wanted to protect something, he said. I guess he got his way in the end. I was worried they'd execute him," she muttered, before chuckling wearily. My curiosity got the better of me, finally.

"If I may ask, what did he do to get in trouble?" I couldn't help myself. If this was my past life, I wanted to know more about it. He wasn't me, I don't think, but it was still informative.

She smiled fully now and raised an eyebrow up at me. "You'd laugh if I told you, probably. You must come from a totally different world," she warned, looking amused at my apparent expense. That was the problem with inside jokes.

I rolled my metaphorical eyes before daring, "Try me?" Her expression of mirth was worth it, and I caught myself smiling too.

"Oh fine, nosey. If you must know, high-ranking females in our culture have a very strict privacy and dress code. It's mostly a religious thing, and the males are punished for violating it. At the highest ranks, me being a council member as an example, the punishment for even seeing a patch of my fur is quite severe," she explained, covering what I had already knew of course. I feigned ignorance, however, to both cover my identity and speed the story along.

"Anyway, needless to probably say now, he broke that. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I broke it for him, which is very well known," she finished, coughing lightly and looking away from me. Uh oh. I suddenly didn't like where this was going.

"Uh, he saw your fur then?" I suggested, playing the idiot. It wasn't too hard for my usual self to pull off fairly convincingly.

She laughed, a sharp and amused sound, before shaking her head and blushing. "Ah, a little bit more than just fur. But nothing too bad. He saved my life, so I might have, well, thanked him a little after his debriefing conveniently located in my room. Just a bit of kissing and such. Damned if my sister hadn't walked in on us," she groaned, putting a hand on her forehead.

I tried to keep the mental convulsions to a minimum. I'd made out with her in her room after rescuing her?! Damn it all to hell! My mind whirled at potential implications of what that would mean. Did she have feelings for my old self? It was unlikely those would carry over to my new form, so I was probably safe. Still, if she found out about the relationship, working with her to fix the connection might become awkward. Or she might get pissed at me for lying about it and refuse to help me. Oh crap. But if I told her the truth, she might think I was lying anyway and then get mad regardless. What was I supposed to do?!

In the midst of my panic, I failed to note her giving me an amused look. "I should warn you, I'm a detection and observation specialist. It's one of the reasons I'm the head scientist. Your inner aura just went crazy after I said that. What's wrong?" she suddenly asked, causing me to whirl and smack into the side of the desk as I momentarily lost control of my levitation.

She put a hand to her mouth to hold in a giggle. I glared momentarily before sighing. I had figured she was a sensor specialist of some type. "I might not have told you the entire truth about him. Um, he actually lived for about a week after the destruction of the planet," I revealed, looking back up at her.

Keela, for her credit, managed to limit her reaction to one of extreme surprise. "Wait, that was just shortly before we got here! How did he stay alive in space for that long? Could we have, um, saved him?" she asked, a little more eager than I had expected.

"No. He was in a coma and had extensive physical damage. Saving him wasn't possible. We would have tried could it have been. He was in stasis, being kept alive by the dwindling Aegis Barrier that had shrunk down to barely three meters wide. Air was being pumped in by the Grosh that had moved into the area to study the event." It was easier to get out than I anticipated. If she was going to help me close the link, some things she'd have to know regardless.

There was a long moment where she just stared at me, vacant expression of surprise and what appeared to be system shock. For a second, I thought I had accidentally broken her or something. Finally, she shook her head slowly and frowned again. "They really were here then. Wait, we? You were here and trying to save him?" she asked, catching on rapidly like I had hoped.

"Yes. My friends and I tried to deal with the connection once already. We apparently weren't fully successful as we didn't anticipate the book, but we were responsible for the destruction of the Grosh laboratory vessel. It was a private operation that hadn't been reported yet, don't worry," I added, heading off that bout of panic before it could get out of control.

Keela's frown didn't fade, and she immediately asked, "Wait a second. Your connection existed before the book, then? Are you and your friends connected to here somehow? And where is the other end of the connection?" Her thinking was speeding up and I could see an entirely new interest forming in her eyes. Still, this time I needed confirmation first, however.

"Before I can tell you that, I need your absolute word that not only will it stay between us, but that you'll help me destroy the link to this place," I adamantly warned, drifting back up to be eye level with her again.

She watched my carefully before suddenly smiling. "I can do better if you're asking for insurance. I trust you, which is strange. You feel familiar, so I'm going to go out on my gut feelings in this case. Here," she offered, raising her left hand up to me.

My eyes widened, figuratively of course, as her palm started to glow. There was no prepared attack however, so I simply remained alert. A small orb drifted out of her palm and formed into a crystal in the air, bright purple in color. I momentarily wondered what it was for before she gave it a shove and let it drift over to me. I caught it with the innate field of telekinesis around the book and went to examine it. Unfortunately, it didn't give me a chance and promptly faded into light again before smacking into the book itself?!

"Well, that explains a lot. You have a life signature. That was a soul bead. It's a little drop of my condensed life force that is attached to a promise. I promise that I will not share what you're about to tell me, and will help you close the link you refer to, to the best of my abilities," she promised in a surprisingly official tone of voice.

Now I was really confused. "Where did it go? And what does it do?" I inquired curiously. I didn't feel anything particularly detrimental, so I assumed it wasn't malignant or anything.

She snickered before explaining further, "It attaches to your life signature. You can use it to 'ping' me at any distance, so to speak. The real purpose of it, however, is to assure that I uphold my end of the bargain. If I don't follow through with my promise, the bead opens up to you and gives you full access to my end of the link." Oh. Whoa. If I had access to a link directly to her, I could cast any spell I wanted directly into her being. That much I knew already, as I vaguely recalled contracts involving them from time to time. It didn't take a genius to know that having an angry person with a direct link to your existence would be very bad.

Then it dawned on me. She trusted me. It was probably something she felt inside of me that made her remember my past self, but regardless, she trusted me. Me, not him. I drifted gently before nodding my entire form. "Thank you for trusting me. There's a reason I probably seem familiar," I added, a little concerned with how she was going to take this.

Her eyes flickered wider slightly, but she contained herself and just listened. Not able to hesitate any further, I gave up and just started talking. Or whatever it was that I was doing now. "The place this one is linked to is a different dimension. I traveled there by freak chance when my spell went haywire. As far as I can tell, the dimension 'passed' close to this one and a, well, rather powerful energy source on their side linked up with the energy of the shield I was using. I think that's what caused me to shift over to their side," I hypothesized. It was summarized, obviously, but that was about as close as I could come with the information I had. Of course, there wasn't any need to convolute the details by explaining what a Sonic Rainboom was.

She couldn't quite contain herself this time. "You're a Keldarian, then?! Wait, shield? No. No, it couldn't possibly be..." she started to rapidly ask, suddenly looking conflicted and confused. Further, she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, claws sporadically popping out as she flexed them.

"He, well, I died a week after our planet blew up. My old body was too badly damaged to save, but that was what kept the link connected before the book took over. A new body was somehow formed for me on their side. I'm not a Keldarian anymore," I corrected softly, not exactly sure what to say after all that.

"What are you now?" she asked quietly, staring at me with an incomprehensible expression, a light shiver in her pupils.

That was a difficult one to answer. Instead, I focused and formed a shield in front of me. Slowly and surely it started to bend and curve, shaping into my now familiar form. It took a good thirty seconds to finish with the crude shape of my body, but I was pleased at the dimensions. I put on the finishing touches of the eyes and hair with a second shield plane to overlap with, keeping them somewhat visible as they hung in the air in front of me. She watched curiously as I finished the rough image, finalizing my rather unkempt mane and tail. The last thing I added was the silvery Cutie Mark that adorned both flanks. Shifting the visible light spectrum across the surface of the shields was rather elementary of a procedure, so color was quite possible. Complex pictures would take a great deal of concentration, but basic shapes such as what my symbol consisted of was rather easy.

"You're an equine? Um, too small to be a horse. Isn't that one of the imported animals from our allies?" she questioned, tilting her head and seemingly getting distracted by her own natural curiosity.

Regardless, I nodded softly to her, a full motion of the book simulating it. "A pony. There are many genetic differences, though. Different skull structure, larger eyes, shifted proportions, and altered hooves. Sentient levels of intelligence as well as a grasp of complex machinery, sciences, culture, and magic. Two different phenotypes as well, as to what they consider races," I explained as technically as I could to keep her distracted. Based on her expression, it more than worked. Her eyes were now glued to the diagram as I added the translucent horn and wing types to it in cascading style to show the different types.

"Let me guess. Unicorn, pegasus, and normal types?" she inquired, peeking around the wings to get a better look as I cycled them.

I chuckled and shook my book form. "They are based off legendary creatures, but they call the normal form 'Earth Ponies' in regards to their apparent natural affinity in magic," I corrected simply.

She smirked and nodded, still looking amused as I drifted my little diagram closer to her to see. "I'm a normal type, but due to damage to my hoof in the destruction of the Grosh ship, I can perform my magic from when I was a Keldarian on things I touch," I added, erasing the extra parts and shifting the form back to just me again.

"Earth Ponies can't use magic?" she inquired, drawing her hand along the flank of the image and lingering with curiosity on the Cutie Mark.

"Watch it. That's technically my butt, you know," I reminded, coughing lightly. She snapped back as if burned and I started laughing as a visible blush danced up into her cheeks. I continued before she could complain, however. "Unicorns are the only ones to be able to actively use magic. The other two races use it in a passive way. Earth Ponies manifest it through heightened strength and constitution, as well as a natural connection with nature, making them excellent farmers. Pegasi manipulate clouds, fly far more capably than their wings should allow for, and can alter weather conditions."

She was still glaring at me by the time I finished, but I had no doubt that she had heard most of that. "I didn't mean to touch your flank. I was just curious as to the obvious symbol," she defended, looking a little miffed. I was kind of glad she couldn't see the grin I'd be sporting if I had a mouth.

"It's called a Cutie Mark. It symbolizes a special talent that we're particularly good at, but can be extremely vague sometimes. Normal ponies apparently get them close to puberty when they discover said talent, but mine appeared a few days ago." The mention of vagueness might have been influenced by my own frustration over mine, but I'm sure I wasn't the only pony out there with the mindset! That damnable heart confused me to no end. It must be symbolic, but the connection to the gear was rather baffling.

She nodded, her blush finally dying down a little as she peeked closer. "A gear? Well, if your engineering skills carried over, that's very appropriate. Are you a male still? Do they have genders?" she continued her pattern of curious questioning while examining the model. It was a little annoying, as I didn't know how long I had before waking up, but I owed her politeness anyway. She trusted me, so the least I could do was show a little in return.

"Yeah, I'm a male still. It's a little awkward as their gender ratios are flipped from what ours used to be, if I remember correctly. The transfer also gave me a lovely case of retrograde amnesia," I admitted, sighing wearily. It was an extremely selective amnesia as well, which was beyond weird. The book even only gave me information I specifically asked about, greatly limiting its usefulness. Well, it was automated when trying to get me to murder things, but that was hardly fair.

"That actually makes sense. To be forcibly shifted into another dimension and have your body regrown into an alien shape probably put you into system shock. Is their culture reversed like ours too? Males rule or something?" she questioned lightly, seemingly calming down a little now. Or she noticed my unrest over the barrage of questions.

That one was less awkward, anyway. "Their culture seems pretty even. The ratio seems to be about four to one in favor of female births, but both genders are treated as equal members of society. There's significantly less crime and violence as well," I answered wistfully, realizing honestly how lucky I was. If the dimension shift was truly random, I had amazingly good luck, contrary to what a lot of mares believed.

Keela giggled lightly and nodded, eyes softening. "I can see why you don't want to come back here. Cutting the link is more to protect the place, isn't it?" she deduced simply, looking a lot more relaxed now. There was an odd whispering quality that echoed in her voice suddenly, and I glanced about. Wait, that seemed really familiar all of a sudden.

I saw the Sun slowly rising on the inside of the ship, oddly. It was starting to bleed through the walls, almost as if a massive three-dimensional projection was inside the room itself. Uh oh. Keela glanced over at where I'd rotated to, but acted like nothing was out of the ordinary and shot me a questioning glance. Yup, it was dimensional bleed through. Damn it.

"Crap. I'm waking up. If you have any other questions, best ask them now," I warned rapidly, rotating back to face her.

Her eyes widened and she put both hands to her mouth in surprise. "Oh! You were sleeping? Our time cycles must be reversed. Um, I don't want to be a bother now that I definitely know you aren't an AI or anything. What should we do?" she questioned, an air of guilt leaking into her tone.

"Oh, that thing you gave me. Right before I'm about to go to sleep, I'll ping you. Just feed the book energy and I'll probably be pulled through into it. It beats listening to you talk for five hours and getting paper dumped all over me," I groaned, suddenly remembering what I had to look forward to when I woke up. "Oh, and don't run the book through that thing anymore. It wasn't pleasant," I added, sighing wearily. Hopefully I hadn't rolled into my own vomit while sleeping. Well, unconscious.

Keela nodded rapidly, looking a little sad suddenly before agreeing, "Yeah, that's no problem. I'm glad you're going to let me talk to you again. You're, well, fun." Well that was, um, actually, I didn't know how to respond to that at all.

Thankfully I didn't have to. I felt the book suddenly turn off and fall, me falling with it. I kept going however, falling back into the dark recesses of my mind and crossing the infinite void once more.

The fluid dimensional shift had been so poetic compared to the now jarring spasms that I awoke to. At first I was wondering if I'd inhaled vomit and was now having some sort of choking attack, but those don't normally talk to me, I'd hope.

"Dude! Mender, wake up. Are you okay?" I heard in a quiet but sturdy male voice. My eyes opened up abruptly to stare right at his emerald ones. The little, purple lizard stood over me, an expression of seeming concern adorning his face.

I winced and pushed my hoof against my right temple, trying to shove the splitting headache out of my skull. "Ow. Yeah, I'm all right, Spike. I think I passed out last night and fell," I excused, telling most of the truth. Well, it was enough of the truth to hurt like hell. I probably had hit my head when I fell over, but I vaguely recalled being on my knees to throw up anyway, so it probably wasn't too far of a drop.

Spike looked momentarily unsure before smiling and nodding again. "Well, as long as you're not hurt or anything. You're nice and all, so it wouldn't be good if something were wrong. Oh, and Twilight would go totally spastic again. You should have just heard her yesterday!" he complained, rolling his eyes before walking back over to the counter where I had gotten my drink last night.

He went under the counter, however, withdrawing what appeared to be a paper towel. "Are you sick, though? You should let her know when she gets up if so," he followed up before getting ready to clean up my rather large mess.

"Those two are still asleep?" I questioned in earnest interest before tapping my left hoof to the wooden floor. The barrier formed almost instantly under the mess and I scooped it up using a bowl shape in one fell swoop. "Sorry about the mess, by the way. I think it was something I ate," I tacked on, gesturing to the bowl of rather disgusting smelling liquid. Well, it used to be liquid. I decided not to think about it, lest I make myself sick again.

"Oh, sweet! I wish Twilight helped me clean up stuff! Thanks! I totally forgot you had that crazy magic, too. But yeah, I usually always get up before her. I usually make her breakfast, too," he informed as he walked over to a nook in the corner and slid a garbage can out. I winced as I dumped the contents into it, and he rapidly tied it off.

"You cook? You seem more like a little brother to Twilight. Isn't she supposed to be the responsible one?" I asked, smirking as he tried to pull the now much heavier plastic bag out of the can.

"Ha! You'd think so, but we actually do it this way for safety. You saw her cooking at the party! I thought Rainbow was going to die," he warned, sounding actually shocked.

I felt the blood seep out of my head. Oh. "Yikes. I thought that was because it was just really old," I muttered, shuddering before lifting the bag out of the can with my teeth. Spike smiled as I helped him again and latched onto the bottom of the can, using his weight to help me pull it off.

"Nah. Twilight's too orderly to let things sit in the fridge for that long. Pinkie made that up. She'd only cooked that up, like, three days before? It just wasn't exactly, um, edible by the time she was done. It was a total waste of potatoes and celery if you ask me."

More blood dribbled away and I felt faint, suddenly glad my stomach was still empty. "Potatoes and celery?! I thought that was pancake batter!" I admitted, swallowing wearily. Note to self, if I ever felt suicidal, have Twilight cook for me.

"Exactly!" he returned, winking at me before opening the door. We took the bag out the front and set it down next to the end of the walkway leading up to the library. Hoped nopony got too close. The smells alone might incapacitate an unlucky pony!

"Thanks a ton, Mender! Having you living here is going to be awesome. Do you want some breakfast too?" he asked, running briefly to catch up as I walked back inside.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble. I can try to help if you want," I offered, smiling over at the little guy. He was nice enough of a lizard-thing when it came down to it.

His eyes widened a little and he asked, "For real? You'll actually help me cook?" Was it that much of a surprise? I paused, but nodded simply, wondering if I was missing something. "Woo!" he exclaimed before hopping into the air and raising his fist. I snickered momentarily before he rotated and landed on me during his second jump, almost knocking me over sideways. "You're awesome! Let's go make breakfast, then," he agreed from his newly discovered sitting position on my back.

I raised an eyebrow back at him, but he only grinned. "Twilight must have you ride on her back, then?" I questioned before heading back inside the library. He wasn't heavy at all, honestly. If he hadn't been rather on the warm side, I probably wouldn't be able to tell he was riding on me. My hoof flashed with energy and the door slid shut after we entered.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't even ask if I could," he suddenly apologized.

I glanced back at him with a smile again and shook my head. "You're not that heavy, so it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it," I explained as we entered the kitchen. Now that I peeked around a little more, I noticed that he was right. Everything was ordered, tidy, and practically immaculate. It struck me as almost compulsive, but I knew better than to say anything to the mare, or that wouldn't be the only thing that struck me, I figured.

Then I suddenly got an idea as we entered the kitchen. "Hey Spike, why don't we make the mares breakfast in bed?" I suggested, looking back and up at the little fellow.

He thought about it for a second before smirking. "Dang, I wish I'd thought of that before! You really know how to impress the ladies, Mender. I wonder if Rarity would like breakfast in bed," he mumbled, raising a clawed hand to his chin as he thought out loud.

My brain did a flip. Wait, he liked Rarity? The total lack of comprehension shifted my brain into reverse as it rolled down a hill at maximum speed. "Whoa, you like Rarity?!" I asked before common sense or propriety could caution me otherwise.

Spike let out a gasp of shock and stared at me, dumbfounded. "Ack! Don't tell anypony! That's supposed to be super secret!" he warned, looking at me with pleading eyes. Oh crap! Why could I not go a whole day without committing some sort of social atrocity?

"Don't worry, Spike! I promise that I'm not going to tell anypony. I'll even help you make Rarity breakfast in bed too if you want to," I offered, hoping my attempt at blatantly bribing him wasn't too obvious. Wait, there was something odd about that logic.

He seemed oblivious, though, and sighed in relief instead. "Thanks, Dude. You're a good stallion. Oh, and you're so lucky to have both of them after you!" he suddenly exclaimed, probably remembering what he heard last night.

I blushed and coughed as he climbed up onto the counter wearing a smirk. "Well, Fluttershy hasn't made any promises and I'm happy enough to have Twilight. Both mares are amazing for their own reasons, so I am pretty lucky. Well, in that regard," I admitted, leaving a loophole for the blunt head trauma and injury quota I seemed to possess.

"Oh yeah. I'm gonna do the cutting, okay? I know better than to let you near sharp objects," he agreed, taking my hint. I laughed and helped him get things out of the fridge that seemed breakfast-y. Was that a word? Oh well. Eggs and bread were good, solid choices. Potatoes would work too. I peeked around for the veggies as Spike started working with the eggs I had retrieved.

It was strange. Every time I had one of those dreams, I felt so weird when I got back. It was a surreal, detached feeling that lingered for as long as I thought about it, which this time, was quite a while. What was Keela doing now? She would hopefully be less intrusive from now on, but maybe with her help, I'd be able to solve the link issue without talking to Twilight. A twinge of bitterness slipped in before I could stop it. She'd probably just think that I was nuts again, even if I did say anything.

"Equestria to Mender? You okay?" Spike suddenly asked, snapping his fingers in front of my muzzle and knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Oh! Oh yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something," I excused, attempting to act nonchalant and probably failing in an extremely epic manner.

Spike gave me a skeptical eyebrow raise before muttering, "I noticed. The mares won't appreciate burnt breakfast nearly as much, however. Watch the toast for me while I handle the potatoes," he requested in a surprisingly professional tone. Well when someone spoke like that, one simply had to go along with it.

I nodded politely and peeked over at the toaster. Now that I realized it, this was the first time I noticed that Equestria actually had working electricity. Although I think I should have known this before. I could have sworn I saw a hydroelectric dam up by the riverhead. Forcing myself not to get distracted again, I plugged the machine in with a burst of field manipulation around the cord, then stuck the entire stack of bread slices to my hoof with a simple magnetic shift. The little lizard watched in amusement as I took four slices and slid them over the top of the toaster, simply releasing them as they were over the slots in one fluid motion. I might as well get magical practice while doing mundane things, right?

"Magic is so cool. Yours doesn't seem as convenient as Twilight's, though," Spike observed after another moment. Well, that much was true.

"Yeah. I have to touch things I want to mess with. Having a horn must be amazing," I agreed wistfully. I could think of a few ways around the limitation, but walking around with a bunch of ribbons tied to my left ankle wouldn't do wonders for my already suffering image as a stallion. Maybe some sort of hoof-to-hand glove I could build with movable parts? That might go the other direction though and scare ponies.

I gently reminded myself that I was supposed to be cooking when the toast popped up, arced through the air, and unerringly skipped off my nose. I let out a squeak before lashing out with a bunch of force fields from my hoof and catching all of the slices in a makeshift bowl!

The little purple lizard started giggling in amusement at my quick recovery, then clapped as I managed to get all of the slices safely back onto the counter. "Your luck is still just as bad, but at least you're getting better at the recovery part," he complimented, pulling a flat, dull knife out and dipping it into the small tub of butter nearby. What interesting ways to prepare food. It made sense from what I had been subjected to so far in meals. They prepared things similarly to the exotic dishes I vaguely remember being 'imported' from our tentative treaty with those other aliens. They had such complex ways to prepare food. It was a little weird, but I guess I'd get used to it. Our species, when not subjected to preserved military meal rations, kept things simple and mixed; chopped, diced, or stringed meat mixed with light grains and maybe a bit of sauce for flavor. The sauce was typically made from either fruits or vegetables. I remember a lot of spicy peppers mixed in as well as the occasional fruity tang if the meat was sweet.

My stomach growled as I put in the next set of four toast, and I whimpered. Spike smirked and nodded, complaining, "Yeah. I always get hungry when cooking, too. Seeing all this awesome food in front of me and not being able to touch it is like teasing. Even if it's not what I really want to eat."

My attention focused on his mouth while he was talking, and I once again saw the rows of pointed teeth. Was he omnivorous? "Do you eat meat sometimes?" I questioned gently, having gotten too curious for my own good.

To my own defense, I wasn't expecting the look of utter horror that the little guy displayed. "Ew! No way, Dude! I'd never eat any kind of meat," he denied instantly, taking a step backwards and away from me. Okay then! That hadn't been a reaction I was expecting. I chalked yet another social blunder onto my quota for today. Damn. I'd only been up a half an hour!

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to offend! I just saw your teeth and I didn't think they looked like something a pure herbivore would have," I explained hastily in attempts to calm the little guy down.

He exhaled, and seemed to relax before sticking a finger into his mouth and running the claw along his teeth as if just having noticed them himself.

"Well, I guess I see the mistake. These are for crushing and chewing gemstones, though, not meat," he corrected.

What? My brain stalled as I blinked slowly at him. Gemstones? He eats crystalline mineral deposits that have been processed into faceted gems? "Uh, all dragons eat gems, I guess. They taste really, really good and make my tummy feel better if it's aching," he expanded upon, seeing my empty expression.

Oh. He was a dragon then, not a lizard. My mind strained to remember anything I could about the word. The only place I had recalled seeing it was in an old book that was imported, once again, from our estranged allies. It was starting to make me a little paranoid now that I considered it. A lot of that alien culture seemed to be popping up around here. Although to them, even, dragons were a myth. Something fictitious that existed purely in imagination and fantasy; yet here was a living, breathing example of one. I think. I wondered how close the little guy matched to their myths.

"So you're a dragon? I think I recall reading that they can breathe fire," I muttered a moment later, tilting my head towards him.

He grinned in the same instant and exhaled, blasting a small plume of green flames dangerously close to my styled and braided mane. I stepped backwards with my eyes widening a little before coughing out, "Dragon it is, then!"

He snickered and nodded with a big grin dancing across his face. "My fire isn't normal dragon fire, though. I'm extra magical and can use the fire to transport things to wherever I think about when using it," he added, swaying back and forth as if pleased with himself.

I was confused, however. "Wait, so it makes some sort of portal or something?" I inquired curiously, suddenly finding the little guy fascinating. At least he didn't seem to mind the attention I was giving him.

"Haha! No. It kind of burns up, then just appears somewhere else. Like magic!" he exclaimed. Yet again, my brain did a flailing nosedive down a cliff. A thousand questions came to mind, but I suddenly realized that assaulting him with them might seem kind of rude. The way he was explaining it, I decided he probably didn't know the answers any more than I did. I made a mental note to never willingly use it for transportation, however. If it didn't actually send the object, instead destroying it and making a copy at the location he considers, wouldn't that technically kill living things? If it didn't, were they really the same individual as the one who got teleported? If one couldn't tell, was that still a bad thing? The moral and ethical questions confused me deeply.

Spike was oblivious to my inner turmoil, thankfully. "I mostly use it to send letters for Twilight," he added happily before starting to load up a tray I hadn't seen him pull out. Oh, the food!

To my surprise however, the sets of toast were done to perfection and already placed on a large plate. "Ah! Sorry for zoning out so much, Spike. I didn't really help you much," I apologized, suddenly feeling badly about it. He had seemed so happy to be getting the help earlier, too.

Spike snickered and waved a claw to me as he finished loading the tray. "It's fine, Mender. You had a rough night, so it doesn't surprise me you're a little out of it today. The company was totally worth it! Can you help me get this upstairs, though?" He glanced over at the tray, suddenly seeming to realize that it was several times his size.

I smiled, teasing, "Don't want to use your flames to move it up there?"

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks before he shook his head, admitting, "I can't exactly control how the objects come out. With our luck, the tray would flip over and land on them."

That would indeed be bad. Eating breakfast is good. Being covered in it; not so much. I reached out and touched the tray with my left hoof. It was simple enough. The tray and contents lost gravity instantly, and I snapped a thin, contorted barrier over the food on top to prevent any unfortunate drifting that might happen. Spike gave a questioning look due to the effects being not exactly visible to the naked eye. It shifted to amusement and a rapid clapping as I slid the tray off the counter and drifted it through the air towards the stairs. Once the properties of an object were changed, the small symbols I put on them would remain 'charged' for quite a while after I broke contact. That was a basic technique I remember being taught. More advanced ones gave methods in which to place self-recharging 'batteries' onto the enchantments, allowing for significantly more permanent effects. They required a tremendous amount of focus and magic to start up, though, and that was currently well outside of my capacity.

Spike snagged the tray out of the air and pulled it up the stairs, scooting himself backwards as he went. The anti-gravity enchantment seemed to amuse him to no end. Of course, I could hardly cancel the true effect of gravity on an object. That would take considerably more energy than my entire body possessed. Mass manipulation enchantments were extremely hard. Now a basic effect that provided omnidirectional counter-thrusting to match the force of gravity on the object; that was a lot easier!

Spike gleefully made it to the top of the stairs and turned in the direction of Twilight's bed. I smiled at his youthful exuberance as I went up the stairs significantly slower. Up was far safer than down when traversing stairs in my current body, but I still didn't want to trip and plant my face into the steps. Idly, I wondered if the girls really would enjoy this little gift. My eyebrows raised questioningly, however, as I saw Spike freeze shortly after turning the corner, claws extending up to his mouth and his eyes widening. Uh oh...

Sensing potential disaster, I sped up upon nearing the top of the stairs. Thankfully I only managed to trip once. Stumbling to a somewhat complete stop, I finally managed to turn just as Spike started to smirk instead.

The girls must have heard my fumbling in some far off corner of their dreamland. Both stirred gently, still tucked under the warm embrace of the covers. A smile crept onto my mouth before I could stop it as the stirring made them snuggle closer into each other. Fluttershy's muzzle and cheek were lightly pressed into Twilight's chest as the lavender unicorn had both of her front legs wrapped around her friend. Honestly, it kind of looked like she thought she was holding some sort of stuffed animal. Actually, now that I thought about it, the yellow pegasus was probably going to have a small heart attack upon waking up.

"Twilight? Fluttershy? Breakfast is ready," Spike gently called out before I could properly warn him. Both mares stirred gently after barely a second; Fluttershy opening her eyes up first.

She looked disoriented in that brief moment where you have to cognitively register where you are after falling out of your dreams. The look of confusion rapidly slipped into surprise, and then panic as she looked up fully at Twilight. Twilight, for her part, didn't seem to notice at all anyway. She was busy releasing a planet-cracking yawn. I momentarily amused myself by watching the little thingy in the back of her mouth shiver back and forth before she finally stopped yawning and blinked sleepily. By then, Fluttershy had started shivering uncontrollably and couldn't seem to break eye contact.

Twilight slowly looked down, eyes widening in surprise but not quite slipping into the panic her friend seemed to be displaying. "Oh! I'm sorry, Fluttershy. We must have moved in our sleep," she reasoned, probably dead on as per usual. Fluttershy was still mostly frozen, but I watched her eyes soften a little at the lavender unicorn's warm smile. Note to self, my girlfriend is amazingly unfazed by waking up to cuddling with her best friend. Even in my head, that sounded really weird, and not because of the cuddling part. I decided I still was having problems considering myself as her boyfriend.

Spike managed to remain smiling, even though I heard the suppressed, airy snickering from this close. "I'm sure you two are hungry as well. Mender had a really good idea, so here you go! Breakfast is served," he announced, giving a hammy bow before sliding the tray through the air. It drifted low before gently landing on, and sliding across the surface of the bed. Twilight looked more surprised by the tray than the fact that she woke up to holding Fluttershy, ironically.

"Wait, did you guys make us breakfast in bed? Aww!" she cooed, smiling even wider now. Fluttershy snapped out of her system shock and glanced at the tray in front of her as well, as she sat up to equal Twilight's height.

Spike wasted no time in hopping up on the other side of the tray and sitting across from Twilight. "Yup! He even helped me make it. I should have totally thought of this before!" he exclaimed, tone indicating he felt he was silly.

"Hey, you did most of the cooking. Plus you would have had too hard of a time getting the food upstairs," I reasoned to try to redirect his self-chastisement, not to mention the credit.

Fluttershy was now blushing furiously and looking down at the tray. I had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn't me who caused the tinted cheeks, however. "Thank you. You two are wonderful. You really know how to treat two mares!" Twilight spoke up, smirking over at Fluttershy before shifting to a more questioning expression.

There was a long, awkward moment where Fluttershy continued to zone out while blushing and Twilight stared blankly at her. I was a little awkward, too, but for other reasons. I realized that I was rather hungry myself, having thrown up most of my supper last night. There was a problem, however. Breakfast was sitting on Twilight's bed. Her bed. Bed! I might be rather naive from time to time, but I knew what the favorite location of private time was. Due to a very informative conversation with Pinkie and Applejack a while back, I had a sneaking suspicion that the concept was fairly universal between our worlds.

"Uh, are you okay, Fluttershy?" Twilight hesitantly asked, finally running out of patience, it would seem.

The timid yellow pegasus snapped out of it with a start and nodded rapidly. "Oh yes, I'm, well, fine!" she assured, not sounding assuring in the least. Twilight's expression said she didn't buy it, but she sighed and nodded before gesturing towards the food again.

"You should really eat something, Fluttershy. I'm sorry again about moving in my sleep," Twilight apologized softly, gently brushing Fluttershy's right shoulder.

Fluttershy started to shake her head towards the tray before she stopped and gave me a questioning look. Damn it. I'd hoped they'd be too distracted with their food and awkward moment to notice mine. I carried forth with sitting down on the floor next to the bed and peeking over at my share of the food. Maybe Twilight wouldn't notice and I could...

"Mender, what are you doing?" aforementioned lavender unicorn asked. Damn it! I swallowed and glanced over at the confused looking unicorn before trying a reassuring smile.

"Uh, sitting down? I'm kinda hungry," I complained, trying not to be too snarky. I'd noticed that I'd been getting a little sardonic as of late. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't want to be rude.

Twilight was deadly sharp of mind, I keep forgetting. She smirked instead, assuring, "It's okay if you sit on the bed, Mender. There's no stigma against it, and besides, you technically are my boyfriend now, remember?"

Blushing at her implications, I gave in and slowly climbed up onto the bed. "I suppose. I just don't want to do something stupid by assuming and offend you," I admitted, settling into a comfortable spot across from Fluttershy and next to Spike. This still felt awkward, but I suppose knowing that the bed wouldn't be hurled at me for sitting on it was a good step in the right direction.

Twilight frowned for a microscopic moment before smiling again and nodding. "It's not like we're being intimate. You're just eating with us," she reassured before taking a bite of her toast finally.

Fluttershy, who had been reduced to a timid silence during the exchange, nodded to me as well. "Admittedly it is a, well, nice concept. It would make me feel so much better some nights if you were there to push up against. Sometimes I get really, um, scared in my house all alone," she furthered softly. She was looking down at her food, which oddly left me wondering which one of us she was addressing that to. She wore a light blush regardless and Twilight gave her a curious look. Somehow, I had a sneaking suspicion that she was refering to a more platonic cuddling than anything. My smile softened towards her.

"I didn't realize you thought of Mender that much, Fluttershy. You really like him, don't you?" Twilight asked gently, smile not even flickering. I know, because I was watching it like a hawk. It was still hard to believe she was so open-minded about Fluttershy liking me too. Was their culture that different, or was it more of a Twilight thing? I discovered that I was looking for any indication of her secretly disliking it that I could find. Realizing that, I started questioning my own motives over the ordeal. I was afraid of offending the lavender mare, obviously, but some of the doubts stemmed from myself instead. I didn't really consider myself worthy of them both. Wait, did I consider myself worthy of either of them individually?

That, of course, reminded me of the awkward conversation from last night. "That reminds me. What's a herd?" I blurted out before seriously considering what I was asking. I should really stop doing that, I decided in hindsight.

Fluttershy seemingly forgot that she couldn't breathe while eating eggs and suddenly started coughing and hacking like mad. Spike started to laugh a split second before Twilight made a gagging noise and spit half the contents of her orange juice cup all over him. My eyes widened and I leaned forward to pat Fluttershy on the back as she leaned over the tray. At least my girlfriend seemed in less immediate danger of choking to death.

"Ew!" Spike complained immediately, looking down at himself with both arms indignantly spread and dripping orange juice. Fluttershy seemed to finally regain her composure and adopted a new, fiery red tint to her cheeks as she looked back up at me in surprise. Twilight's cheeks were similarly tinted, although noticeably less than her friend's. Maybe it was a shading difference due to their extreme coat colorings?

The lavender mare shook her head before sighing and asking, "You remember that from what the guard told you last night, right?"

I nodded weakly, wondering if I should be worried for my safety now. She continued regardless, seemingly less upset and significantly more awkward. "A herd is an older tradition in Equestria. It stems all the way back to when we were still nomadic, but the legal and cultural aspects are still practiced today from time to time," she explained quietly, not making eye contact.

In a slightly bizarre oddity, Fluttershy actually seemed a little more comfortable with the topic, continuing where Twilight left off with, "Yes. A lot of animals still use the concept, and it's obviously still important to us ponies too due to our slightly off balance gender ratios. A herd then is as simple as multiple mares and stallions in a family or relationship together."

That was it? It seemed simple enough, but was more flexible than I anticipated. So it wasn't just one member of a gender sharing multiple opposite gendered partners, but simply a group of ponies in said situation with potentially multiple on each side. It made sense if it was originally for a nomadic lifestyle. Unity and protection would be significantly greater.

"So the guard last night was insinuating that we were trying to form one?" I asked, largely for clarity. Well, not in so many words, as he chose a lot more that were significantly more degrading. That wouldn't do at all.

The shy pegasus shot back to embarrassed in a heartbeat and shrank back down again. Twilight took her turn to recover and let forth a snicker of amusement before rubbing her friend on the back. "Well, for right now we're just a couple. If Fluttershy would like to join in the future, we'd tackle that then, but I read that it works a lot better if the members of a herd are friends before joining, so I could honestly see it going well," Twilight pointed out. At this point, her referencing the fact that she's read about this topic didn't surprise me in the least. Was there a topic she hadn't read about yet?

Spike, who I totally forgot was there, gave a questioning glance over at the two mares after swallowing a large mouthful of toast. "Wait, doesn't that mean that you and Fluttershy would be in a relationship too?" he questioned curiously, taking a strange interest in the subject. Wait, he probably shouldn't have asked that!

Fluttershy gave out an almost miserable sounding mix between a groan and squeak before sinking lower to her side of the tray. I resisted smiling as I went back to gently rubbing her shoulder to try to comfort her. Spike's studious mother surrogate raised an eyebrow to him but finally giggled nonchalantly. "Well, sometimes. I've never, well, considered being with a mare before, but I couldn't see any harm in it. I care deeply for Fluttershy as a dear friend, of course, but I can't speak for how she'd feel for that, Spike. Be gentle," she warned before turning to the now visibly shocked yellow mare next to her.

"You really, um, mean it?!" Fluttershy asked in disbelief. I could see the muscles along her forelegs shivering as she asked, her wings twitching behind her lightly in what seemed to be a mix of panic and surprise. I suddenly realized that all three of us liking each other might actually have a possibility of working. That was a little scary, for some reason. My sense of self-established inferiority started to creep up again. Things were getting complicated and the urge to distance myself reared its head again. The more complex something got, the higher the probability of something going wrong.

"Of course, Fluttershy. Now you'd best eat something before the wonderful meal the boys made us gets cold," Twilight reminded gently.

The shy pegasus gave a start before turning back to the tray of food in front of her. "Ah, yeah! I'm sorry," she rapidly murmured, gaze shifting between Spike and me. I smiled softly to her, and my scaly friend gave a nonchalant wave of a claw while stuffing a frightening amount of hash browns into his mouth. Fluttershy simply giggled before resuming her own meal.

My smile dropped away as I lost the focus of attention again. Why was I doubting this? I liked both mares; Twilight maybe just a little more, due to experience and proximity. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity then? It seemed almost too perfect. Admittedly, my natural sense of paranoia was a little cautious. It didn't help that I kept getting stuck on the fact that these mares were national, maybe worldly even, heroines! How did I deserve such amazing mares? Finally, like a shadow looming over the whole thing, I worried that things involving Keela and the other dimension would spill over at the worst possible time.

So yeah, things were getting complex. Twilight drew her attention back up to me. I caught it this time and rapidly resumed eating as to not draw unwanted attention to myself. This was hopefully going to be an easy day, anyway. I hoped that thought wouldn't come back to bite me again...

---

The resounding vibrations drifted through my skull as my momentum slowed to a halt. The cold wood contrasted my now heated and pulsing skin just along the bridge of my nose and muzzle. Groaning, I slowly slid my head down the unmoving wood, eyes still closed. Damn it.

Laughter danced along my hearing from somewhere in front of me. It was a hearty, carefree laugh with a familiar voice behind it. "Ah reckon yer eyesight still ain't fully recover'd?" Applejack inquired in an amused tone. At least I assumed it was the country flavored Earth Pony. If it wasn't, somepony was one heck of a voice actor.

"I take it you found out about the incident yesterday?" Twilight asked softly as she helped me back to all four hooves without hesitating the slightest. She adjusted quickly to my penchant for hurting myself. At least I was expected to be fully recovered by tomorrow. Magic was amazing!

Opening my eyes finally, I saw a slightly fuzzy version of Applejack nod earnestly. "Yup! Dash came by yesterday an' told all 'bout it. Yer one lucky stallion," she remarked, walking over to give Twilight a hoof in moving me into the room.

"It usually doesn't feel that way," I muttered, giving out a stiff groan as I was forcefully moved next to the inside wall of the barn.

My, as of yet hard to believe, girlfriend snickered playfully before suggesting, "Well, just in case you're right and physics still hates you, you're just going to be telling us what to do today. No handling sharp and pointy objects when you're half blind."

Applejack laughed as well, seemingly ignoring my eye roll. "That's probably ah good idea. Ah'm gonna keep workin' with tha supports until Dash an' Fluttershy get 'ere. Mah brother asked if ya could make some plans up fer tha design, too," she requested, turning to walk back in the direction of the half-done conveyor, but glancing back over her shoulder at us.

Twilight perked up, probably noticing that this stage of the project could make full use of her talents. "Oh, certainly! Mender will explain the design and I'll draw it up as precisely as possible!" she assured, again promising my support without actually asking me. Well, it wasn't like I would have turned the farm mare down, but it still would have been nice to be at least consulted on what my workload would be. I chalked it up to her knowing me, though.

"Thank ya kindly, Twi! An' you too, Mender. This would'a been downright impossible without yer talents," she thanked, sounding more sincere than I thought a pony could.

Smiling, I nodded softly to her as I plopped down into a lying position with my butt to the wall. The lavender unicorn sat down next to me before giving a smirk and lighting her horn up with magic. Almost a dozen logs drifted over to my position from a new pile that had apparently appeared there overnight. Oh yeah, Applejack had been shorted by over half her required parts. Note to self; find out whom she bought the 'kit' from and blacklist him or her from any of my future business. "Hey Spike, are you coming?" Twilight called out a moment later, aiming for the door next to us, it sounded like.

Oddly enough, I could still 'feel' what the part was shaped like from when I last scanned it. I didn't think my memory was that good, so I snagged the original again and started to re-scan it. That was the last thing I needed: to get through all of the parts only to discover that I made a noticeable error in the duplication process. Applejack would probably kill me for wasting that much wood, too. My thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling of the little dragon as he hauled a rather sizable saddlebag set in from outside of the barn. "Yeah, yeah. This isn't the lightest, ya know," he complained, causing me to smile over at him. He was an extremely hard worker. Of course, Twilight had been wearing the pack up until we got to the barn, so at least he didn't have to drag it far. Which was good. If Rarity were here, she'd probably kill us all for mistreating an accessory by dragging it through the dirt like that.

"Oh, Ah ordered tha metal parts, too. They said they'd come sometime today," Applejack chimed in. Oh yeah, I'd forgotten she'd need more than just the wooden segments I was making. They were kind of pointless if there was nothing to attach them to.

"I hope you didn't go through the same pony," I returned, shaking my head slightly. It still made me mad that somepony had taken advantage of my friend. Sure, we had gotten off to a rough start, but Applejack had been extremely nice to me ever since that had been patched up.

"Ha! He ain't gonna get ah lick o' Apple business ever again, don't worry. These parts are from out o' town. Ah little more expensive, but Ah'm guaranteed ta get tha whole order, ya know?" she informed, sounding justifiably irked.

"Good! I have half a mind to go visit him myself and discuss the definition of product fraud," Twilight grumbled as she pulled out several sheets of paper from the saddlebags that were now in front of her. Spike wobbled a little bit before dramatically falling over next to her. Oddly, it kind of reminded me of Rarity.

"It ain't worth tha trouble. It'll hurt 'em enough ta lose all tha Apple business. 'sides, Ah might'a found somepony ta take over our construction needs," she returned with a playful tone to the last part. A little flag went off in my mind and I glanced up from my scanning work just in time to see the orange mare smiling at me from on top of the conveyor's main support.

Wait, was she talking about me?! Heat drifted into my cheeks as my eyes widened. "I think that's a very good choice, Applejack. He's brilliant at engineering, from what we've seen so far," Twilight chimed in using a sweet tone and a nuzzle to my shoulder.

I let out a weak groan and buried my head in my forelegs, feeling the heat radiating off it. Twilight let out a light giggle before I heard the papers rustling into position. "Yer too humble, Mender. Ya must realize how much this is helpin' us, right?" the farm mare questioned curiously, yet in what sounded to be a distracted tone. Curious again, I peeked up at her latching a hammer to her hoof using a simple leather strap. She lined up a couple more nails with her mouth and lightly held them up with her free hoof as she tapped them in. The act seemed so precise that it left me in awe for a moment. If I had tried that, Twilight would be re-attaching my hoof. I knew she was strong, but watching her reinforce the supports displayed a totally unrealized level of finesse from her.

"No, don't try doing that, Mender," Twilight suddenly advocated cautiously, apparently practically reading my mind. She wore an amused smirk as I glanced over at her.

"Yeah, no. I like my hoof in one solid chunk, thanks. Worse yet would be making extra work for you," I agreed, returning a much softer smile. She looked momentarily amused before softening as well, probably guessing that I was purposefully trying to appease her. What was the term for that? 'Sweet Talking'? The situation seemed similar to when Twilight had accused me of that before. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing?

"Don't get distracted, Casanova. We have work to do," she murmured tenderly. Of course, she accompanied it with a tantalizing and agonizingly slow nuzzle along the side of my cheek, doing the exact opposite of keeping me focused. It was strange, but I had a strong compulsion to push her over onto her side and start kissing her. Still, that would probably get a bad reaction. Reminding myself that she could tie bows using my insides without touching me, I managed to resist. Somehow. The heat rushing to my head certainly didn't make it easy.

"Oh come on! Last night wasn't enough smooching for you two?!" Spike suddenly groaned out, sounding appalled. Twilight snapped back instantly and looked over at the annoyed little dragon. Applejack, who had apparently stopped hammering at some point and was now watching with a surprised expression and slack jaw, shifting to that of amused and started chuckling.

"Ah reckon ya would think ah little differently if'in it was Rare and yerself," she reasoned pointedly. Wait, she knew about Spike's crush? If she was okay with speaking of it so plainly, Twilight must know about it too.

Spike grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms. Applejack snickered but spun the hammer around with a flick of her hoof and resumed lining up nails. She continued to speak as she worked, with, "It was ah little surprisin' though. You finally decided ta admit feelin's an' bury the hatchet?"

"It took a while, but I think he's finally more comfortable with me," Twilight agreed readily enough, missing my eye roll shortly after. It wasn't entirely my fault that I was terrified of making her mad. Disregarding the most obvious retort, I decided to just resume my scan.

Amusingly enough, it turned out that my memory seemed to be spot on from the last one I did. Maybe there was some sort of intrinsic memory involved with imprinting the scan in my mind. Regardless, I locked down the shape and set the part aside. From my yet imperfect vision, I noted that the stack of logs was over to the left side of me. I reached up to touch one when the top log drifted free and landed softly in front of me. Smiling, I gave the unicorn a nod, even if she was currently looking down at her papers. It didn't surprise me in the least that she could manipulate the logs without looking.

"Ah meant you, Twi," Applejack corrected a moment later. Uh oh. The farm mare had serious guts, I'll say that much. Well, she was also a good friend of Twilight's, so she could get away with saying a lot more than I could. I decided not to look up. Maybe if I didn't see the death coming, I'd survive?

"Hey! I admit my feelings for him! Well, okay, fine. I might have been a little on the hesitant side, but I've never done this before!" the lavender unicorn protested, suddenly seeming extremely flustered. Well, that wasn't the anticipated reaction. I expected more yelling. And homicide.

I kept my head down through the moment of silence, busying myself by making cutting patterns in the log in front of me. They hunted mainly through motion and terror, I had heard. If I remained absolutely still and avoided eye contact, they shouldn't be able to see me! The log was significantly larger than the one I worked with last time, I suddenly noticed. I managed to fit three full-length stacks inside of it, allowing for eighteen sections from one. That meant we should only need five or six, and still have plenty of spares left over! As pleasing as that aspect was, I realized that I had only done four stacks before causing my nose to explode in blood and the most distracting sensation of a nail being driven into my forehead. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Ah think yer both perfect fer each other, frankly. Ya share enough similarities ta get along, an' not enough ta murder each other," Applejack admitted, gaining a snicker from myself. The mare spoke truth. It made me realize that Rainbow and she actually were very similar to Twilight and me, minus the massive competitive streak they had going. They shared a lot of similarities and lacked the overlapping skill set.

Twilight nodded in my peripheral vision before adding, "Agreed. It's nice to be able to talk about magical things to somepony. It helps that he's actually neat and tidy too. Well, when not bleeding all over things."

I gave her a skeptical glance, only to receive a tantalizing one in return. She was such a brat sometimes. She continued her verbal rampage before I could retort, however. "Still, at least he has the sense of organization and cleanliness in the first place. Right, Spike?" she asked with a bit of a bite to her tone. Whoa, what did he do to get on her bad side?

"Hey, what did I do?!" he asked instantly, apparently knowing just as much about his offense as I did. That didn't bode well. I had just started to become friends with him, too.

The exasperated unicorn sighed wearily. "You filled up the bin under my drafting table with cut up pieces of paper, Spike. It was two inches over the top of the thing! Did you think I wouldn't notice?" she questioned bluntly. Cut up pieces of paper?

I glanced up at the same time Applejack did apparently, her expression shifting to one of dubious curiosity rather than mirroring my merely interested one. "What? No, those were all over Mender's bed when I got up! All I did was pick them up," he defended adamantly. Wait, what? Oh. I knew I forgot something.

Twilight slowly rotated around to give me a skeptical, yet confused look. Applejack's shifted even further to the disbelieving side of the spectrum as her eyebrow rose sharply on the left side. Well, crap.

Magic. Using a broad definition, it was anything not clearly defined through science that still held definable effects that could be documented and controlled. Well, not always so much on the controlled part. To narrow that focus a little bit, our magic was a little bit more understood, anyway. We knew where the energy came from and how to manipulate it. It followed the most rudimentary laws of the physical world. You couldn't create or destroy matter at a fundamental level. Forces such as gravity and inertia could only be balanced out instead of changed completely. You had to obey the rules already in place. There were still variables missing, of course. How our bodies made the energy. Why the symbols worked the way they did to focus our efforts. Where the energy went after dissipating. Even the very nature of the 'soul' itself, if I was allowed to be dramatic. Back home, mentioning that in the wrong audience was liable to be disastrous, if I recalled correctly.

I'd always been more interested in function and practicality, though. Magic did what I wanted it to, for the most part, making my life significantly easier than it was prior. Which was a good thing, considering that in most cases, if life had been any harder, I probably would be dead. A burst of focus. The ebb and flow; twists and bends of the energy through me. It was an elation to use it. The log in front of me shuddered gently and I released the energy in the same instant. With a light tug, three stacks of the plates slid out of the wood with the extra space between them turning into a light dust.

"Oh, I'll never get tired of watching that. It's so efficient, Darling! I'd be simply delighted to see what you could do to fabric," Rarity assured from behind me. I smiled back at the relaxed unicorn, pleased that I could see a majority of her without distortion or fuzziness.

It would seem that I couldn't be without at least one unicorn with me today. Twilight had burst into a small fit when she realized that she'd forgotten some of her drawing equipment, and immediately took off back towards the library to retrieve them. Spike had elected to stay here, giving her an exasperated look if I recalled correctly. That was about a half an hour ago, at this point. It wasn't five minutes later that Rarity showed up looking for me, believe it or not. Spike was then delighted that he decided to stay here! Not that I was complaining. Personally, I was just happy that they had bought, or at least partially bought, my blatant lie earlier.

Thinking fast, I had informed both mares that I had simply been practicing 'precision magic' with the pieces of paper. They seemed skeptical, but I elaborated that I couldn't manage to fall asleep and was trying to tire my brain out quickly with the practice. Twilight shrugged and went back to sorting and labeling sheets of paper, but Applejack had given me a dirty look. It hardly mattered, though, as at least she could be as suspicious as she wanted without potentially involving powerful princesses on the case. I hoped.

The measuring tape felt cool as the ever-gentle white unicorn pressed it up against the nape of my neck before running it down my spine. "How are the measurements coming?" I inquired curiously as she continued. She still insisted on making me a suit, but I realized that it would defeat the purpose of me going with her if I looked horrible. Plus, it was apparently good advertising for her to actually have an example of what she could design for stallions.

"You'll need far less fabric than Big Mac, admittedly. Which is a good thing!" she rapidly assured before I even had a chance to think otherwise. Oh, she had accidentally insulted my body type the first time I had visited, now that I recalled. "I mean, honestly. There are many good builds for suits that I could make for you. You'd look simply ravishing in a dark blue. Maybe get some simple gemstones on the cuffs and buttons, and a nice bow tie to go along with the look. Hmm!" she continued, cooing contentedly as she paced around me, eying over every inch. I swallowed, blushing a little as her eyes almost hungrily scanned me. I knew she was just thinking up suit designs, but the intensity she was pursuing it with was a little on the scary side.

"I'm so glad you didn't talk me into going! Total drag, those kinds of parties," Rainbow Dash complained from up near the ceiling. Rarity glared up at her ineffectively and was ignored completely as the rainbow mare drilled the support plates into the ceiling. Metal pads attaching in the four corners to spread out the support pressure as best as possible. Of course, they were only backups, really; something to give a bit more sturdiness to the ground platform and to buy time if something catastrophic happened. Dash had arrived a little after Rarity, primed and ready to help finish the job. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I managed to get through two more logs since she got here.

I rubbed at my temples now, however. The headache was starting to flare up, and I knew if I tried a third log that things were going to get messy again. Still, this was already more than what I had managed the last time. Nowhere near what I could have done before coming to Equestria, but that was a different story completely. "Rest, Mender. It simply won't do if you get your nose bleeding again. Maybe stretch and get a bit of fresh air?" the kind unicorn next to me asked, giving a soft smile.

"Ah agree completely! Ah'm not gonna let ya overwork yerself again. Get some fresh air, okay?" Applejack chimed in, popping her head out from under the main platform for the conveyor and giving me a stern glance. It lasted all of three seconds before she cracked a smile and winked at me, however.

Sighing, I nodded to both of the insistent mares before slowly standing up. My legs were stiff from lying in one spot for over half an hour, but it felt good to stretch them out. Maybe they were right? A bit of fresh air would do me some good.

As if reading my mind, Rarity nodded to me before suggesting, "Come then. I can always finish the measurements later. Let us take a stroll around the barn to clear our heads."

Spike stood instantly as well, attentively watching Rarity with all of his focus. "Am I allowed to go with you two as well?" he asked pleasingly, sounding a little on the desperate side. I struggled not to smirk at the little guy.

Applejack didn't hold back her eye roll, however. "Well o' course ya can, Spike. Ah'm not gonna force ya ta do heavy liftin' or nothin'," she assured before giving a warm chuckle. She seemed in good spirits today for some reason.

"Yeah, that's what she has me for," Rainbow groaned, hauling the toolbox back down and shaking her wings off after she landed next to her orange friend.

Applejack gave her a knowing, amused look, but shifted back to her warm smile when Dash looked over at her. Wait, what was that? "Ya know ya like it. Good exercise fer tha wings," she pointed out, brushing her hoof along the underside of the cyan mare's left one as if to emphasize.

Rainbow flailed instantly to the side in surprise, her other wing blasting out to full extension in an instant. How it didn't lose half of its feathers, I didn't know! She glared back at the country mare, cheeks burning a bright crimson, now. Applejack seemed unfazed and instead winked over at me. "If ya'all are gonna date Flutters, that's ah good spot ta remember. Ah hear it drives ah pegasus wild," she explained, causing me to join Rainbow in blushing.

"Why did you do it to me, then?!" the flustered cyan mare squealed, stomping her right hoof down into the dirt of the barn floor.

Applejack laughed before ducking back under the platform again. "Ah needed an example, RD. Ya proved mah words well enough, right?" she reasoned, muffled a little by her new location.

"You don't lie, Applejack. I would have just believed you," I assured, smirking now. Suddenly I realized that Rainbow wouldn't need to worry much about being turned down. Not only was the farm mare significantly more adventurous than I had pegged her for, she seemed extremely affectionate towards her cyan friend. Of course, I didn't know a whole lot about Equestrian relationships, but this seemed like a good sign.

"Speaking of, where is the Dear? I thought Fluttershy was to help us today with the remainder of the barn?" Rarity questioned softly, glancing over at me instead. Wait, why would she think I knew? Even though I technically did...

"What do ya mean, 'us'? All you've been doing today is measuring Mender," Rainbow pointed out, flushed cheeks finally calming down. I saw through her attempt to distract herself and smirked at her. Unsurprisingly, she avoided locking eyes with me.

Rarity looked absolutely appalled by the suggestion, dramatically throwing her foreleg up to her forehead and seemingly looking woeful. "The shame at even suggesting such, Rainbow! Surely you realize that I will help just as soon as my measurements are done, right?" she asked in a dramatic tone.

Dash slapped her forehead with her right forehoof before shaking her head. "I'll hold ya to that, then. Where is Fluttershy anyway, Mender?" she inquired, mirroring Rarity. Why was I suddenly the resident expert on the shy mare?

"She said she had to catch up on feeding her animals this morning and would arrive afterwards," I revealed, if only to get them to stop asking.

Without missing a beat, Rarity shifted from dramatically depressed to curiously asking, "Oh, you saw the Dear this morning?"

"Uh, well, yeah," I admitted, suddenly unsure of how much I was supposed to give out. On one hoof, they probably wouldn't let up until I told them. On the other, Twilight might use me as a makeshift hammer for the conveyor if I gave out too much information.

"Yeah! Mender and I made breakfast in bed for them this morning! It was a lot of fun," Spike suddenly admitted. Damn it. Well there goes that choice. I knew I was going to get blamed for this, too.

"Oh my! Scandalous!" Rarity murmured, suddenly blushing faintly as she brought her left hoof up to her mouth. What?! No!

Rainbow burst into laughter instantly and even Applejack peeked her head out again. "Our little Flutters decided ta spend tha night at Twi's place? Ah'm suitably impressed," she admitted, brushing a hoof through her bangs lightly. It was weird seeing her without her hat. The overly large Stetson couldn't fit through the support beams, though. Wait, that was beside the point!

"She just spent the night! Nothing bad happened," I defended, not wanting the mare's reputation sullied, even if she wasn't here to see my defense. If you can't be proud of who you are in the dark, not much else matters.

Rainbow grinned but Applejack beat her to the punch. "Ah know that, Mender. Everypony 'ere could agree that yer ah real gentlecolt," she assured with a curt nod and smile.

Rarity averted her eyes and snickered before suggesting, "Well technically speaking, it doesn't have to involve Mender, of course." Wait, what? Was she suggesting...?

Applejack blushed, the pink of her cheeks looking quite fetching when complimenting her orange coat and widening eyes. The cyan and rainbow pegasus couldn't contain herself any further and burst into laughter, rolling over onto her side. I averted my gaze and sighed. Sure it was good to have a healthy sense of humor, but when she spent most of her time laughing at other ponies' expenses, it was an entirely different story.

"Well, I was simply suggesting. Anyways, if Mender is to get his fresh air in any timely fashion, we really should get to it," she excused politely, timing a tactical retreat just as Applejack's mouth started to open. She had either been about to protest the probable mental images flooding through her brain, or her mind was losing motor control. Dash grinned and slowly closed her mouth with a hoof, still lying on her back, now partially under her friend due to a particularly festive side roll.

Spike scampered faster than I realized he could as Rarity exited the side of the barn. I watched him carefully as he caught up to his target of affection and began hopping excitedly next to her. Well, he certainly didn't try very hard to keep his interests a secret. I was beginning to have my doubts as to the validity of my prior promise to him. Was I the only pony who bothered to keep the secret?

"Please, Rarity? It would be really, really awesome," I suddenly heard him plead as I approached. Oh, was he requesting favor already? Admittedly, I had no idea how this dating thing worked still beyond my girlfriend's rather vague explanation.

"I'm truly sorry, Spike. I just brushed my coat down and styled it. I know it's not your fault, but your claws do terrible things to styled fur," she refused. Oh, was he asking for a ride? Wait, she combed and styled her coat before even leaving her house? I didn't think there was any special occasion today. Twilight barely ran a brush through her mane before we headed out this morning!

Upon catching up to the slowly walking couple, I inquired, "Is something going on today for you to go to all that work?"

Rarity hesitated for a moment, suddenly averting her eyes before shaking her head. "Why, of course not! A lady must strive to be presentable at all times. You never know when a simply wonderful stallion could be watching," she explained simply, adding a smooth wink onto the end.

I laughed and blushed, careful to avert my eyes as she swished her tail in an extremely distracting fashion. "Well, I wouldn't know, not exactly looking to attract stallions' attention," I reminded, mostly to change the topic. Maybe it would work better the bigger an idiot I made of myself? Spike took to the distraction well, breaking out of his depressed expression and snickering.

"Oh, that much is obvious. Twilight and Fluttershy both seem convinced enough. You have that subtle charm that only innocence, kindness, and a certain level of oblivious striving can produce." She smiled sweetly at me as she said as much, causing my blush to expand. Damn it. She hadn't fallen for the topic change.

Spike struggled to run after us again, having finally snapped out of his momentary shock of watching her tail with so much focus. I let him save face and knelt down as he caught up. He caught my smile I directed his way and didn't miss a beat, hopping up and settling himself in the middle of my back.

"Oh dear! You let Spike ride on top of you as well?" the pearly mare questioned, smiling politely at her now somewhat eye level dragon friend.

I nodded before starting our walk yet again. "It'll be good weight training. I need to get back in shape," I excused, sighing wearily.

"Hey! I don't weigh that much," my scaly passenger protested. I almost felt his irritated glare on the back of my head.

"That's the point. I'd probably collapse if I tried to lift anything heavier," I groaned, wishing I could magically skip all of this and just get back to the same fitness level as my old self had been. Nothing like the active lifestyle of trying not to die horribly from murderous rampaging aliens to get one into shape.

Rarity giggled along, regardless of it being a true statement. "See, Spike? Gentlecolt. Don't let those guards tell you otherwise. Being a nice stallion definitely makes you attractive," she assured nonchalantly.

I came within half an inch of inhaling a large cluster of rocks as I stumbled in surprise. Rarity was either oblivious or intentionally ignoring my almost accident as she continued with, "Sure, you leave yourself open for attracting a definite type of mare, but isn't that the type you want? You know, the mare who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to pounce. Every mare reaches a point where she decides she'd rather settle down with a nice stallion with a responsible outlook on life. Well, some skip right to that step as well, as I imagine Fluttershy and Twilight have. Myself as well, of course!" She only added herself after a sudden look of dawning, and I tried not to snicker. I hadn't considered her the wild party type attracted to the 'bad' stallions anyway. Like those two guards...

"I try my hardest to be really nice, too," Spike chipped in, sounding a little down over the entire conversation.

Rarity didn't miss a beat with that one. "Of course! You're the nicest dragon I know. Any lady worth her salt would be happy to be with you, Spikey," she assured pleasantly. He perked up instantly, of course, and gave her a wide smile. It kind of made me wonder if it was socially 'acceptable' to be with a dragon when you're a pony. They're both sentient species capable of making their own decisions, so I saw nothing wrong with it.

We'd gotten about halfway around the barn at that point, not traveling at all that impressive of a speed. Rarity seemed pleased with the slow pace and I wasn't going to argue. Walking was becoming second hand, but moving any faster would typically result in my face greeting the ground in short order, still. It was hard to make sure all of these hooves were going in the right direction! "Still, I can hardly imagine Twilight 'pouncing' me, per say. She's usually quite reserved," I admitted after a moment's consideration. It hadn't really bothered me, I decided. It was probably better for both of us that we take things slowly.

Rarity let out a whimsical giggle as she listened. Spike, for the most part, seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal. Twilight was either his sister or mother, depending on how one looked at it. Normally, either of those would pose a negative reaction upon him should a guy start becoming involved with her, I would think. I mean, I don't even have proper breeding documentation or a certificate of authenticity! I vaguely recalled that those were important when trying to impress a female and her clan. Well at least they were in my prior world. Equestria was so weird, sometimes.

"I doubt her education covered the finer points of intimate involvement, so I could hardly blame her. Are you two truly dating, then?" she inquired, shifting back to curious like someone flicked a light switch.

There was that word again. I hesitated and stopped walking for a moment. "I, well, she said that I was officially her coltfriend, and her my fillyfriend. We haven't, um, gone anywhere to celebrate it or anything, if that's the right idea," I ventured carefully.

Rarity's smile widened and I inwardly groaned. I screwed up somewhere, didn't I? "Dating does involve actually going on dates, but ironically, such events aren't necessary. If she says she's your fillyfriend, then you are dating," Rarity explained patiently, much to my surprise.

I exhaled softly and nodded. "I'm still getting adjusted to Equestria's culture, really. This is way more complicated than my old life," I excused quietly, feeling a little tired still. Of course, I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night between the Keela-induced insomnia, then blacking out when she ran my brain through a microwave.

"It's perfectly understandable, Mender! Relax. Has she informed you about herds yet, due to Fluttershy's interests?" she inquired, a bit of her mirth slipping as she tilted her head towards me.

I nodded wearily, unsure if I should be talking about this or not. I suddenly realized that I had to be really careful with Rarity. She was on a totally different level from what I was used to dealing with, I realized. Something subtle like a tone change could mean quite a bit! "Yeah. This morning, anyway. I'd heard the guards last night reference it and was," I started to explain.

All was interrupted by a spontaneous shout from high above. All three of us looked up instantly, just in time to see a wooden cube of some sort descending towards us at high velocity! Rarity went rigid, eyes widening as I panicked. Not again!

Simply going on instinct, I leapt forwards into the white mare, hauling Spike along on my back still. All three of us fell sideways and rolled just in time for the falling object to crater itself into the ground where we were. It shattered noisily upon impact, splintering open and spilling what appeared to be metal rods all over the ground. They were long and thin things, each about five feet in length. Wait, the support rods for the conveyor belt in the barn?

"Look out!" sounded from high above me in a lower, yet still distinctly feminine voice. Yelping, I shoved the now scrambling Rarity off to the side and tucked my legs up, narrowly avoiding three metal rods as they stabbed into the ground right where my groin had been located a mere second ago. Not cool! What, had the second crate exploded in midair or something?!

Spike cried out as he fell off my back finally and landed on all fours. He wasted no time in tossing himself on top of Rarity and shielding her upper body with his entire form. That wouldn't do at all. Grabbing onto both of them, I pushed them over until they were both tucked up under me. The second we took up as little profile as possible, my barrier activated and unfurled into a pseudo-umbrella above me, covering all three of us.

Rarity covered her eyes with both hooves as she tucked against Spike and my right foreleg. I balanced carefully with my left hoof in the air, supporting my weight on just my back legs and one foreleg. The shield held; sparks flew off at various angles as the high velocity metal rods skipped off it and fell around me in a loose pile.

High above, a panicking gray pegasus with a blond mane attempted to control what appeared to be a floating cart of some sorts. For some reason, somehow, the cart was on fire. Another box fell off the back and exploded in midair from a haywire blast of magic the cart produced, sending yet another wave of flying spikes plummeting down towards me. Damn it.

Tucking up again, I lowered my left hoof and focused purely on compacting the shield as hard as I could. The more compressed the energy, the stronger the barrier was. All three of us let out a panicked yelp as the sky darkened and metal rained about like a spring storm...

---

"I really do need you to sign for this," I heard through the hundreds of bars of metal. Why did Applejack even order so many?! This was easily three times the amount that she had needed. Was she just trying to kill me or something?

"What tha hay?! Derpy! Ya made ah right mess o' the barn. Some o' these things are stickin' through the wall!" I heard Applejack complain. It was hard to hear anything through Rainbow's laughter, of course.

Rarity and Spike stirred under me slowly. I doubt they lost consciousness, but they'd probably just now decided the end of the world wasn't going to take them with it. I raised myself to the edge of the shield as best I could to give them room. I was sweating a little bit now under the force of maintaining the stupid thing after so many collisions. Rarity glanced up at me and smiled momentarily before looking past me. Her smile faltered and her eyes widened as she realized why exactly it was so dark in here.

There was a tired sigh, followed by, "I know, Applejack. I'm sorry. I just don't know what went wrong!"

"I'm surprised they didn't arc towards Mender, wherever he is right now," Rainbow finally muttered, catching a breather between chortling.

Gasping, I winced as another spike of pain went through my head. I didn't even dare speak and let my focus slip. "A little help under here?!" Rarity called out, noticing my dilemma.

"Oh yeah. If Mender's that blue stallion, he is actually under there. Along with Miss Rarity and Spike," the mare named Derpy finally explained. Trying not to groan, I pushed back any comments about her priorities in light of not getting squished by metal rods.

"What?!" I heard in two simultaneous voices. A sudden harsh galloping sound came from off to my right.

I winced as a hard blow slammed into the side of my shield. It flickered and I was forced to slam my eyes shut as the strain put pressure on the inside of my eyes. Uh oh. That was never a good sign.

"Hold on ya'all! Ah'll get ya outta there," Applejack assured before another slam hit the same side. I finally groaned under the pressure, the top of the barrier fading slightly. No! My eyes snapped open as I re-solidified it just in time. Well, almost just in time. One rod made it through just before I slammed the barrier around it. My right foreleg instinctively whipped to the side, snagging the rod as it stabbed downwards. I winced as I felt a light gash along the side of my leg, but the improvised weapon missed Spike by a few inches. He yelped and crawled closer to Rarity, both looking more than a little worried.

A few drops of red descended from my nose as I looked down at Rarity. She watched them hit her coat and frowned before her horn lit up. Shakily, the rod slid upwards again from her magic as she strained to push it back out of the field. Seconds passed and I strained more. Finally she pushed the tip of it out again, and I closed the barrier back up instantly. The pressure on the top lessened as I realized that two or three of the rods were being lifted up off the shield.

"Almost got rid of a few off the top!" Rainbow gasped, sounding like she was straining. Holy hell! These things must have weighed a good seventy or eighty pounds apiece. How was she lifting three of them at once with just her wings?!

Her reply from Applejack was a furious scream of rage as one more blow hit the side of the pile. I almost choked on my gasp, but the shield held somehow as light suddenly breached through from my right. "Mender? Ya got ah barrier up?" she asked carefully as I saw her peek between the bars in my peripheral vision.

I didn't dare so much as move, however. I was literally helping the roof hold up with my back now, drops of blood and sweat coming off me in various spots. My head was screaming at me, an invisible pressure inflating inside my skull like a balloon.

"Get them out," I managed to say. Plead, really. Applejack frowned but nodded before slamming her shoulder into the side of the bar. It shook with the force of her muscles and she shoved five over and out of the way an instant later. The other side started moving by itself, seemingly, at the same time. It took me a moment due to the strain to realize that Rainbow must be yanking them from above.

Finally, half a meter of clearance was made and I slid open that side of the barrier with all my focus. Why couldn't an accident like this have waited a few more days for me to get more practice in? The temporary slip in thoughts caused me to jolt to the side, another bar slipping through to my left this time. Spike thankfully managed to dodge the thing before pushing against Rarity rapidly, helping her squeeze herself sideways out of the hole that was made. Applejack grabbed her a second later and pulled rather forcefully. The pearly unicorn was out of the barrier and removed from danger before I could even manage to blink.

Spike stumbled under the sudden loss of the individual he was shoving, but caught himself. He quickly looked back up at me and frowned. "Go," I managed to spit out, closing my eyes yet again as another bar slipped through, sliding hotly across my left flank before leaving a burning, then numb sensation. If I lived through this, my curiosity was going to force me to weigh these bloody things. I knew they were long, but what in Equestria were they made out of?!

Spike brushed against my leg as he left, rapidly following Rarity. "Mender, you doing okay? Can ya slip out while keepin' tha barrier up?" Applejack asked in a worried tone.

All I could manage was to shake my head to both questions. If I moved, I just knew the magic would snap and bad things would happen to my fragile body. Again. "Oh no. Oh no. I thought he was okay because of his magic thingy," I heard Derpy whine from behind the farm mare somewhere.

"Whoa! What's going on now? Uh oh. Is this your delivery, Applejack?" I suddenly heard asked from an oh-so familiar sounding unicorn on the other side of the peppering of bars. She sounded surprised, but not entirely distressed. Okay, time to change that. Sorry, Twilight!

"Help!" I managed to shout out weakly. It made me lose more of my concentration and the barrier flickered again. I shrank it instead of letting it collapse, falling to my belly as I lost ceiling height at the same time.

"Mender's under these in a barrier!" Rainbow Dash added hastily. Some of the metal bars suddenly didn't follow the shield down. I counted five directly above me that stopped as I heard a frustrated groan from Dash.

There was a beat of silence, followed by, "What?! Move, Rainbow!" It wasn't a question, and I swallowed nervously. What was she possibly going to-

The bars didn't fall more than an inch when Dash let them go before snapping rigid suddenly. My eyes widened as I was bathed in a purple and scarlet glow. Every single one of the rods lit up like a light bulb and started shaking violently. The pressure was suddenly gone off the top of the shield as the magic tore the entire shipment of rods up out of the ground at the same time, lifting them all into the air before dropping them in a rough pile almost twenty feet away.

There was a negative energy image as the barrier collapsed upon itself instantly with my sharp exhale. My eyes shifted to my left in time to see my fillyfriend standing there, a foot of energy radiating off her horn as she glared over at the pile of metal. Well, that marked a whole new level of awe and terror I had for the unicorn. I had momentarily forgotten that she was practically a physical goddess when it came to magic. Damn. I was starting to realize that she was actually stronger than the instructors back home, not only in sheer volume of magical energy, but raw talent as well.

Moving was out of the question. My mind screamed as I gasped the air back into my lungs, tasting blood as my tongue rolled out. It was oozing from my nose in a healthy quantity, I felt. The light throb of my heartbeat reached my left flank and right foreleg at the same time and I winced. Oh well. Aside from my headache, this was probably the least I'd ever been hurt in an accident of that magnitude. Actually, it turned out kind of lucky for me!

"Mender!" Twilight shouted as she rushed up to my left. I couldn't seem to catch my breath and simply panted there before opening my eyes again to the sound of her hooves on the grass. "You used too much magic, too soon! Here," she informed needlessly but in a worried voice. I wondered momentarily what she was going to do.

Her forehead and full underside of her horn was shoved directly into my forehead a moment later. I gasped as the world momentarily disappeared, raw magical energy flooding directly into my skull from the emanations. It was distinctly Twilight in feeling, and extremely familiar at this point. I couldn't help but blush a little as I felt her push herself closer, shoving more of her own energy inside of me at the same time. Oddly, my breathing regulated as the pressure eased up inside of my mind. Her magic danced along inside of me with purpose, flicking along the sore parts of my body before gently restoring them from the inside this time. Further, her energy seemed to almost massage my being, promoting my own energy to stabilized and bolster itself on the inside.

Thoughts surprised me as they danced along the surface of consciousness. They were the full spectrum of emotions. The warmth of her kiss, the nervousness as she looked down at me in bed, and even a pang of guilt as I swallowed nervously and looked away from her. Wait a second. The images weren't from my point of view, but hers. That made me pay even more attention to them as I realized that there was indeed a huge wave of affection pushing through, tainted with worry. A lot of worry, actually. The image flickered through for barely a second upon closer examination. Pieces of paper, hastily taped together, with written out words on it. "Mender, are you there?", "The book is important, right?", and "Tell me more about yours," were clearly written on the page in a familiar, fine handwriting. Oh hell.

She must have sensed what I saw. The connection snapped shut in a heartbeat as she pulled her forehead back. I groaned lightly as I felt the connection fade, her energy withdrawing alongside it. My own rushed to fill me back up again, however, bringing the burning pain in my skull down to a dim sizzle. Now I had other things to worry about. I suddenly realized she hadn't gone back to the tree house to get tools.

She averted her eyes as I looked up at her. I knew it. "Mender, we need to talk," she finally admitted, almost too quiet to hear. The tone made me inwardly groan. There was something about the way she said that which set off red flags in my head, and I didn't know why.

Rarity pounced before I could further analyze how badly I was screwed. "Oh, thank you, Mender! You're simply amazing, I must say. You didn't even hesitate! You saved Spike and me from certain doom," she spoke rapidly, tone dripping with a surprising level of appreciation.

"Yeah, dude! That was awesome the way you threw that shield up so fast! We would have been pancakes if you didn't. Although that does sound kinda good," Spike chipped in, derailing his own thought processes as he hummed, subconsciously rubbing his stomach, it would seem. I had to chuckle at that one.

Twilight actually hesitated. Normally the single-minded mare would have hauled me off to lecture me on scribbling all over hundreds of sheets of paper in a crazed manner during the night, then cutting them up into dozens of pieces each. Well, some were only cut once or twice. Towards the end, I was getting really tired and lazy.

"Um, not to say that I'm not thankful that he saved you two and was really brave and all, but I kinda need to talk with him for a moment, if you don't mind," Twilight interrupted, sounding vaguely uncertain for some reason. I sighed wearily.

Rarity heard my sigh and looked up at Twilight, a frown shifting onto her face instantly. "Twilight! Mender not only totally exhausted himself saving the lives of both your best friend and assistant, but he is injured! Anything you need to say to him surely can wait until he gets healed, cleaned up a little, and a big glass of water into him!" she lectured, surprising me completely. It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, the accident surely wouldn't have been lethal or anything. All I really did was save them the pain and Twilight having to heal the two of them. Hell, if I hadn't been there, I suspect the rods would have missed entirely. They did seem to cluster exceptionally well right on top of me. Although she'd already healed most of the inside wounds anyway.

Twilight flinched and looked away, sitting down again and frowning. I saw the pieces of paper that she dropped from where I vaguely heard before. They were the same taped up pieces that I saw in her mind. Great. Should I try to lie and say they're nothing, play into the fact that she probably thinks I'm totally insane, or try to tell the truth and watch them really think I'm insane? Such great choices.

Spike must have traced my sight as he asked almost immediately, "Hey, I threw those away! Why did you tape them back together? And what about the tools you went to get?" Heh. At least one of those questions should be obvious, but I don't think he's ever seen how readily Twilight can use espionage to her advantage. Or I'm just exceptionally paranoid. Or would it be 'properly paranoid' instead, seeing as it turned out to be true?

"I lied. The tools are all here in my saddlebags. I went home to tape these back together on a hunch that proved right. This is why I need to talk to Mender," the lavender unicorn admitted, tossing yet another surprising twist onto my day. I would have expected her to try to hide it.

"Uh, what? Are ya sure yer feelin' okay there, Twi? That seems kinda paranoid an' distrustin'," Applejack asked quietly. Okay, that's it. I give up trying to do the silly 'expectations' today. Now the mare who was usually first to suspect me, even for irrelevant things, was thinking Twilight was a bit overzealous. That should really give the unicorn pause for thought.

Twilight scowled at her orange friend and shook her head rapidly. "I was right, though! Fine, look for yourself," she defended harshly, floating the papers over and tossing them in the general direction of the two mares and Spike. I didn't include myself, having neither the energy to interfere, or the desire at this point. No matter what I did or said, it was going to look bad. Tactical silence was for the best. Of course, one of the pieces of paper landed on my face and got stuck to a blood spot on my nose. I just lay there regardless, now enjoying the shade for my eyes. Why did using up a lot of magic make me physically sore?

"What in Equestria? Did Mender write these thingies?" Applejack asked, complimenting the sound of rustling paper as I assumed she picked one up. At least after my prior experience, I was significantly more comfortable being blind.

Twilight groaned and pointed out, "Of course he did? Why would Fluttershy or I get up in the middle of the night, write on hundreds of pieces of paper, cut them up, and throw them all over him while he slept? It's not even our handwriting!" Her irate tone let me appreciate not being able to see her. In my current state, I couldn't run away and hide somewhere.

"Easy, Twi. Mender, can ya tell us what tha pieces o' paper are?" Applejack asked bluntly.

Ignoring my first choice of dripping sarcasm, I went with a much more diplomatic approach. "Yeah, I could tell you. You wouldn't believe me if I did, however, so isn't it just easier to tack it up to ol' Mender being totally insane?" I reasoned calmly. Yeah, that was the diplomatic approach. I took note to try and tone down the bitterness in the future. Largely, it was just this topic, though.

"I'll believe you, Mender. Please?" Rarity asked politely. I felt a hoof gently trace down my back and figured it was her. She followed up with, "If he answers truthfully, will you then heal him, Twilight?" Well that was a little pointed. Ouch. She also technically healed me already. At least a little bit.

"Hey! I wasn't holding it for ransom or anything! I'll heal him regardless. Plus I already fixed up the inside of the wounds a bit," Twilight protested. Idly, I wondered why Rainbow wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear wing flaps either, so she either landed or left. Weird.

"They're from last night. I couldn't sleep, like I said. It wasn't because of insomnia, however. Keela wouldn't shut up. Whenever she talks near a book that's on the other side, I hear it for some reason. I think I'm still linked to that book and I don't know why. Keela is a Keldarian scientist. That's the name of my old race." I actually surprised myself this time with the calm I managed to maintain. Although it probably didn't matter either way, so was that calmness or apathy?

"What?" Applejack asked in about as flat a tone as possible.

A low groan, sounding very akin to what frustration would be like if it made noise, emitted from my girlfriend. This was followed by a faint slapping noise, from her hoof and forehead in all likelihood. "Mender, this is getting ridiculous. You need to see somepony about this," she finally managed to voice a dozen seconds after the groan.

"What's the book thing about?" Rainbow suddenly asked, indeed confirming that she was still present. Still present, and missing the point entirely, anyway.

I shifted my legs under me fully, realizing that with her current level of distraction, Twilight wasn't going to heal the outer wounds right away. Not that I wanted her casting spells on me while distracted, exactly. "It's the journal my old self kept, I believe. They were allowed one personal item to carry with in the military. Keela stated that it's something called an Aegis Artifact. From what I've pieced together, it's some sort of pseudo-sentient item of extreme magical power. The book is dormant until I connect with it. For some reason, it's linked to me." All the talking was making me even more tired, but Dash deserved a proper answer. She had actually asked the question without the barest of hints that she thought I was nuts.

"You really believe all of this, don't you?" Twilight asked, sounding genuinely surprised now.

"Don't be rude, Twilight. I mean, honestly. You should trust your coltfriend more. Would it hurt things that much to have either yourself or Princess Celestia take another look? The three of us will be in Canterlot in three days' time, need I remind you," Rarity suggested reasonably, actually giving me the benefit of the doubt as well. Maybe it was a good idea to come clean after all!

"Ugh. You too, Rarity? Can't you see how crazy this all sounds?! Princess Celestia herself said that there was no link to his dimension left. You all trust her as the leader of all Equestria. She's not going to screw up when the risks are this high!" Twilight defended, getting more irritated with each rebuttal.

Rainbow sighed wearily and added, in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "I kinda agree with Rarity, Twilight. If it's as serious as you just said, I think we should have it looked at again. Princess Celestia would want that." I couldn't help but smile gently from under my piece of paper. Maybe I was wrong about all of them thinking I was crazy? Well, crazier, anyway. Pity the only pony arguing for my craziness was my fillyfriend.

Twilight let out a stifled groan, but was interrupted almost instantly. "I agree with Rainbow Dash! If it's dangerous, you or Princess Celestia should definitely check it out!" exclaimed the gray mare from before. Derpy was it? Wait, why was she still here and listening to all of this?!

"Ah! Derpy?! What are you still doing here?" Rainbow asked almost instantly, apparently thinking the same thing.

"Oh. Well, I feel badly for what happened and wanted to apologize to Mr. Mender himself. Plus, you still haven't signed for these," she reminded. If I'd had the energy, I'd have hit my forehead myself. She was almost legendary in her persistence.

Applejack sighed but nodded in my peripheral vision, being one of only two ponies I could actually see from around the paper. "Ah guess yer right. Still, could ya kindly not tell anypony 'bout this? It's kinda ah secret," she requested politely before accepting a feather of some sort from beyond my vision range. She held it carefully and signed a slip of paper that was held out for her, it would seem.

"Ophf corph, Apphljahk!" Derpy agreed, I think. It sounded like her mouth was suddenly stuffed full of something. Oh, wait. She was holding the clipboard in her mouth while it was being signed.

Twilight sighed wearily, reminding me that she was still there. "Fine. I'll do another scan tonight on him if it will make everypony feel better. What do we do if it comes up negative?" she questioned, sounding as if that was mostly assured. Still, at least she was considering the slim possibility that I might not be totally insane now.

"That would probably be reasonably easy to deal with. I'm sure you have places in Equestria for ponies like that," I finally spoke up quietly. Maybe she was right after all? The possibility that all of this was just in my head hadn't been lost on me yet.

Twilight went completely quiet, and I was almost curious enough to peek if it hadn't required so much energy. Applejack stopped looking over the page presented to her and softened her expression a little before setting the feather back down and glancing back over at me. What, was it taboo here to have ponies with mental illnesses? Uh oh. Was I going to be executed or something for being crazy? Surely they wouldn't have kept that large of a secret from me!

"We do, but yer not gonna go to one o' those places. If'in it comes down ta that an' Twi can't do it, Ah'll take care o' ya mahself. Yer still ah hero, Mender," the orange mare returned softly, smiling again over at me before turning to face me fully.

A cyan wing shot out into my vision a second later, startling me just as the blush had started to set in. "Heck yeah!" Dash exclaimed abruptly, making me suddenly realize the outstretched wing was part of a pose on her part. "The entire town will probably take care of ya! If nothing else, you have the full support of the six of us."

I blushed further, tucking my ears down and trying to hide behind the paper. I could handle making an idiot of myself, but this was totally out of my comfort zones!

"Seven!" Spike added, sounding a little irked that he needed to remind her that he was still here. I chuckled finally and extended my right hoof a little towards him as he slipped into my right-most viewing field. He grinned and nodded to me before bumping it with his claw.

Derpy herself put her clipboard away, and then looked between everypony with a happy grin. "Eight!" she exclaimed a moment later with a little hop into the air. I held back a snicker.

To my surprise, a light giggle sounded from Twilight. "It won't come down to that. If what you've shown so far is the extent of the issue, you'd still be considered a fully functioning member of society. The Princess would probably just want you watched to make sure you didn't hurt yourself if you had a spell. I'm keeping you, regardless," she explained, extremely clinical and detached until the last sentence. Her tone shifted to amused and teasing with that, and I smiled weakly. Well, it was nice to know she wouldn't let my potential delusions ruin our relationship.

Applejack gave a stiff snort, amused but giving Twilight a skeptical glance. "That would be interestin' ta watch. But Ah think tha real problem 'ere would be if'in yer test comes up positive," she reminded, losing a bit of her smile.

Twilight let out a quiet humming noise before it suddenly shifted way closer to my perspective. Her mouth latched onto the piece of paper and pulled it off abruptly, making me wince as it took a bit of drying blood with it. She spat the paper back out after it was clear of my nose and looked down at me with a troubled expression. Was that because of me? A pang of guilt went through me.

"If it comes back positive, we have a lot of problems. It was either something the Princess couldn't detect; doubtful. Or it was something that happened after she did the scan. You said it was a book you felt connected to?" she reasoned out loud, repeating what I vaguely recalled saying to her already. I bit my tongue and nodded. If she was willing to actually inquire more about the issue, I should try to be as somber as possible.

"It was my old self's journal. She said it was an Aegis Artifact. I'd not heard the term before that, and seriously doubt that my old self made it into one," I furthered, earning a frown from my fillyfriend.

"Isn't that what you call your strongest barrier spell?" she pondered out loud, somehow making it sound like both a normal and rhetorical question.

I nodded yet again before remembering the bits I'd learned in the meantime. "Oh, that's right! I also learned that there's something wrong with that spell. It doesn't behave like I originally thought it did," I warned, unsure of exactly how to explain what I had figured out.

She seemed curious, but distracted at the same time. "Can you tell me about it inside the barn? I just remembered that I need to heal your outside nicks, and that Applejack probably wants to get back to work on her conveyor."

"An' fix tha holes in tha wall, now," the farm pony groaned as she looked at the marks from the metal rods. Oh yeah. A few had stuck into the side of her barn like a giant dartboard. Twilight must have torn those out, too.

Then I remembered that I knew alteration magic. "Oh! If you'll let me use the bits of wood left over from the logs after I cut the boards out of them, I can use my magic to meld them into the holes and repair them, if it would save you time," I offered politely, perking up again and rotating my head ambitiously towards the mare.

She surprised me by looking equally as surprised before smiling again and nodding. "Yer just full o' handy tricks, ain't ya? Ah suppose Ah'll just have ta add it ta mah huge debt Ah owe ya," she agreed, smirking mirthfully afterwards.

I scowled at her, and the smirk became laughter. She knew that I didn't like the thought of her paying me and did that on purpose! "Oh relax, Mender. You deserve to get paid a little bit for your trouble so far. Besides, she's already getting the work of a professional engineer and free materials as well, all for the price of a construction pony. I think she already knows how lucky she is," Twilight pointed out before picking me up like a ragdoll using her magic. All retorts left my mind as it was lurched downwards and I redirected processing to attempt not throwing up.

Spike hopped up onto Twilight's back immediately as the mare stood up again. She didn't even flinch, and I wondered briefly at just how used to him being there she was. Applejack walked further forward and shifted under my drifting position, looking up into my lowered face. "Trust me, Ah know how lucky it is. This project would'a been ah total bust had ya not been 'ere, Mender. Ah'm real happy ya wanted ta help outta tha kindness o' yer heart, you have no idea! But that just don't set right with mah conscience. Mah brother agrees fully. So yer gonna get paid as much as we can manage," she spoke, surprisingly serious as she watched my expression.

I lowered my eyes, but nodded to her. Even though I felt bad accepting anything from her, I suddenly realized that she probably felt the same way in return if I did everything for free. I could understand that. Rarity coughed politely before asking, "Is this a bad time to inform you that I'm giving you the suit as compensation for your troubles as well? Oh, and I will cover all of our traveling expenses too, don't fret!" What?! But that was one of her newest designed suits for stallions! I didn't even want to think about how expensive that was. My ears drooped as I pouted towards her. Well, they rose, I suppose, considering my head was upside down.

"Rarity! That's too expensive," I protested weakly, trying the cute eye expressions I saw Fluttershy pull off before.

She didn't buy it, and simply grinned wider. Rainbow snapped me out of it, however, as she smacked her hoof into the grass. "Hey! Not fair, you guys! The weather captain position isn't the greatest paying job, ya know. How am I supposed to pay Mender, too, now that all of you are?!" she questioned in frustration, throwing me for a loop with her logic. Wait, was she seriously going to try to pay me for the silly wing thing she requested earlier? That was barely twenty minutes tops, if that. She was either overreacting, or had additional details planned that I hadn't been told about.

There was dead silence for a good four seconds, which I discovered was ridiculously awkward regardless of the short amount of time. Why was everypony looking at her like that? "What, pray tell, service did you request from Mender? Further, I think you have that a little backwards," Rarity muttered, sounding decidedly perplexed yet equally awkward at the same time. Maybe she felt it, too? Glancing over at her, I noticed her brow was furrowed and she seemed to be thinking very intently as she stared at Rainbow.

Twilight spun me around instantly and glared into my face from well within my comfort zone. "Yes, Mender. What's she paying you for again?" she questioned pointedly, irritation present in her voice. Wait, what?! What did they think it was, exactly? I swallowed nervously as Rainbow shuffled with her front legs. How did I say this without giving away sensitive information?

I tried rapidly motioning towards Applejack with my eyes. All it served to do was shift Twilight's irritated glare into a confused one instead, sadly. "Uh, it wasn't anything bad. I wanted him to do that glowy thingy with my wings again to help me practice for the race that's coming up after the party Rarity's hauling him to. You know, to maybe get better at my, um, celebratory sky writing?" Rainbow offered nervously, being surprisingly vague.

A look of dawning comprehension appeared on Twilight's face and she shifted to a smile in an instant, nodding to me. Whew! I got to live another day! I made a mental note to get one of those "days since last accident" counters for living with Twilight. It would put each day I woke up still breathing into perspective.

"Oh, that might be lovely indeed. You're certainly getting into this sky writing technique!" Rarity chirped, sounding honestly interested. Wait, why was she, of all ponies, interested? I was suddenly highly suspicious.

Rainbow apparently wasn't. "Yup! I can even add colors to them now! It's totally awesome, of course. I just need to work on the sharper turns now, which I was hoping to use those cool wing things for!" She seemed oblivious to the strangeness of her friend's sudden interest, so I just assumed it was a rather regular occurrence. Obviously, I only ever saw them interact while I was actually there. They've been friends for years, so who knows the depth of connection that I was missing?

Twilight's mouth caught hold of my ear and tugged my head back up using it. Huh? She smirked as she captured my attention again before leaning up and lightly kissing me directly on the lips. My system jump-started as my eyes widened. Right in public?! Well, her close friends, but still! Spike made a groaning noise and rotated around on her back so he was facing away from me. Despite the awkwardness, I felt the familiar heat drifting into my cheeks as I pressed further into the kiss to the best of my abilities. It was kind of hard to get leverage when floating in the air, I realized. Still, this was a pleasant change of pace from what I was expecting for today.

Letting out an obviously stifled groan, she gently lowered me as her magic wavered, pressing me lightly into herself as she did so. With my legs back firmly on the ground, I pushed forwards a little, nudging my forehead up under her horn and earning a giggle, followed by a gentle blush. The horn lit up with her energy a second later and I felt a little bit of her flow into me yet again, comforting rather than healing this time. It was like she was nuzzling me with her magic!

"Whoa! Now that's ah surprise," Applejack muttered quietly, apparently finally noticing Twilight's display.

The purple unicorn blushed harder but followed me back as I tried to break contact, assuming she wouldn't want her friends watching. Well, yet another incorrect assumption! Her neck and chest pressed against mine as she refused to let me break the kiss. She didn't make any attempt to deepen it, which the rising heat to my face thanked her for. I might have passed out had she done that! My right eye peeked sideways to see the slightly fuzzy image of Applejack smirking as she watched. Rainbow's eyes went wide behind her and she looked past Rarity to get a better view. This of course alerted Rarity, who turned around and dropped her jaw while watching. Oh crap.

I shut my eyes quickly as the blush magnified. Why were they all watching?! I felt Twilight grin and smirk against my lips as she finally released mine in return. "That, well, was to say I was sorry. I don't mean to get mad about that. Princess Celestia just means a lot to me, is all," she explained, grin dropping to a warm smile instead.

My ears and eyelids drooped a little, but I quickly caught them and forced a timid smile. That was 'just' to say she was sorry? I didn't like the aspect of her treating it like a reward or compensation. Still, I struggled to try not to jump to conclusions. She didn't specifically say that, after all. Still, it would be nice if she didn't think I was crazy in the first place.

She frowned slightly, apparently having caught my momentary lapse in expression. Her eyes practically bore a hole through mine and I backed up a little bit. Rainbow, who was thankfully oblivious as to my look, interrupted with, "Wow! That's the first time you two have willingly kissed with an audience. Although the one I accidentally flew in on was much more interesting."

Rarity did a double take and directed her slack-jawed stare to Rainbow instead. "What?! You simply must reveal the story! Right now," she effectively ordered.

"Rainbow! You weren't supposed to tell!" Twilight lashed back, switching from concern about me to seething rage in a surprisingly short amount of time! Suddenly, I didn't feel nearly as comfortable being pressed up against the unicorn.

"It's all perfectly normal, Twi. Everypony gets ah little worked up with their special somepony in private, Ah imagine," Applejack tried to sooth, playing the voice of reason. Of course, she was also taking a shot in the dark with what we had been caught doing. Risky, but she'd guessed right. I think. If my terminology was accurate, anyway.

"Excuse me?! We were experimenting! It wasn't anything serious like that. Then she blundered in without even knocking!" Twilight growled, sounding even angrier. Oh crap! My terminology must not be accurate! I started slinking back a little bit at a time, trying to distance myself without drawing attention. If she spontaneously ignited or something, at least I wouldn't be incinerated instantly this way.

She noticed. Pretty much immediately. Her glare was shifted to me almost instantly and I made a weak whimpering noise in the back of my throat, trying to hop away. She caught me out of midair and violently pulled me back next to her in a heartbeat. "And for the last time, I'm not going to hurt you! You don't have to run," she started to explain in an irritated tone.

There was something wrong; a twinge in my head from the situation. My vision flashed as I was pulled, something ugly twisting itself through my skull. My posture in the air matched something dark in the back of my mind, suddenly feeling familiar. For the briefest moment, everything darkened as I was pulled towards a metal table, arms and legs strapped in place to something cold behind me. I tried to scream, but there was some sort of metal piece stuffed in my mouth. A slim girl stood in the shadows in front of me, partially concealed by a combination of there being only one light in the room and it being shined directly into my eyes. I could still make out the whites of her teeth as she grinned, and the glistening metal blades of the drill she held. My eyes widened. The clawed-shaped blades were stained red, I noticed, the closer I was inched towards the gleeful female. I knew those were the last things I was going to see.

The horrible image was gone in less than a heartbeat, but it was far too late. With a guttural yelp, I curled up into a little ball in her magic. Apparently expecting me to remain upright, her magic missed its mark and dropped me the remaining foot to the ground in front of her feet.

I didn't even feel the jar before her hoof extended to stop me from sliding. I tucked up further, attempting to hide the sensitive parts from her magic. She kept saying she wasn't going to hurt me, but she got so angry sometimes. Just like them. She was so absurdly powerful that her anger... There was a thousand ways she could make me wish for such a simple thing as death and I knew it. She could torture me for days with that level of power, slowly pulling me apart yet making sure every individual piece stayed alive to feel everything. Nopony would stop her, would they? She was too important. Just like them. She could do whatever she wanted. What was I doing? What was I thinking?! I couldn't stop the shaking as I tucked up further, remembering suddenly what I had seen the females from my dimension do. Could that really be considered a 'relationship' in any way? Who was I kidding? I'd just been pretending to be her equal, after all.

Her hoof hesitated, and then drew back again. I felt her body follow suit, even though I couldn't feel her. What was she doing? A spike of paradoxical anger suddenly reared up inside of me, scaring me even further in its sudden, seemingly random appearance. I smashed it down before it could even get started. No! If I got angry with them, it would just give them more reason to punish me. What was wrong with me?! Where had that anger come from?

"Whoa. Dude, are you okay?" I heard Spike ask softly. Why didn't he realize? He's been her 'assistant' for years now. Surely he saw what she could do. Why didn't it bother him?! My body told me to run while they were distracted. I tried to quiet it down further and pulled my legs up. No, if I ran, even if she didn't just catch me with magic, Rainbow could in a heartbeat with her speed. She was nice though, wasn't she?

"Mender, I..." Twilight started to speak. Speak. Her hoof touched my shoulder again and I went rigid. No. No, it wasn't right. She was either like them, or she wasn't! What was real and what wasn't, though? Was the other world all in my head? Was Equestria all in my head and I actually lay dying somewhere? Was it a mixture; if so, which was real? She was real. She just touched me. I could practically feel the magic beating under her hoof. She was filled with it. The guttural instinct was still there, after all.

The panic spiked and I screamed, "No! Get away!" at the top of my lungs before booking it for the barn as fast as my legs could carry me. I tripped over my hooves within seconds, crashing along the ground and sliding on my face.

"You're pathetic. You can't even walk right. There's no way we want you on the breeding list," she continued after laughing at my spill. Her essence seemed to follow me, inescapable. The images of the scalpels returned, and I gasped, clutching my stomach with one leg before scrambling to my hooves again and aiming almost blindly for the barn door.

"Mender!" I heard Rainbow shout before taking to the air with a loud flap of her wings. Oh hell! "Come back... You'll make such a good pet. Just accept it," the cyan pegasus continued, echoing into my skull as I screamed again. I smashed off the side of the barn door's frame and fell over once more.

"You already failed the breeding exam. You failed what it meant to be a soldier, too. You failed to protect her from yourself. You touched her!" Twilight screamed after me, somehow feeling like she was right behind me now.

I dove across the floor, sliding in the dirt before getting under the bars of the support platform. "I'm sorry!" I yelled towards nothing in particular, the inside of the room spinning violently. There was no other choice.

Panicking, I did the only thing I could think of that would protect me from them all; the only thing I was good at. I slammed all six inside edges of the conveyor's platform with barrier spells before tethering it up to my vitality. Now they couldn't get me at all, even if they broke through...

Goals and desires were a funny thing. It was scientifically proven, of course. Once all of your base needs were fulfilled, it was natural to move on to higher designs. Food, shelter, sleep, and a good book or similar were what my list of needs largely consisted of. Once those were satisfied, the wants moved in. But that was normal, right?

What would most say their wants were? Every sentient organism would probably consider reproducing a good life goal at some point. The method didn't really matter, I suppose, but it was a basic biological drive. Success, in its broadest definition, was probably fairly popular for a goal, too. Well, I don't know of many that set out into the world to fail. I suppose friends and family would also count for many. It's that networking aspect that was appealing. Or maybe it was just that special somepony to ward away the loneliness while sharing all that success with? Company was nice, especially when it included passionate sex and a solution to that reproduction thing, I'd imagine. Not that I would know.

Speaking of myself, what I wanted was rather simple. A normal day.

Groaning, I held a forehoof to my left temple to push the noises away. My other side was squished into the bottom of my barrier, so I hardly cared. My other foreleg was busy clutching my stomach, just in case the scalpels decided to make themselves real and spill my squishy insides out everywhere.

Something was wrong. After my rational mind rebooted itself, I at least managed to come to that conclusion. Images, barely noticeable and not really visually there were flickering through my imagination of their own free will, which was kind of frightening. They weren't something direct; just barely there on the edges of my thoughts for me to notice as my mind wandered. After I acknowledged them, they were gone an instant later, no doubt to reposition themselves for another ambush further down the line.

My vision shifted and warped as I stared at my own barriers that surrounded me completely. They were partially transparent, and it was like watching a silent movie. The ponies outside were saying things, but no sound reached me. Vibrations couldn't get through the barriers, so that was an obvious side effect. The orange mare had reared back and slammed the side of the field a few times, too, of course. I didn't even feel it. I'm not really feeling much of anything, though. It just made me even more tired after her third hit. The lavender unicorn shouted something then and she stopped. I was kind of sleepy, but I didn't feel like dreaming, so I stayed awake. It was kind of hard to think, which probably meant that I was running out of air inside my little box.

I couldn't escape, though. They'd capture me if I did. If they were real, of course. I couldn't decide. Still, if they were real, I had probably really offended them this time around.

It seemed like all I could do was run away anymore. They were wrong about me being a hero. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to suffer. There hadn't been a choice back on the ship. It was either accept that I had to die, or let all of my friends die instead. The only friends I had ever made. That was worse than death. So there was no choice. I wasn't a hero. I was a coward.

I curled up more as the pink one slowly scraped more on the barrier, holding up her piece of paper again. At least they figured out fairly fast that it was sound proof. The paper was the same, pleading with me to come out. I stared listlessly through it. What had broken to cause these images? It was hard to believe that Twilight was the only reason.

My head cleared a little, surprisingly. I took advantage of it and reflected upon everything that had happened. Rarity and Twilight had gotten into some sort of shouting match, it had looked like. Twilight surprisingly lost and left in tears at full speed. Rarity didn't exactly act like she had won, however. Now she was lying in the corner by herself, watching Pinkie and Applejack try to get me out of the box.

Pinkie had obviously gone with a pathos appeal. Applejack was a tad more creative, however. So far she had removed the back wall, the left wall, and the inside of the platform in testing the various angles of my barriers. She was extremely persistent, it would seem. Now she was starting to dig down into the dirt, looking like she was going to try to tunnel under me. I was lying on a barrier as well, so I already knew that wouldn't work. No, it couldn't work. I'd rather suffocate than subject myself to what they could do to me. So much power.

I fought it further. Twilight said she wasn't going to use it to hurt me. But she had used it to hurt me before. I didn't know what to think. I wanted to believe her but I was scared. I saw what power like that did. I saw it with my own eyes, if the images flickering through my brain like a bad movie reel were to be believed. They hadn't just taken my squad's eyes when we all saw her; saw Keela.

She was whom we had rescued. She was the one that had damned us in the same instant. She was different from them, and they blamed us for it instead of accepting her. No, blame was too weak for what they did. Taking our eyes would have been a mercy. Why was I the only one to make it out alive? Was I? The memories just weren't there, and my head started pounding again.

The clarity continued until finally, the cloud that had sunk over me like a fever faded. Wait, what was I doing? That had obviously been a flashback, and while they were probably upset, I had no reason to think that they were like the females of my dimension. Twilight, while not exactly the fairest pony out there, definitely didn't deserve to be compared to... them.

"Exactly! Relax. Come out then, Mender," I heard echoed all around me. Wait, what the hell?!

A yellow distortion landed inside the barn a second later. "Sorry I'm, um, late. I got here as fast as I could after Rainbow found me. She told me what happened, and then went to catch up with Twilight," Fluttershy apologized, my head echoing in perfect clarity and timing to her moving lips. Oh. That again. I suddenly wondered how much of my thoughts clearing up were due to proximity to the yellow mare.

Pinkie made several frantic motions and gestured towards the wall of the barrier, looking uncharacteristically concerned. "I know. But it sounds like he's, well, starting to realize that it was all a misunderstanding. Right, Mender?" the yellow pegasus replied, turning back to me through the barrier as she asked quietly.

I sighed and nodded, testing a reply. "It was a flashback when she pulled me. Something, um, really bad happened in my prior life that it reminded me of unexpectedly."

Fluttershy's expression fell a little and she nodded quietly. Applejack had stopped digging and was now staring in surprise at the mare. She mouthed something a second later, and Fluttershy gave her a quizzical glance.

"What do you mean, Applejack? I can hear him fine, and he's answering me," she reasoned, blowing a blur of pink out of what I could only assume was her face. At least it was the barrier screwing my vision up this time instead of my actual eyes. They were on the way to recovery, thankfully.

"The barrier is soundproof, Fluttershy. I think we need to, um, talk after this at some point," I finally admitted, frowning to myself.

There was an abrupt spike of panic from the shy mare. "What? But, how could it be... That can't be right. How can I hear you if it's soundproofed?" she asked, losing more and more of her voice the longer she spoke.

The rush of strength returning to me as I killed the barriers was actually on the pleasant side. I stepped out of the underside of the platform shakily, trying to keep my balance. "I heard it in my head. You're probably the same, right?" I inquired, more to try to distract myself from the wet noodle feeling in my legs than anything.

Applejack surprised me by closing the gap almost instantly and catching me as I wobbled. "That's not important. Are ya alright there, Mender? What happened?" she asked quickly, sounding more concerned than anything. Rarity stood up the second I exited the underside of the conveyor, scampering over far faster than I had ever seen her move before. The little dragon I'd failed to spot from inside of the shield stood up as well, having been on the other side of her. His approach was much slower, however.

"It was, well, a panic attack. I don't know what happened. The way she pulled me combined with the, um, anger involved... It caused more memories of my prior life to re-surface. They weren't exactly the most pleasant," I explained, sitting down roughly on my haunches. Dried blood stained two of my legs at this point, I noticed. I knew I forgot something.

Rarity shook her head sadly before frowning. "She shouldn't get so defensive over being with you. It's obviously doing more harm than good. Still, I might have made things a tiny bit worse," she warned, looking incredibly guilty.

"Ya spoke the truth, even if it could'a been more polite. Maybe it was what she needed, really. Ah think she'll be alright once all this calms down," Applejack assured softly, brushing a hoof down Rarity's shoulder. I noticed a deeper understanding of each other again. All six friends had roots extending far further than I had originally realized. Although now I was terribly curious as to what the argument was about.

A wall of pink squished me into the floor a second later, causing me to flail my legs upwards in an ineffectual manner. "Okay, enough sadness then! Mender's gonna be okay, and that's all that matters! Twilight has a chance to fix things still, and I don't have to add more to my sign," Pinkie reasoned, in a roundabout yet perfectly logical way. Somehow.

Spike nodded and smirked at the pink mare as he finally finished walking up next to Rarity. Pinkie grinned and helped me back into a sitting position, still refusing to let go, however.

"Twilight's been more stressed than everypony realizes, between her feelings and the project the Princess assigned to her. I think it's starting to take its toll, so try to go easy on her, okay?" Spike asked, looking between Rarity and Applejack before settling on me again. I watched him weakly, giving my best nod. Not that it was up to me to go easy on her, but he looked like he needed assurance.

"Ugh. This is all one big mess. Ah think we need ta finish this conveyor thingy as soon as we can. That way we can all work on helpin' Twi get her head straight again," Applejack pointed out, gesturing to the construction project around her. Admittedly, apart from the gearbox, lid lift, and tread to power the thing, it was mostly completed.

"I'll help finish the plans in Twilight's stead," Rarity offered politely, walking over to the saddlebags Twilight seemingly left near the door.

Applejack nodded curtly before looking over at the loft hole she'd cut earlier. "Ah'll try ta finish tha lid thing. It's gonna be hard without RD 'ere," she confessed, frowning.

"I'll try to help with the flying parts, um, if you think it would be useful," Fluttershy murmured, soft eyes still locked onto me instead. She hadn't looked away since I revealed what I had been guessing at for a while.

"I'll help too, Applejack! I finished picking up all the rods outside," came from high above an instant later. I glanced up just in time to see the gray mare from before, Derpy, coming in through an open window near the loft. A smaller version of the cart from earlier was attached to her, hauling a tied-up bundle of the blasted rods that almost killed three of us.

Applejack smiled and nodded up at her. Spike disrupted my view, however, with a large sheet of paper. I recognized the gearbox assembly on it as he lowered it again. "This is supposed to connect the conveyor and tread, right? I can put this together. My small claws are good at doing this kinda thing!" he bragged, grinning over at the softly smiling Rarity still, who presumably gave him the sheet in the first place.

I tried not to laugh, and managed a nod and smile instead. As unnerved as I was about what had happened, this was quite refreshing. They were being very understanding as to the situation, much to my surprise. I vowed to give them more credit in the future. A lot of the feelings were truly mine, however. I felt like a coward who always ran away. Was this who my old self was? If it wasn't, why was I different suddenly?

"Okay then, that settles it! We'll all git back ta work an' finish this up as soon as we can. Mender, you try ta calm yer nerves ah bit an' just focus on tellin' us how ta build this thing," Applejack instructed, obviously trying to sound positive, but managing a smile regardless of her inner feelings. Still, her attempt was comforting, and I nodded back quietly.

It made sense, regardless. I think the distraction would do me some good. There were a lot of complications and things were moving way too fast to be comfortable for me, but they'd already proven they were going to help me as best they could. Pinkie grinned and started rubbing my back gently after she helped me resituate myself next to Rarity. The white unicorn smiled politely and nodded as I sat down again. She had laid out the papers in front of her, and looked sideways at me expectantly.

Yeah. It was going to be hard to focus on all of the complications. I suddenly realized exactly how much effort they were expecting from me, and began to wonder if maybe it had been a bad idea to drop those shields after all...

---

Why hadn't someone killed me yet? It would be a mercy blow at this point. I groaned as I dropped the last pile of planks that were needed for the tread. It was to be hooked up to the gearbox, which would transfer energy to the conveyor and make it move when somepony ran on it. A very basic setup that required a deceiving amount of planks. I was literally covered in leftover wood shavings.

"Whaaa!" sounded out from in front of me. I almost didn't bother to look up again, but decided it might actually be important. An inquiring glance showed that Scootaloo was dangling from several ropes attached to the ceiling, now upside down and swaying back and forth as her tiny wings propelled her around in a circle. The red cape she wore had somehow gotten flipped over her eyes and she struggled against the air, unable to see anything. Derpy, floating conveniently nearby, suddenly looked extremely guilty and slowly drifted over to where Fluttershy was, apparently making to help her and Applejack line up the lid lift itself. Damn. She had worse luck than I did. Thankfully or not, as the case may be, at least mine only usually targeted myself.

Well, nopony died, so all was yet good. I decided not to ask how she'd gotten tied up in the ropes in the first place. Sweetie Belle sat on the edge of the loft, looking nervous as she tried to tug her friend to a stop with her magic. It didn't look like she had very good control over it yet, however, as it appeared largely ineffectual.

I stood up softly and stretched as my magic gathered up the wood shavings around me. Rarity paid little heed beyond a cursory glance as I moved from her side, instead focusing on 'perfecting' the drawing. Her extremely stylized border around the plans, excessive amount of measurements included, and potential decoration positions made me dizzy, so I hadn't been watching her work for a good two hours. I still had to repair Applejack's back wall, however.

The mare in question smiled as she saw me gathering up the pieces and dumping them into Derpy's miniature cart. I imagine she anticipated that I'd forget about the repair job and was now pleasantly surprised. Fluttershy was helping her line up the chains for the lid lift at the moment, alongside Derpy doing most of the heavy lifting. It surprised me how readily they all got along when it came to a project like this. We'd been at this for a good five hours now, and it was finally starting to come together!

I gave a nod to Spike as I walked past him. He grinned up at me, having almost finished with the gear assembly. It was looking surprisingly precise. The little guy had an amazing eye for details I hadn't anticipated; probably from living with Twilight for so long.

The slowly dimming light of the barn was enough for me to navigate around the boxes, thankfully. It was also enough for me to make out the form of Apple Bloom as she readied herself to launch out and snag Scootaloo's rope as she swung past. Uh oh... Anticipating disaster, I sped up my passage a little bit in attempts to time the jump. As predicted, Apple Bloom hit the rope at high velocity, her own cape making her look momentarily like a superhero, and swung both Scootaloo and herself violently to the side. The rope snapped off the ring on the ceiling and dropped both of them from the level of the loft. I adjusted my momentum a little and peeked behind me as Apple Bloom landed in the soft wood shavings in the cart, as I'd hoped. Wait, where was Scootaloo?

The buzzing of her wings sounded as she momentarily slowed herself, drifting to the side. I stepped sideways, rotating the cart as I went, and she landed rather abruptly on my back, face and stomach first. I winced, more for sympathy of her pain than any she had inflicted on me. "Ow. I don't think we're gonna get our Cutie Marks in barn design, girls," the orange filly groaned as she popped her face out from being wedged against my back.

"Aww! But we were tryin' so hard!" Apple Bloom complained profusely, sounding a little on the irate side. Oops. Best placate them before their desire to help turns destructive instead.

"You're being too hard on yourselves. You've been a huge help so far with the upper loft, and there are more things you three could assist with," I pointed out, amused at the skeptical look Scootaloo gave me as she just lay there.

Sweetie Belle descended from out of nowhere a moment later and landed in the shavings next to Apple Bloom, who squeaked and burst into laughter as Sweetie's cape got flopped over her head. I smirked back at the two before continuing walking towards the back of the barn, ignoring the now swaying cart as the two wrestled to get off each other. Surprisingly, all three of them were rather on the light side, even together. Although if I recall, this little cart was enchanted similarly to the larger one. Er, I suddenly hoped that this one didn't catch fire too. Apparently, carts were frequently enchanted to drift free of gravity so Pegasi could pull them through the air with ease. I could see the potential in such an enchantment.

Oddly, I saw Applejack give a light tug on the ropes next to her in my peripheral vision as I walked past. Fluttershy drifted down from the other end that was over the loft and looked questioningly at her friend. I passed them, however, and didn't want to look suspicious by turning to stare. What was the farm mare up to now?

"Oh. Oh my... Um, you're right," I suddenly heard the shy mare echo in my head wistfully, almost gushing with embarrassment. Wait, what had Applejack said to cause this?!

I couldn't help it anymore, and glanced back over my right shoulder at the two mares. Both were eyeing me as I walked with a rather soft expression that I had no way of placing or translating in the slightest. What did it mean when they looked at me like that? Scootaloo glanced back as well, now as curious as I was. Both girls in the cart saw our attention shift, and of course peeked back as well. The light pink in Fluttershy's cheeks turned to full out red as her eyes widened dramatically.

"Oh, um, oops! I didn't mean to stare, Mender. I'm, uh, really sorry," came in another echoing yet familiar voice in my head. Fluttershy bowed her head politely as I heard it, and I realized it wasn't just in my head after all. This was going to get weird fast. It was the same kind of thing that I did to Keela, except it worked both ways for us.

There were lots of questions regarding it, really. From observation, I only heard her when she was not trying, if she was under some sort of emotional imbalance. It's like a form of empathy, then. Now she had discovered that she could purposefully push words at me as well. I had no idea how she did it, and had yet to be able to respond similarly. Regardless, I shook my head softly towards her and returned a warm smile before turning back to the back wall. What those two had been staring at would just have to remain a mystery for now.

"Fluttershy is acting really weird. Is she okay?" Sweetie Belle asked softly, looking to her fellow cart rider as she said so.

Apple Bloom frowned but shook her head, returning, "Ah honestly haven't ah clue. Yer sister's actin' all weird, too."

"She got in a fight with Twilight earlier. I don't think she feels too good about it," I informed gently as we slowed to a stop at the back wall.

That got Scootaloo's attention, of course. "Whoa! Awesome! Was there blood? Did they use their magic? I bet Twilight kicked her flank and that's why she's so mopey," she asked all at once, suddenly rather excited.

I peeked back at her with a smirk and shook my head. "It was a verbal fight, not a physical one. The barn hasn't been leveled, so magic wasn't involved, obviously," I pointed out.

Instead of being disappointed, the orange filly with the purple mane started snickering instead and nodded. "I figured. That would have been cool to watch, though," she lamented a moment later, sitting up on my back and tucking her wings up again.

"So long as we didn't get caught in it, yeah," I muttered, shuddering at the thought.

All three fillies started giggling then. Sweetie Belle took the opportunity to launch herself out of the cart and land directly behind Scootaloo an instant later. "Hey! There's only room up here for one of us," Scootaloo complained, getting shoved up against my mane. I started and wobbled, spreading my hooves out so I didn't tip to either side as they readjusted on my back. Well, this was awkward.

"Then get off. You got to ride back here on him. I haven't gotten to see him for a while," the little unicorn responded, sticking her tongue out at her friend.

Apple Bloom sat up on the rim of the cart and rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, ya were the last one ta see him in tha first place," she pointed out skeptically. It was true. I had seen a lot more of Sweetie Belle than I had the other two fillies.

"Yeah! We get to hang out with the new CMC member, too. Did you remember the thing?" Scootaloo asked vaguely, earning my attention again as I unhooked myself from the cart. Not an easy task to do when there are two fillies sitting on your back.

"The what? Oh! Yeah!" Sweetie returned before reaching behind her own cape. Huh? "Rarity knew how to make a bigger one, like we thought!" she added before withdrawing a rather large roll of red fabric. It was the same color as their capes? Wait a second...

Scootaloo grinned impishly before hopping off my back. Before I could so much as ask a question, Sweetie Belle pounced! I let out a squeak as she wrapped a cloth loop around my neck, sealing it with a brooch of some kind on the other side. Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting it and had tried to shift sideways to avoid whatever she was doing. The much larger cape unfurled as we fell sideways. I tripped over two of my hooves in an instant and somehow managed to twist onto my back, wrapping myself up in the cape while spilling Sweetie Belle off to the side.

Everything finally slowed to a stop. Sweetie Belle came out of her roll upside down, looking at me in a confused manner. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo started snickering in amusement as I struggled to free my legs from the frustrating fabric. To my surprise, however, Scootaloo stepped forwards and wrapped a forehoof around my front leg. Sweetie recovered quickly and shifted forwards, shoving at the same time Scootaloo yanked. This tipped me in the other direction and let me pull free of the cape. I smiled to both of them as they gathered themselves in front of me. Apple Bloom hopped out of the cart finally and straightened the cape on my back with a few gentle tugs before backing up to admire her work.

"Ah think it looks darn good on ya! Yer an official member o' tha Cutie Mark Crusaders, now!" the little, red-maned filly exclaimed, smiling widely now.

"Even if he already has his Cutie Mark," Scootaloo groaned a second later.

I frowned and shook my head towards her. "I don't care if I have mine already or not. You three are the coolest fillies I know and have been nice to me, so I'm going to help you regardless," I assured. It was true. The three of them had been really kind to me so far. The chasing me into a rock on my first day in Equestria was totally my fault, after all.

Scootaloo perked up at the 'cool' part and smirked back before nodding in agreement. Sweetie Belle perked through the whole thing, however, and gave my forelegs a gentle squeeze upon my finishing. "You're really cool, too, Mender! So much better than a lot of the adults," she admitted, smiling up at me.

"Plus he has tha benefit o' already bein' one! Ah bet he could really help us out, especially with that magic o' his," Apple Bloom chipped in before bumping her right forehoof against my left one as a visual pointer.

I snickered and nodded. "I'm just a big kid at heart anyway, so I hear ya there. Just, um, let's not try anywhere up high. I don't have the best track record with gravity," I warned, shuddering and checking above me for any large, heavy objects.

"Oh yeah, Rainbow told me about the time she clocked ya with the apples! That must have been amazing aim," Scootaloo spoke up, sounding genuinely impressed. I scowled and shook my head to vanquish the phantom pain drifting into it.

Sweetie interposed herself instantly between Scootaloo and me. "Not so amazing for him! Don't get any ideas," she warned in a surprisingly defensive manner. I smiled warmly at her back before wrapping my right foreleg around her and giving her an appreciative squeeze.

"Thanks, Sweetie. It's okay, though. I forgave Rainbow already," I explained, warming as she gave me a happy smile in return, rotating to face me fully.

Scootaloo made a gagging motion, though. "I wasn't gonna brain him with apples! You don't have to get all defensive. Ew," she protested profusely, wings fluttering a little as she crossed her forelegs.

"Regardless, this is a really nice cape. Thank you, girls," I tossed in, hopefully redirecting the topic. I didn't mind a bit of bickering, but I didn't want the three of them out and out fighting over anything. Not if I could help it, anyway. I smiled to myself. If this really was in my head, this was the most adorable hallucination I could have asked for, however.

"Well, o' course! Yer a member o' tha CMC, so ya get ta dress tha part, too! What are we doin' back 'ere, though?" Apple Bloom asked a moment later, peeking around at the multitude of holes in the back wall.

Scootaloo followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow up before asking, "Yeah, and what happened to the wall? Did Pinkie find Applejack's hard cider again?" That um, brought horrifying mental images forth. I blinked and swallowed nervously.

"Hey! I resent that! That stuff was good!" came from the other side of the wall before a bright pink blob oozed from one of the holes near us. What the hell?! Pinkie somehow managed to squeeze her entire head through the hole without further structural destruction and eyed the now freaked out pegasus filly with a menacing glare. "I haven't gotten any of that all year! So this totally wasn't me. Although it does sound really fun. Sometimes I wish I could just go around randomly knocking holes in things! It sounds so cool. I mean, there's that little tingle in the back of your head every time you see something go boomy! It would be like that all the time. As often as I wanted it!" she started, in a manner that I hadn't heard in a while. Well, since the last time she did it.

"Uh, Pinkie?" I tried to ask, to get her attention so we could get the wall fixed up before night fell.

"I mean, my party cannon only does so good at the boomy thing. Plus, it takes forever to load the party into it! I can only use it so many times a day, so that's way too limited. Now if I had a hammer or something, I could totally do this all I wanted! That would be really fun, of course. Almost as fun as having some sort of tube that could push out a bunch of stuff really fast by using a blast of pressurized gas produced from something that burned really fast and," she continued, seemingly oblivious to our existences now. At this point, she was talking way too fast for me to fully comprehend what she was saying, but for some reason, it made me really nervous.

"Pinkie..." I tried again.

"But some stallions are just so ungrateful! I was taking time out of my busy schedule of tending to the counter and all he could complain about was that the hole was too small! The nerve! I mean, isn't it supposed to be better the smaller it is? I never figured out that part anyway, but still. Getting frustrated and shouting it out right in the middle of serving hours was just so embarrassing! So many ponies could have heard, and then my reputation would be ruined! I mean, honestly, I thought that the smaller the hole, the better the..."

"Pinkie!" I shouted, finally aggravated. Wait, what?!

"...donut? Yes?" she answered perkily, smiling politely at me as if nothing had happened at all. All three fillies looked half brain dead as they stared blankly at her. Oh, my poor, poor mind.

I shuddered as it performed a manual reboot before looking back up at her. "Uh, yeah. I thought that you were supposed to be looking for Twilight and Rainbow Dash?" I finally asked, flushing everything else out of my head.

"Of course, Silly Willy! I found them at the library already," she informed, as if it was the most logical conclusion in the world. A throb went through my left temple. Pinkie should come with a few general health warnings. I swore that I could practically feel my stroke and cardiac arrest risk increasing.

"Uh, right. How were they doing?" I asked hesitantly, a little apprehensive as to the answer.

Pinkie apparently sensed my tension and smiled softly. Oddly, the fact that she was squeezing just her head through the wall didn't matter so much anymore. I feared for my sanity. "Twilight felt a lot better when I told her that it wasn't her directly that you were afraid of. She's patching things up with Rarity right now!" she explained softly. Admittedly, I appreciated her attempts to reassure me. Pinkie really could be a sweetheart when she wanted to be.

Wait, I thought Rarity was in the barn with us? A chill drifted down my spine as I slowly rotated my head around to glance back at the entrance. Sure enough, the lavender colored unicorn sat next to the entry, talking directly to a solemn looking Rarity. Oh. Well, that would have been nice to know a little bit ago.

Rainbow Dash was apparently here as well, drifting about above Applejack and talking in a rather loud fashion. I made out bits and pieces about a race that was coming up. Probably the one she had requested I help her with. I abruptly turned back around as Twilight's gaze started to shift, and ran a string of profanities through my head. I wasn't prepared to talk to her so soon! I hadn't had any time to think about what happened at all, and tried hard not to panic. Calm down, Mender! You can think of a way to work through this. If Pinkie can fit through those holes, surely I could in the opposite direction!

With my confidence reestablished, I stoically raised my head again, just in time to stare directly into two massive, blue eyes from less than a muzzle's length away.

To my credit, I managed to muffle the surprised yelp by shoving my own forehoof into my mouth. Pinkie giggled merrily, somehow on this side of the wall now, having gotten there not only without making so much as a noise, but in less than the two seconds it took me to look back at Twilight. "Wow, you're not as easy to scare anymore! I'm impressed. What are ya doing all the way back here, though?" the bubbly mare asked, tilting her head.

"We're gonna repair the wall! We're trying for our construction Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo answered almost immediately, pounding a hoof off her chest with a smirk on her face. All three somehow managed to think absolutely nothing of Pinkie's blatant disregard for physics, naturally. Was I honestly the only sane one left? That didn't speak too highly of Equestria's future.

I managed to nod weakly. "Uh, yeah. What she said. The transmutation spell is touch based, obviously. They're gonna help me reach the higher holes, and keep the pieces of wood in them until the magic can finish the transformation," I explained, news to all four ponies present, I figured.

"Oooh, we can help with that!" Sweetie Belle agreed, sounding excited now.

I, of course, started to assure, "It's not dangerous or anything. I'm going to channel my magic through you as the three of you reach up to plug the holes and..."

"Awesome! Let's do this!" Scootaloo exclaimed before hopping into the air excitedly. Okay then! Well, I guess they trusted me not to blow them up or something.

"CMC Ladder Formation! Help us, Pinkie. Ya'all can be tha base!" Apple Bloom called out. Pinkie squealed with a characteristic level of energy before sliding into place in front of me. I took a step back as all three fillies hopped up onto her back. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and finally Scootaloo climbed on top of each other to make a makeshift pony ladder. Pinkie tossed a chunk of wood up next to her a second later, as if they had choreographed the entire thing. Scootaloo caught it as it sailed up and immediately jammed it hard into the hole! So hard that it popped through and shot out the other side at high velocity. I heard a crash, followed by the squawking of several distressed chickens and sighed.

"Er, oops. Take two, Pinkie!" the little pegasus muttered a second later. Pinkie didn't miss a beat in launching a second chunk up. Suddenly, I remembered that the cart was still behind me, a good two meters from the pink mare. I stared down at the small pile of wooden chunks she had accumulated near her front hooves in confusion. When had she done that?

Scootaloo was infinitely more careful this time around, lightly squishing the chunk of wood into the hole before nodding down at me. Well, this would work, regardless. I pulled the cart closer to Pinkie before peeking at her expectantly. She gave me an ecstatic grin and nod of confirmation. Ugh. Very well. I reached up with my left hoof and lightly nudged her in the shoulder, sending a wave of magic up through her body.

"Wah!" she squeaked out, the second the energy made contact. I watched it arc through her like a bolt of lightning, rapidly expanding off her back and through all three fillies in an instant. The magic touched upon the wood chunk that Scootaloo still held and it instantly began to shift and squirm. Although I was hardly paying attention to it at that point. All three younger ponies squeaked as the energy shot through them and devolved into a massive fit of snickers and giggles. Scootaloo's wings shot out like static electricity against her fur and she flailed them rapidly, sending arcs of the transmutation magic off herself in her laughter. Fearing for their safety, I withdrew the energy an instant later and they all slumped against each other.

"Whoa! That was like gittin' tickled all over! Ah wasn't expectin' that," Apple Bloom admitted upon shakily standing up again on Pinkie's back.

"Yeah. That was so awesome!" Scootaloo agreed, still laughing a little.

Sweetie Belle just smiled and nodded while squished between the two of them. I instead turned my attention in concern to Pinkie, who was just standing there, shivering a little. "Uh, how about you, Pinkie? Are you okay?" I inquired, unsure as to what her behavior meant.

"Uh, yeah! I'm fine. Let's do another!" she exclaimed in a surprisingly excited tone, suddenly. Well, that was a little strange. Er, more strange, for Pinkie, anyway. I could have sworn I saw a red tint to her cheeks as well, but she looked away before I could do more than glance towards her face, prepping for the next position. Er, okay?

"Well, okay. Shift down then, a bit. There are three more holes near the top that need to be filled, then we can move on to the lower ones. We probably won't need all three fillies for them," I reasoned, looking at the pattern of damage. Damn, I'm glad I put my barrier up in time, earlier. I didn't realize the wood was that thick. If those metal rods had hit us instead, they'd still be mopping the pieces up.

Pinkie gave another strange shiver as I gave the instruction, but obediently took a couple steps forward, haphazardly aligning herself with the next hole. I bit my tongue, deciding not to mention it would probably be easier to align herself if she actually looked up to see where they were. No, I'd probably just say something stupid and put my hoof in my mouth again.

It took four more holes, starting in on the second rough 'tier' down, before Applejack seemingly noticed progress being made and wandered over to investigate. "Well Ah'll be! It's like Derpy never put 'em there ta begin with!" she praised, touching one of the lower marks with her hoof, then giggling as she felt it still wiggling about and reshaping itself.

"Oooh, that must have been fun to watch!" Pinkie exclaimed, absolutely giddy at this point. Her energy was going higher and higher with each hole, as if I was somehow feeding her with the magical bursts! I was retrieving all of my energy afterwards, however, so that couldn't be the case, right? I didn't feel all that convinced, and wondered idly if I was somehow contributing to the end of Equestria or something.

"Ah don't imagine it was all that pleasant from Mender's perspective. We're gonna call it quits soon, though. How are ya managin', Mender?" she inquired. I was momentarily stuck on the simply delightful way in which she said 'perspective' before snapping myself out of it with a shudder. The memory of those rods of death descending towards us was all too fresh in my head still.

"Uh, well. It should only take us a few more minutes to repair all of these. How's the rest of the barn looking?" I asked back, sending another jolt of energy absently through the four of them. Scootaloo hadn't been required at this point, but absolutely insisted on not missing out on the apparent joyous entertainment arcing magical energy through her body brought. Not that any of the other three disagreed with her, so maybe they were onto something?

My eyes lingered past her momentarily as she smiled in response. Twilight had moved away from Rarity and was now talking to Fluttershy in quiet whispers. A slight nervousness echoed down that familiar link when I paid it heed. What were they talking about that was making Fluttershy nervous?

"...but apart from ah few adjustments and tightenin's 'ere and there, all that's left ta tackle is hookin' tha tread up ta tha main belt an' givin' it ah trial run!" Applejack continued, looking well beyond pleased once I snapped out of my prior thoughts and began paying attention to her again. I really needed to stop zoning out like that.

Still, it was enough to piece together what had been said. "Are we going to do that tonight, then?" I asked, ignoring the chorus of giggles and laughter from behind me.

Applejack watched the four in amusement for a moment before looking back to me and shaking her head. "Nah. We need mah brother ta properly test out tha workin's. Ah figure that can wait 'til tomorrow. He's been sport enough ta handle all tha buckin' today," she reasoned, shrugging softly, which slowly devolved into a gentle roll of her shoulders and a light eye twitch. She'd worked just as hard as I did today. Probably more, in all honesty.

I stared blankly at her shoulder for longer than I probably should have. Four seconds later, she frowned and glanced at her right shoulder as well. An awkward three additional seconds later, I coughed lightly and looked away, feeling like an idiot again. She just laughed and shook her head. "Ah'll be fine. Nothin' Ah haven't felt before," she assured, waving her other hoof absently at me. An idea popped into my head recklessly, like most of mine do, and was out my mouth before even pulling its parachute.

"Actually, could you hold still for a second? I want to try something," I requested, extending my left hoof up to her shoulder. She hesitated, nervously looking at my hoof as it started to glow with energy, before she nodded and closed her eyes rapidly. She trusted me.

The thought momentarily made me hesitate before I shook my head again. No, getting caught staring again would only lead to being accused of yet another mental degradation. Touching the hoof to her shoulder, I let a burst of soft heat and vibrating energy through the muscle in her shoulder. In the same instant, it shuddered once, seemed to clench of its own accord, then almost melted into a loose, relaxed position a moment later.

Applejack gasped in surprise, and then let out a highly pleasing murmur as she promptly sat down roughly on her haunches right then and there. "Oh! Oh wow. What was that?" she asked, opening her eyes again and looking a little on the surprised side before glancing at her slightly reddened shoulder.

"Oh, well I just figured you probably didn't get much out of a normal massage, with how strong you are and how much muscle is present. So I just used my energy to get as deep as possible and apply heat and a tense vibration," I attempted to explain, skipping over the technicalities behind the magic itself. Twilight might be interested, but Applejack was more likely to fall asleep during the explanation. It was awfully late out now.

"Oh yeah! Magic hooves, I say. Get it? Magic?!" Pinkie tacked on before bursting into a fit of laughter and taking all three fillies with her. Oh dear. What have I done? Was I actually destroying their minds with the magic?!

Applejack smirked and rolled her eyes at the display before looking right, and then left. I silently agreed with her assessment that nopony was watching, before she leaned closer to me and whispered, "Now look 'ere. Ah don't normally go for all that frou-frou stuff that Rarity likes, Ah hope ya understand. But if ya wanted ta do that ta all o' me next time, yer gonna get one heck o' ah tip, alright?" she offered, surprisingly me and earning a blush. Maybe it was reflex from talking to Rainbow so much, but I suddenly found myself totally taking that the wrong way.

"Um, a-all of you?" I stuttered out weakly, literally feeling my eyes shiver as I carefully watched her. Of course, I realized she could potentially murder me for the comment a mere second after it left my mouth.

She started for a heartbeat, and then grinned in amusement. "Got yerself ah special somepony fer less than ah day an' already yer startin' ta think like ah stallion. Ah'm actually kinda proud," she shot back, barbed tongue coming into play faster than I realized possible. She must train her quick wits by fencing with Rainbow all the time. She managed to relay amusement to detract from how nervous I probably sounded, reminded me that she knew I was taken and wouldn't do that to me, and implied that I hadn't been thinking like a stallion up until this point; all in one jab. Subtle. I was impressed.

Sweetie Belle gasped loudly and left the center of the pile before anyone had even realized she was moving. Scootaloo gave a yelp and crashed into the other two before she could even pop her wings out. "You have a special somepony, Mender?! Who is it?" the little filly asked excitedly, somehow standing right in front of me now. I jumped and sat down abruptly from surprise, managing to at least make some room between us.

"Oooh, I know! It's Twilight and Fluttershy!" Pinkie squealed excitedly, bouncing on her hooves a little bit and grinning ear to ear.

Sweetie's eyes widened and she gasped before paraphrasing, "Two special someponies?!" Sighing, I gave Pinkie a moderately stern look she no doubt blatantly ignored.

"Just Twilight for now. I think. Last I knew of, anyway." I'd never started backtracking from the very start of a statement before. Was this a new personal best? My ears drooped at the mere thought and I sighed. Sweetie Belle went from delighted to frowning in a heartbeat, but Applejack just shook her head.

"She's still all yers, Mender. Ya just need ta do somethin' about this scared thing. Twi would never intentionally hurt ya; Ah vouch for her ah hundred percent!" the farm mare assured, giving a proper nod after as punctuation.

I nodded gently, still not looking up. It wasn't that simple, but I did want to believe she was right. She was the Element of Honesty, so it was a good bet that I could trust what she was saying. "It's just hard. It's not just Twilight. She's scary powerful, yeah, but that more serves as a comparison to the females in my old life. They were scary powerful too, and definitely not benign with that fact. Even though I want to believe she's totally different, the comparison is still there, if that makes sense," I tried to explain as simply as I could. It was hellishly complex for myself, and I'd never tried to put it into words for somepony else before.

Applejack actually smiled, which threw me off guard. She closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to consider things before continuing with, "That feels like tha honest truth ta me. Thank ya kindly fer bein' open. Ah understand that concept completely." Her open acceptance of my explanation further threw me for a loop, but it was a happy one this time. I cracked a smile timidly, looking up again fully. Things were looking up now, of course. I felt a little bit braver.

"Yeah. If you were treated badly before and Twilight kinda sorta makes you remember that, it seems kinda normal. Like when my mom tries to feed me leeks," Scootaloo suddenly chipped in, drawing all attention towards her. She fidgeted in place and glared back an instant later. "What?! I threw up the first time I ate them, and now I just shudder every time I even see them," she defended sharply.

I smiled and nodded to her, agreeing with, "That's actually the perfect example. They did really bad things to me and my friends. When Twilight looks or acts like them, even a little bit, I panic. It's really scary." Simplified, but still true. Scootaloo was starting to grow on me, I'd have to admit.

The orange and purple filly perked up and nodded back, smiling at me again. Pinkie started a small fit of giggles at the same time, shifting the spotlight to herself instead. I gave her a questioning tilt of my head, and she nodded energetically.

"After you're done working for AJ, I should totally hire you to help me babysit the Cake's foals! You're super-duper awesome with younger ponies," she suggested a moment later, glancing to Applejack for support. I detected a slight shift to her eyebrows as she did so, making her grin look almost knowing. I raised my eyebrow in return and glanced over at Applejack for some sort of reveal. Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the apparently mundane turn of events and flopped backwards onto her back. Sweetie and Apple Bloom still seemed curious, and glanced towards Applejack as well, however.

The farm mare blushed lightly and coughed, looking away from the piercing gaze of the pink one. "Ya use yer Pinkie Sense fer that one? Yeah, ya caught us. Fluttershy an' Ah were watchin' Mender earlier. She actually thought he'd be ah pretty good father, though," she revealed weakly.

I'm really glad I wasn't eating anything. I'd be taking another trip to the hospital if so, it then being lodged in my throat as I spasmed all over the place. Pinkie burst into snickers and wiggled back and forth on her haunches, seemingly unable to contain the level of energy inside of her body. Scootaloo snapped back up to a sitting position with wide eyes, however.

It turns out she hadn't paid all that good of attention, sadly. "Wait, what?! Mender's gonna be a dad?!" she asked, rather on the loud side. Suddenly, I realized how absolutely quiet the barn was. Oh hell.

I swallowed and started to turn and look out at the others before I heard a sharp inhalation, followed by, "What?!" Twilight almost screamed it, staring over at me with what could only be described as a mixture of shock, hostility, and murderous intent. My ears dropped instantly and I shrank back down to my stomach, hiding any essentials that I might yet need to continue the whole living and breathing thing.

"Twilight! You have a better memory than Rainbow Dash and can recall further back than ten minutes. Control yourself!" Rarity chastised almost instantly, giving the lavender mare a stern look.

"Hey!" Rainbow shot back a second later, glaring at Rarity instead. The two unicorns were too busy glaring at each other to notice, however. In the meantime, the bubbly gray pegasus drifted down from near the ceiling and over to me.

"Oooh, congratulations! Who's the mommy?" she asked, causing me to look up at her in slight confusion. I don't know why, but I suddenly just noticed that her eyes drifted in different directions. She had Strabismus? Well she didn't seem to be bothered by it in the least, so I just mentally shrugged.

Looking past her, I pointed my muzzle towards Twilight before replying with her name. Pinkie burst into more giggles again, predictably, while Twilight herself suddenly went from glaring at Rarity to staring back at me in surprise. Ha! That defused the situation, hopefully.

"Wait, what?" the lavender mare asked, sounding exceedingly confused now.

Derpy didn't miss a beat, however, and squealed happily. "Oooh, congratulations Twilight! Do you know if it's a filly or colt yet?" she asked, giving an excited flutter to her wings. Scootaloo just looked confused, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged giggles.

Twilight finally blushed at that, stamping her hoof on the floor a couple times. "Hey! I'm not pregnant! What's going on?" she groaned out, looking back towards me for clarification. Fluttershy was still, and had been since the comment was shouted, blushing furiously next to Twilight. She nudged Twilight with her hoof however, then whispered into her ear when Twilight peeked sideways at her.

Half a second later, a look of dawning comprehension graced the lavender mare's face, and she exhaled. "Scootaloo, you misheard. Mender isn't a daddy. They only said he'd make a good one," she explained slowly, standing and walking back towards us.

She seemed in a better mood, but I didn't take any chances and kept my stomach to the ground. Basic artillery shell survival training. You kept a low profile to the ground to minimize fragmentation contact. It also helped reduce your target size in case you also happened to be getting shot at. I figured either could be applicable with an enraged Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight stopped and gazed at me from a couple meters away before slowly sitting down where she was, ears lowering a little, alongside her eyebrows. Her mouth opened to say something, but no sound came out as she hesitated, lifting a hoof up in my direction. It almost looked like she was reaching out for me, and I felt a stirring in my stomach to obey. Regardless of her being scary and potentially dangerous, I still cared about her and really didn't like seeing her sad.

That deadly silence crept into the barn again as I gradually sat back up; just a little bit. Her eyes opened a little more, as if she suddenly snapped back to full attention at my movement. She shifted her weight back onto her haunches and balanced upright before raising the other hoof as well, extending both to me. That gesture was common enough. She either was hoping that double the hoof pointing would cause further reaction in me, or she was making the gesture of desiring an embrace. Deciding to go with an assumption again, I settled on the latter and edged closer to her, fully sitting up now. Technically my assumptions hadn't explicitly gotten me killed yet, so that had to be worth something, right?

The reaction was like a rubber band. Twilight closed the meter gap. In a rather stunning flash of light, she appeared practically on top of me. I gave a start of surprise, but no blow came. Instead, all I felt for a moment was warm fur intermingling against mine as she wrapped both forelegs around my body, pulling me against her chest. Her head rested on top of mine, as if she was suddenly desperate to make sure none of my fur was showing to the outside world.

Pinkie's cooing 'Aww!' finally broke the silence. The heat I hadn't realized was coming from my face flared up even further as the soft unicorn placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. My eyes widened, confusion flooding my senses. How could she go from being pissed off at me to embracing and kissing me so fast? This entire situation the last couple days had been bouncing up and down so quickly that I could barely follow it anymore. Mares were so confusing!

"I know I said I was sorry before and I ended up scaring you again anyway, but please forgive me, Mender. You know I didn't mean to frighten you," the unicorn asked quietly. It was easy enough to hear by probably everypony present due to the silence, though.

I shook my head against her chest, briefly causing her to lock up and her heartbeat to speed up. "I wasn't mad at you, Twilight. There's nothing to forgive. The problem is obviously with me and my memories," I pointed out tiredly. She relaxed after that.

"I want to help you, Mender. You just have to realize how crazy this all sounds. I've already sent a letter out to Princess Celestia before coming here, asking for an audience the day after the party. Seeing as we're staying three days anyway, is that okay with you?" she asked, pulling me even tighter to her body, as if afraid I was going to run away again. On that account, I didn't blame her.

"I, well, yes. That will work, of course. I'm glad you're giving me the benefit of the doubt," I managed to mutter. This time I wasn't going to let my coward-like behavior get in the way. No matter how scary Princess Celestia and Twilight could be, she was at least making an effort for me. Running away this time would only serve to spurn her attempt.

She hesitated, left hoof tracing down my back gently and stopping just above the point where the brutal scar started. I guess I was kind of lucky. An inch to the right and the energy shot would have burned my spine in half instead of just scorching it. I shuddered as she touched the edge, remembering the horrible stabbing sensation followed by the cold numbness. I suddenly felt a little sick to my stomach.

"I really, really do want to believe you, Mender," she finally added, drawing attention to the elephant in the room. Was she lying? My gut instinct told me she was, due too the order of her priorities, of course. Celestia was more important to her than I was. She wanted the problem to go away, in all likelihood.

She probably felt my muscles tense as well as I felt her suddenly swallow. She knew that I doubted the validity of that statement; of that I had no doubt. Neither of us said anything. The silence became awkward again, but she only squeezed me tighter. What worried her so much? I pushed the bitterness back as best I could, biting my tongue instead. Fighting didn't really solve anything.

"Well, can ya'll stay friendly long enough ta finish this 'ere job? After it's done, we can all take ah nice break an' figure things out, then," Applejack suggested suddenly, approaching the two of us from the sidelines.

Twilight's lips left my forehead as she glanced over at her orange friend. I shivered at the sudden loss of heat and buried my face a little closer into the fur on her chest. Her heart beat against my forehead soothingly. Why couldn't we just stay like this? I didn't like feeling like she didn't trust me or thought I was crazy. Wasn't she the one who said that trust was integral for a relationship?

"Yeah. It's going to be nice to have a sort of vacation in a few days. It's only for three days, but getting away and just enjoying each other's company will be nice," Twilight agreed in a roundabout sense. Of course, 'enjoyment' was a relative term. I'd imagine it all depended on the results of Celestia's scan.

Applejack nodded and gave us both a soft smile. Rarity approached at the same time, adding on, "I do apologize again for snapping at you earlier, Twilight Dear. I should have been gentler. The message is still there, though," she reminded, of what, I did not know. Twilight winced lightly, but nodded softly before looking up and over at Fluttershy instead, who was on the opposite side as Rarity. I felt a light burst of apprehension before mentally feeling the mare nod, even though I wasn't looking in her direction. At this close, I could start to visualize her without needing to look, it would seem. Distance must play a major part of the connection between us.

"Heh, yeah! Going back home to piece the papers together was a little paranoid," Rainbow chimed in, sounding amused. She earned an annoyed glare from all three mares near me, but only snickered more. She had guts, I'll give her that.

"She knows, Dash," Fluttershy whispered softly after hesitating a moment. Hearing was no problem, as the two pegasi were only a meter away from each other or so, I realized. It wasn't perfect, but I'd gotten a lot more comfortable with my sense of hearing ever since my eyes had gotten damaged. Even though they were significantly healed now, I still trusted my hearing more.

Applejack coughed lightly before shaking her head. "There's ah lot ta talk about still, but it'll be easier after ah little time passes. Twi is real sorry fer her behavior and I'm sure lessons have been learned, but makin' ponies feel bad about things they already made amends with is just wrong. Let's just focus on tha project fer now, an' distract ourselves."

Everypony nodded in agreement after a moment or so, the fillies probably more to just stay on Applejack's good side. Twilight waited another moment for attention to disperse back to the project before smiling down at me. "I know I've said this before and still haven't actually done anything yet, but I'll definitely make all of this up to you. I'll make you realize that I'm not going to hurt you if I have to," she promised, smile shifting to a smirk instead as I swallowed, suddenly nervous for entirely different reasons.

The moment was interrupted by her expression melting to a curious confusion instead. Huh? She shifted her gaze past my face for a moment before asking, "Wait a second. Where'd you get this cape?"

Staring out the barn window, I watched the overcast sky drifting overhead. It was peaceful, really. I kept a lookout for any rainbow specks, but there was no sign of her. Maybe she had today off? She probably handled the weather during the winter, too. I shifted myself in the hay, deciding that the loft was rather comfortable.

My ears twitched and rotated around to face partially behind me as I heard the conveyor start up again. This was the third test, now. So far it had been working flawlessly, much to her enthusiastic delight. Even Big Mac seemed quietly impressed by it as his sister tried heavier and heavier loads. I didn't hear anything straining, so I took that to be a good sign. She was trying a full crate on it, filled with apples this time around. Twilight sat a good half-dozen meters away, ready to try operating the lid lift from the loft.

Last night had been, well, awkward for all accounts. I'd ended up going home with Twilight again, at her insistence. I was going to stay with Rarity instead, but the lavender unicorn looked one part horrified, another guilty at my suggestion, and had specifically requested another 'chance', whatever that had fully implied. Girls were so complicated. Of course, once we got home, things were a little better for a while. She left me alone for the most part, and I just read up more on Equestrian history. Although she did ask me a few strange questions about Fluttershy. How was I supposed to know if she was acting overly strange or not? It made me wonder what they had talked about yesterday for so long.

No, the real awkwardness came when it was time to go to bed...

---

It took a certain level of finesse to brush your teeth when all you had was a hoof. They made almost everything imaginable with loop attachments for proper use without magic, of course, but it took practice to use them. This was a nightly event, however, so even I was getting better at it.

Twilight hummed as she wandered about the room outside of the bathroom. Several books were out still, and she had moved the wood samples upstairs, it had seemed. That meant the mess surrounding them had migrated alongside, and now she was busy putting books away, probably out of fear that I'd trip on them and break something.

Spike snored quietly, curled up in a loose ball in his little bed, residing at the foot of Twilight's much larger bed. I smiled over at him as I brushed. Tonight had been more pleasant than anticipated. I had expected to be grilled by Twilight upon returning, but she was overly pleasant instead. Idly, I wondered exactly what Rarity had said to her earlier. It certainly wasn't anything I had done.

Satisfied that every minute surface of my teeth was scrubbed down, I placed the toothbrush back in its spot and ran a little water into the sink to properly wash away any remnants. Twilight kept the bathroom immaculate, and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to break that trend. She gave me a warm smile upon my exit, sitting down oddly next to my makeshift bed. I hesitated slightly, wondering if I was yet to be questioned tonight after all.

"How are you feeling?" she quietly inquired, smile not faltering. While a question, that was hardly the one I had expected.

"I'm tired after today and a little sore still, but better. Or did you mean mentally?" I returned, restraining all snarkiness from my voice and trying to keep a calm, stoic expression.

Her ears lowered slightly alongside her brow, but she shook her head carefully. A moment later, after seemingly considering her words, she answered, "No, I know you're not fully recovered from everything you've been through. That's to be expected, however. I, um, regret not taking your feelings into consideration over it. Rarity opened my eyes to that."

"What did she say to you, exactly?" I finally asked, voice softening as I walked over towards the end of my bed and sat down next to the corner, a meter away from her.

"It was a lot of shouting, but I think you've guessed the most of it. She fed me my own words back about how important trust is. I kinda forgot that in my defense of my teacher, I admit," she explained, unable to meet my eyes any longer and looking down instead.

I chuckled weakly. Yeah, I really had guessed as much. Still, it wasn't entirely as predicted. "It's understandable. I mean, comparatively speaking, the amount of time spent with Celestia is an ocean to my bucket. It makes sense that she'd be a higher priority," I reasoned.

That was a mistake, it would seem. Twilight's ears dropped all the way down, eyes starting to shiver as she looked back up at me again. "No, Mender. I'm just not used to this. Please, I know trust is important. Can I have another chance?" she requested, edging closer to me suddenly. Huh? Another chance? I didn't know what she was referring to, in all honesty.

"Um, what do you mean, another chance?" I decided to just straight up ask instead of attempt to guess. A break from character for me, but there were way too many possibilities this time.

"To keep your trust in me. I know it's asking a lot at this point, but I really want you to trust me; to know that I'm not going to hurt you," the lavender unicorn expanded upon.

Her eyes locked onto mine solidly, and I couldn't look away for a moment. I wasn't so much talking about the physical pain, but the emotional when she didn't acknowledge my concerns and just passed it off as me being crazy. Still, she seemed extremely sincere, and I didn't want to mention that lest she be further hurt by the memory.

Finally, I just decided on a nod. It earned a quiet exhale as she slumped sideways onto my bed. "Thank you, Mender. It's been bothering me all day," she muttered. I bit my tongue again, not wanting to sound bitter or anything.

"You don't need to thank me, Twilight. Even if you're scary sometimes, and don't often believe me, I still really, really like you. You've done a lot for me and are really kind. I can't imagine where I'd be if it weren't for your help so far," I redirected, ending up thanking her instead, technically.

I almost chuckled at her flustered reaction and pink cheeks. "Mender. I haven't done that much, plus I've been a terrible girlfriend," she groaned, sitting up fully again and brushing her bangs aside with her right forehoof.

I snickered before reaching forward and straightening the side of her mane for her. She watched me, expression softening before she smiled. "Well, I'd like to make it up to you, regardless. I also promised you some more experimentation earlier, if you're up for it," she suggested, surprising me by running her left hoof along the top of my bed while smirking.

My brain did a flip inside of my skull as it suddenly became my turn to blush. Wait, what?! "What brought this on?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice.

She momentarily looked delighted in my reaction before shaking her head rapidly. "Again, I want to make it up to you. I was also reading up on a few kissing techniques that I would like to test. Thoroughly."

There was a long, awkward moment as I broke eye contact with her, face now beat red as I stared at her hoof on the bed. Oh, how I wanted to, I suddenly realized. Warm, fluttering sensations were filling my stomach as I considered it. Still, something didn't feel right about accepting her offer. Then it suddenly dawned on me.

"I don't think I'm comfortable with applying some part of the relationship as a reward or payment. It feels wrong, I guess," I tried to reason. I was paying her in forgiveness instead of bits.

Her eyes widened significantly, and I realized she hadn't anticipated a negative answer. She hesitated, then gasped further and covered her mouth with her free hoof. "Oh! I hadn't even realized it could be taken like that! I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to buy your forgiveness as much as simply trying to say that I was sorry. But you're right, of course. It should probably be split into two separate aspects. Maybe we can experiment tomorrow night instead," she offered.

I contemplated the fact that I'd just technically ruined my chances at what I had really wanted, but decided a moment later that it was indeed for the best. I wanted to embrace her because she wanted me there, not because she felt guilty. I managed a smile and nod, which seemed to relieve her further.

"Honestly, I'm surprised. I saw the look you gave the bed right after I suggested it," she added before I could say anything. There was a certain amused tone to her voice that I didn't feel like placing.

I averted my gaze as rapidly as possible, causing the mare to giggle in amusement. It was a whimsical, adorable noise that I decided I really should hear more often. "Ah, you caught me. Trust me, I just suggested exactly what I didn't want to do," I admitted, blushing again. Dang. The heat had just died down, too. Still, I had a feeling she'd appreciate the honesty.

Instead of being annoyed, she looked further amused instead, with just a hinting of relief. "Well, I'm glad that you're definitely interested in me. I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject to try to improve myself, but this is really different from anything I've studied up on before. There's not exactly a lot of concrete data," she complained, sighing wearily and glaring over at her personal bookshelf on the other wall.

I tried not to laugh. "Maybe you should just ask me instead? I know that I've never done this before, but if we're testing compatibilities, it would make sense that the best source of likes and dislikes would be the other pony," I pointed out, smiling gently towards her.

She seemed to consider it for a moment before smirking again and nodding. "Interestingly enough, that's what most of the books said, too. I guess it really is a good idea, then," she agreed. I was suddenly glad the books supported me. Celestia forbid that the books suggest covering me in tar and feathers before lighting me on fire...

"Well again, you can ask me anything you want. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities," I promised before yawning tiredly. She stepped aside as I idly climbed up onto my bed before flopping over. Well, technically it was Applejack's bed, but that sounded wrong when I mentally said it. Rainbow would kill me if I climbed into the farm mare's bed! Actually, there was a long list of ponies that would kill me should that happen. I was in the same room as one of them, too.

Twilight oddly didn't move away and just gave me a curious, thoughtful looking gaze as I settled myself in. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she pointed out instead, "You're technically my boyfriend now. That gives you obvious privileges, you know. You don't truly have to sleep there, alone, if you don't want to."

Oh.

---

Like I said, last night had been intensely awkward. Regardless, she definitely got the point across that she was willing to open up more to me. I tried to gauge my own opinion on the aspect, but in all honesty, I didn't know what to think about it. I knew next to nothing about Equestrian 'Dating' or relationships, so I didn't know what to expect, or what was expected of me. It was a little frustrating.

"It's a sound success, Mender! It has no problem with three full apple crates," Twilight suddenly announced, sounding as if projecting it in my direction. I snapped out of it and smiled back at her, nodding. I'd have felt like a total idiot if it had broken on the trial run, of course. If there was anything I had any confidence in, it was my engineering capacity.

"Darn tootin', it worked! This is gonna be right nice come packagin' time. Fer once, we won't need ta recruit ah ton o' help, which is gonna save ah lotta bits!" I heard Applejack exclaim from under me somewhere. She sounded significantly pleased, so I took the job as to her satisfaction.

The conveyor slowly came to a stop as the large, red stallion let out a sharp, "Eeyup!" I got to the edge of the loft in time to see him hop off the tread, not even looking winded. Damn. He just powered the conveyors for almost an hour, and he wasn't even sweating. My ego plummeted as I realized just how out of shape I was.

If Applejack or Twilight noticed my crestfallen expression, they didn't say anything. The farm mare stretched next to the side of the conveyor before giving a brisk nod as she examined it. "This is one nice piece o' equipment! We'll need ta get tha girls out 'ere again ta see what they helped create," she observed, sounding happy indeed. I couldn't stay glum knowing she was so happy with the results, and quietly smiled instead.

"I think Mender deserves some credit, too," Twilight spoke up, giving me a start as I suddenly realized she was right next to me, sitting down.

Applejack didn't even hesitate before looking up at us and nodding, still grinning from ear to ear. "Ah reckon yer right, Twi. If ya give me ah little bit, Ah can get his pay ready. Ah don't keep that much on hoof, ya know?" she offered, shifting to a simple smile instead. That, in turn, shifted to a raised eyebrow and head shake as she saw my ears drop again.

"You can just give anything I earned after the rent for your cot to Twilight. I'm sure it isn't more than what room and board would be," I groaned, lowering my head again. It wasn't just awkwardness, but almost a sense of shame from leeching off these wonderful ponies so much.

"Mender, you worked really hard for this. You deserve something in return," Twilight stubbornly protested, turning towards me more fully.

Sighing, I shook my head before admitting, "I just wanted to be useful. I wanted to help, so maybe you and the others would think more highly of me." Or at least give me the benefit of the doubt, I suppose. I'd never had friends before, and was rapidly realizing how much it hurt when they thought you were totally off your rocker.

Twilight bit her lower lip before gently pushing into me and wrapping her forehooves around my shoulders. She was quiet, however, and didn't appear to know what to say.

"Ah know we got off on tha wrong hoof, Mender. Knowin' what Ah do now, Ah know why, o' course. After all this, an' yer right proper attitude all 'round, Ah do think highly o' ya," Applejack spoke up, wandering closer to the edge of the loft and looking up at me fully now.

I sighed, but nodded. "Then keep your bits. Take all this as my honest apology for scaring you and acting so creepy when we first met. I want to be useful to you mares, and this is a good start for repaying all the kindness," I explained openly. It had been bugging me since she had insisted on paying me, and it was good to finally get it off my chest.

The orange mare's ears flattened back and she frowned, however. Her mouth opened to say something when a red furred hoof rested down gently on her shoulder. "Let it be, AJ," Big Mac spoke simply, yet strongly. She glanced over at him, eyes darting back and forth in mild confusion before locking with his. A second passed before she gave a frustrated clicking sound and shook her head, glancing back up at me.

"Yer right stubborn, you stallions! But Ah suppose Ah can be, too. Fine. Yer ah darn good guy, though, an' Ah'm gonna tell everypony Ah can about yer skills. Ah have ah feelin' yer gonna earn quite ah lot o' bits with yer talents! At least accept ah good meal fer yer time, though. Twi's invited too," Applejack finally gave in, gesturing towards Twilight as she did so.

Twilight groaned, raising her head off my shoulder to look at her friend below. "I'm not sure, Applejack. I might pop if I try another one of your home cooked meals." Whoa. I suddenly got a mental image of Twilight swelled up like a balloon, barely able to move, and tried not to snicker. Snickering would lead to me having to explain what was funny, which in turn would probably get me a fast ticket down from the loft.

Applejack grinned up at her before nodding. "Ah'm serious, though. On all accounts. Word o' mouth is real strong around these parts. Yer magic an' skills are real convenient, ya have ta admit," she repeated, shifting her gaze back to me instead.

"Um, I'm not sure of what use other ponies would have for technical things, but I'll help where needed," I assured, trying my best to smile for the farm mare.

She rolled her eyes of course. "Ah don't think yer gonna be so lucky as ta escape without pay again. That goes fer anymore work ya do fer me, too, Ah hope ya know," she warned, eyes dancing in amusement.

"He's not going to escape getting rewarded, regardless, don't worry," Twilight assured, making me blatantly aware that she was still holding onto me. I blushed, but she just kissed my cheek and grinned, eyelids lowering a little. There was something about her expression that made my heartbeat suddenly pick up, and I swallowed.

"Whoa! Ah reckon that's darn good incentive, regardless. Careful Rare don't gossip on ya'all, though," the country mare teased, tossing a wink to both of us.

Twilight snickered and nodded before tipping us sideways off the loft. It caught me totally by surprise, and I just started to inhale in shock when her magic gently caught us both and we drifted to the floor. Neither Applejack nor Big Mac so much as batted an eye at the display, which probably shouldn't have surprised me. Magic really was commonplace in Equestria, after all.

"Yer welcome ta help out on tha farm as well, when ya want. Ya mentioned wantin' ta get back inta shape, an' apple buckin' would do ya real good. Ah wouldn't turn down one o' them magic massages at tha end o' tha day, either," she added upon us fully settling on the ground. Oh yeah, I had wanted to get back into shape again. If it helped my magic improve, I was all for it.

Twilight's ears perked at the admission, though. "Magic massage? What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Hoo boy! Yer boyfriend is right good with his hooves! Adds magic ta tha touch, gettin' in real deep and tweakin' tha muscles with heat an' shakin'. It felt like ah slice o' paradise!" Applejack revealed, closing her eyes and releasing a pleased clicking sound as she seemingly remembered when I'd used it before.

Twilight rose an eyebrow and glanced over at me, curiously. I swallowed and rapidly shook my head. "Her shoulder was sore after working on the conveyor last night, so I just gave it a little rub," I assured, just in case she was suspecting me of anything.

She laughed instead, however. "I trust you, Mender. Actually, I was thinking of asking for a sample when we got back to the library," she informed, smiling warmly instead. My heart skipped a beat and I felt heat grow in my chest when she said that. Maybe things really were taking a turn for the better?

"Darn tootin'. Ah know ya wouldn't cheat on yer mare. Or mares, as tha case may be," Applejack chipped in, voice dripping with mirth. I blushed and gave her a deadpan stare, causing her to burst out into hearty laughter. I couldn't keep up the stoic expression, and snickered myself at her rather contagious display. I started to notice that all six friends had different mannerisms to almost everything they did. Twilight was more prone to quiet giggles and smirks, whereas Applejack just openly and honestly laughed when she felt like it. Both were appealing in their own way, and I started to really appreciate all the differences between them.

"Well, Mender and I will probably stop by tomorrow before the trip. We'll be gone for a few days, so we have to say our goodbyes before leaving. For now, however, we need to get back home and pack," Twilight reminded gently, nodding back to her friend who finally composed herself. Big Mac stretched in the background before swapping out yokes that hung on the side of the barn wall. There appeared to be a lot of variations of them, probably for different purposes.

"You have to pack, anyway. I don't own anything yet, remember?" I added, giving her a skeptical yet amused glance.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave me a light shove before smirking again. "I'm still going to pack things for you. I figure the three of us will largely be hanging out together anyway once Rarity gets done with her show and socializing," Twilight reasoned, quickly catching me in her magic as I tipped over from her shove, unable to re-balance myself upright.

"Iffin that don't take her all night, anyway. Ya know how she likes ta schmooze with tha frou-frou crowd," Applejack warned, rolling her eyes yet retaining the smile. Nopony batted an eye when I tipped over either, I noticed. Twilight didn't even glance my way before catching me. Did that technically mean that my blundering was more commonplace than magic?

Twilight let out a light giggle before nodding and standing again. "I'll try to keep her on a tight leash. You two take care, of course. We'll see you tomorrow before we leave," she assured yet again. I took my cue to stand up again, shakily making sure I remained balanced this time.

"Good. Ah'll hold ya ta yer word, o' course. Take it easy, then, an' have fun with that 'reward' later, ya'll," Applejack returned, throwing a wink in at me as I blushed once again. Twilight took it in stride this time and just smirked before hauling me back towards the barn door with a series of nudges.

"Oh, we will. Don't worry," she tossed back as we left the barn. What had I gotten myself into?

---

Reality continued to surprise me, however. I stretched gently as I watched Twilight dance from shelf to shelf, peeking through each one's contents. Occasionally she'd levitate an item or two down into the third bag we'd packed. Regardless, I simply sat there, watching her while holding the bag open with my forehoof.

The room was dimly lit by now, the sun having sunk below the horizon about an hour ago. Eight o'clock, maybe? Twilight had instead insisted on getting to work on the wood samples when we got back to the library, rather than any prior hinting of 'experimentation' she had mentioned. This caused mixed feelings of both relief and disappointment in me, surprisingly. I guess I always got so anxious when she started acting like that. I started second guessing my own actions.

A pleasant aroma drifted into my nose from the kitchen as Twilight lightly hummed. Spike was making supper, I knew, and I had been relieved of my active kitchen duty by him at the moment. Well, when I refer to 'relieved', I actually meant conscripted by Twilight instead. Apparently she can't hold the bag open and still focus intently on fretting over what to pack. Of course, I just got a stiff glare when I mentioned she might be overdoing the whole preparation thing.

Not that it mattered. The scenery was infinitely better in here, and I didn't have to be concerned about lopping off a hoof and adding it to the meal at any point. My eyes traced over Twilight as she worked, earning warm butterflies in the rest of my body at each movement they caught. She was absolutely gorgeous and she didn't even try to be. Maybe it was just my perspective, but I certainly didn't mind just watching her pack things. I might be a little biased, but at least I knew I wasn't the only one who would think that way. It was surprising to realize that Fluttershy definitely liked Twilight as well, but I saw her reasons easily enough. Not that feelings like these really needed a reason in the first place.

The lavender unicorn glanced back at me again after dropping yet another item into the bag. Her gaze caught my own once more, and she immediately blushed; a light shade shift that was almost imperceptible in the dim light. She let out a light, groaning sound and looked away slightly.

"I know I said that I don't mind you looking, but I think I'd actually find it easier if I caught you eyeing my flanks instead, or something, " she muttered in a somewhat pointed fashion. I chuckled in amusement.

"Well, they're very nice flanks, I agree, but I like a whole lot more than just them," I reminded, sticking out my tongue afterwards.

She smirked at my impish reply and expression and relaxed a little. "Your flattery only works because I know you're honest. Most would get a magical boot to their flanks instead if they'd said that," she warned, snickering a little herself.

I coughed lightly, painfully aware of how popular she was and not needing the reminder. "Oh, I know. I'd be the first to wallop them," I agreed, keeping a close check on the wicked green monster that was busy snarling inside of me.

Twilight's smile softened and she nodded, adding, "A little possessiveness is a good thing in a relationship, I feel. The books I've read on the matter warn to not let it go too far, but I don't think you're anywhere near that." The statement was accompanied by her shifting closer and softly brushing her cheeks against my own. The heat drifted into my face again, and I looked down. It still surprised me that Twilight herself wanted that kind of attention from me. She could probably have any stallion she wanted, too. Still, I was too close now to treat her as anything other than just Twilight. She'd been introduced to me not as a national hero and student of the practical goddess ruler, but just as a skilled magic user and kind mare. First impressions stuck hard. She didn't appear to mind, however.

"I feel kind of badly that I have all of this packing to do, but you don't have anything," she muttered, breaking me out of my contemplation a few moments later.

I raised an eyebrow before the impish smirk returned. "I'm telling you, you probably barely need half of this stuff."

As predicted, she shot me a dirty looks before visibly scoffing. "I must be prepared, no matter what. I might be called upon to do practically anything, so it helps to be ready. I might need to help organize or set up for the party, even," she reasoned, flailing her forelegs up and about as if partially panicking already.

I averted my eyes and coughed. Of course, I could practically feel her piercing glare bore a hole through my head. "So the telescope and orrery are going to help with that?" I inquired curiously, if not a little sardonic in tone.

"Those are for entertainment after the party!" she defended sharply after a moment's hesitation.

"Didn't you say that about the mortar, pestle, and alembic, too?" I reminded, raising an eyebrow towards her incredulously.

Twilight gave me a frustrated, pouting stare before I started laughing and she flailed at me. "Oh, you! You're so frustrating sometimes. Fine, I'll leave the telescope and orrery here, but I absolutely cannot afford to leave behind my alchemical equipment," she insisted.

I shielded my face from her flurry of playful swats with a foreleg while continuing to snicker. "All right, all right. Princess Twilight wins. Your loyal servant shall carry your alchemy supplies along as well," I conceded in as theatrical a manner as I could muster. Of course, it was just to poke a little more playful fun at her.

Twilight gave me a curious raised eyebrow before a smile danced onto her expression. "That's Princess Twilight Sparkle, thou must remember. We must be addressed properly," she insisted a moment later, playing along with it and shifting to a strangely familiar speaking mannerism.

I tried not to laugh, and continued along with, "Many apologies, my Princess. Is there anything this humble servant could do to earn forgiveness?"

"Pending any further transgressions, we have already forgiven thou. However," she began, before her eyelids lowered a little and that grin returned. Uh oh.

I found myself on my back before I could say anything. Apparently, one needs a certain threshold of air in one's lungs in order to properly formulate vocal noises! It was a fascinating discovery. Learned at the same time was the fact that for kissing, one definitely did not require that same threshold.

Twilight broke contact a few seconds later, her lips still hovering over mine and a light flush on her cheeks still. "If thou keeps being so adorable, surely we can spare a pleasant reward," she followed up, assuming from her prior sentence.

Okay, now she was just screwing with my head. I rolled my eyes while smiling still before reminding, "Surely, Princess Twilight Sparkle remembers that she shall be very busy with her duties all night and won't have time for such."

Her eyes lit up with amusement as I continued. Suddenly, I started to question just how much she was enjoying this verbal exchange. It didn't help that she was pressed right up against me, chest to chest. Focus, Mender!

"We shan't be busy all night, of course. Much, hmm, rewarding shall be done upon retiring for the evening with thou,"Twilight informed before slowly starting to inch closer. "All. Alone. Together." My breathing caught as I felt hers gently against my chin. She was just teasing me again! Why did she like doing this so much? Regardless, I kept forcing myself to remember that.

I started to playfully scoff and resume the acting, regardless of how my blazing cheeks probably shifted me out of character. She interrupted further, however, by ducking down suddenly and pressing a heated kiss directly to the side of my neck.

My eyes flew open in shock at the same time my body locked up at the new, entirely unexpected sensation! It was like a light switch got turned on, and I was suddenly all too aware of all the intermingling fur between our bodies. She was so soft and warm that I couldn't help but lift my forelegs up and wrap them around her back, pulling her closer against me. Her kiss pushed higher up my neck, and she added a light lick before lifting her head up again, smiling down at me with a victorious grin.

"Oooh, someone has a sensitive neck. I'll have to remember that," she observed slyly, causing me to swallow. I couldn't manage to say anything as I just stared up at her in shock, cheeks feeling like they could fry eggs if given the chance.

"I can still hear you, ya know!" was suddenly shouted from the direction of the kitchen. Twilight's mischievous grin melted into embarrassed shock in less than a heartbeat. I coughed lightly, seemingly reminding her that I was still here and currently underneath of her. She gave a guilty smile and awkwardly stumbled sideways off of me, trying to untangle her legs from mine. I fought down stirring feelings and managed to get onto my hooves again, unable to push back the blush.

"Ah, we should probably keep packing up," she finally excused awkwardly almost ten seconds later. That might not seem like a lot, but when blushing furiously in a supposedly active conversation, it's an eternity!

Sighing, I nodded weakly and stood up fully again, feeling my back legs crack in a somewhat pleasant manner. "We've almost got everything packed now. Can you get the drawings and notes I made about the wood samples as well? They're in the sample cabinet over there," she requested, gesturing with a hoof before peeking over the shelf in front of her, gathering up what appeared to be official papers. Oh yeah, she had wanted to present her findings to Princess Celestia the day after the party. She had indeed been working hard on it, not that I thought whatever it was in the forest was still around at this point.

I wandered over to a series of three wooden cabinets, all in a row. She sure kept a lot of samples. Pity she didn't specify which one the wood notes were in. I mentally decided that was also on my list of things I'd never thought I'd be looking for. Notes on blocks of wood. Mentally shrugging, I just decided to metaphorically bite the bullet and opened the first cabinet closest to me.

The moment of peace and tranquility before utter horror sets in just serves to make the effect worse. Maybe it was because I wasn't expecting to panic so suddenly, or maybe it was the mundane outer appearance of the cabinet that threw me into a false sense of security. Regardless, my eyes widened and almost popped free of my skull after I opened the first cabinet and came face to face with three hellish rocks straight out of my nightmares.

My first distinct thought while stumbling backwards and falling away from the cabinet was wondering why she had kept them. After what they had almost done to both myself and two of her closest friends, the rational solution would have been to find a place that could obliterate them. A lava flow or tectonic shift came to mind almost immediately. So why were they here, in an unassuming cabinet all of thirty feet from where I slept at night?!

"Mender?!" Twilight asked immediately upon hearing the crashing noise of me tripping over my own hooves and landing on my back. I rolled once and slid to my hooves again, carefully lowering myself against the direction of the rocks, ready to dodge in case any eldritch tentacle lashed out at me or something. There was no movement from them at all, however. I distinctly noticed that the shifting, distorting effect that had given me a headache when I looked at them the first time was also absent.

Twilight moved into my vision and quietly closed the cabinet again, not meeting my gaze. She hastily opened the third cabinet instead and pulled out a stack of paper notes. That was it? She was just going to stash them away and pretend I hadn't seen them? She knew exactly what I'd seen in there.

"Twilight," I warned, eyes narrowing a little as I stared at her.

She halted, sighing before putting the papers into the folder she was still holding. "I know. I said I got rid of them," she admitted, lowering her head before looking back over at me in a guilty manner. It had been discussed prior, after they'd finally caught me up as to what happened after I lost consciousness. She told me they had deactivated after the explosion and she'd disposed of them.

"Why?" I asked, relaxing a little bit. A part of me expected the cabinet to burst open again, pulling us all into the inky darkness no matter how much we screamed.

She still refused to meet my gaze. "They're important, Mender. If something like that happens again, having samples might be the only thing that stops disaster," she defended, distinctly interested in her right forehoof.

I exhaled quietly, finally deciding that she had only half lied. They certainly didn't look the same as they had, so maybe they truly were deactivated? The cold sensation slipped into me again as I remembered the feeling of having one of their tendrils attached to my chest. It was so cold that it burned, creeping into my body as it tore through tissue and wormed its way into my very being. The worst part was knowing what it actually was; a hole in reality going back through to the very place I so wanted to avoid. I doubted any living thing would survive the transfer via that method, however.

Regardless, I finally gave up. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal, I guess. If they were deactivated, they were only rocks. Sighing, I nodded to her and lowered my head. There was nothing I could do, anyway. I could hardly force her to get rid of them. This was her house and they were technically her property, after all. My ears twitched and I frowned, remembering that I technically didn't have any property in the first place.

"Mender, are you okay? I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth. I didn't think you'd understand my wanting to keep them," she apologized, edging closer to me carefully. I held my ground and didn't shrink back this time as best I could. Surprisingly, she smiled and edged closer yet before gently pecking me on the forehead. "Thank you, Mender. I'm not going to hurt you."

She'd said it before, but I guess it was just a matter of convincing myself of it now. "I know, Twilight. It just surprised me, is all," I muttered slowly, looking back up at her again, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to say. Thankfully, Spike saved me the awkwardness.

"Hey you two! Dinner is ready," the little dragon called out from the kitchen and dining room area. Twilight peeked past me towards the sound of his voice before nodding and smiling further. I took my cue and turned around, heading towards the glowing doorway that led to the fully lit kitchen. It was always so much more peaceful at night, I decided. Hoof steps slowly followed me, indicating my girlfriend was coming along too. That still felt weird to even think about.

Spike had produced a rather simplistic dinner obviously made for three ponies. Well, two ponies and a drake? I didn't exactly know what to call him. Regardless, it was more than pleasant, even if I was the last one to finish eating. It was a mistake to attempt to learn how to use the utensil loops for my hoof, I decided. Twilight's magic and Spike's opposable thumbs easily beat my clumsy attempts at eating using just my hooves. Twilight even choked back a couple giggles after I poked myself in the muzzle with the fork the second time. Who knew spaghetti could be so frustrating to eat?!

By the time I finished, Twilight had migrated to finishing up the packing, and Spike was already washing the dishes. He was more than a little surprised when instead of just dropping my plate in with the rest, I set it in and proceeded to help him clean everything that was left. He was an earnest little guy, that much was for sure. I felt bad that he worked by himself all the time, though.

It took us another ten minutes or so to finish drying the dishes, and I saw his eyes starting to slowly droop by the time he put the last one away. Admittedly, I had no idea where to put them once they were dried. "Getting a little sleepy there, Spike?" I asked in amusement, obviously already knowing the answer.

He sighed and nodded before smiling warmly again. "Yeah. It's almost my bedtime. But thanks to you, I got that last chore done twenty minutes early and can get some extra sleep tonight!" he exclaimed, sounding as if he were a little kid in a candy factory.

I snickered as he wobbled and tried to get off the counter. In order to reach the upper cabinets, he had to climb up and stand on the counter surface. Afraid he was going to fall, I walked up next to the counter, right where he was set to get down. He gave me a happy nod before stepping down onto my back instead and flopping forwards. He was still light as a feather, even after eating, so I proceeded out of the kitchen and towards the stairs up to the loft. Twilight, who was sitting on the couch and sorting her bags, smiled up at me escorting the sleepy dragon and nodded in approval. I perked and gave a single nod back before slowly making my way up the stairs, careful to watch where each of my hooves were going. Now that would have been ironic. I was worried he'd hurt himself so I carry him up the stairs, only to trip and fall down it myself; both of us ending up in the hospital.

Thankfully I made it safely to the loft and deposited him near the bathroom door. "Thanks, Mender. You're so, uh, totally awesome. Yeah, that's it," he thanked sleepily, seeming to struggle with his words.

"Don't worry about it, Spike. Just brush your teeth and enjoy the extra sleep time," I waived off, smiling pleasantly at him. I was kind of glad he was taking Twilight and I so well, actually. Making myself useful around the house was one way to ease any transition time as well. Plus, he seemed seriously overworked, and I liked helping the little guy.

He grinned and saluted me before turning and promptly running straight into the yet closed door. I winced as the wood shook and he stumbled backwards slightly. "Ow! Uh, that was just a fluke. I'm fine!" he rapidly informed before quickly reaching up and turning the doorknob this time. I fought back any snickering as he rapidly ducked inside and closed the door again without making eye contact. Poor little guy.

I decided to keep it my secret and headed back downstairs. Twilight sat the last bag down on the floor at the base of the couch before looking back up at me, smiling again. She seemed really happy tonight, which was definitely a good thing. After how awkward yesterday had been, I figured her transition to pleasant moods would have been a more involved process.

"Spike getting ready for bed, then?" she inquired as I sat down on the other end of the couch from her, circling once on the cushion before flopping over onto my right flank.

I stretched before giving another brief nod, adding, "Yeah, he's brushing his teeth, then turning in early. He did look really tired."

"He works really hard on all of his chores. I'm really thankful for such a dutiful and proper assistant. That's why he's number one," she explained, closing her eyes and giving a cute head nod as if to agree with herself. She really did seem to appreciate him, plus he seemed more than happy with his position. With that, I decided all was indeed well.

"Still, I'm really glad that you're helping him so much. I worry a lot that he tries to do too much by himself," she admitted a moment later, causing my chest to warm up a little bit. Yeah, she honestly did care about him. A lot. That made me feel a little better about things.

"He really is like a little brother to you, isn't he?" I asked, smiling at her from across the middle cushion that separated us. The urge to slide over and hug her was still there, but I didn't want to take a risk and destroy her good mood.

Twilight nodded pleasantly before looking over at the crackling fireplace instead. "I've been with him since he hatched. He knows I'm not his Mother, obviously, but I'm somewhere between his sister and surrogate mother instead. I'm glad you two have been getting along so well. You'll be spending a lot of time here, obviously, and I was a little nervous," she admitted, frowning.

We thought fairly alike on that topic, then. "Well, things are working out all right. Does this mean I shouldn't plan on getting my own place in the future?" I questioned, smiling again.

As predicted, that drew her attention back to me, wearing a frown. It disappeared when she saw my smirk, and she rolled her eyes, chuckling. "I wouldn't let you leave even if you wanted to. Now that I have the extra company, going back to just the two of us here would be really depressing," she informed, getting that impish grin again.

I coughed and averted my eyes, earning a snicker. Twilight rolled her eyes before adding, "Oh relax. I just don't want you to leave. We can obviously keep separate beds. I suggest getting an actual one soon, however. Applejack will probably want her cot back eventually."

"Heh, don't remind me. I really do want to earn things for myself, don't worry," I assured, lowering my ears are little.

She didn't falter and scooted over a little, resting her forehead and horn against my right shoulder. "I know. You're a good stallion. Part of me was afraid of the relationship thing because I was worried about expectations and being controlled, not just because it's new and unfamiliar. I should have known better, of course," she revealed, pushing a little harder with her snout.

Sighing, I wrapped a foreleg over her shoulder softly, needlessly assuring, "You know I'd never do that. I just want you to be happy. Girlfriend is just a convenient label. It doesn't come with any particular duties or requirements apart from just being you." That much I didn't need to learn about dating. Sure, the terms were new, but my sense of integrity wasn't.

She nodded against me gently before raising her head up again and pecking my cheek. "I know that now. I'm way more comfortable with this than I was before. It's just like being friends, only, um, closer," she tried to explain, tracing her free right hoof in a simple triangle on my chest. Of course. Most would use circle patterns to their movements. Twilight, however, uses perfectly formed, one hundred and eighty degree triangles.

"A lot closer," I agreed before placing a kiss right above her horn. She made a murmur as her horn lit up to my touch, shuddering after I withdrew. Well that was an interesting reaction. Was her horn sensitive or something? I had assumed it was just bone with a light layer of skin over it. She swallowed and shivered slightly.

"Mmm, easy there. I'm, uh, actually a little tired tonight. Do you think we could hold off on the 'reward' thing until tomorrow night?" she requested softly, opening her eyes finally and looking up at me.

I raised an eyebrow, but shook my head, ignoring the sudden pang in my chest. "Twilight, I had figured you were just joking anyway. Of course we can just go to bed," I pointed out, unsure of why she was insisting on rewarding me to begin with. Her expression suddenly made me uncomfortable and I couldn't help but look away.

I saw her ears flatten back out of the corner of my eye. "Of course I want to reward you for doing such an amazing job helping out my friends. It's kind of a reward for me, too. Um, I'm just, well, tired tonight," she furthered, lowering her head a little. I nodded absently, eyes drifting carefully to the cabinet again.

"Come on, Mender. Let's go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow. We can enjoy each other's company tomorrow night when it's just us in my castle room," she reminded, standing up and sliding off the couch.

My mind drifted back to her before I gave her another nod and stood as well. Ultimately, I wasn't looking forward to the crowds and stuffy suit Rarity had no doubt finished by now. I'd be happy when tomorrow night was over, I had a feeling.

Dawdling slightly as I went after Twilight, I gave the cabinet one last uneasy stare before scampering up the stairs.

Keela watched in amusement as I drew on the piece of paper in front of me, my hoof moving surprisingly deftly as it manipulated the pencil. Working with a hoof wasn't that different from holding something when you could stick things to the surface of it using magic, I found out. I'd never had any issues learning to manipulate things with my left appendage, either. Maybe I had always used the left one?

We were in the lounge area of her lab. This vessel, I recently discovered, used to be a large research platform before it was refit with massive engines and used to escape from the Grosh. Now Keela was one of only three researchers who still used the lab section. We were entirely alone, so I felt reasonably comfortable being out and about. My transparent, barrier-body was in an almost perfect replica of my pony self due to the power of the book floating in my chest, and I was busy drawing while seated at a rather comfy table. As odd as the situation was, I'd been taking a bit of comfort out of the audacity lately.

It surprised me a little when I realized that Keela wasn't much bigger than I was in pony form. One thing I didn't recall was that Keldarians were rather small in stature. Standing up, she was maybe a meter tall at best.

"Oooh, she's pretty. You can definitely tell she's a female," my only companion commented finally, sliding closer to my energy body while peeking over my shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow and peeked back at her questioningly. "It surprises me that you can say she's pretty, not being a pony yourself," I pointed out, watching her snicker.

"Traits of attraction are surprisingly universal. I don't know if you recall, but some of our species took an interest in our allies too, even though they're practically hairless, gargantuan, and rather brutal. She's very pretty. I can see why you like her," Keela explained, catching me by surprise. No, I hadn't been aware of relations with our allies such as that. They seemed kind of gross to me, but I supposed everypony had their own tastes. Err, everyone.

"I didn't know that. Or at least, I didn't remember it," I reasoned, staring down at my rather based drawing of the absolutely gorgeous lavender unicorn. She didn't look nearly as good on paper; let alone in monochrome. Vibrant colors had oddly grown on me for some totally unknown reason.

My, dare I say, friend nodded politely, looking deeply amused. "I'm glad you patched things up with her, regardless. I didn't mean to get you in trouble. I'll refrain from sending things through the book from now on," she promised, averting her eyes as a light blush danced onto her cheeks.

"Eh, you know they already think I'm nuts. Maybe watching the paper pop out of me would convince them otherwise," I groaned out, trying my best to keep the bitterness limited. A sudden compulsion hit, and I followed it instantly without consideration.

"Hey now! Don't be so hard on yourself," Keela protested a few seconds after my forehead smacked into the surface of the coffee table. I felt nothing and barely resisted sighing. "Look, I might not know much about love, but I know if she really likes you like that, she'll come around eventually. Trust takes time to build up and you haven't been there all that long, really," she added several seconds later, apparently upon deciding I wasn't going to move anymore without further stimuli.

I shook my head against the hard surface, agreeing with, "I know I haven't been there that long. I'll be the first to admit that I don't compare in the slightest to Celestia. I'm just, I don't know, venting frustration at this point?" It was rather confusing to even me. Something told me that this was the first I had to deal with these kinds of feelings; they neither involved making something work or spontaneously making things no longer work, be it mechanical or organic.

She giggled again. I impulsively decided that it wasn't as nice of a giggle as Twilight's or Fluttershy's. "Their culture is amazingly peaceful, so you're very lucky, honestly. All of your new friends seem really nice, so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Rarity might actually really help Twilight see what she's missing, from the sounds of it," she added, gently rubbing my back. Well, the shield told me she was rubbing it. It wasn't like I could actually feel anything. Still, the sentiment could be appreciated, which she probably knew.

"See what she's missing?" I asked curiously, finally lifting my head off the table and looking back at her to my right.

Keela only snickered; her short whiskers wiggled in amusement as she grinned at me. "Call it a woman's intuition. Rarity spending so much time with you will probably vastly improve your relationship with Twilight," she explained, nodding twice at the end.

The concept was completely foreign to me. "How will hanging out with Rarity improve my relationship with Twilight?" I inquired incredulously, raising an eyebrow to my alien friend.

She just shook her head, looking impish now. "You'll see. If it makes you feel better, I can see why she likes you as well. If she's unsure of herself, you probably make her feel really comfortable, actually."

Okay, I give up. I was never going to understand females, and I was only wasting my time in the trying. Keela let out a humming noise and added more snickers, which started to annoy rather than placate at this point.

I glared at her, but she just hummed a little more insistently. If we hadn't been talking for the past, like, four hours, I'd think she was suddenly nervous about talking to me.

She gave me a questioning tilt of her head, causing me to realize that something was off. I shifted and turned away from her, but the tone and depth of the humming noise didn't change. Okay, that was weird. It wasn't coming from her, then.

"What's wrong, Mender?" she asked, voice shifting a little lower and more serious.

I glanced about, and realized the humming wasn't coming from anywhere. It was in my head, but exceedingly there. There! It was so real that it couldn't possibly be real. Oh crap. It reminded me of what that connection sounded like between the dimensions.

"There's a humming sound coming from my mind. I think it's something to do with the dimensional link. Weird," I informed, glancing back at her in confusion.

She frowned, and then shook her head. "I'm not doing anything differently. Perhaps you should try waking up real quick and seeing if it's not on that end?" she reasoned, shrugging her shoulders.

I contemplated it for a moment before deciding she was probably right. If Twilight had my head in a pot and was smashing it off the wall trying to wake me up, I should at least humor her. "All right. I'll tug on our link if I can make it back to sleep," I accepted, standing up off the couch again.

She nodded and smiled to me before everything went monochrome. I braced myself as I withdrew, keenly aware of the book hitting the couch cushion before everything fell backwards. It was kind of like falling and sliding at the same time, with a warm feeling of liquid running just along your skin. Rather peaceful once I stopped panicking the first time.

Then there was the sensation of waking up...

---

The room was almost pitch black, the only light being the soft moonlight coming through the side window next to the small balcony. Even that was reduced significantly by the heavy leaf foliage in front of it. Sometimes I forget that I technically live in a tree.

Remembering why I woke up, I perked my ears up for that strange humming noise. It didn't take me long to locate it in the relative quiet of the night. It was directed this time, clearly coming from downstairs. What was scary was that it was a familiar noise to me at this point. I'd not remembered much, but the humming noise advanced electronics made was still quite clear enough.

I slowly slid off the side of my cot, careful to ease my hooves onto the hardwood floor. They were significantly harder than the rest of my skin and would undoubtedly make noise if I rushed. Easing along and cringing at every creaking noise, I peeked over at Twilight and Spike.

My fillyfriend was completely under the covers at this point with just the tip of her head and horn sticking out. I smiled as I watched the blanket gently rising and falling with her slow breathing, a warm fluttering sensation drifting into my chest. I was glad we were on better terms now.

Spike hadn't moved either apart from rotating onto his back. His light snores were rhythmic and gentle, occasionally accompanied by a twitch of his legs. I tried not to chuckle before slipping past both of them and heading down the stairs.

Unfortunately, the first floor was far darker than the second, which only served to magnify my apprehension. I wasn't afraid of the dark by any means, but there was something absolutely terrifying about the unknown if you dwelled on it for too long. My eyes slowly got adjusted to the lack of light. Of course, they were drawn like a moth to a bonfire in the direction of the darkened corner. I knew that the cabinet was there, ominously hidden in the darkness. The happy feeling in my chest was gone in an instant, replaced by a nervous dread.

My ears twisted around and I almost groaned when I realized that was exactly where the sound was coming from. A few choice expletives were muttered under my breath before I gritted my teeth and inched closer to the three cabinets. My initial instinct was to run back upstairs and wake Twilight up, but I somehow doubted that would be met with much success.

My breathing became a controlled, stifled thing the closer I got to the cabinet as I tried my hardest to quiet any excess noise I might be making. Who knows what might be in the dark, listening intently for me to announce my presence.

I hesitated, stopping a meter away from the object of concern. Shadows seemed to cling to it and I was unsure if that was a product of my imagination or some nefarious will inside. Damn it. I was distinctly aware of the darkness around me, suddenly not wanting to turn around lest I come face to face with some grinning demon or maddening abomination. My heart beat faster as I almost saw its glowing red eyes in the dark as it got closer, smiling with rows of razor sharp teeth. Wicked instruments of torture and misery were in her hands as the shadows hid all but her weapons, clawed arms, and glowing eyes. I could almost smell the fresh blood that dripped off the twisted, serrated drill she held; the blades on it were curved perfectly to slide under and around the eyeball before she turned it on...

Shuddering, I snapped myself out of the darkening images and tried not to throw up. What the hell was I doing?! Glaring back up at the cabinet upon gathering my nerves again, my left hoof flared up with an inner light, bathing the entire lower floor with the intensity of a box of flares going off!

I whipped around instantly, expecting to see things burning away or writhing in agony in the sudden light. I was both disappointed and relieved to see nothing out of place at all. Have some guts, Mender! Damn it. My imagination was going to give me a heart attack.

Swallowing nervously after becoming satisfied that I wasn't going to be ambushed and torn apart, I slowly turned back around and glared at the cabinet. My flared up ball of light behind me split into multiple pieces and scattered about the main room, illuminating row after row of books along with the humble furniture, dwindling fireplace, shelves of instruments and scientific baubles, and entry to the kitchen. Nothing was out of the norm.

My eyes locked back onto the first cabinet directly in front of me. The humming noise was gone, apparently having disappeared at some point during my minor freak out. Maybe it got scared and ran away from me instead. I chuckled airily before resting my hoof on the door handle to the cabinet. Guts, Mender.

After a quick recollection of my breathing, I gritted my teeth again, threw up my forward barrier over my chest, neck, and face, and opened up the cabinet.

The rocks were just sitting there, exactly where she had left them. My spike of apprehension and preparation to defend myself was actually met with a bit of disappointment, honestly. I glared at the three blasted things, wishing I knew of a volcano to toss them into. Of course, even if I knew where one was, walking all the way there just to toss something in seemed like a major pain in the butt. Of course, magic existed, so I suppose Twilight could just teleport me there.

I shook off the distraction before sighing, a little tense still but with dwindling outlook on my mission. I hadn't managed to find the source of the noise after all. Why would rocks hum in the first place? Growing mildly frustrated, I reached out and nudged the left-most one with my hoof.

I could have sworn I pulled something in my chest with how fast I inhaled. Shoving myself backwards with all three remaining hooves probably didn't help either. The stone actually lit up when I touched it, glowing with a soft blue light that almost perfectly matched my coat! Upon retreating back to my meter gap, I whipped up my full barrier in front of me again and watched the stone through it, unable to help but shiver as that noise came back. Damn it! I should have woken up Twilight after all!

The stone wasn't very impressive for something potentially lethal. It glowed softly, barely managing the same strength as a candle. My eyes widened as its edges and cracks faded, however, revealing what I recognized as a wire frame design of blue lines. What the hell?! The blue light washed away the rock coloring completely before withdrawing deeper into the stone. That's when I realized that I could see inside of the thing.

The outer rock became a finely detailed, shaped barrier. It wasn't a rock at all! The wire frame dissolved at the same time the image of a rock did, leaving the barrier to shrink down to that of a glowing sphere instead. I started and backed up another half a meter as the orb of light drifted lazily out of the cabinet and stopped right in front of me. Oh crap. Was it sentient?

I instantly recognized the effect as a holographic display as it popped a 'box' up above it in the air. "Entity 002 Recognized" was displayed directly above it in darker blue, computerized print. Below that, slowly fading into existence, were smaller words as well. "DNA Scan Completed: Unlocking"

Well, that seemed a little strange. Actually, this entire event was a little strange. The rather non-threatening little orb of light then spontaneously vanished without so much as an announcement of intent. Two lightly glowing disks, much smaller than the original ball, fell out of the air from where it had been and landed abruptly on the wood with a light chiming noise that was entirely unexpected.

I blinked and tilted my head towards them before nudging the closest one with my shield. It mildly surprised me by doing absolutely nothing. Well that was anticlimactic. Still, I suppose I should be happy that I wasn't being hauled off into an alternate universe by eldritch physics tentacles only to die a horrible, squishy death in a void without a space suit. It could always get worse!

I dropped the extra shields in favor of just the skintight ones and nudged the coin-sized disks with my hoof this time. They continued their pattern of doing nothing, producing further mixed feelings in me. Huh. Upon closer inspection, I noticed they were comprised of two separate glowing sections. The outer ring was slightly darker in coloring and took up maybe a fifth of the radius in width. They looked kind of like an alien bit, almost, if I was comparing them to Equestria.

Finally relaxing a little, I picked one up with my magically enhanced hoof and stared at it. It was the same on both sides, as I kind of expected. This was strange. Why were these things inside of the rocks? Did they have anything to do with the effects from before with the tentacles and potential death? They felt warm to the touch and brought only more questions rather than answers; although it was safe to say that I had located the source of the noise after all.

The second coin-shaped disk proved perfectly identical to its partner, and I set both of them down on the coffee table. Systematically, I reached out and poked another one of the rocks, entirely unsurprised when it started doing the same thing. They were some sort of encrypted storage devices, I decided. Maybe it wasn't an 'accident' that they were sent with me after all. I was obviously on their list of individuals to reveal themselves to, after all. Entity two, huh?

"Mmph, what's with all the light down here?" I suddenly heard Twilight mutter from the stairs. Oh crap!

Totally caught red-hooved, I didn't even try to hide the glowing orb of light drifting towards me from the cabinet as I slowly looked over at her, trying to smile innocently. She stared blankly at me for a moment before shifting to a questioning expression instead, eyes locking onto the orb of light instead. "What are you doing?" she asked a moment later, continuing down the stairs at a more rapid pace. She thought this was something that I was doing?

"Uh, I heard a noise from the cabinet and went to check, and then, um..." I tried to explain before faltering. I realized I didn't exactly know how to explain what was going on in the first place.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. Her eyes widened as the light receded and she recognized the wire frame shape of the rock drifting in the air. She rushed over, horn lighting up with magic as she scanned it rapidly.

"That, is that one of the rocks?!" she asked almost instantly, suddenly significantly more awake than I had given her credit for prior.

I nodded weakly before glancing back at it. "I touched it, and this happened with the first one, too. It says that it's unlocking for an entity zero, zero, two," I explained as best I could.

She watched, eyes shivering with a mixture of what I could only pick up as nervous fascination as the holographic displays lit up with the exact same message as the first one. In the meantime, I picked up the two disks from behind me and offered them to Twilight, hoping she could make more sense of them.

At first, she just frowned down at the two disks before snapping her attention back to the orb as it unceremoniously vanished. She watched the two coins fall to the floor before looking back at the two I held. "These came out of the first one I poked. I wanted to test if it would happen again, which you can see the results of," I offered.

Twilight frowned at the two disks before levitating them off my hoof and closer to her face for examination. "The stones were containers, then," she deduced instantly, surprisingly me with her clarity yet again.

I nodded weakly, adding, "They were locked, and for some reason, I was on the list of accepted individuals to open them." That made me nervous for some reason.

"Maybe them following you here wasn't so accidental after all. Why didn't this happen the first time, however?" she questioned, flipping the two disks over and over as she peeked at them. I was amused at how fast she forgot about sleeping.

That I couldn't answer, however. "The only thing I can think of is that I didn't technically touch the stones directly before; just the tentacle thingy that came out of it after Fluttershy poked it," I offered, tossing a shrug in for good measure after. Fluttershy apparently wasn't on the list that the rocks had. Did that mean that what happened was some sort of defensive mechanism or something? Scary. That was just a guess, however.

"This is so weird. They're precisely shaped crystal disks of some sort with weird magic woven into them. There's some sort of scratching along the inner disk, but they're too tiny for me to pick up fully. Well, this definitely gives me something to study in the off time after the party," she muttered, suddenly looking bewildered and shaking her head at the two floating in the air in front of her.

I sighed before looking down at the ones lying on the floor instead. Wait a second, something was different. One of the two disks on the floor was yellow in the center with a much brighter glowing blue ring around it. Something was in the yellow too that I couldn't make out.

Curious, I picked it up and instantly drew Twilight's attention. She saw the difference too and frowned until I brought it closer to us. Both of our eyes widened drastically as the image in the center of the yellow came into view.

Inside of the now familiar yellow center, the glowing alien disk had a crystal clear image of three butterflies; their cyan bodies and pink wings offsetting the soft yellow perfectly. No. This couldn't be possible, even! Why was that design on something that came from my world?!

"Mender, do you know what these are?" Twilight asked quietly, nudging the coin-shaped artifact carefully.

I shook my head, sadly. "I was just as surprised as you are. This shouldn't be possible. The rocks are from my world, so why is Fluttershy's Cutie Mark on this?" I questioned, staring hard at the brightly colored disk. Something was very wrong, and I didn't have a clue where to begin to guess what.

"There's one more rock. You should open it and check the disks there as well. This is beyond weird. You're sure you didn't have anything like Cutie Marks in your world?" she questioned as I stepped over the coin on the floor to poke the last rock in the cabinet.

"No, nothing like that. I'd never heard of them before coming here," I assured, giving her a nervous glance. She returned it and nodded, glancing over as the other rock activated, announced me as 'Entity 002' again, and opened up exactly the same as the other two.

Both Twilight and I watched intently as the coins hit the floor, and I could tell right away that something was off again. One coin was blank, but the other had a light cyan inside. Oh crap. "Rainbow Dash's coat color," Twilight pointed out, picking up the coin. Her bringing it up so we could see it confirmed her suspicions. A tri-colored cloud and lightning bolt was in the center of the coin. What did the coins mean?

"I'm curious. Do you have one of those links with Rainbow, too?" she questioned, bringing up a very good point. I shook my head, however, potentially ruining the theory. She peeked more intently at the coin, not seeming dissuaded in the least, however.

"The outer ring isn't lit up like Fluttershy's. I wonder why that is? Here, try holding it," she offered a moment later, extending the coin over to where I was.

Her expression made me frown. It was almost passive, with her voice abrupt and expecting. Did she think my touching the coin would cause something to happen? Uncertain, I hesitated as I extended my hoof to the coin, stopping barely a centimeter from the shiny surface. Shouldn't we be, like, experimenting on these first before going right to live tests? Of course, I didn't exactly know how to experiment on them, but still...

Twilight decided for me by smiling gently while I hesitated and lifting her hoof up slightly, brushing the coin along the underside of my hoof. I jumped slightly at the sensation of a static jolt, but she pulled the coin back before I could react. It glowed angrily for a moment before the outer ring lit up as well, causing the light created by the coin to be magnified significantly.

Both of our eyes widened as "Connection Established" faded into existence overtop of the coin. Well crap. "Fascinating! You have a link with all of the coins. I think they're responsible for the strange phenomenon between you and Fluttershy," she theorized, sounding a little too curious for her own good.

I coughed lightly, pointing to the coin she was still holding. "You might have just created a connection with Rainbow Dash, too," I reasoned, staring blankly at it. What did the connections ultimately do? Twilight seemed momentarily unsure, hesitating as she looked down at the coin in her hoof.

"It, well, it needed to be tested. Making the connection must be a two-stage process. Fluttershy touched the rock a while back during the first incident, and then you touched it immediately after to free her, which probably caused the connection. But why wasn't Rainbow affected fully, too?" Twilight pondered out loud.

Both of us were suddenly distracted as my flare spell went out and we were plunged into the darkness. Well, we would have been if not for the two fully established coins, and one partially established coin glowing like tiny flares. Wait, partially established?

I glanced down at the coin Twilight had set down and widened my eyes. "Oh crap. Twilight, the other coin you touched!" I pointed out, gesturing towards the coin with my hoof.

She started, still trying to get over to the lamp and being apparently surprised by my sudden outburst. "Huh?!" she let out before glancing down at the coin in question. Her coat color and starburst shaped Cutie Mark was on the coin already, but with no lit up ring around the outer edge. "Ack! Don't touch it!" she exclaimed harshly before catching it in her magic and pulling it over to her. I gave her a skeptical glance, but she just frowned down at the coin and rapidly shook her head. "We don't know what the links truly do, so let's minimize the exposure until we can get more information," she added, looking away from my stare.

My ears drooped a little and a light spike of bitterness shot through me. Sure, she thought experimenting with Rainbow's coin was fine, but when it came to hers, she decided it was too risky. Either that or she really didn't want to establish that kind of link with me. The reality of option two burned and I quietly winced, looking away from the unicorn.

I couldn't really fault her for not wanting to jump into something like that, I guess. A little assurance that she was looking forward to extending our relationship at all, however, would be a rather nice thing. Even our kisses had devolved a little into just friendly pecks. I tried not to think of her saying she was tired or didn't feel like it just as an excuse, of course. I mean, I had said no on the one occasion, albeit for a slightly different reason.

"Um, I'm sorry. That sounded, um, not the way I wanted it to," Twilight spoke up, bringing me back to attention. Looking back up at her, having not remembered lowering my head, I was a little surprised to see her staring right at me. Her expression was difficult to read; softened, yet her eyes darted quickly, searching my face like I was doing to her.

Eventually I decided with taking the safe choice. "It's all right, Twilight. I know that kind of connection to me is a big commitment and can't be looked at from a purely scientific point of view. Further, if it turns out that the connection is bad or detrimental, we're going to need you to fix it. If you're being detrimental at the same time, that would be very difficult," I acknowledged gently, trying to give my most earnest looking smile towards her.

I think she bought it, anyway. I mean, I was trying to do my best to stay positive and not worry anypony. Keela promised that she was actually making headway on closing the link permanently, which was definitely a good thing. If I could solve this issue without anypony else getting involved, it would be wonderful.

Twilight's ears lowered at the same rate as her eyelids. Damn it. She didn't buy it. "Mender, I... Um. You're serious about all of this and I should have taken your word on how you felt at and least tried to be serious, too. I realize that, now. Not even considering how my viewpoint hurt you was also immature of me. I'm going to fix this, don't worry. I have to. Regardless of my apprehensions, I've never felt this strongly about anything not regarding academics and learning before. Ever. The more I think about it, the more everything points to this being exactly what I want. You're everything I want in a stallion, honestly, and are a ton of fun to be around. I'm going to fix this!" she adamantly declared, suddenly looking more than a little scary. I swallowed, trying to think of something to say, but quickly realized that technically she hadn't said any of that directly to me. It sounded more like she was saying that to herself. The gesture made me pleased, of course, but I wasn't entirely sure it was needed.

She faltered after seeing me shrink slightly under her level of hot bloodedness. "No, no, no, Mender. I'm not going to hurt you. See?" she asked before slowly extending both of her forelegs out, smiling gently at me. My brain recognized it before my cognitive thoughts did as the universal 'want hugs' gesture. I relaxed a little and nodded before leaning forwards again. She took me against herself as gently as possible and just held me there. A moment passed, and I lowered my muzzle down to her neck, sleepily resting it there against her fur.

To my surprise, Twilight let out a content sigh instead and pulled me tighter to herself. Her forelegs let out a shiver as she squeezed, slowly rubbing them up and down my back while clinging to me like a life raft at sea. If it had been any harder, it might have actually hurt.

"It's okay, Twilight. I'm just happy you're going to have it looked into," I muttered, slowly breathing in her light scent. The raspberry scent of her shampoo from this morning drifted into my nostrils and I exhaled slowly, relaxing further against her as she took over supporting my entire weight. Not that it was a lot of weight to support at the moment.

"More than just that. I believe you now. There's more to this than just your imagination. These coins prove that. But let's deal with this more in the morning. Well, later morning. It is four o'clock. Let's go back to bed for now, Mender," she suggested, slowly lifting my head up to stare directly into my eyes instead. Hers were soft and sleepy looking and I had to restrain a snicker. The smile got through, though.

"Okay, Twilight. I'll trust you to keep the coins safe," I agreed before lowering my head again and resting. She was right, of course. Three and a half hours didn't feel like enough sleep at all.

"Somepony likes my neck," Twilight cooed impishly while she lifted the coins back into the cabinet. I watched the doors close again before chuckling.

While her statement was true, I further corrected, "It is a very nice neck and very tasty looking, but in all honesty, you smell good. It's making me relaxed and sleepy," I muttered tiredly.

There was a momentary pause, and for a second, I worried that I'd said something wrong again. Twilight lowered her head down as well, however, and gently nuzzled my neck in return. "That's rather romantic, actually, and probably a good thing," she murmured quietly, exhaling against me.

As probably intended, my curiosity spiked. "Why is it a good thing?" I inquired against her neck.

"Ponies can pick up pheromones on other ponies. If you think I smell good, that probably means that your body is telling you we're biologically compatible with each other and an optimal choice for a mating pair. You smell good to me, too, by the way," she explained in a disturbingly casual manner, leaning back and smiling at me with lowered eyelids.

Her choice of wording was a little creepy, however. I tried to toss up an assured smile, but I think it came off as nervous instead as I swallowed. Well, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else. "Does that mean you want kids in the future?" I asked, attempting to not only sound casual as well, but change the topic from 'optimal mating'.

Her eyes widened again and she blushed, smiling shyly. "I've never really thought about it, honestly. I was pretty goal-oriented before moving here, in an academic sense. Sure, I've really opened up socially since then, but nowhere near enough to even realize that I might have the opportunity to become a mother in the future!" she exclaimed, looking oddly like she was somehow scaring herself.

She didn't let me go and run screaming for the stairs, however, so I took it as a good sign. Heck, she actually squeezed tighter, which was actually kind of painful now that I thought about it. "Ah, um, my insides are still squishy and fragile, Twilight," I reminded, wincing slightly.

She let out the cutest squeak I'd heard since last hanging around Fluttershy and promptly eased up the pressure, smiling with a slight embarrassed tint to her expression. "Ah, sorry. Are you okay, Mender?" she asked cautiously.

"Eh, if I got to pick my preferred way to die, that would definitely be it. But I'll be fine," I teased, managing a grin to her finally. Hopefully she'd take the hint and lighten up a little. I felt bad that I had gotten her worked up, especially if she was going to try to go back to sleep soon.

Her expression shifted back to warm mirth, and she nodded. After a light parting kiss to the forehead, she released me and stood fully again. "Let's go back to sleep, Mender. You need to get more rest and so do I. We have a lot to do tomorrow," she warned, gesturing towards the stairs with her head.

Sighing, I nodded and stood back up again, definitely feeling the tiredness. Well, on the bright side, even since I'd been hopping over to the other world and telling Keela more about Equestria, it had obviously warded away any bad dreams. Might as well enjoy keeping my end of the bargain if I could. If it meant making Equestria safe again, permanently, it was definitely worth it.

In my distraction, I failed to see Twilight duck in and give a gentle, yet extremely wet lick to the side of my cheek. The sly unicorn teleported at the same exact instant of contact, shifting both of us upstairs in a blinding flare of light. My stomach dropped back into my body and I was momentarily disoriented as I fell over onto something warm and soft, in an embarrassing heap of limbs and fur. Wait, these blankets were a lot higher quality than what I remembered them being all of a half an hour ago.

Twilight giggled at my sprawled out form before tucking me in and... My mind froze, spitting out memory overflows and error messages as I felt the warm unicorn slip under the covers next to me. Twilight no doubt sensed my immediate rigid stupor, as she informed, "I'm lonely tonight and want to keep your bad dreams at bay. Don't worry, Mender. I won't even touch you if you don't want me to."

Her whisper came out warmly and danced inside of my chest for a while, being carried by the butterflies. Well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. I nudged forwards a little, lightly pressing myself into her chest. She let out a pleasantly surprised cooing noise, and I felt her forehead rest against mine. "Thank you for trusting me, Mender. It really means a lot to me, and I'm not going to ever betray that again. Let me prove it to you, even if it takes forever to do so," she requested. I felt a gentle warmth drift into my mind before lightly intermingling with my own magic. It was an amazing sensation and I couldn't help but kiss any of her skin that I could make contact with. The feelings distinctly belonging to Twilight were drifting into me, and it made me feel very secure indeed.

"I'll give you another chance, Twilight. Don't worry about that. I just wish you trusted me a little more." It was the truth, of course. She probably knew it all along, but it felt good to get it out.

She winced gently, but nodded against my forehead. "I do trust... Well, I'm going to start from now on. During my talk with Rarity earlier, she mentioned several techniques that could use to build trust in you and vice versa. A few are a little, um, embarrassing, but you're totally worth it," she assured. I felt her temperature rise a little bit, oddly.

I didn't really understand what she was talking about, but nodded gently and just let the energy drift into me. My mind idly traced the magic back upwards and I saw where our energy pools were actually connecting. It was rather interesting, once I managed to think through the haze that was building up in my mind. "You said before not to push my energy back into you, right?" I inquired quietly.

Twilight paused, and I felt her energy stir a little, but she surprisingly didn't withdraw. "Yeah. Please don't do that. It's not just from pushing your energy into me. It's only if I'm already moving mine into you at the same time. I can tell you more about it tomorrow, if you want," she offered softly. She already trusted me a little more, I realized. I stayed my ground, not about to try it and betray that newfound trust, of course.

"I'm not going to, don't worry. I would like to know why eventually, though," I agreed, relaxing and simply enjoying the hazy sensation of her heat both against me and drifting into my mind.

She smiled and I realized she picked up on my contented feelings. A general feeling of happiness drifted into me as she mirrored my earlier nod. "We have a long train ride tomorrow, so I'll explain it then. Rarity would already know, of course, but she'll probably be able to add far more onto the romantic and bonding aspects of it," Twilight relayed softly.

Oh. With that admission, I suddenly understood the implications a little better. Twilight picked up on that too and released a gentle giggle before snuggling closer to me. Yeah, this was nice. The pressure and expectations weren't what I was expecting, which is to say, they were essentially non-existent. We were just enjoying each other's company, really.

Eventually, I couldn't manage to form coherent thoughts anymore and drifted off to sleep, pulling a pleasantly murmuring Twilight Sparkle with me.

---

Another bump jarred my reasonably upset stomach yet again. I winced and curled up further, trying to keep the nausea under control as I lay on the nicely cushioned train car seat. The pearly white unicorn sitting across from me gave a look of sympathy as I double-checked the bucket was still at the base of the seat. Okay, I officially hated trains.

"I didn't expect such a violent reaction. Why do you have no problem doing loops on Dash's back through zero gravity while being fired at, but a train going barely sixty kilometers per hour gets you sick?" Twilight asked skeptically from directly next to me. She sat nearest my head, and despite her rather venomous tongue, her tone was soft and she gently rubbed my neck and cheek at the same time.

I swallowed dryly before wincing again, sticking my head over the seat just in case. "Rainbow didn't vibrate while feeling like a sack of worms against your legs," I protested, deciding the mental image just made it worse.

"This is truly unfortunate. Were you able to grasp any of our explanation at all?" Rarity asked politely. Okay, so that conversation had been the last thing on my mind until now.

"Kinda. She puts energy into me, I put energy into her, and then we absorb each other's energy and gain some sort of bond," I managed to summarize without barfing, amazingly enough.

Rarity made a disappointed 'Tsk' noise with her mouth before shaking her head. "Well, I can see you missed the various romantic aspects of such a bond. Surely, given your apparent connection with Fluttershy, you can understand why such a link is sacred," she lectured idly, flicking her mane to the side in mild irritation. The motion made my stomach churn but, like a train wreck in slow motion, I couldn't look away for some reason. Okay, bad example given the context.

"Oh leave him be, Rarity. As sick as he is, it's a wonder he got that much," Twilight defended, gently massaging my shoulders as I took deep breaths over the bucket. Damn.

It was true, though. Given my connection to Fluttershy when in close range, I could appreciate the romantic undertones of such a bond. Frankly, I think she was the only reason I regained my composure at all after my vivid hallucination and panic attack. Once I got back from this silly trip, I was definitely going to thank her. We needed to talk a lot more about this thing anyway. Oh yeah, and maybe warn Rainbow before she freaks out from hearing 'voices' in her head sounding remarkably like me.

"Oh yes, and you are suddenly the quintessential understanding mare, I know," Rarity muttered dryly. Twilight's hooves jolted against my shoulders before digging in a little. Uh oh. I suddenly regretted my compromising position next to the ungodly powerful unicorn.

"So you remind me every chance you get. I know; I get it. I'm a horrible fillyfriend who doesn't deserve Mender. Let me guess, you feel you're better for him?" Twilight asked, seemingly forgetting my squishy muscles were there and pretending it was Rarity's neck instead of my own. Oh please help me live through this train ride, somepony!

"What?! I am simply looking out on Mender's behalf! I cannot believe you'd stoop so low as to insinuate such under-hooved intentions. You really must get a grip on this terrible case of paranoia that has you! It is simply not befitting of a lady," Rarity warned back, looking truly offended for the brief moment my vision caught her before I started gasping for air. Note to self, make sure Twilight was fully aware of her body at all times. Further note to self, haunt the crap out of her if you don't live through this train ride.

The lavender unicorn in question let out a low growl before pointing out, "Surely, you're not so perfect as to have never made a mistake before. There, I said it! I screwed up and lost the trust of my coltfriend! Does that make you happy?!" she asked dramatically, voice now loud enough to probably be heard through the walls. Well, glad this wasn't a private topic or anything. Oddly, however, having half of my windpipe pinched off was doing wonders for making me forget about the nausea. Still, dying wasn't a good motion sickness prevention method.

Carrying through with my new concept of self-preservation, I began flailing my forelegs about to hopefully get my fillyfriend's attention while gasping like a fish out of water. As predicted, she glanced down quizzically at me before widening her eyes and instantly letting go. My lungs screamed in triumph, or perhaps whiplash, as I inhaled heavily and rolled over onto my back, panting. Wow. That wasn't awkward timing at all.

"No! No, no, no! Why does this always happen?!" Twilight groaned, surprising me once more by flopping over sideways onto my upper half with herself at the same time. My yet gasping muzzle inhaled a few rogue strands of fur from her chest as the warmth washed all around me. Well, at least she wasn't a female of my species, or this position would be exceedingly awkward indeed. If I vaguely recalled correctly, which I wasn't going to bet any bits on, pony anatomy placed the female mammary glands significantly lower. Oh, and they retained almost no mass when the mare in question wasn't with foal. I supposed that it was actually more convenient that way, anyway.

My cheeks grew hot as I squished my eyelids shut, trying to drive the thought chain out of my mind. Damn it; I hated it when this happened.

"I didn't mean you're a horrible fillyfriend. I'm sorry for speaking too rashly. Will you forgive me?" Rarity asked softly, doing a surprisingly good job at attempting to defuse the situation. Well, at least I thought it was a good apology. Thankfully, it also served to distract me from images of a pregnant Twilight. Of course, as far as, um, attractive daydreams go; I guess that one's fairly evolutionarily justified. She would look incredibly gorgeous pregnant, in my opinion. Ugh. Why did I do this to myself?

Twilight let out a low murmur into my stomach before nodding gently. "I know. Mender's very understanding, thankfully. I probably reek of being totally new at this."

"I am still here, you know," I reminded politely upon realizing I could talk again. Curse that air threshold for speaking.

It was very strange feeling of Twilight smiling against my stomach. She lifted off me a little and looked into my eyes instead from an upside down perspective. Feeling a bit brave and hoping it would make her realize it wasn't that big of a deal, I reached both of my hooves up and gently pulled her down into me.

She let out a soft muttering of nothing in particular upon breaking the upside down kiss a few seconds later, and smiled more fully down at me.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" she asked hopefully, eyes dancing a little in the light.

I couldn't help myself. "About the overly enthusiastic neck rub? Of course," I assured, smirking now. Predictably, her ears flattened back and she gave me a barbed stare.

"Careful, you might wish you hadn't said that once you find out how I plan to earn forgiveness for the rest of it," she warned, mirroring my expression in an instant.

My ears drooped and I managed a timid swallow. "Uh, isn't that kind of defeating the purpose?"

"Oh, simply no imagination. You'll thank me for giving her the ideas afterwards, I'm sure. Once you recover, of course," Rarity tossed in, sounding oddly devious. I glanced over at her with widening eyes, which caused her to burst out into copious amounts of laughter, followed promptly by Twilight. Well, I was doomed...

The train hit a particularly jarring bump before I could properly formulate words and I groaned again, remembering why this bucket was lying in front of my spot on the seat. Damn it. I contemplated asking Twilight to strangle me again so I'd forget about the nausea.

"Oh, you poor dear. I think it's almost worth sending a letter to Rainbow Dash upon our arrival, requesting that she pick him up for the return flight," Rarity suggested politely after my dry heaving was finished.

I sighed weakly before shaking my head, protesting, "Rainbow shouldn't have to fly all that way and then haul me back just because the train makes me sick. That's not fair to her."

"That's very kind, Mender, but she probably wouldn't have a problem with it. She thinks she owes you, anyway," Twilight reminded, earning a groan of lamentation from me. This was promptly followed by a groan of my stomach trying to crawl out of my body.

I heard a light, almost imperceptible squeaking laugh from Rarity before she tacked on, "Or we could always talk to Princess Celestia about having the royal carriage and guards fly you home."

After recovering from almost falling off my seat in a coughing fit, I finally managed to scramble back and glared up at her. "No! I'd rather walk than ride in a royal carriage. Ugh. It probably costs a few thousand an hour," I protested weakly, earning a giggle from Twilight.

"It doesn't. That's what I first rode to Ponyville in. It's very comfortable. Although if you're uncomfortable with Princess Celestia, you could always ask Princess Luna. She seems to have taken a liking to you," Twilight suggested, sounding deeply amused at my expense. I glared back at her over my shoulder and saw only a grin in return.

"Oh! Is that my Scandal Senses tingling?! Quickly, this calls for gossip!" Rarity exclaimed, suddenly from the seat right next to Twilight and leaning in closer to listen. The lavender mare in question seemed more freaked out than anything, starting in place before falling over onto me in surprise. Any rebuttal I had carefully selected was promptly drowned out by a second helping of Twilight's chest and stomach fur.

"Rarity, it's not like that at all! She just likes his name because it has," Twilight started to rapidly explain. Well, she tried anyway. Her thoughts must have been fairly disrupted when I suddenly closed my eyes and licked gently along the fur of her tummy.

"Whaaa!" she squealed before flailing off the side of the seat and crashing onto the floor, blushing furiously. Oh, payback was worth the probability of death that earned me.

Quickly, I threw on my innocent facade. Rarity gave me a skeptical and extremely scrutinizing stare in the meantime as Twilight recovered on the floor. Several intentionally awkward seconds passed before Twilight restored her capacities enough to roll her eyes. "Try to limit kisses and licks to my face and head please. That felt a little weird," she managed to request, spoiling all of my current and future fun at once.

"There's no fun in that, Twilight. Surely you can be more imaginative," Rarity concurred without needing my specific input. I snickered before lowering my head towards the bucket again. I'd hate to drop my guard and end up having yet another mess to clean up.

"Shush. That's a bridge that can be crossed far, far, far, far in the future," the lavender mare shot back. Well, that boded well for me. Actually the ironic thing was that I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

Rarity made an amused sounding half snicker before adding, "I do suppose you intend to ship him away with the rest of the single stallions in a few weeks, then?" Okay, that caused my brain to stall out.

There was a soft smacking noise as Twilight mushed her right forehoof into the spot directly under her horn. I gave her a curious yet observing stare. Apparently what Rarity said triggered some sort of memory in her that she seemingly forgot. Or broke her brain and that was how she rebooted it.

"Great! How did I forget about the stupid heat cycles?! Um, yeah. That would probably be a wise idea," she finally muttered, sounding a little dejected. What did temperature have to do with sending away all of your males? Did the mares turn into bloodthirsty, ravenous monsters or something if the temperature increased too much? No, that sounded far-fetched, even for me.

Rarity gasped, looking horrified. At this point I was getting used to her having that expression. "Oh my, Twilight! It's unheard of! A stallion who actually has a fillyfriend being sent to those horrible cabins!" she exclaimed. Her voice was strange, and I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. I knew she had a taste for dramatic flair, but it was often too subtle for me to separate from what might actually be a disaster. Frowning, I looked up and tried to pay attention just in case.

"Oh come on! The cabins are quite nice and you know it. It's more of an inconvenience than anything. Talk about stalling out our entire economy for a good week," my fillyfriend reputed.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Um, not to sound stupid, but I need to sound stupid here. What are we talking about?" I asked curiously. Now that I thought about it, this was starting to sound vaguely familiar.

"Heat, Dear. Are you unfamiliar with the word?" Rarity asked, causing Twilight to perk up out of her stupor and glance over at me instead.

I nodded wearily, frowning slightly. Rarity gave me a smile instead and nodded as well in a more assuring manner. "It's perfectly understandable given your unique arrival here. Heat is a little complex, but I'm sure you'll understand it fine. Normally, when a filly enters into marehood, she..." Rarity started to explain. Wait. Oh, this was starting to sound familiar.

"Estrus?" Twilight alternatively suggested, interrupting her friend. Oh hell! My eyes widened as my ears flattened back in an instant.

"Wait, you ponies go through an estrus cycle?! How many times a year, and does it sync up?" I asked rapidly, suddenly realizing exactly what they had been talking about.

Rarity momentarily looked totally flabbergasted, while Twilight just giggled and nodded, answering, "Yes, it does sync up with other mares so we mostly all go into heat at the same time if we live together long enough. That's cumbersome for tight knit communities like Ponyville. It occurs twice in a year; once in the spring, and a somewhat lighter one in the beginning of fall. You luckily showed up after the first one."

Rarity coughed lightly and looked away again, nodding. "Indeed. You wouldn't have found any males at all, and probably would have actually been pursued had you shown up a mere week and a half earlier, just for a different reason other than food. I'm sure that would have worsened your opinion of us severely."

Well, I guess I lucked out after all. "Well, if he'd arrived for the spring one, yeah. The fall variety isn't that bad. Regardless, we evacuate the males more for their comfort than anything. All of the pheromones drifting through the air makes them a little awkward," Twilight corrected in a rather proper manner. Well, they seemed to be extremely civilized about it. It was more like a biological annoyance than a true danger, then.

"Eh, I don't mind being shipped off to some cabin for a week. You'll have to give me the specifics when it comes closer to being required," I requested, easing back down into my disaster prevention position, deciding that it wasn't really that dire a conversation after all.

Rarity let out a huffing noise before rolling her eyes. "I personally think you're crazy not to go with him, and would hate to see the social stigma that will stir up, but as your friend, you have my support," she finally gave in, averting her eyes from my now slightly flustered looking fillyfriend. That was so weird to think about.

"It's not that big of a social stigma! I mean, lots of mares decide to wait before, um, that," Twilight defended, probably needlessly, given what Rarity had just finished saying. That probably indicated something, but I was too lazy to think about it further. Plus I felt like crap.

"Perhaps. I'm simply concerned for the stability of your relationship if you truly decide to wait as long as it sounds," Rarity pointed out. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think I heard an impish undertone to her voice. Weird.

My stomach finally started to settle gently. Twilight looked suddenly like she might need the bucket instead, however. "W-What?! Um, but I haven't read anything about... Oh no, I didn't read the advanced relationship books yet, though! I didn't think I'd need those for a few years still!" she exclaimed, starting to shift into her telltale panic state. Uh oh. Wait, years?!

"Years?! Oh, I truly feel for you, Mender," Rarity teased, letting out a light giggle as she looked over at me instead. Twilight practically spun in circles between looking at the two of us. Was Rarity doing this on purpose just to rile up Twilight? Wow, I hadn't realized pranks could get so ugly!

"Stop teasing her, Rarity. You know I don't, um, mind waiting as long as she needs to," I reminded, carefully choosing my words to hopefully head off the panic session. Twilight dismantling the train while we were moving sounded like a bad thing, yet something she might do while freaking out.

I shouldn't have hesitated in thinking up the proper wording, though. Twilight let out a soft whimpering noise before shrinking a little. Well, I guess we wouldn't be making it to the party after all. I braced for any potential magic catastrophes as best I could. Hey, at least my stomach felt better now!

The train's forward momentum slammed to a halt in an instant, sending my stomach lurching upwards into my lungs, it felt like. I winced before almost sliding off my seat. Rarity merely leaned back slightly in surprise while Twilight slid from the center of the room into the base of the seat Rarity was on, eyes getting a little watery and appearing oblivious to the sudden shift of momentum.

"This has been a successful test of the emergency brake system! If this had been a real emergency, it would have been accompanied by much more screaming. Thank you for your time!" I suddenly heard blaring over the speaker system in a male voice.

I promptly threw up into the bucket.

The sun bathed the entire area in light, shining brightly off the gentle cobblestones and worn brick. I winced and partially closed my eyes, the brightness just a little too much to be comfortable to me. My eyes hurt and my stomach still ached from throwing up on the stupid train. Still, as irritable as I felt, the city was quite impressive.

I'd never seen such a grand city in Equestria. Row after row of buildings greeted my mostly healed eyes. The main street was practically alive with ponies; easily three times the traffic of Ponyville. The buildings I could see mainly appeared to be cafes, shops, and other entertainment establishments. The fanfare was quite a sight to take in! Of course, extra banners appeared to be up, advertising a formal dance and fashion show put on by one "Fancypants." Huh. I wondered if Rarity knew who that was.

Speaking of, Rarity herself looked almost giddy as she sat next to me on the right. "Oooh, it's been too long since I've been here! I must see if there are any new supplementary fabrics before the show, Twilight," she quickly informed, looking past me to the left.

My fillyfriend nodded absently while going over a list she held up in her magic. "I figured as much and planned accordingly. We have three hours before we're expected to be at the banquet hall to get ready. Meet us at the castle in two hours so we can dress, okay?" Twilight suggested, looking over at her overly exuberant friend.

Rarity nodded pleasantly, neatly done mane bobbing with the motion. She then stood up and pranced off towards the rows of shops, a certain lightness to her step. I watched her go, trying to figure out where she got the energy. Ah well. I suppose this entire ordeal was her kind of thing.

"She'll never change. Not like that's a bad thing, though," Twilight agreed unknowingly to my inner thoughts, shifting her attention back to me with a smile.

I turned back to her and nodded pleasantly. "It's nice to watch somepony who really knows what they enjoy the most. Pinkie's the same way, to some degree," I observed idly, wondering if I'd ever show that level of excitement for something.

Twilight let out a chuckle before warning, "I wouldn't mention that comparison to Rarity. She likes to hold herself above the spastic level of energy Pinkie Pie demonstrates." Above? There was nothing wrong with Pinkie's energy that would 'lower' it in the first place.

"I must defend Pinkie, stating that her mannerisms are certainly admirable as well," I protested, frowning slightly.

The lavender unicorn nodded without missing a beat, nor losing her smile. "Of course. They're just very different. But we're delaying too much. I need to go speak with the castle staff and arrange rooms for the three of us. You don't mind staying with me, right?" she asked, standing up again and carefully sliding her rolled up list into her saddle bag.

"Of course not," I assured, sticking my tongue out at her before adding, "We slept together last night and it turned out nicely. It was amazing to have a night without nightmares, which I totally credit to the beautiful mare I got to cuddle with." I couldn't help but blush a little as I tried to emphasize exactly how much I appreciated her.

Her cheeks flared up with a hot blush, but she only smiled wider. "Mender! You're just so... Ugh. I don't even know what to say," she complained, tone of voice betraying a completely different mood. Her eyes also softened, a warm feeling behind them that I couldn't quite place.

"Just the truth, Twilight. Do you want me to come with?" I asked, pretty sure that I already knew the answer.

She giggled, informing, "You can just call me 'Twi' if you want. It feels more intimate and informal. And no. I need you to make a brief detour and pick up some food to go before joining me. Rarity will be hungry as well when she gets back and we need to eat before the party."

"Food?" I questioned, tilting my head at her. Wait, she wanted me to wander off by myself to run an errand in a totally unfamiliar city?

Twilight nodded politely, oblivious to my nervousness. "Yup. It doesn't matter where, so long as it's edible. Enough for all three of us, of course. I'll give you some bits for it," she furthered, levitating a small, pink coin bag out of her saddlebags and hooking it onto mine. Great. Pink.

"Um, okay. I just ask for it to go?" I asked, largely for clarity. This was going to go poorly. It was almost a foregone conclusion at this point, I had a feeling.

She nodded excitedly before starting towards the massive castle that easily loomed above the rest of the town. Well, that was imposing. I wondered if Celestia was compensating for something or if she just inherited the place like that. "Yup! I'll put in the word with the gate guards to expect you, don't worry. Just hurry along so we can get situated into our rooms before the party!" she returned, adding a wink as she pranced in place.

My thoughts tinted my cheeks and I coughed lightly, trying not to jump to conclusions about the implications. "All right. I'll try to go as fast as I can," I assured, nodding to her and smiling.

"Awesome! See you in a bit!" she exclaimed excitedly before disappearing in a flash of light and a little hop. I watched her flicker in down the street a little ways, only to disappear again and repeat the short flickering in the direction of the palace. Damn. It must be nice to have a planet-sized pool of magic.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the shops, looking for any restaurant-looking ones. An outdoor cafe probably wouldn't be too expensive, and would likely be able to get the food in a hurry. Spotting cozy eating chairs furnished with oversized umbrellas, I smiled and headed in that direction, sporting a moderate gait. Twilight being in a good mood lightened my spirits considerably. It was almost enough to let me forget about the sour look the stewardess gave me upon cleaning out the bucket earlier.

I was careful of the crowds as best I could, making sure to stay clear of the clusters as I neared the cafe. It was a pleasant looking spot, simplistic in design yet looking very new and clean. I nodded to myself before approaching the entrance.

Unfortunately, a couple appeared to be just leaving as I rounded from the sidewalk. I ground to a halt, starting to backtrack a little. The stallion looked large and imposing, yet very proper and worldly. The mare was lithe, legs extremely long and groomed, making her seem slender and taller than she actually was. Unfortunately for me, and probably her as well, she paid me no attention and did a little twirl to face the stallion as they exited, a happy smile on her face. Oh crap.

She collided with me almost instantly, causing both of us to spill sideways and become a tangled heap on the ground. I winced as I hit first, my body becoming effectively a squishy pillow for her impact. Oh well. I'd rather it that way than the inverse.

My eyes opened, then widened drastically as I was presented with a very detailed, up close view of her elegant, abstract Cutie Mark. "Ah! Hey!" she shouted, scrambling off me and glaring. I swallowed, ears lowering as her expression made me feel further pathetic.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to," I apologized profusely before slowly getting to my hooves.

The stallion stepped forward instead, however. "I do say, what are your intentions, young one? That is most disrespectful behavior to force upon a mare! Explain yourself!" he demanded, frowning down at me as I shrunk further. His styled blue mane, nicely pressed suit, and radiant white coat made him look even more important. I knew this was a bad idea! His pink-maned mare leaned closer behind him, partially hiding herself from sight as I swallowed, tongue feeling like it was swelling in my mouth.

Pink. My eyes widened as I caught another dot of pink below my vision, and glanced down at the stonework. Twilight's coin bag lay at my feet, having been knocked loose in the collision. I checked my side and sure enough, it was missing. "Um, I really didn't intend on landing like that. You surprised me!" I tried to explain, before carefully picking the coin pouch up with my mouth. It smelled like Twilight, which was a little distracting.

Both of their eyes widened as they watched me pick up the bag. "M-My bits!" the mare exclaimed, looking shocked. Huh?! I glanced to her side and widened my eyes as well as I saw an almost exact duplicate of the tiny pink pouch tied to her saddlebag.

"You scoundrel!" I heard the stallion declare before feeling a solid impact with the side of my head. Wincing, I stumbled sideways and cracked my head off the side of the entrance to the cafe before I could so much as explain otherwise. "Guards! Quickly!" was shouted in his echoing voice as stars exploded into my vision.

Aaaah! My head throbbed as I curled up, holding both sides of it. My vision danced and blurred as I pulled my right hoof back, blotches of red covering it. Crap. "I didn't take anything. That's my fillyfriend's pouch..." I groaned, trying to sit up again.

Suddenly, I was knocked sideways by something extremely solid, shoving me into the side of the wall. I saw an imposing looking guard standing over me with a glare when my eyes opened up again. Lacking the energy, I didn't resist as he shoved metal cuffs around my hooves. My eyes widened further as I watched the sharp metal lock around me, the chains going taunt and rattling in my ears. That rattling. Chains.

Her smirk glittered through the haze from the dark, the blood dripping from her claws and blades as I was forced onto the table, screaming and missing an eye now. There was no healing from it. I watched her bite down on it and eat it myself. I screamed until I passed out, not realizing that's what actually happened. My world rapidly faded into the darkness that surrounded her.

---

The darkness was miserable, of course. I shivered as I sat in the furthest corner of my tiny, stone room; the looming metal bars cast an ominous shadow across the wall next to me. The wooden 'bed' chained to the wall partially blocked the light from my lower body as I sat there, absolutely freezing. A rough wrapping had been tied around my head to stop the bleeding but I hadn't been cleaned up. This place must be underground somewhere as well, because it was absolutely freezing.

I had no idea where I was apart from a jail cell with a very silent guard. I was on the wooden slab when I woke up in cold sweat, thinking someone was ripping my muscles out one section at a time. I guess I had been arrested. This was an amazing attempt at getting food for Twilight and Rarity.

The absolute silence was broken suddenly by solid, slow hoof steps from the left of my cell entry. My eyes widened as they matched up fairly well to the pounding inside of my skull, and I glanced back at the bars, shaking still. I must have lost a lot of blood as well.

The hoof steps stopped, and I saw the front of a rather large stallion, another unicorn, standing in front of the guard. His mane was striped in light and dark shades of blue in such a way that, interestingly enough, reminded me of Twilight. His coat, however, was pure white, and he wore detailed, golden armor that was similar, but far more extravagant than the guard who saluted him. Uh oh.

"I was told a prisoner needed my attention down here? I hope this is quick. I'm supposed to meet my sister at the palace," he questioned in a lighter tone that surprised me. I'd expected him to have such a deep voice that the stone would crack around me. Maybe that was my nerves talking.

"Yes sir! Arrested in the markets near a cafe. An account of both petty theft and sexual harassment. Further, we think he's mentally unstable and possibly dangerous," the guard spoke up. My ears lowered with each word. Wow. Less than an hour in Canterlot and I'd already been declared crazy. I wonder if this was a record.

The stallion sighed and nodded before sliding open the bars. He stepped easily inside, not an ounce of fear despite me being 'dangerous', and casually lit a lantern that hung on the wall. I winced at the light and further curled up into a little ball behind the wooden slab, shivering as it only reminded me of how nice heat was. I anticipated an interrogation was next on my schedule.

"Why is this stallion not bandaged properly? He's obviously injured," the white unicorn questioned, looking incredulously towards the guard who stood at his left.

"We dared not approach! Regardless, in the end, he came willingly," the guard assured. Willingly? Is that what they call blood loss and severe head trauma now? Unfortunately, I was more hurt at losing Twilight's pouch. I swallowed painfully and lowered my head to my hooves. I exaggerated, anyway. I doubted the little scratch to the side of my head did any more damage than apples from the stratosphere or Applejack's hoof. No, that was also an exaggeration. I doubted Rainbow Dash ever escaped the troposphere.

The stallion shook his head above me and sat down. A light touch of magic surprised me, causing me to jump and shudder. The wound along the side of my head slowly healed in a gentle, cyan light. "I'm sorry for their rude behavior. I'd like to get the full story from you, however. Miss Fleur came to me, abashed, after you had been arrested with some interesting admission that I'd like to verify," he explained calmly, completing the healing magic in record time.

I glanced up at him and nodded, rasping out, "I'll tell you anything. I'm sorry!" I wasn't quite prepared to speak and coughed afterwards, my vocal cords feeling like they had frost on them.

"Relax. Just tell me what happened in your own words," he coaxed calmly, giving me a surprisingly assuring smile. In the light, I also noticed his Cutie Mark, which happened to be a shield and starburst, alongside three smaller stars above. The star shape looked remarkably similar to Twilight's as well, and I started to relax a little. "Yes, you might know me. My name is Shining Armor. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard," he furthered, smiling as he noticed me peek at his mark.

"I... Well, I'm kind of new here, so I didn't know. It just looked familiar. I'm Moon Mender," I muttered weakly, looking back at him fully.

He frowned, seemingly thinking for a moment before exhaling. "That sounds familiar, too, but I can't remember where. Anyway, Miss Fleur found her bag after you had been arrested and admitted she had erred in accusing you of theft. I guess that pink pouch is popular!" he exclaimed, chuckling afterwards. The guard next to him widened his eyes, and then looked away from me a moment later. Admittedly, I was surprised by the lax interrogation technique, but took the break if it was offered.

"Well, I'm thankful. The bag belongs to my fillyfriend. Um, can I have it back?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.

Shining Armor smiled, however, and nodded. "Of course. You have very good tastes. I'm sure your mare will be delighted that you tried to protect it. In fact, I got a bag just like that for my sister last year. It's a wonderful gift," he assured, seemingly more amused at the coincidences than angry at my arrest. Well, if it was a popular enough bag, a lot of mares probably had it. Rarity probably had picked it up for Twilight.

I smiled faintly and relaxed, still not feeling the best but happy that I hadn't lost Twilight's pouch. She trusted me with it, after all. "That little thing is really important to you, isn't it? You must really care for her," the guard captain observed, smiling warmly all of a sudden.

I nodded weakly, looking back up at him as best I could. I was ravenous, having emptied out my stomach on the train and now missed lunch. What time was it, speaking of? Had I missed the party, too? "She trusted me with it and asked me to get food for her and a friend. I, um, care for her a lot and don't want to lose her trust," I explained, trying to be as honest as I could.

Shining Armor nodded earnestly before seemingly thinking to himself. "I'm under the impression that the collision wasn't entirely your fault either. Still, now that I know more details, I should at least extend the courtesy of sending a message to her about what happened. What's the name of your mare, and where is she staying?" he inquired, smiling now as he looked back down at me. I felt a little safer now and nodded, sitting up fully.

"Her name's-" I started, before the once silent guard walked up next to Shining Armor.

"Actually, I got his address in a statement prior. Here you go, Captain," he interrupted, cutting me off. Oh yeah. He had questioned me when I was first arrested.

Shining Armor picked up the clipboard offered with his magic and floated it in front of him. I fell silent and let the captain read it over carefully. I'd answered all the questions to the best I could manage, so I figured that would cut off a lot of any potential interrogation that was needed from me. "Oh, interesting. You're staying in a castle suite? You must be here for the party tonight that Fancypants is throwing. Ironic. I've got to bring you to the castle anyway, so I'll send a message ahead and we'll meet your fillyfriend there," he explained after a good minute of reading. I shifted uneasily. Twilight had given me Rarity's room, but I had no idea what her own room number was. I'd hoped it wouldn't complicate things that I'd given them Rarity's instead.

I nodded weakly, asking, "Are you letting me go, then?" This was all just one giant misunderstanding, and I was really glad he was so friendly! Ponies really were a lot different than Keldarians. At that point, I didn't know why I was expecting otherwise. The worst part about this little experience so far had been the cold dungeon.

"As part of regulation, I've got to get confirmation from the castle. Your fillyfriend shouldn't be a problem, but I also need to sign off on your release. The office is over there, however. Paperwork, right?" he explained, smirking over at me.

I snickered, feeling a lot better finally. His healing magic was top notch! "Thanks for being so understanding. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. What a day!" I groaned. He also said tonight, I noticed. That must mean I hadn't missed the party yet! Twilight would be mildly irked that I'd not gotten them food, but at least it wasn't a complete disaster.

Shining Armor laughed and shook his head. "Relax. I understand what a bad day is like. You should have seen the Changeling invasion!" he exclaimed, signing off on the clipboard before passing it back to the guard. Changeling?

I tilted my head, but then flattened my ears back as he fitted the manacles back onto my legs. My forelegs couldn't stop shaking as he fastened them. Why was this…? "Mender, Relax. Nopony is going to hurt you. You only have to wear these until we get to the castle and verify your story. It's just procedure, and I'll stay with you the whole time, okay?" Shining Armor softly assured, patting me on the head. It probably mentioned my reaction to the chains on the clipboard.

Shivering, I managed a weak nod as he helped me up and led me towards the door. At least this would all be over soon and I could go back to Twilight.

---

Groaning again, I tried my hardest to hide my face as best I could. The cart slowly moved along through the street, careful to let ponies move out of the way before passing. It was decided that I'd be transported to the castle via cart instead after I fell down two flights of stairs while wearing the manacles. Shining Armor was really, really good at healing magic!

Still, this was more than a little embarrassing. Shining Armor himself sat at the front of the cart with the driver. I was in the back, trying my best to hide and wishing the sides of the thing were taller. The chains attached to me were easily visible, of course, and I saw dozens of ponies giving harsh whispers and giggles as I passed. Damn it. There goes the effect Rarity had been hoping for. She wasn't going to want to use me for showing off her suit if everypony knew I was a criminal!

Shining Armor did his best to not make a spectacle of it, taking a back street most of the way there before cutting out onto the main thoroughfare in order to get to the castle gates. The cart rolled through the gates and finally reached the sanctuary and privacy of the grounds, letting me exhale gently. Less ponies seeing me meant less rumors going around. Of course, three blocks of aristocratic looking ponies had already seen me regardless, and if they were anything like what I was used to dealing with back in my old world that I recall, rumors would explode anyway.

"Okay then. Message was sent ahead via pegasi, so we should be expected. I'm going to escort you to the assembly hall where they're waiting, and then once you're spoken for, I'll go upstairs and fill out your release paperwork," Shining Armor said, making his way around to the back of the wagon and helping me down.

Slowly, I nodded, putting most of my focus into not falling on my face. I'd fallen out of the wagon twice trying to get up onto the thing, but at least I'd landed on my butt then. Nose-diving would suck considerably more. At least they knew I wasn't going to run away. Well, run away effectively, I appended to my thoughts a moment later.

He smiled once I had all four hooves on the ground and carefully led me towards a side gate for the right wing of the massive looking castle. Shining Armor kept careful pace with me and kept his magic up to stabilize me as I wobbled, snagging my legs on the chains every half dozen meters or so. The guard that was in the back of the cart with me followed a little behind us, from the sounds of it. It wasn't the same guard as at my cell, not that I could tell the difference, anyway. Why did all the guards look the same? Security measure?

The heavy door opened with a creaking noise, and it was a lot dimmer inside, lit by the warm glow of wall sconces. Heavy looking marble tile decorated the floor, and a soft looking rug led from the entry all the way along the hallway. Fancy looking benches made of a rich oak of some sort lined the sides. This looked like a kind of waiting chamber or something. What did he call it? Assembly hall?

To my absolute relief, both Twilight and Rarity were waiting at the far end of the hall. Rarity sat calmly on a chair, giving a soft if knowing smile to Twilight as she paced back and forth. I swallowed nervously. Even though I hadn't been here for very long, I could kinda tell when my fillyfriend was frazzled. It wasn't a good feeling to be the source of that discomfort.

"Eh?! Twily!" Shining Armor suddenly exclaimed, steadying me from my start before trotting forward ahead of me towards the two mares. Twily? Wait, was he talking to Twilight?!

I blinked and watched, surprised, as she looked over in response to the name, shock evident on her face. "Shiny?" she asked, eyes widening rapidly. Shiny?! What the hell?! They obviously knew each other, but why did they have pet names? Wait, no. That couldn't be. Oh hell. No, Twilight would have told me!

"What are you doing here, Twily? Wait, you heard I was bringing a pony over and intercepted, didn't you? I sent a message to your room saying I was going to be a little late," Shining Armor groaned out. Her room? Her room?! My right eye twitched, the spasm traveling all the way down my chest and right foreleg, giving the chains a jiggle.

Twilight's eyes didn't shrink down, and she looked past Shining Armor and over at me. I glared in her direction, really hoping this wasn't what it looked like. No, if she were already in a herd with this stallion, somepony would have told me! They wouldn't have kept this a secret this long. They couldn't have.

Shining Armor followed her gaze and peeked back at me. I snapped the glare off my expression, not wanting for him to decide to throw me back in jail. "Oh, don't mind him. I'm just dropping him off to his fillyfriend here at the castle. She should have been here already, though," he muttered before looking around the hall. Oh hell. If he found out I was dating his herd member, I predicted a lot of complications.

Twilight's ears flattened back and she lowered her eyes, shifting them back and forth as if fighting violently with thoughts in her mind. Rarity looked utterly speechless as she glanced between Twilight and Shining Armor, who finally noticed her. "Wait, Rarity? Oh. Oh! Oh my. Is that why you two are here? Wow! I didn't realize the guest you invited with you was your coltfriend, Rarity! Is that why you two are acting so weird?" he continued, seemingly a bit concerned that nopony was saying anything. Rarity?!

Rarity let out a gasp of surprise, flush exploding over her cheeks as her eyes widened at him. Twilight shuddered and rapidly looked over at Rarity as well, as if burned for a moment. "Ah! R-Rarity? Of course! Yeah, thanks for dropping off Rarity's coltfriend. You can go now, Shiny! I'll talk to you back in my room, okay?" Twilight suddenly spewed out. Several icy hammers hit me in the chest as I stared at her. My forelegs started to shake and I couldn't seem to stop them as I let out a sharp gasp. She was embarrassed about me and was pretending I was Rarity's coltfriend?! My ears dropped completely.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity suddenly shouted, shifting from looking shocked to righteously pissed in half a second. Oh hell. Shining Armor must have thought the same thing as me, as he hopped backwards away from the unicorn, who was now standing up in her chair and glaring at Twilight.

Twilight flinched and shrunk visibly away from Rarity, not meeting her eyes. The guard pony standing next to me made no motion to move any closer, just watching with wide eyes as the rather brutal and awkward scene unfolded. My head was still reeling from the implications mixed with what Twilight had just said. I could barely process what was going on.

"I, um, I'm sorry. Uh, Shiny, meet Moon Mender. Um, he's the stallion I wrote about in my letters," Twilight finally admitted, shrinking down to the floor. She told him about me, but she didn't want him to know that I was me? She was embarrassed I was arrested, then. I didn't know how to feel about this. Her, well, a stallion close to her was the captain of the guard, so I could see why she was appalled that I'd been arrested.

Shining Armor looked back at me, eyes widening rapidly. "Moon Mender! That's where I heard his name before! This is your coltfriend?!" he asked sharply.

"I was going to tell you! I just didn't know what to say and he'd been arrested for something, so I panicked! I'm sorry," Twilight continued, standing up again and prancing anxiously in front of the much larger stallion. Damn it. Who was he? Did she honestly keep this much from me?

"I'm not the one you should apologize to! Fine. Stay here and I'll go get the stupid paperwork filed and get him released. I'll be back in a bit," he snarled out, sounding rather angry as he stormed off and through a side door.

The hallway fell silent, and I dropped my head. This had gone from getting better to rock bottom almost instantly. My head was swimming with what I'd just heard, and I didn't know where to even start sorting everything out. It didn't help that my eyes were getting watery and my chest hurt. The guard next to me gave me a soft nod and frown before undoing my restraints.

I heard hoofsteps getting closer in front of me, but I refused to look up, staring at my hooves instead. "He was charged with an account of sexual harassment, and another of petty theft. Both charges have been acquitted, however, and he's free to go. It was all a misunderstanding," the guard explained next to me as the movement stopped.

"M-Mender, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie about that. I panicked. This wasn't how I wanted things to go," Twilight muttered quietly. I shivered again, eyes softening. That much was obvious. Nothing today had gone as planned.

Slowly, I looked up at Twilight, who sat in front of me about a meter away. Rarity was rapidly catching up, still glaring at Twilight's back as she approached. "This is absolutely horrifying, Twilight. Even if embarrassed, consider Mender's feelings! The charges are false and he is innocent regardless, so there's no need to feel ashamed of him," the white unicorn scolded harshly, sitting down next to Twilight.

"I'm not ashamed! This just wasn't how I wanted Mender to meet my brother, okay!" Twilight snapped back, too quick to be sincere. Brother?!

My exhale was instant and excessive as I slumped slightly. Shining Armor was her brother! The relief washed through me instantly, and I couldn't help but smile a little. Oh. Her brother had just escorted me as a prisoner to the castle. Okay, I could see why she freaked out now. It took me a moment to realize that both mares had stopped talking and were giving me questioning looks.

"Er, sorry. I didn't know he was her brother. Um, the way they addressed each other," I tried to explain quietly.

Rarity blinked, and then snorted, holding a hoof up to her lips instantly as if to hold back a sudden bout of laughter. Twilight simply shivered as a deep blush crept onto her face. I coughed politely and looked away again. Yeah, I was expecting that reaction. "No! No, no, no! He's my brother, not… Oh Celestia. No! You're my only coltfriend, Mender!" Twilight rapidly corrected, not that it was needed at this point. The guard next to me averted his eyes from all of us rapidly, and I could have sworn I saw a smirk starting to play at his lips.

"Oh ho ho, that would be scandalous indeed. But no, Prince Shining Armor is Twilight's brother, not lover. Still, that doesn't excuse her for trying to do that!" Rarity reminded, shifting back to a stern glare at the lavender mare.

Twilight sighed and nodded, not meeting my eyes still. I was just happy to know that I didn't have competition, especially of that level. There was no way I could compete with the captain of the guard. "Come on, Mender. Let's go back to Rarity's room. There's a comfy couch there you can lie down on," Twilight finally muttered, shifting the topic as best she could while gesturing towards the door opposite of the one that Shining Armor used. My ears perked as I glanced over at the guard, who outright snickered before shaking his head.

"I doubt it's going to be a problem anymore. I'll let the captain know where you've gone, and try to calm him down a little," the guard said before I even opened my mouth. Admittedly, I was a bit surprised, but nodded hesitantly. Well, today was still crap, but maybe now it would look up? I mean, what more could possibly go wrong at this point? No, I'd better not say that. There was always falling off the side of the cliff the city was built into.

"Why thank you, Dear! You've been extremely helpful, and I shall put in a good word with Shining Armor for you," Rarity spoke politely before looking back at me and shifting to a quizzical expression before continuing with, "Wait, is that dried blood on your muzzle, Mender? Oh my. Let's go get you lying down, okay?"

I sighed and nodded wearily back to her. The day wasn't over yet. "I'll explain on the way there," I excused, resigning myself to walking after Twilight, who had already turned and headed for the door she pointed out earlier. No, the day was still young, and probably going to get a lot longer…

---

"Seriously? Twenty minutes. In twenty minutes, you managed to not only get yourself beat up, but accused of sexual harassment and theft. Then arrested," Twilight groaned out, staring at me with what could only be described as a look of dumbfounded shock.

I kept my head down and ears lowered as I looked up at her from the couch, and a royal nurse carefully tending to my forehead. It annoyed me that head wounds bled so much. My fur needed to be cleaned now, and there was less than an hour before the party!

Rarity giggled merrily behind Twilight, lightly sipping tea at a rather elegant wooden table. They had gotten food somehow anyway, it would seem. At this point however, I was more worried about having made an idiot of myself, and ruined Twilight's introduction of me to her brother. I had humiliated her, and further felt like crap because of it.

"Relax, Twilight. The charges were falsified, we got room service anyway, and you got your bit pouch back," Rarity pointed out sagely after setting her cup down. I was both happy and sad that they so easily managed to get food without me. After being hauled up to the palace in chains, I'd lost all sense of hunger, only to find out that my duty hadn't really been needed in the first place. The stares were enough to make me want to curl into a ball and cry for a few hours. Pity that would make me feel like an even bigger wimp. At least Rarity had visibly calmed down now that she had gotten tea.

"It's all so embarrassing, though! This isn't how I wanted to introduce him to my brother, for one. Plus, everypony saw him hauled through the streets and are going to think he's done something horrible," Twilight shouted, pacing back and forth in a tight circle. I shriveled further on the couch, making the nurse tisk as I flinched.

Rarity gave her a speculative, questioning glance over her cup, but Twilight didn't seem to notice. Finally, I managed to suggest in a quiet voice, "She's right, Rarity. I don't think it's a good idea to bring me as your guest anymore."

Rarity surprised me by smiling warmly. "Nonsense, Dear. If brought up, it shall simply make for an amusing story and correction. There's absolutely nothing negative to worry about," she assured, causing me to exhale quietly. Admittedly, her words put me a little at ease. She was willing to explain to ponies who asked and tell of my innocence.

Twilight shook her head and resumed pacing. "I don't know how you can be so nonchalant about it. I mean, it's so embarrassing! Don't they have, like, privacy carriages or something?! The guards are supposed to be professional," she complained, moving the target of her wrath to prisoner transport, it would seem. It felt like she was just angry in general and lashing out at things. At least she wasn't angry with me. Still, I think I'd rather have her angry with me than ashamed of me.

Rarity frowned outright at this and set her cup down again, a little more forcefully this time. The noise snapped Twilight out of her spiral and caused both of us to look at the white unicorn.

"That's enough, Twilight! You know as well as I do that he is innocent. If it concerns you, spread that fact around to any who question rather than worry about how it might influence your own reputation," she lectured, surprisingly harshly. The tone was strict and demanding, leaving an almost unspoken dare to challenge her and get trounced. In my reasonably shaken mentality, it was more than a little intimidating, and I shrank further.

Twilight, for her part, looked more surprised than anything. "But, I wasn't worried about... I mean, he's my stallion and I care for him, is all. It's not like I was, well, okay, I was a little embarrassed over the ordeal but," she started to shakily protest, shifting back and forth on her hooves.

Rarity's eyes narrowed slowly the longer Twilight went on. The lavender mare hesitated and slowed to a stop before sighing. "Okay, fine. I was utterly horrified," she finally admitted. It hurt, but it was the truth. I knew that it was because of me as well, which hurt the most. Come on! One normal day is all I ask.

"You were ashamed. Ashamed of the stallion you claim to care about. This is not you, Twilight," Rarity spoke quietly, earning a wince from all three remaining ponies in the room; the nurse oddly included as she blatantly listened in. I didn't care at this point, though.

Twilight stayed quiet for an agonizing half a minute, shifting her gaze between the floor and myself a couple times. I was ashamed as well; far too much to even look her in the eye at this point. What a mess. Why did it have to be me? Of course, I caught myself asking that quite often about various things. I wondered if that was just another way to run away.

The nurse let out a yelp as I flailed about in panic from the sudden foreign set of lips on my forehead. Twilight thankfully backed up and simply observed until I stopped wiggling. I stared at her in surprise until she giggled and looked down again. "Um, are you okay, Mender? I should have asked you that a while ago. I'm sorry," she spoke softly, smiling weakly as her eyes caught mine again.

My mouth was still open in shock. Becoming aware of it, I slowly closed it and exhaled wearily, having no idea how to answer. She suddenly decided to take Rarity's advice? My eyes lowered as I let myself slowly slide down onto the couch cushion again, letting the nurse resume her cleaning of the wound site. At least she said it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked. Damn head wounds...

"Did it, um, bring up any bad memories?" the decidedly warm and comfortable lavender unicorn asked instead as she gave my muzzle and nose a light kiss. It tickled a little and I smiled weakly.

"When they put the hoof cuffs on me, it did. I think I passed out shortly after," I replied, feeling a little more relaxed but tired now. My body just wanted to sleep for a while and heal.

Rarity perked up at the mention of my memories and listened intently. My fillyfriend just nodded against my nose before getting up fully onto the cushion in front of me. "She's right. You're innocent and I shouldn't be worried about myself. I'll stand by you too, Mender," she assured after a moment's hesitation.

"Well, I'll be. I guess you were telling the truth and not just helping some stranger escape jail. I'm also glad to see you apologized," I suddenly heard spoken in a familiar voice, followed by an even more familiar laugh. His absence must have put him in a better mood.

Twilight opened her eyes again and shifted them in the direction of the doorway to her chambers. I peeked as well, discovering Shining Armor slowly walking into the room, still in full armor but looking considerably more relaxed than he had been earlier. Maybe it was because it was warmer up here? Or he really liked filling out paperwork…

"Of course, Shiny. A little late for this, but meet Moon Mender, my coltfriend. Mender, this is my brother, Shining Armor. But you already knew that," Twilight introduced, smiling gently now and seemingly feeling better.

"It is good to meet you outside of the jail cell, Mender. Unfortunate series of events, that. But I have a feeling you're a good stallion after all, especially after what you said about the pouch," he welcomed, winking at me. I blushed weakly and looked away. If I had known he was Twilight's brother, I would have stayed quiet about the whole thing!

"Huh? What do you mean?" the now exceedingly curious unicorn in front of me questioned.

Shining Armor snickered before shaking his head, however. "Anonymity sometimes breeds honesty, Twily. I know he deeply cares for you, which is enough to make me accept him as your coltfriend," he assured with a smirk.

I shook my head wearily. "Honestly, I'm just glad I got it back. That had me worried the most," I muttered, glancing back up at Twilight's brother with a newly discovered curiosity. Outside of his post, he wore a relaxed expression, even in his armor. He was a little smaller than Big Mac, but it looked like he had years of experience behind his eyes. He also had a horn, and if he came from the same family as Twilight, I could only hope to guess at how powerful he was.

Twilight sighed and shook her head, however, drawing my attention back to her before adding, "As much as I'm happy to have the pouch back, I'm just happy that you're okay." I caught myself blushing and smiled weakly with what energy I had left, searching her eyes for truth to that. If she was going to make an effort to trust me, I should definitely make an effort to trust her back. Our relationship hadn't been the smoothest so far, but maybe that would make it stronger overall? Her expression was earnest, however, and she returned a warm smile.

"I'm still curious as to why you felt so strongly for the pouch, Mender," Rarity spoke up, smiling over her cup of tea at me a moment later. Her tail swished back and forth behind her in an oddly polite, sophisticated manner, as if on display with its fine curves.

Chuckling, I shook my head again. "Besides the fact that it was Twi's and she trusted me with it? It also had her bits in it, which was important. But for the honest truth, I myself have nothing to my name. Even the saddlebag I hauled things here with is Twi's. So for her to give me something so dear to her and almost lose it might bother me a bit more than normal," I speculated quietly, having just considered it for the first time now. It was just a feeling that was there.

The lavender unicorn smiled and kissed me softly on the top of the nose again before being shooed away by the nurse, who was now cleaning my fur along my cheek. "You're amazingly sweet, Mender. We need to have you start getting things of your own, however. You've honestly done a lot of hard work for me and my friends and deserve it," she added, not dissuaded by the nurse at all.

Shining Armor chuckled, distracting me before I could protest. "She's right. The letters she writes back to us are practically glowing about you! I could have sworn from the letters that you were twice my size, made of coiled iron, and threw fire with a wave of your hoof," he tossed on, smirking.

"Hey!" Twilight practically shouted, flushing red as she whipped her head back and glared at him menacingly. I held back a chuckle before nuzzling her cheeks gently. She made a squeaking noise, but held her ground and smiled again, features relaxing a little.

"My, my. Normally I'd be chased halfway around the castle for that comment! He really has tamed you quite a bit," her brother teased further, dancing backwards away from her tiny electric shock blast. She growled and fired a second one at him as well. He started to dance backwards again when my hoof touched the sofa instead.

A magic line arched along the floor faster than a lightning strike and the large barrier extended up in the same instant, totally blocking the small blast of electricity. He stopped and stared at it in surprise, before Twilight glared at me instead.

"What, are you taking his side?" she questioned, eyes narrowing a little.

Hastily, I nuzzled her again in assurance before explaining, "Just saving him from your wrath. I'm honored, Twilight. You don't need to be angry over it." She let out a soft sigh as I rested against her cheeks. A second ticked by and she finally smiled against me and relaxed again.

"All right. But only because you asked so nicely," she agreed, earning a snicker from both myself and Shining Armor.

"Interesting magic indeed. Physical contact creates it from the point of his left hoof, exactly like your letter stated. Your strength is in barriers?" he asked after a moment's thought.

I nodded at the partial answer. "Barriers, transmutation, and alteration magic. I block things, change the physical forms of things, and change the metaphysical properties of things," I summarized, closing my eyes sleepily. Twilight was warm and felt good against my now freshly cleaned cheek.

The nurse stood up again next to the couch and left contact with my side finally. "I've cleaned the site as best I could, but I suggest taking a shower to get the remainder of the blood out of your fur. It's just a surface wound and has already ceased bleeding. There's no further trauma that I can detect with my magic, so you should be all right," she reported in her quiet, rather soft voice. She sounded business-like but gentle.

"Thank you, Nurse," Rarity spoke up courteously in the background before adding, "It's best if you go do that now, Mender. Twilight and I already cleaned up while you were, well, preoccupied, and I need to get you into your suit before the party."

I had to admit she spoke wisdom. Shakily, I slowly stood up off the couch and wobbled before finding my balance. One would think that having four hooves instead of two feet would make me more stable, but that turned out to be false so far. More legs seemed to mean more ways to trip over myself, in my case.

"Do you need help walking, Mender? You did take a rather nasty hit to the head still," Twilight asked, moving in gently to brace against my side.

The image of her following me into the bathroom caused me to blush, and I rapidly shook my head. Twilight raised an eyebrow at my display, but I caught a knowing smirk from Rarity as if she practically read my mind.

"Baby steps, Mender," the pearly, technically almost white unicorn reminded. I suddenly realized she wasn't talking about my walking issues at all, and nodded back to her. Twilight deserved baby steps, and I was less likely to make an idiot of myself if I didn't rush anything in the relationship.

"Good idea, Rarity!" Twilight agreed, nodding enthusiastically to her friend and totally missing the underlying message, I suspected.

"Oh, Twily. Never change," Shining Armor agreed, rubbing her on the top of the head and earning another questioning glance as I quietly slipped towards the bathroom while she was distracted. If she did indeed catch on, I had a feeling it would only be awkward...

---

Temporarily drowning out the panicking Rarity in the background, I glanced around the massive, multi-story ballroom with a sense of awe and scrutiny all at once. It was an extremely impressive structure, had it actually been fully intact, I imagined. Repairs from some practically apocalyptic disaster that had struck the room were still ongoing, it would seem, and I was mildly concerned about how structurally intact the entire room was.

"This is why Pinkie was banned for two years from the room," Twilight whispered in my right ear from next to me. I shuddered, my having put two and two together a few minutes ago doing nothing to blunt the sheer horror of that statement. Hell, the stonework was completely shattered in a few spots!

"Are you sure they've put enough of it back together for this party to be safe?" I asked, glancing skeptically over at the stage near the massive bay window overlooking the cliff outside.

Twilight sighed wearily and nodded after a moment's consideration. "Well, they're professionals, I think. They wouldn't let Fancypants throw a party here if it wasn't safe, right? I think. Yeah, probably," she 'assured'. Crap. Her statement only making me more nervous, I stood up again and wandered along the wall, examining the support beams that had been put in place while they redid the inner masonry. They hadn't left any loose or jutting pieces of stone, so that was good. The wood they used also looked of high quality with proper supports. No, if there was any risk, it was probably in the ceiling near the two damaged areas. So the apparently newly replaced bay window by the stage and the front entrance to the room, both of which sported large wall craters. The parts furthest away from the support beams of the room were at risk of structural collapse if they hadn't been reinforced. Of course, lacking x-ray vision, I had no idea what the supports looked like inside of the ceiling.

"Mender! I need your help!" I suddenly heard Rarity call out. I turned to my left just in time to see the frantic mare speeding towards me, gorgeous dress swishing out with each shift of her back hips.

I waited for her to get within casual talking distance before politely asking, "What is it, Rarity? You know I'll help with anything."

She paused, relaxing a little and giving me a softer smile. "You really are a dear. These incompetent workers have not yet finished my stage and catwalk, sadly! This just will not do. Their boss took sick leave, of all things! How can one be sick when there's a fashion show to prepare for?! I've informed them that I'm recruiting you to lead them in the finalization of the stage," she summarized rapidly.

I went from assured to shocked, and finally to a little panicked by the time she finished, of course. "Uh, I don't think I'm qualified for construction like this. Besides, why would they even listen to me? I look like another party goer," I pointed out, gesturing towards the rather impeccable yet highly uncomfortable suit that I was currently wearing. Even my mane had been styled, which felt more than a little awkward. Well, re-styled. Embarrassingly enough, I had managed to accidentally punch myself in the head while trying to get the suit on, causing Rarity to have to go back and fix my mane up again. Thankfully, it was my left side that time, so I didn't reopen my wound.

Rarity wasn't dissuaded in the least, however. "Why, they'll listen to you because I told them to. After the wonderful job I watched you do making Applejack's machine up from scratch, I have not even the slightest doubt this will be foal's play for you," she complimented, trapping me into doing it at the same time.

My ears lowered and I sighed. The mare definitely had a way with words. "I'll try, Rarity. But only because it's you," I finally agreed, slowly heading back the way I came, towards the rather crude looking framework of a display tent.

"Oh, you're an absolute doll! A true prince of a," Rarity started to coo, hoof steps sounding as if she were following me. Her walking and voice ground to a halt in an instant, however. Huh? Slowing to a stop, I glanced back at her questioningly, only to discover her staring blankly at me with her mouth still partially open, mid-word. Had I done something wrong? Uh oh. Did I tear the back of the suit or something somehow?!

To my surprise however, a faint pink tint shifted into her cheeks rather than any expression of anger. She closed her mouth in a heartbeat and coughed lightly, looking away from me. This only served to leave my mind a further confused mess as I tried to figure out if I should be running away or not.

"Ah, sorry. A momentary stray thought distracted me. We must make haste, though," she excused a moment later, smiling back up at me with no trace left in her expression of what had been before. Weird. When she didn't want to, she certainly didn't wear her emotions at all.

Regardless, I nodded to her and continued towards the construction. The basic structure looked very elaborate with the curves and outcroppings, but that's all it appeared to be. There was nothing existing on the wood at all, which concerned me. Whatever the walls were supposed to be made of had better go up quickly, or there was no way it would be ready by eighteen hundred hours. If my guess was correct, it was probably a tent of some sort meant to hold fabric in place.

Rarity zipped ahead of me and quickly pulled aside a tan pony in an orange vest, who was wearing a solid looking yellow construction helmet. Tufts of black mane stuck out from under the headgear, I noticed. She whispered to him for a moment before nodding. He returned the nod a second later and glanced up at me before walking over. The entire exchange took all of ten seconds, leaving me wondering what exactly she said.

"The Boss says yer gonna help us with figuring out how ta put together the rest of the tent?" he asked dryly, sounding more than a little frustrated. Figure out? I nodded wearily, unsure of what to expect when he withdrew a rolled up piece of paper from his side bag. "Good! Ah'm not trained in these blasted plans and whatnot. Can you make sense of them?" he requested, offering me the roll. I couldn't place his accent, but that didn't surprise me, really. It was thick and the words almost felt 'slanted' somehow. It was hard to describe.

I took the roll with my left hoof, and he raised an eyebrow as it stuck without further assistance. My magic traced along the paper and it unfurled under my manipulation, causing him to step backwards a few hoof lengths in surprise. Still, I needed to hurry, so there was no time for restraint.

My eyes traced the lines on the paper, noting that it was the structure plans almost instantly. My frown lowered further when I noticed the units being used. Centimeters? Meters? Of course, the plan I'd made Applejack was in metric as well because that's what I had been used to using. I rarely, if ever, considered things in terms of the old fashioned Keldarian methods. Still, this wasn't made by me, but was still in metric units. There was starting to be a disturbing amount of coincidences involved for my liking, but I shook my head rapidly and tried to focus.

"These are structural plans for the frame. You have most of it done already, but there's not enough structural support for the front curtain or the upper-back ceiling where it connects to the changing rooms, yet," I pointed out, gesturing to the same spots on their constructed framework.

He momentarily looked surprised before nodding. "Ah thought it was a little light in the back. We don't want those poor mares having lumber fall on their heads! Ya heard him, team! Get on supporting the back, and get those front curtain rods up!" he shouted, gesturing towards the group of a dozen or so congregating near the front of the frame.

Rarity smiled pleasantly at the seeming results, but I shook my head. "No, too slow. You're only going to need three or four ponies for both of those jobs. Have the remainder start putting up the fabric along the front of the building at the same time and we can get the job done even faster," I suggested, heading towards the rolls of fabric they had resting nearby.

The head stallion seemed yet again surprised, but I ignored him and touched my hoof against the rolls. The top one exploded into movement as it unfurled itself, rapidly sliding along the floor before coating the right side of the 'tent' and rolling itself out over the frame.

"Oh, you don't have to actually help, Mender! They were simply having trouble figuring out what the plans meant," Rarity informed, trotting up while wearing a gentle smile.

I shook my head back at her, correcting, "Actually, the back reinforcement isn't on the plans. But without any attachment to the back wall above the changing room exits, it's a serious danger to anypony passing under the arc and through the doors. As for helping, I don't really have anything else to do until the party, so I might as well be useful."

Twilight smirked off to my left and joined Rarity in front of me. "That's very productive of you, Mender. Honestly, you'll make a name for yourself without needing Applejack's help, although her word certainly wouldn't hurt," she added, giving me a happy nod. That I blushed at and smiled after lowering my head a little. I wasn't really used to praise, but I was glad she was happy with me. My eyes widened subtly as I realized that it was important to me. I wanted her to be proud of me. Her, specifically.

Rarity gave a happy murmur and nod, agreeing with, "Indeed! You're very kind, Mender. I can see why Fluttershy also likes you." Well, I wasn't out specifically to be kind. Fluttershy absolutely oozed the virtue. In reality, I just wanted to be useful. I wanted to fit in and actually contribute; to help these amazing ponies as freely as they accepted me into their lives.

"I'm going to be free as well, Mender. May I assist you in construction of the stage and tent?" Twilight suddenly asked, smiling politely with her eyes gently closed towards me. It was more than a little adorable.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Please do prevent him from accidentally tearing his suit as well," Rarity requested, giving two nods towards Twi. I chuckled, realizing that it was indeed still Rarity talking. She must have recovered from whatever bothered her earlier.

Twilight snickered and nodded, pointing out, "He's not going to tear his suit if he sticks to using magic anyway. I'll just help hold things in place." The same stallion from before dropped his jaw, however, as she followed me back to the construction site.

"The Element of Magic herself is going to help put this together?!" he asked, watching her carefully lift up all three curtain rods at once.

She smiled while focusing and nodded absently. "Of course. You're already taking orders from my coltfriend, after all. I might as well help, too," she reasoned, lingering and putting more than a little emphasis on 'coltfriend' as she said it. I blushed lightly, and the brat of a mare looked right at me after finishing the statement. She held a knowing grin, and I suddenly realized she was intentionally spreading it around!

"Careful. It won't be secret for too much longer if you don't do some damage control," I warned, sticking my tongue out at her gently.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about it. Maybe I don't want it to be a secret? Rarity's right, you know? Honestly, it's totally normal and nopony is going to think any differently of me regardless," she reasoned, blowing a strand of her mane out of her face while two ponies to each side placed the curtain rods into their locking bars.

Chuckling, I shrugged absently. I wasn't one to question the topic, having no idea myself. "If I had to guess, they'll probably treat you with more respect due to who you are, actually. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about," I reasoned.

I was interrupted with a soft nudge to the shoulder, however. I glanced to my right only to see a smaller looking mare with a white coat and abruptly green mane. She was also decked out in the construction gear, so I assumed she was part of the team. "Excuse me, Mr. Moon Mender. We have the right side secured to the frame. Could you help us attach the left now?" she asked politely, oddly looking a little nervous for some reason. I hope she hadn't heard about what happened to the guard and thought my bad luck was contagious or something. Twilight had said Luna told her that the guard had been hospitalized upon returning to the barracks, it turns out. Something about a mild concussion, muscle strains, and potential infection in awkward places from small animal bites. I hadn't realized there was more than one squirrel! Or had it been a chipmunk?

"Oh, sure!" I returned, suddenly catching myself zoning and snapping myself back to reality.

She smiled innocently and nodded before gesturing to another roll of the heavy purple fabric. I released my minor barrier that was holding the right side up, tentatively at first. My smile widened upon realizing that it was indeed secured to the frame. Exhaling softly, I slid the other roll along the ground with my barrier again before unrolling it and hanging it up against the left side of the frame this time.

"I think your magic is getting stronger," Twilight commented, walking along at my left as I went, having finished her job.

Smiling, I nodded to her before she suddenly stopped and turned fully towards me, silently calling for my attention. I halted as well, making sure the fabric was solid against the frame before turning to look at her.

"What did you mean, 'who I am'?" she asked a moment later, tilting her head gently. Huh? Oh! The last thing I had said to her, that's right.

"You're Twilight Sparkle. That name, from what I hear, is synonymous with a mixture of Princess, Celebrity, and Superhero," I explained, winking at her.

As predicted, her cheeks lit up pink almost instantly. "Mender! Ugh. I'm not that important; certainly not a princess," she complained, flattening her ears back and looking down from my gaze.

"Oh, but technically you are, Twilight Dear. Your brother married a Princess, after all, which makes you royalty by relation," Rarity chimed in, making me jump a little. Looking behind me to the left, I saw her slowly trailing along, looking far more relaxed than earlier.

"That's hardly qualification," Twilight denied, giving her friend a deadpan look.

I decided to redirect her self-undercutting, correcting, "Well, even if you don't think you are, I do. You'll always be my princess." Twilight was important to me. At this point, I was determined to accept that.

Sadly, the wrong mare squealed. "Oh, that is absolutely gushing with romantic undertones! You are such a Gentlecolt," Rarity chirped, hopping up lightly on her back hooves and flicking her forelegs back and forth rapidly, looking oddly excited. Twi, for her part, just shifted her blush to crimson and stared at me, mouth parted slightly. I couldn't read her expression in the slightest, however.

My ears drooped a little. "Um, I'm sorry," I tentatively apologized, just in case. It was getting kind of instinctive at this point. Another trait I noticed I shared with Fluttershy.

She snapped out of it, rapidly shaking her head. "Oh, no! No, no! You just surprised me, is all. I've never had a stallion say anything even remotely so nice to me before, apart from Shining Armor. I'm just starting to fully grasp all of this, I think. You really do care for me," she muttered. The way she said the last part made me think she didn't really believe herself, even.

I nodded to her and lightly stepped forward, nuzzling the side of her cheek lightly. She was cute when she blushed, I decided. She pushed back into me at the same time, letting out a quiet sigh. Seconds drifted by contentedly, and I smiled. I could stay just like this for an eternity and be perfectly content. My ears twitched as I picked up a light scraping noise of hoof against the floor to my left, however.

Breaking away and looking over, I saw Rarity slowly retreating via backing up, her eyes fixated largely on the tile below her instead of on us. "Rarity?" I questioned, a little concerned at this point. She was acting strange again.

She jumped as if burned, however, looking back up at both of us just in time for Twilight to give her a confused look as well. "Are you okay?" the lavender unicorn inquired, sounding as concerned as I was.

"Oh, of course, Dear! I was just going to, um, help myself to a bit of a snack before the party," she excused, settling her hooves again and seemingly puffing up, almost.

I gave her a skeptical glance, and she looked away as predicted. Okay, that time she was obviously lying through her teeth. The fact that it was obvious only went to indicate how much whatever she was thinking about was bothering her. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit forlorn, is all. Don't mind me," she finally confessed, shifting to a warmer smile and looking back at us fully.

"What's wrong, Rarity? You can tell us," Twilight pressed, shifting to face her fully instead. I let her do her thing, realizing she knew her friend a lot better than I did. Shifting as well, I simply idled next to her for support if needed.

Rarity exhaled before thinking for a moment. I knew that look. It was the "choosing my words carefully" expression! "Well, looking upon you two being so absolutely amazing together indirectly reminds me of what I don't yet have myself. I'm simply wishing that I, too, had found my prince." She looked sullen after having admitted it and lowered her gaze again quietly.

Twilight frowned, eyes softening before she walked forward and gently hugged the white unicorn. "I understand, Rarity. You'll find your prince soon, don't worry. Maybe he'll even be here at this party?" Twilight suggested, smiling confidently at Rarity.

The white and purple mare chuckled and leaned into her friend before returning, "I wish I shared your confidence, but thank you. If he's half as polite and charming as yours, I should feel rightly delighted." Twilight's eyes widened for the briefest moment before she recovered her composure, adding a light frown. Huh?

The frown was gone before I could so much as blink, however, replaced by a gentle yet assuring smile. "I'm sure he's out there, Rarity. Just keep your hopes up. I can even keep my eyes open for you and direct any potential stallions your way during the party," she offered, releasing Rarity and giving her a soft wink.

Rarity laughed outright at that before making a 'tsk' noise towards her. "Oh that would hardly be proper. But thank you, Dear. You're a very good friend," Rarity replied, sounding genuinely better than before. I smiled too and nodded. If I knew what to look for, I'd try to help, too. I wasn't very good at judging character, though. Hell, half the time I couldn't even judge my own.

I pondered it, however. Of course, if I had some thermal imaging cameras and photo scanning equipment, I could probably write up an algorithm that could scan the crowds for potential matches with physical characteristics that Rarity looked for. Some simple conversation monitoring with directional mics would probably give a brief summary of their personalities, too. It would hardly be accurate, but it could be done. It would be a lot more thorough than talking to every stallion at the party, that was for sure!

"Um, are you listening, Mender?" Twilight asked, nudging me in the chest lightly. I started and flailed in surprise.

"Huh? What?" I asked, suddenly feeling more than a little embarrassed.

Twilight snickered and pointed out, "I know you're a stallion and I'm your fillyfriend, so I'm not going to be mad that you've been staring at my flank for the past thirty seconds. Normally one wouldn't be wearing a blank look while doing so, however, so I have a feeling your head was elsewhere." My blush magnified, earning another series of snickers from Twilight, who, to her own credit, looked more amused than angry. "Relax, Mender. I'm teasing you. I just wanted to let you know that Rarity and I are going to go get a snack before the party. You don't need me for anything else here, do you?" she asked after another moment.

"Oh, no. I'll just finish helping them set up the tent, then," I answered, trying to keep any negative tones out of my voice. Admittedly, I was enjoying their presence, but I didn't want to get in the way of any talking they might want to do privately. Or their food, in case they were actually intending to get some. Given the reminder, my stomach let out a pained murmur, but I ignored it. I didn't have time to eat anything now.

If I had let anything slip, Twilight either didn't notice or decided not to say anything. She gave a gentle nod, eyes closed in content before turning away. "We'll be back in a few minutes," she tossed out before heading after Rarity, who had already turned and redirected herself towards the rather impressive looking buffet table.

This time I really did watch her as she walked away, not necessarily her flanks, of course. Not that they weren't something to look at. Still, I found myself enjoying her presence more and more as she became more relaxed around me. She was slowly becoming less scary. As the negative feelings were removed, there was less to get in the way of the shockingly positive ones that I hadn't even realized were there in such force. Still, I knew better and reminded myself to exercise restraint and move at her pace, even if that meant waiting until the next ice age before progressing any further. Well, if this planet had atmospheric shifts like that. I pondered it for a moment before I was nudged on the right shoulder again.

Expecting her this time, I glanced over at the same mare as before, who was now smiling this time. "We got the left side secured. Could you help us with the roof now, Mr. Moon Mender?" she asked politely, perking a little after saying it. I chuckled and nodded, following her towards the back of the structure where the elevated construction platforms were. Well, at least this was going smoothly. Maybe I'd have a normal night at least, as a compromise. For some reason, I wasn't holding my breath.

Wiping my forehead with a hoof, I glanced back up at the soft moonlight flowing through the sky dome above. The silver and blue light cascaded gently across the entrance to the tent, giving the purple fabric a complimentary glow. I waited for the cue yet again before straining back against the rope and pulling the curtain open for the next mare to walk out. How had I gotten suckered into doing this again? I had thought I was supposed to be just a moving mannequin for Rarity, not a stage hoof.

Oh yeah. Half of them didn't show up and the party coordinator latched onto me in a panic, recruiting me as part of the crew. What the hell was with these ponies? I hope they weren't getting paid for this still. Of course, I didn't expect myself to get paid either.

Keeping my bitterness in check, I slowly lowered the rope again and swallowed, sweating profusely under the stifling curtains. The models were lucky they only had to walk through this hellish environment between the changing rooms and the stage. Thankfully, I'd been very careful to not rip the suit I was wearing, which didn't make this job particularly easy. Not that Rarity had shown up again to grace my presence in the first place. For that matter, neither had my fillyfriend.

Bitterness, Mender. Shaking my head, I lowered my ears and waited for the next cue. Another model was walking up in a rather cute, if not frilly, dress. It looked good on her lanky form, although she didn't seem to have any meat on her bones whatsoever. That didn't really appeal to my senses; not that I was in the market for a fillyfriend anyway. Still, I had to give credit to Rarity. The mare was seriously skilled.

Something twitched in my mind and I frowned, suddenly taking a closer look at the mare. Wait a second! White coat with a pink mane, horn elegantly slipping up through the complimenting shade. It was her! She was the one who got me arrested.

Her eyes glanced over a second later and she froze, apparently recognizing me instantly, aside from the suit. Her eyes slowly widened as mine narrowed, my hoof slowly squeezing the rope. Oh, it would be delicious to 'accidentally' drop the rope as she was walking under the curtain, flattening her onto the stage and ruining her pretty presentation. The temptation was there, and I swallowed wearily. She fidgeted, and actually edged closer to me, much to my surprise.

"Fleur de Lis, get ready. You're on in thirty," the manager called in a quiet whisper from behind the secondary curtains to my left. So that was her name.

She shifted closer and leaned her longer neck down, whispering to me instead, "Please don't ruin this! It was an accident, so let's not be rash. I'll pay you a hundred times what was in that pouch; just please don't do anything. Fancypants has another agent watching," she actually begged, further surprising me. I didn't know what kind of agent she was talking about, but I didn't particularly like the sentiment either.

"You're trying to bribe me to shut up? You had me arrested for sexual assault and theft! I got paraded through the streets after being tossed in jail!" I growled, vaguely insulted that she was attempting to pay me off.

Her ears flattened back and she put a hoof to her mouth, adding, "Shh! Look, I'm sorry! Please. My career could really take off here and Fancy would be really happy. Just please don't do anything?" she pleased, eyes looking desperate. I glared for a moment, locking eyes with her in silence.

"Okay, go," the coordinator spoke in a hushed tone behind me. Fleur backed up weakly and swallowed, giving me a nervous look before heading towards the curtain. Damn it.

Closing my eyes, I slowly pulled back on the rope and opened the curtains up for her. She nervously looked to either side of the curtains before beginning her slow, styled walk out. My hoof twitched. The mare had embarrassed Twilight immensely, too. If anything, I should be getting justice for her. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sighed and held back. The moment dragged out and was gone in an instant as the white unicorn strode confidently out onto the catwalk. No. I was better than that. Public humiliation was exactly what she did to me, so I wouldn't be proving myself any better a pony if I turned around and did the same back to her. Plus, it would only serve to add a smudge to Rarity's showing, which I was here to prevent.

Almost a full minute passed before Fleur was on her way back inside. I opened the curtain up dutifully as she came in. She relaxed, seeing as I didn't drop it on her back on the way in, flattening her and providing a perfect frame for her butt to the entire crowd. She hesitated, glancing at me after the curtains slid shut. I looked away from her, a little hurt at letting the opportunity pass but just deciding to let it go. I'd probably never see her again after this, anyway. She quickly had to move aside as another model came up, and slipped away back towards the changing room.

The rest of the show passed uneventfully, if not rather boring in my opinion. The mares, and to my surprise, a few stallions, simply blurred together as they walked past. After a while, I just listened to the cues for opening the curtains. It became mechanical as my thoughts drifted, mood lowered by the surprise encounter. Well, at least this wasn't that particularly bad of a night. Now, I was happy I had resisted flattening her in front of the crowds outside.

Much to my surprise, the cues stopped and I looked up just in time to see the manager himself approach the curtains. He smiled and grinned to me before slipping through the cracks, not bothering to open them up or request that I do. "Thank you, Everypony! Tonight was truly amazing and I hope all of you enjoyed the look of fashion to come! Give a warm applause for our wonderfully talented fashion designer, Rarity!" he called out, voice muffled by the curtains. My eyes widened a little and I peeked out the hairline crack on the other side of the curtain, watching the pearly unicorn mare sashay onto the stage and give a delighted, energetic bow. I smirked as I noticed she looked right at home on the stage, as if a fish in the water. I'd be a traumatized, shivering ball in the corner with that many ponies looking at me and cheering, admittedly. She seemed almost energized by it.

"Oh, thank you, fine ponies of the wonderful Canterlot. You are too kind," she politely added after her introduction.

"She truly is wonderful, folks! Of course, have an amazing round of applause for Mr. Fancypants himself; without him, this would not have been possible!" the coordinator added. I raised an eyebrow as I watched, then widened it as the same stallion who punched me in the head this afternoon got up on stage and took a gentle, flowing bow. What? What?! Damn it. I should have known.

"Thank you, Everypony! I am purely the provider here, however. This truly wouldn't be possible without my wonderful friend, Rarity's styles," he spoke up, surprising me a little. Well, he was more humble than I pegged him for.

Rarity gave a show of waving her hoof gently towards him, acting abashed. "Oh, you surely jest, Fancy," she chided, looking clearly delighted at the same time. This was getting to be a bit much in my opinion, but I suppose this was the whole reason Rarity came.

"Further, I'd like to say how proud I am of my wonderful mare, Fleur de Lis!" he added a moment later, causing my eye to twitch of its own accord. The mare in question came up on stage from the audience at the same time, still wearing Rarity's beautiful dress. She bowed alongside Fancypants, smiling for the crowd. A model, huh? Shaking my head, I released the rope and winced, feeling as if the skin had been worn off my hooves. That was a brutal forty-five minutes or so spent tugging on the same rope. I glanced about, but most of the stagehooves were either talking to themselves or finding a dark part of the curtains to peek out of at the proceedings.

Sensing the opportunity for food, I slipped towards the back of the tent and exited through the curtain I knew was angled between the back of the wall and wooden frame, having put it up myself. My stomach growled once again, and I slipped my way through the crowd, heading towards the table I knew the food was kept at. Rarity was still up on stage, shining in the lights while Fancypants droned on and on. I didn't even pick up on what he was saying.

Shifting away from the brightness of the stage lights, it wasn't that hard to pick out Twilight, either. She was sitting in the elevated stands set up for the show, surrounded by both guards and extremely posh looking ponies, amongst other things. One looked to be some sort of part lion, part eagle. I thought I spotted what looked like a donkey type individual too. She was here as a representative of Celestia, however, so perhaps they were dignitaries who caught up with her during her excursion with Rarity?

Accepting it at face value, I continued on until I managed to locate the food in the dim lighting. It looked heavily picked through at this point, but I wasn't about to be picky. I decided to go 'heavy' for the occasion and made myself a rather hearty sandwich scrounged from various sources at the table. I wasn't expecting having to almost use my wilderness survival training to find food here!

A quiet chuckle entered into my ears after I took my first, massive bite. It interrupted my savoring of the taste of food after so long, but didn't quite disrupt due to its melodious tone and softness. My right ear twitched lightly, and I turned my head in that direction. She was an unassuming, gray-coated mare with a softly flowing, black mane that was considerably longer than what I was used to. Further, she was dressed up in a simple, yet elegant black suit coat and had her mane tied back with a clip. My eyes trailed down, taking small note of the mark on her flank. I didn't know a lot about music in general, but the treble clef was a popular enough symbol. Hers appeared to be purple in hue. Not lingering, I shifted my gaze back up to meet hers. She looked amused, so I assumed she was the source of the chuckle.

"Truly. No dainty bites or posh posture. You must be one of the ponies working here," she guessed, giving her glass on the table a swirl with her hoof but not breaking eye contact.

I slowly swallowed, earning another giggle before giving her a questioning stare, unsure of what she was getting at. My guard was admittedly up ever since running into Fleur earlier. "Oh, no offense meant, of course," she excused, nodding once before smiling softer instead, continuing, "I'm actually a worker here too." With that mentioned, she gestured back behind her at the small group of ponies gathered on stage. They were chatting and seemingly taking a break while attention was focused on the show.

"Oh, it's fine. What do you play?" I inquired politely, honestly the only question I could think of before shoving another large bite of sandwich in my mouth. My stomach wasn't out for hostages at the moment, that was for sure.

She grinned at my enthusiasm before answering, "Cello. I'm first chair for the royal orchestra. We were asked to play tonight." That sounded important. I idly wondered what a mare of her stature was doing talking to me. I inquired as to just that as politely as I could between my second and third inhalations of sandwich.

She surprised me by chuckling softly and shaking her head, oddly reserved. "I'm not that special. My name is Octavia, by the way. I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage yet," she finally introduced, taking another idle sip of the dark scarlet liquid in her glass while waiting for my reply.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not used to these types of parties and, well, I'm a little hungry," I excused, coughing lightly and feeling my cheeks heat up. Here I was supposed to be making a pleasant image for Rarity, and this is what happened. "Regardless, I'm Moon Mender. It's a pleasure to meet you, Octavia," I introduced myself, bowing lightly. I maintained a firm grip on my food, however. I'd be damned if my bad luck quota stole my hard fought prize from me!

Octavia momentarily smiled, nodding to me mid-sip before suddenly starting and trying really hard not to choke on her drink. My eyes widened and I gently leaned forward, patting her on the back as she coughed a couple times.

"Wait, you're not 'the' Moon Mender, are you?" she questioned skeptically, staring at me in surprise. Oh hell. Was she there this afternoon to see me hauled through the streets? My ears flattened back and I glared.

She shook her head rapidly, swaying a hoof in front of her. "No, I'm sorry if I mistook you for somepony else! It's just rumored that Miss Twilight Sparkle's mate is here at the party, and I thought that was his name. I didn't mean to insinuate," she excused rapidly, causing my glare to shift to embarrassment even faster.

"Please don't let her hear you say that. She is totally not comfortable with 'mate', I should warn," I groaned, cringing at the prospect of her hearing that. Exhaling weakly, I shoved the last bite of sandwich in my mouth before rapidly chewing. I will digest you before anything can possibly take you away from me, my precious!

Octavia tilted her head gently, giving me an inquiring expression. I honestly didn't know what to say. Twilight had said she might not mind spreading it around a bit, and I could always say that I hadn't said anything. She could have easily heard it from somewhere else, of course, but if she'd heard it in the first place, it must be getting a bit more widespread than I realized.

"There's only one way you could know that," the black-maned mare pointed out a moment later.

I nodded gently and smiled towards her. "I'm just me. Twilight is my fillyfriend, yes, but there's nothing specifically special about me," I explained, trying to form the correct impression.

Her eyes widened even further, causing her to look almost like a statue. "Oh my gosh! You're so, well, normal! I figured you'd at least be like one of those guys she's sitting with over there," she reasoned, glancing past me and in the direction of the raised seats.

I idly shook my head before pouring myself a glass of punch. It was labeled as raspberry punch, anyway. Seeing as it was practically untouched, I guessed that it was lacking alcohol. "I'm just me. Twilight isn't that kind of pony, either. I think you'd find her really normal as well, at least compared to your expectations," I reasoned, taking a sip and being pleasantly surprised in the truthful label.

Octavia smiled pleasantly, looking actually happy for the first time since the conversation started. "That's actually rather refreshing. Seeing as Twilight is busy, I extend the offer to come listen to us until she gets done, if you want. Looks like our break is almost over," she offered, glancing over at the ponies starting to disperse from the stage. Given the amount of cheering, I'd say that Rarity's show was a success. The dignitary booth didn't look any closer to clearing out, however, so I figured Octavia's guess was accurate.

Feeling a little more full as well, I shrugged before nodding. "Sure, if you don't mind me hanging around by the stage. I don't exactly have anyplace else to go," I muttered, again trying to hold back the bitterness. She seemed to pick up on it anyway, but apparently realized it wasn't for her and smirked, nodding.

"No problem at all, of course. It would be a pleasure, honestly. My friends aren't ones to put on airs, ironic as that sounds for a party such as this," she assured, standing up fully and taking her glass back to the stage with her, lightly carrying it in her mouth. Unwilling to part with my punch, I refilled it back to full before attaching it, barrier and all, to the side of my shoulder, following after the grayish mare.

Her friends up on stage greeted her as she approached, then shot a questioning glance past her at me as I wandered up. Being utterly exhausted, I flopped onto my haunches unceremoniously next to the stage. They seemed to almost exhale while watching me. Huh?

"See? He's normal. This is 'the' Moon Mender, by the way," she introduced, causing more surprised reactions. They didn't tense up again, however. I glanced across them, noticing a good dozen or so ponies of varying colors, all equipped with classical orchestra instruments. Octavia's was the only cello, however, I noticed.

I watched her hop up on stage, resuming a relaxed position behind her larger instrument before nodding down at me, smile still playing at her expression. I squinted my eyes at the change of light in this corner, momentarily glaring up at the rather impressive looking crystal chandelier hanging above the entire stage, radiating its light down upon the entire band. Ugh. It was still too bright, considering I was practically blundering through the dark looking for food a moment ago.

Octavia watched the dispersing ponies carefully before giving a gentle nod and wave of her hoof in the air. The instruments came to life instantly, producing a gentle, harmonious sound that wafted over the speakers and across the entire room. I smiled, relaxing a little at the tones. This was definitely a pleasant sort of music, I must admit. The only thing I vaguely remembered from my old world was the stuff that blared out in the barracks all the time. A bunch of new, trendy sounds from our allies' ever pervasive culture. Now that I considered it, their influence was actually a more dangerous weapon than their vastly superior weapon technology had been.

Pushing the unpleasant memories away, I relaxed gently against the stage, watching the crowds ebb and flow.

---

It was easy to zone in and out when nopony was really paying attention to me. It was even easier after I discovered Octavia's book stash in her cello case. She looked more amused than angry when I peeked inside. She had brought three books with her for the 'before and after' party, she explained. One was a rather, well, vivid romance novel that brought uncomfortable stirrings to myself after the fifth page. Subtle wasn't exactly my thing, so I decided to try another book before I ended up arrested again. The second didn't really interest me in the slightest, being about, oddly enough, vampire ponies. Sure, they were actually likely to exist given the massive level of supernatural and magical occurring in Equestria, but I didn't see the draw in romanticizing getting my blood drained from my body. I kind of needed that!

So out of options, I had distracted myself by reading the third book for a good hour or so while listening to the gentle, lulling music. It didn't entirely fit the adventure genre, but it was pleasant enough. "Daring Do" was a fascinating character, admittedly. I wondered idly if Twilight ever read fiction. She seemed too analytical for that kind of thing. I could almost hear her ask, "Why write about something that's fake?!"

I chuckled to myself before flipping another page, being treated to Daring haphazardly swinging over a pit of vicious, flesh eating beetles to get at the golden chalice in the center of the temple!

"Ha! I heard you'd be here, Tavi!" was suddenly announced from practically right next to me. I let out a startled yelp before falling over sideways, barely managing to catch the book before it spilled to the floor. "Oh! Whoops! Sorry, I didn't see ya there!" the mare's voice apologized suddenly upon me regaining my composure.

First glance showed me she had a rather gentle white coat; not pure white but a very bright gray. Her mane surprised me, however, by being a vibrant cyan and dark blue color, worn in a spiky, relaxed manner. I couldn't see her eyes at all through the dark rimmed, purple shades she wore shortly under her horn. Well, she was certainly different. I couldn't place the style, though.

"Vinyl? What are you doing here?" Octavia inquired properly, taking a sip of water after. I looked between the two, realizing that they must be acquainted, obviously. Octavia didn't seem truly displeased to see the other mare, so maybe they were friends?

Vinyl smirked and nodded to herself before returning, "I heard a certain gray cello player was going to be here and snuck in, of course." What?! I looked up and down at her, noticing she was oddly in a pressed vest and white coat. For sneaking in, she was dressed fairly formally. Of course, if she wanted to blend in, that was really the only way to go.

Octavia smirked back and shook her head. "I'm sure you did. Why, I bet the bouncer even blushed and squealed like a little filly before he let the mighty 'Dj Pon-3' in," she reasoned, tone mirthful and amused. Dj? Oh! Disk Jockey! Now I knew what her style reminded me of! 'Dj Pon-3' must be her stage name.

"And asked for an autograph, of course! Say, who's your new 'friend' here?" the eccentric Dj asked a moment later, suddenly shifting her attention to me instead.

"Only 'the' Moon Mender, mooching off my book supply," she introduced, adding the emphasis yet again onto my name.

My ears lowered and I gave Octavia a skeptical glance, asking, "I'm really not that important. Do you have to introduce me to everypony like that?" She just smiled and gave me an amused wink, earning a laugh from Vinyl.

I glanced over at the newcomer in time to see her give me a once over, shifting her shades down to peek up and down myself. Her eyes were a soft Crimson, surprisingly, behind the headwear. "Well, it's nice to meet ya! I'm Vinyl Scratch, just in case you haven't heard of me. Dj Pon-3 might be more familiar, of course. I'd heard Twilight Sparkle got a coltfriend, but didn't have a face to put to the name. I have seen you around town, though," she admitted, smiling more warmly before raising her glasses back up. Wait, around town?

"Oh, do you live in Ponyville?" I asked, tilting my head to her and closing the book I still held. Reading with the 'sun' right above me was causing serious eyestrain anyway. What was it about crystal chandeliers that made them so bright? Refraction?

"Yup! Right on main street. Admittedly, I was impressed by your walking barrel platform," she complimented, snickering lightly.

I blushed, earning a surprised yet confused stare from the mare onstage.

"Ha. Not my best moment, admittedly. Seriously though, how is everypony finding out that Twilight and I are dating?" I asked, curiosity finally getting the better of me. I'd probably regret it, of course.

Vinyl gave a hearty chuckle before shaking her head. "Dude, Twilight Sparkle herself finally finds a stallion to sleep with; that's huge news. She's practically royalty," she explained. My cheeks exploded into heat and I stepped back, lowering my ears slightly.

"W-What? Wait, how does anypony know that we, uh," I started to ask before trailing off, realizing that I might have just stepped into a trap.

The Dj grinned in impish delight, confirming that I did just step on a social landmine. "Oh ho ho! I wasn't expecting that. So you two have slept together!" she confirmed, dramatic evil laughter tying it in.

Octavia slapped her forehead and put her water glass back down. "Vinyl, that's not very proper. And it is sort of assumed, Mender. That is an aspect of dating somepony," the gray mare pointed out gently, in a surprisingly calm manner. I exhaled and nodded, trying to convince myself of the same.

"So, how is she in bed?" the mare next to me asked an instant later, causing me to blush again and sigh, giving her a skeptical look. Why did she want to know that? How is that even relevant in the first place?

"Vinyl!" Octavia protested, looking utterly shocked.

As predicted, she only received an impish smirk in reply. I just shrugged, however. "I don't really think it's that big of a deal, now that Octavia says that," I assured, ears drooping still as I wished for a different topic regardless.

Vinyl, for what it was worth, looked delighted. "See?! That's an awesome attitude to have about things! Live and experience, I always say. So, about that question?" she reminded, winking to me.

I rolled my eyes and decided to take a stab in the dark. "Well, she's relaxing, I suppose. Oh, and very warm. Oh, and she makes this cute little squeaking noise when she falls asleep," I tried to relay. She really was adorable, even when sleeping. Well, actually she was all kinds of different adorable while sleeping.

The Dj's reaction was less than satisfactory, however. Her smirk fell away, replaced by a stunned, vaguely disbelieving look. "Wait, relaxing? She falls asleep?!" she asked, sounding like the concept was completely foreign for her. Well, maybe it was if she lived that much of a night life, but I assumed she'd be dead a long while ago if she never slept at all.

I tilted my head towards her, inquiring, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Uh, no! I think you're doing something wrong, Dude. What are you doing, actually, if it's not too much to ask?" she asked, still sounding unsure and looking at me like I had grown a second head. I checked just to make sure while peeking back at Octavia for help. Nope, still just the one head. The cello player looked surprised as well, but with an oddly pink tint to her cheeks as she held her hooves up to her mouth. What the hell?!

"Uh, do? Well, I mostly just lay there, like she does. Um, why?" I asked cautiously, starting to wonder if I was committing another strange faux pas.

I swore I saw the cyan and dark blue maned mare twitch lightly. "What is wrong with you?! Do you honestly want her to dump you? Not that she's not partially to blame, but still!" Vinyl started to complain, stomping her hooves around while flailing about in a surprisingly active anger. I flinched and shrunk back, ears lowering significantly. I knew what 'dump' meant, and it brought an icy knife wound to my chest almost instantly.

Oddly, a look of dawning comprehension flashed onto Octavia's face when I glanced back up at her, trying to get a second opinion before freaking out and rushing over to Twilight to beg for forgiveness.

"Oh! Oh. Uh, Vinyl, I think you two may be talking about totally different things," she pointed out, causing me to freeze. We were?! Oh thank you! Maybe that meant that Twilight wasn't hiding anything from me that she might potentially dump me for.

Vinyl stopped her rage-induced stomping and glanced over at her friend, somehow projecting a questioning look without us being able to see her eyes or eyebrows. If I remembered, I'd have to ask her how she did that later. "You know, you're supposed to relax in bed, right? It helps you get to sleep?" Octavia reminded, raising her eyebrow as well. Finally, logic! This I could work with. I exhaled quietly, waiting for the verdict.

Vinyl gave a deadpan stare at both of us before shrinking a little. "Oh. Oh dang. Well, yeah. Okay, that makes me feel so much better. Dang, Dude. You seriously need to stop joking around like that! I thought you were serious for a second there!" she exclaimed, wobbling about as if her blood pressure was still spiked from her rant.

Technically, I was serious, but I probably shouldn't mention that. Instead I just laughed awkwardly and agreed with, "Ha! Yeah, sorry." I'll probably never know what actually went wrong there, but at least Twilight wasn't going to dump me, I decided.

"Well, might I suggest you let me get back to playing before this conversation gets any further awkward?" Octavia asked, directing her unsteady expression towards the Dj.

Vinyl smirked and nodded, agreeing with, "It's all good. Oh, and look me up when you get back to town, Mender! You're definitely a cool stallion."

I blushed and smiled, rubbing the back of my head with my right forehoof. "Nah. I'm just me. Nothing special, like I said earlier," I protested, not taking to this public awareness thing with much grace. Twilight was really popular!

The almost white unicorn gave a hearty laugh before shaking her head. "You're too modest for this whole celebrity thing. You need to come visit me more often as well, Tavi!" she declared, slamming her hoof down on the stage next to Octavia and earning a slightly annoyed stare. I listened to the boards creak under the blow and sighed. It was indeed a cheap reconstruction job. They were either stingy or rushed, I decided.

"I usually do visit you when I come to Ponyville, Vinyl. It's not my fault that I need to sift aside a veritable mountain of garbage from your decadent lifestyle to merely find a place to sit," she shot back, tongue rather barbed. I was impressed.

Vinyl grinned wider, apparently taking the jab in stride. Her mouth opened, undoubtedly to return another venomous verbal volley, when the creaking echoed and reverberated through the wood I was leaning against. My frown hit instantly and I pushed my ear to the stage. There was a straining sound and a light vibration that got more distant, shooting into the back wall the stage was connected to. My eyes widened as I watched the line of dust shoot up the wall behind the stage, disappearing into the repaired ceiling in an instant. A split? But that meant that something heavy was being anchored to the...

I looked up, swallowing as I saw the massive chandelier shiver suddenly before lowering barely half an inch. Son of a bitch. All of those lovely, sharp, pointy crystals were aimed downwards at a most unfortunate angle as the entire form gave another sway, crack visibly appearing in the wall.

My right forehoof slid Octavia's book towards her cello while my left flared with energy as fast as I could manage to draw it. There was no way I could move the stage out of the way before it fell, so there was only two options. I could shield them all from the falling crystal monstrosity, of course, but the surface area involved was roughly seven or eight times what I tried before. I doubted the shield would hold for any significant amount of time. Alternatively, I could move the chandelier as it fell. This time I had the advantage of only one object descending towards me at high velocity, after all.

I wasn't given time to think of anything else, sadly. Less than two seconds after I noticed the first sway, there was a brutal cracking noise from above the thing and it dropped. Aww hell. Simply acting at that point, I hopped up onto the stage as it dropped. Everypony looked up at almost the same time when the noise sounded out. Octavia's eyes widened and she screamed as I kicked off the chair next to her, using a barrier to boost my jump as best I could. The chair went flying as I snagged my hoof in it, but it was far too late to worry about clumsy reactions.

My hoof extended out, reaching for the center extension of the chandelier as it descended. The rest of me braced for impact just in case I missed. Of course, a second later I realized I could have simply stepped back from the stage and avoided the chandelier entirely. Ah well. Instinct is a bitch sometimes.

---

Okay, this plan could have done with a little more thinking through before I implemented it. I rotated yet again as I flipped through the air, drifting two-dozen meters over the ballroom while clinging to a spiky, crystal disk of misfortune and death. And now it was flipping like a coin and threatening to rob me of my hard fought sandwich, of course. I clung to the side of it as best I could, wincing as I tried to think happy, non-spinning thoughts.

Okay, so what had gone wrong? I reviewed what had led up to this disaster carefully in my mind. My hoof had touched the metal of the chandelier, of course, activating my magic, which first canceled its downward momentum, then used automatically adjusting micro-thrusters to apply an antigravity effect. That had worked perfectly fine. Mistake number one was to not account for getting caught in the burst of energy. I fired it off too fast, and got hit with the cast-off effect. Losing my gravity as well, I guess I was really lucky when I managed to only get a small nick to my suit when I slipped between the fields of sharp and pointy crystals, safely getting to the significantly less pointy top of the chandelier.

Mistake number two. Failing to account for what my own forward momentum would do to the now stagnant lighting arrangement. Of course, upon smacking into the center of it, I knocked it upwards at a slight angle. I was momentarily stunned upon impact and failed to correct the velocity before it smacked into the wall behind the stage. That started the bloody flipping motion. Now I was too dizzy and unsure of my own timing to try counter-thrusting to push it in any given direction. Chances are, given my skills and luck, I'd send the spiked disk of misfortune and death directly down into the gasping crowds below me. Or are they above me now? I couldn't figure it out and just clung to the hot metal as best I could. Figures they'd use actual fire to light the stupid thing. I also singed one of my sleeves trying to avoid the perpetually burning magical candle things that were on this side. What a choice. Sharp and pointy or hot and burning? No, wait. Gotta look on the bright side, Mender. I had at least another five or six minutes of life left before my magic wore out and I crashed into the floor in a giant shrapnel fireball, undoubtedly killing myself instantly along with several dozen innocent bystanders.

"Help!" I yelped again after completing yet another rotation. There were dozens of unicorns down there. This thing, even including myself, wouldn't take that much at all to stop the rotation. My spell would make it virtually weightless in regards of momentum. Hell, Twilight could do it while sleeping, I had no doubt. Still, I shouldn't rely on her to save me every time I get into trouble.

I finally managed to rotate myself to line up with the direction the crystal chandelier kept flipping. I waited once again for the thing to be right-side up before killing the antigravity on myself and throwing my squishy body against the side that was raising into the air as hard as I could. I winced as one of the candles exploded against my side, singing my suit lightly, but the rotation managed to completely stop and even out. Scuttling backwards, I re-balanced myself in the center of the blasted thing and left my anti-gravity off. The spell on the chandelier only accounted for its own mass, so mine added to it was causing it to slowly lower in the direction of the ground now. I was still drifting to the side, however. Looking ahead of me now, I swallowed wearily as I saw the full size bay window rapidly approaching. If I broke through that before I touched down, this thing would drift off over the cliff edge. My magic would exhaust itself before I would be able to land then, and the remainder of my brief fall would have a very painful end to it, I imagined. I hoped for a pegasi in the crowd that might be able to recover me before being pancaked into the ground.

"Mender!" I heard in Rarity's voice from beneath me somewhere. I peeked down below the chandelier as I sailed. The crowds below were clearing, making a painfully obvious path of potential destruction should my impromptu flying saucer crash and burn prior to hitting the window. I saw that no effort was given to providing cushions, of course. Joy. Rarity surprisingly ran along directly under me, however. She looked up with a shocked, yet attentive expression. Oh!

"My spell is making the chandelier really light! You should be able to lower me with your magic. Please watch out for the spikes on the bottom, though!" I called down as loud as I could over the panicked murmurs and screams below.

Rarity slowed, lagging behind the chandelier for a moment before her horn flared up with a light-blue energy. My eyes widened as a billowing aura surrounded the entire chandelier. The speed of my descent increased significantly and I heard a sudden yelp. Hmm, perhaps she would have expected the mass a little better if I had said weightless rather than really light?

Rarity overcompensated. Badly. The chandelier hit the ground hard with the crystals digging in. Nopony was under it as far as I could tell, thankfully. Not so thankfully, the crystals shattered and fragmented, not only flipping the entire chandelier while I was still on it, but spraying the shards at high velocity in every conceivable direction.

That adrenalin rush hit again and everything slowed down. I casually flipped through the air, flung free of the top of the chandelier and tossed like a rag doll. The spell came free when my hoof lost contact with the metal, and all the energy snapped back into myself. The chandelier, returning to full weight instantly, anticlimactically flopped along the floor on its top, spinning in a lazy rotation. The energy left me in the same instant as I fired it from my hoof as hard as I could. The cone-shaped barrier momentarily formed an exceedingly unorthodox long-jump pole as it cratered into the floor of the ballroom. The rogue shards from the chandelier were encapsulated instantly, however, smashing into the inside of my makeshift cone as I trapped them all.

I smiled momentarily as my shield predictably failed a second later, letting a few thousand crystal shards fall to the floor rather harmlessly. If I were fast enough, hardly any would have gotten free of my barrier, though. That was all I could do.

Going limp, I let myself rotate once more in the air before descending harshly towards the floor, ironically headed right for the slowing chandelier. It would seem I couldn't be rid of the damn thing. Unfortunately for me, the spiked side was pointed up now.

My descent slowed significantly as I was caught in a light-blue aura. I went rigid as to not put any undue strain on her magic as she let out a gasp and grunt, straining against the force of the spell. Twilight ran up at high speed a moment later, shoving her way through the crowd before snagging me in her own purple and crimson light. Rarity let out a pained sigh before slumping over onto her stomach, mindful of the shards of crystal everywhere.

Twilight had no issue carrying me over to her at all, of course. "Mender, are you okay?! What happened?" she asked rapidly, sounding worried, as usual. I seemed to bring out the best in her.

"Several failed attempts at slowing down a stupid chandelier," I groaned, feeling exceedingly tired. That hadn't taken as much energy as the shield did earlier with Rarity, however, so I managed to stand on my own four hooves when set down.

Rarity frowned, slowly sitting up again. "That was horrible. This is hardly becoming behavior for a gentlecolt, Mender! What were you doing surfing a chandelier across the room in the first place, I dare ask?" she questioned, looking a little miffed at me.

I lowered my ears and opened my mouth to explain when I was cut off anyway. "Hey, isn't that the same stallion that was being moved through the streets in chains earlier this afternoon?" I heard asked from an unknown voice behind me somewhere. Spinning around, I saw nopony in particular talking, but a rush of murmurs and whispering spread out through the crowd almost instantly. I deflated, ears now dropping into negative angles in regards to my head. Oh crap. That was the last thing I wanted them to remember.

Twilight surprised me by hauling me against herself a second later, wrapping both of her forelegs around me. The whispers picked up, but she glared over my head at the crowd as she hid me from sight using herself. Her ears flattened back as well, giving her a more hostile look than sad, however. Was she actually defending me?! Rarity shrunk a little under the overwhelming negative attention, and seemed unsure of herself and what to do for a moment.

"Wait! Stop!" was suddenly called out to my left, Twilight's right. Octavia and Vinyl managed to squeeze through the growing crowd of ponies. "He saved Vinyl and I, along with the entire orchestra when the chandelier fell from the ceiling! If he hadn't intercepted it, I'd be dead," the gray earth mare defended, swiveling about and looking at the crowd as she spun. Vinyl nodded and ran over to me at the same time, sliding to a stop in front of Twilight.

"Is he okay?" Vinyl asked a moment later, raising her glasses up to get a better look at me. I smiled to her and nodded gently.

"I'm fine, Vinyl. A little worked up, but I'm just glad nopony got hurt," I muttered wearily.

Twilight smiled down at me and nodded. "Making friends in high places while almost killing yourself is certainly better than just almost killing yourself," she pointed out, relaxing enough to stab me with her barbed wit, I noticed.

Vinyl snickered and nonchalantly shook a hoof at her. "He's definitely a cool dude! That high flying ride was totally awesome, too! Uh, minus the almost dying and squishing a bunch of random ponies, of course," she corrected a moment later, letting her shades slide back down with a nod and raised hoof to the ceiling.

"You have such a way with words, Vinyl," Octavia muttered, walking up much more slowly. The crowd shrunk in on us a little further now that the imminent threat of flying crystal shards appeared to be suppressed.

I managed a soft snort, sitting up fully against Twilight. "Just about like me most of the time, don't worry. It wouldn't be a complete day if I didn't insert my hoof into my mouth at least once," I sympathized, hoping the expression wouldn't be lost on them.

Vinyl grinned and nodded enthusiastically while Octavia just snickered. She had a soft expression on, however, and I almost swore she was giving me an exceedingly fonder expression, if that was indeed a word.

Meanwhile, Rarity was recovering nicely. "Oh my! I should have known you wouldn't go sailing around like that purely for entertainment like a certain other mare we know. Now you're a hero!" she exclaimed, quite a bit louder than I would have liked. My blush magnified and I started rapidly shaking my head. Like I really wanted to leap up into a spiked disk. Again, if anypony else could have done the same thing or better, by all means I would have let them. A hero felt like they did things like that intentionally. It felt like it was something one attempted to represent. All I did was what I had to at any given moment to minimize grief to those around me. That didn't sound very heroic to me.

The crowd actively parted as a large stallion I recognized as Fancypants approached. The lithe figure of Fleur was next to him, of course. Now that I saw him up close, I realized he wasn't as huge as I mistook him for the first time we met. Of course, I was quite a bit intimidated for other reasons back then. Now that I got a proper look, I realized that Big Mac was larger yet. Ironically, the red stallion didn't intimidate me nearly as much, given his gentle and passive outlook.

"I dare say, we meet again, young one!" he declared, getting a closer look at me as he approached. I shrank a little bit, causing Twilight to frown and pull me closer again. He frowned a little as well and slowed in his approach, then drew to a complete halt when the lavender unicorn's horn started glowing softly while she watched him.

"Twilight, this is Fancypants himself! What are you doing?" Rarity asked, intersecting herself between Twi and the well-dressed stallion.

Twilight shook her head wearily, eyes not leaving Fancypants. "You were the one who had him arrested earlier, weren't you? The guard report didn't name anypony, but you just said this wasn't the first time you met," she deduced quietly, not letting me go. I looked up at her curiously, my cheeks heating up even more. What was she doing?

Rarity shook with a start, pupils seeming to almost shrink as she suddenly looked back and forth between Fancypants and myself. "W-Wait, seriously?!" she asked in apparent disbelief.

Fancypants smiled, however, and sat down at his current distance before nodding. "Yes, I was. I'll be the first to say that it was also a terrible misunderstanding and that Mender is truly innocent. No, I dare say he's a true knight after that rather bold rescue! I offer my deepest apologies. Moon Mender, correct?"

I turned and looked at him in surprise, not having expected him to actually admit that I was innocent. Didn't that look negatively upon himself instead, then? Regardless, I nodded gently after a moment's consideration.

"Yes sir. My name's Moon Mender. I live in Ponyville with Twilight," I informed nervously, trying to be as proper as I could think of.

He smiled and chuckled at my reply. "Yes, I heard the rumors, but didn't connect you to said 'Moon Mender'. You have excellent tastes, Miss Sparkle," he complimented, standing up fully again. The murmuring picked up a lot louder than before, to the point where I could hear a few exclamations of shock. Then my ears deflated again as I heard whispers of a secret agent and rendezvous with Princess Celestia. Damn it.

Twilight smiled finally and hugged me tighter regardless, seemingly happy that I was unhurt. "Is anypony injured from the crash?" I heard a guard start asking towards the back of the crowds. I exhaled softly and just rested against Twi. Rarity joined the three other mares surrounding me, smiling down at me in a pleased manner.

"Knight, huh? I'd say that's definitely a livable title," she admitted, giving me an exaggerated wink. Her cheeks were a faint rosy color, however. I exhaled softly, glad that my original purpose for being here hadn't been ruined. Admittedly, I had no idea how everything had worked out and felt dizzy trying to remember what just happened, but it was more than enough to have arrived at a satisfactory outcome.

Rarity fanned herself, however. Her cheeks were indeed a pink shade and she exhaled softly. "I might get a spot of air, however. I'm suddenly a bit, um, distraught. Too much excitement, I think," she excused softly.

Twilight lost her smile and gave Rarity an inquiring glance. "Are you all right, Rarity? You strained your magic pretty good, there," the lavender mare asked. I picked up a definite trace of worry in her voice and suddenly remembered what it was like when I burned through too much energy.

"I'll be fine, Dear! Thank you for your concern, but it's nothing a bit of fresh air won't fix," she assured before turning and heading towards the balcony near the main entry to the room.

Glancing up at Twilight, she shot me a worried look back. "I'm afraid she used up too much of her magic. We should go with her to make sure she doesn't collapse or anything," she warned, looking back up and watching her friend disappear out onto the balcony.

"Oh, good idea! Magic headaches are worse than hangovers!" Vinyl agreed, shuddering softly as she seemed to remember her own less than fond memories.

Octavia gave her a playful shove, which only resulted in a grin being returned. "What she meant to say is, with the stage destroyed, we have nowhere else to play our music and have been relieved for the remainder of the evening. Would you two mind if we tagged along?" the gray mare asked politely, that soft accent that I couldn't seem to place rearing its head again. It was too subtle for me to put a comparison on it.

Twilight smiled softly at her and shook her head, assuring, "Of course I don't mind. I'm not sure what's upsetting Rarity, however, so could you hang back for a moment until I make sure it's nothing private?" Octavia nodded politely to the request while Vinyl was busy looking a little distracted.

"Actually, I think I'm going to take a detour anyway. I haven't eaten supper yet, and that food over there looks rather promising!" the Dj decided, sliding to a halt and glancing over at the banquet table where I was earlier.

Twilight stopped as well, oddly, and frowned. "Actually, I just realized you're right. If Rarity is having magical exhaustion issues, sustenance is high up on the priority. I'm going to get some real quick sandwiches and tea for us all. Go on ahead, Mender," she requested.

I nodded gently before turning and continuing to walk towards the balcony. Octavia trailed along after me, lingering back as promised once we neared. So, how was I supposed to go about making her feel better? Or figuring out what was ailing her in the first place? Yes, priorities, Mender. Why the hell did Twilight send me of all ponies in first?! I had about as much social graces as a rotting pineapple. Considering it wasn't sentient, that really said something.

"Hey, Rarity. How are you feeling?" I asked softly, figuring the best bet would be to start by announcing my presence. Preferably in a way that didn't freak her out and send her careening off the balcony.

She started lightly but turned her head to the side, smiling back at me. The moonlight did a nice job of accenting her purple, curled mane. The amount of effort she put into her appearance really came through for her. "Oh, hello, Mender. You didn't have to check up on me, you know," she assured, looking pleased that I had regardless.

"You're my friend, Rarity. Of course I'm going to worry about you, especially after you exerted yourself to such an extent," I reminded, slowing and finally stopping next to her and peeking out at the night sky. It was gorgeous, honestly. I loved looking up and seeing the thousands of stars in the sky. The moon hung low as well, a gentle three fourths of the way full and spreading a milky blue illumination over the castle architecture.

"You are truly a Dear. A knight or prince, even. Fancypants is right," she muttered, smiling to herself and chuckling at a quiet joke I didn't know.

Frowning, I glared up at the stars. Were they the same stars that I would have seen in my other life? "I'm just me, Rarity. I'm not a knight or prince. I don't even know how to properly eat using utensils. I'm not a hero, either. Saving the ponies on the stage happened exactly the same way as destroying that ship in the other dimension," I refuted, putting my left hoof on the railing. The symbol on it glowed lightly in the moonlight, serving as a permanent reminder of that choice.

"What do you mean, same way?" she inquired softly, looking over at me with a certain air of curiosity, brilliant blue eyes almost glowing in the light.

I exhaled and shook my head again, looking down at the railing. "It's wrong, what everypony said. I'm not a hero. A hero strives to match those traits that define them. I was scared. Terrified even. If anypony else could have done it, I would have gladly let them, even. I didn't want to die. But the alternative, if I didn't do what I did in each situation, was to let others pay the price instead. I only did what I had to in order to minimize the suffering," I elaborated, scraping my left hoof along the smooth stone. I didn't feel a thing, of course. The right hoof was tactile and responsive. The nerves in my left were all but destroyed.

Rarity looked sad for a moment. I wished Twilight would hurry up and get back with the food. I wasn't good at talking, and was prone to long tangents that didn't really help matters, it would seem. "Even if you didn't want to be a hero, you still are one, Mender. As frustrated as it probably makes you, you could have simply walked away so many times. You didn't, though. Because of that, just today alone, a dozen ponies are still alive. Even if you'd rather it not happen in the first place, it did. Fate is, well, strange like that," she muttered, looking far off towards the end, as if talking about something else.

I looked back over at her, unsure of what to say. I suppose that if it had to happen, and nopony else was capable of fixing it, me doing so was a good thing. Well, that much was obvious. But necessity didn't make me feel heroic. Then it was just my duty.

"A real knight; not just some fairytale fantasy. Polite and kind, yet flawed. That's why it's so hard. I don't know what to do anymore," she groaned, pressing the bottom of her horn gently into the railing. I sensed frustration, but didn't know what to do about it.

"Rarity, what's really bothering you?" I asked, suddenly getting a suspicion she wasn't fatigued after all.

She looked back up at me, eyes dancing lightly again. "Can I pretend, if only for a moment, Mender? Just one, selfish moment?" she asked; no, pleaded as she turned to face me more fully. I frowned, tilting my head towards her, unsure of what she was asking, let alone of how to fulfill it. Octavia's eyes widened in the very edge of my peripheral vision.

Rarity shivered and winced, seemingly fighting amidst herself as a light pink tint lit along her cheeks again. She'd done this earlier, too. Idly, I wondered at the connection. I didn't get a chance to formulate the thought further, however.

Time slammed on the breaks as she leaned up spontaneously and gently pressed her lips against mine. My mind froze, unable to process the information in the slightest. Floppy disk smashed into a USB port. She wasn't urgent or needy; just content in feeling the heat between us with the gentlest of pushing motions. Her body let out a shiver and a light hum, snapping time back into motion an instant later.

I gasped and stepped back away from her, breaking contact as fast as I could. Wait, what the hell?! I stared at her in shock as she kept her eyes closed, head still angled gently where she'd left off. Slowly she lowered it and made a sniffing noise, shaking her head rapidly.

The sound of a tray hitting stone, followed by a series of shattering noises sounded out to my right. Octavia let out a light squeaking noise in surprise, snapping to attention as I turned to look in that direction. She was staring in horror at Twilight, who in turn was staring in utter shock at Rarity. A tray of sandwiches, broken glass, and spilled tea rested at her hooves, a giveaway on the source of the sound. Vinyl stood to her right, actually raising her eyebrows above the rims of her shades this time. "Whoa!" she muttered a moment later.

Rarity snapped back to attention and looked to her left at her friend. Her expression shifted between disbelief and horror in a heartbeat. "Oh! Oh no. No, no, no... I didn't mean to, um, do that. That was just, oh Celestia, what did I just do?!" she asked, more to herself than anything. My mind whirled, hauling me along with it as I suddenly felt dizzy. What just happened?! Tears built up in Rarity's eyes. She made a sound halfway between a sob and choking before taking off at full speed, galloping past the shocked looking Twilight and heading back into the crowded, deathly silent ballroom.

Twilight slowly turned, several seconds too slow, and looked back at where Rarity had shot off to moments before. The white unicorn had made a beeline for the main exit, knocking aside several other ponies and drawing effectively the entire room's attention as she went. She was already gone, out the door now.

My fillyfriend slowly turned back to me instead, mouth finally closing now and being replaced by a grimace instead. My ears lowered and I started shivering instantly. Oh hell. I was dead. I was so dead. She was going to launch me off the balcony with such force that I might break orbit.

Her burning stare tore into my very soul for a long, five seconds. It felt like five years when her eyes finally softened. "I knew it. I just knew it. No. No, blaming you would be foolish," she sighed a moment later, lowering her gaze and shaking her head.

I let out a whimpering noise and sunk to the floor, having literally no idea what to say or do in this situation. "You were just as surprised as I was, and pulled away. Relax, Mender. Stay put; I'm going to go look for Rarity. We apparently have quite a bit we need to talk about," she requested, straightening herself and glancing back towards the entrance of the room.

"Twilight," I muttered weakly, unsure of if I should be saying something or not. What the hell was I supposed to do?

She sighed and shook her head again, however. In a flash of light, she reappeared in an instant right in front of me. I panicked for a moment before she reached out and gently hugged me against herself.

"It's all right, Mender. Just stay at the party. A lot is going through Rarity's head, from what I could tell. I need to find and talk to her. She has some explaining to do. I'll be back in a bit, hopefully," she instructed. My heart slowed its breakneck pace slightly and I managed to nod. She smiled momentarily before disappearing in another flash of light. This time, however, she didn't reappear.

Octavia exhaled weakly, looking about as tired as I suddenly felt. It dawned slowly on me as I glanced back over at the two musicians. Rarity had kissed me. Rarity liked me, and I hadn't had the slightest clue before just now. Why? That was the true question. Neither mare in front of me seemed to know, their expressions simply serving to give me more questions than answers. Damn it all to hell. Well, there goes another potential 'ordinary' night.

For having a tear in my suit and a lightly singed sleeve, nopony at the party seemed to mind. Actually, the 'battle damage' had rapidly become a conversation point. After Twilight left, Octavia had insisted on taking me around and introducing me to anypony important she noticed and that wanted to talk. I didn't get much say in it, but her reasoning was fairly easy to understand, even if she was quiet about it.

I lost count of the times I paraphrased my thoughts during the accident or explained the enchantments on the suit allowing it to survive so readily. I didn't realize how important clothes were to the high society, even in a culture with no qualms about total nudity! Still, the conversations served to keep my mind busy and off what had happened. That and at least two-dozen ponies took Rarity's information down in the process. I guess my purpose here was fulfilled after all, even if her spoken reason to bring me no longer entirely matched her suspected reasons.

She kissed me. Rarity, of all ponies! She wanted a prince with reputation and esteem. I was a nopony with nothing to his name! What the hell happened?!

Vinyl noticed my downtrodden expression a moment later and bumped me sideways when I looked at her. "Chill, Dude," she ordered with an amused undertone to her voice. Neither herself nor Octavia had left my side since, and it was a little strange. I hadn't known them for long, yet they were surprisingly loyal. Of course, they also got their fair share of questions regarding the accident.

Shaking my head wearily, I nodded to her after a moment's consideration. "I know. I'm just worried that Twilight is going to be upset with me," I repeated, wandering towards the cleanup crew as they worked. The party was essentially ended soon after the accident. The questions I got were from lingering ponies afterwards, largely. A guard had also questioned me in length about what had happened, but thankfully I wasn't in trouble. Again. Fancypants spoke up for me, thankfully.

Of course, then the guards recognized me from Twilight's apparent description earlier. I stretched as I stood in front of the chandelier, looking over the damage. The guard next to the rubble that was gesturing the ponies away just nodded to us. Turns out, Twilight has, like, top-level clearance in the palace and surrounding grounds. Apparently she extended some of that to me, and I was allowed to look over the wrecked chandelier without issue. Of course, I'd already gotten a somewhat intimate view of it.

The chain was undamaged, I noticed. Tracing it back up, I saw a splintered section of a wooden beam still anchored to the end of it. My memory flared with the image of the ceiling caving away, and I sighed.

"The problem wasn't with the chandelier, but how it was attached to the ceiling. It didn't have anywhere near the structural support it should have," I pointed out, gesturing towards the beam still attached.

"It was a fast repair job. They wanted it done in time for the party tonight," Octavia revealed, glaring at the chain as if it had personally offended her mother. Not that I necessarily blamed her. It was kind of like me and apple trees.

The construction stallion from earlier stood up from the remains and nodded sternly. "You know your stuff. I've looked it over, but as far as I can tell, yer right. The candles didn't go out after the thing detached, either, did they?" he asked, gesturing towards the scorched blast residue on the crystals. Whoa. Had they literally exploded when the thing crashed?

I nodded absently. "No, they didn't. I'm guessing they were enchanted? Well, whatever they were enchanted with might not have liked the spell I used to cause it to float," I explained. Note to self. When you get some time in the future, compare Equestrian enchantments to your own to see if there's some potentially explosive overlap.

"Sure looked awesome, though!" Vinyl cut in, sounding overly cheery, if not a bit gleeful. I rolled my eyes.

"I wouldn't know. All I saw was burning and pain for a bit afterwards," I groaned, looking back down at my suit again. It, interestingly enough, wasn't that damaged. Here I thought that Rarity was silly to fireproof it.

"Now, I don't normally do this unless for special orders, but due to your terrible misfortune for accidents, I'm going to weave a few tasteful protection spells into your new suit," I keenly remembered her explaining, just the barest hint of an amused smirk playing at the corners of her lips. I chuckled before withdrawing from the wreck again.

Octavia and Vinyl followed me yet again as I wandered back over to the banquet table. They always said that eating was excellent stress relief. "Um, you have second to highest clearance, Mender. You could just go to the kitchen and ask the staff to make you something a little tastier," Octavia reminded as I started putting a light sandwich together.

"They already made all of this. No sense in letting it go to waste. Besides, I don't think I'm important enough to warrant special privileges like that," I reasoned, watching the ingredients drift into place. Vinyl seemed more interested in watching my hoof pressed against the table as I manipulated the various barriers into putting the thing together.

Octavia smirked but shook her head. "You're a strange one. You're dating Twilight just for Twilight, aren't you?" she inquired, making it sound more like a request for confirmation than anything.

"Of course I am. I fell for her before I even knew who she was, fully. She also saved my life. Not to mention she's just so," I started before trailing off and frowning. Octavia's eyebrow rose, but she listened expectantly. Finally, I added, "There's a lot I like about her. She's kind, fun, smart, gentle, entertaining, and absolutely gorgeous, for the basics."

"You definitely got it bad. Ha! She's lucky. It's dang hard to find a stallion that wants you for you when you're famous, let me tell ya! How'd ya honestly never hear of her?" Vinyl questioned, sounding surprised before she flopped down onto her haunches.

I glanced over at her as my sandwich finished making itself. "I woke up outside of Ponyville with retrograde amnesia. Didn't have a clue who the Elements of Harmony were in the first place, let alone that Twilight was one of them. I'm under the impression that I'm Twilight's first attempt, also," I told, giving them the abbreviated, censored version of my arrival.

Octavia lowered her ears and shook her head at the same time that Vinyl looked honestly surprised. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Have you been able to recover any memories yet?" she asked gently, sounding concerned.

I slowly shook my head, mentally restricting what I knew I shouldn't say. "Not a whole lot. I know my name and what my talent is. Nopony knew me in Ponyville, either. I've honestly just been focusing on building a new life," I admitted, deciding that much was safe. Hopefully they didn't have complicated background checks in Equestria. A pony literally fading into existence out of thin air might be a tiny bit suspicious.

"Mender! I know I'm not supposed to contact you during the day, but I have a bit of news to share. You don't have to answer, but I know you can hear me," suddenly echoed out in my skull, scaring the metaphorical crap out of me. I jumped at Keela's voice and accidentally launched my sandwich up into the air. Flailing, I lashed out with a force field to try to catch it, but it was suddenly whipped downwards instead in a red aura.

Vinyl snickered as she caught it in her mouth, taking a rather impressive bite out of it. "Vinyl!" Octavia berated, looking a little upset.

"They're fast to make! Besides, I want to watch him use those cool powers more," the cyan-maned mare admitted, smirking after she swallowed the first bite.

As irked as I was momentarily, I was also distracted by the sudden compliment mixed with wondering what Keela wanted. I rolled my eyes and fired up the barriers again, proceeding with sandwich attempt number two while I heard my extra dimensional friend clear her throat.

"I wanted to let you know that I've been making serious headway on my end of the bargain as well. I've almost gotten a working spell that should be able to send the book directly to you. There are a few kinks in it that I'll try to work out first, however. Further, I discovered that, in theory, I should be able to continue to use the link you control with me to talk to you, even after giving you the book back," she explained.

I frowned while listening, a little concerned that a link would still exist between myself and that place, even after the book was retrieved. This time I added cheese into the mix, along with a bit of mayonnaise and hay bacon strips. It looked delicious, and I momentarily focused on salivating over my newly formed snack.

Octavia giggled while watching me, adding, "You have refreshingly ordinary tastes. It still surprises me that you're dating Twilight. Although now I see that she's quite grounded as well." I gave her a curious look while slowly chewing my first bite, loving the taste as I swayed happily.

"Simple pleasures! A stallion after my own heart!" Vinyl agreed, holding a hoof up as she nodded approvingly. Snickering quietly while my mouth was still full, careful to keep it closed, I reached forward and bumped hooves with her in the meantime. Our gray friend just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"The spell and equipment is mostly workable as is. I just can't control the entry point. It will appear somewhere within twenty meters of you, not limited to straight up or down. You'll either have to wait a few more days for me to work the kinks out, or find a secluded spot for the transfer," Keela continued. My ears perked a little out of habit, regardless of the fact that the voice was entirely in my head.

After a moment's consideration, I decided that I'd never have normally uttered that thought and still considered myself sane. Maybe I really was becoming jaded by recent proceedings? "Oh, and don't worry about our personal link. Due to its nature, you're in complete control of that one. I can't send you anything using it without you opening it up and letting me. You can also disconnect it at any time. But please tell me as much as you can first! I really do love hearing about new magical theories and, um," she trailed off, oddly. I frowned, but realized my mistake a second later and maintained as neutral a facial expression as I could.

"...have to visit Ponyville more anyway. I know I don't visit you enough, and now that I know Mender there, it gives me more reason," Octavia continued from some unheard starting point. She appeared to be talking to Vinyl, however, and I exhaled quietly. They missed the expression, anyway.

"Hey, it's all good. I know you're a busy mare," Vinyl waived off, smiling at her friend with a genuine look of happiness. She didn't seem to let much get to her at all.

Octavia, however, looked down and sighed, nodding gently. "I know. I still feel badly, though. Plus, Mender saved my life. What just happened is still a little hard to swallow, but I'm definitely feeling no small amount of affection and thankfulness towards him," she admitted before smiling back over at me.

She looked momentarily surprised to see me looking back. I felt my cheeks heat up a little and I shook my head, coughing. "You don't owe me anything. I'd be more than happy if you were my friend," I offered, holding a hoof out to her timidly.

Her look of mild surprise expanded, but she caught herself a moment later. With a practiced motion that felt like it contained years of experience, she nodded and extended her forehoof to mine, shaking both with just enough force to register, but not enough to be jarring. I was impressed.

"Most assuredly so! Are you sure you cannot think of anything else as well? Private orchestra performance? VIP Pass for life?" she offered, smirking at me. Oh, a business mare!

Deflating a little, I rapidly shook my head before she continued. "No, no! I definitely don't deserve that. I'm not a hero," I corrected, exhaling softly. Admittedly, I enjoyed her style of music, though.

Vinyl surprised me by actually laughing. It was a short series of rather impish barks, almost. "Ha! Tell that to the newspapers tomorrow. I have a sixth sense for these things, and it's telling me that you're going to make the front page," she assured, winking. What?!

"Ugh. I just don't know what I'm thinking anymore. Fine, to be honest, I've really enjoyed talking to you. Yes, just talking. I've not handled everything that's going on as well as I've been telling Nirru, and talking to you has helped a lot," Keela suddenly continued, reminding me at the same time that she was still there.

Frowning, I sighed weakly. As much as I was annoyed by my own problems, she was still living in a personal hell. It was rather shallow to think my issues the worst.

"I suppose as long as I'm not arrested again. I don't see why they'd be so interested," I protested idly, heart not in it anymore.

"Oh, true. I mean, you only saved twenty-seven ponies from either a really bad day, or death in general. Totally reasonable. I really like this guy, Tavi!" Vinyl agreed, height of amusement playing through her tone. Octavia actually laughed at that one. I, on the other hoof, just slapped my forehead.

"Not you too! I only did what I had to in order to minimize the suffering of anypony," I excused idly, honestly thinking that should be self-evident.

Octavia coughed lightly. I raised an eyebrow to her, but the spunky unicorn mare next to her just shook her head. "Duh. Ya could have just stepped back and watched the fireworks. It takes a certain level of balls to leap into the accident and use your nifty contact magic to stop it instead," she argued, managing to do so without losing the entertained tone.

Octavia nodded in agreement, effectively double-teaming me with, "As brash as her wording is, she's right. You didn't have to save us, and certainly got hurt in doing so. You didn't even hesitate, however. That's what's called a hero here, even if you do not agree."

Feeling ganged up on, I finished off the rest of my sandwich before standing up and stretching. "I just feel a hero is somepony who actually strives towards doing so. If one went out and looked for situations to help with, I'd imagine that would be a lot more heroic," I pointed out, looking down again. The situations just kind of happened to me. I'd keep helping if the events demanded I do, but I simply didn't have the energy to go out and seek them on my own. Lacking that determination, I decided that I wasn't hero material.

"Hum. I have a new idea as well. Tug twice instead if you want me to power up the book. One tug will tell me to send an audio probe through if you just want to talk without sleeping. Um, thank you again for doing all of this," Keela cut in yet again, sounding more final this time however. The distinctive radio static sensation faded away shortly thereafter, and I realized she had left once more, probably for a while this time.

"...or not, you still acted when you had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Further, in acting, you saved a huge amount of grief and lives. Ponies are going to consider you a hero regardless," Octavia warned, causing me to miss the first part of what she said due to timing. I got the gist of it, however. Having two conversations at once was a pain.

"I'm not used to this, really. Honestly, I'd rather everypony just treat me like normal. I just want to fit in and be useful," I complained, brushing my longer bangs out of my eyes. I really needed to get somepony to finish cutting my mane, too.

Octavia giggled softly again, her light, city accent bleeding through even into that. "Is it so wrong to appreciate that you saved my life? Besides, everypony likes a hero," she pointed out, resting against the edge of the table.

I suppose there was nothing wrong with that if she really wanted to. Unfortunately, that left me at ends with how to actually respond to that sort of thing. Vinyl took that moment to finish off her stolen sandwich and was oddly watching me with interest at the same time. I glanced at her and then noticed that she was actually watching my hoof instead. Giving a knowing smile, I gently extended the hoof towards the curious mare.

"Oh, sorry. It's just kinda awesome to see an Earth Pony doing magic. The rumors were true, then," she pointed out, getting a closer look at the hoof.

"I've never heard of such. That looks like actual damage, though. Does it hurt?" Octavia asked politely, also looking, albeit in a less intrusive way.

Sighing, I stared down at it myself. The grooves were burnt into the hoof itself, but that had healed a while ago. Now it just looked like something had branded the hoof. "It is damage. It only hurts if I hit it too hard or get something wedged in the grooves, though. The benefits outweigh the issues that come along with it."

Vinyl got another rather curious expression and I suddenly knew what she probably wanted to ask. She held her tongue, surprisingly, instead deciding to stretch and let me return to perusing for more food. I doubted it was a good idea to tell them how I got the injury.

"I'm starting to doubt she's coming back," I muttered after another few minutes passed in silence. The cleanup crew for the damage was starting to give me annoyed glances, and I realized they'd probably rather have all the 'civilians' out of the area.

Octavia hummed but nodded. "Do you have a place to stay for tonight?" she inquired simply.

"Kinda, I think. Twilight told me that we were staying in her old room in the palace. Rarity was supposed to stay in one of the guests bedrooms," I relayed, frowning. Of course, I had no idea where her room was.

"Ha! You should have expected that one, Tavi! I imagine Twilight would know enough to go back there as well," Vinyl added, smirking and winking at me in a way that brought heat to my cheeks. Why did everypony insinuate we were a lot further in our relationship than reality dictated?

Octavia smiled and nodded to both of us. "We should probably retire for now, then. I'm definitely going to be visiting Ponyville in the future, so I imagine I'll see both of you again soon," she assured, seemingly rather on the happy side.

"Heck yeah! You know you're welcome anytime. You too, Mender!" the electric-maned unicorn reminded, having said similar earlier, if I recalled.

"Will definitely do. Pinkie is planning a party in a couple days, actually. She's probably going to invite you regardless, but maybe I'll see you there?" I suggested to Vinyl.

She grinned, glasses scrunching up in the process. "Miss a Pinkie Pie Party? Heck no. I'll definitely be there. Maybe I'll even be playing the music," she hinted, seemingly excited again. She indeed liked simple pleasures, I noticed. As Octavia would say, refreshing.

We parted ways on pleasant terms, regardless. Far more pleasant than certain other mares earlier that night. Being alone with my thoughts now, I wondered what had happened. Rarity had mentioned liking the princely type, not a bumbling idiot like me. She seemed exceptionally conflicted, however, so maybe even she didn't know? At least, to my absolute delight, Twilight wasn't angry with me over the ordeal. I didn't even know what was going on until well after the fact!

Sighing, I wandered down a hallway that exited into a rather glamorous courtyard. I'd been to the guest bedroom Rarity was staying in earlier, which was in the back tower. Was Twilight's room anywhere near those?

Two guards posted at the end of the courtyard watched me carefully as I approached. Perhaps I should just ask them for directions? I noticed they were in golden armor, so I assumed I'd get a reply that wouldn't lead me to a broom closet or off a balcony. Still, I was a civilian, so I didn't know exactly what their reaction would be. Ah well. The prison cells were moderately comfortable when I wasn't bleeding all over the place.

"Um, excuse me. I'm kinda lost. Could either of you please tell me where Twilight Sparkle's room is?" I asked as politely as possible. The guard on the right remained stoically staring ahead, but the left one nodded gently to me.

"Miss Twilight Sparkle is staying in her old quarters in the observatory tower. Would you like an escort there, Mr. Moon Mender?" he inquired back. My eyes widened and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. They knew who I was? He watched my reaction carefully, a light smile playing at his otherwise stoic expression. "Miss Twilight informed us of you already, of course. You are a guest here," he explained after a moment.

I considered it for a moment before nodding weakly and agreeing with, "I'm not used to ponies recognizing me, sorry. I should probably have somepony show me where they are. I've only ever been to the guest room Rarity is staying at."

"Oh, they're in the same tower as Miss Twilight's quarters. You just need to go up to the top instead. I should also inform you that Miss Rarity canceled her stay in the guest quarters earlier," he explained calmly.

My body jolted as I turned back to look at the guard, having started in the direction I came from earlier. "Wait, what? Why did Rarity cancel her stay?" I asked, frowning. She didn't leave because of earlier, did she?

"We weren't informed, unfortunately. She canceled about an hour ago. Miss Twilight also asked the same when she came through here looking for her," the other, oddly identical guard chipped in, still staring blankly ahead.

My ears lowered a little. "She left then. Is there a train going back to Ponyville tonight?" I inquired next, following the hunch. I doubt she'd simply stay in a hotel to avoid us.

The guard I was talking to first smiled a little further and nodded, informing, "Miss Twilight asked that as well. There is one last train to Ponyville tonight. It leaves at midnight, so twenty minutes from now. I do believe that's where Twilight headed for as well. Is there something wrong?"

I sighed and shook my head weakly. "Twilight can probably handle it. They got in a, well, disagreement. Rarity left the party rather upset, and Twilight was trying to find her and talk to her," I relayed, contemplating it to myself. If I were to go, I'd probably just make things more awkward and potentially undermine Twilight's efforts.

"Shall we inform her that you've retired to her quarters when she returns, then?" the talkative guard suggested. I nodded, finalizing my decision.

"Yeah. I shouldn't get in the way. Now that I know where the room is, I should be able to find it on my own." I glanced back down the hall I recognized as able to lead me to that particular tower. The guard nodded politely before resuming his post. What a mess.

Slowly walking on, I found the base of the tower I'd been in earlier and started my long passage up the steps. Well, I needed to get into shape again, anyway. It was a pleasant enough night and stayed rather warm around me, even as I climbed up higher and higher in the tower. The view was spectacular, and I took a small moment to peek out each window I discovered on my way. The rooms were stacked on top of each other as I went. Of course, not having to pay attention until I got to the very top made it fairly easy.

The doors at the top were actually double, and quite stiff to open. Eventually they creaked free and I peeked into the well-lit room on the other side. My jaw dropped of its own accord as the room was revealed to me. This wasn't a quarters or room, actually. Twilight stayed in a rather luxurious five-room apartment, I quickly realized. Edging inside, I contemplated this actually being the wrong room or something despite the definite tastes of Twilight about. Books appeared to be the primary focus of the first room apart from a rather practical telescope setup. Hey! She didn't need to bring hers after all!

Shaking my head, I double-checked the bedroom and confirmed it. Our luggage was placed on the large bed. Damn. This was her place after all. Lowering my ears, and a little scared to touch anything, I peeked about further. There was a full bathroom, of course, conveniently next to the bedroom. A kitchen was also included and similarly attached to the main library area. Lastly was what appeared to be some sort of casting chamber with warnings still in place and set to use. Well, she was the student of Princess Celestia herself, of course.

I considered it, feeling more than a little on the tired side. Twilight didn't appear to blame me, but she could still be either a little miffed at remembering what she saw, or worse, awkward. Pacing, I stared at the large bed in her bedroom. In my current condition, it was looking more than a little appetizing. Still, if she came back in to find me in her bed, that would say a lot of things I should probably avoid saying. Deflating, I decided that as amazing as the bed looked, I couldn't risk it. Plus, with both her brother and Celestia this close, all she'd probably have to do is release a slightly higher pitched squeaking and I'd be either thrown back in the dungeon or banished to the moon.

Thirty seconds later, I had the lights dimmed down to sleeping range and was stretching out onto the cushions of the couch in the main room. It was a comfortable couch, so it didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. Once I adjusted to the dim lighting, I watched the fire slowly flicker as my body relaxed. What a day.

A minute later, I gently closed my eyes, giving two tugs lightly to the link in my mind. The hum of the book powering up forty seconds after lulled me into a gentle drifting sensation. As tired as I was, it took no time at all before I was gone.

---

"So, this is the device, then?" I asked, sitting casually on my translucent, barrier haunches. The lab around me was dimly lit, and a device sat in front of me consisting of a long rail and a lot of rings. It was a massive accelerator.

Keela nodded, giving me a gentle yet excited smile as she played with the dials on the other side of it. "Yes. It accelerates a charged alloy orb until it's fast enough to activate the Slipstream Drive I've hooked up to it. Once the orb falls into Slipstream, I activate the resonance of the link and the energy from the FTL effect slides it into the other dimension. From there, the hard part begins," she explained rapidly, though most of the concepts I already knew about.

"You finished the algorithm that stabilizes the portal the orb creates, then?" I furthered, raising an eyebrow to her. Last I'd heard from her, the object she tried to move twenty meters to the left got cut into two fairly burnt pieces when the portal collapsed and exploded on itself. That seemed detrimental to our goal, although I suppose it didn't matter. Knowing my luck, however, the book would go up like a nuclear blast when cut in half.

Keela nodded rapidly, her bangs dancing in time with her excitement. "Yeah, it was a serious pain, but I managed to figure out how to make a stable portal. Interestingly enough, I followed a hunch and figured out that it could be stabilized using the Aegis Barriers. The only problem is that I can't control the exit point yet. This will get you your book, but it would appear anywhere within twenty meters of you or so," she warned, raising an eyebrow at her readouts. So it could arrive potentially inside solid surfaces or, worse yet, inside of me. That would be rather uncomfortable.

I watched her adjust several more dials and sigh, glaring at the display. "The portal is so finicky that it's hard to even experiment with it. Further, I've obviously never tried it with an actual connection to your Equestria instead. I've only been working with local spaces," she added, sounding a little unsure.

"So there could be further complications during the real attempt," I muttered, staring at the field of disks. It was clever, honestly. She accelerated the orb until activating Slipstream, which was our FTL Engine, then punched the thing through the dimensional barrier using the same Aegis Resonating effect that let me get to Equestria in the first place. Once it punched through, she used the pinhole as a starting point, spread it open more, shoved an object through it, and then let it close. The object would then bleed through the dimensional barrier and 'fall' into Equestria. Well, with a somewhat randomized landing point. Risky. Given my luck and the strange magnetic draw of my skull, it would phase halfway through it and kill me instantly.

She sighed and walked around the table before sitting down on the couch next to me. "It's untested, so of course. I calculated the same thing that happened to you and came up with some fairly disruptive results, actually," she revealed, suddenly looking a little guilty.

I raised an eyebrow to her, tilting my head as I just watched. "Mender, I don't think Rainbow Dash's Rainboom could have drawn you over to Equestria just by itself. Someone had to trigger a Slipstream effect and mix it with your Aegis shield on this side. You don't remember doing it?" she asked cautiously, looking a little perplexed at my probably gaping expression.

No, that wasn't possible. Does that mean that somepony knew about Equestria before I was even sent? It dawned on me in the same instant and I voiced, "Those disks."

Keela sighed but nodded minutely. "They do seem almost engineered for the six Elements of Harmony, as you called them. Honestly, I think they're meant for taking sample readings. Maybe the original goal of whatever project you were involved in was to scout out Equestria and get samples of energy sources? " she offered, shrugging absently a moment later.

"Project?" I questioned immediately, not sure if I'd like the answer.

Keela frowned but shook her head. She typed a few keys on her console to the right of her and another profile popped up on the screen. "Dr. Kyliona. She was the one who stopped your execution and submitted you to whatever her research was. The classified data was lost when our planet blew up. She died in her lab at the same time, it would seem," the pink haired Keldarian explained, gesturing towards the rotating image on the screen. It was that of an older Keldarian woman with a dark red mane, er, hair, and a darker blue hue to her fur. She wore a pressed and very clean looking lab coat as well.

"We don't know what she was even working on apart from her specialty being quantum mechanics. She interrupted your execution, stating she might have found a way to 'deliver us from evil' and that you were important to it. She never specified beyond that, and didn't have to, given her rank," Keela continued, rolling her eyes slightly after finishing the statement, as if disgusted with her own words.

"It's weird. I thought physically encountering myself would bring my memories back, but it didn't. I don't remember anything to do with her," I muttered, staring as hard as I could up at the image on the screen. As far as I could tell, I'd never even seen her before.

Keela exhaled but nodded, slumping back in the cushions and tapping the console again. It folded into the armrest before the screen went dark. "It's okay. I'll keep looking into that as well. I did find a bit of data on her, but it's heavily classified. My computer's been decrypting the data for the better part of the afternoon, now," she relayed, further reminding me that our day and night cycles were off by quite a bit.

"I'll let you know if I remember anything more. There has to be something," I promised, frowning a little as I looked back to the machine laid out on the table. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening, however. My eyes widened further as I realized it was the sound of a wooden door opening rather than the telltale hissing noise the doors on the ship made. The Keldarian next to me gave a raised eyebrow as I hesitated and glanced to my left.

Reality bled, flickering like an archaic movie reel I'd seen once. The image of a door and a small flood of light burned into the dim lab. I recognized the door as the main entry to Twilight's room. "Oops! Uh, Twilight finally came back, it looks like. I gotta go," I excused as politely as I could.

Keela grinned, and I caught a surprise blush as it headed for my cheeks. "Remember what I said. Act cute, apologize, and then kiss her on the cheek. If she's like how you've explained her to be, she'll eat it up," she tossed on.

I flailed, stomping my hoofs rapidly into the couch before glaring at her, heat rushing up into my face regardless. Which was ironic seeing as I technically didn't have any blood in me. "You're a brat. Anyway, I'll be back later," I groaned. I turned the book off, the last sound of my dimension being her snickering laughter as everything fell away again.

---

Jarring slightly, I opened my eyes slowly. It was always a little rough snapping back into my actual body like that. My vision focused just in time to see Twilight gently closing the door. Her features were sunken a little and she looked extremely tired. I watched her carefully as she sighed and her horn flickered up with a bit of light. It wasn't very bright, and reminded me vaguely of a flashlight, interestingly enough.

The cone drifted across the floor, missing the couch completely as she walked right past me, heading into the bedroom instead. Er, whoops. I wasn't expecting that. Of course, it was rather dark in here. My ears twitched as I heard her breathing catch. She made an unhappy sounding murmur before backing up again and shining the light across the library and miniature observatory, again missing the couch but in the other direction this time. The light illuminated her face, showing me a somewhat nervous expression suddenly. She was expecting me to have been in her bed after all? I didn't know if I should be happy or sad due to that.

I didn't want her to worry about me any further, however, and quietly asked, "Twilight?" All I was truly hoping for was to get her attention and alert her to my presence. I'm never that lucky, of course.

She made a light squeaking noise and whipped the light directly into my face on the couch. I let out a yelp, blinded completely by the flare of light as I flailed to cover my eyes. The cushion gave way and flipped under my unbalanced weight, causing me to spill to the floor a half second later, blanket tangling me up as I went.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Mender! Wait, what are you doing on the couch?" she suddenly asked, helping me untangle my head from the blankets. I groaned and rubbed the spots out of my eyes before looking up at her again, noticing she dimmed the light and made it radiant rather than a beam.

"Um, I'm sorry, Twilight. I was worried you'd be upset with me when you got back. Finding me in your bed might have sent the wrong message," I explained, ears lowering a little. I'd rehearsed the apology in my head, but I was still nervous as to what her actual reaction would be. I didn't want her angry with me.

Her eyes softened and she smiled finally, exhaling lightly. "I'm just glad you're here and okay. I'm not mad at you, Mender," she assured, shifting her head down slightly. She looked stressed, if nothing else. I mulled it over slightly. Well, Keela was a girl too. Maybe she was right and Twilight would appreciate it?

Deciding to take a risk, I leaned forwards and gently pecked Twilight on the left cheek. She made a starting motion, but I withdrew before overstaying my welcome and tried to just smile at her. I had a sneaking suspicious that I might have looked a little nervous, regardless.

She blushed lightly before exhaling and visibly relaxing, however, smiling fully at me. "Thank you, Mender. It's been a long day. I trusted you, of course, but the added assurance really does make me feel special. Rarity openly admitted that you had nothing to do with that when I caught up with her at the station as well," she informed, shifting closer to me and resting her horn on my shoulder. Huh. Keela was right. She didn't mind me pecking her on the cheek after all.

"She left then," I spoke quietly, it definitely not serving as a question. My ears lowered again wearily. I'd figured as much.

Twilight nodded against my shoulder slowly. "Yeah. She was pretty shook up by the time I found her. I couldn't stay angry with her when she was doing such a good job of being angry with herself. I'm worried about her, though. I've seen her when she loses her cool," Twilight confessed, looking back up at me carefully.

I frowned, but considered it before suggesting, "Maybe we should come back to Canterlot later? If you're worried about her, maybe returning to Ponyville tomorrow would be a good idea?"

Twilight's eyes widened a little, but only for a split second. "Oh, hmm. Well actually, that's not a bad idea. Otherwise we'd have to wait for the appointment with Princess Celestia and we wouldn't be able to leave until two days from now. Are you sure, though? I promised you that I'd have her scan you, after all," she reminded, her ears suddenly mimicking mine in a rather expressive manner.

I smiled, a little touched that she was considering me as well. "It's okay, Twilight. I'm sure we wouldn't have to wait too much longer to get another appointment. I'd almost think you were special to Celestia," I added, tossing an impish smile on afterwards.

As anticipated, Twilight grinned and batted me playfully in the shoulder. "You're a jerk sometimes. If you weren't my coltfriend, I'd so make you stay on that couch for tonight," she 'threatened' with a rather playful smirk on.

I started to laugh before it dawned on me. "Oh, wait. I'm not staying on the couch?" I questioned, suddenly a little surprised. Twilight slapped her forehoof under her horn before snickering.

"Wow, Mender. I can't hint any harder that I don't mind snuggling with you while sleeping than I already have. You know, by actually snuggling with you while sleeping," she reminded skeptically, giving me a raised eyebrow.

I blushed, coughing lightly again before standing up fully. "Oh, shush. I'm new to all of this. I'm sorry, but I respect your desires too much to risk assuming like I usually do," I excused. Her cheeks tinted pink this time in her own horn glow, but she smiled and nodded.

"Thanks again for that. You've been really understanding so far and it's been amazing. Um, do you think we could hold off until tomorrow night for the 'experimentation', though? I'm really, really tired after chasing Rarity down all night," she requested.

Frowning, I gave her a perplexed stare. If she was implying what I thought she might be, that left me a little on the confused side. "Wait. Now that I think about it, didn't you mention that last night, too?" I suddenly remembered, wondering if there were deeper implications behind the pattern emerging.

She whined as if burned before rapidly stamping her hooves. "I know, I know. I remember what Rarity said on the train, too. I've been nervous and slacking off. Please, put up with me for one more night?" she asked, causing me to frown. Something was definitely off.

"Twilight, stop it. Rarity was teasing you. Just relax," I reasoned, trying to calm her down. It's almost as if she felt obligated to do this every night.

She exhaled and nodded weakly. "I know, I know. The book just said that nighttime was the traditional time to engage in such activities, so that's what I've been attempting to pull off. Things just keep getting in the way," she complained, heading back into her bedroom.

Admittedly, I pulled off a miraculous recovery from almost tripping over three of my own hooves while following her. "W-What?! Wait, so you've been suggesting the evening 'experiments' because you read about it in a book?" I asked, unable to contain my sudden shock. Things snapped into place rapidly, leaving a lovely sinking, icy feeling in my chest. Oh.

Twilight froze in mid-step, apparently not expecting a reaction like that. Slowly, she shifted and turned around, stopping right next to her bed. "Oh, um, is that a bad thing? I mean, I want to do this right and not screw up so I figured following things to the letter would be the best," she reasoned, looking a little confused.

I exhaled, confusion shifting to a light melancholy instead, before asking, "Do you actually want to do things like that?" I didn't know which was correct anymore, and my head spun. Why couldn't all of this be simple? Instead, it felt like we were plagued by communication errors.

"Uh, what do you mean? Do I want to do what?" she asked, tilting her head gently as she looked at me.

My eyes searched hers for a moment before I lowered them gently. "Let's go at a speed you're comfortable with, Twilight. From now on, you only have to kiss me like that when you want to. There's no obligations or quotas you have to meet," I assured, looking back up at her as she widened her eyes a little.

"But the book said that was really bad for," she started to protest before I gently pushed a hoof to her mouth. Her guilty eyes stared over my foreleg before I lowered it a moment later.

"Twilight, I might be new to this place, but all I can see is what's right in front of me. If you're uncomfortable with anything, we're doing it wrong. Don't listen to the book; listen to yourself," I tried to correct. All I knew is that if she was uncomfortable with anything, it wasn't worth doing no matter how, well, enjoyable I found it. I knew what I wanted in the big picture, and Twilight was far too important to be selfish with. I cared for her. A lot.

Her eyes softened as she listened, and she nodded shortly after I was done. "I've never done this before and I just wanted it to be perfect, is all. I'm used to having everything planned out," she furthered, revealing exactly what I had come to expect from the mare. She was extremely reliable like that, if not a little too so. Was there a thing as too reliable? Eh, I doubted it.

I smiled at her again and shook my head. "I'm more comfortable with you in control. I guess it's deep-seated from my old culture. You don't need a schedule if you want to snuggle or kiss me. Just do it," I offered, adding a nod as punctuation.

Her blush was rather adorable and she smiled softly. "You're indeed a good stallion. I'm glad my brother likes you as well. He's right, I see," she suddenly agreed.

I raised an eyebrow, drawing a blank before asking, "Right about what?" I searched back into my head, trying to remember any opinions he might have expressed or advice dished out.

Twilight snickered but shook her head quickly. "Oh, nothing. I'll admit, when the mood strikes me, kissing you like that is really, really nice. I've been tired lately due to everything I've needed to do, though. Night isn't as convenient as the book said it was," she muttered, exhaling softly. She did look really tired, now that I looked harder.

"Well, let's get some rest then, Silly. Are you sure you don't want me on the couch?" I offered one last time, watching her hop up on the bed with gusto. The luggage started to glow with a soft crimson and purple light before sliding off and onto the floor. I still admired her ability to manipulate things without needing to touch them. If I could have done that, the entire incident earlier with the chandelier could have been avoided!

"After everything you just said? Trust me, you did wonders to put my mind at ease with that," she admitted before sliding under her covers and lifting the side closest to me up so I could crawl in.

A little spike of apprehension hit me again, but I reminded myself that nothing bad had happened the night before. The only difference this time was that I was willingly getting into bed with her rather than being teleported alongside.

Closing my eyes, I nodded to myself before climbing up and sliding under the covers. Twilight made a content cooing noise before sliding over and pressing further into me. I exhaled as I felt her coat slide and mix with mine; her body heat started to warm me up as the blankets settled around me.

"This. This I have no complaints about at all. There's just something so relaxing and, I'm not sure. Stable, maybe? I've never particularly felt unsafe in my own bed, but having you here as well almost lets me feel like you'll keep any nightmares away, too," she tried to explain, voice lowering due to lack of energy and proximity, I imagine.

I matched her tone and volume, assuring, "I'd do everything I could to keep them away. And you can have this for as long as you desire it." Even if she thought it was a treat, I rapidly realized that this wasn't a bad thing. It didn't tax me in any way to be with her like this. Quite the contrary, actually.

Her horn lightly pressed into my forehead, and I felt her presence slip inside of my mind with a gentle shift. She didn't push too much energy in; just enough to perform the empathic connection. It always surprised me when I saw how gentle she could be. One would think with such a massive level of power and skill, she'd have difficulty doing smaller things. Not that I'm complaining. I've felt what it's like to have her shove as much energy as she could inside of me. It was vaguely similar to what I'd imagine being hit by a tsunami would be like.

"My turn tonight. Mmm. Maybe one day, both of us will go at the same time," she speculated quietly, folding her forelegs up between our chests as I lightly draped my right one over her waist.

Maybe she was getting more comfortable too? "I don't think we're ready for that kind of commitment, by the sounds of it. It's permanent, Twi," I reminded, remembering the details from the train ride. Contrary to popular belief, the only time I specifically wasn't listening was when I was actively throwing up.

"I know. Honestly, before you came along, I'd never really thought about relationships that much. I've never really wanted or needed that feeling, let alone understood the feeling in the first place. But feeling you right here makes me understand a lot better. It's a lot like that spark I first felt when we repaired the Elements of Harmony. A warmth I hadn't realized I was missing until that day," she compared, hesitating towards the final part. I perked my ears up at the interesting new information, but didn't interrupt.

Finally, she continued with, "It's a lot different from that feeling, too, of course. Whereas friendship felt pleasant and warm, relaxing even, this makes me feel almost stir crazy at times. It's a hot, needy feeling that makes me want to get as close as possible. More tactile and physical than what I share with the other girls."

I suddenly got the suspicion that she'd been thinking about this for a while. Of course, if she was freaked out by it when she first discovered I liked her like that, she probably did a lot of analysis on her personal feelings. "The descriptions fit easier than you realize, me feeling extremely similar things to compare them to," I pointed out, smiling gently against her nose.

She let out a light, sleepy giggle before nodding, pushing my head down with each motion due to horn contact. "I figured you felt similar. That's what made me realize it wasn't as scary as I thought in the first place. You have wants and fears, just like me. Even tonight, I saw the confusion and shock clearly enough and realized that you were just as surprised as I was by it. That meant a ton to me," she added.

I swallowed but nodded gently, still unsure of how to deal with that. "My only thought after was wanting you to not be mad at me over it. Now I just feel selfish for not considering how hurt Rarity was at the time," I groaned, pushing closer to Twilight.

She made a light murmur before kissing my nose in return, her energy warming up inside of my mind. "You're very kind, Mender. A bit dense sometimes, but still very kind," she complimented. I felt her smile widen as I knew she felt my eyes roll.

"Relax, though. Rarity was feeling better by the time we got done talking. I'd still like to go back to Ponyville and clear all of this up, though. All I managed to do before the train left was convince her that we weren't angry with her," she explained, relaxing slowly as we both calmed down. It was kind of weird in a good way that I could feel her, well, feelings.

"I was surprised. Well, shocked, really. I couldn't even process it when it happened. I'm nowhere near the traits I thought she wanted in a stallion," I elaborated, feeling a spike of frustration again.

Twilight just nuzzled me, however, and I exhaled. "I think Rarity herself is starting to realize there is no stallion quite as perfect as she was looking for. You do have a lot of attributes she likes, however. You treat her with kindness and respect, and try to be polite whenever possible. Most importantly, none of those traits are an act," she explained, opening her eyes again and staring into my own before adding, "Those are the same traits I appreciate in you. Sure, you can be clumsy, dense, and I've never seen such lengthy conclusion jumping before. Regardless of those negative traits, you honestly care for me and respect me. That's way more important."

My ears lowered a little, but I nodded. I was trying to fix a few of those, but it felt like my own body conspired against me sometimes. "Plus, it's nice to find a stallion I have a lot in common with. We both like reading and mental pursuits, and you can talk with me about magic as well," she tacked on, smiling again and suddenly humming pleasantly.

I raised an eyebrow, opening my mouth to ask what the demeanor shift was about when she leaned forwards and kissed me directly. My eyes widened briefly before dropping again as I pushed back gently, feeling her smile against my lips. The urgency wasn't there this time and she just melted against me further for a few seconds before letting my mouth go and snuggling again. I blushed but used my right foreleg to hold her tighter, giving a light squeeze around her side.

"This. This is nice. I'll never be scared of this," she murmured a moment later, brushing the side of her muzzle against mine before settling into the pillow again.

"I have no complaints in the slightest," I agreed happily, earning another sleepy snicker before her breath deepened.

Her consciousness slipped backwards, tugging mine down as well. I smiled, momentarily watching her sleep like a beautiful angel before I stopped resisting. Much more pleasantly than the book's shifts ever could be, I felt myself pulled into her dreams alongside her, sinking into the warm heat to the sounds of her gentle breathing.

Things had gone smoothly so far! And by smoothly, I meant I hadn't thrown up at all on the ride home. Smiling, I strolled off the train after my fillyfriend, who was a few meters ahead of me. Heck, I was so happy I hadn't gotten sick that I didn't even care that I was carrying both sets of saddle bags and hauling all three suitcases plus one new bag. The medicine Twi found in lieu of not having time to research an anti-nausea spell had worked wonderfully!

"I still can't believe that we missed the first train," Twilight groaned as she walked. I caught up with her before chuckling weakly. Glancing up, I noticed the sun was already in its final stages of the day. What a waste. This is what happens when you only have one train on the track at any given moment. No wonder they use pegasi for most of their transportation needs!

"You were the one who insisted on getting the extra quills and parchment," I reminded, gesturing behind me to the extra bag that was balanced on the three suitcases I was already hooked up to.

Twilight flattened her ears back before finally giving in and snickering. "I know, I know. Still, the prices are better in bulk, and I can never go to Quills and Sofas without him trying to sell me a sofa, too! I have enough sofas," she defended, giving me a playful smirk. I nodded and smiled back, a soft and warm sensation drifting into my chest. It felt strange to be walking so casually right next to her, but definitely in a good way.

Twilight stopped and turned back to face me after we cleared the train platform. "All right then. Are we set for the plan? You get the luggage and saddlebags back home and wait for a little bit. I'll go talk to Rarity and get her calmed down, and then both of us will wait for you. All three of us need to talk about this," she reiterated calmly.

It was indeed a good plan. I liked the part where I didn't talk to her first this time and make an idiot of myself. I nodded and smiled to her. "No problem. How long do you want me to wait?" I asked, just to be on the safe side.

Twilight pondered for a moment before shrugging and offering, "Twenty or thirty minutes should be plenty of time. If you're a little late, Rarity and I will just have tea or something." I idly considered that Rarity might not be very comfortable with that arrangement, but Twilight had been friends with her for a long time. Maybe I was underestimating that?

"All right! I'll drop these off, wait twenty minutes or so, and then wander over to join you," I agreed, once again happy that she was such a prepared and organized mare. It also only involved me having skill enough to walk short distances without dying! Thus, it was a really good plan.

Twilight smiled as well, apparently my extreme positive aura rubbing off on her. "Okay then! See you in a few!" she tacked on before turning again and heading towards the Carousel Boutique. I momentarily allowed myself the distraction of watching her flanks sway as she departed before shaking myself out of it and heading in the other direction towards the library. Yup. Still male.

Hauling the extremely large amount of luggage definitely got me a few stares. This time, however, quite a few shocked stares turned into friendly smiles and waves as I passed, letting me return them. I guess I was moving past my 'outcast' reputation. I caught a glimpse of Lyra and Bon Bon near the park. Golden Harvest was oddly nearby as well, looking up in the tree as if having lost a kite or something. Heck, a further examination even showed Derpy waving at me from the upper tree branches! I waved back, then winced as the motion of her gesture dislodged the mail bag that was stuck to the tree branch, causing her to wobble and then hover out of the tree again, truly free this time. Oh, Derpy.

By the time I decided she was okay and turned back around, I yet again encountered two large, blue pools of color staring back at me, surrounded by pink. Startled, I jumped a little and hopped backwards, bumping into the luggage I was hauling. Pinkie smiled pleasantly at me and waved, hoof movements as packed full of energy as per usual.

"Hiya, Mender! You're back from your trip! I missed you. How are you doing?" she asked all at once, surprising me. I was gone technically less than twenty-four hours. She missed me in that period of time?

"It was, well, eventful. I got arrested and then released by Twilight's brother, Shining Armor. Then I got drafted into being a stagehoof. Oh, then I ended up surfing across the ball room on a flying chandelier, trying not to catch fire," I summarized, bumping my right hoof along my held up left as if counting with imaginary fingers. Oddly, Pinkie seemed to somehow understand the gesture.

"Wooooow! I missed so much! That sounds like fun! And you got to meet Shining. He's really nice," she chirped, nodding enthusiastically. Well, I'm glad that's the important thing she pulled from those statements.

I snickered and nodded as well, enjoying the mare's outlook on things regardless. "I agree. He didn't seem to have a problem with me seeing Twilight, either," I noted, exhaling gently in long past relief. It was still nice to realize. Now I just had to make a good impression for her parents, for whenever that would happen.

Pinkie gave a little spin and sway in place, apparently venting the perpetual energy her body generated in the only way she knew how. I began to understand how she could eat so much, just considering the sheer amount of calories her body must burn through releasing whatever cosmic energy fueled her on a daily basis.

"Oh! That reminds me, before I forget to remember to mention it!" she started. For a moment, I tried to follow the path of her logic before remembering whom I was talking to. She continued, undaunted, "I still totally owe you a party for saving Equestria, and another for having such a bad time and me injuring you! I've decided to put both of them together into one super-duper awesome party of the century! Everypony shall be invited, and I mean everypony! This is going to be so awesome!" she rambled, flailing towards the end.

Snickering, I nodded once more, singularly this time. "Do you think you could invite Vinyl Scratch as well? Oh, and send an invite out to an Octavia in Canterlot?" I requested politely.

Pinkie's eyes bugged out as she stared at me intensely. For the briefest moment, I wondered if I'd offended the pink mare, and slowly lowered my ears. "Oh wow! You have requested guests?! This is so awesome! Vinyl is so cool and plays such amazing music! If you're her friend, maybe she'll even play for the party? Oh, and Octavia, as in the Royal Orchestra Cellist? You met a lot of fun ponies in Canterlot!" Pinkie finally squealed, allowing me a sigh of relief. I didn't want to think about what an angry, vengeful Pinkie Pie looked like, that was for sure!

"Yeah, they were both at the party. Octavia wanted to come visit, and Vinyl already said she might like to play at the party," I informed, feeling a bit more relaxed now.

Pinkie double gasped, somehow. It wasn't just a gasp twice in a row. No, she somehow compound it exponentially in a way that made my head hurt. "You got Vinyl to maybe consider playing music at my party without me even needing to ask her?! You're awesome, too! Maybe I'll need to turn you into my Party Planning Partner Pony!" she squealed happily before lunging. Oh hell.

My life flashed before my eyes as my torso was practically crushed into her puffy pink body. She spun and swayed happily with me, hugging the life out of me as we went. No! I wanted to die by Twilight and Fluttershy hugs! Preferably both at the same time.

She finally released me after an agonizing six seconds and bounced back into place with gusto, exactly where she'd been a moment before. "Excellent! Now I just have to see Mayor Mare about borrowing the main hall! This is going to be so super cool!" she gushed, thankfully not asking me anything as I reeled from her prior assault. Wait, why the main hall?

"What do you need the main hall for?" I inquired shakily once my brain felt like it had stopped vibrating.

"Any one of our houses couldn't possibly hope to contain a party of this magnitude! Just trying to might cause a funplosion. Maybe, just maybe, if I got Big Mac to push a few of our houses together, it might work. But he's a busy stallion, dodging all the googly oogly mares and what not! I mean, he is second most eligible bachelor in Ponyville, after all. Still, he'll be at the party, too, so this should be fun!" she started rambling. I blinked slowly, unsure of how my inquiry as to the location had gotten hijacked into a rant of Ponyville's bachelors.

"Wait, who's first?" I inquired curiously. I'd probably regret it in a few...

"You, of course! Silly!" she squealed, hopping into the air and flailing her hooves around under her.

Another slow blink. That didn't compute at all. "But, um, I'm not single," I refuted, extremely confused now.

"Oh, you can't date anypony, Silly! Secret agents can't date. They just have steamy romances and liaisons," Pinkie corrected, adding a low growl and a wink onto the end. I went from confused to flustered and backing up almost instantly, more than a little leery of sudden advances at the moment!

Pinkie, staying true to herself, burst into laughter and wobbled happily. Regardless of her mirth and obvious jest, several nearby mares started whispering to each other rapidly. Damn it! "What are you talking about, Pinkie?!" I rasped, glaring at the mirthful pink mare.

She gave me an exaggerated wink in return, adding, "Oh, I know. You're not a secret agent. I'll shush." Somehow, the way she said it didn't help at all, and I started hearing giggling alongside the whispers. Shifting my attention, I shot an angry expression towards whom I now identified as Lily, one of the three flower mares. She giggled even more whimsically when noticing my attention and also gave me a wink, earning an exasperated sigh. They were screwing with me. They were all doing this on purpose…

"Anyway! I'll get the invitation to you tomorrow! See you a little later!" Pinkie announced before happily bouncing away, proving entirely immune to my death stares. Dang. I'd have to practice them a bit more.

Exhaling, I stood back up and shifted my balance back into hauling position. The three suitcases weren't that heavy and had the benefit of wheels, but I still didn't want to pull anything. Or trip and garrote myself, of course.

After a few more minutes of casual walking, keeping my pace steady and actually enjoying the exercise, I made it to the town square. A bead of sweat drifted off my brow, and I gave a light flick sideways to dispel it. The sight of the tree house on the other side of the square looked appealing indeed. My trip had already been slowed considerably by the sheer weight of the things I was hauling.

"Howdy there, Mender," I suddenly heard called out to my right as I crossed the walkway and entered the marketplace common. My ears perked and rotated before my head did, and I spotted the familiar orange mare fitting the voice. Applejack was selling today? I knew that she and Big Mac took turns tending the stand and they were only here certain days of the week. All of those apples couldn't get bucked by themselves if one of those two was always here selling them, I admitted.

"Oh, hey, Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Apple Bloom," I greeted politely, eyes picking out the prior unnoticed cyan and rainbow pegasus, and much smaller filly. I had a half an hour to kill anyway, so I wasn't particularly hurried to get back home. Home. I smiled gently as I walked up, realizing I was already starting to think of the library as my home now.

Dash gave me a smirk and nod as I approached, but Apple Bloom squeaked and spun, having been oblivious until I said something. Oddly, it looked like she was more harassing one of the customers than trying to sell the apples. Seeing me, however, she shot away from the confused brown stallion and headed right for me! Oh crap.

I braced for impact and let out a stiff wheeze as she collided with my chest, knocking me back and onto my haunches. "Mender! Ah wondered when ya were gonna show up! Are ya hurt?" she asked instantly, giving my front a curious once-over.

Hurt? Raising an eyebrow, I looked back up at her sister and Rainbow for a clue. "Rare told us what happened with tha chandelier after she got back last night. Ah thought she was gonna stay longer than that," Applejack relayed, looking a little perplexed.

Rainbow caught my frown instantly and fluttered closer, looking interested. "She had a reason for it, didn't she?" the clever cyan mare guessed, dead on as usual.

I nodded weakly, averting my gaze from her sharp, rose-colored stare. "Yeah. There were complications and she and Twilight got in a fight. She left, looking pretty upset. I probably shouldn't say more," I explained, trying to filter while I talked. I'm not the best at that, decidedly.

Rainbow's ears perked a little as her expression shifted deadpan with an audible, "Huh." I tilted my head curiously at her, but Applejack merely rolled her eyes.

"Those two have been darn feisty with each other fer days now! Ah'm one fer gettin' down ta tha middle o' this right now," she spit out, looking a little frustrated over the matter.

I shook my head rapidly, however, raising my hoof up to gesture a halt. "No, it's okay. Twilight's over there right now trying to talk to her. I'm supposed to follow after putting this stuff back in the house," I elaborated, trying to keep interference to Twilight's plan as minimal as possible. I doubted things would go well if two irked mares busted her door down.

Rainbow nodded sagely, seemingly more content now that she knew Twilight was on the case. Applejack just let out an indignant huff, however, causing Apple Bloom to shift her attention back to her sister, looking worried.

"Why are ya goin'? Kinda ah weird choice, if ya ask me," Applejack questioned, causing my ears to droop a little. Well, true. I wasn't the best at talking or defusing situations. Fluttershy was way more empathic, while Pinkie or Dash would do a better job of cheering somepony up.

"Sis! That's not very nice an' ya know it!" Apple Bloom defended, turning fully to meet her sister.

Applejack softened and shook her head after a moment of staring at the little filly. "Ah didn't mean it like that. Ah'm sorry, Mender. Ah'm just frustrated," she excused, apologizing with a gentle nod.

I shook my head, however, assuring, "No, you're right, of course. I'm not the best at the whole talking thing. I tend to do stupid things, socially. Even if this isn't directly my fault, I still feel badly over what happened. So you're right. I'm not going there to help, but because I'm involved."

"Oh, does it involve the chandelier thing? That has 'Mender Accident' written all over it!" Rainbow asked, suddenly smirking. I felt a distinct heat push into my cheeks as I exhaled, looking away from her again.

Applejack snorted, however. "Ah seem ta remember ya did ah real number on ah statue at tha Gala that one year," the farm mare reminded with a smirk.

Predictably, Rainbow shifted from mirthful to defensive in less than a heartbeat, turning to glare at her friend. "Hey, I was trying to save somepony, too!" she defended, looking more than a little guilty while doing so. I decided I probably shouldn't ask.

Applejack rolled her eyes but turned back to me instead. "If it's involvin' ya specifically, and is between Rare and Twi, Ah have a feelin' Ah know what happened," she reasoned before stepping considerably closer and whispering, "Rarity confessed, didn't she?"

Rainbow's eyes widened, her being close enough to hear it as well. Apple Bloom let out a sudden gasp of understanding, and asked, "Oh my! Fer true? Rarity has feelin's fer ya?"

Blushing, I sighed and nodded, not really feeling like lying to the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty; not to mention an adorably innocent little filly who implicitly trusted me for some reason.

"Whoa! I'm surprised Twilight isn't in rage mode," Rainbow admitted, looking more than a little shocked.

Applejack smiled at that and shook her head, however. "They've been friends fer ah long time. Ah think Rarity knew she overstepped her bounds an' Twilight's bein' rightly forgivin'," she pointed out, actually sounding pleased by the way things were turning out. Although, I suppose Twilight hasn't blown up Ponyville yet, so things were indeed going well.

Applejack watched me carefully for a few more seconds, and I shifted uncomfortably. Rainbow's ears twitched and she frowned before glancing over at Applejack as well. "You're making 'me' feel awkward. Good grief, Applejack. What's up?" she asked a moment later, pseudo-defending me. Kinda. Wait, that reminded me; wasn't there something I was supposed to be remembering? Damn it. Now I was thinking in Pinkie.

The orange country mare rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ah was just curious as ta how Mender 'ere felt about her. Ah've not seen any hintin' that he likes her like that, is all," she explained, looking back up at me curiously.

Sighing, I looked down from her for a moment, considering her question. She knew already what my answer was going to be, in all likelihood. Did she really feel the need to actually ask? "I, well, no. Rarity is an amazing mare and a really great friend, but I honestly don't feel the same towards her as I do when I think of Twilight or Fluttershy," I explained as simply as I could. I'd not given it a lot of thought beyond the basic realization, so putting words to it was a little tricky still.

Her stare persisted for a few more moments before a light smile danced onto her expression and she nodded sagely. "Ah'm happy yer not lyin' ta yerself. Ya tell her just that and Ah'm sure she'll understand," Applejack advised, seeming pleased again. She was a strange mare. Although I could definitely see why she was the Element of Honesty.

Wait, Honesty? Being truthful, or revealing information. Oh! Glancing back towards Rainbow, I noticed she was still looking a little weirded out. Now I remembered! I had made a mental note to chase her down when I got back. Apple Bloom gave me a curious look, but I just smiled down at her before mentally whispering, "Hey Rainbow, can you hear me?"

There wasn't the level of realization I was looking for. "Huh? Yeah, I'm still paying attention," she assured, snapping out of whatever daydream she was in and looking back up at me with a faint smile.

"Er, well, that's good, Ah guess. Ya got somethin' ta say?" Applejack inquired, turning back around again from her stand. I was suddenly glad she didn't have any customers at the moment, as I was certainly distracting her enough. Similarly, Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow towards Dash as well. My right ear twitched. Hmm. The bitter memory of the cupcake prank drifted into my head and I tried not to smile openly.

Rainbow flattened her ears back and shook her head at Applejack. "Uh, not really. I mean," she muttered. Mentally grinning, I launched my daring plot.

"Oh, don't mind her. I just wanted to talk to you about the wing thing, and the finer details of how you're going to let Applejack know you love her," I relayed in an amused mental projection.

This time it was like flicking a switch. Rainbow screeched to a halt and shifted her attention over to me instantly, jaw dropped open and eyes the size of teacups. "What are you doing?! You're not supposed to say anything about..." she started to shout, stammering the last sentence before blushing furiously and looking back at Applejack.

"Uh, what in tarnation is wrong with you, Rainbow?" she questioned, looking a mixture of surprised and concerned. Oh, oh crap. That played into it a little too good!

Rainbow shuddered as if punched, eyes softening as she looked away. "I, um, well, I don't know what he's talking about, of course. He gets these crazy ideas and," she started to excuse, backtracking rapidly while looking utterly hurt. Oops. I couldn't let this go on.

"Er, who? Mender hasn't been talkin' in the first place. He's tha only stallion 'ere," Applejack asked, giving Rainbow a curious glance.

"W-What?" Rainbow asked, shifting from pained expression to confusion a moment later.

Sighing, I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Dash. That was a mean trick. I didn't intend for it to go like that," I apologized, verbally this time.

The cyan mare whipped her attention back to me, questioning stare rather apparent. Apple Bloom looked downright confused at this point, shifting her attention freely between the three of us, while her older sister shot me a skeptical glance.

I closed my eyes and focused again, mentally asking, "Can you hear this as well, Dash?" Her eyes widened, confirming the already mostly proven suspicions. Now she saw me not moving my mouth while doing it, however. That would prove to her that her secret was still safe. Hopefully.

"How are you doing that?! I thought you could only do that with Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, more shocked than angry suddenly, apparently momentarily forgetting my rather cruel prank. Of course, system shock could do that.

Applejack snapped into realization, widening her eyes a little as well. I nodded to both of them, while the little filly at my feet finally settled on me, apparently deciding I held the answer to her confusion.

"Twilight figured out what caused me to link with Fluttershy like that. I was going to track you down today when I got back, but I guess you saved me the time. In testing one of her theories, she also accidentally enabled the link for you as well," I explained in summary, not wanting to give out details like that on the open street.

Dash's ears lowered a little and she looked oddly dissuaded instead. "Twilight could have told me. What exactly does it mean? What caused it?" she asked rapidly. Oh. She was worried, not dissuaded. True. We didn't know a lot about the links yet.

"Ah'm interested too, Mender. Ah don't think he wants ta discuss it 'ere, though, Rainbow. It makes sense," she pointed out, snapping Rainbow back to attention. She seemed to relax before nodding to the orange mare.

"Oh, can I listen too?" Apple Bloom asked rapidly, shifting her attention back to her sister with a pleading, wide-eyed look. I winced, glad I wasn't on the receiving end of the diabetes-inducing attack. Honestly, she already knew about me being an alien, so I didn't think there was any point in hiding this from her. Hmm. I made a mental note to tell the other two Crusaders at some point in the future.

Her sister must have resistances to the horrible cuteness attack, however, as she simply shook her head. "It's not mah call in tha first place, Sis. Ya should be askin' Mender that," she corrected. Crap.

To her credit, Apple Bloom didn't miss a beat before whirling around and blasting me with the expression instead. I wilted, lowering my ears as she shifted closer, wiggling her forelegs back and forth impatiently. "Pleeeeease? Ah won't tell anypony else. Please, Mender? You're so cool; Ah know ya trust meh!" she squeaked, eyes watering a little. I shrank further, and Applejack started to snicker in the background. Rainbow raised an eyebrow with a choice grin as well. Damn it!

I knew better than to hold her to absolutely nopony, however. "Ugh. Fine, so long as you keep it a treasured, Cutie Mark Crusader secret," I requested, earning a shocked yet eager expression from the little filly. She'd undoubtedly tell Sweetie and Scootaloo anyway, so I might as well give her permission to. Besides, they should know regardless.

"O' Course! Only Sweetie and Scootaloo'll know, an' Ah'll swear 'em ta secrecy tha same!" she assured, hopping gently up and down while promising.

I nodded softly and smiled at her, my chest heating up a little as I watched her absolutely adorable expression. "All right then. You can listen, too, when the time comes," I assured. My poor heart. Too much exposure to these fillies might make it explode, I noted.

"Yay!" she cheered, spinning in a circle before prancing back to her sister, who looked absolutely amused at this point. Oddly, I'd seen that expression on her before, if I remembered correctly.

"Ah repeat, yer dang good with foals. Ah think yer gonna be ah great Daddy one day," Applejack complimented soon after. Oh yeah, now I remember where I'd seen that expression before. Further, I now wished I hadn't.

Blushing, I looked away from them, finally earning a straight out laugh from Rainbow. She was probably silently recovering from the rather scary prank that was accidentally a lot worse than intended. "Heck, Ah'm barely makin' any sales anyway. Let's git inside tha library ta talk," Applejack offered a moment later, smiling instead and nodding towards me absently.

"Oh, uh, okay. That's where Twilight keeps, um, them, anyway. I'll show you when we get inside," I assured after earning a strange look from Rainbow.

Applejack nodded and turned back around to her stand before shouting out, "Last chance fer apples today! Ah'm closin' up early!" Smiling, I nodded and slowly hauled my baggage up closer to the stand before sitting again and watching a small crowd of ponies rapidly approach.

"Them?" Rainbow whispered, drifting closer to me as Applejack drew all of the attention.

I smiled and nodded to her, returning her whisper with, "They're items that made the links between us from my old world." Her rose colored eyes widened and she momentarily looked apprehensive before her mask of self-assurance painted over it. She nodded gently and landed next to me while we both watched the country mare sell her wares.

Apple Bloom apparently decided that meant she was done for the day and hopped up behind me onto the top of the middle suitcase, smiling sweetly at me as she lay down. Smirking at her, I rubbed the top of her head, earning a soft murmur as a light burst of magic from my hoof acted like a brush along her mane.

Rainbow seemed pleased as well, watching me pay attention to the filly. She relaxed on her haunches, the tension flowing out of her again as she stretched her wings out softly. I watched with interest for a moment, seeing the muscles along her upper back flex and shift with each movement of her wings. If I was going to improve upon the wing thruster design, I'd have to get rather familiar with those muscles, I had a feeling. Wiring into them would give a lot more control over things, especially for in-atmosphere flying. But first things first…

"I'm sorry for the prank, Rainbow. I didn't mean for that to happen," I mentally whispered a moment later, trying to get my sincerity across. Rainbow obviously didn't know how to respond, but her eyes softened and she gave me a rather warm smile before shaking her head.

"I'm just glad it wasn't what I thought," she whispered, surprisingly mellow for Rainbow Dash. I would have expected a good solid kick to the skull after that incident. Either the prank had truly shocked her, which made me feel really, really badly, or she was waiting for a more opportune time where she could beat the crap out of me without raising public suspicion. Oddly, I don't think the latter would hurt as much. Honestly, I just wanted Dash to trust me still.

"Hmm?" Apple Bloom asked shortly after, glancing over at Rainbow as well.

"Oh, nothin'" she assured, giving a nonchalant wave of her hoof. I snickered and resumed waiting for whenever Applejack was finished. Hmm. Sorry, Twilight, but I might be just a little bit late.

---

Applejack stared curiously at the disks I'd spread out on the table. Rainbow had picked hers up almost immediately and was flipping it around in her hooves. "This is so weird! This is totally my Cutie Mark!" she exclaimed, looking fascinated. As I predicted, it didn't do a thing when she picked it up. She was already recorded on it, so I didn't think there was anything for it to do in the first place.

"These thingies came out o' tha rocks, right? When you poked 'em?" Applejack asked again from her spot on the sofa. Once I told her they operated via touch, she refused to get too close to them, which was probably a good thing.

I nodded gently. "Yeah. Fluttershy's disk was in the second rock, while Rainbow's was in the third. Rainbow's was deactivated until I touched it, however," I summarized what I had already told them.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed. "You mean when Twilight made you touch it, right?" she corrected, sounding a little miffed.

I coughed lightly but looked away. Apple Bloom snickered, looking up from where she was rolling one along the table. She'd grabbed one before I could warn her about the touch thing, and absolutely nothing happened. It honestly didn't surprise me that much, but I pretended that I already knew it only worked on the Elements of Harmony. I didn't exactly want Applejack to beat the tar out of me for risking her sister like that. Still, it was a discovery I could tell Twilight!

"What happens if I touch a blank one?" Rainbow asked a moment later, shifting her attention to one of the gray ones still lying on the coffee table.

"I honestly have no idea." No sense in lying to either of them about it.

Rainbow smirked at me before reaching down and resting her hoof across one of the gray disks. My ears drooped and I sighed, realizing I should have guessed she'd do it almost instantly. "Ya really need to work on that forethought thing, Dash," Applejack muttered a moment later, rolling her eyes.

The cyan pegasus let out a squeak and hopped backwards as the disk lit up. Hers landed on the table after she dropped it, rolling about in a distracting manner. Regardless, my eyes widened as I watched the gray ones instead, but then I relaxed as only a message popped up over the disk. "Subject 02 Already Recorded" was displayed in the floating holographic lettering.

"Whoa! That's neat," Apple Bloom muttered, sliding her hoof through the message a couple of times. It flickered with each passing, but remained floating in the air for a few seconds before fading away.

"I guess the disks are linked together and know you're already on one, Dash," I reasoned, shrugging.

Applejack frowned and leaned forwards a little now that the light show was done before verifying, "So if Ah were ta touch ah gray one, mah Cutie Mark would appear on it, and Ah'd be 'registered'; whatever that means?" She paused, looking back up at me, so I nodded gently to her. "Then, if ya touched it after, we'd link up just like Fluttershy and Rainbow?" she finished, tilting her head curiously while looking down at the disks.

Absently, I nodded. "That's what's happened so far. Apparently, it works if you touch the containers as well. It registered Fluttershy when she poked the rock, after all," I reasoned.

"I'm still confused. Why didn't it form the link with me instead of just recording me, then?" Rainbow asked, frowning.

That was probably my fault. I hadn't explained it very well. "Ah, Fluttershy touched it, and then I touched it when it was still connected to the rock. You touched it after Twilight chopped it free of the main container. Apparently, it doesn't need a connection to register you, but it does need a connection to hook me up to the disk?" I offered.

Rainbow exhaled weakly, blowing her bangs up into the air a little before nodding. "So, kinda because by the time I touched the rock thingies, it was already cut free by Twilight?"

Well, that was a far easier way of saying it. I blushed but nodded, a little embarrassed over my own awkwardness. Note to self, still not so great at the talking thing.

Apple Bloom hopped away from the table and onto the couch a second later. Glancing her way, I saw one of the glowing disks in her mouth instead. Wait, what? My eyes widened as I looked back at the table, only to find Dash's discarded disk missing! Apple Bloom smiled at me before tossing in a wink and letting the disk drop against her sister's foreleg!

"Apple Bloom?" the orange farm mare asked, looking down at her sister again. A heartbeat passed as I stared in horror. Applejack caught my stare and gave me a funny look before glancing down at what I was looking at. A long second drifted by as all four of us now stared at the glowing disks resting against her foreleg, Rainbow's attention having been drawn by Applejack's voice.

Applejack practically exploded after the moment passed, diving off the side of the couch to get away from the seemingly inert disk. Well, I guess that means nothing happens if we try to dual-register ponies either!

Her sister looked more amused than upset, however. What the hell was she trying to do?! "Don't worry, Sis! It was Rainbow Dash's disk. Ah don't think it woulda hurt ya," she assured, snickering in amusement.

"Hey! Give that back!" Rainbow exclaimed, giving the filly a glare before grabbing her disk back. She didn't notice it was her own disk before now?

Applejack's head popped up over the armrest again, glaring at Apple Bloom as well. "Ya didn't know that, AB! That was right dangerous!" she warned sternly. The little filly's ears drooped, and she nodded solemnly.

"Ah'm sorry, Sis. Ah honestly thought the worst that coulda happened was that ya'd get ah link with Rainbow instead," she professed, causing me to mentally snicker. Rainbow probably wouldn't be nearly as upset about that. Although, as much basis as that guess had, I seriously doubted that would be possible.

I called it correctly when I noticed Rainbow blush. Applejack considered it for a moment before shrugging. "Ah suppose yer right. That wouldn't be so bad," she agreed. What?

Her reply hit me like an avalanche, flattening my ears back and causing my mouth to drop open a little of its own accord. If she meant what I thought she did there... Wincing, I tried to flatten out my expression as best I could. Dash had been looking at me at the time to avoid Applejack's gaze, and now raised her eyebrows, but I steadied my expression before the country mare herself looked my way.

"What's all involved in this linkin' business, speakin' of?" she asked politely a moment later. I searched her expression carefully, silently cursing my lack of social skills. The only thing I managed to get from her slightly raised eyebrow and reasonably deadpan features was that she was either mildly curious or concerned. Maybe she hadn't intended that to be as harsh as it had sounded, then?

"You okay, Mender?" Rainbow asked suspiciously, drawing both other females' attentions.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded rapidly. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. The only thing we know about them right now is they share a mild empathy link at close distances, and a telepathic link when even closer," I explained casually.

"Tele-wha?" Apple Bloom questioned, snapping her attention back to me almost instantly with a large, curious stare.

"Telepathy. It means I can talk in Rainbow's head without anypony else hearing it. Empathy means she can lightly feel some of my emotions," I elaborated, smiling warmly at the little filly. As upset as I let myself get sometimes, nothing cheered me up more than a pure dose of adorable. Apple Bloom was dang good at those. Just like Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy. By being a filly, did that mean Scootaloo was also good at them? Truly, I hadn't hung out with her enough to know for sure.

Rainbow still eyed me suspiciously, but Applejack nodded and further questioned, "Ya don't know if it has any other effects then, right? Or why yer the one ta get tha links?"

Raising my head back up, I shook it weakly, adding, "No, I don't have an answer to either of those. Twilight wanted to look into them more tonight, so she might have more information for you by tomorrow." The icy stabbing sensation withdrew to a dull ache. It made sense that she didn't want a link with me and would rather it be Rainbow. That didn't necessarily mean she didn't like me, right? Hmm.

"Ya think Twi would mind if all o' us Elements came back tomorrow ta discuss this? Ah think the others should know, too," Applejack continued, looking thoughtful. She trusted me enough to speak on Twilight's behalf? I warmed a little, taking that as a positive indication to erase a few of my prior doubts.

"She's Twilight. She loves magical lectures, so why wouldn't she?" Dash pointed out in amusement, settling back onto the sofa with her coin between her hooves.

I snickered at the probably accurate estimate before nodding. "Admittedly, she's right. Twilight doesn't want to hide the information from you girls. She only found out about it the night before last, like I did," I assured, smiling to Applejack.

The orange mare seemed to relax a little and nodded to me, apparently relieved that nothing was being hidden from her. "I've also been working on blocking, or at least pushing out the connection. It only works automatically at extremely close ranges now," I added, aiming that one at Rainbow instead.

She stared at me for a moment before puffing out a bit of air from her lips, blowing her bangs up in a mild expression of what felt like apathy. "I'm not really worried, Mender. I know you can keep my secrets and you've kinda already shown that you respect my privacy," she reminded, earning herself a blank stare. Huh? When did I do that?

Applejack gave her a quizzical glance as well. Apple Bloom didn't appear to be paying attention, and was instead playing with Fluttershy's disk on the table. The cyan mare sighed a moment later before explaining, "Remember when we crashed and you helped me get untangled?"

Oh! I blushed and nodded, coughing lightly and looking away. "He kind of had me in a compromising position, but he only helped me get free rather than sneak a peek. So he's totally cool in my book," she elaborated for me, thankfully bulldozing over the conversation that had accompanied. That was the first time I realized Rainbow liked stallions, too. Although technically, that wasn't entirely accurate. She'd never said specifically that she liked mares, if I recall. She only said that she liked Applejack. Applejack-sexual then?

Applejack herself snapped me out of my contemplation with a light chuckle. "Ah figured, really. Ah guess he really does only have eyes fer Twi and Flutters," she agreed, smirking towards me in a rather uncomfortable, knowing manner.

"Hey! Looking at her like that was an accident. Admittedly, I like her like that, too, but I already told her we move at her pace," I defended, not at all comfortable with the insinuations. Now I was glad Apple Bloom wasn't paying attention after all.

It was Dash's turn to laugh. "I figured you two hadn't done anything yet. Disappointed?" she inquired, wiggling her eyebrows a moment later.

Applejack rolled her eyes at the same time I scoffed, glaring at the cyan mare. She was certainly blunt. I'd forgotten how matter-o-factly she could talk sometimes. "No. I'm handling myself well enough," I groaned, just wishing they'd shift the topic again.

"Sure you are," she continued, agreeing with an exaggerated wink. Ugh.

Applejack snickered before standing up fully and walking back around the couch. "Twilight's doin' ah lot better with things; ya don't gotta worry any. Any who, Ah gotta git tha cart an' stand back ta tha farm before it gets dark," she excused, stretching lightly along her lower back.

Glancing out the window near the door, I noticed she was indeed right. A peek at the clock told me that it had been a good twenty minutes since I left Twilight. Eh, I'd finish moving the suitcases upstairs before heading over to Rarity's.

"I'll hang out with ya until you get back to the farm, AJ," Rainbow tacked on nonchalantly. I was impressed that she managed not to blush.

Apple Bloom yawned sleepily before setting the yellow, pink, and cyan coin down on the table again. I gathered up all five of them with my magic and moved them back into the cabinet, careful to not even breath on the one I left in there.

"Thanks fer trustin' me, Mender," the little filly added warmly upon closing her mouth again. I smiled and nodded down at her, getting a warm grin back.

"You're a Crusader. Of course I trust you," I returned in a proper voice. It kind of reminded me of goofing off with Twilight.

Her grin expanded and she nodded enthusiastically, further earning smiles out of the other two mares. "O' course! Cutie Mark Crusaders are forever!" she assured, saluting me with her right forehoof. She giggled at my return salute before wobbling as Applejack picked her up and tossed her onto her back with a flick of her head.

"Come on, AB. Gotta git home and go ta bed. There's ah long day ahead o' us again tomorrow," she reminded, smiling back at her sister, who busied herself re-adjusting Applejack's Stetson.

"We'll see ya tomorrow, Mender!" Rainbow tacked on, smirking back at me as she took to the air, drifting over to the door to open it for her secret crush.

I nodded gently to her, catching Applejack's wave with a returned one before she slid the door shut. For a moment, I simply stared at the darkened wood of the door, suddenly a little bit unsure of what I was doing. I'd been so caught up in the act of actually managing a social situation by myself that I hadn't entirely realized that it was over until it was over. Now I was distinctly aware of a little bit of emptiness left behind.

After a long minute, I turned away from the door and checked the clock again. It was eighteen fifteen. That meant I had a good five or six minutes before I should leave, regardless. I had enough time to haul the luggage upstairs still. Deciding to be lazy, I smirked and warmed my left hoof up as the suitcases and saddlebags floated into the air near me, attached to tether-like barriers.

---

Twilight had decidedly over-packed. I sighed as I placed her alchemy equipment back where they were supposed to be on her shelves. The only thing she'd used them for was to get a proper measurement for my nausea medication. Of course, after what happened with Rarity, we lost quite a bit of our free time, so I hardly blamed her.

My ears perked at the sound of static upon setting down the alembic. I looked around curiously, but noticed no visual cues that might indicate a dimensional disruption. Seconds passed in absolute stillness before the static died down again. Well, that was weird. Either I was hearing things out of paranoia, or Keela was playing with the power couplings hooked up to the book. Actually, if I remembered correctly, the time lag would put her as just barely getting up at this point.

Pushing the distraction out of my head, I peeked up at the clock once more; probably for the seventh time in five minutes. Twenty after. I decided to give them the full half an hour just to be sure, of course. That only made sense. It gave Twilight extra time to try to reason with Rarity, right? I shifted back and forth on my hooves. Damn it. What would I even say to her? Now that I thought more about it, what Applejack said just felt insensitive.

Another minute ticked by as I idled. Her books were returned to the private shelves in pristine alphabetical order, and most of her instruments were put away. I didn't dare touch the clothes she brought along, of course. Maybe I was trying to be too helpful? I edged away from the suitcases on the bed uneasily, peeking around the room again. It was kind of unnerving to be by myself here.

The static sensation creeped into my skull again and I looked around rapidly. Nothing. I contemplated yanking on the link a couple of times to properly indicate to knock it off. She'd better not be trying to scan the book again. We had traded very specific words in that regard! Again, the static died down after barely thirty seconds and I sighed. Whatever.

Distracting myself, I peeked at the note on Twilight's desk again. She wouldn't technically need it now, of course. It was written in Spike's rather elegant, if not practical, handwriting, explaining that he heard Rarity came home upset and had gone over first thing this morning to see if he could do anything for her. I smiled softly at it, but kept it where it was. With her being over there right now, she probably found out before I did.

Leaning down, I gave my tired leg muscles a stretch before heading back for the stairs. I might as well make my way there, I guess. It would take a little bit to walk there, and Twilight would probably call me late anyway, even without a definite time of arrival. Ah well. The sooner I got it all off my chest, the better.

I was halfway down the stairs when a resounding impact hit the main door. Startled, I jumped a little and lowered myself to my belly, halting on the stairs. What the heck was that?! "Ah! Owww," was muttered out a second later, answering my question without requiring further investigation. In fact, the voice sounded suspiciously familiar.

Sighing, I stood up fully again and walked over to the door. A peek through the little window in it confirmed my suspicions, and I opened it for the lavender unicorn, who was gently massaging her horn now.

"Are you okay, Twi? What are you doing back here?" I inquired, a little concerned at not only her disruption of the plan, but the light bruise that was appearing towards the base of her horn. That looked painful, now that I knew horns were sensitive!

She winced and looked up at me, eyes softening in the dim light the room released. "Ow. Yeah, I'm fine. I was thinking to myself and not, um, paying as much attention as I should have," she muttered, looking down and away from me with the hinting of a blush forming on her cheeks. I smiled, but didn't rub it in any further. Besides, she was cute when embarrassed.

"Well, what are you doing back here? Was Rarity not home?" I inquired, back to the topic at hand now that she assured me she was okay.

She exhaled weakly, and I swallowed. Uh oh. "No, she wasn't. I looked for a while, but I couldn't manage to find her," she muttered, frowning before slowly walking past me and into the library. I shivered as she walked past.

Wonderful. Did she know we had arrived back in town and was avoiding us? No, that didn't make sense. She wasn't one to avoid her problems for this long, it felt like. Maybe she was just visiting somepony for a bit of a talk? It made sense if she was upset about it. Fluttershy maybe? Twilight probably already thought of that, though.

I turned and followed her back inside after gently closing the door. Damn it. This wasn't exactly going as smoothly as we initially thought it would. "Was Spike there still or did he go with Rarity?" I asked curiously.

Twilight stopped and frowned back at me. "Spike was supposed to be there?" she asked, confirming my answer regardless. He must have gone with her, then.

"Yeah, he left a note on your desk upstairs saying he had gone to console Rarity this morning," I informed. She glanced up the stairs in question before sighing and shaking her head.

"Perfect. I was hoping he'd know where she was, too. Ugh, this is making me tired," she muttered, stomping her hooves in frustration before lowering her barrel a little and looking downright exhausted.

I lowered my eyes and nodded to myself. The 'jet' lag from the train ride followed by her generally high strung manner of dealing with things probably took a lot out of her. The fact that she was showing it to me said a lot, however. I blushed as I walked up and rubbed a hoof along her shoulder, massaging gently. Her muscles felt tense, confirming my suspicions.

Twilight glanced back at me and smiled softly, looking downright content with my gesture, although it was hard to tell in this light. The sun was rapidly setting, and I had lacked the foresight to turn on many lights downstairs.

"You're so kind to me. Thank you, Mender. Sometimes I worry I don't appreciate you nearly enough," she muttered before resting her cheeks against my hoof. I momentarily worried that such a stretch might be painful to her stiff neck muscles, but she didn't seem to mind all that much.

I felt my cheeks heat up again and shook my head in denial. "You're amazing, Twilight. You don't need to worry about anything," I assured quietly. Maybe the thing with Rarity had shaken her up a little more than she let on? Of course, if how she acted on the train was any indication, she had been thinking about it a lot more than she let on.

She smirked suddenly and giggled. "Still! Hmm. Actually, I think I need a little break. Wanna come along?" she inquired, her tone of voice changing dramatically. Huh? Suddenly, I noticed my heartbeat increase as I watched her walk towards the stairs. She stopped at the foot of them and smiled back at me, giving a mirthful wink. What did she mean, break?

"Come on, Mender. I want to 'experiment' a little bit to help me relax," she murmured, swishing her tail in my direction playfully. The heat magnified in my face as my heartbeat increased again followed by a painful swallow. Now? Of all times, she wanted to do that kind of stuff now?! Was she afraid that Rarity might steal me away or something?

"Twilight, is this about what she said on the train ride? I told you I'm all right with waiting," I asked hesitantly, following along after her if not to simply keep up.

She paused momentarily and sighed before giving me a soft smile backwards. "I know what you said. I have been thinking about it a lot, but I want this. It'll just be a little bit of fun, okay?" she offered. Hesitating, I frowned at her and tried to search her expression. She was bothered by what Rarity said. I should have figured as much. What was she going to do, though? Hesitantly, I took another couple steps.

She took my slow step forward as a confirmation, apparently, and continued up the stairs, a definitely noticeable sway to her flanks with each step now. What was she doing?! My mind sputtered as I couldn't move my eyes off her tail; it would sway in the opposite direction of her hips with each light movement, still covering everything but acting extremely teasing as well. Scrunching my eyes shut, I fought back the heat and promptly almost tripped on one of the steps. No, she probably just wanted to kiss a little! If she knew I was staring at her flank, I'd probably be sent back down the stairs in a rather abrupt manner!

"There you are. Get lost?" she playfully teased as I finally rounded the top of the stairs and looked over at her. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her lazily spread her long form out on her mattress, demurely looking up and down my body before gesturing for me to approach. Oh hell. Oh hell! What was she doing?!

"W-What are you doing, Twi? Um, this seems a little much for, um," I tried to ask, stumbling over my wording as I stuttered like a schoolyard boy. Ugh. My hormones were going totally crazy and I struggled to keep my body under control as it started to tingle in awkward places. She said just a 'little' fun!

"I want to show you exactly how much you're appreciated, Silly. I really do love you, you know. Oh. So. Much," she murmured, snickering at my locking up all of a meter away. Love?! I swallowed and shivered, totally taken off guard by this sudden change in approach. It was something she read. It had to be. Rarity wouldn't have suggested she act like this, would she? She saw something or other today at some point and it must have caused her to panic and think she was doing something wrong. That meant it was practically my obligation to explain things to her and assure her that she was indeed okay, right?

I shook my head, stopping my advance despite my body's complaints. "T-Twilight, relax. This is something you read about, isn't it? You don't need to do this. I'm ecstatic that you feel that strongly about it but you don't need to, um, push yourself," I tried to explain, ignoring my body's shivers.

She snickered and just looked more amused before leaning forward and pulling me closer to her. "You're such the gentlecolt," she returned before pulling my head forwards. Oh crap.

The kiss was a lot rougher and more needy than what I had been used to prior. She practically attacked my mouth, slipping her tongue inside and smiling against my lips as I shuddered. Her heat was absolutely intense as she pulled me against her chest, my back end still hanging off the side of the bed. She moaned lightly into the kiss a moment later as I hesitantly returned a push against her tongue with my own.

She broke the kiss a moment later and I frowned, wondering if I had done it wrong. Wait, why were we doing this in the first place?! A thin line of saliva connected our lips still, and she surprised me by licking along mine slowly, gathering it up with her tongue before pulling it back into her mouth. Whoa. "Mmm, good boy. I knew you'd change your mind," she muttered, looking content with her eyes half lidded. I stared at her in surprise, my brain sputtering.

She leaned back more, giving me a gentle tug and gesture to get up on the bed with her fully, lips curling into a rather heated smile. I froze and stared. Wait...

After a moment, she frowned and tilted her head at me, asking, "Why stop now? I know you don't want to." A cold sensation drifted through my body as I suddenly understood. Everything clicked into place at the same time.

My left hoof activated, subtly coating the blankets under her with my magic. She frowned for a split second before I whipped the blanket up with both hooves. She let out a startled yelp as the fabric came alive, tightly wrapping around her and hauling her into the air like a possessed cocoon. After she finished three rotations, wrapping her up tightly, I smashed her into the wall as hard as I could, glaring as her head skipped off the rough wood...

Twilight let out a yelp as her head cracked off the wall, temporarily stunning her. I wasn't entirely sure of her abilities, so I didn't want to take any chances. The blankets constricted further, going all the way up to the base of her neck and keeping a tight hold there. My barriers were primed and ready to go in a heartbeat if needed. My eyes narrowed as I glared at her a moment before spitting to the side, trying to get her taste out of my mouth. Ugh.

"W-What are you doing, Mender?" she finally managed to stutter, gasping for air as she tried to raise her head up higher.

I snorted, watching her carefully for any sudden moves. "Cute. Who are you really?" I asked cautiously.

She stared down at me, eyes wide with shock before asking, "W-What are you talking about?" Her voice was timid, sounding exactly like the familiar lavender unicorn. Scarily similar. I was starting to get annoyed at this point.

"It all fits. The static I heard before you got here. Not mentioning Rarity probably being at Fluttershy's and simply going to check there. Giving up on the search for Rarity in the first place. None of these things are something Twilight would do," I pointed out.

Her eyes started to water and she opened her mouth, but I continued first. "Further, Twilight and I haven't progressed this far in our relationship. She would... She wouldn't have said that she loved me. Or tried to do what you just tried to do."

"M-Mender, it really is," she started to protest before I hauled her closer, momentarily distracted by the slight bruise the right side of her face bore.

"Lastly, Twilight's eyes are lavender, not pink," I finished, staring right into her bright pink eyes. Hers widened while mine narrowed.

A quiet second passed by, and she suddenly smiled. It was that same saucy grin she wore before. "Clever. Is this better?" she asked casually. I watched, anger rising as her eyes shifted from pink to the purple I was used to. Damn it. Why hadn't I noticed sooner? Sure it was dark down there, but still, her behavior was ridiculous.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I asked again, more slowly this time as my voice lowered. Twilight was probably at Rarity's still. Rarity was probably home after all with Spike there. I subdued this mare easily, so Twilight could have stomped her into the dirt without looking. No, Twilight was fine.

"Aww, but I just want to have some no strings attached fun, Mender. I even went to all of this effort to look like your girlfriend. So, how about it? We have a juicy little romp, you pretend to have fallen asleep, and I'm gone and out of sight before anyone's the wiser," she offered pleasantly. Her voice shifted at the same time and I noted 'anyone' as if a flare was attached to it. Not that I needed the clue, as I recognized the voice anyway.

"Nirru? What the hell?!" I asked, backing away from her a little. How? How was this even possible?! Everything pointed at Keela. I'd told her about Twilight, Spike, bits of Equestria, my friends...

She grinned and smiled at me before nodding. "Of course. Keela attempting to contact you and warn you was probably what you heard earlier, but I blocked her from communicating. I only want one thing, Mender. Give it to me and I'll leave. You'll never have to deal with us ever again," she assured, eyes half-lidding as she licked her lips towards me. No, this didn't make sense. Why was she even doing this?

"Why do you want to mate with me?" I asked carefully, shifting to my left a little as she floated in the air, not trying to resist in the slightest.

Her eyes closed a moment later and she sighed. "You have something we need, and that's one of the fastest ways to get it. I don't give a shit if the council likes it or not. I'm going to save our species, one way or another."

There it was. It clicked into place and I sighed again. "You think I have Keldarian DNA left that can be used to help repopulate," I muttered, losing the anger I had. It was hard to stay mad at somepony blatantly lying to themselves.

"I know you have the DNA," she corrected, losing her smile and just watching me now.

"You know that one Keldarian isn't going to be enough to jump start our species again, right? Even if this new form somehow didn't screw with my DNA, there's not enough diversity in just me for that to work," I warned, shuddering internally at the thousands of complications that would stem from that. Disease, mutation, genetic abnormality, and massive amounts of defects would probably cause them to die out in all of four or five generations if they were lucky.

"That's my problem, not yours. All I'm asking is for you to just sit back and enjoy yourself for a bit. In return, I'll break the link myself and send you your stupid book back," she offered, shifting to a business approach instead, it would seem.

I opened my mouth to protest when both of us were interrupted by the sound of the door opening downstairs. Uh oh. Had Twilight gotten impatient and come looking for me? Well this would be rather easy to explain if so, and she'd have her proof right here and now.

"Twi, are ya up there? Applejack and I saw you hit the door on your way in and were worried," Rainbow called out from below, causing my heart to fall into my stomach. Damn it. Okay, this was going to be harder than I thought.

"Work with me! We'll get them to leave, then we can mate and it'll be over. You won't have to worry about us any further," Nirru whispered, shifting back to Twilight's voice and causing me to shiver. The sensation of knowing who she actually was felt largely like nails on a chalkboard that was strapped to the back of my skull.

Damn. If I got them to go away, maybe I could talk some sense into her? This was crazy. "Twi, are ya okay up there? Mender told us about tha disks, an' Ah had ah few more questions if ya don't mind. He up there with ya?" Applejack asked a second later, earning another annoyed groan from Nirru. I paced lightly in place, unsure of what I should do. If I let her go and had her help me get them to leave, they'd probably tell Twilight anyway and then I'd get in trouble for tricking them. But if I tried to convince them that this was some freaky space version of Twilight here trying to seduce me because she's off her rocker, I had a feeling that would go over as well as a barrel of rotten apples dumped over their heads.

"Okay, just help me talk to them, Nirru. I'm sure we can explain things in a way that doesn't make me sound cra… Any more crazy, and that will help both of us," I suggested in a whisper, looking back up at her as she drifted.

Nirru hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and adding, "Idiot." I glared at her before widening my eyes in shock as she yanked herself backwards. Her back and side crashed into the wall again and she let out a muffled yelp before adding in, "Ahh! H-Help!"

What?! Oh. Oh hell. "Twi!" I heard Rainbow shout from the stairs, followed by a powerful flapping noise as she undoubtedly took to the air. I took a few steps back away from the bed, looking back and forth between Nirru and the stairs.

A heartbeat passed and she was there. Dash took in the situation with rapidly widening eyes, mouth slowly dropping open as her orange friend cleared the top of the stairs and split second later.

"What in Equestria are ya doin', Mender?" Applejack asked, eyes rapidly joining Rainbow's in size. Son of a... I rapidly tried to think of something; anything I could say to convince them of what was actually going on, but it all sounded so far-fetched that I didn't know what to go with.

"H-He hit me, and then wrapped me up," Nirru whimpered in Twilight's voice, making sure to show the right side of her head where blood now trickled down.

The shift was like watching a train looming towards me in slow motion. Applejack's eyes slowly narrowed and filled with an indescribable rage as she shifted her gaze towards me. I shuddered and backed away, panic drifting readily into me now. Oh crap. Uh, she appreciated the truth the most!

"This isn't Twilight! This is Nirru, one of the people from my dimension," I rapidly explained, shifting closer to the bed in case I needed soft things for something. You never knew when you'd need something soft!

"Mender, just let her go and we'll talk about this, okay?" Dash suggested, looking unsure of the situation rather than pissed, surprisingly.

"Yer crazy. Yer absolutely crazy. Let her go, or Ah'm gonna buck ya so hard yer ancestors'll feel it!" she warned, slowly stepping closer to me, one hoof at a time. Oh hell!

Shifting Nirru, I intersected her between the two of us to ward off any potential charges. "I'm telling the truth! She's the crazy one! She said she was here to try to seduce me or something," I defended, peeking out from around the blankets.

"He's crazy! He said he was tired of waiting and he," Nirru 'sobbed', burying her face in the blankets surrounding her. What?! "He tried to do things to me!" she finally managed to yell out. I pulled the blankets tighter against her to shut her up, but it was probably a little too late at that point.

Applejack looked livid and was actually shaking in rage while glaring at me. Rainbow was just frowning, looking a little upset but still seeming unsure. "Mender, calm down and just let her go. AJ and I aren't going to hurt you. Let's just talk about this," she reasoned. I paused, not realizing the hoof I was touching the blankets with was shivering uncontrollably. It felt like a ball of ice had settled in my stomach and I further retreated. Applejack looked like she was going to murder me, which kind of lowered the believability of the cyan pegasus' claim.

"Twilight's at Rarity's! Go and check for yourself, Rainbow! Applejack can stay here until you get back," I reasoned, swallowing hard. I couldn't stop my stupid hoof from shaking, and I suddenly felt like crying. That wasn't possible, though. I couldn't let Nirru hurt my friends!

"Oh no. Yer not gonna split us up. Let her go, Mender. Now," Applejack demanded yet again, voice dropping into a tone I'd never heard her hit before.

Rainbow herself hesitated, though. She believed me? No, she felt the tension and utter horror coming off me through the empathy link. "Just put her down, Mender. Then I'll go check at Rarity's," she finally offered. Crap. Well, that was a lot better than not believing me at all.

"Yer kiddin', right? Ya actually believe that hogwash, RD?" Applejack asked skeptically, glaring over at her friend instead for a moment.

Rainbow surprised me by glaring back. "He at least deserves the benefit of the doubt! Sure, it's crazy, but so is me flying through space and him taking out a giant ship!" she pointed out, sounding a little irritated. I swallowed weakly, but peeked out from behind the blanketed mass again, hoping maybe that this could be resolved in a non-violent manner. Heck, Applejack could buck me all she wanted so long as Nirru wasn't allowed to be free. I'd certainly prefer she didn't, but given her expression, I decided that wasn't bloody likely. More static sensation resounded into my skull, but I ignored it entirely. Keela could wait.

Applejack looked momentarily taken aback before scowling and returning her gaze to me. "Fine. But only after he lets Twi go," she finally acquiesced. I swallowed and shifted back a little, unsure of myself.

"I just don't want her to hurt you. If I let her go, I'm not sure if I could defend you from her if needed," I explained uneasily, finally managing to get my hoof under control and force it to stop shivering. A few cold swallows later and I slowed my heartbeat as well.

Rainbow momentarily looked surprised before narrowing her eyes slightly. Huh?! Her stance spread out along with her wings as she slowly started sidestepping, putting distance between herself and Applejack while remaining oriented on me. She was widening the flank I needed to defend. Crap. Why was she suddenly mad at me? Applejack lowered herself as well upon noticing her friend's reaction, staying her ground and blocking me off from the stairs. I swallowed, my heartbeat speeding back up again almost instantly. Damn it!

A short scream of rage sounded off inside my head, and the static burst through, finally releasing a panting voice. "Nirru! What the hell are you doing?! This isn't what you said you'd do! You were supposed to talk to them and discuss the matter!" Keela suddenly demanded, sounding utterly pissed off. It seemed like everypony here was pissed except for me.

"I'm doing what you're too afraid to do. Save our species," Nirru whispered under her breath into the blankets, sounding indignant instead.

There was a huff, followed by, "You're hurting innocent bystanders. Stop this, Sis! Just tell them that he's not lying and talk it over!" Keela pleaded, calming down a little. She had helped her sister get here? Although their plan seemed to have deviated significantly, I noticed. My feelings were suddenly conflicted over her involvement and I frowned, looking up at Nirru as the Keldarian turned pony hesitated, frowning to herself.

My mistake was noticed several hundredths of a second too late. To maintain the barrier over Nirru, I didn't have any on myself. Looking away from them was all the opening Dash had needed. She was in front of me before I could even widen my eyes, way faster than the guard had been. There was no chance for me to raise a barrier in the slightest before she plowed me over in a feral pounce. We slammed into the bed in an instant, sliding the entire thing across the floor as she pinned me to the mattress. Suddenly I was glad of my decision to get close to the soft things.

Regardless, her actual impact had hurt like a bitch, and I yelped as my skin bruised under the force of her hooves holding me down. Contact with my hoof broken, the barriers collapsed, blanket and Nirru falling to the floor as Applejack rushed over. No! I fought against Rainbow, her being deceptively heavy as well as strong. It apparently wasn't just her wings that were powerful!

"Twi! Are ya alright?" Applejack asked almost instantly, helping Nirru unwrap herself from the blanketed mess. I tried to look around Rainbow to see what was happening, but the pegasus just shoved me harder into the bed.

"We do not need you to protect us, Mender," she hissed out a second later, glaring at point blank range into my eyes. I swallowed, backing up completely into Twilight's pillow, starting to shiver again.

A pause between Nirru's fake sobbing let her relay, "He c-cracked my horn when he first hit me! I can't m-make my magic work!" Clever.

Nirru's 'crying' resumed shortly thereafter, and I saw Applejack wrap her hooves around the 'shivering' mare and glare over her shoulder at me instead. Not good! At that range, I had no idea what Nirru was capable of. I struggled harder against Rainbow, trying not to panic as I saw the lavender forelegs gently wrapping around Applejack. The left hoof, as it extended around behind the farm mare's back, slowly shifted into a metallic hue, a long needle starting to form out of it. Shit!

"I'm sorry, Rainbow," I managed to mutter, causing the prismatic pegasus to raise an eyebrow. My hoof touched her front elbow an instant later, however, removing all gravity from her at the price of more of my limited reserve of magic. Her eyes widened as she felt herself become weightless, but I had already shifted my back legs up and shoved against her chest. She yelped as she spun backwards, flailing and drifting towards the ceiling. I rolled and lunged after the kick, sending myself off the bed and bounding towards Nirru's back. She wouldn't hurt my friends!

Applejack's eyes widened and she surprised me by shoving Nirru to her right, sending the lavender mare sprawling, her hoof rapidly shifting back to normal! Damn it! I slid slightly, shifting my course and launching myself towards her new position, as fast as my legs could take me. I hadn't wanted to hurt her, but if it came down to either that or letting her hurt anypony I cared for, there wasn't a choice!

Smashing her into the wall earlier had revealed a problem, however. The vibration through her body had revealed to me that she was actually absurdly dense. I hadn't mentioned that to her, but that had confirmed my actions in an instant. Just a barrier wouldn't be able to even make a dent in her skin. I just wasn't strong enough, and there wasn't any weight behind them. In order to actually cut her, I needed to make a compressed blade like I had before. Without my past self's energy pool however, I was severely limited in both range and size. I'd have to get a lot closer if I was going to connect with this thing!

Applejack was thrown off balance by her toss, rotating around practically backwards as she spun. My peripheral vision told me Rainbow had barely hit the ceiling and was still trying to recover as my burst of magic wore off her. This was my only chance! Two bounds passed. My heart hammered at my chest in the same instant that Nirru hit the floor, face first. Her flank was to me. I couldn't reach her neck, so I formed the energy blade aiming at her spine instead. It wasn't an assured kill, but she would be in too much pain to do anything, hopefully. This was assuming that her current body had some sort of central nervous system.

The blade flared up, compressing down as best I could with my limited amount of energy and time to form it. It only extended half a meter or so. My third bound landed against the harsh wood of the library floor, and then I leapt. I angled my head down the best I could, aiming for her mid-back. Time slowed as my body flared with adrenalin. A nagging sensation hit my mind, as realization connected a second after. Wait, didn't Applejack buck with her...

"No!" the orange mare screamed out, bracing like a coiled spring on her front legs. She had spun on purpose. It dawned on me as my eyes widened. There was no energy left in me to even try to form a barrier.

Years of smashing her hooves into the solid trunks of trees had made Applejack an absurdly strong mare. Both of her legs unfurled with practiced precision and timing. I'd have been impressed, had both back hooves not connected with my right side a hundredth of a second later. Time ground to a halt at the call of the brutal cracking sound echoing out from my side. The air in my lungs was literally forced from my body from the impact, my midsection suddenly deciding to travel sideways instead of following the momentum of the rest of my body. My legs and head snapped sideways as the force of her double kick shattered my prior forward momentum almost as easily as it had undoubtedly just shattered a few ribs.

Then the pain hit, catching up with the torn apart nerves throughout the flesh along my side. I let out a silent scream, having absolutely no air to actually make my vocal cords work. My side screamed in bloody agony for another heartbeat, mirroring the whiplash from all four limbs and my neck as I was tossed through the air like a high velocity ragdoll. The crushing pain was joined by an abrupt stabbing sensation in the same instant, it practically feeling like she had snapped me in half from the force of the impact. Then I hit the window.

My momentum had carried me forward a little bit still, but her strength had rendered it a moot point. I rocketed sideways away from my intended target and smashed directly into Twilight's bay window near the balcony. The wooden frame shattered under the weight of my body, the glass fragmenting around me as I was forced through it. It didn't shatter in any uniform pattern, however, leaving long gashes along my skin as I was torn across it. I didn't even feel the sensation at that point. The explosion of raw agony from my side tore through my body like a ripple, leaving numb oblivion in its wake. My back hit the railing of the balcony with enough force to splinter the wood and snap the supports, from the sound of it. My instant stop was a harsh one as I momentarily caved my fragile body into the heavy rail before gravity outweighed my sideways momentum. My world blackened as I hit the floor of the balcony, not unlike a sack of wet sand. Ironically, that's the closest I could get to describing what my insides felt like. She was right. I swore I could hear an unknown ancestor crying as everything went black.

---

Consciousness flickered back into my skull; not as a stirring this time so much as a belly flop onto cement. I couldn't even manage a groan as I felt my body stiffen, points of agony dancing along my back, side, neck, and legs. It would be easier for me to list what didn't hurt, I noted. My eyes opened a second later as the realization of what had happened set in. Nirru was free with nopony to stop her! Speak of the devil, I saw she stood all of a meter from me on the balcony when my eyes opened. Applejack stood next to her, looking furious still down at my unmoving form.

"Yer lucky we're even goin' fer ah doctor. Yer crazy an' we're through as friends. Nopony tries ta hurt my friends like ya just did!" she growled upon noticing my eyes open up. I swallowed, eyes flickering back to Nirru's amused smirk behind the mare.

"This is insane! Don't move him, AJ! I'll go get the doctor," Rainbow rapidly excused from behind me somewhere, apparently missing Nirru's expression entirely. Damn it. If she left, it would be even easier for the fake Twilight to ambush Applejack!

"Don't," I managed to rasp out, my right foreleg shifting a bit as I tried to gain some sort of friction under it. There was almost no strength however, all attempts at applying pressure only causing it to scream out in agony as it connected with my side.

"Shut it," Applejack warned coldly, kicking my leg away from them as she saw the movement. I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing when I felt nothing at all.

"Don't do anything to him! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Rainbow ordered, surprisingly sounding concerned. The bitterness flared up inside of me, and I mentally snarled to myself. Was everything I tried to do that pointless? Applejack hadn't even hesitated for a second before deciding I was just crazy and a danger. I felt my eyes start to get wet as they lost focus. I tried and tried to fit in; to stay positive and persevere. Now what? Applejack didn't want to be my friend anymore, Rainbow no longer trusted me, and the one thing I tried to stop was free and gloating over the whole ordeal. I couldn't win. The tears just came, earning another glare from the orange mare. I didn't care.

There was only one thing left that I could do, I decided. There was one secret I still hadn't revealed to Nirru. She had no idea how my magic functioned. Focusing as best I could, I tried to build up all that was left of my energy. The blade had been entirely disrupted after I was kicked, and all of that energy was lost before I could pull it back in. I doubted I had enough energy to move and still form the barrier. That left only one option. I focused on using the floor as a connector. If I couldn't bring the blade to her, or her to the blade, I'd simply form it on her and shoot it upwards. She'd probably die. Applejack's retaliation would probably kill me as well. I didn't have any other options, however.

"Careful, Twi. Don't get too close. That weird, unnatural magic o' his might still be able ta work," Applejack warned, causing me to open my right eye again, not having realized I closed them. Heh. At least I knew what she really thought about my magic, now.

My consciousness swam and I hadn't realized how hard it was to focus. I pulled in the energy faster, realizing I might have internal bleeding. The doctor might not even make it back in time at this rate. "You did a number on him! I don't think he'll be able to do much anymore," Nirru pointed out after giving me a prod with her hoof.

"Are ya all right, though?" Applejack asked softly in reply. A pang of jealousy hit. Twilight had such amazing friends. I couldn't manage to let myself be angry at Applejack. She was defending her friend in her time of need. The principle was there, even if she herself was being tricked. Breathing became an uphill battle and I coughed, shocked suddenly by the wet sensation leaking out of my mouth as that cold numbness started to spread throughout my body. Lung damage. Probably shock.

Nirru didn't answer, instead leaning down close and staring into my eyes. There was no emotion in hers. The only thing lighting them was cold, clinical precision as she stretched my eye open and looked into it. "Nirru, you need to... Don't do this!" I heard Keela beg, fading in and out between static.

"Tch, the link is collapsing. Keep your eyes open, Mender," Nirru ordered, standing upright again.

"Wha?" Applejack muttered, sounding confused. The fake lavender mare in front of me sighed and aimed her hoof backwards. My eyes widened as I heard a pressurized launching noise and Applejack jumped in surprise. "W-What tha?"

My vision flickered down to the small dart buried in her chest. "Hmm? Oh, that? It's a tranquilizing agent I was going to use on Mender after I seduced him and mated. Then he would have just woken up after a while and thought it was all a dream. See? Aren't I nice?" she relayed, smiling back at Applejack.

The country mare's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly. It didn't look like the words even registered with her. A moment later, her front legs started to shake and she slumped slightly, struggling to stay upright.

I didn't have time to look anymore as I felt a sharp poke entered my neck and a second later. "And this is a mixture of proteins, mass enhancement, and adrenaline. It was for the mating itself if you weren't impressive enough," Nirru added with a wink, smirking down at me. I tried to roll my eyes but couldn't manage to feel where they were pointing in the first place. "They should keep you from shutting down before I get what I want from you, though," she continued, shifting me closer to the edge of the balcony with her hoof. Why wasn't anypony coming?! Surely we'd made enough noise for somepony to investigate!

"Wait, yer not..." Applejack muttered, rapidly shaking her head and actually starting to stand upright again. Damn.

Nirru sighed wearily and turned back around to face her. I sped my charging up as best I could. If I released my limiter, I just might be able to fire it off sooner, but in my current condition, it might just kill me instantly. "No, Applejack. My name is Nirru, like he said. He was telling the truth. I can see you're going to be a stubborn one," she replied before extending her hoof towards the orange mare again. No!

Nothing shot out, however. Instead, a gentle barrier extended out and formed a shimmering, transparent cage around Applejack. It was a low end barrier and not every well focused, I noticed. Also, it was only pieced together from other barriers instead of being solid. Sloppy.

"There. That'll hold you until I'm gone. Your friend is fast, but I imagine it will be difficult to find a doctor at this hour, no?" she reasoned, looking far too smug when she turned back around. Applejack stood in shock, mouth hanging limply as she shifted her gaze from Nirru's back to me as I watched her.

"Why are you doing this, Sis?! You didn't have to do any of this!" Keela demanded over the static echoing through my head. Oddly, I felt my energy slowly returning with a tingling sensation as well. Unfortunately, with the return of my strength came the return of my feeling as well. Pain started to lance through my barrel, and I gave out a muffled groan, squishing my eyes tight.

"Oooh, feeling coming back? That's good. The pain lets you know you're alive, am I right?" she asked, quoting an old soldier's sang. She continued before I could so much as give a sassy retort, however, "And I'm doing what you were too afraid to do, Keela. I already said that. Whether you believed me or not, he's worth a lot more than just one Keldarian. I know this. I will not let this opportunity pass in efforts at being 'nice' to him." What? How the hell was I worth more than one Keldarian? I wasn't even a Keldarian anymore!

"Oh no. No, no, no!" Applejack finally started to speak up, snapping out of her shock and slamming into the front of the cage angrily. Nirru burst into a grin before turning around and watching the mare.

"Ha! You're so hypocritical. You were the one who practically handed him over to me, and then when you find out the truth, you get all indignant over it? Please. Honestly, he's been here what, a month and a half? I figured it would be way harder to turn everyone against him like that," she pointed out. A sharp pang stabbed into my chest regardless of the agony everywhere else. As much as I wanted to stab her until she stopped moving, she was right. Maybe I really didn't belong here after all? I thought I was fitting in better but then something would happen that told me otherwise. This was just another one of those times.

Applejack didn't answer. Instead, she just seemed to get angrier and let out a scream of rage, slamming into the front of the cage again. The floor started to crack and splinter under the force of her impacts and my eyes widened.

I sensed Nirru's did as well. "My goodness! The tranquilizing agent doesn't appear to be affecting you at all. Either that or you really are just that stubborn. I really didn't want to have to take more extreme measures, but I don't have time for you potentially throwing a wrench into my plans," she muttered, sounding annoyed. Crap! Just pretend you're getting weaker, Applejack!

My spell wasn't fully charged yet. If I fired it off now, it would only extend a half meter or so. That wouldn't be nearly enough to kill Nirru when I was forced to use the floor as the extension point. Damn it! I contemplated releasing the limiter again, but in all honesty, I was afraid that it would kill me before I could even release the spell.

Applejack's eyes widened as Nirru drew her right foreleg backwards as if going to punch the cage. The hoof shifted, extending a long blade out of it and angling it back off her elbow. Oh hell. Her body was amorphous! "And now, you die knowing exactly how much you failed your friend," Nirru proclaimed, stabbing her foreleg forward an instant later.

There was no choice. My hoof flared with energy and the barrier blade stabbed upwards from the floor in the same instant. Applejack's eyes widened and she pushed herself backwards away from the elongated blade, just as mine shot up under the extending foreleg itself. Nirru screamed as my blade stabbed into the underside of her hoof, forcing her blade to overshoot the top of the cage and imbed itself in the wall above.

"You little bastard!" she screamed a second later, smashing me with her other forehoof as she tore her wrist off the blade. I winced but managed to pull back most of the energy from the attack. Preparing a second stab, I readied to release the limiter just as I launched the attack, hopefully allowing it to be enough to finish her off.

Her body moved far faster than I realized it could, however. She whipped around before I had fully retreated the blade and stomped down hard on the still glowing hoof. I screamed as I felt something snap inside my leg and lost focus on the second attack, energy dispersing instead. "Ha! So it's your hoof that's doing it. This is just too rich! You gave away your only hope, just to save the very same mare that handed you over to me," she cooed suddenly, looking ecstatic. Shit!

I drew in more energy from myself as best I could, but she was on to me at this point. "Mender!" Applejack called out at the same moment. Nirru smirked as her eyes flicked to the orange mare momentarily before whipping me forward, smashing my face into the slate bars of the barrier! I gasped as the thin sheets of energy cut into my cheek from the impact, and then I felt the hoof stomp down on the back of my left shoulder. Oh hell! No, no!

"And this is what we get for being a little bastard!" Nirru called out in a rather sing-song voice. I screamed. She smashed my face harder into the bars, Applejack looking horrified a few centimeters away from. Nirru tore my foreleg backwards, causing a massive ripping sensation and multiple snapping noises along my shoulder. I tried to thrash away from her, accidentally running my face into the bars on the other cheek in the process.

"No!" I heard Applejack scream out, squeezing herself closer to me. The pain was white hot and blinding. Gasping for my breath, all I could do was sob pathetically as she smashed me hard into the cage and tore. The pain shattered through me, followed by frigid nothing as I felt it tear free, blasting my neck, head, and chest with cold numbness. Applejack's eyes went wide in shock as blood hit against her face.

"Heh. Here; a memento to remember him by," Nirru offered coldly before throwing the detached leg down next to the cage. It rolled twice before coming to a stop, blood pooling under it.

All I could do was let out an airy gasp as I slid down the side of the cage on my face, pain echoing through my mind and causing darkness to swim through my vision. I couldn't talk. I couldn't move. All I could manage to do was cry as Nirru's hoof flared up and she momentarily singed my shoulder, cauterizing the wound.

"Now, now. No passing out. I need your stupid link in order to haul your DNA back. You're not allowed to stop functioning until after I'm gone," she ordered snidely.

Applejack let out a guttural scream of rage, thrashing against the front of the box while putting more cracks in Twilight's floor. I could barely hear her until another stab went directly into my back, spreading more of the numb tingling sensation through me. "I had a backup, just in case you were really pathetic," Nirru pointed out absently, echoing in my skull. I couldn't think. My head was swimming, burning hot on the inside and freezing on the outside. I could barely even breathe, the wet sensation oozing out of my mouth.

"You monster! This isn't what I wanted at all!" Keela screamed through the static, ironically causing a stirring as I tried to focus. Oddly, Nirru went rigid a second later, but I could barely manage to acknowledge her. She had... She tore off my leg! Completely. No magic escaped from my body anymore, and I knew it was over in that moment. My vision slowly shifted over to the limb discarded on the floor. My mind refused to register it as mine, no matter how hard I stared at it. Vaguely, I acknowledged shouting somewhere a ways off. Ponies were investigating finally.

"Mender, stay awake!" Applejack urged softly, lowering herself down to the floor of the cage, to my head level.

I stared blankly at the severed limb for a few more seconds before gently shifting my eyes to her instead. We stared at each other for a long moment before her eyes slowly started getting wet. "I'm sorry, Applejack. I don't have the energy left to stop her," I apologized, silently wondering if she'd take back her declaration of no longer being my friend. I decided I was too afraid to ask. A drop, followed by three more landed on the wood under her head as she watched me, eyes tearing up. A moment later however, she started and looked down slowly at the floor. I didn't have the strength to see what she was looking at, unfortunately.

"Tch! Looks like we made too much noise," Nirru finally muttered, shivering and snapping herself out of the trance I hadn't realized she'd fallen into. The static flared up again, and Keela was silent. The fake Twilight paused for a moment before shaking her head irritably. "I'm going to have to move you, now. This is getting downright annoying."

"Twitchy twitch! Applejack, are you okay?!" I heard suddenly from downstairs. Pinkie?! My memory snapped lazily back to her Pinkie Sense, and I realized she must have felt something was wrong. Still, this wasn't the best of timing. The clouds in my skull were beat back as I tried to shift myself around, looking past my errant limb and into the main loft.

Nirru let out a groan of irritation before shifting her attention to the left, asking, "What now?! Are all these ponies crazy?" Pinkie hopped up over the stairs and gasped as she saw me lying on the balcony. Her eyes widened further than I'd ever seen; her mouth hanging partially open.

"It's not Twi! Run, Pinkie!" Applejack shouted, shifting towards the back of her cage suddenly, away from me. Huh? Her hooves scraped gently along the bars of the barrier as she turned herself around, aiming her flank at me instead.

"Annoyance!" Nirru yelled before whipping her yet bladed foreleg up. The blade detached, much to my surprise, and flung itself at high velocity across the room. No! There was no time for warning at all before it drove itself into Pinkie's head.

At least, I thought that's what would happen. The spike embedded itself into the wall behind the pink mare, however, who turned and peeked at it in surprise. "Hey! That's sharp! What the hay are you doing?!" she demanded a second later, turning to glare at Nirru again.

Nirru actually looked surprised momentarily. She blinked twice before peeking down at her blade again, seemingly just to make sure she'd properly fired it. "What the hell? Did the dimensional transfer throw off my targeting calibrations?" she questioned, hopefully to herself as assisting her was the last thing I was about to do.

Pinkie slowly started walking towards her, nervously eyeing my leg on the floor while shifting her attention between that and Nirru herself. "If you're not Twilight, who are you? Are you a mean pony?" she inquired, sounding surprisingly reserved. I'd never heard that tone from Pinkie before. Even in my numbed state, it was a little scary.

"I'm Nirru, not that it will matter after I put a spike through your damn head," the fake Twilight answered, glaring at Pinkie as she took aim again. Crap! Deciding she re-calibrated the 'gun' thing, I tried to shift myself up. There was almost no strength left in my legs at all, and I could barely feel anything. I considered my options, immediately deciding throwing myself in front of it wasn't going to be fast enough.

Nirru fired regardless, aiming directly for between Pinkie's eyes this time. The spike slammed into the wood next to the stairs, missing entirely. Wait, no. I tried to focus, and then realized that the thing hadn't missed at all. Pinkie had shifted to the left a few inches! Her fluffy, cotton candy tail flicked back and forth behind her as she walked, twitching lightly.

Nirru just looked pissed this time, rather than surprised. "How the hell can you dodge something moving almost at the speed of sound?!" she demanded, blade growing back and extending into a melee weapon this time. That was easy, but required information she didn't know. One simply moved out of the way before she even fired. I softly smiled, chuckling lightly amidst the cold numbness. The shot did almost nothing to remove it this time, and I realized I was probably in a moderate shock. That in itself was strange when I thought about it, when I realized I was capable of thinking enough to think about it in the first place. No, wait, that sounded like Pinkie logic...

"I just moved out of the way, Silly!" Pinkie returned, earning a scream of rage and a downward cut from Nirru. My eyes widened again as I saw her slide past the slash while spinning, causing it to miss completely. Nirru blinked in surprise after embedding her foreleg blade into the wood of the library floor. I momentarily felt sorry for it, realizing Twilight was going to have to spend a lot of bits to fix all of this.

"Meany!" Pinkie yelled, frowning outright at Nirru before whipping her flank forward instead, smashing into the fake Twilight's hip with her own! To my surprise, the blow actually sent Nirru sideways, cracking the railing of the balcony as her body smashed into it. Holy hell! How strong was Pinkie's flank?!

"Hold onto Mender, Pinkie!" Applejack suddenly ordered, rearing back and up with her hind legs. What?! I shifted my attention down to the floor, realizing what she must have noticed a moment later. The barrier wasn't covering the floor! Pinkie felt amazingly warm when she wrapped her hooves around me. She rolled as she grabbed onto me, just as Applejack let out another scream of rage and brought both of her hind legs down onto the wood.

My eyes widened as the entire balcony dislodged from the side of the tree with a splintering crack, the wood caving in and shattering around the two massively powerful orange legs. Pinkie rolled off the balcony with me as it hit a forty five degree angle. We momentarily hung in the air before she shifted and we landed in a rather sizable shrub near the base of the library. A heartbeat passed and the entire balcony smashed into the ground next to us, kick starting my heart into fully functioning again! Applejack landed on top of the balcony a moment later, rolling as she hit. Nirru landed last, directly onto her face as she practically belly flopped into the dirt. Ouch. I suddenly realized that she wasn't a physical fighter at all. Her body was powerful, but she moved with all the grace of, well, me.

Groaning, she slowly stood up, wobbling on all four hooves as she shook the impact off. Her body was connected directly to her nervous system, then. She actually felt everything. Applejack was already standing however, and stepped in front of Pinkie and I as the pink mare pulled me out of the shrubs, keeping me pressed close to her body. She felt so warm that I was hardly going to complain, however.

Nirru finally turned fully, glaring at both mares as she regained her composure. "You can't win, you know. This body is practically invulnerable. I'm going to enjoy killing both of you, though," she muttered, starting to walk forward again. Applejack shivered, similarly to how I'd seen her before, and looked downright furious as she stepped forward as well.

The fake Twilight snorted and lunged, whipping her foreleg blade up into a quick stab. Applejack stopped moving as she approached, then stepped back at the last second, shifting to the left. The stab missed her head by a few dozen centimeters, and to my surprise, the orange mare 'grabbed' onto the hoof attached to the blade, using her forehooves to smash it into the ground, point first. In the same instant, she spun around and bunched herself backwards, gently brushing against Nirru's chest before springing, a vicious double buck. Both hooves embedded themselves into the lavender chest for a split second before I heard a snapping noise.

Nirru hit a tree that had been a half dozen meters behind her, back first. The bark splintered at the impact, and she gasped, cracking into the trunk of the tree. Yup. I knew what that felt like. Her eyes remained wide as she slowly slid down the trunk, mouth partially hanging open in definite surprise. The majority of her hoof blade remained stuck in the ground next to Applejack, point first.

"Ow," she muttered simply upon finally resting her haunches on the ground. I concurred. Shivering uncontrollably under Pinkie, I noticed I could barely feel the remaining limbs I had. Oddly, it kind of still felt like I should be able to move my left foreleg. The numb sensations were welcome, however, as my body hurt like a bitch without being able to fully feel it.

Nirru finally fell forwards, glaring up at us after securing all four legs on the ground. Applejack stood fast, however; the muscles in her legs clenching and relaxing as she looked ready to pounce on a hair trigger. "Fine. I see I don't have any choice at this point. The game's over now," Nirru spoke, tone soft yet cold.

Applejack snorted, but in the same instant, silvery wings expanded from Nirru's back, looking like the refraction of light through a strange, monochrome prism. My eyes widened a moment later, realizing the lines of the wings didn't necessarily adhere to Euclidean geometry, and hurt my eyes to stare at. That was a Slipstream emination. She was carrying a personal one on her?!

The wings slipped through each other a moment later, coating her in a shimmering silver light. "W-What tha hay is that?!" Applejack demanded, taking a step back as air pressure started to blast away from Nirru in all directions. You weren't supposed to activate that on ground level!

"Don't!" was halfway out of my mouth when Nirru disappeared. A twitch of my eye passed and she moved outside of my ability to see, due to the light simply not reaching my retinas fast enough. I winced as a hoof slammed into my side, the distorted non-Euclidean bubble expanding around me in an instant from the contact. The world melted away slowly, time seeming to fall apart as we folded ourselves across a field, through several trees, and into a forest; our movement not unlike that of a melting butterfly skipping through a mud puddle. Geometry and perspective also took a coffee break, allowing me a momentary glimpse of both the inside of my nose and the traffic along the main street of Canterlot.

The bubble popped a moment later, unceremoniously dumping me onto the ground, steam wafting off my fur. Oddly, the energy field had done wonders to cauterize my various wounds. Oh, and wake me up. Although I wasn't considering that a good thing, as now I was more than a little nauseous. Idly, I distracted myself wondering if it had cauterized the internal wounds, too. Not that it mattered all that much. Without treatment, I was still going to die rather shortly.

Nirru climbed out of a heap of trees that had followed us into the clearing and promptly landed on her. She apparently had the foresight to drop me out of FTL before stopping herself, thankfully. She fell into the large rut we had left in the ground, wincing and shuddering on her side.

"Fuuuuuuu-," she groaned out upon falling out of my personal sight and smacking into the ground. As bad as I felt right now, I was extremely glad I didn't just get subjected to her experience.

"...and that's why you don't fire off a Slipstream Drive while on a gravity bearing surface. It bends, usually taking a lot of debris with it," I muttered wearily, not bothering to move from my position. The orders to my limbs were only being followed in a halfhearted manner, almost no strength at all present.

"Oh shut up. Ugh," she shot back, crawling out of the rut on my side. That was one of the problems with our variety of FTL travel. Not only was it highly susceptible to forces such as gravity, it also distorted most sensors upon entering, requiring careful calculations and a planned course prior to actual activation. The perks were it being far more accurate than our ally's version, which actually couldn't turn after being launched.

Nirru's entire back was scorched badly, I noticed. She aimed it away from me before opening a slot in her skin. Three holes existed under the panel, one of them being already empty. Half a second later, the middle one ejected a cylinder shaped crystal canister filled with a glowing blue liquid. The grass caught fire around the canister when it hit, spreading out a good meter in each direction almost instantly. Oh yeah. That was another downside to our FTL Engine.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use that. This body isn't meant for physical combat, though. Damn, that orange bitch is a brute," she groaned, sliding the plate shut again before standing upright fully.

The static in my skull suddenly reared its ugly head again, reminding me of its presence. Nirru glared at nothing in particular before sighing. "Didn't you learn your lesson yet? Just shut up and stop interfering, Keela," she ordered a moment later. Whether not heard or ignored, I couldn't be sure as the static certainly didn't die down.

"She disagrees with my methods for some reason," the fake Twilight explained a moment later, walking over to me. I glared up at her, deciding not saying anything was preferred. There wasn't exactly a point. Even if Pinkie and Applejack had rescued me, there was a high probability of my body not surviving the time it took a doctor to arrive anyway.

The realization was a frozen, numbing one. I was going to die, and there was literally nothing I could do about it. "Psh, you're a mess. I guess I'd better do something if you're going to survive transferring the DNA over," she muttered absently to herself after giving me a good hoof prodding. That was such a medically sound evaluation. She obviously had extensive medical training. I was so screwed...

"Do I really have to be alive for it?" I asked bitterly, closing my eyes instead.

She snorted, asking, "What, giving up already?"

I think my eye twitched. "You tore off my leg. You alienated me from my friends. There's no recovering from this! What's left to fight for?!" I demanded, opening my eyes again to glare at her harshly. There wasn't any force to the shout as I couldn't get enough air into my lungs to work my vocal cords properly. I degraded into a series of coughs and spasms immediately after.

She lost her smile and shook her head slowly. "It's kind of sad seeing you after all, in a rather pathetic way. You're a mistake. You couldn't have fit in here even if you wanted to, yet you deluded yourself anyway. You don't even know what you are," she returned quietly, looking surprisingly solemn.

My glare could have burned through her skull. "I know I'm not a Keldarian. You're a fool," I shot back in a whisper, not understanding why she was even doing this to me. What did she have to gain?

"If you only had one sample of Keldarian DNA, then I'd agree with you fully and wouldn't be here. You don't remember a thing, do you?" she asked quietly, watching me with interest.

A weak sigh later, I shook my head. She smiled and looked down. A soft wind blew, and I finally noticed the forest around us. It was familiar to me all at once. The Everfree. The moon above was a few stages from full still and spreading an ambient silver light over the entire clearing. Nirru's mane blew gently along with the wind, and she looked up again, eyes almost looking through me.

"Unit Zero Zero Two; initialize second, third, and fourth CPU core reboot and repair sequences in failsafe mode," she ordered with precision. Wait, what?

My eyes widened and my heart leapt into my throat as an analysis display screen popped up seemingly inside of my eyes themselves, reading, "Rebooting CPU Cores."

No. This wasn't possible. My body shivered lightly as I watched the CPU Loading Bars go across the inside of my eyes. Nirru, looking like a beat up and burned version of my fillyfriend, smiled at me snidely through the displays.

"Right unit projection. Display hard disks," she requested softly a moment later. My right eye's vision went white instantly, blurs and colors shining through it. My left noticed a holographic display of the CPU Bars pop up above me and shift in front of Nirru. No, it couldn't be. Why was my right eye a holographic projector?!

The loading Bars finished and initialized all three additional CPUs a moment later. Displays popped up all over the inside of my eye and I swallowed, a frozen sensation being magnified by the numbness in my chest. Thousands of what I recognized as files spread out over the screen. What the hell was this?! No, she had to be just projecting something onto my eye.

The fake Twilight knelt down a moment later and pushed her hoof against my bloodied chest. My remaining functional eye widened to maximum capacity as I saw a cornered off panel form out of my chest, various slots and holes in it with seemingly metal rims! This was a nightmare. A really bad, screwed up nightmare! It had to be. I was going to wake up next to Twilight at any moment and compulsively kiss her.

Nirru plugged her hoof into my chest using a cord that 'melted' from her skin a moment later. "Transfer all DNA data after decrypting," she finally ordered, sitting down on her haunches after. A bar labeled 'decrypting' slowly started crawling across my left eye. Wait, DNA data?

"It's kind of sad, really. You've been here for weeks and you don't even know what you are. Well, I'm nice, so I'll tell you the truth. You're an organic computer with the mind of a clone created from a soldier you're probably familiar with. Apparently, your job was to scout this dimension, get samples from six powerful energy sources, then return," she explained all at once in a bored tone.

My head swam. What?! No, I was Moon Mender; a pony here that came from a different dimension! Nirru idly adjusted the wires running into her hoof before continuing with, "Doctor Kyliona was our foremost expert on FTL Travel and Quantum Physics. She came up with a supposed plan to escape the Grosh by actually jumping dimensions. Reacting reasonably, I of course assumed she was batshit insane. Guess I was wrong. Mostly." Even addled as I was, that was an easy enough jump to make. She stumble upon six energy sources while experimenting, found Equestria, and sent a 'scout' to explore it. I sank a little further down into a lying position. What was I?

Nirru sighed after looking back up at me, letting her cords drop again. "Frankly, I can't see her programming a scout with rogue emotions. Chances are, something got fried in the dimensional transfer. Whatever the hell you are, you're a mistake. Not that it matters much as you'll probably not function for long after I finish this transfer anyway," she reasoned idly, looking surprisingly bored. A mistake?

The static picked up again after a few more seconds. I felt an angry pulse inside of my skull, followed by the white noise snapping back into an audio channel. "I'm not, ugh, done yet. This is wrong, Nirru!" Keela adamantly interrupted a moment later. I didn't pay much attention, remaining motionless on the ground. What did it matter anyway? I couldn't not see the proof right in front of my eyes. Well, eye. I was a machine; a fancy computer used for scouting Equestria.

"It doesn't really matter anymore. I'm downloading the DNA data now. Mender's dying," she informed, starting to echo a little as my body grew colder. I shivered, but didn't move still.

There was a low growl from Keela's end before, "It still matters. I called for help now. Four squads of soldiers are waiting for us when we exit the machine." Both of them were plugged into a machine on their end? That didn't help me much. Of course, the sad thing was, I couldn't really think of anything that could help me in the first place. Healing myself was all fine and good, but when I didn't have a life to go back to anyway, it was a moot point. Swallowing, I decided I could probably never even look at Twilight again. Was everything I felt, even now, fake? The only thing I could feel now was the tightness in my throat and chest, and my eyes starting to get watery. This was pathetic. If I really was a machine, why was I crying?

"Who do you think the soldiers listen to, Keela?" the bitch across from me asked, rolling her eyes in seeming annoyance. She was so full of herself. How did those two honestly end up as sisters?

Keela snorted, however. "Not you anymore. We took a vote and decided you're not fit to lead this ship. Something is wrong with you," she corrected sharply. A vote? Keldarians didn't vote, as far as I remembered. All our decisions were made by the elder council, who held lifetime, hereditary positions.

Predictably, Nirru narrowed her eyes. "I'm the one saving our race. I've got the DNA data of two point four billion Keldarians downloading right now. Who do you think they're going to thank for that?" she questioned vehemently, glaring down at me. How did I have all that DNA?!

"H-How?" I asked softly, looking fully back up at her. I couldn't seem to stop my shivering, but she didn't seem to notice.

Nirru smirked suddenly and chuckled. "Finally, an intelligent conversation. Doctor Kyliona was a homicidal bitch; that's how. You really don't remember anything about what happened before Equestria, do you?" she inquired, voice softening again. My eyes lowered, and I tried to shake my head. The only thing I achieved was a miniscule nudge sideways into the mud under me.

Nirru seemed to understand regardless, continuing, "Shortly after the planetary bombardment started, a huge energy spike was released from the surface. I was in a class two battleship above the surface, and managed to pick up this." She reached down and brushed her hoof again. A short uploading bar activated, and a movie started playing in my left eye.

The eye in question widened as I saw a black, well, something. It drifted off the planet, clearly visible from orbit, before exploding into tendrils in every conceivable direction. It spread at an absurdly fast rate, considering the scale involved!

"I had no idea what it was at the time," she continued, adding, "It spread to just over sixty three percent of the surface area of the atmosphere in an absurd sixteen and a half seconds, blotting out our star's light completely. It then proceeded to launch more tendrils at the surface, consuming and destroying everything in its path." The video showed over half of the planet covered in pure black mass. What could possibly do that?!

"Wait, you said 'at the time'! You know what it is now, and you never told me?" Keela demanded, leaving a sharp echo through my mind. True. I hadn't picked that up so readily. I relaxed slightly, feeling my head swimming as if I had a high fever. Maybe I did.

Nirru snorted. "It was a little classified, Sister. Of course, our friend here actually has the clearance to hear about it, given that he's a type one classified artifact himself. I'll even let you listen."

I tried to roll my eyes, probably only managing the left one. The right seemed to be no longer under my control, instead acting as some sort of holographic output. Knowing I could do that would have been ironically helpful a few days prior, if not a whole new level of disturbing.

"Uh, I'm one of the highest council seats! There shouldn't be anything above me in rank," my psychically linked friend protested. Hmm. Was she my friend? After all of this, I wasn't so sure. I had only spoken with Keela, ever. She had promised me that she was keeping everything we talked about an absolute secret. Either that was a total lie, or Nirru had spied on her somehow. Regardless, it seemed obvious that Keela had at least started out helping her sister with this little excursion. I was having trouble focusing, though. I couldn't remember what she had said earlier as it bled into what was happening now.

Nirru just smiled, apparently ignoring her sister's complaints. "It was an untested biological weapon of mass destruction. It had been developed in top secret and wasn't related at all to her research. I still have no idea how she got a hold of it, but she did. It was set off right on top of us, killing a little over two point four billion Keldarians in less than thirty seconds," she explained softly, actually looking somewhat remorseful after.

I shuddered of my own violation this time. The image momentarily cut out, replaced by one of planet side. Keldarians ran screaming in the dark; flares of dark blue light burning through the skies. The tendrils lashed out from the heavens themselves to rend and murder, consuming and eating everything in their way. The smaller ones were about the size of a hovercar, and the largest could have rivaled the circumference of a mountain range. The Twilight doppelganger smiled wider as she watched. Wait, how the hell did I have that video feed?!

"Exactly. I know you're seeing this, Sister. The tentacles consumed everything, organic and inorganic alike. In some spots, they ate as far as four kilometers into the ground. Everyone who was touched by them was consumed and added to the mass, alongside the raw minerals and matter. That's what it was meant to do."

Keela groaned lightly, interrupting with, "Please clarify what this thing does? Why were we even working on something like this?" That was a good point, although the answer was fairly obvious. There were very few uses for something like what she was describing.

Nirru seemed to agree and sighed, furthering, "It was an anti-Grosh weapon. A pseudo-sentient mass of matter capable of traveling through space independently by use of our FTL technology. It could spread out almost indefinitely, consuming any mass or energy source it found as it went. It wouldn't stop until it ran out of conceivable planets to jump to, which was rather limitless considering faster than light jumps were possible. The Grosh, and everything we didn't blacklist in the AI, would be eliminated entirely. Further, after they were absorbed, all their technological information would be ours, directly from their own brains." Oh. Well damn. On a scale of scientific atrocities, that was dang near the top.

There was a stagnant pause, followed by a stifled groan from Keela. "That's monstrous! There's no way we could justify that. Who knows how many innocent species we would have wiped out without even knowing!" she growled, sounding about like I felt. My mind wasn't processing the concept of potentially dooming a nigh unlimited number of species just to defeat the Grosh.

"They would have been wiped out by those monsters anyway. We deserve to be the true heirs of the universe, not them. Our pathetic allies said the same thing after we shared the data with their 'Earth Sphere Council'. They called it a Universal War Crime, if I recall. If it were up to me, I'd remove them from the blacklist and launch it anyway," she spit out, glaring up at the sky absently. The amount of hatred I could practically feel radiating from her was sad.

"Well thankfully it's not up to you. Regardless, if it was supposed to keep spreading, something screwed up anyway," Keela corrected, explaining, "A tendril shot off about seven thousand kilometers to the East after it reached the widest visual diameter. I suppose you know about that, too?"

Nirru actually laughed before shaking her head. I shuddered as I heard it, deciding that anyone like herself had no right to be happy. "Not a clue. It was supposed to keep going, but it stopped for some reason. My only guess is Doctor Kyliona changed its AI. The tendril shot over to the edge of the bombardment zone. Then, a short ten seconds later, the entirety of the massive hulk of destruction just vanished. I didn't know we could even move that much matter into Slipstream in the first place," she muttered. We shouldn't have been able to. All of that DNA. The biological weapon had something to do with the scout then. Me. It somehow got all of the DNA of everyone it killed to me. A stiff wind blew through the dark, unfriendly forest around us. I couldn't feel the motion, but I shivered at the temperature drop. Damn it. More sticky, wet sensations leaked from my mouth, and I let out an airy cough.

That proved to be a mistake, as the cough decayed into a fit of hacking, spraying droplets of red and black liquid all over the grass in front of my mouth. Well, normally that was a bad sign. The broken ribs must have injured my lungs. Internal bleeding in my respiratory tract somewhere. Without professional aid...

Nirru watched curiously, but otherwise did nothing before simply continuing her little tale. "Regardless, there's a large gap of information missing after that. Her scout landed here; the biological weapon compressing back down into the body right in front of me. Now I'm conveniently taking the information," Nirru finalized a moment later, smirking back down at me. What?!

"Wait, you're saying Mender is not only the scout she sent, but also the carrier for that massive biological weapon?!" Keela asked, sounding shocked. She didn't know, then. I felt the surprise from her link she gave me. No, all of this was definitely Nirru's doing.

Her sister nodded. "Yes. Mender has all of the video data from the device. He also has the DNA. Frankly, I should destroy him right now for killing almost two and a half billion Keldarians, but it turns out that only a few thousand of them were female, so I don't really care. Plus, now I have the biological weapon data too," she pointed out, standing back up again.

I was a biological weapon. It rang through my head after she had said it. One that had killed billions of Keldarians. I couldn't process it. The aspect felt entirely foreign; divorced from reality. "No! Mender didn't do that. It doesn't matter what he is. What truly matters is who he is, and that's clear! Individuals love him, and he loves them in return. Fix this or you're going to pay, Sister," Keela spit out, startling me with the amount of anger I suddenly sensed. Who or what? Did it matter, really?

Nirru snorted, muttering, "Wow, I never thought you'd grow a backbone at any point. I don't give a shit what happens to Mender or this backwater little place. He's not loved, nor does he love in return. You can't get love from a toaster or television, which is basically the equivalent. He's a machine." It burned. Everything I had felt and cared about over the weeks. What was it? An anger built up out of nowhere, my gaze locking onto the fake mare across from me.

Keela growled back, lower this time in tone. "He's not like a television. He has emotions and wants, just like we do. His feelings are real!" I had trouble suddenly trying to decide who was right. If everything Nirru said was true, what was I really? An accident that happened to instill a personality inside of me via fluke? Or was I something else that Nirru didn't know about? I had a feeling that this Doctor Kyliona could tell me, for all the good that did.

Nirru's eyes narrowed and she glared upwards, probably at what she considered akin to her sister before adding, "You know what? I'll show you exactly what real looks like. After I shove this data through the connection, I'm going to go straight back to that rat infested hole in the ground back there. How many creatures do you think live there? A few thousand? Well a few thousand females died when 'Mender' exploded on our world, so I guess reducing that filth pit to ash would be fair exchange."

The words shot through me like a bolt of electricity, narrowing my eyes before I could even realize their true meaning. "Twilight would rip you apart before you even got a spell off," I warned in a whisper, taking the hint from her 'ash' comment. She was an evocation caster, in all likelihood.

The ironically fake Twilight paused for a moment before smiling again, looking back down at me. My vision darkened a bit, but I maintained my threatening glare as best I could. I doubted it was quite as effective with the trail of red coming from my mouth and the beat to crap and back body, though. I wish I had the strength to talk louder.

"Ha! I bet she could be a serious threat," Nirru agreed, before adding, "Of course, if I look like you, I also bet she'll hesitate just long enough for me to slice her head off. Nobody ever expects their precious television to try to kill them, after all."

Hatred. I remembered it. I tasted it as my eyes burned into her. This was my fault. I should have killed the bitch when the book had suggested it. It had been right. The book almost realized that I was agreeing with it finally, wherever it happened to be at the moment. I felt it smile, then laugh. Mentally, I laughed alongside it. For a moment, felt an opinion form from it and sync up with mine. My eye's 'screen' flickered. I saw the lower corner of it light up, and a smiling, crudely drawn cat face popped up inside. A quick glance at the display floating in front of Nirru showed me that it was absent in hers. Well, that was interesting.

The face made a winking motion at me before melting into what could only be described as a small button, labeled "Protocol 312." What was this, some sort of black box functionality? I heard Nirru and Keela bickering back and forth amidst static and echoes, but didn't really pay attention. I didn't have long left, it would seem. I closed my eye, frowning at the small button in the peace of the dark. The book silently urged me to press it. It had to be a way to make her pay. Well, what were the odds? It might make me blow up, which would solve all of the problems at once. Maybe it would just purge my memory and erase all of her precious data? Either way, it got revenge. I was hoping for the explosion option myself, of course. I smiled lightly. Twilight. Fluttershy. No, deep down, I could only trust what I knew. I knew that I couldn't let anything bad happen to anypony here. Yes, anypony. Maybe I could prove I was a pony by dying as one.

I kept my eyes closed, a light drop of water slipping down my cheeks and into the mud below. It wasn't fair. None of it was. I hated her. Hatred. She ruined everything. Even if I could see them again, I could never look them in the eyes knowing what I actually was. That settled it; there was no choice. What she just promised to try was the final straw. It was unforgivable. My upper lip twitched as my smile twisted into a sneer. I wasn't about to be the one to forgive her. I made up my mind. I was all out of forgiveness.

Mentally, I pushed the button.

---

Everything flickered. A thousand screams echoed through my mind. Each passing thought flickered to a new individual. Tentacles tore through everything, spraying blood and gore as they went. Hatred and fear were everywhere, but not alone. Sorrow, acceptance, shock, misery, hopelessness, rage... The miasma of emotions danced through my nerves like a thunderstorm. Everyone who died in that instant was screaming out in their own way, trying to be themselves in their last moments of life. They were all there. Everything they had been, from flesh to opinions to memories. I entertained the thought of it being a twisted form of purgatory.

At some point, I was distinctly aware of how it was similar, and quite different from falling asleep with the book powered up. The book presented an inescapable suction; a draw across an unknowable, infinite distance that I couldn't hope to ignore. The second my mind shifted into its resting mode, I was yanked into the book an instant later. Normally a sense of vertigo would follow with a light nausea as a side dish.

This time was different, yet familiar. There was that same pull and dropping sensation, although this felt more like I was falling into a pit I slipped into. My body shut down. I felt my breathing slow and my heart get weaker until it stopped. The dull ache was supplemented by a jolt, and I felt myself yanked inwards as if on a leash. Technically I should be dead, but I had a feeling if I were speaking of technicalities, my case was far more complicated. Everything after that felt exactly like the disembodied consciousness I had experienced before being unceremoniously crammed into the book.

My eyes opened, even though they didn't really. That same woman I saw a while back on Keela's computer was sitting in an overstuffed, green armchair in front of me. 'Me' was subjective, as I decidedly didn't consider my body, so it wasn't there. Lines of data and loose information drifted all around in the otherwise pitch black ambience. Was this inside of the computer cores inside me; some convenient graphical representation for my conscious mind? The reality around the Keldarian in front of me flickered, showing hintings of a corrupted version of some sort of basement lab, almost. It was tiny, yet organized. A warm light shined across her features from a desk lamp on the end table next to her seat. Cozy. She looked up at me, or maybe the camera she was talking to, a moment later. Her face held a far older appearance than Keela or Nirru, age lines hinting at a much longer story. Her mouth was twisted into a wry smile, regardless of her pained expression and posture. Those calculating and calm eyes still burned out from behind the modest frames of her glasses.

"I tried and," she started to speak before cutting out into static. I frowned, noticing my mental readout gave me a warning about fragmentation problems. Bits and pieces were picked up, however.

"He was a monster. I tried... ...launched anyway but... ...cut the shielding. It will fry his personality core and... ...too late. After it eats me, it will be too late..." she continued, features twisting and flickering with each fragmented glitch. There was also a sense of movement; like the ground was shaking and a booming echo sounded off with each flicker. Was this video taken during the bombardment?

It wasn't enough. I tried to fix it, but my 'mind', the voice of the book, reported that it would take too long. Pity. "You are you... ...never... ...they can't have you. Destroy..." she finished. My mental eyes widened as I saw the deep crimson stain pooling around her stomach as she held it lightly with her left hand, claws digging into the fabric of her shirt. The video died shortly thereafter. Doctor Kyliona... She was dead, wasn't she? I felt a twinge of sadness and closed my eyes again. They were all dead. All of them; dead, yet screaming in my head. They agreed. Vengeance. Destroy, huh? If it would protect Twilight, Fluttershy, my friends, and all the ponies I cared for; even if that feeling was fake, it was all I had!

With a new sense of purpose, I focused on all I knew about neurological graphic interfaces. Oddly, the one in my skull almost felt familiar as I brought up menu after menu. Emergency systems kicked on, enabling backup subroutines. Electricity jolted through me, kick starting my systems as everything powered up, energy folding in around me. Yes. Vengeance and justice. I felt pain and stiffness as my heart struggled to start beating again; lungs slowly starting to labor in an agonizing fashion. Was I dead or alive? I decided it didn't really matter at this point.

As my body started itself back up again, I searched through everything I could find to help me stop her. Artificial energy level readings started displaying, so I just started turning on anything I could find. Oddly, it sort of reminded me of having root access to a system. There were no prompts or security screens. I was the ultimate administrator, and what I commanded, happened to the utmost extent. I suppose, fundamentally, that made sense.

My mind screamed to a halt when I finally stumbled upon a folder entitled "Project 312" in my spastic search. I opened it with no acknowledged decision being made. Written statistics, project descriptions, and thousands of pictures and diagrams met my 'eyes' an instant later. Flicking through to the diagrams, I immediately brought up schematics of myself. I had started out as a sort of egg-like device. My body was entirely amorphous, capable of taking form into practically anything and holding it indefinitely. I was meant to blend in and try to survive, regardless of the situation or natural environment. For a scout, that sounded ideal, honestly.

Then my form shifted to that of a Keldarian. To be specific, the extremely talented engineer I was cloned from after his body was pieced back together. He was flagged for execution and thus, Doctor Kyliona apparently could do what she wanted with him. From the documents I discovered, she actually appeared to want him more for his mind than as punishment. She 'enlisted' his aid under admittance to his Barrier Magic skills. It appeared to have something to do with her latest experiment.

I kept searching, not having time to read everything, obviously. Damn it. There had to be specs in here I could use or something. Surely they gave me a weapon to defend myself, right? I finally found a specification document, and rapidly skimmed through it, forming a summary in my database. As disheartening as it was, I was listed to have absolutely no weaponry of any kind. I flattened my non-existent ears back and sighed, flipping back through the folder again. Momentarily, it amused me that my mental aspect was more pony than Keldarian.

After half a minute of searching, I managed to stumble upon a collection of executables as well. Perking up a little, I activated one with the descriptor of "scout package" out of sheer curiosity. Multiple screens popped up immediately, showing me a detailed readout of the area surrounding my body in a radar form, picking up data points from all five of my main senses, as well as a few built in sensor suites. That was handy. I tweaked the display a little and managed to find Nirru almost instantly through her heat signatures. I had been right about her body. It apparently was extremely similar to mine, albeit seemingly more simplistic. She had a hard set grouping of equipment and electronics inside of her, appearing to lack the 'organic' properties I possessed.

My attention was drawn away from the radar output a moment later, however, as I picked up Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's Cutie Marks pop up on the right side of the display, taking up the first and second boxes of six. My eyes widened and I pulled the display out, shocking myself when I got emotional output data and recognition analysis. Fluttershy's pulse was low and in a resting state. My program stated she was most likely asleep. Rainbow Dash's heart rate was going crazy, however. Uh oh.

Sensing my distress, the display focused on her and extended out, filling my 'screen' with her data. To surprise me yet again, audio started playing a minute later, cutting in apparently mid-sentence with, "...doing here?! Oh no. No, no, no! He was telling the truth. I knew it! Twi, we need to get back to the Library like, now!" It was spoken in a very surprised Rainbow Dash's voice. What? Was this live?!

I tried to say something, and then remembered I technically didn't have vocal cords. Damn it. Attempt two had me try to mentally 'project' the words into her mind again. Anything to warn them of what was going on. Nothing. "Incorrect Relay Format," displayed itself under the audio readout a moment later. Thanks. That's really, um, helpful and descriptive. I made a mental note to figure out who programmed that and murder them later, if possible. Or at least harshly reprimand them. My inner Fluttershy nodded cutely in agreement, managing to make me smile.

"W-What are you talking about? Did something happen?" I heard Twilight ask, sounding instantly worried. Well she'd left me alone again, so I imagine she was picturing her house burning down.

There was a sniffling noise, followed by, "Oh dear. Is Mender all right?" It sounded like Rarity, but was a little off. Had she been crying?

"No, he's not! It's really bad! AJ's probably in trouble too. Teleport us, now!" Rainbow rapidly spilled out, relaying frustratingly outdated information. I wished I could bash my metaphorical skull into the non-existent screen. Did Rainbow know Morse Code? Doubtful. How the hell was I even hearing all of this?

"Wait, what?! You're not joking, are you? What happened?" my fillyfriend questioned, sounding both shocked and disturbed at the same time. I could almost picture her face, too.

"No, I'm not! He was telling the truth the whole time. Somepony came from his world! We need to get there before she hurts somepony!" my cyan friend furthered, surprising me. She had checked out my story, even after I 'attacked' her friend. She trusted me. Further, while she sounded shocked and scared, there wasn't any sense of doubt coming from her words. She believed what she was saying!

"Oh no. I was afraid of this. He was right! Princess Celestia warned me that this might happen, but didn't say why. Ugh. Let's go, Rainbow! Hang on," Twilight requested. What?! Celestia had warned her? Didn't she say that Celestia was the one who said there was no more link in the first place?

An explosion rocked the audio a moment later, and I heard ponies screaming in the background. "W-What was that?!" Spike spoke up, apparently being there as well. The distorted ringing sound after it was all too familiar. That was the slipstream device. This wasn't live, then? What was going on?

"I, well, I want to come too!" Rarity spoke up, followed by what sounded like a table falling over.

"No! Stay here with Spike. He'll protect you if something happens, Rarity. Come on, Dash," I heard Twilight order an instant later.

It sounded like something bumped up against the microphone a moment later. "On it!" Spike declared, but everything else was cut off.

The audio died an instant later with another flashing message overtop of the display, saying, "Audio Link Disrupted Due To High Energy Interference!" Twilight teleported them. I let the link drop and sighed in frustration. I couldn't figure out how to talk to them anyway, so it hadn't done me a huge amount of good. Plus, I wasted a lot of time listening. At least I knew Twilight was warned about a potential shapeshifter attack. She'd be suspicious now. I wondered idly if she'd dealt with them before. She certainly didn't seem as surprised as I expected when she heard that part.

Peeking through the executable files again, I tried to find any that had to do with weaponry or defensive measures. If I was to survive in a potentially hostile environment, surely they'd give me something to do it with, right? There was unfortunately nothing of immediate direct interest, and I glared at the screen. A second later, I saw an upload date discrepancy in the files.

"Waste_Disposal_ " was dated uploaded five days after all the others. Well, that was weird. Wait, why did I even have a program to manage my waste disposal? Where the hell was it when I encountered Lyra the first time?! Curious now, I activated that instead.

The name changed instantly to " " instead. My smile widened as it activated. The change was instantaneous as I felt multiple things activate inside the core of my body and expand. Power flooded into my systems and woke up my tired body almost instantly. Maybe, just maybe, I had finally found what I needed. Thank you, whoever or whatever dropped this little black box into me. My eyes opened again, for real this time.

---

My vision momentarily swam before I focused the left on Nirru. She was looking moody and glaring absently at the loading screen that floated in front of me. My breathing started up again after my heart did, my muscles slowly following the lead. I felt dried out and rickety, and something was worming its way through me. It twisted inside my gut, spreading out over my skin and coiling around my insides silently. Nothing beyond the chilled numbing was added to the sensation, and I felt my stomach piecing itself back together again, organs that I suddenly discovered outside of my body being slowly pulled back in. The bitch had torn me open while unconscious? The hatred swelled, threatening to overwhelm. No Mender; patience.

"Are you even listening to me, Nirru?! You have to get him aid! Don't make me pull the plug!" I heard Keela demanded a moment after I had calmed myself down.

Her sister just snorted however, absently watching the download bar as it hovered above me. "You'd die too. You don't have the guts. Besides, he's ceased functioning; his body is only running on backup reserves it seems. Hopefully the bastard will stay alive until I can burn down his precious little town," she spit out, glaring at the bar as it moved.

"Kill her! Rip her limb from limb!" was whispered inside of my skull. I ignored it, deciding to watch her carefully from my lying position, holding my reforming body as still as possible. Tiny movements slowly pulled my organs back inside of me and sealed the holes. They were stringy and almost tendril like. Tentacles? My mind flashed back to that… thing… in the sky in those videos. Oh.

New systems that hadn't been presented before powered on. A generator grid lit up in a status display, and I tucked it away for future observation. How they fit all of this crap inside of me, I had no idea. My display showed multiple, highly compressed folded spaces inside of me, which probably answered that mystery. Then the biggest surprise came next. A weapon system display lit up next, giving me multiple dozen targeting reticles across the entirety of my vision. Moving them was beyond second nature, to my surprise. I felt myself start to think faster, moving them into position before I even realized I had acknowledged her as a threat. Wait. In an exercise of will, the targeting cursors that drifted over her various vital spots stayed a happy green color. Yes, green was good. Green meant wait.

"You're a monster! No, Mender can't be dead. He can't. They'll be coming to rescue him. Hell, I'll pull him through the connection and heal him myself if I need to," Keela shouted. I shivered lightly. Why did she care that much? Surely she realized I was a robot at this point, organic or not. I had the mind of a clone, right? But she sounded like she was crying.

Suddenly, my apparent software defenses kicked in. Nirru gave a start as her download screen went red a split second later. "What the hell? Huh?! How does the encryption protocol change halfway through a transfer?" she groaned, glaring at the screen I still projected. The impossibly strong twisting and worming sensation crawled up my throat, supporting my neck and pulling my vocal cords back into place with frightening precision. I felt heavy and thicker; my limbs were impossibly solid suddenly.

"Aww, is your data not cooperating?" I asked, my tone both my own, and something darker at the same time, bleeding over each other in a strange duality. Two tones at once? I recognized it as the book, whom I was in full agreement with at the moment. She needed to die; preferably in the most excruciatingly painful way possible.

Nirru's eyes widened a little and she looked back down at me instead of the screen as soon as I spoke. "No way. You were dead. Your heart stopped," she muttered, sounding like she didn't quite believe herself.

My body didn't feel like a dead weight anymore, I suddenly realized. The coils were under my control, and I could move myself with them, I discovered. Further, they felt impossibly strong. I felt them slowly extending down each of my legs towards the hoof, as well as curling out around where my left foreleg used to be?

"Mender?! Oh thank goodness! Just hold on. I'm going to try to help you through the link," I heard Keela chime in an instant later. No, she was irrelevant at this point. Just noise. The radius on the targeting indicators tightened and tracked each muscle shift in Nirru's body. Her hoof extended upwards slowly, activating her decryption program again.

"Whatever. It'll just take me a few more minutes to crack it again," she nonchalantly returned, eyes calming down again as she ignored both her sister and I. My smile widened as I shut her process down remotely, leaving nothing but an "Access Denied" message in its stead.

Her blink was a slow one, and her hoof hesitated before hitting the same button again. A very wise individual once said something about insanity that applied there... My right eye flickered, and her entire screen disappeared; the viewpoint in both of my eyes rapidly returning to my own. My thoughts raced, millions of voices screaming at me to tear her apart as all four main cores hummed to full capacity. This was empowering, but absolutely maddening at the same time!

"No, I really don't think I want you in my databases anymore. Although you were right about something," I agreed softly, the lower voice barely there. The worming sensation stretched across my back, a heightened sense of awareness extending across each muscle as I felt the eight twitching points of contact. Further, it extended out all four hooves, including the newly formed one on my also newly created leg. The tips extended into wicked scythe-like claws; three forward and one backwards from each hoof. I was mildly surprised at the revelation, my internal sensors taking rapid measurements of each of them. Well, Twilight's claw marking mystery was solved then, even if she would never know.

The fake Twilight swallowed before shifting her right forehoof metallic again, extending four large prongs from it. My newly discovered scanning and analysis software told me it was a brute force software cracker. Heh. "And what, pray tell, is that?" she asked in self-assurance before extending the hoof casually down towards my chest. A rush went through me as my heart beat powerfully once more. An intense thrill that sung along with the cacophony of madness in my head; a moment later I realized it was bloodlust. I liked it.

The light shining over her from my eye displays shifted crimson instead of pale blue. One of the targeting reticles flickered red with a stray thought. The upper right point on my back lashed out faster than the eyes could track, metal blades making a sharp whistling noise through the air. Her entire right foreleg hit the tree to my left, hacking module shattering against the bark. Her eyes widened into a stunned look.

"Nobody ever expects the television to try to kill them," I half quoted, mouth twisting into a vicious smirk. All of the targeting circles turned red.

The moonlight pierced through the branches of the tree I found myself in. The soft, silvery blue light accentuated the deadly silence of the forest around me. Lower yet, the light died out almost completely at the forest floor. The cool breeze drifted through my fur, causing me to shiver as my nerves flared with each movement. A heightened sense of awareness was accompanied by a feral, rushed thinking. My pupils contracted, warding out the light from above and focusing on the prey I yet tracked. I couldn't keep my eyes focused as I excitedly darted them back and forth, taking in all movement. I could smell her on the breeze, a light string of saliva drifting out from the rows of razor-like teeth in my mouth at the sensation.

Her breathing was irregular as she crouched beneath the overhang of a rocky outcropping. The stream that undoubtedly carved it eons ago was still flowing at her feet as she struggled to regrow the basic structure of her foreleg, if not for mere balance concerns. I shifted, a movement barely concerning my conscious effort as I slithered between three sets of trees, extending myself out and closer to her. My harsh claws scraped gently along the bark of the tree I landed in, silently watching from above. Holding onto the tree was easy when I had extra limbs!

Eight extra appendages extended from my back, although the term must be used loosely. Each was almost twelve meters long at this point, flexing and twitching of their own accord like starving snakes as I watched her. They were repulsive things, I noted. The majority of their surface area had taken on the same texture as my flesh. Coiled, lumpy, lightly oiled, and gunmetal black. Dark red sores and ruptures covered them, occasionally squirting out a blast of pus as they shifted and flexed. The smells were hellish, and that was being generous. They were organic, yet I also saw corded metal and energy running down them. These were, without a doubt, exactly what a biological weapon would look like.

Yet for all of their speed, flexibility, and striking power, there was something far more frightening about these tentacles. I watched a visual distortion drift lengthwise along a portion closed to my head; my sensors were unable to pick up the effect itself regardless of me knowing exactly what it was. A byproduct of the Slipstream technology was a 'folding' of spatial connectivity. That protected living organisms from the many complications of faster than light travel, of course. It had a few other applications, however. Out of the distortion came a partially liquid but rapidly solidifying blade, jagged in shape as it took form rapidly. They could pop out of me anywhere, just like the tentacles themselves, it would seem.

Without a doubt, I was a monster. I was close enough to hear her blood rushing through her veins. At least, whatever passed for blood in that artificial body. I knew my body couldn't process it, but at the same time, I realized these things extending out of me could. Oh, and how they hungered too. Their wanton starved desires made me salivate as I slipped down the tree. A tentacle extended above me, rearing back like a snake as a spear-like head extended out of the maw on the tip. No sound. No warning. I wasn't about to delusion myself with giving her a sporting chance. No, I just lashed out when it was ready.

Her eyes widened at the last possible second and she dove sideways, just barely missing the blade driving itself through her eye. I landed an instant later, propelled out of the tree at unnatural speeds by three additional tentacles. My right forehoof drew blood using the claws extending from it as she rolled out of the way, fresh series of wounds sliced into her cheek. She let out a blast of flames from her right forehoof as she flipped up to her feet, sending out three fireballs that blew away the base of the tree I was at prior, sending the entire thing crashing down to the earth. On second thought, it was no surprise it was dead quiet. If I was small, furry, and classified as a woodland creature, I would be running the hell away from here as fast as possible. I entertained the idea of classifying my prior self as exactly that as I landed silently in a tree some sixty meters away, cloaked once again in darkness.

"Stop hiding, you chicken shit! Face me!" she screamed into the darkness, rapidly spinning in a sharp circle as she tried to find me in the dense forest. I resisted laughing, thankfully. Even had I been compelled by some strange form of honor or ego to do just that, this was far too much fun! Her heart rate skyrocketed as she listened to the silence for another second before shifting closer to the trees. Duking it out at point blank range was sporting and the gentlecolt thing to do. Did she forget already that I was a monster? Besides, I wanted her to taste the fear she'd forced down my throat earlier, preferably mixed with blood as I tore hers out. I wanted her to pay for the hell she just made Applejack watch. Even Twilight's floor and balcony deserved a few stabs of revenge! Oh yeah; she also killed me. My claws tightened at the thought as I flickered effortlessly closer.

Personally, I could keep this up all night. She didn't look nearly as fortunate, however. Her strangely realistic looking blood dripped from dozens of wounds dotting her body. Honestly, I was surprised she managed to get the foreleg restored so fast. She was panting heavily and rested against a large tree, peeking around it rapidly before also looking up into it. Ah, she had caught on. Pity it was absurdly dark, and I was an equally dark shade of gray.

After her body moved faster than I thought possible while avoiding my first barrage of tentacle attacks, I had been playing hit and run with her. My mind and newfound rage told me to lunge and not stop attacking until she was shredded mulch, but I managed to keep the bloodlust in check for the most part. Wearing her down and learning what she was capable of seemed more productive.

I slipped into the branches of the tree next to hers, tentacles shooting down vertically along the trunk and lashing out from the base. Predictably, she saw them coming out of the darkness and lashed out with a slash of her hoof, releasing a surprisingly crescent shaped wave of flames. I was already out of the tree, however, flipping sideways with actually calculated precision. Two tentacles got singed before I moved them back up and away. Her eyes winced down the moment the trunk exploded from her attack, the light difference briefly stunning her. There! I noticed that her own attacks would blind her with the light they released.

I landed behind her on all four legs, digging into the dirt before lunging as fast as I could manage. There was no time to raise a claw up, so instead, I improvised. With a feral cry, the top of my head rammed into her lower back as hard as I could manage. She let out a scream as I felt something snap against my forehead, both of us spilling over and smashing into the burning tree debris. She lashed out with a kick I didn't even feel upon landing, but it did serve to wedge it into my chest, preventing me from landing on top of her. She charged a blast of flames in her hoof, but two of my tentacles whipped down and smashed blades into both of her forelegs. She gritted her teeth, barely blocking my downward claw attack with her other back leg. With both back legs up now, she managed to shove hers out from under me, sparks flying from her shoulders as the blades scraped along them. Damn, her skin was tough!

Sliding, she used both forelegs to launch another close range fire crescent. On instinct, my tongue lashed out from my mouth, extending two meters in front of me while covered in barriers. Nirru's eyes widened in surprise as I smashed it along the path of the slash she made, knocking the attack off into the forest. My tongue pulled back just as four tentacles lashed out instead, the remaining four balancing me again and raising me off the ground.

Just like the first time, her body accelerated, launching her a good five meters backwards before she raised her head up fully again, landing on all four legs. Her horn lit up this time, launching a barrage of fireballs. Shit! I let her get too much distance on me. Thankfully that primal monster that directed my instincts reacted far quicker.

The four limbs supporting me shifted, flinging me to the right and far clear of the incoming attack. My mind replayed the video of her movement as I landed quietly behind a tree, the entire left side of my body lighting up from series of explosions I'd avoided. It was fast, but definitely there. Her hooves had flared up for a split second, and she used them like some sort of primitive rocket to propel herself away from me, getting more distance to attack with.

Leaping away from the tree again, I lunged along the clearing she landed in, using the cover of the trees to block her series of straight shot blasts. She was limited at close range and seemed to have an affinity for fire based attacks, then.

"Activate the full tentacles. They'll eat her alive," I heard whispered in my inner ear in the voice of the book. No! I hadn't dropped their shielding when they activated, and I wasn't about to now. They'd consume everything, not just her! I paused an instant later, realizing what I just said...

It was almost disastrous. A fire streak shot in, burning runes dancing around it. There were layers to the shot. The first was just a container. The second fueled the shell like a rocket. The third tore through a layer of shields before exploding. I recognized the setup, it would seem. She was skilled to rapid fire these things. There was just one problem with the technique; the outer layer was a barrier.

With a bit of finesse, my tongue found the blast instead. It deftly curled around the thin barrier, strengthening it before crushing inwards. The blast became a marble sized orb of heat before I swallowed it and pulled out the energy inside of me, adding to my reserves. Nirru looked disgusted as I dove down and sprinted at her.

"Monster!" she exclaimed, drawing forth another burning crescent wave at me. That was ironic, coming from her. I leapt over the wave of flames and landed within six meters of her. Do it! I lunged again while releasing a feral roar of rage, rather than lash out with my tentacles. She leapt backwards again and I watched the runes light up on her hooves. Right into my trap!

Smiling, I whipped my upper left tentacle at her an instant later. She smirked back as it missed, passing right in front of her. That's when the shield around it disappeared, if only for half a second. The air itself was sucked into the void that my tentacle's tip became. Her eyes widened as the flames along her forelegs sputtered, being closest to the tentacles as it whipped past. The back legs burst out fire a moment later, unfortunately for her.

I've never seen somepony plant their face into the ground in such a spectacular manner before. Her horn snapped off as she ran her head into the ground at high velocity before her back legs flipped out the other direction. Oh. Oh crap. I hadn't thought this through very well! My eyes widened as well as her direction suddenly reversed, sending her grinding along the ground on her face directly for me. At the last second, I managed to jump using my tentacles as a spring. Her body clipped my back legs still and ended up flipping me forwards regardless. Disoriented, I managed to spin in midair and land on all four legs again, rotating once before sliding to a stop. Thankfully my CPU cores kicked in and rapidly re-oriented me a moment later.

Nirru flipped over and landed on her back, blood coming from a large gash along her forehead. Her horn had apparently shattered, leaving just the stump of it attached to her forehead. She let out a primal scream of pain and clutched both sides of her head after landing, shaking there while lying on the ground. Whoa! I forgot she had an empathy link with that body. Now that I looked closer, that probably hurt like a bitch. Regardless, my eyes narrowed and I raised all eight tentacles up into the air, popping blades out of every one of them. No, letting her recover wasn't on my agenda.

All eight descended at once with the full intent of unceremoniously grinding her to a thick paste in an instant. She whipped her foreleg backwards at the same time however, instinctively lashing out. I could barely track the flash of light and searing arc before it smashed into my chest in a tight spiral. A light explosion knocked me flying backwards, causing my tentacles to miss entirely, smashing into the ground instead. I spread them out and drug them along the forest floor, anchoring my slide and slowing myself to a crawl until I could fully steady myself. Systems scanned and noticed light dermal damage to my chest and forelegs from the detonation, with primary and secondary armor systems unharmed. Ah; that attack was for speed and distance creation.

Glaring, I rose my vision back up to meet hers as she stood, shaking visibly and bleeding heavily. "That's it! I don't care anymore. You're dead! You and this entire forest are going to burn, and I'll pick the DNA out of the ashes!" she screamed, flames starting to dance up around her as she practically trembled in rage. My eyes narrowed as the sensors in them picked up the temperature increases focusing into her hands rapidly. That amount of energy wasn't good! My first instinct was to dash away again and resume the hit and run tactics, but I realized that wasn't possible. If she got too destructive, the collateral damage to the forest would be phenomenal.

My body shifted forwards, flicking itself into a vault in an instant instead. She screamed in fury this time as she whipped both forelegs forwards, standing up completely on her back hooves! A radiating orb of white and orange flames expanded instantly from her held out limbs, blanketing the entire burning clearing in a bright, white light. Damn it! I started to recognize the magic and didn't like where it was going. I'm pretty sure I'd only seen that particular attack performed once, but I remembered what it did well enough! She wanted to end this in one shot, and I wasn't entirely sure I'd persist through that.

Processing power spiked as calculations ran through my mind. Time slowed again as a burst of adrenalin combined with the heightened mental capacity and slowed things to a crawl. All eight of my extra limbs spread out as far as they could, four to each side as I lashed them out forwards. There was only one option if I didn't want her to reduce everything in a ridiculously large cone in front of her to ash, and it wasn't going to be pleasant either way. My eyes widened as a true memory drifted into me from the individual I was created from...

---

The old geezer walked in front of our group, pace slow yet strutting. He was probably well over a hundred and forty, but the crazy bastard was still teaching. Jokes amidst the barracks said he'd invent a spell to reanimate himself after he croaked just to keep his position as head instructor. At this point, I wasn't so sure that it was a joke!

He turned sharply, crossing both lightly furred arms over his chest. Patches were missing here and there, but he obviously took good care of himself despite his advancing age. "So recap! Restoration, Alteration, Transmutation, Enchantment, Conjuration, Illusion, Divination, and Evocation! Those are the eight primary schools of magic. Everyone here should have their tactics and summaries memorized, regardless of your actual profession! Knowing your enemy is the first step towards defeating them," he reiterated. I'd studied hard regardless, and knew the techniques of all of them by heart. Each was broken up into categories, but that much was irrelevant. I specialized in Alteration and Transmutation of course, being an Engineer. More specifically, I held a special fondness for Barrier Magic, which was a subset of Alteration. But that was for a different reason entirely. Heh. Regardless, I was a support type. While I knew of the techniques of the other categories, I couldn't actually cast any.

My elongated ears perked as I listened, knowing where this was going anyway. I'd used Prudentia to take a 'peek' at his lesson plan last night, as usual. "Today, we cover basic balances between the categories! Right off the bat, we'll discuss the most likely cause of most of your death's in the future; evocation! It's classified as the manipulation of energy at a molecular level in order to transform it into a different effect in order to provoke a reaction. Fancy talk aside, it's used to blow shit up! If any of you survive your evocation training later this week, you'll know what I mean," he continued, glaring at each of us in turn before moving on. Evocation didn't frighten me. As a barrier user, the only classes of magic that I really had to worry about were divination and restoration. One was annoying to the point of mind numbing frustration, and the other was single handedly the most lethal class of magic in existence. Always stay on a healer's good side! Reversing the healing spells was not something pretty to see.

"Those of you in Alteration or Transmutation specializations are probably laughing now, but you need to listen up! A good amount of caution never hurt anyone, and I'm gonna show you why. The upper most tiers of Evocation mess around with things you'd better damn well hope you never see comin' at you! This, for example," he warned. Wait, he wasn't seriously crazy enough to activate an Evocation inside of the gymnasium, was he?!

Sure enough, flames exploded around him as he gathered up a massive orb of heat and energy directly in front of him, his fur lightly blowing as it gathered into the size of a beach ball, radiating orange and white light! What the hell was that?!

"This, ya soggy hairballs, is called Gigaflare. An unoriginal name for a rather simple process. That's what's sick about it, really. It's too simple, in theory. Imagine making a magical rune array to produce energy. Then, you smash that energy together to cause a reaction to make even more energy. Using that extra energy, you then do it again! Pretty sweet deal, right?" he offered, gesturing with a nod towards the orb.

The class nodded, mostly. I frowned. Exponential energy increases were fine and all, but the heat coming from what he was holding indicated something else entirely.

"This is exactly what the 'medium' end magic in Evocation deals with. Turns out, most of their higher end stuff comes from apprentices like you screwing up and leveling a few city blocks by total accident. So, long story short, guess what happens when you get the hiccups and drop the energy tethers to this orb halfway through charging it?" he asked, looking amused. Hiccups? Seriously? Well, if you dropped the tethers, you'd lose control over the spell. The failsafe would kick in and disrupt it and, wait, unless the student forgot to apply the failsafe. Then the reaction would spiral out of control and...

"Ah! I can see the look of horror on your face! You, up front! Got a guess?" the professor asked, gesturing towards me with a grin.

I swallowed nervously and reasoned, "Well if they forgot the failsafe, the energy reaction would spiral out of control and explode in an exponentially larger detonation than what they put into it."

The professor's grin widened and he nodded enthusiastically. "Bingo! Of course, the time it was discovered didn't go so well. Lost the entire class of two o' seven and our fifty sixth gymnasium, but we learned quite a bit! With a little bit of an adjustment, it turns out you can 'kick' the energy in a single direction. It makes for a nifty attack!" he explained. Oh hell. He wasn't seriously going to...?!

He promptly turned around and aimed the ball into the corner of the gymnasium before releasing a pulse outwards from his hands. The energy in the blast magnified and slammed outwards. That little bump he gave it was all it needed once the fragile balance was lost! It exploded outwards from him, radius expanding to seven or eight times his body length in a pure oval shape of radiating flames. An actual corona formed around it of superheated energy before exploding into a cone-like wave of white and orange light and heat. The side of the gymnasium disappeared into a blackened shadow before blowing away to ash an instant later as what looked like the maw of hell itself smashing through it. The cone extended far past the gymnasium, and I saw one of the orbiting survey blimps explode in the distance. Those were over the fields of ore fourteen kilometers away, though!

"What the hell are you doing down there?!" was suddenly screamed over the professor's belt communicator. He lowered his still smoking hands and just burst into copious amounts of laughter as he watched half the corner collapse upon itself.

Yup; he was crazy.

---

My extra limbs smashed around the rapidly elongating oval of burning death as I leapt directly into it. There was no way to stop the reaction, as she already released it. That left only one possible solution and it wasn't going to be pretty. The professor said trying to block or absorb that kind of attack was foolish and pointless. The only defenses were to either not be there when the attack hit, or to redirect it as best you could. Dodging looked pretty good about now, but if I did, half the forest would probably be burnt to ash. I didn't know which direction Ponyville was in, either. That left only one choice...

Barriers activated along all eight of my tentacles, expanding outwards as I slammed to a halt right in front of the energy buildup. Well, if this didn't work, I was almost assured a rather fast death. With that optimistic outlook cemented in my mind, I activated all eight barriers. Slowly, they started to expand outwards, forming an entire cage around the buildup of flames. Nirru made a scoffing noise and the orb flared with light just as my tentacles connected together behind her, sealing both of us inside with the blast.

"Seriously? You prioritize those rats in this world above yourself? Wow, you're stupid!" she screamed a moment later. My eyes narrowed. Yeah, I probably was an idiot. But this was all I knew. Even if they didn't want me, they were all I had.

The book itself seemed to dislike the thought too. I felt it; so close yet so far. Shifting, I felt that connection jingle and to my surprise, Keela's signal came alive again. I hadn't heard from her since Nirru and I had started fighting, and just assumed she was being blocked.

After a light burst of static, she finally spoke up in a whisper with, "I'm sorry. I can't stop her. This wasn't what I wanted. I couldn't… But I can do this." My eyes widened. She sat in a chair with wires connected to her temples. A faint smile danced across her features as her hand reached out to the right, struggling and shaking as she moved it. I saw a twisted and torn leather strap on the chair and a thick, dark liquid ran down the armrest. Keela! Her hand finally landed on the counter next to her, dripping more of her blood down along the metal. The book! Her claws brushed against the cover before she latched onto it and, in one fluid motion, hauled it against her chest and hugged it to herself. The energy flared into me through her link an instant later, and it all suddenly made sense.

Smirking, I drew upon the energy and my barriers exploded, expanding out exponentially and covering the entirety of her blast in a massive cylinder shape. Stopping the blast would be foolish. Giving it a top and bottom direction to leak out of however would be far easier.

"What the hell?! You're not this powerful!" Nirru exclaimed, trying to break the reaction down instead before it went off. Ha! She had just expected it to punch through my shield with no problem at all, I realized. Her frantic clawing made it far worse. Instead of deactivating the massive chain reaction, she launched it straight downwards instead. Well, this was going to be fun...

The explosion radiated outwards in an instant, shattering my entire world into bright white light. Nirru's scream sounded an instant later as the ground around my hooves gave away.

---

Coughing, I managed to crawl out of the crater. My skin tingled with an irritating amount of heat. Opening my eyes, I winced and gasped as I saw that I was literally glowing red, steam from the air temperature difference wafting amply off me as I drug myself back onto level terrain. The grass was missing. Actually, it appeared to be missing in most of the clearing. The ambient heat radiation from the explosion alone was enough to set fire to the vegetation around the center of the area for a good six meters. The newly formed crater itself fared far worse with the center of it literally crystallizing various minerals in the soil under the heat. If the shield hadn't been there, that probably would have done unspeakable levels of damage to the forest!

A weary glance up showed a rather large cloud of smoke and sparks wafting into the air. I could only imagine what the column of flames had looked like a second ago. Well, if anypony was looking for us, they wouldn't have to look very hard! That display could probably easily be seen from Ponyville. Damn. Given the state of my ringing ears as well, I guessed nopony was asleep in Ponyville either, at this point. That explosion had been deafening!

Nirru coughed weakly, crawling out of the crater on the other side. Her left foreleg, ironically, was gone, leaving only a burnt stump. Her back legs didn't look much better, but were rapidly reforming as she shakily tried to stand up. Her fur was gone along with a lot of her mane and tail, embers drifting off her skin as she stood. I sighed. Nothing could be easy, could it? Snapping my back right leg around to the proper angle, I pulled the cords together again and formed it solidly to my body, calmly noting the broken leg. After I steadied myself, I extended out all eight tentacles from my back once more. They were shells of their former selves, but rapidly lashed out with hundreds of miniature versions of themselves. I smiled as they sought out and 'ate' the remains of the old tentacles, rapidly reforming as well as I turned. No. I didn't have any forgiveness left. Oddly, what she just tried to do didn't really lower my opinion of her any further. Maybe she'd fallen as low as she could? I didn't have time to debate my opinion however, and just extended blades out of my extra limbs as I went.

"Damn it. You're a monster," Nirru muttered after coughing again. She slowly started to back away, hobbling with each shift that should have went to the limb that no longer existed. I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't regenerating anymore.

I shook my head as I rounded the crater, tentacles extending to either side of me and forming seamless if not distorted scythe blades. Finally, I spoke. "Of course I'm a monster. You killed me and turned me into this. What does that make you, I wonder?" I questioned, expression emotionless as I rapidly approached striking range. On three limbs and looking like she had been put through a blender and then an oven, she was far too slow to outpace me. I didn't really care about her answer of course. I was going to rip her apart no matter what she said.

"No! I'm just trying to save my race! You're trying to kill us. You're just like the council members! You want the Keldarians to die," she denied, narrowing her eyes at me as she realized she couldn't get away. She flicked backwards instead, shakily balancing herself on her hind legs as best the awkward spinal structure would allow for. Her remaining right foreleg extended up again and caught fire, forming another fire blast. I just kept walking. The book was connected to me now. I was done screwing around.

"The amusing thing was, if you'd just talked to me like your sister wanted, I probably would have just given you the data," I pointed out. Minus the information on the bioweapon of course. Although maybe that's why she didn't?

"Bullshit!" she spat out before justifying with, "You males are all the same. You do whatever you want at any given time, screw everyone else that happens to be hurt by it! If we need anything from you, it has to be taken by force or you won't even acknowledge us!" For a moment, I almost felt sorry for her. Her fire blast launched off an instant later, reminding me of why that was foolish. It was bigger than the one that hit me in the chest, but slightly slower. My forward most left tentacle swatted it away and into the ground at few meters to my left with an Aegis Barrier, not even slowing me down. Anger built back up in me rapidly, eyes narrowing and focusing solidly on only her once more. My extra limbs began to twitch in anticipation of tasting her flesh again.

I shook my head slowly. "I don't know what happened to you to make you think that, but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not a Keldarian or a Pony. I'm a monster, just like you said. And now, I'm going to tear you apart for what you did," I quietly spoke, eyes softening as I stepped within range.

She screamed in rage again, firing almost half a dozen more times. In an instant, my processors gave me the calculation and a target lit up each shot. She was tired now, and badly injured. None of the fireballs had much force behind them. I divided it up; a limb for each blast. Five shots were knocked away from me in the same moment. Three remaining tentacles lashed out at the same time. She let out a startled yelp as one swept low, knocking her unsteady legs out from under her, and the remaining two smashed her into the ground as hard as they could, blades now reinforced with Aegis Barriers. She screamed in pain as the elongated scythe blades pinned her physically to the ground via her right shoulder and inner left thigh.

There was no hesitation and my body moved faster than I thought I could. With my other limbs recovered from their defensive maneuver, I whipped them backwards to throw me towards her and pounced the remaining five meters in an instant, landing on top of her prone form. She screamed, sounding absolutely pissed as she whipped her right foreleg up towards my head as fast as she could despite the flesh tearing around the blade in the same shoulder. I anticipated it a mile off this time, it being her only remaining defense. My left foreleg was already moving as I landed on her. I knocked her hoof aside, causing her flame whip technique to fail and burn out. She screamed again, in pain this time as the magic exploded, taking her hoof with it in a blast of light. My left claws smashed her limb into the ground and I systematically destroyed both the elbow and shoulder joint and instant later, rendering it immovable. My chest grew cold as she writhed under me, silently screaming after her lungs ran out of breath. No. I was all out of forgiveness. Nothing could undo what she did today. Still, the realism put into her body was strange indeed. Maybe it was specifically to try to seem as real as possible to trick me earlier? I thought she'd shift to a solid body, being as amorphous as she was. I tried to focus on the technical details as best I could, staving off the urge to tear into her more. It felt so good to cause her pain, and the bloodlust was delicious. To have this much control when I had none before was, well, addicting to say the least. I actually could feel her matter being pulled into me as I rendered her, my body itself feeding on hers before she even died.

"M-Monster!" she spit out at me a moment later, glaring up in seething hatred. Even like this, she wasn't afraid. It was almost addicting as her screams! The urge to literally consume her reared its ugly head again. I wanted to keep lashing out until she stopped moving; the taste of her pain lingering long afterwards. She'd feel every last second of the agony until I was sure she deeply regretted coming here.

I felt something twitch inside of me, and that cold feeling in my chest crushed inwards, twisting my expression into a glare. The revelation hit me with both shock and cold acknowledgement. I hated her. "Yes, I'm a monster! It takes one to destroy one! You ruined everything," I growled out, slamming her hard into the ground beneath her. I felt her collarbone snap under the pressure of my right hoof, but hardly cared. Instead, my claws dug in, drawing blood. It was surreal. I couldn't even see her as Twilight anymore. That was probably a good thing, though. Now she was just Nirru to me. A monster, just like I was. We were both monsters, out in the middle of the forest at night while dead set on murdering each other. It was oddly simple.

She spat blood up into my face mid-glare. The liquid sizzled instantly and baked onto my cheek. I didn't really pay attention. "You're fake. You're a mistake and never could have had anything here. Maybe they all sensed that on some level and never really trusted you in the first place?" she suggested, tone venomous. A lump formed in my throat, and some part of me wondered if she was right in that regard, at least. It didn't matter now.

"You have no right to judge me. You killed me, and now I'm going to kill you, even if to only protect everypony. Even if they don't trust me," I whispered softly, swallowing the lump painfully.

Her head fell back against the ground and she closed her eyes. "Do what you want. You win. Tear this body apart if it makes you feel better. I have what I wanted for the most part anyway," she finally accepted. Oh.

Her fearlessness all clicked together instantly. She was just a connection to here, and had already uploaded a lot of data to that connection. All she had to do was 'log out' and pull the data with her. Why would she care about what happened after that? Unless...

I smiled, sharp teeth glittering in the heat-distorted moonlight. Her eyes widened and she let out a pitiful mewling noise as I slammed my left hoof, claws and all, directly into her stomach. It punched through all the way to her center in an instant. She gasped and whined in airless agony, and I felt it. She slammed on the release, undoubtedly guessing what I was doing. Too late. My smile twisted into a sneer as I sent the electrical pulse directly into her spine, halting her 'logging out' attempt. Her eyes widened in an instant as she gaped up at me. The reaction was immediate; that cold exterior melted into panic and fear. Lowering myself down to her, I asked softly, "I wonder what happens to your mind if you're torn apart before you can log out? Wouldn't it be a bitch if everything you did tonight actually had consequences for you?"

Her eyes widened further and I realized my guess was dead on. They shivered and she slowly started shaking her head with what little strength she had left. "No. Please, no," she asked quietly, tone changing completely as what was left of her back legs tried in vain to push her away from me. Using my back claws, I destroyed her leg muscles a moment later, causing her to wince and silently scream in pain again. The reaction was dulled, however. She was probably going into shock.

"M-Mender! What are you doing? Please, stop this. She'll be punished when she gets out of the machine. Please, she's my sister," Keela suddenly interrupted, apparently figuring out rather rapidly what I had done.

I snorted, suddenly realizing she was exactly the same as the creature under me in that reasoning. Had she expected her sister to just waltz out of Equestria with all the data after what she did? The book was right. I should have murdered both of them and just taken it back with me when I first went there. "Yes, her getting a slap on the wrist after getting free with the data she wanted really helps me. It totally takes back her murdering me after torturing me in front of my friends and turning them against me," I muttered in response before glaring back down at the fake Twilight below me.

My eyes were close enough to hers now that I could see the new, radiating blue color reflected as she gasped. They were kind of pretty; reminding me of my old coat color. Why couldn't everything have stayed how it was before? I slammed her back into the ground again, shaking now. She let out a pained yelp as I slammed her head into the rock below with another angry thrashing motion. Again and again I hit her, denting and breaking her fake body with each onslaught. She gave up fighting and simply cried there as I slowly destroyed her. Her heartbeat slowed in her chest as more and more blood spilled out of her. Soon...

"This is all your fault. You killed me and destroyed everything! I don't care what I am. Maybe I could have been happy here, but now you took all of that for your own selfish reasons!" I growled, eyes narrowing as I actually felt them start to get wet. I hated her! I wanted her to suffer and die just like I had. She ruined my chance at having anything here and turned them all against me! Not that it had taken much, the book reminded. True. Then she killed me after taking everything!

"I-I'm sorry. Please, Mender," she begged weakly, her own eyes starting to water too. They were dim and unfocused at this point, the blood slipping the left one. Sorry? She was sorry?!

I smashed her legs again, removing the right one completely. "Oh yeah, that just makes everything better now doesn't it?! You murdered me! I'm a monster, remember? Mender died. You killed him! Do you honestly expect a 'monster' to forgive you?!" I screamed now, adding her left shoulder to the list of destroyed parts with another blow. To my surprise, she actually started crying even harder, her body locking up. My emotions tangled up and rage seeped through everything. She didn't have a right to beg for her life! She didn't let me beg for mine. She just took it! My right foreleg twisted upwards, pulling free from her body and raising into the air. I was done with this bullshit.

"Mender! Please stop!" Keela begged in a shout over the connection. My hoof paused in midair, scythe-shaped claws twitching as I glared down at the crying, broken image of Twilight Sparkle. There was no recognition there. I fully knew it wasn't Twilight. I hated Nirru. Keela probably helped her, too! "Please. I'm deleting the data now. Just let her log out? She might be a complete monster, but she's my sister as well. Please?" Keela begged, softer this time. My foreleg froze. Why was she bothering to delete the data? She'd have that even if I killed Nirru. Why waste everything her sister did tonight?

My eyes softened as my raised claws curled up gently. Keela had tried to help throughout all of this, honestly. I really don't think this was her intent at all, like she said. To think otherwise seemed a bit irrational, I noticed. The cloudy haze shifted a little and I became distinctly aware of the book's anger as it separated from my own. Urges to tear her apart became clear in my mind, and I shuddered. They weren't entirely mine, I realized. I'd wanted her to die for what she did to me, but this was... I lowered my hoof a little, emotions smashing together inside my chest. I hated her, but if I killed her like this, I'd hurt Keela as well. Suddenly, I was confused.

There was a light, almost imperceptible growling noise followed by a hissed out, "No! Kill her now!" The book's hatred was all around me; there was a haze to my thoughts and vision as I stared down at Nirru under me, emotionless. With her wounds and my claws in her gut, I knew she'd die shortly anyway. Did Keela really deserve this, though? No, she didn't. I doubted she saw what her sister really was, but she had already made her decision. My lips curled up into a grimace as I glared down at the broken body below me. Nothing was ever fair it seemed. Why couldn't I just be happy? Why did something always have to try to take that from me?

"HALT CREATURE! CEASE YOUR AGGRESSIONS!" suddenly exploded from in front of me in a voice about six decibels higher than the prior explosion, I estimated. Both Nirru and I let out a startled jump from the blast that caused my 'fur' to blow backwards. What the hell?! Wait; that voice...

Both of us glanced up at the same time. Princess Luna herself stood a half dozen meters from me, wings spread out in an extremely threatening manner with a look of fury on her face. Oh. Oh hell. Well this complicated things a little! Almost a dozen ponies stood near her, all wearing a dark purple armor and wielding various sharp and pointy instruments in their teeth.

"H-Help me!" Nirru groaned out, starting to cry again as she looked back at the Moon Princess. She had shifted back to Twilight's voice in an instant, I noticed. A light sigh escaped my throat as I extended my claws again on my raised hoof. Not this again... Well, she'd obviously try anything to live through the situation. That much I kind of respected in her.

"T-Twilight Sparkle?! Let her go and once, creature! You shall face our wrath otherwise!" Princess Luna warned, eyes narrowing from her brief look of shock at seeing the bloodied body of 'Twilight' under me. As much as I really didn't want to face any wrath she could bring forth, I didn't particularly feel like letting Nirru go. Princess Luna's negotiating skills left something to be desired. Still, I had no doubt that the Princess of the Moon herself could very easily survive anything Nirru could attack her with, but I was more concerned about the far less imposing guards gathered around her. My head cleared now that I separated myself from the still pissed off book, and I focused as best I could.

What were the choices, really? I couldn't let her go and risk untold amounts of complications. If I killed her outright right now it would cause Keela immense grief and instantly earn the wrath of one of the most powerful beings I'd ever known, undoubtedly leading to my destruction. That wasn't...

It clicked and my eyes softened. Wasn't that ideal? What honestly did I have left, after all? I wasn't a Keldarian or a Pony. I didn't belong to either world, really. In truth, I was a biological weapon pretending to be the pony-morphed clone of a Keldarian soldier that had been dead for a while. A joke, really. I lowered my eyes away from Princess Luna, looking down at my bloodied limb imbedded into Nirru's stomach. If I was a joke though, it wasn't that funny. At least, I wasn't laughing. Knowing what I was; knowing what I'd done and how many innocent lives died directly due to me, there was no way I could bring myself to look any of them in the eyes again. So what was left?

I had wanted it all along. I'd even achieved it once already. I've always wanted to protect these ponies. But what if I was the danger to them? It seemed like my vary nature all along was nothing but a threat to Equestria. Wasn't the solution obvious then? It was right here, presenting itself to me. I could eliminate every threat to Equestria at the same time, and still make Keela happy. All with one motion. Given my luck, I didn't dare ask for more. Maybe a bit of fortune smiled on me after all in a perverse sort of way.

My data readout showed Keela had kept to her word and deleted all of Nirru's connected memory banks. I closed my eyes and raised my hoof back up to full extension, claws glistening in the moonlight. Nirru's eyes widened as I opened mine again and stared down at her. For a moment, we locked our gazes into each other. I almost saw something clashing in her eyes. There was sorrow there; a pain I recognized yet could do nothing for. Her eyes softened as well as she stared into mine. Did she recognize something there? Maybe, if things had been different, we could have been friends. Maybe we had in a different time.

"DON"T YOU DARE, OR WE WILL DESTROY YOU!" the Princess screamed out once again, a pointless and ignored reminder. Heard it the first time. Maybe, after this played out, she'd realize maybe a more subtle tract would get better results in future negotiations?

Finally, I swallowed painfully and shook my head. "I'm sorry Keela. I don't think I can talk to you anymore. Thank you for everything," I quietly spoke, knowing she could hear me. Nirru heard as well and quietly gasped, eyes widening as they grew watery again. I released. Her signal became unblocked again in an instant, earning another widening of her eyes. She hesitated, obviously not even fathoming that I'd let her go.

My claws flexed. The realization sparked through her. A heartbeat later, she was gone. The fake corpse of Twilight Sparkle was all that remained under me, eyes glazing over. The image burned into my mind in an instant and I almost threw up then and there. Deciding it needed to be banished as fast as possible, I exhaled before whipping my clawed hoof down as hard as I could.

Her skull was no match for my new strength and I crushed it. It felt like an icicle had imbedded itself in my chest at the same moment; a part of me died with my very blow, I think. Tendrils ripped free of my hoof a second later, starting to consume her body's mass. Scanning activated and memories flashed to and fro in my mind as my twisted body pieced the information back together again that was inside of her. There probably wouldn't be much left, but I let it do whatever the hell it wanted.

A glance upwards half a second later showed me an utterly horrified Princess Luna. The shock twisted into a look of absolute rage a moment later and she let out a scream. I swallowed painfully as her horn flared up and, faster than I could track, a black crescent wave of energy tore through the air. The ground under it ruptured and cracked as it passed. One spin later, it cleared the distance between us. There was nothing else. I closed my eyes and lifted my head up as best I was able, revealing the entirety of my neck as the attack came in. I'm sorry, Twilight. Fluttershy.

I winced as I felt the blade of darkness slam into my throat...

Darkness. A deep, inner peace. My muscles loosened and unwound; they were long overtaxed from two lives of never really being able to stop moving. It would be nice to rest finally. Sleep had always eluded me it seemed. I can recall my original self having to always sleep with one eye open in bunker after bunker. His memories seemed to translate into me for the most part. Now I was haunted by them and still hadn't slept well, even in Equestria. But they were fragmented. Even knowing what I was didn't give me all the details. Things were missing or lost; the transfer to Equestria was apparently a bit more violent than anticipated. Not that it mattered anymore.

I could finally relax. After two lifetimes of conflict and stress, it would definitely feel good to be able to stop. It was finally over. The final act hadn't concluded on a happy note at all, and I turned out to be the roll of the jester, but at least it was finally over. To go through my entire life without really knowing my place, then to have it snatched away as soon as I found it felt immensely cruel still, but there was nothing I could do. Maybe something, somewhere, had at least been amused by the antics. I wouldn't be a very good jester if nopony got a laugh from it. Now, no matter what awaited me, I knew I could at least rest. That would be good.

The darkness continued, and I paused. No, there was something off. Oh, wait. A moment later, an annoyed sensation drifted through me and I sighed, opening my eyes again. Nope. Not the afterlife. That was just the inside of my eyelids. Damn it.

Princess Luna glared at me still. The burning sensation still pressed into my neck, but barely dug in a centimeter into my armor. What?! The level of energy there should have been able to slice right through me! Why had she stopped it?

Sure enough, she held the energy back herself as her eyes narrowed. I took a step forward to try to complete the stroke, but she pulled the blade away entirely, her massive aura that practically darkened the sky itself seemingly retreating into her body again.

"Thou shows extreme intelligence, yet wishes to die. CAN THOU SPEAK FOR THYSELF, BEAST?!" she asked a moment later, shifting back to whatever the hell that tone was and actually pushing me backwards with the force of her voice. Well hell; maybe my head would explode if I listened for long enough and she wouldn't even need to attack!

After her voice receded, I wobbled on my legs for a second before shaking my head clear again. The reality set in a moment later. She was suspicious of me for some reason. My eyes narrowed as well as I glared back at her a moment later, requesting, "Just kill me. You have the power to. Destroy me." She had to! I wasn't sure what else would at this point, and I had no idea how to turn back to my other form. Not that I wanted to turn back in front of her. If she knew who I was, there'd be no end to the shame involved on my part.

She relaxed rather than get angry, however. "Why?" she asked simply, causing me to twitch.

"I just killed Twilight Sparkle! You should hate me! Plus, I'm a direct threat to Equestria. Open your eyes and look at me. You should be able to see what a monster I am," I reasoned. There were so many reasons why she should kill me that I was having difficulty grasping why she'd even question it!

The guards looked confused at this point, keeping their weapons drawn but now looking back and forth between Princess Luna and I. She lost her glare and shifted to a more neutral expression, standing up straight again. "Thou has a startling visage, but we have seen far worse. You may speak however, and know of your supposed crimes. We are concerned that thou may be clever enough to abuse thus facts," she spoke plainly, much quieter again.

My ears lowered. I should have just growled at her and attacked. Then she'd have no choice but to kill me. Wait, that was it! "Fine. If you won't kill me, I'll just have to kill all of you instead. How does that sound?!" I suggested, tentacles extending upwards into the air again, blades popping out menacingly.

The reaction was both as expected and less than satisfactory at the same time. The guards snapped to attention instantly, backing away from me and lowering their weapons to cover the Moon Princess. Luna herself looked more amused than anything, sadly. Her left eyebrow rose momentarily before she nodded and stepped forwards, pushing a spear out of her way and narrowing the gap between us by a meter or so.

"Very well, Creature. Thou has a deal. If you strike out at us with all your strength with intent to kill, we shall destroy you," she agreed, watching me carefully.

What? My mind stalled as I stared at her in surprise. What the hell?! For a moment, I couldn't even manage to formulate a proper thought process in which to consider what she just said. In my delay, she actually shifted to a smile instead, moving her balance more to the side and giving me an impatient yet deeply amused look. Damn it. She was mocking me! All it needed to be was close, though.

My tentacle on the upper right side whipped down in an instant, scythe blades moving in on her neck with calculated precision. "No!" one of the soldiers screamed from behind her as he started to rush forwards. She watched the blade come down an instant later, and...

I stopped it less than a millimeter from the skin of her neck, glaring at her. The step of her dodging it and obliterating me was strangely absent as she just stood there, watching me. I swallowed, tentacle twitching as I couldn't bring myself to touch the blade against her fur. Damn it!

"Thou hesitates? No such moment existed for Twilight earlier, yet thou claims her death was an atrocity. Where is the difference between her and us?" Princess Luna asked softly, calling me out on my bluff. I continued glaring at her before shivering and taking a few steps backwards, withdrawing my tentacles as all the soldiers stared in shock.

"You wouldn't have struck me regardless, I suspect. The truth is rather obvious, as it doesn't exist in thou's prior statement. What is the truth then, pray tell?" she asked again a moment later, watching me curiously now.

My ears flattened back and I scowled at her, still unable to bring myself to lash out and actually hit her. I sighed wearily and lowered my head. Well, there was more than one way to go about this.

To my credit, she actually looked surprised when I dropped onto my forward knees, forming a polite and proper bow. "Please, Princess Luna. I represent a threat to Equestria, and you watched me kill your sister's faithful student. I need to be destroyed," I requested, voice softening and losing some of the harsh edge around the lower tone.

She frowned but closed the gap to just a meter finally, standing almost right in front of me. I remained in my bowed posture. "We are now unsure of what it was we just saw. Anger clouded our judgment and we failed to notice a lack of our dear friend's magical residue in the area. If that was indeed Twilight, surely she would have resorted to magic for her defense, right?" she suggested logically, tilting her head.

Crap. That was cheating! I hesitated, but shook my head. "I broke her horn off. She couldn't cast anything," I corrected, looking back up at her. If that excuse had worked on Rainbow and Applejack, surely there was some truth behind it.

She just smiled however and shook her head. "Our skills are not that of a fundamental level. We need no spell cast to sense our friend's aura residue," she assured. Okay, that was definitely cheating!

Before either of us could say more however, the sound of frantic flapping came to my attention. My ears perked up instantly and swiveled around to behind the Princess. A pegasus? Uh oh. Thankfully, a lightly armored guard drifted in instead of any hinting of rainbow or cyan coloring. I should have known. It sounded a little sloppy for Dash's flying. He wobbled as he landed, looking downright exhausted. "P-Princess Luna! I have a report from Ponyville! There's been an attack and," he started to relay before finally noticing me and letting out a sharp squeak.

As much as I knew about the 'attack' from an intimate position, I was curious for new information. Princess Luna looked back at me carefully, her eyes shooting me a questioning glance. I hesitated for a moment before giving her a slow nod, lowering all of my extra appendages and retracting the sharp and pointy bits back into them. She watched for a moment before subtly nodding as well and shifting back to the messenger.

"Worry not. Speak forth your information for us to hear. This one will not interfere," she assured confidently. I got a little paranoid at that point. She was highly intelligent, obviously. If she figured out who I was...

The scout looked less than assured, but shakily turned back to her and bowed. "Ah, well there was an attack by a shape-changing entity. The Elements of Laughter and Honesty intercepted, but it got away and fled into the, um, forest. I think you might have found it already, though," he muttered, glancing back over at me nervously.

The Princess of the Moon frowned and looked back to me as well. "We are unsure. What was the attacker to look like?" she inquired curiously.

"T-That's the thing! Applejack, er, the Element of Honesty reported the creature appearing as Twilight Sparkle herself!" he exclaimed. Damn it. Well, at least I knew Applejack wasn't hurt in the explosion from the Slipstream emanation. Assuming as he didn't mention Pinkie, I figured she was probably perfectly fine. Hell, she was Pinkie Pie. I doubted physics would allow her to be hurt in the first place.

Princess Luna smiled almost instantly and nodded. "That is very informative. We thank you, truly. Was anypony hurt?" Shouldn't she have asked that first?

The scout seemed to finally relax a little before shaking his head, apparently deciding I really wasn't going to rip him in half and consume him. Oddly, the other guards behind her lowered their weapons a little as well, simply watching me instead. "No. The two Elements involved suffered only minor wounds. Moon Mender has been reported missing however! The Element of Magic herself has guessed that he was somehow captured before the creature fled. She sent me to report to you while she gathered the rest of the Elements," the scout reported further. I swallowed, ears lowering as I took a step back and away from them. All six of them were coming here? That didn't bode well for my cover remaining a secret.

Princess Luna watched me carefully, seemingly analyzing my every move as she saw me step backwards. All the guards, including the scout with lighter armor, focused intently on me again as well, probably following Princess Luna's lead. The fact that they all looked so bloody similar just made it all the more unnerving. On that note, I decided I still had no idea what was wrong with their wings to be bat-like and membranous, but I was starting to bet that it had something to do with their similar appearance.

"Thou seems uneasy over the news. Pray tell; what causes thy discomfort?" the Moon Princess asked, tone surprisingly pleasant as she smiled lightly. I just murdered her friend in front of her! No, she had already guessed that wasn't Twilight... I'd hoped she hadn't guessed my identity as well, but I had to attempt to maintain as if she hadn't.

"The Elements of Harmony are powerful. I prefer to not be on the receiving end of that," I admitted in perfect honesty.

The dark alicorn momentarily looked surprised before smirking again and actually giggling. "Worry not, young one. We had no intentions of directing their ire towards you. I'm more interested in the creature you defeated; the imposter who took our dear friend's likeness. If you fought her, surely thou must know about her?" she reasoned gently, gesturing absently towards the badly damaged corpse not two meters away. This was seemingly the first time the scout noticed it however, as he let out a stressed squeaking noise and shuffled away from it as the Princess gestured. Sighing, I nodded in agreement.

"A little. She's not of this dimension. Her body was amorphous yet still allowed her to cast her spells. We fought after she threatened to destroy Ponyville," I explained, keeping my voice neutral as I glazed over everything I thought I could get away with.

The Princess smiled as she listened, then upon completion, asked, "Thou heard the report. Has there been any signs of wayward Moon Mender in thy travels?" That one I saw coming and had an answer prepared for it.

"The scrawny blue stallion? He was dead when I found the two of them, and I ate him first," I answered easily, chest feeling a little colder as I stared absently at her.

Her smile wavered momentarily before she resumed it, looking oddly amused. Yeah, it didn't look like she bought it. Well, technically it was true in a metaphorical sense. "Interesting. Thou's magic twists just so when speaking fabrications, we notice. You try to steer towards thy own destruction, yet you say not why. You are curious indeed. Although are we wrong in considering that thou's magic also feels familiar?" she guessed, tilting her head towards me. My heart dropped into my stomach.

I had been outclassed from the very beginning. My only true chance to get her to destroy me was to have taken advantage of her rage at the start. I was a fool to have not attacked her then. Now, I had the sneaking feeling that even though she didn't openly say anything, she knew exactly who I was. My racing thoughts must have been rather obvious, as her smile grew and her eyes shifted mirthful.

For the second time however, we were interrupted. A low whistling noise with several calculated flaps mixed in sounded off to my left. That was indeed the sound of a pegasus, but far more precise and coming in much faster than the scout had. Son of a bitch...

I turned just in time to see the bolt of cyan streak in at high velocity, sliding along the ground and knocking bits of ash and debris up as she slowed to a stop. The wind almost stroked her wings as she whipped them down in a final breaking motion, tail whipping wildly to the side as she leaned against her momentum. I watched her rather graceful landing with no small amount of appreciation as the rampant apprehension seeped into my veins. Now, ironically, she was one of the last ponies I had wanted to see at the moment. Well, to be more specific; who I wanted to see me. Interestingly enough, a rather beautiful necklace of a golden hue resided around her neck, center gem in the shape of her very own Cutie Mark. I had an uneasy suspicion that was more than a fashion accessory, apart from simply the mare who wore it hating fashion...

Her gaze dragged across the surprised Princess Luna with a pleased yet excited smile adorning her expression. It all but shattering as her rose-colored eyes locked onto me instead. In an instant, her expression melted into one of shock and unabated horror as she scanned my form easily enough in the full moonlight. That look destroyed me in an instant, bringing forth far more misery than Nirru could ever hope to do. Shame and a raw sense of exposure set every nerve in my body on fire at the same moment.

There was no conscious choice, as often the case in times of duress. The lukewarm sickening sensation overwhelmed me in an instant. All eight of my added limbs whipped forward in an instant, latching onto the ground as they went. "Wait!" Princess Luna call out as I flung myself backwards into the forest in less than the blink of an eye. It didn't register, as all I could see was Rainbow's look of disgust.

---

I let out a weary gasp as the flat of my upper right tentacle splattered against the back of my well armored neck, breaking open and reforming into me instantly, only to restore itself to its proper place a few seconds later. It was no good. The blades retracted an instant before touching my neck.

Letting the blade fall using gravity didn't work either. I mentally checked it off my list, having failed in the fifth attempt to slice my own head off. I couldn't self-terminate. It was hard coded into whatever root program controlled me, it would seem. Shivering, I curled up tighter into a little ball, trying not to cry.

My emotions were a jumbled mess. Honestly, I just wanted to scream and scream, lashing out and bashing apart anything near me until I felt better. My chest felt like a bubbling, pressurized soda bottle at this point, up to and including the dull, frozen ache I imagine being refrigerated would bring.

I whimpered lightly, wishing something even nastier than myself would come along and tear into me. The forest shivered in the wind around me, the sound almost as if a low whimper of sympathy as the darkness consumed everything. I liked the darkness, honestly. Sure it meant I couldn't see as much, but it also meant that nopony could see me either. At the moment, that was a very comforting fact.

I peeked out over the small rock I rested on and glanced into the ground pool under me. The moonlight shimmered through the upper cracks in the trees high above, giving me a crystal clear reflection of the night sky in the water. I watched the beautiful, white orb drift upwards into the sky, wondering what time it was. A pop up display appeared in the lower right corner of my eyes, displaying an accurately synced to the second clock based off the last time I looked at the clock in Twilight's living room. Ugh. Uh, thanks I guess? Regardless, I duly noted that it was twenty three, fifty eight. Almost a new day. I must have escaped from Princess Luna hours ago. Idly, I wondered what everypony was doing.

It was a bitter thought. I couldn't go back now. Even if I could somehow keep it hidden from everypony; even if the Princess kept it a secret, I knew what I was. That's all I could consider. I wasn't real! I was some fake mash-up of living computer components and biological weaponry cleverly designed to look like a pony. Something like that didn't have a use here, in Equestria.

Suddenly I remembered what Celestia had said a while ago. It wasn't fair, still. I had found my place here! It was where I wanted to be. I wanted to stay with Fluttershy, Twilight, and all of the wonderful ponies. The second I decided I wanted it however, then and only then did I lose it all. It was like a sick joke. She told me to make my place here and decide it for myself. Well now she saw where that got me! There is no place here for a monstrous biological weapon like me. Why couldn't I have just been normal?

I glared at my own reflection in the water, the cold blue eyes staring back at me. I was a mockery of my old self at this point. At least, the tentacles having been out for a while now, they had healed up the sores and boils nicely. Maybe it had been a byproduct of trying to form them so fast? Regardless, it certainly smelled a few hundred degrees better! Gotta think positive, right? I might be a killing machine who's lost its entire purpose in all of existence that's been shunned by everypony and forced to live in a dark, ancient forest for the rest of my natural or unnatural lifespan, but at least I smelled better now. Yup. Positive. At least I managed to chuckle to myself.

Still, for places to be stuck, at least it was pretty. I stared down at the water again. The wild and untamed forest drifted all around me in the current, the darkness only serving to cloak me as I hid. Slowly, I closed my eyes and just listened to the forest around me. The noises were back, and I heard all manner of wildlife around me from cicadas to owls. It was a pleasant, relaxing experience that I embraced like a starving pony to a pile of apples.

Apples. I wondered how Applejack was doing. She had seen a lot of horrible things tonight. I hoped she was okay. Quietly, I curled up on the rock, feeling years' worth of weariness crush down upon me. Maybe, if I was lucky, something would come along while I slept and eat me. Or just kill me out of pure terror. Or because I was an abomination of nature. Hell, I'd even take 'not notice and accidentally sit on me' at this point.

I drifted in and out of fitful bursts of sleeping. Each bout was sprinkled with horrifying memories that were and weren't mine. Being strapped to a table and getting my eyes torn out, or oddly being shoved down onto a couch and screaming in fear as someone ripped the back of my skirt open, laughing in a low voice. There was a distinctly alien feeling involved with that one, but I didn't pay it much heed.

Her grin. I recognized it now. The shadowy face and teeth glittering in the dark. Blood dripped from her bladed drill as she walked up to me strapped down on the table. Nirru. She hated me. She hated all males, but she really hated me. It was probably because of what my original self did with her sister. Right?

Screaming. My claws slashed over and over again at them, being shoved away each time as they pushed me down into the cushions. No, there was nothing there. I stirred, sneezing as a leaf brushed against my muzzle. It drifted off again and gently landed in the water, sending a light ripple out across the surface. My eyes were still closed, but I 'heard' it touch down on the water.

Shouts. I winced and cried, unable to do anything at all. The monster above me groaned out pleasantly, apparently not hearing the noise. A flash of metal. Blood splattered everywhere followed by a scream of rage as something wet and furry landed on my chest. Blood. It was always blood. We were covered in it. If it was inescapable, why not show it directly to all the monsters that deserved it? I agreed, of course.

Fluttering pain. Lines of white hot agony danced through my body. "This will teach you to do that to my sister." It bridged to a heated groan, fur against fur. A dash of blue and a giggle bleeding into a moan from under me, mouths meeting again. A scream of rage.

I twitched.

---

My eyes opened slowly, a sense of disorientation drifting through my mind. My body felt like it had gotten rung through a paper press. Groaning, I looked around, wondering what woke me up. Eventually, my eyes locked onto it. Or him? Maybe it was a her. A tiny bird rested lightly on one of my mixed up and entwined tentacles that lay idly around me. I watched it as it watched me back for a few moments, both of us curious of each other. Now that was a gutsy bird!

I smiled to it a moment later, remembering to keep my lips sealed. Baring rows and rows of razor sharp teeth seemed like a bad idea. "You have some serious guts, Mr. Bird," I complimented softly, watching him. He let out an annoyed squack suddenly, causing me to start and move backwards a little. Heh. I realized a moment later that even when I was like this, I still remembered the pain of having my muzzle pecked open by the angry birds.

"Uh, Miss? I'm sorry," I apologized softly. She looked pleased and nodded twice to me. Wait, yellow coat with a black underbelly? No, it couldn't be the same bird, could it? Suddenly I wished I had Fluttershy's knack for animal empathy. Not that the bird recognized me regardless, I bet.

"Is there something you need? If I can help, let me know," I offered weakly, unsure of how she'd 'tell' me in the first place.

Oddly, she hopped off my tentacles and landed right in front of my face. At first I was weary, but then she oddly gave me a gentle nuzzle. Shocked was an understatement.

A moment later, another bird fluttered down and landed next to her, followed by three more much smaller ones. No way! I smiled gently to all of them before asking, "Um, do you know me from somewhere?" Part of me still didn't want ANYTHING knowing that Moon Mender was, well, whatever the hell this was.

The male, now that I remember correctly, nodded gently before hopping up and landing on my side. Huh? Careful not to scare them, I sat up and watched him as he moved. Then he landed on my flank, and my eyes widened, no longer staring at him at all. But how?!

That blasted silver gear with the heart-shaped axel hole resided on my flank, oblivious to the fact that I was a horrible monster. It was a little darker, but otherwise looked completely unchanged compared to its prior appearance. I wasn't even a pony! Why did I have a Cutie Mark in the first place?

"Ha... I see. You um, recognized me then using the mark. Wonderful. Um, could you not tell anypony that it's me? This isn't exactly something I'd like to spread around," I requested quietly, looking away from my flank and crashing back down into my lying position. The birds didn't even flinch, but now I at least know why they were so trusting of me. That didn't make me feel any better.

The lady bird chirped sharply and hopped up onto the hoof in front of my face. I watched her before shaking my head. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I am a monster now. I was never a pony it turns out. You don't need to stick around, or want anything to do with," I started to suggest.

Whap! Her beak hit my nose before I could even finish and I yelped, wincing and holding it with my other hoof. She squawked in seeming annoyance at me before fluttering up and landing on my head, sitting down as I stared daggers back up at her. Well, I suppose that was one of the most effective counter-points I'd ever been given. The male gave an almost laughing chirp noise a moment later, and the three little ones joined in. The brightest yellow one shifted closer to me and rested against my muzzle. The markings on its underbelly were similar to the mother. A female, maybe?

She gently rubbed the spot where her mom had whacked me and almost smiled up at me. Oh, it was her. It was the one I put back in the nest a while ago. "I'm glad you learned to fly. It must make it easier to get back up into the nest yourself now," I joked, smiling at her. They didn't notice, or care, when I forgot to hide my teeth.

She gave a chirping laugh and nodded, resting against my gunmetal gray fur.

"You are very good with animals as well as foals. We can see why Fluttershy likes you so much," was suddenly spoken quietly. I froze, eyes widening as I felt them almost pop out of my head. All five birds perked and looked to my right in the same instant.

Slowly I turned my head, casting my nervous gaze upon the Princess of the Moon as she slowly walked up. She actually looked a little worse for wear now, her coat looked a little unkempt and spots of mud and dirt were on her legs. What was she still doing out here at... I popped up my decidedly useful internal clock and noticed it was oh one, twenty. Surely she had nightly duties or something to attend to.

"We've been looking for you ever since you ran, Mender. We are alone now however, and you don't have to hide," she explained, catching me looking at her messy legs. I also noticed she switched to a less formal way of talking now.

My ears lowered and I set my head back down on the rock, watching her. It didn't surprise me as much as I thought it would that she knew who I was. "Was my Cutie Mark visible back then and I was just stupid?" I asked softly, feeling annoyed at myself.

She smiled and peeked past me at my flank a moment later.

"Ah, your Cutie Mark did come back. I didn't think it would be suppressed for long. No magic can make them truly disappear," she noted, answering my question at the same time.

I shook my head and closed my eyes again. "I'm not a pony. I shouldn't even have one and I don't know why it came back now," I muttered, wondering what she wanted but afraid to ask. Was she mad at how I acted earlier?

"It's who you are, Mender. We felt your magic after our first attack. We're sorry for not recognizing you sooner," she apologized softly.

My left eye opened again and I looked over at her, surprised at her priorities. Why was she treating me like normal? The five birds around me settled back in and seemed to rest in various locations on my body, taking advantage of my oddly branch-like tentacles. I didn't mind in the least.

"Mender, we can hazard a guess as to what thou are thinking. We knew nothing about your current form, nor do we think of you any less. My sister probably knew about it the whole time, and she was the one who agreed that you were just like a pony," she furthered, seeing my hesitation.

I tried not to openly laugh. "How am I just like a pony? I'm a biological weapon meant to cause genocide on a Universal scale. I'm fake," I questioned, looking at her skeptically.

Princess Luna exhaled and sat down a few meters away, looking up towards the Moon she represented.

A minute passed before she slowly shook her head again. "You are you, Mender. You told my sister that and it surprised her so much she still remembers it. Sure, it's simple, but the message is very powerful. Do you still feel like you, Mender?" she asked, looking back down at me curiously.

I watched her, unsure of where she was going with the topic. "Not really. I feel powerful. Almost indestructible and fast. Yet I've never felt so vulnerable and alone at the same time," I muttered, almost staring past her as I let my eyes lose focus. I was still really tired, but sleeping didn't seem all that effective.

She smiled and snickered lightly before shaking her head. "We speak not of your physical self. Do you feel like you?" she asked again, watching me carefully. Me? What was me?

She almost seemed to feel my thoughts, and smiled. "You seem confused. Is it possible you didn't know who 'you' were to begin with?" she clarified with a hoof gesture.

Finally, I sighed and shook my head in agreement. "No. I don't think anypony apart from maybe you or your sister truly knows who they are. I feel like I'm still me in that regard," I clarified, thinking about it for the first time.

Princess Luna nodded curtly, placing her hoof back down again. "Exactly. If thou hasn't changed, then you're still you, no matter what you look like at the moment. We are sure you've read about us. Do you think we do not understand your pain?" My eyes widened. Nightmare Moon. I'd forgotten that the Princess I saw in front of me used to be far, far scarier. She smiled and nodded at my look of realization.

There were no further points I could make. Finally I questioned, "What am I supposed to do, then? I know what I am now and I can't just escape that." She gave me a soft smile before fluttering up and landing on the rock next to me, sitting down as well and watching the birds resting against me.

A moment passed as she just lay there. I shifted my attention to the birds too, more just thankful that she didn't appear to be scared of me. "Let us start with smaller steps. Can thou resume your prior form?" she asked politely.

I paused. So far, I hadn't seen a point to but I suppose that would be the first step. "I'm not sure. I haven't tried yet," I admitted, digging back through the executable files for some form of return effect or something. No files were added and running again did nothing. My frustration spiked, but I exhaled quietly instead.

"Relax, Mender. You are a clever pony and will find a way. We only suggest this so you can revert to your less intimidating form," she pointed out. It stung a little but she was right. Oddly, I also kind of respected her honesty. At least her admitting my current form was intimidating meant she was really looking at me. That was the other reaction I was worried about; the ponies I cared about pretending to simply not see the ugly side and ignoring me instead.

Deciding on a different approach, I tore apart the executable in question and looked at everything it had done. A few seconds later, I was mildly surprised by the fact that it hadn't technically 'installed' anything on me. Everything was already there and it simply unlocked it. Fascinating. That meant I was built with the black box functionality in mind.

Regardless, if it was just unlocked now, I should be able to control my form at will. A bit of menu tweaking later and I frowned, feeling my eight tentacles retreat backwards into my back. Princess Luna smiled as she watched, although the birds protested as their resting spots disappeared. "Very good! That's a start indeed," the Princess of the Moon praised, giving me a gentle smile.

Blushing lightly, I nodded back but then paused before trying the rest. Uh oh. Bringing up a medical diagnostic, I noticed that my body was indeed under the armor and muscle structures. The only hiccup was that it hadn't had enough time to regenerate itself fully. Actually, it hadn't regenerated much at all apart from completely re-growing my left leg and hoof structure. Well, that was fairly impressive already, after I considered it for a moment. Most of my energy had gone into re-forming that and almost none to my ribs, lungs, and back legs.

"Uh, how good are you at healing magic, Princess Luna?" I asked suddenly, unsure if this was a good idea.

She momentarily looked surprised before shaking her head and returning, "Our sister is much better at it. We know some, but not enough to be of significant use. Oh, and please call us Luna. We would like the same treatment as our sister." I blinked, and then blushed a little before nodding.

"Well, alright Luna. I'll call you that from now on. I was asking because under this armor, my body hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm a little worried that this form is technically all that's holding me together," I explained wearily. If I still had several holes in my lungs, turning back was an inexplicably bad idea.

Luna shook her head and smiled back however. "Worry not! We are good at teleportation. If thou start bleeding all over after changing back, we shall teleport you to the hospital," she 'assured' a moment later, giving a happy nod. That actually wasn't very assuring at all!

Swallowing, I decided against calling out the Princess of the Moon on her potentially flawed logic. Eh, what the hell? You only live once. Or twice, in my case.

Closing my eyes, I toggled the rest of my body back to 'normal' and felt the muscles and armor start to melt back into me, shifting into a pseudo liquid form before being sucked into nothingness. There was a long pause, and then I opened my eyes and inhaled lightly.

Inhaling fire might have been more comfortable. I let out a stifled, half scream as I buckled up instantly, the stabbing and burning sensations shattering across my barrel instantly. Luna gasped as she saw me spasm, then further looked on in horror at the rest of my body. I could barely see past the pain threatening to overwhelm me, but noticed my left foreleg, while existing now, was seriously messed up. The only skin to speak of on it was a light pink film that covered most of it. Otherwise, it was nothing but emaciated muscles and thin veins; maybe about half the circumference of my other legs.

Why is it that being aware of a wound made it hurt so much worse? I gasped and ended up smashing my face into the rock as the pain tore through my leg. I was tempted to tear it off again just to make the pain stop! Further, I was absently aware of my back right leg hanging loosely at an odd angle, remembering that I had broken it in the explosion. The birds started squawking in distress a moment later.

"Mender! Oh no! Here, hang on," Luna ordered as she pushed herself against me and lit up her horn with magic. Hold on with what?!

Thankfully, her lack of specifics mattered very little, as she managed to teleport us anyway. On a related side note, teleporting when wounded and missing large chunks of skin really sucks. The pain tore through my mind like a school of angry piranhas. I don't remember the end of the teleport...

---

I woke up in a flurry of motion. Leather straps around me went taut and my eyes widened to their maximum degree. No! I was captured! The lights around me flickered as I felt the tube shoved down my throat, air flowing into it. Gasping sharply, I flailed against the straps, the lights in the room flickering. "Stop him! Why isn't the sedation working?!" I heard shouted from somewhere behind me.

Everything hurt. The lights flashed again and I saw her teeth in the dark as she grinned at me, blades sliding under and alongside my left eyeball. I tried to scream into the tube, energy flailing out wildly as I saw a barrier warp out from my side and break through a window. I flailed it violently, tearing a jagged gash down the wall as I tried to kick backwards with my rear legs. The back right one wasn't moving at all however, and the left was strapped down as well. I saw a display pop up of an unknown agent in my bloodstream that was being filtered faster than they could inject it. Poison!

My entire body screamed in agony as I darted my eyes back and forth, light burning into it. She grinned against me momentarily, tongue slipping out to lick along my cheek at the blood flowing down it. I lashed out at her, screaming in muffled rage as another barrier smashed into wear her neck should have been. A second later, a chair got obliterated as it sliced through and cut into the wall, cracking the plaster as I stabbed.

"How do we stop his magic?! There's no horn to put a suppression ring on!' was called out a moment later. My eyes snapped onto a young looking stallion as he rounded into my viewpoint. Targets snapped into place all over him an instant later, highlighting vitals and giving me biorhythm data. No, she wouldn't have me. She should have died but she wasn't going to have me, even if it meant breaking free from here. My eyes narrowed as I felt the stirring along my back again. Yes. See through the pain and shred the entire room if I had to.

A flurry of yellow entered my peripheral vision a moment later. "Miss, you can't come in," another doctor started to shout. At least they looked like doctors. I couldn't tell which was fake, though, and I wasn't about to take chances. He was caught up in a purple and red aura before he could complete the sentence however, and was shoved out of Fluttershy's way. Fluttershy!

"Mender! Stop it!" I heard echo through my head at the same time it echoed through the building. My eyes widened as my vision became a blur of yellow warmth as she pushed up against me; a gentle kiss landing on my right temple. Her empathy was felt throughout me and even without the link, I knew it was her. She was here too? It was her. She wouldn't hurt me. She couldn't.

My muscles went numb as I slumped against the surface I was strapped to. I didn't know which was real; the darkness or the hospital. But if she was here, it didn't matter. This had to be the hospital. I didn't trust my mind, but I trusted Fluttershy.

"Thank you, Mender. Please, rest..." she requested, the absolute blue of her eyes flooding my right eye's vision. No! She'd know right away what I was if she saw me. She would just be able to tell! My eyes slammed shut and I hit the retreat function as fast as possible. With a stifled sob, I fell back inside of myself and all connection to my outside body was dropped.

Everything was quiet an instant later. Slowly, I felt my motion stop; the mental construction of my pony body curling up against itself as I hung in absolutely nothing. I shivered against myself, gasping for air as I tucked myself up. She couldn't see it. I couldn't let her. I didn't even know what I was! My eyes opened again a second later, glaring at the hoof in front of my vision. I was a pony. I wanted to be a pony!

But I wasn't a pony. I wasn't a Keldarian. I was a monster. Another spasm wracked my frame, a mental flash of teeth snapping out at me flickering through my head. Tentacles, blades, teeth, and death. What the hell was I?! 'Monster' was all I could manage to describe myself as, alongside assorted synonyms. I couldn't let them see that I was an abomination. Equestria didn't need my other self. It didn't need me. Tia was wrong. I didn't have a place here anymore. I gently closed my eyes, exhaling air that technically didn't exist. Warnings popped up around me, saying something about taking dermal damage along my barrel, but I ignored it. I was going into surgery, probably. If my ribs had fragmented, I imagine they'd have to get the shards of bone out of me somehow.

My mind wandered as I lost track of time. There was something peaceful about just releasing your hold on your thoughts and letting them flow freely from topic to topic. I unfurled as I drifted, eventually finding myself floating flat inside of my mind, legs outstretched limply in various directions. There was no need to remain guarded. I was the only thing here and always would be. The concept struck me as extremely lonely, but I fought it down. Instead, I decided to be productive and brought up one for my file folders again. Two point four billion Keldarians were inside of me. The DNA was segmented already and compartmentalized, but was in desperate need of sorting and organizing. I devoted an entire processor to the job of going through it like a rampaging Twilight on her library shelves.

That settled, I devoted yet another processor to the repair and reconstitution of Dr. Kyliona's last video message. In a weird way, she was sort of my 'mother' so I admitted she deserved at least that, as I couldn't do anything else for her. She made my original form and, from what I guessed, created the clone as well that was essentially me. I didn't even know what to classify myself as. If I was a pony with robotic parts, I'd be a cyborg. But I wasn't originally a pony or even a Keldarian. Are a clone's parts 'fabricated' then? If all of me was fabricated, then I'd be an android I guess. Then of course there was the consideration that I also housed a Universal-Class Weapon of Mass Destruction inside of me. After the tentacles had popped out, I was given the delightful options of unleashing that as well. At least that choice had been a simple one.

It plagued me. I sought out file after file. All of them had various things to do with extra features, add-ons, and various utilities. It didn't take me long to find the operating system files for my organic computer parts either. But this left me frustrated. I searched everywhere. There weren't any files dictated to 'me'. There were no advanced AI subroutines or any form of organic mental structure anywhere. What was I if I wasn't an artificial intelligence? Then the idea hit. I'd trace where the 'orders' were coming from when I gave one out!

Printing out garbage data to a pop-up window, I watched where the order came from specifically. It didn't help much. There was a small translation black box connected to an input and output lane. I frowned. The connection was massive; easily four times the size of the biggest hardwired connection I had thought possible. Beyond it, there was nothing to access. Either something was blocking my ping attempts, or beyond that uplink to the black box, there was something truly alien from a computer's standpoint. An actual mind, maybe? I remembered the translation error I'd gotten when trying to communicate with Rainbow a few hours ago. Mental communication didn't mesh well with computer communication.

I didn't know if I should be happy or sad at the discovery. Was it just the clone mind that I consisted of? What was this consciousness that I was right now? If it was just the clone mind, shouldn't I be dead now after what Nirru had done to me? I floated there absently, some part of me wondering if any of these questions would ever be answered. Shivering again, mentally pictures of that thing that I could become danced through my mind. That thing wasn't needed here. Knowing what I was, how was I honestly supposed to face any of them again? I was fake. Were my feelings even real, honestly? Maybe they'd be offended that they'd put so much time and energy into a robot.

Another flash of imagery. My claws tore her apart, destroying her head in an instant. Oh yeah. A violent, homicidal robot. I shuddered as I remembered the feeling of tearing through her flesh. What scared me the most was the feeling of actually liking the sensation. It wasn't because of the texture, or even the fact of what I was doing, really. It was finally not being the runt. Finally, I could do something when somepony hurt me and tried to take things from me by force. It felt so amazing to be able to say 'no'. Heh. I gave her one heck of a 'no', I suddenly realized.

I'm me. It's what I told Celestia and now what Luna told me right back. I had at some point accepted it for other reasons. When dealing with my own delusions, it didn't really matter what was real and what wasn't. All I could do was act within the world I interacted with. It didn't matter if Equestria was in my head and I was locked up somewhere, or if I had always been a pony and was having nightmares about my original dimension instead. If I was me, then this reality was also this reality. In a roundabout way, it made sense. Given that as truth, did it matter that I couldn't classify exactly what 'I' was?

Curling up again, I sighed. Classification was indeed pointless. Now I just had to somehow get around the fact that I directly murdered two point four billion Keldarians with my own hooves. Hands, at that point? Tentacles, maybe? Shaking my head, I chuckled to myself. I had an obsession to classify things. Knowing what I had done and what I was, I didn't have a clue how I could possibly look any of the ponies in the eyes again. They'd know almost instantly. Which led me to the next hurtle. How would they react? To say I had some explaining to do would be an understatement. Hell, I'd be lucky if the Elements of Harmony didn't activate and blow me away regardless. Although technically I had no idea how the Elements actually functioned. The book Twilight had given me had been wonderfully vague.

Sighing, I decided to keep an eye on my external heat sensors to let me know when I was done being operated on. Assuming once everypony left the room, that would indicate that I was either dead or done with whatever surgery they were performing. Given my multiple redundant backup life support systems, my bet was on the latter. Of course, this probably left me several hours to kill with absolutely nothing to do. I didn't have any books or anything to read, so I did the next best thing that any somewhat sane individual would do in the given situation.

Peeking back through the files I'd looked through earlier, I started up the I'd found...

Drifting in an out of sleep as if caught up on a free-floating raft on the currents had become the norm. It was so much worse than my first hospital visit in Equestria. Today was no different, as I'd barely spent two hours awake as of yet. Clocky, my affectionately named pop up display clock, appeared in the lower right corner of my vision again at my mental request. It was now decorated in yellows, pinks, purples, and indigos. I got really bored last night and those colors appealed to me for some reason.

Mentally chuckling to myself, I resumed considering the flood of questions that drifted through my head as I floated in the pseudo empty space. Well, technically I was in my head anyway, but giving the questions a visual avatar sounded amazingly annoying. Unless, of course, I made them little versions of Twilight and Fluttershy. Although, then I'd spend more time watching them than actually thinking about the questions, I had a feeling.

I digress. There were indeed all sorts of important questions revolving around everything that had just happened. I'd been focusing so far on the extremely obvious ones with no luck at all. What was I exactly? What did Nirru and Keela know about me? How was I to find a place to fit in anymore? There were no answers to some, and the rest I didn't have access to. Still, maybe I was being too obvious. Another good thing to find out would by why I was created in the first place. If I knew what purpose I served exactly, maybe that would make the 'how' and 'what' a little bit easier? Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure only Doctor Kyliona could answer that fully, so that was mostly out of the question. Maybe once the video finished repairing itself, I'd learn more.

Finding out everything Keela knew would also help. She had obviously hidden things from me. Still, I hadn't heard a single extra-dimensional peep for a day and a half. There was this sneaking suspicion that she was avoiding me, too. Well, technically Rainbow and Applejack weren't avoiding me if they didn't realize I was awake and listening to anything that entered my room. Still, they hadn't visited even once. Pinkie hadn't either, but I truly had no idea as to why with her.

Not that I was one to talk about avoidance. I'd spent the last thirty-six or so hours hiding inside of myself, barring all outside senses minus hearing. I just wasn't ready to face them. Hell, I wasn't ready to face me. Further, I refused to use the links to either Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash to listen in. It felt too much like eavesdropping and I respected their privacy. The only thing I allowed myself to listen to was what was within earshot of my still snoozing body.

Speaking of, that brought me to the biggest and most important question of all... Where in the bloody hells was the King of Hearts?! I glared at the full cascade of cards I had going. If I could find the other red king, I could move the entire stack and get at the last unrevealed pile! Damn it. Knowing my luck, the card I needed was in the pile itself. This was an extremely frustrating game! Wasn't it supposed to be easier than that blasted mine thing? After blowing myself up two hundred and thirty six consecutive times in a row, I had decided to switch to cards.

"Are you sure the doctor said he was, um, healing up all right? I thought he was supposed to wake up like normal. Oh, not that I'm doubting the doctor's knowledge or anything! I'm sorry!" I suddenly heard murmured from the body's audio input. My mental ears twitched and I looked upwards, as if that would somehow help me hear it better. I caught myself a moment later and snickered. That voice sounded remarkably like Fluttershy. She was still here?

There was a light sigh, followed by, "Yes. It's okay, Fluttershy. The doctor said that it was very much possible for him to spend several days asleep. His body took a huge shock." Twilight, who was apparently there with her, had also been visiting a lot. Fluttershy visited more in-between taking care of her plethora of animal friends and visiting with Rarity and Twilight, from what she'd told me so far.

Well, she didn't really 'tell' me. When she was by herself here, she'd often talk to me as if I were awake. That I honestly tried not to listen to for her privacy, but some of it was really hard to not hear! I blushed lightly at the thought. While it was adorable that she was feeling safer around me, I hadn't realized exactly how nerve-wracking everything had been to her. She was scared, and I wish I knew what I could do to help her through it.

"Does anypony know more about what happened yet? It's simply dreadful to think of what went on that night! I can't imagine what he felt like; actually getting foalnapped by that brute!" Rarity sympathized dramatically a moment later, although a little more solemn than I was used to. I was just glad to hear her talking to Twilight again after what had happened.

"No. That's the frustrating thing. Neither Princess Celestia or Princess Luna will tell me anything more than the public statement they released. They thanked me for my research into the creature that supposedly defeated my duplicate, but they still won't let me see the, uh, body of it," Twilight replied, sounding both perturbed and annoyed at the same time.

Fluttershy let forth a low whimper, adding, "I still can't believe Princess Luna had to, um, kill it." I closed my nonexistent eyes gently, momentarily drifting in the darkness. There was nothing I could do for her, though. It would be so much worse if she knew that I was the creature instead. No, her believing that it was dead was ideal.

A moment of silence passed, my ears picking up only a quiet rustling noise. Movement maybe, but I couldn't tell what it was with my eyes still closed. A murmur followed, and a knock at the door shortly after that. My ears perked at the new development. A split second later, I mentally winced as I realized my real ears had also twitched and rotated.

If anypony had noticed, they were silent about it. "We are sorry to interrupt, girls, but my sister requests an audience with thy Elements of Magic and Generosity," was suddenly spoken in an elegant tone. Given the wording involved, I didn't need to really hear the voice in order to realize it was the Princess of the Moon.

"Oh? Why just us, Princess?" Twilight asked, sounding curious, but with a certain level of excitement in her tone that she kept hidden carefully. Ah yes, of course she'd be excited to go see Celestia.

My thoughts drifted back to that night and I inwardly sighed. After all of this time and everything she said to me, she had still kept things hidden. Princess Celestia had told her things involving myself, apparently, that Twilight had neglected to relay. From the sounds of it, it had been some sort of warning about me.

I was a little bitter, admittedly. I didn't fully trust the lavender mare, or her alicorn tutor. If they would simply share with me everything that they knew, it would be perfect. I didn't even know why they felt they needed to keep it a secret in the first place. Still, at least she hadn't been ordered to spy on me again; at least not to my knowledge. Happy thoughts, Mender!

"-worry. I can keep an eye on Mender. It shouldn't be too hard seeing as he's asleep, right?" Fluttershy timidly asked, me coming back in the middle of it. I smiled, wondering what she'd do if she knew I wasn't asleep.

"Of course, Fluttershy. We have no doubt at all of your capabilities in watching over Mender, worry not. We shall return after our conversation with Princess Celestia has been concluded, of course," Rarity assured as I heard hoof steps heading towards where I knew the door to the room was located. Wait, was I in the same hospital room as before?

"I just don't understand what more we can add. Didn't she already get the report from the ponies who cleaned up the chandelier?" I heard Twilight question, the position of her voice shifting out of the room alongside the hoof step noises.

There was a faint giggle from Luna that made me a little suspicious. This suddenly felt like a set up. "Oh, of course. My sister trusts you very, very much and would like a full report from both of thou directly, however. She feels that some aspects may have been, well, glazed over." Well, it made sense that the construction team probably wanted to cover up the somewhat sloppy job they had done, but this seemed a little too convenient, timing-wise. Biting the bullet, I slid the solitaire game to the side and, for the first time in over a day, drew myself back to full consciousness.

My real eyes opened after their voices disappeared down the hall. Fluttershy was perched up on one of the visitation chairs with her hind legs on the seat and her forelegs resting on the windowsill. She shyly peeked out through the blinds, her head tracking the large yet regal midnight blue wings outside as they stretched gently. Her tail swayed upwards and curled at the base of her back hooves as she did so, her ears lowering somewhat. I smiled lightly at her adorable display, and exhaled quietly to calm my nerves.

The act of breathing out caused a mild ache along my torso and I frowned. No, it made sense that I was still sore. They'd been adding things to the IV that caused my regenerative capabilities to go into overdrive, but I still had to recover from an intrusive chest surgery and several broken ribs. My left foreleg was also beyond most of their medicines. From the mutters of a couple nurses yesterday, they sounded shocked that I even had the leg still in the first place.

I glanced at the bandages around the leg while Fluttershy was distracted. Due to the nature of my newly discovered electronically supplemented body, I knew the state of my leg under the wrappings. I contemplated adding 'ugly as sin' to my status readout, honestly. The skin was rapidly regenerating and becoming thicker again, but the muscles would take a while to recover. The fancy computer bits in me stated a good three weeks at my current regeneration level. Of course, I also had the option of 'supplementing' the regenerative process with the massive amounts of, well, mass inside me, but I had so far refused. It didn't feel like 'my' mass. It had been forcibly taken from a few billion Keldarians.

"Relax, Fluttershy! You're confident and he's already perfectly stable, right? It's not like you're going to have to worry about anything happening," Fluttershy suddenly muttered, dropping herself roughly back down to her haunches as she shook her head. I smiled again, for real this time, as I saw her ears twitched back and forth nervously. She was always so adorable. Some days it felt like I'd be perfectly content with just watching her little movements forever. Other days, I wanted to bound up and pounce on her, hugging her until she was lulled to sleep. Yet other days...

My eyes drifted away from her tail and I blushed softly. Focus, Mender. Do you really want to do this? I had the sneaking suspicion that this was set up intentionally. Was it possible that Luna knew I was awake the whole time?

Regardless of the truth, I did have an opportunity now, didn't I? After everything that had happened, I hadn't really wanted to talk to Twilight. Especially not the second I 'woke up', as she'd probably pepper me with questions. I was also a little wary after hearing about the Celestia thing.

Fluttershy, however, presented another set of problems. Her link to me and natural empathy made it very difficult to hide things from her. Further, she was likely the last pony I wanted to find out about, well, what I was. Still, just her being here caused me to feel almost compelled to talk to her. Maybe that was what Celestia and Luna wanted?

Fluttershy wobbled a bit, but slowly turned around on the cushion. She managed to keep her balance as she relaxed against the back of the chair, her wings fanning out and stretching with a little shiver. Those lovely teal eyes opened fully as she shifted them. I made my choice, keeping my eyes open as she looked over at me.

Predictably, she froze an instant later. Her eyes slowly widened as I made sure not to meet them directly with my own. If she saw directly into my eyes, who knew what she'd be able to see. Maybe I was a little paranoid, but I heard an expression somewhere saying that the eyes were the 'window to the soul', if I remember correctly. "Hey, Fluttershy. How are you doing?" I asked, feeling both awkward and extremely lame. What exactly was I supposed to say? My voice came out in a raspy whisper anyway due to disuse, I guessed.

A moment later, I realized that I had misjudged her overall reaction almost completely. Her wings flitted out and she hopped the distance between the chair and bed with a gentle gliding motion. I tilted my head as she hit the covers into a stumble, falling forward and lightly falling against my chest. My eyes widened and my cheeks got warm again as she gently squeezed me upon coming to a stop. Oddly, she felt practically weightless against my body, the collision almost non-existent.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried. Please, um, don't do that again! Uh, if you can help it, that is. Not that I'm saying it was your fault!" she rapidly started to request, then backpedal. Well, some things hadn't changed. I smiled and averted my eyes before she could look up, slipping my still functioning right foreleg around her back gently.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Fluttershy. Are you okay?" I asked softly, barely a whisper. Talking left a light stinging sensation in my throat so I kept the volume down.

Fluttershy nodded against my chest before adding, "I'm okay. I was just worried about you. I, um, really, really like you, Mender." She had stiffened when I touched her back, but with a timid glance backwards at my leg, she smiled softly and relaxed against me.

My blush picked up again, but I just rubbed her back a little bit more, continuing to look away. I didn't think there were any outward signs, but I didn't know if Fluttershy would just 'tell' that I wasn't a pony by empathy alone, so I avoided her eyes still. "Um, I'm a little behind on what happened after I lost consciousness. How is everypony else?" I inquired, wondering why I hadn't seen Pinkie yet. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were probably just avoiding me.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot you just woke up and probably have lots of questions!" the timid yellow pegasus squeaked out a moment later, holding a hoof to her mouth while her ears twitched in nervousness again.

How could she forget that I'd just woken up that fast? I contemplated a deadpan look, but she was just too adorable to stay mad at for long. Smiling, I shook my head gently and assured, "It's okay, Fluttershy. I've been awake off and on, and just resting for the most part. I haven't seen Pinkie yet and was worried, was all."

She momentarily looked surprised before smiling again and giving a shy nod. "Pinkie is okay. Well, actually she's going stir crazy, but she's in good health, I mean. She cracked a rib in the explosion because she knocked Applejack out of the way instead of dodging it. She's stuck with bed rest for four days while Zacora's potion heals her," Fluttershy explained quietly, watching me with interest. I didn't even try to fathom how Pinkie could manage to get Applejack out of the way of a point blank explosion and escape with almost no damage. Some things just weren't worth breaking your mind over.

I exhaled and nodded. She was okay. "I'm glad she's all right," I muttered, closing my eyes again and resting back against the pillow. Fluttershy's light form followed me down, resting lightly against my chest as she pulled herself closer.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you ask about Rainbow and Applejack? Uh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to!" she asked a moment later before releasing a shiver against me. Her closeness was strange, but entirely welcome. I hadn't expected her to suddenly pounce like that. Normally she didn't get this physical with me.

I shook my head, shifting my gaze down to the mixture of fur between us instead of off to the side. "I figured Applejack and Rainbow were avoiding me after what happened," I explained softly. Actually, I was glad she was this close. I didn't have to put as much effort into exercising my sore throat.

Fluttershy watched me for a moment, her pink mane swaying lightly as she tilted her head, and then nodded. Her eyes were massive and seemed to almost draw mine in. I resisted as best I could, earning a frown. "Well, um, I'm not sure about Dash. Applejack's been, well, she hasn't been doing so great. Most of her time has been split between apple bucking for harvest and taking care of Pinkie as best she can. I tried to talk to her but, um, she only got quiet instead." I listened through the whole thing and sighed weakly afterwards. I was glad she was taking care of Pinkie, but part of me was sad over everything that had happened.

"I'll talk to her today again, I think. Maybe she'll change her mind once she knows you're awake?" she continued a moment later, seeing my hesitation.

I swallowed and nodded. "I wish none of it had happened. Seeing all of that must have been..." I furthered, trailing off as I decidedly couldn't find an adjective to apply to it.

Fluttershy cut me off regardless, surprising me by raising her hoof up gently in front of my face. My eyes snapped to it, then widened as I realized hers were right on the other side of the hoof. She tricked me?

"That's better," she whispered, slowly lowering her hoof as she kept her eyes locked dead center with mine. I froze in place, unable to look away in the slightest. She almost seemed to pull me out of myself with her gaze, the warm teal washing out my surroundings. "You're in a lot of pain, I know. But, um, please. Don't blame yourself, or Applejack. Please? She made a really, really bad mistake and I can tell she is hurting really badly for it. I don't want to see anypony I care about suffer like this," she continued after thoroughly locking me in place.

I shivered and snapped out of it as she finally closed her eyes gently, letting out a soft hum from deep inside herself. Her wings expanded slightly, fluttering out around my leg and relaxing over my shoulder a moment later. "I'm, well, surprised though. I didn't think that... The way you're holding me..." she muttered, sounding unsure of herself. I realized I'd been gently rubbing her back in a small circle. My grip on her had strengthened a little while she was talking, I noticed. My eyes widened. Had I been too rough?!

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy! I didn't realize I'd held you too tight. Um, I'm sorry, " I rapidly apologized, easing up instantly and releasing her back as best I could.

Her wing gently held my foreleg down against her fur, however. "No! I mean, um, please keep this up. I'd always heard that stallions were, well, rough. They're stronger, which meant they were supposed to be less, um, gentle, I guess?" she explained, tilting her head at me.

I frowned, contemplating pointing out that Applejack could probably break most stallions in half outright with little effort. Still, I had a feeling she was generalizing. "Not that I'm saying you're weak! Oh no. I'm sorry," she murmured a second later when I didn't say anything.

Snickering quietly, I shook my head. "I guess I'm just a little unsure on if I'm in the right or wrong?" I reasoned, frowning slightly myself. It didn't help that neither of us were apparently very gifted in the speaking department.

Fluttershy surprised me yet again by outright blushing. "You're so gentle with me. I was really worried that you'd be rough or insensitive, even if you didn't mean to be. This is, um, really different from what I was expecting, but in a very, very good way," she explained further, settling down against my chest again. Her blush remained, giving her a warm tint as she smiled up at me.

Suddenly, my existential problems seemed a little further away. She didn't see anything in my eyes after all, so maybe, just maybe I could at least pretend to be a normal pony? I smiled finally and shook my head towards her after realizing I was hesitating.

"I'd never be forceful with you, Fluttershy. I care about you a lot and would never hurt you on purpose," I assured. Any time I hurt the feelings of these ponies was definitely accidental.

Her eyes widened slightly, the pink in her cheeks shifting to a light red instead. The smile gracing her features remained, however, as she asked, "Really? I trust you, Mender. No matter what anypony else says, you're a good stallion. I, um, really want to be your fillyfriend too, I think. I'm going to ask Twilight about it tonight." My eyes widened, earning another giggle from her as she watched my shocked reaction. I felt a familiar heat rush into my cheeks and knew I probably mirrored her blush now.

The surprise only magnified as she gently slid forward, brushing a forehoof to each side of my face as she pulled herself upwards. My eyes extended to maximum size as her eyes softly closed, muzzle pressing timidly into mine with the utmost care not to jostle me. I couldn't help it really. My right foreleg pulled her closer against me as I kissed back. The feeling of her body's heat radiating into me mixed with the burst of happiness her empathic link betrayed. The combined effect was enough to bring a new wave of heat to my cheeks, even without the need to realize what exactly was happening. She was kissing me! On the lips!

Seconds passed before she slowly eased up. I let her break away at her own pace, withdrawing a few centimeters but not quite retreating. Her heavier breathing teased my snout as she relaxed against me again with a shiver. "You meant it. You really are gentle, and want me to be at ease," she murmured a moment later, teal eyes opening softly as they re-focused on me. Oh. She felt me through the link, too.

"Yes. I want you to be comfortable, Fluttershy. I..." The thought drew forth hesitation as I swallowed weakly. The shaking sensation drifted into my working forehoof again. I was scared. If she knew what I was, she wouldn't be here. It wasn't me attracting her, but the mask I'd thrown up to trick her. What did that make me, regardless of what I actually was? My eyes closed again and I looked away from her, no longer able to face her gaze. Tricking such an amazing, wonderful mare was shameful at best.

Fluttershy noticed my shaking almost instantly, pulling herself a little closer to me as a result. "Mender, what's wrong? Are you, um, okay?" she inquired timidly, sounding unsure of herself again. I wanted her to be comfortable, but maybe I didn't want her to be comfortable around me?

"Fluttershy, do you think you could wait to ask Twilight about being my fillyfriend? I don't want you to hastily make a decision that, well, you'll end up regretting." Annoyingly enough, I couldn't prevent my voice from shaking as I said it. I swallowed again, feeling myself get antsy. My eyes widened as a flickering image of claws tearing through Twilight's face flashed through my mind. I jumped as it passed, gone an instant later. No! That wasn't Twilight. I wasn't going to do that to my friends!

A moment passed in disorientation before I glanced back at Fluttershy. My surprise spiked when I saw that she was pulling the sheets up over both of us, settling down against my front while I lay on my side still. Despite being careful of my damaged left foreleg, I winced a little as she settled in, pulling the bandaged limb back before giving her a questioning glance. When had she gotten under the covers? I felt out her connection and found it fully intact. I'd lost a couple of seconds, but it was still Fluttershy; she was no imposter.

"I'm, um, staying here, Mender. I'm going to stay with you and help you through this any way I can, uh, if that's okay with you. Um, I really want you to get better!" she confessed, tucking her wings in and gently pressing her muzzle against my chest. I blushed again, my mind not fully processing this new predicament. It kept trying to tell me that Fluttershy was in bed with me and snuggling! Totally ridiculous.

"F-Fluttershy, you don't need to worry about me. I just want you to be happy and, um, I'm not sure if I'd be the best stallion to do that for you. You can still be with Twilight, of course," I assured, wondering if that was the reason she was being so insistent. Hell, if I told them, Twilight probably wouldn't want to be with me like that anyway, which would solve any sort of jealousy issue that might be worrying Fluttershy in the first place. The thought hit me like a bag of apples at high velocity, and I swallowed the lump in my throat again. Why? Why couldn't I just be a normal pony?!

Ultimately, I couldn't see a way out of this. If I kept everything a secret from everypony except those that knew already, I'd be living a lie, forever hiding what I really was behind a mask. They wouldn't love me, but some close resemblance of me instead; one with less flaws. But if I told them, they'd all see me for the abomination I actually was. Was it even possible for them to care about something that was fake? I was a scout, weapon, and key from another dimension that, at the very least, represented a passive threat to everything they held dear. Worst case scenario, I was a ticking time bomb waiting to destroy the universe as they knew it. How does anypony treat 'that' as an individual? How would they really see me as anything but a monstrosity?

The warm lips kissing under each eye snapped me out of it again. Fluttershy kissed lightly, brushing away drops of liquid on my cheeks that I hadn't realized were there to begin with. "Just let it out, Mender. If you feel like talking about everything, I'm, um, here, of course. But you have me now, no matter what you say or do. Twilight too. I can feel it," she spoke softly, sounding surprisingly sure of herself. What did she mean?

"Have you?" I asked softly, opening my eyes again and searching hers for emotions. A big, fancy computer in my head didn't help me figure ponies out any easier, I noticed.

She smiled, expression softening as she relaxed against my pillow again. "No matter what you say and no matter what I say, you let me see who you are. I like what I, um, saw. I don't know why you want me to reconsider but, well, I'm sorry! I won't," she explained, closing her eyes after and wincing, acting as if I'd get mad at her for speaking her mind. I smiled, finding her adorable instead. Confusing, but very adorable.

It lingered on the edge of my tongue. I tasted it; rolled it around in my mouth as my thoughts drifted. Instead, a compromise of sorts came out of me instead. "Even if I was a monster? The scariest monster you can think of?" I asked, my energy draining out with each word forced free of myself. Dash's horrified look flashed through my mind again and I shivered, pushing back the memory again. I already saw her answer.

"If you were a big, scary monster, I'd probably panic for a moment. But you're still you, Mender. The you in here is what makes me feel safe, no matter what you look like," she explained further, resting her forehead on my chest before asking, "I know you'll be, um, gentle and care for me. Why be scared of that?" I paused, trying to fully grasp what she meant.

"Is that what you meant what you said I have you?" I asked, wondering what this meant to her.

She smiled fully and raised her head up again, actually looking somewhat emboldened. Well, emboldened for Fluttershy, anyway. "You're stuck with us. Twilight is smart. Neither of us are going to let you get away now that we know what you're like," she added, blushing afterwards. Her surprising amount of comfort with the declaration surprised me. Of course, she undoubtedly knew I didn't want to get away in the first place, but it was still a new level of trust she gave me. Smiling, I gave her a gentle squeeze. If she was speaking truthfully, which I was inclined to believe, that gave me a bit more hope for the future. Having a pony that cared about me was worlds better than being alone with the cacophony of madness in my skull. Even if I was a monster, I'd tolerate it for Fluttershy.

"Thank you," I muttered into her ear as she let out a pleasant sounding sigh against me.

Her eyes didn't open this time, but she smiled and nodded against me instead. "Rest a bit, Mender. We both need it," she whispered back. I blushed but couldn't make myself deny her request. She seemed to be truly okay with being here. I wanted her. Her warmth felt amazing and I wanted to just squeeze her and snuggle for all of eternity, honestly. It felt so simplistic, carefree, and absolutely amazing. Her wanting even just a drop of that was more than welcome. I decided I wasn't about to say no, anyway.

For the first time since Luna found me, I willingly let myself drift to sleep. This time I wasn't lonely, and had a smile on my face.

---

"Fluttershy!" sounded out in a distinctly Twilight Sparkle voice in the echoes of my mind. Groggily, my systems restarted and I stirred as I felt the warm, furry body next to me give a violent start of surprise. I felt Fluttershy sit up rapidly and look towards the door of the room. Murmuring in a whisper, I wanted to just bury my face in her nearby tummy and go back to bed. Why was Twilight raising a fuss? Wait, something told me I should know this.

"Ah! Um, hello Twilight! Rarity! Uh, this isn't what it looks like," my now fidgeting bed companion excused, making it extremely hard to lull myself back to sleep with her sporadic movements.

There was a low sigh, followed by, "I know you do so enjoy Mender's company and are obviously considering joining their herd, but you really should get permission before crawling into bed with him as he sleeps." Rarity spoke calmly, a reasonable counterpart to the other unicorn in the room. Oh yeah, I should probably do something about that accusation.

"Um, but he-" Fluttershy started to profess, grinding to a halt instantly when I opened my eyes against her and gently raised my head, turning to look at the two newcomers. Both Twilight and Rarity shifted to startled shock almost instantly, but I held my tongue. Rarity was in a simple button vest, undoubtedly to fashionably combat the increased colder temperatures outside. Twilight looked far more frazzled with a bit of her mane misplaced here and there. I'd seen that before when she got stressed out over things. She was halfway through setting aside a scarf and promptly dropped it upon seeing me awake. Both wore a similar wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape expression however.

After half a second of sleepy observation, I shook my head and sighed, looking down at the blankets again. Rarity and I had departed on somewhat awkward terms, and having personally murdered a doppelganger of Twilight no less than forty-eight hours prior, it felt a little awkward looking at her, too. Plus there was the whole 'lying to me' thing again, but sadly, I was getting used to that. A part of me blamed Celestia regardless.

"I gave her permission. She was keeping me company," I elaborated, finally breaking the silence of the room. Rarity recovered first and closed her mouth again.

I saw her form a hesitant smile out of the corner of my vision as she relaxed into a gentle sitting position again. "Well, that certainly makes it all right then. I'm very pleased to see you up, Mender," she agreed politely, letting Fluttershy finally relax against me again. I pushed my forehead into her chest and nodded against her softly, enjoying the feeling of her coat on my face. She squirmed for a moment as if tickled, but settled in and wrapped both forelegs over my shoulders. I wasn't about to start complaining about her newfound cuddly nature, that was for sure.

Twilight hadn't said anything yet, however, so I glanced back over at her. Her gaze was locked onto Fluttershy, blank look adorning her face. She hesitated, noticing my attention a moment later and straightened her pose. "Um, yeah. I'm glad you're awake, too, Mender. Princess Celestia asked to be notified of when you woke up, so I'll run and get her real quick," she informed, turning towards the door again.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity exclaimed, the surprisingly harsh tone giving Fluttershy another spasm and causing me to widen my eyes slightly, shifting my attention over to the rather annoyed looking mare. Twilight froze and winced as if burned, but slowly shifted herself around. "What do you think you're doing? You know what you promised," the pearly unicorn continued a moment later, giving Twilight a harsh glare.

She swallowed nervously and backed away from Rarity's gaze before rapidly shaking her head, "I... I will talk to him about it! Just, well, does it have to be right now?" she pleaded, eyes drooping as she looked away from her friend.

"Yes. I shall go and talk to Princess Celestia instead. You're not backing out of this," Rarity spoke softly, but with a certain air of finality as she walked past the lavender unicorn and headed out the door in a brisk trot.

"Rarity, please!" Twilight called after her, seconds before a light blue aura grabbed the door and pulled it shut right in front of the bookish mare.

Fluttershy looked just as confused as I probably did at the moment as we both watched the proceedings. What was that about? Twilight shivered lightly and slowly rotated around, turning her gaze towards me again an instant later. Half a minute passed in awkward silence before she finally shook her head and sighed. "Um, I'm sorry about all that, Mender. You do really deserve the truth, though," she finally spoke.

A sudden, horrible thought shifted into my mind an instant later, however. Fluttershy and I were alone in the room with her. No, I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. "Wait. What's Rainbow Dash's favorite book series?" I asked coldly, staring at her for any shift in posture at all. My back stirred as I prepared to take her head off in an instant if I had to. I knew this was Fluttershy against me, and nopony was going to hurt her while I was here.

Twilight jumped at my interruption and widened her eyes. The mare against me gave out a squeak at my tone shift and looked at me curiously instead. A moment later, Twilight's distinctly lavender eyes softened and she answered, "Daring Do. I was the one who got her hooked on it." Oh. That was an interesting tidbit of information. I relaxed and nodded, calming my new back muscles again. Twilight liked fiction, too?

"You are you, then. The only ponies she could have possibly copied would be you, Rainbow, and Applejack. Only you're in the room, though, so I had to be sure," I explained softly, feeling Fluttershy tense against me a moment later. Twilight nodded and looked down, brushing her hoof along the ground before finally sitting down.

"Mender... Please don't worry about that anymore. The Princesses are here and have used magic to protect the town," Fluttershy assured, giving me an assuring squeeze.

The lavender mare looked up again as well before nodding. "They're fully shielding us with my brother's help. He's in town as well. I don't think the dimensional shift they used before will work inside of the shield, so you're safe, Mender. I'm really me," she added, walking up and sitting back down right next to my bed. We locked eyes for a moment, and a pang of regret danced across hers a moment later. "I'm sorry, Mender. I should have just told you, but Princess Celestia warned me that your old existence might still be a threat."

I took a moment to process that. It was more vague than I realized, but there was a possibility she was lying to me again. "Why didn't you just say something, Twi?" I asked softly, watching her as my body grew sleepy again.

Her ears flattened down against her head and she looked away again. "I was... It was foolish of me. I was frustrated because I couldn't find anything wrong or detect anything with my magic. But you still kept insisting that there was something there. I didn't want to believe that there was something there that my magic couldn't pick up," she admitted slowly, seemingly considering each word with great care.

"T-Twilight! Um, doesn't that mean we could have prevented this?" Fluttershy asked ahead of me, sounding surprised and oddly, a little upset. I'd never heard Fluttershy really angry over something, so the tone shift was surprising.

"There was a lot I should have done. I know that and I, well, I really screwed up. All I could think of was that Mender was traumatized and simply having flashbacks," she furthered, still refusing to look up at me again.

I closed my eyes softly. Well, it was just a confirmation of everything I'd already suspected had been going through her mind. She seemed to actually treat me better as of late, so I could only guess that this was what she thought before the change of heart. There was no sense in backtracking. I'd kept secrets too, and had a big one now.

"If we're revealing secrets, I should probably let you know that I was in communication with one of my old race, the Keldarians. She was a research and development specialist called Keela," I revealed, resting my head back down on the pillow.

Twilight's eyes shot open an instant later and she looked back up at me, startled. "Why were you-?" she started to ask before I raised my right forehoof to halt her.

"I was working with her to get rid of the link forever. We found out what was causing it and were well on the way to making sure it never bothered us again," I added, curbing her question before she could ask.

Her reaction surprised me however as her ears flattened back and she looked away. "Mender, why didn't you ask me to help you? I could have helped to get rid of the link, and this might not have happened," she asked softly.

"Twilight..." Fluttershy muttered, but I shook my head. She really wanted to know. She probably knew already and just wanted somepony to say it. Fine, then.

"You thought I was insane. Telling you wouldn't have done anything," I pointed out, possibly a little colder than I had intended.

The lavender mare winced and lowered herself a little more, partially sinking below the level of the bed where I couldn't see her. Silence dominated, and the gentle forelegs quietly pulled me closer again from behind now, me having rotated around to face Twilight. Almost a full minute passed in dead quiet before a light sniffling noise sounded out. What? Finally, the lavender mare lifted her head back up again.

"I know. I knew that before, and deserve everything you want to say about me. It's probably too late, but I'm sorry, Mender. I really am," Twilight apologized softly. Tears ran freely down her cheeks now, and she looked away, wiping at them with her left forehoof. I'd never seen Twilight cry before. The anger bit back at myself and I suddenly realized I might have been too harsh on her.

Sighing, I shook my head and reached out with my right foreleg, hooking her left one and pulling it away from her cheek as she brushed her fur. Her eyes widened and she looked back at me as I wiped it off myself. "I'm sad that you don't trust me, yes, but I'm not going to stay mad forever, Twilight. Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't think any of us saw this coming; not even Keela," I spoke, trying to calm her down. It was partially my fault, too, regardless. I had given too much information to Keela, not even considering the lab might have been bugged.

"That wasn't Keela that pretended to be Twilight?" Fluttershy asked softly against my neck, causing me to smile lightly as her breath tickled my fur.

After regaining my composure, I shook my head and returned, "No. That was her older, and now revealed to be sociopathic, sister. Her name's Nirru. She tricked Keela into helping her get here to 'talk' to me." There was no point in lying about it anymore.

Twilight's eyes narrowed as she watched me again, definitely looking irritated this time. I was confused until she asked, "Is it true then? Applejack said that you'd told her she tried to seduce you."

"She what?!" Fluttershy squeaked out, sitting up again and looking over me, at her friend. I couldn't see her expression, but I felt the surprise drift through the link. She hadn't known about that, then?

I nodded regardless. "Yeah. She wanted to mate with me to get at the Keldarian DNA inside of myself. That's why she made herself look like you, Twilight," I confirmed. The lavender mare blushed, surprisingly enough, and looked away.

"But we haven't even done anything like that yet! Did she really think-" Twilight tried to protest. This, I'd seen coming, however.

"That's what made me catch on to her so fast. She only got me upstairs before I started getting suspicious. She did manage to, well, kiss me once. I caught on after that," I admitted, wincing as I closed my eyes and looked away from Twilight.

There was a long pause before she let out a quiet sigh. Fluttershy's forehooves massaged into my shoulder before she leaned down and gently nuzzled the side of my head with her snout. "Mender, it's okay," she assured from above me, giving me a gentle shoulder rub.

I opened my eyes in time to see Twilight lean forward and gently kiss me on the nose. It surprised me, and also tickled a little. Both mares giggled as I crossed my eyes to stare at my nose, wiggling it around a little to hold back the sneeze.

"Please give me another chance, Mender. I'm an open book now. Even if Princess Celestia tells me to, I'm not going to lie or hide anything from you anymore," she promised, actually surprising me with that one.

I stared at her, undoubtedly looking shocked as I searched her eyes for feeling. She locked eyes again and confidently nodded before slipping into a familiar motion. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she recited, gently pressing her right hoof up against her closed eyelid to finalize it.

Fluttershy stiffened but nodded vigorously a moment later. "Um, me too! I promise that I'm not going to be afraid of you anymore. There's no reason to be," she added, also tying herself to the surprisingly solemn promise. For such a nonsensical pledge, it certainly held a lot of meaning here. Still... The image of an enraged Pinkie Pie flashed through my mind and I shuddered. Okay, maybe there was merit to not wanting to break a Pinkie Promise.

"Do you mean that, Twilight?" came from the doorway in a familiar, soft voice. Twilight went rigid, eyes widening in shock as Princess Celestia herself walked in through the doorway, two guards and Rarity trailing closely behind her. Fluttershy squeaked immediately and pulled herself up into a bowing motion on the bed next to me. I didn't quite know what to do myself. Twilight rapidly spun around and bowed as well. In my current position, I couldn't flex enough to bow in the first place with my hurt ribs. Still, she had told me to treat her like a normal pony, so maybe I should? Did she honestly deserve my allegiance, of course? She had saved me once, but only to lie to me and set Twilight and me against each other. At this point, I had no idea what her intentions ultimately were. Going with that, I decided to just watch.

"W-What do you mean, Princess?" Twilight hesitantly asked, looking back up at her mentor a moment later. Celestia gestured to rise, and everypony in the room minus me did so immediately.

Celestia smiled down at the unicorn before sitting down as well. "If I asked you specifically to keep something from Mender, or to watch him and report findings to me without his knowledge, would you?" she asked outright, eyes locked onto Twilight intently. I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, unsure of what she was hoping to accomplish. Regardless, she didn't once direct her attention to Fluttershy or me.

Admittedly, I'd never seen the lavender mare so flustered. She shivered, and then surprised me by looking over her shoulder at me instead. I looked back without much energy, keeping my expression as neutral as my insides felt. If she wanted to save face in front of her teacher, I wasn't about to stand in her way. She swallowed, and then rotated back around to look at Celestia.

"Um... I'm sorry, Princess. I wouldn't. You'd need to find somepony else," Twilight muttered finally, causing my eyes to widen. Fluttershy murmured lightly to my left, holding a hoof up to her muzzle as she watched the scene unfold. Rarity looked far less surprised behind the Princess, however, a soft smile forming on her expression.

The tension hung on the air for a long ten seconds as Celestia stared down at the sunken Twilight Sparkle, gaze almost burning through her in intensity. I exhaled softly, opening my mouth to finally interrupt; to say anything that might spare Twilight any further pain. Celestia giggled first, however, cracking into a smile and nodding, snapping the room back to life with just that simple motion and sound.

"I'm pleased, Twilight. I have no desire, nor need to have anypony spy on Mender anymore, anyway. Regardless, I'm pleased that your feelings on the issue have drastically changed, and you now trust him," the Princess assured after everypony relaxed.

Twilight smiled softly and looked back up at Celestia, but the white alicorn had already looked past her and up at me instead. "Good afternoon, Mender. It's been a while since we've gotten to talk," she spoke gently, gesturing with her hoof as she did so.

Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement at that point. I formed a light smile and nodded to her as well. "Good afternoon, Tia. How are you doing?" I asked politely, a bit of amusement being sparked by the sudden memory of my ill-considered lunch date with her.

Rarity gasped immediately, eyes bulging out, but 'Tia' just laughed, nodding to me as well. "You remembered! I'm quite pleased that you've decided to treat me like a normal pony. I do have quite a bit to talk to you about, of course. I'd like to believe that you're about the only pony that knows what happened a couple nights ago," she reasoned, probably fairly accurately. Everypony here had a piece or two about the night, and I'm sure she'd already talked to Dash and Applejack, but I did have not only pieces that nopony did, but the entire picture. However...

"Didn't Luna give you the full report?" I questioned, watching her carefully. She had to have at this point. But Luna herself said that Celestia had warned her about me ahead of time. Had she even needed the Moon Princess' report?

As expected, Celestia smiled towards me and nodded. The gesture was fleeting; barely a shift in posture and eye position as she watched me, but I saw it. She knew, indeed. "Yes, she did. I'll only ask a couple of questions, as you're undoubtedly tired," she returned a moment after. Questions?

"Firstly, I'm told that you know specifically of the individual responsible for the violence. Only you have the information on her, however. May you share it?" she asked carefully, after seeming to consider it for a moment.

Oh. She was intentionally avoiding asking questions about me. So far, anyway. "Her name's Nirru. She's the older, considerably more psychotic sister of Keela, the Keldarian I've been in contact with," I explained simply, trying to be as thorough in answering as I could. She had me in a bad position, knowing what she did, so staying on her good side would definitely help in the long run.

Celestia nodded pleasantly, seemingly amused by something for a moment before continuing with, "I assume you were attempting to work with the Keldarian for a reason as well. I'd hazard a guess as to wanting to remove the link you still have?" Another simple question. Oddly, I kept waiting for the punch line. The question that would cause everypony in the room to suddenly hate me.

"Yes. The link is connected to a book in their dimension. Her plans, before the incident, were to send the book here, thus severing the link forever," I elaborated, technically not giving much 'new' information on top of what she already had suggested. Twilight looked curious for a moment, but continued watching me from the side, shifting her attention between Celestia and myself. Fluttershy relaxed openly again, slumping before resting against my side in a lying position. Rarity still looked momentarily flustered, but I saw the interest starting to build again in her eyes as she sat next to the Princess instead.

"I see. This is admirable; seeking aid yourself when you couldn't elsewhere. I approve, even though it turned out poorly. This was not Keela's fault, however, I'm guessing. What do you know of the creature that attacked Nirru in the forest?" she asked next, causing my heart to skip a beat. I stared at her, a bit of uneasiness settling into my chest as everypony shifted their attention back to me. She hadn't connected me to it. But she knew I'd know almost everything about it at the same time. Clever. But how much should I tell her?

"Mender, um, are you okay?" Fluttershy whispered softly, brushing her wing up along my side in assurance as she rested there. I looked back over and smiled weakly at her, feeling tired suddenly. No matter what, I couldn't shake the exhausted sensation. It felt like my body was a shell; some sort of hollow moving statue pretending to be a pony. Pretending. I looked back at Celestia and noticed she was watching me with a more solemn expression, looking a little sad instead.

"No, he's not, Fluttershy. My sister reported he was gravely injured, undoubtedly receiving some of the wounds from the creature itself. I apologize, of course. It can't be a pleasant memory," Tia interrupted quietly, not breaking eye contact. A lie? No, technically the 'creature' had injured me. The very knowledge of its existence hurt more than I could ever realize.

I nodded softly before finally replying. "It was a little larger than a full size stallion; vaguely pony-shaped but with layered, chitinous armor. It didn't have a coat, but the armor was dark gray in color. It seemed to have a wire-like mane that twisted and lurched of its own volition. Its eyes were glowing blue, and eight elongated tentacles with various bladed parts extended off its back," I described carefully, staying vague. Fluttershy had brought up both forehooves to her mouth by the time I was done and timidly watched me with her eyes shivering. I could tell she was scared, and hardly blamed her. Rarity looked more horrified and disgusted than scared, reminding me of Rainbow's reaction to actually seeing me. The image flashed through my mind again and I winced, quickly looking away. Twilight seemed more curious than disgusted, however.

"Did you manage to see its hooves or the tentacle weaponry? Did any of them have a curved, scythe-like blade shape?" Twilight asked me almost instantly, looking absolutely fascinated. Well, at least I wouldn't need to worry about her running away from me in a panic. Instead, I only had to be concerned that she might dissect me while I was still alive.

"Its hoof claws matched your diagrams exactly, Twilight," Celestia answered instead, shifting her attention to the now excited looking unicorn.

"Yes! I was right in the measurements then! But wait, how could a creature like that evolve so quickly and spontaneously? It's almost like it evolved from a pony by the description, but unless serious magic is involved, that shouldn't be possible. There's no way that could happen naturally!" Twilight continued, starting to shift her exceedingly sharp mind in the exact opposite direction I'd hoped she'd go in. Damn it. If she started asking questions like that, I had a sneaking suspicion that the clever unicorn might just uncover my secret on her own.

Celestia shook her head, however, still smiling. "It matters little, my student. My sister dealt with the creature, and you don't need to worry about it any longer," she assured gently, not breaking her expression even for a moment. Suddenly, I kind of wondered what she'd be like playing cards. 'Poker' had been popular in the barracks, if I recalled correctly. I had a feeling she could win with a hand comprised entirely of Uno cards instead. I made the mental note to inquire later if those two games existed here as well. If they did, I was going to be seriously creeped out!

Twilight looked less than pleased with the answer, but gently nodded to her teacher. That probably meant I'd be blasted with questions later, instead.

"Excuse me, but now that the patient is awake, I need to go over a few things with him and get his medicine set up," I heard called out from the hallway a moment later, in a familiar sounding mare's voice. Oh! I hadn't told any of the medical staff that I was awake. Oops.

Nurse Redheart slowly walked in seconds later, giving a gentle bow to Celestia before turning to me instead. Seeing her in this room again brought back memories of my first hospital visit in Equestria. Not that it was all that long ago.

"I'd like to go over the details of your chart and get you some food. Can I have a moment of privacy with him?" the nurse requested politely. I was a little uneasy, but felt secure in my ability to defend myself if needed at this point. Besides, if she wasn't really Nurse Redheart, I'm sure Tia would have picked up on it immediately.

"Oh, of course. I'll drop by tomorrow after you've rested up more, Mender. I have to go check on the reconstruction project at the library," Celestia excused, nodding to me with a smile. Reconstruction? Oh. Oh yeah, the FTL reaction.

"Thanks. I am getting rather tired," I agreed, taking note of the sleepiness again. Regrowing your leg must take a lot of energy.

"Um, can I come back afterwards?" Fluttershy asked politely, standing up on the mattress next to me.

Twilight perked up and nodded along, adding, "Me too." Nurse Redheart glanced between them before snickering and turning to me instead.

"Do you mind if your herd stays with you after visitation time?" she asked pleasantly. My cheeks warmed a little bit, but nowhere near as badly as Fluttershy's. Twilight's smile widened, much to my surprise.

I shook my head regardless. "No, they can come back in." It was a little strange how everypony just assumed after the rumors had circulated. Although, oddly enough, neither mare involved denied it. Maybe rumors had a way of becoming real after a while? Of course, I doubt the rumors had much to do with it beyond simply making it easier to go with the flow.

I snapped out of it a moment later, only to see the tip of Fluttershy's tail as it left. Shifting my attention back to Nurse Redheart, I saw she wore a gentle smile as she set a clipboard down on my bedside table from her side pouch. "All right then. I just want to inform you of the status of your health, and then talk to you about what we're going to do next to get you back on your hooves!" she exclaimed in an extremely cheerful manner.

"Aww. I missed you too," I joked, smiling softly at her. She momentarily looked surprised before bursting into laughter. I followed soon after, probably earning a few questioning stares from the mares in the other room, but I hardly cared. After everything that I'd been through in the last few days, I didn't really care about a whole lot, I discovered. Did that make me happy or sad?

"Yes, Mender. You know you can visit me without putting yourself in the hospital, though, right?" she pointed out, snickering as she poked me in the shoulder with her hoof.

I simply stuck my tongue out, earning another grin before she peeked back at my chart. "Besides, after you hear all this, you get treated to hospital food and medication for desert. Isn't that awesome?" she offered, smirking at my elongated groan. Well, at least I got my wish. If you could call it such, spending days in the hospital was about as 'normal' as I could seem to manage. Some days, I really hated my life...

"Stop flirting with my coltfriend!" Twilight suddenly shouted from the other room. Nurse Redheart paused for a moment in surprise before bursting into even more laughter.

Yawning, I idly flipped another page, further expanding my understanding of Equestrian culture and customs. Since Twilight gave me the book yesterday, I had spent a vast amount of time reading it. Now, every chapter except for one was finished. I had skipped chapter nine, but finally doubled back to read it after finishing the book and instilling a bit more courage into myself.

Herds. Apparently it was a time honored tradition dating all the way back to the 'foraging' days of Equestrian society. Of course, back then it was also used for protection and according to most researchers, the herds were significantly larger in size. Nowadays, a herd was formed almost exactly like a marriage in most cases, with a few more obvious technical differences. The most obvious apparently being involvement with more than two ponies. In Equestria's example, the legal limit was five individuals unless special permission was granted by either royalty or the courts for extraordinary circumstances. The book stated that, realistically, herds of three or four individuals were much more frequent, unless the herd contained multiple members of both sexes.

It wasn't absorbing very well, honestly. I could get the technicalities easily enough, but application was drawing a huge blank in my mind. It wasn't the multiple mates aspect. I'd dealt with that before in my prior world. It definitely wasn't the practical applications. The skewed gender ratio here certainly justified alternative arrangements. No, I think what bothered me the most was that most herds were primarily mares. I just didn't get it. It wasn't that I couldn't see what was in front of me, but it was as if I couldn't believe it instead.

This caused me to question myself further, of course. Lowering the book slightly, I glanced over at the gorgeous yellow mare that was spread out on the blankets beside me. Her eyes were closed as she lay on her side. Her wings would twitch on occasion, as did her legs as she made little stepping motions in her sleep. I smiled, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, tracing the pleasant smile she wore with my eyes. She was beautiful.

I closed my eyes, feeling the miasma of emotions flooding through me. What did I honestly do to deserve her? I wasn't a real pony. I wasn't a real anything, really. Was the care and affection I felt for her real even if I wasn't? Cares and wants slipped off my hooves like sand as I desperately tried to grab onto anything that could justify my existence. I was a murderer. No, that was too simple. I'd effectively committed genocide; our race was all but doomed thanks to what I directly did. Can anything justify me being happy at this point?

Suddenly, it didn't feel like the universe was cruel enough to me. Fluttershy was far too kind, especially. Of course, that was her in a nutshell. Hell, it was even in her title. Beyond feeding her animals and checking up on Pinkie every day since I woke up, she had spent the entirety of her time right where she was now. Not only did I feel extremely guilty that I was eating up so much of her time, I was also completely baffled by her sudden change of heart. At first it felt like she was forcing herself to, but she'd always insist something about me being gentle, and that it was surprising to her, and then she'd get unbelievably cuddly. I wasn't complaining, exactly, but I did feel badly that she hadn't done much of anything besides that. I guess the most surprising aspect of all was the sheer level of her emotional and physical hunger. She acted almost desperate for cuddles, hugs, and, surprisingly enough, kisses. Nothing deep or long, but she was definitely kissing me on the mouth now.

I stared in wonder at her as she slept. Truly, what had I done to deserve such an amazing mare, when in theory, I should have exactly the opposite. Fluttershy sneezed in her sleep, murmuring in mild dislike about something before pulling herself closer, shivering. It was a little chilly in the room. Smiling at her, I gently slid my covers down, bracing against the encroaching cold air before sliding it out from under her. She sighed, a soft and pleasing noise as she pressed herself up against my side and I covered her in the blanket. Whether she was awake or not hardly mattered as she soon returned to her rhythmic snoozing, this time at a much closer distance.

Deciding not to fight it anymore, I chuckled to myself and set the book down on my bedside table, slipping my lavender bookmark into my spot before rotating to face Fluttershy directly. Her smile widened as I wrapped my right foreleg around her and gave her a gentle squeeze, closing my eyes. I felt my eyelids give in to the weight pressing down on them. A nap sounded really good, I decided. It would probably be around supper when we woke up, and that meant Twilight would be visiting after the library's public hours had ended. I looked forward to seeing my fillyfriend, which both did and didn't surprise me. Maybe things were looking up? It was hard for them to look down at this point, of course. Oh wait, I could think of a few ways...

Snickering to myself, I let my thoughts drift away from the monster that I was and onto happier things, snoozing against the pegasus I shared my covers with.

---

Twilight lightly set the bag down, then smiled at Fluttershy as she looked up again. I paid little heed as I peeked inside of the bag, lifting the flap up with my right foreleg. More books were inside numbering at a half dozen or more, including the first book in the Daring Do series. I smiled at the goodies.

"I brought the cultural basics books, as well as the stuff you requested on enchantment theory and energy dynamics," Twilight finally relayed, shifting her happy smile in my direction instead. My ears perked and I nodded to her, rather excited to have more reading material. Lying in bed for hours at a time was exceedingly boring, even with solitaire and minesweeper to keep me company.

Fluttershy stretched out under the covers, yawning sleepily as she peeked out at Twilight a moment later. "Oh, um, hello, Twilight. How was your day since this morning?" she asked timidly, as if afraid of getting chastised for being where she was. You'd think she'd learn after the third time of being walked in on and nothing bad happening.

"Quite well, Fluttershy! The library was surprisingly busy today. I actually had to be a librarian for a while! Unsurprisingly, all our public books on the Everfree forest are now rented out. It's silly, really. I'm all for public understanding, but learning about a risky area after something has already happened is a bit too late," she muttered, hopping up onto the bed and flopping over against my covered legs. Thankfully the snapped bone had healed already thanks to my regeneration, or that probably would have sucked.

"It's still good that they're concerned. I'd don't want to see anypony hurt in the forest," Fluttershy spoke up, voice growing a little in strength as she got adjusted again. I noticed that she was always just a little awkward after she woke up, but gradually got better afterwards. I'd also noticed that the time it took her to 'recover' her comfort zone was gradually decreasing. I didn't understand it, but I was happy with the results, honestly.

"The repairs must be going smoothly, then," I reasoned, honestly surprised that Twilight opened the library back up so soon after what happened. She had some serious dedication going.

"They're done with the ground floor but the second story still needs a lot of work. Spike and I are still staying with Rarity in the meantime," she returned, smirk shifting to a knowing one instead.

I chuckled, mentally picturing the little guy jumping for joy at that turn of events. "I'm guessing you didn't have to twist his arm?"

Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes while Fluttershy let out a little giggle. "Please. He's like a little Casanova. I'd swear I caught Rarity flirting back a couple of times, too," she muttered, scrunching her eyebrows down a little in a look of hesitant amusement.

"It's good though. It distracts him, doesn't it? All of my animals are so scared and admittedly, I'm worried myself being that close to the forest," Fluttershy murmured. Idly, I wondered if that was the cause of her sleeping here all the time.

"We're safe in Ponyville, Fluttershy. My brother has a shield over the entire town, including your cottage. Plus, Princess Celestia has garrisoned guards here to patrol until the scouts finish combing the forest," Twilight assured. My hoof drew to a stop as I felt a shiver go through my torso. No, it was an isolated incident. Of course, I couldn't just tell her that. With a nudge of willpower, I stopped my leg from shaking and pushed away the memories of that night again. Rainbow's look of unadulterated horror was the hardest to drive away, reminding me that I was the monster they were worried about.

"We're lucky your brother was still in Canterlot and not in the Crystal Empire," Fluttershy murmured, even though Twilight was locked onto me instead. Oh crap. Had she noticed that? Being an extremely skilled magic user and scientist, Twilight was nothing if not observant. I saw her at the top of my vision, expression slowly shifting to a frown as she watched me carefully. I didn't say anything, but guessed the damage had already been done.

She hesitated, glancing slightly towards Fluttershy before explaining, "My brother's the acting guard captain in Canterlot until the new one is trained and they finish moving all of their stuff to the Crystal Palace. He would have come regardless however because Princess Celestia asked him to raise the shield…"

Fluttershy noticed her locked attention and shifted her head back towards me instead, however. I'd figured Twilight wouldn't let it go. "Mender, I would like to talk to you. You've been distant the day and a half since you woke up. Please, tell me what's wrong. I care about you," she requested a moment later, causing me to release the breath I'd been holding, hoping she wouldn't say anything.

Fluttershy stopped fidgeting with the nearby food tray the nurse had left, and looked over to me instead. I shook my head, however, still not looking up. "I'm just a little shaken up still. I don't think I've really, um, processed everything that happened that night," I excused, cringing with a visual tick as I stumbled over my own choice of wording. 'Processed' would probably never be the same now. The thought left me surprisingly empty feeling as I stared blankly at the bag.

"Then, um, if it's not too painful, tell us Mender. Twilight's your fillyfriend and I'd like to be too so, well, we care about you and want to help!" Fluttershy added, slipping into a sitting position and leaning closer to me, supporting herself on her front hooves as her eyes softened.

Twilight looked momentarily surprised at her interjection, but smiled and nodded to her a moment later. I shifted my vision between the two as they both expectantly stared at me, teaming up again. Ugh. How was I supposed to defend myself against being flanked by both of the beautiful mares? My ears lowered backwards and I felt myself blush under their intensely-focused gazes. Twilight twitched in my peripheral vision, but I didn't react in time.

Her hoof snapped up and lifted my chin an instant later before I could react. My eyes widened as they locked firmly onto both of hers as she shifted less than half a meter away from me. "Please, Mender. Look at us again. You don't need to be afraid of us. We're both really us. My brother's shield magic will stop any invasion attempts and he can do so for an extremely long period of time, so you're perfectly safe," she whispered, voice no longer needing projection as she closed even closer. Was she... ?

Fluttershy widened her eyes and openly blushed as Twilight gently kissed me, firmly ruining my carefully laid out response to her last point. My mind momentarily blanked as I felt her push me lightly backwards into my propped up pillows, her hoof running soothingly down my chest as she smiled into the kiss. There was no insistence or rushing; the kiss was a passion-filled one with an almost shy uptake as she tenderly slipped both forelegs around my neck. Both of us let out a squeak, however, a moment later when a rather abrupt wing movement smacked into the side of my head. There was no force behind it, but I glanced to the left in confusion, shifting my viewpoint past the yellow-feathered cluster.

Fluttershy held both hooves up to her mouth as she stared at us in a mixture of surprise and extreme guilt, her cheeks a deep crimson color. I saw her muscles twitch as she tried to pull the wing down and away from us to no avail. Smiling as I realized what happened, I gently raised my right foreleg and held her stiffly extended wing against my chest. She gasped, eyes widening further but her muscles froze in place instead. I saw her almost cringe at the touch but she fought it adamantly as her eyes locked onto my foreleg.

Twilight smiled and nodded softly to her, resting her right forehoof gently on Fluttershy's buckled-up leg as I softly massaged her wing, lightly feeling along the muscles in it as they shivered. Fluttershy's eyes softened gradually as she exhaled, watching my movement still but relaxing a little. "I think I see what you're doing now. You're staying near Mender on purpose, aren't you, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked her friend, earning a raised eyebrow from me. Admittedly, I was curious as to her newfound affection and fondness, but I hadn't pressed my luck and asked about it.

I continued gently rubbing her wings, causing her to release a soft murmur as her eyes lidded. Her wing muscles must be really sensitive if she could feel every little shift I did. "I... Yes. Rarity suggested it. She called it conditioning, I think," Fluttershy finally answered, extending her wing out instead of fighting against it and letting me have the whole thing. I went with the flow and started massaging closer to the base, causing her blush to deepen. Twilight rose an eyebrow to me, but I just shrugged. If this got Fluttershy to relax and trust that I wasn't going to hurt her, I certainly wasn't going to stop. Plus, a little part of me was happy to make her feel good. It went a long way towards me forgiving myself a little bit, I decided.

"The anxiety over the dreams. Rarity told you to stay near Mender as often as you could to condition yourself into realizing he's safe, then?" the lavender unicorn inquired a moment later, shifting her attention back to Fluttershy.

The now relaxing mare nodded slowly, adding, "He, um, surprised me. Every stallion I've met for the most part has been... Well, they've been really mean and rough with me. I guess I thought that was just how stallions are." She whimpered lightly after her admission, shivering as I gave her upper wing muscles another gentle massage. They were tense still, but far more relaxed than when I started.

Twilight's expression gently softened as she smiled again. "Mender's the gentlest stallion I know. He'd never intentionally hurt you, Fluttershy. I'm glad you're realizing that now." The yellow pegasus smiled as well, finally lowering her hooves and just letting her blush radiate from her cheeks. I snickered at how adorable she was and gave the top of her wing a gentle peck. The reaction surprised me as she inhaled sharply, and then slowly let it out in a whistling, airy squeak. Her entire upper body shivered as I watched her flight muscles along her back spasm a little. Wow. This kind of sensitivity struck me as actually kind of detrimental to their ability to fly. Wouldn't moderate winds kind of hurt if they could feel all of this?

Twilight burst into giggles, looking at my dumbfounded expression. "I can see you don't realize it. I told you the wing reaction was a secondary reaction, didn't I? Well, I did kind of forget to mention that it's also an erogenous zone with all of the nerve bundles in there," Twilight pointed out.

Oh. Oh hell. That meant that I was just... My eyes widened as the heat rushed into my cheeks unimpeded. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Fluttershy! I didn't realize that, uh," I rapidly started to apologize, trying to salvage what I could of the situation.

Fluttershy looked more spaced out than upset, however, and slowly shook her head while smiling over at me. Her cheeks still kept up their flushed appearance, but it was in a more relaxed way now. "No, Mender. You didn't do it intentionally and were only trying to make me feel better. Thank you. Mmm, you're so nice," she muttered before slumping against my shoulder and giving me a soft nuzzle. Well, that certainly didn't help my blush any.

"I agree. You didn't know and your intentions were purely good-natured. You are a nice stallion," Twilight agreed, flopping slightly more abruptly against my other shoulder instead. I swallowed, feeling them pressed into both sides of me. No, I'd probably never stand a chance when they teamed up like this, no matter what we were doing. Still, this gave me a bit of hope for the future. Just a little.

"I just don't know what's going to happen anymore. Well, not that I knew usually before all of this. Not having much control in anything is so frustrating sometimes, you know?" I finally admitted, staring up at the ceiling as I rested back against the pillow mountain and two warm bodies against me.

"I know something happened to you. Whenever you get comfortable with it, you know you can talk to us," Twilight assured quietly as she rested her horn on my shoulder. I assumed she meant something more than the obvious of what happened to me. She'd relayed the horror story of finding my torn apart leg already. Thankfully Applejack had been kind enough to warn her about it beforehand. Now I just wished one of the two wayward mares would visit me. Pinkie at least had a reason she was absent, although that would change by this time tomorrow, I heard.

"Would you still like me if I looked scary, Twi? Like, the scariest monster you could imagine?" I asked carefully a moment later. Testing the waters might be a good idea. I couldn't keep lying to all the ponies I cared about. It would tear me apart inside.

Fluttershy looked up slightly faster, to my surprise, asking, "Didn't you ask me that yesterday?"

Twilight had perked at that point and raised her head as well, giving me a questioning glance. I swallowed, but she closed her eyes and frowned to herself before shaking her head. "No. You said if you 'looked' scary. That means that you're still you and only look different. If that was the case, there'd be no reason to be afraid of you," she reasoned, saying roughly the same thing Fluttershy had yesterday, albeit in a slightly more structured manner. Fluttershy smiled over me and nodded to Twilight, seemingly pleased with her choice of wording and answer. I closed my eyes and rested against my pillows, considering the odds.

They were all I had, really. If I couldn't trust these two, I couldn't trust anypony. With that laid out, I decided they had to be telling the truth. I exhaled softly as both rested back into me, quietly. I had expected more questions and was more than a little surprised by Twilight's passive behavior. For some reason, I suspected Rarity's involvement in the change of demeanor. Adding to what she said to Celestia yesterday and it left me with a rapidly changing opinion of my first fillyfriend. Er, technically only fillyfriend still, although Fluttershy seemed rather adamant on joining as well. For some reason, I didn't really consider her officially joined yet, however. Maybe that was because Twilight was yet to say anything to me on the issue, for or against it. Ultimately, as much as I liked having my own opinion and choices, I noticed I defaulted to her approval and control in almost everything. It felt more 'comfortable' to me, for some reason. I resigned myself to my fate at this point.

I opened my eyes again, cracking my mouth to ask if Twilight had considered the proposition since. My question was halted before it began, however, as I saw Twilight's eyes gently closed, her breathing having deepened and become passive and regular. A glance to my left showed that Fluttershy had also fallen back asleep. Well, this was unexpected. Although I began to wonder about Fluttershy a bit. Sure, she brought books and talked to me a lot, but she also spent a lot of her time snoozing around or against me while she was here. I was beginning to suspect that she wasn't sleeping very well at night.

Regardless, I decided to let the two mares rest and slowly closed my eyes, leaning back again and slipping into a gentle snooze myself.

---

My arms ached with dull agony as I let them hang from the rusted, blood spotted manacles chained to the wall. My only company had been the metallic clinking in my ear for hours. Days, even. I hated them. All of them. All sense of time fell away, leaving me with nothing but an eternity of pain and suffering in which to consider just how much I hated them.

Jovan had died right in front of me some time ago. He begged for his father for over an hour before his mind fell apart in fever-induced hallucinations. He was the sixth of my old squad to die like this. At least he didn't go out screaming into my face about how much he hated me. That had disappointed her. She eventually got bored and pulled out his drug-warped heart and tossed it onto the growing pile at my feet. I couldn't even manage to cry anymore out of the one eye I had left.

"So, do you think you've learned your lesson for what you did to my sister?" was whispered into my ear an indeterminate amount of time later. Her voice haunted my sleeping and conscious hours. I didn't even turn to acknowledge her, eyes locked instead on the carcass in front of me.

She unhooked the body, kicking it off the rack and throwing another struggling male into place, ignoring the mess that the thing was. It was absolutely coated with dried vital fluids at that point. I kinda wished she'd tear my nose off next.

"P-Please! Don't do this. You promised me that you'd let me see my son one last time! You promised!" the older looking Keldarian soldier reminded after she tore off his gag.

A cruel giggle. "Of course. I'm a female of my word, don't forget. He was a bitch to find, mind you," she muttered before tearing open the other bag she was carrying and dumping its contents on the floor.

The mess only vaguely resembled a Keldarian at that point, but she had left most of the face intact. Considering the steam drifting off him in the chilled dungeon air, I'd say he'd only been dead for a few minutes at best, which made the state he was in have quite a bit of unfortunate implications. I shuddered silently, feeling eternally empty.

"No. No..." Kevilin muttered, staring down at the remains, starting to shake. She was the biggest monster of all, so perfectly embodying everything I hated about Keldarians.

She laughed, of course. "I gave you exactly what you asked for. Consider it a mercy compared to him," she pointed out, gesturing towards the mess on the floor. "He died knowing that his loving father sold him out. Did you know he screamed out how much he hated you just before he died? It was touching."

Kevilin fell apart into roaring raging for what felt like hours. I drifted, my numb mind only occasionally hearing how it was all my fault and I didn't even deserve Hell. She just kept laughing as she pulled him apart like a wet doll. My claws dug into my own palms, shaking, as his heart was added to the pile.

---

My eyes opened as a jolt went through my system. There was a distinct echo going through my skull, the reverberating sounds of the rattling chains as it bounced around inside of my head. A cold sweat clung to my body, matting my fur down and making the blanket feel clammy and wet. I shivered and stared blankly up at the ceiling, slowing my racing heart down. Those memories were from a long time ago. They happened to somepony else, not me. I repeatedly told that to myself, despite how real they felt. I wasn't there. I was in Equestria now.

Slowly, I rotated and peeked towards my curtains, wondering where all the light was coming from. What time was it? How long had I slept? It wasn't a surprise to see my two companions gone at this point. My eyes widened a moment later as I saw that the curtains were partially open. No, I had closed them when I went to bed! A rapid glance around the room picked up nothing out of place that I could see. I frowned. I wasn't in my old room. That I'd found out yesterday from Nurse Redheart. This room was room 203, up on the second floor. It wouldn't be easy for somepony to use the window to get in with all the guards patrolling the hospital grounds, and my door was warded by Twilight herself.

Taking a risk, my scanners activated, bathing the room in the cool blue light coming from my eyes as I glanced around. Measurements were taken on the fly. Nothing had been changed since I had gone to sleep, however. Weird.

A little creeped out now, I rotated back around to get comfortable on my side instead, facing the window. I was halfway through the rotation, however, when something bumped into my chest under the covers. I froze, feeling the rather cold lumps moving against my stomach. Five seconds passed, and no movement was detected from them. Finally, I lifted the blanket and little to peek at the strange objects that were in bed with me.

My eyes widened a little. Three large, pristine-looking apples rested gently against my stomach. My mind raced, and things clicked into place rapidly. The apples wouldn't be allowed as part of my diet here, and the nurse would probably disapprove of somepony bringing me food. Of course, the hospital food was lacking significantly, and that was an understatement. I caught myself starting to drool as I stared at the three apples. That meant somepony had smuggled these apples to me without using my door. There were very few candidates that could pull that off. Fluttershy had wings, but I doubt she'd evade the guards. Bribing them or acting adorable might get her past them because they know her, but she'd probably not want to risk it. Twilight could have just teleported into the room, but unless she had developed a 'stealth' teleport, that would have woken me up almost instantly. Further, she'd probably frown at altering my diet too.

That left Dash. She hadn't visited me yet, which was a little depressing, but she probably felt bad over what happened so I wasn't going to hold it against her. Still, she was the only pony that could get these to me without being spotted. Wait.

Apples. My eyes softened and I smiled to myself. Rainbow might have just been helping out as the delivery mare. I was worried that after what Applejack had seen, she wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore. She had said that to my face that night. Of course, that was under false pretenses, but I hadn't been able to ask her otherwise yet. My ears lowered as I stared at the apples, a certain wetness building up in my eyes. Damn it.

Lying back down, I lifted one and examined it. They were larger than most and extremely red. Due to their size, I had a suspicion that these were picked out specifically, not just grabbed at random. Tentatively, I bit into the one I was holding and almost moaned as the wonderful taste flooded into my mouth. My sensors also came alive and started picking out all the various parts that made up the apple as I chewed. Of course, it had to report that there were no toxins in it. Thank goodness! Applejack hadn't gone crazy and decided I needed to die! Thank you for the information, sensors.

Amused at my own self-snarking, I took another bite and wiggled back and forth at the taste. Of course, it wouldn't do to leave evidence, as Nurse Redheart changed my sheets daily. I guess that meant I had to eat all of it, even down to the core and stem. I smirked wider and swayed with the tasty treat. After eating what tasted like processed cardboard for two days, this was a delicacy.

Of course, I remembered as I finished off the first apple that I could have just distended my jaw and eaten the thing whole. My 'upgraded' stomach didn't care what I threw into it and processed all matter and energy exactly the same way. Still, that struck me as a terrible waste of such a tasty treat. I nibbled intentionally, tasting the second apple as if a rare candy as I flopped back onto my back. Applejack grew these things! I had all new respect and adoration for the orange mare suddenly.

Halfway through the second apple, I paused and looked at my left foreleg. It suddenly occurred to me that I was partially holding the apple up using it. Before, I could barely so much as twitch it due to how weak it felt. The strength was gradually returning to it, admittedly much faster than I or the hospital staff had predicted. Nurse Redheart said I'd be lucky to be walking on it again within the month. I hadn't told Twilight or Fluttershy yet, of course.

Exhaling, I lightly chewed and swallowed the last of the second apple before lying back and thinking for a moment while my stomach cooed happily. They were going to notice something was up. Admittedly, however, I didn't exactly want to be stuck in the hospital for a month. With these apples I was surprised with tonight, my body suddenly got a lot more mass and energy to use for repairs. The doctors were going to notice I was healing a lot faster than I should be. Then Twilight and Fluttershy would notice as well, and I'd have a bit of explaining to do. They knew I didn't know any healing magic. I bit into the last apple and chewed lightly as I stared across the room at the wall. Honestly, I should probably just tell them. The longer I wait, the worse it's going to get. But what then? I couldn't possibly imagine any of them wanting anything to do with an alien abomination that killed billions of innocent individuals. I'd probably count myself lucky if they didn't just blast me with the Elements right then and there. But then there was...

As if hearing my thoughts, the curtains rustled lightly. My eyes widened as I saw the light flood through out of the corner of my eye. I snapped to attention, looking rapidly to the left as the window slid open and a head squeezed through. For such a large body, she oddly had no problems fitting through my window and sliding it shut a moment later, politely drawing the curtains closed again with a burst of her magic.

Her fur almost glowed white in the dimly lit room. I stared in shock at not only her abrupt arrival, but strange manner of entry. Still, there was no fooling the level of energy I picked up coming off her. Celestia smiled softly and nodded to me as she turned, sitting down lightly directly to the left of my bed.

"I apologized for the strange time to visit. My sister alerted me that she felt a very disturbing dream from you, and that you had abruptly woken up. I wanted to talk to you in private anyway, however," she explained softly. Her magic coated the room a moment later, leaving a shimmering barrier around every wall. "There. We won't be bothering anypony with our talking, now," she added, smiling afterwards.

I shook myself out of the daze and nodded to her before glancing down at the partially eaten apple in my lap. "I, uh, I'm honored that you'd want to visit me again. You probably have more direct questions to ask, I'm guessing," I reasoned, wondering if I should hide the apple or not.

She snickered and shook her head. "The honor is mine, Mender. And please, keep eating. I know Rainbow dropped them off an hour ago. She may have avoided the guards, but I have my senses extended over the entire building as well," she revealed, looking deeply amused.

I laughed at that. Well, a weak chuckle, anyway. "I'd figured Rainbow had dropped them off. I just wish she and Applejack would stop avoiding me," I lamented, looking back down at the apple before picking it up again.

Celestia shook her head while I took a bite, further revealing, "Applejack's a stubborn mare. I do believe she extended those to sort of test the waters, so to speak. She's never quite had to deal with this before, and she isn't handling it well. Rainbow wants to visit you as well, but also thinks you'll be mad at her. It's a tender situation." That I could agree with, and nodded lightly while chewing.

I swallowed lightly before shaking my head. "I'm not mad at either of them. They were protecting who they thought was Twilight. I'm not going to condemn them for defending their friend. I'm happy Twilight has such good friends," I corrected, staring at my lap instead of the Princess. She had surprised me by giving out information rather than just requesting it. I'd suspected I'd eventually get a visit from her in private, but my mind had pictured more of an interrogation at horn point than this.

"They hurt you, Mender. Even if they didn't mean to, it was still because of their lack of trust, and I think they'd be the first to admit that at this point. You seem bitter still about something surrounding it, as well," she observed, watching me carefully.

I froze, mid bite. Bitter? I swallowed the lump in my throat, shivering as the taste wasn't nearly as good suddenly. No, I accepted what they had done. They had reasons to do it, didn't they? Besides, I owed them the benefit of the doubt because of their hospitality and friendship they'd given me, right?

I set the apple down again and sighed, shivering lightly again as the air left my lungs. "I don't like to think like that. It's easier to just accept it and not complicate things, isn't it?" I asked, looking back up at her finally.

She wore a soft smile but shook her head. "That might work in your old world, but I think you might find these mares to be a bit more stubborn than that. Forgiving them is important, but helping them to forgive themselves is going to be the hard part. But your friendship will be much stronger if you do," she suggested softly, her horn lightly starting to glow.

The apple lit up with her magic and gently pushed itself onto my right forehoof. At first, I was confused as to why she suddenly decided to help me eat, but then I saw her focus on my left foreleg and start to undo the bandages. Oh. It was so I could keep eating while she worked.

Taking her less than subtle advice, I took another bite of the apple while watching her unwrap my bandages on the left foreleg. It stung a little, but eating was a good distraction as she got the last of them off. I glanced down at it as she lifted my foreleg to examine the progress of my healing.

Ultimately, it looked a lot better than it did when I first changed back. The skin wasn't transparent anymore, and a light muscle growth had started along the various spots of the leg. The hoof had also fully reformed, along with a neatly cut pattern along the bottom of it that was similar to my first rune, but much cleaner looking. My body had mimicked it?

"Amazing, Mender. Your regenerative abilities are quite impressive. While I ask a couple of questions, I'm going to try to use my magic to restore what I can to your leg and side, all right?" she offered, smiling politely at me.

A light bulb popped up over my head, and I suddenly realized that I might have an excuse presented to me for my 'rapid' healing progress. As if reading my thoughts, Celestia winked to me and began to work. The stinging sensation went away instantly as her warm magic danced over my foreleg, gently coaxing nerves and muscle tissue to regrow into the proper spots. It felt like I was using the Princesses for all of the excuses lately. Princess Luna had used her advanced magic to 'regrow' my limb prior, too.

"The first and most important question is rather obvious. What exactly happened with the Nirru incident? I only have fragmented pieces between Twilight and my sister," she asked first, being surprisingly open with her inquiries.

"Well, that's kind of a long answer to that one. Nirru tricked her sister, Keela, into letting her come here under the guise of 'talking' to us about how I could help my old race. She apparently changed the plan and decided to try to seduce me instead by turning into Twilight. I don't know why exactly, but she was apparently under the impression that the Keldarian DNA I'm carrying would be released when... Er..." I trailed off, blinking a couple times before the heat crept into my face. Well, that got awkward fast.

Celestia snickered and shook her head slowly towards me, however. "I'm far old enough to know how that works, worry not. Suffice to say, Applejack and Rainbow Dash interrupted, and she decided on a more direct route then, I take it?" she asked, seemingly not paying attention in the least to what her magic was doing. It felt amazing, however, so I wasn't about to question the capabilities of the extremely powerful alicorn sitting across from me.

"Yeah. You know that part already. She then hauled me into the forest and tried to download the data directly, explaining what I was in the meantime. I, um, might have had a small breakdown. I'm not really sure. Honestly, I don't remember a lot of it, but I do recall figuring out a few things and finding a 'present' left behind by my creator, Doctor Kyliona," I summarized, trying to be as objective about things as I could.

She surprised me by giving a warm smile and nod, however. "I understand what hearing that would be like. You of course have my support if I can do anything. What was this present you speak of?" she inquired gently, voice softer than before.

I exhaled quietly, not entirely liking this part. Still, it would be easier to simply show her rather than explain it. The scanners activated in my eyes and I saw her suddenly bathed in the familiar blue light I loved so much. Something about the shade relaxed me. Honestly, it was probably the only part of all this that I liked.

She looked momentarily surprised, but I kept going. My right foreleg shifted rapidly into heavy plate armor, twitching lightly as I felt the corded muscles shift through it and the claws form off the front of the hoof. The armor went up half of my face before I stopped it, feeling the right side of my head become heavier than the left as the chitin covered it. I only summoned two tentacles this time, elegantly sliding them off my back with no rush or speed. They fully formed this time, that unpleasant smell being absent as the mouths on the end of each opened and closed, tongues tasting the air. I noticed a moment later that I could actually smell through them.

Celestia observed the changes calmly now, finally smiling and nodding again as I exhaled and relaxed inside the armor. The strength in this form was overwhelming, but disgusting at the same time. Blankly, I stared down at my now clawed hoof. Every time I saw this, whether in real life or in my mind, it served to make me remember how exactly not a pony I was.

"The description my sister gave me was quite accurate, I see. I didn't know you could change only a part of you, but I thank you for not disrupting my work on your left foreleg," she added, smirking afterwards.

I watched her carefully for a moment before finally chuckling. She wasn't nervous in the least. Since my eyes shifted, I'd only noticed her heartbeat spike once when I initially started the process. She wasn't afraid of me. Honestly, that was rather refreshing after the reaction I'd gotten from Dash. Deciding not to mention that, I popped my now greatly extended tongue out of my mouth and wrapped it around the remaining piece of apple. It deftly pulled it into my mouth and I swallowed it whole in an instant. My mood had soured their taste anyway, but I still should thank AJ the next time I saw her.

"My, that's convenient! I wouldn't let Twilight or Fluttershy see that, though," she warned, looking mildly impressed.

Huh? "Eh? Why? Is it that freaky looking?" I inquired, raising and eyebrow on my non-armored side towards her.

She smirked. Uh oh. I knew that face. I'd walked into a... "Of course not. They might get ideas," she corrected, nodding twice to me with an amused expression. ... Trap.

My cheeks flared up with heat again and I coughed, looking away from her. "I don't think that in particular will come up for a while. Our relationships haven't progressed to that point," I excused. I almost added 'yet' onto the end, but thought better of it at the last second. A light chill drifted into my chest. No, it might never progress to that point. I was going to show them this before that, and there was no guarantee that I'd have a relationship with either of them beyond that point.

"Mender, I already warned you. Don't underestimate them. Anyway, do continue. I'm assuming you fought her after that?" she asked, changing the topic with surgical precision.

Sighing, I nodded weakly. "It wasn't really her there. Her body was a doll she essentially controlled from my old dimension with her mind. It got violent fast and there were a few close calls, but I won. Your sister should have the rest," I finished, hoping that would sate her curiosity. I didn't particularly want to delve into what I became to win that fight, and honestly hoped she'd accept that. The hunger was still imbedded in my mind. Hatred. I had wanted her to suffer and die, just like she did to me. I saw her as prey, and pursued her until I crushed her skull under my hoof.

I shivered before I could pull myself back and rapidly closed my eyes. Celestia waited patiently for me to re-open them before giving me a soft smile. "Relax Mender. That's all I wanted about what happened. Take a deep breath. There are only four more questions I wanted to ask," she revealed. That surprised me as well. Four questions and she had all the information she wanted? They must be seriously detailed questions! "After I finish asking them, you can ask anything you want. It's only fair that I answer all of your questions, too," she added after watching me shift my attention back to her.

My eyes widened. I figured this was an interrogation all along, but so far, she had treated it like a social visit. And now she was going to let me ask things in return? Her pouting reaction further knocked me off balance. "That expression! I'm not cruel or heartless, Mender. I'm hurt that you think so!" she exclaimed softly, partially looking away from me.

My tentacles and right foreleg flailed for a moment. "N-No! I didn't mean to imply that. You're just a busy mare, er, Princess, and..." I started to correct rapidly, trying not to offend.

She burst into laughter, of course, leaving me feeling like an idiot a second later. "No need to be so formal, Mender. I'm just Tia, remember? Sometimes you're just too fun to tease," she revealed, smiling at me again.

A certain softness danced in her eyes, however, and I realized she meant that first part. Maybe a part of her really did enjoy being treated like normal. Was it as refreshing to her as somepony not being afraid of me?

I nodded and smiled lightly. "I know. You introduced yourself as that, and now I have trouble thinking of you as anything but," I agreed, sticking my tongue out at her playfully. Her smile shifted to a full on grin and she nodded, relaxing in her posture a little.

"I'm glad, Mender. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have many close friends. It's relaxing to just talk normally and casually. My next question is purely academic, however. I'm curious as to what exactly you are, technically speaking. It matters very little, but I would still like to know," she requested, choosing her words carefully.

It wasn't as offensive a question as she thought, however. I'd only asked myself the same thing a few hundred times over the past forty-eight hours. "You mean physically? I'm an organic computer that's taken on the form of a pony. My mind originally was that of a clone, but now I'm not so sure. Doctor Kyliona did a lot of splicing and tampering with my DNA specifically, by the looks of my project files. As far as I can tell, my personality was an accident, however. I was supposed to have preset information when I landed here but for some reason, that didn't happen," I started, frowning a moment afterwards. That was a true mystery, honestly. I'd seen the files in between getting my flank handed to me at solitaire. Everything should have worked perfectly fine.

"You're not an accident, Mender. But I think you know that already. Please continue, however," Tia corrected a moment after I hesitated. I glanced up at her, only to be met with an inarguably stern expression that denied me all capability to refute her viewpoint. I swallowed and nodded carefully, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.

"Well, I'm a scout, essentially. Or at least I was. Something happened and an extremely advanced weapon of mass destruction found its way into my core systems. It went off when I was activated at some point, and I killed a good percent of my old race before landing in Equestria and losing all of my memories. That's all I know," I finalized, deciding not to hide anything from her.

Her frown was noticeable at that point, but she finally shook her head. "I assume you are in full control of this weapon, right? What does it do?" she inquired. I had a sneaking suspicion that question was in addition to the ones she already had planned.

"I'm in full control of it and I already encrypted and sealed away the root access to it. I never intended to activate it, ever. It's a weapon of mass destruction, O-Class. Essentially the only one to exist, ever. Its purpose is to end all life on a Universal scale, minus the specific planets programmed into its blacklist," I explained. Even saying it left a bad taste in my mouth, I noticed. Omega class weapons were supposed to be purely theoretical, and for a very good reason, in my opinion.

Celestia stared at me, not saying anything for a long moment. I couldn't even begin to read her absolutely blank expression, so I simply waited, idly wondering if she was going to erase me at this point. Eventually, however, she closed her eyes and smiled.

I tilted my head, but she shook hers minutely to interject. "You've spoken the absolute truth, and I thank you for that. I believe you, of course. This eliminates one of my original questions as well," she explained, opening her eyes again and fully smiling.

"Oh?" I asked curiously, unsure of what to make of the whole conversation at this point. She was both making me relax, and scaring the crap out of me at the same time somehow. She was very understanding, but at the same time, absolutely nothing fazed her in the slightest. She was capable of both rapid fire, emotionless calculation, and compassionate empathy. The scary part was how close she could squeeze those two together. Momentarily, her eyes pulled me in and she felt like an abyss of time, both ancient and absolute.

"Indeed. My next question had been not 'what' you are, but 'who' you are instead. But I already see that you are the same Moon Mender I talked to before. You're shaken and unsure of yourself, but you are still you. I'm glad you haven't let it change you," she explained, pausing to snicker at my incredulous expression.

"I'm not so sure about that. I know you said I wasn't an accident but, well, there was a lot that night to make me doubt." I wasn't even sure how to explain it, honestly. How was I to expect somepony else to understand when I didn't even understand it myself?

"Everypony has darkness to them, Mender. My sister fully saw yours that night, and she still speaks kindly and encouragingly of you. Consider that instead, if you will. I trust her implicitly," the Sun Princess informed, watching me curiously.

I looked down for a moment, conflicted. I'd obviously not spoken with Luna since that night, but I remembered a lot of what she said. I hadn't really considered the fact that she watched me kill Nirru. Hell, she was probably watching before that. But she still spent three hours chasing after me and finally talked to me openly and honestly. I hadn't fully realized the implications of that before. Luna didn't think I was a monster? She had...

My eyes widened a little. She had asked to be my friend literally that night. But why? Celestia smiled, and I knew she had guessed what I just thought. "My sister knows what it's like to lose control of yourself and to become a 'monster', Mender. She's not a monster, of course. She's my sister and I love her dearly. A lot of ponies saw her as a monster, however, regardless of what she actually was. I believe she sees the kinship in you, realizing that in some ways, you're very much alike. Her intentions are purely honest, I know you realize," Celestia confirmed, flexing her left wing idly while talking.

It took me a moment to realize she didn't have any of her jewelry on. She was just a normal looking pony, really. Albeit with both wings and a horn, not to mention an awesome mane, but she still looked rather normal without all her 'regal' accessories.

"I realized that she knew how I felt when we talked that night. I'm just worried about, well, the Elements," I admitted slowly.

She laughed, a light and amused sound that drifted lazily through the air. "They're the Elements of Harmony for a reason. They're not perfect, but they learn very quickly and I believe you've taught a few of them some valuable lessons. I'd hoped they'd grow by meeting you, and I was right. May I ask you to trust in them like I do, and eventually reveal yourself?" she requested, smiling politely now.

I hesitated, but sighed. There was a lot I was unsure about when dealing with them, especially Loyalty, Honesty, and Magic... Still, she must have a reason for asking me to trust them. I sighed again and nodded, resigning myself to the choice. They deserved as much regardless.

"Thank you, Mender. I'll be there to support you whenever you wish it, of course. May I ask my last two questions?" she reminded, tilting her head in mirror of my gesture earlier.

I smiled inwardly and nodded, realizing that despite everything, Celestia was still capable of acting rather cute, in a whimsical sort of way. "Ah! Good. The last question involving the incident is if you've heard from Keela since," she inquired a moment later.

Oh, well that one was easy. Still, I guess I could see why she'd want to know. "No, I haven't. There hasn't even been a stirring on the connection. If I had to guess, I'd say she was intentionally avoiding me," I reasoned, taking my best guess.

Celestia smiled and nodded along as I explained. "It would make sense. I imagine Keela's going through a lot as well, her having enabled her sister to do all of those terrible things in the first place. Guilt, I imagine, is being rather rough on her," she deduced, frowning lightly before nodding to herself about something. She was probably right. I didn't directly blame Keela, of course. Sure, I wished she'd been a bit more cautious or kept her sister on a leash, but hindsight is always perfect, I reminded myself. I doubt she'd seen what her sister was truly capable of before this.

"I still have the personal link to Keela inside of me. She gave me a way to get in contact with her. If she hasn't spoken to me by the time I'm released from the hospital, I'll try contacting her," I offered, also revealing the connection.

Celestia seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I would like to meet with this individual as well. Perhaps you can set up a way for us to communicate later once you've recovered," she suggested, adding extra emphasis to 'recovered' by a burst of energy added to the spell. I hummed lightly, feeling it massage into my leg muscles and relax them as she repaired things. She really was good at healing magic. This was far better than the practical magic the nurses had used on me when I was a captain! Err, well, when he was a captain. I reminded myself that they technically weren't my memories.

"Regardless, my last question is merely for personal interest. What do you plan on doing now?" she inquired, shifting back to smiling politely at me.

I stared blankly back, somewhat unsure of what she meant by that. "Err, what do you mean? Like, once I get out of the hospital?" Surely she didn't mean right this instant. That would just be silly, right? I tried my best to curb my conclusion jumping, however. Could I offend her by guessing the incorrect thing?

She smiled and gave a single nod, however, assuring me that I had the right idea. I exhaled softly and shook my head. "I'm not entirely sure. Once I can break the link to my old world forever, I'd feel a lot better. Then I'd probably like to try and get some form of independence. Maybe start a repair or invention service of some sort? I could think of a lot of ways my magic could help improve ponies' lives," I elaborated, this sadly being the first time I'd really considered it as specifically as this. Nopony had ever asked me what I really wanted to do, now that I thought about it.

She looked honestly surprised by my answer, however. I tilted my head, wondering what she had expected me to say, when she suddenly started giggling in amusement. My bewildered look must have been even funnier because as soon as she looked up and saw me watching her, she started outright laughing. My ears flattened back and I sighed, deciding once again that females were confusing.

"I'm impressed. I hadn't expected you to even consider long term things. Plus, you didn't even consider alternatives like leaving Equestria or returning to your old dimension," she finally explained after recovering from her small fit of amusement.

My ears drooped completely as I felt my eyes widen. "No! I'd, um, very much like to stay in Equestria if you'll have me. Please... Please don't make me go back there," I requested, a spike of fear shooting through me. After everything I had found here and one shot at being able to live in a place I felt like I really belonged to, I desperately didn't want to go back to that nightmare from before.

Celestia sobered immediately, giving a faint and assuring shake of her head as I let out a shiver again. "Mender, I'm not ever going to force you to go back there. I've seen who you are and would gladly let you live here forever. I'm happy you want to stay here and hadn't even considered leaving. I say this because after what you've experienced, and after figuring out the truth behind yourself, most probably wouldn't be able to decide what they wanted to do," she assured, watching with a warm demeanor as I exhaled quietly. The truth behind myself, huh? That was a polite way of saying it.

"I love it here. It's paradise and I don't ever want to leave. If you'll have, well, something like me here, I'd be eternally grateful," I murmured softly, lowering my eyes away from her. Being in her presence made me feel rather self-conscious.

My focus snapped back to attention instantly as I saw the white glow shift closer. I looked up just in time to see Celestia stand and walk over to me. My body went into alert, unsure of what her intentions were until she gave me a gentle hug. I went rigid, having no idea in the least as to what was going on.

"You're hurt, Mender. I know you're confused and unsure of what you really are. I'm not from your world so I can't answer that for you. But there are two things I can point out to you that are very, undeniably real," she spoke, leaning her head back to look at me as I swallowed nervously. Real? What did she mean?

She smiled at my confused expression and extended her left forehoof over my blankets, touching down on the area directly over my flank a moment later. The momentary burst of embarrassment was washed away entirely as my Cutie Mark flared up with light, easily radiating through the blankets as a warm sensation danced through my chest. What was that?!

"This is one thing I can assure you of. Only ponies get Cutie Marks. To be specific, only ponies belonging to Equestria get them. You are of this world, Mender. Even if you didn't start here," she continued quietly. I couldn't take my eyes off the soft blue light burning off my flank. It was beautiful; a cascade of slightly varying hues drifting along the gear, with the heart in the center of it all flaring the brightest.

"Secondly, you dream. Not only dream, however, but my dear sister may visit you while you do so. She assured me of this when you first came here." My ears perked as I looked back to Celestia as she revealed that newest tidbit. Its relevance wasn't immediately known to me, but I suddenly realized she was being open with me regardless. She was outright telling me things instead of hiding anything. That alone was enough to make me feel a little better about the situation.

"Um, if I can ask, what does that mean?" I questioned, assuming as I guessed she thought I would, given that she smiled immediately afterwards.

"It means, combined with your Cutie Mark, your heart and mind are that of a pony. I tell you this hoping to give you some form of peace. No matter where you started or what extra parts you might have inside of you, you are still a pony accepted by and belonging to this world. You are always welcome here," she explained.

That was... There was nothing I could possibly think of to say to that. I stared at her blankly, keenly aware that my mouth was partially open and not really caring. Things added? Extra parts? But I wasn't... I closed my mouth finally, letting myself relax lightly against the wing she still used to gently prop me up against her shoulder. She had accepted me regardless. Was it really just as easy as that? I knew deep down that I would rather die than hurt any of these amazing ponies, but she didn't know that. Right? Her eyes continued to capture mine, the weight of experience and time behind them almost as if staring into an abyss. No, maybe I was wrong. Maybe she could tell what I was feeling after all, somehow. It was so weird. She had never entered this room as a Princess, really. She felt more like a friend than ever. Maybe that's what she wanted, too?

"You were right, back at that cafe," I finally spoke, exhaling and sitting upright of my own volition.

Her eyes softened but she still inquired, "Oh?"

I nodded once before continuing, "You were right. Even if I did have a reason for being sent here originally, that's gone now. I want to make my own reason for being here, I think. I just don't know how."

Celestia considered it for a moment in silence. Feeling relaxed now, I simply watched her, wondering if the tentacles against her wing felt strange or not. She didn't seem to mind in the least. They weren't slimy or anything, however, so I didn't think there'd be any long-lasting detrimental effects of her doing so.

"Honestly, your idea of inventing things feels like a good step in the right direction. Twilight and the other Element Bearers will undoubtedly have other ideas, too, and probably help out," she pointed out as her wing lowered away from me, seemingly relaxing as well.

I frowned, but nodded. I'd figured she'd mention the Elements. She smirked before I could say anything, however, and tossed on, "I know you're unsure of them, but they're good mares. They know who you are for certain now; all of them do, I believe. Even if you openly reveal the extra parts inside of you, that's not going to change anything."

I sighed, honestly not liking that she guessed exactly what I had been considering. In defiance, I returned, "Actually, I was worried about owing them even more. If they were more akin to loan sharks, my spleen would probably be on the Black Market already." That was a fun word to say, now that I thought about it. I kept my face as deathly serious as I could muster, of course.

Celestia shifted to a blank expression for a moment until I smirked. A heartbeat passed and she smirked back before bursting into laughter again. I couldn't help but join a few seconds later.

"Ho! You got me there, Mender! Heh. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to consider that debt thing you have stuck in your head a little reversed now," she warned, causing me to wince mid-laugh. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

She of course laughed harder. Ah, so it was paybacks, was it? "When it comes down to it, you're kind of a brat," I pointed out, averting my gaze away from her and coughing lightly.

If anything, she took it amazingly well, giving me an exaggerated wink. "Okay, I do have to confess that it's extremely relaxing to just talk with you. Plus you're so fun to tease!" she admitted, eyes widening afterwards a moment later.

I gave her a deadpan stare, which only seemed to fuel her amusement. "Oh, relax! You're adorable when you get embarrassed and blush. I doubt I'm the only one to notice, too. Hasn't anypony else expressed an, say, interest in making you blush?" she pointed out, nudging towards me with her right forehoof.

I frowned, mind instantly shifting back to Lily, Rose, and Daisy. Well, that explained that, more than likely. "Ah, yeah. You're probably right," I groaned, feeling a little silly now. It made more sense that they were just teasing me, rather than genuinely interested.

She nodded in agreement before standing up again and stretching. I watched her elegantly fold her wings back up onto her sides before glancing towards the window again. "Alas, my morning duties are unfortunately approaching quickly. Time waits for nopony. I know I promised to answer any of your questions, but do you mind holding off on that until tomorrow night? I shall return then and visit again," she offered politely, looking away from the slowly brightening day outside and back at me, a warm smile on her face.

She'd already helped me a lot, so that was beyond reasonable. I nodded and snickered lightly, adding, "That's no problem at all, Tia. You've helped me a lot, and given me quite a bit to think about. Thank you for being my friend."

Princess Celestia seemed genuinely happy with my answer, her impossibly deep eyes softening as her smile grew. She nodded again and shifted her attention towards the window once more, it sliding open softly with her meekest attention. "Then I shall take my leave for now. I'm happy that you've decided to stay, and pleased that you still consider me a friend. I'll be back upon my sister raising her night, and shall gladly answer anything you desire then," she promised, giving me one more smile before hopping through the window, ducking and dashing off into the air again. I watched her spell slowly fire off, and gently lower the window closed again before locking it and sliding the blinds shut.

My room dimmed as the curtains finished closing. I felt considerably more relaxed than I had been when I woke up, and lowered myself backwards onto my pillows again. Accepted by Equestria as a pony, huh? My hoof brushed along the now normal Cutie Mark on my right side, and I smiled gently.

The armor and tentacles drew themselves back inside of me as I relaxed, turning off my eye sensors again. Maybe the little marks weren't so annoying after all? I let myself gently drift back to sleep, smiling this time.

I drifted in and out, a pleasant, warm sensation filling me. Nothing in the way of dreams, good or bad, bothered me after Celestia had left. That was perfectly all right with me. Eventually, I gently awoke, a light tingling sensation throughout me, as if static electricity had built up. The dim light shining through the window indicated that it was probably mid-morning. I shifted my eyes around and frowned lightly. They finally landed upon my left leg.

I'd fallen asleep last night before I'd gotten a chance to look at it. Now that I could see it in the light as well, I noticed that the Sun Princess had done a very nice job of repairing it. The skin was a healthy color again and the entire leg appeared to be in the proper shape now with muscles under the surface yet again. It was still roughly half the size of what it should be, but at least somepony wouldn't get the urge to throw up upon seeing it.

The tingling hit again, with accompanied static sensations in my head this time. Oh. Oh crap. I sat up and looked around, not immediately noticing anything out of place. My barriers shifted into place around me, pool of magic going into high alert as I got ready to shift form if need be. Could they get through the barrier after all? Was it just communication, or was something coming through this time?

A half a minute came and went, leaving me a mixture of confused and mildly disappointed. False alarm, maybe? No. I could never be that lucky. I was about to hit the nurse's call button when motion caught my eye to the left. My attention snapped that direction, barriers rotating into place to guard me as I observed a rainbow-like prism expanding out of midair as if a butterfly opening its wings. It danced momentarily, twisting in upon itself and wobbling onto my bedside table before expanding a little ways.

Slipstream! But that was far too small for a pony or Keldarian to fit through. A needle-like extension slid out of it a moment later, gently pushing through the dimensional barrier and compressing into a solid form for my eyes to lock onto. I frowned as it flared out at one end and then, much to my surprise, took the shape and coloration of a single, white tulip. It popped out of the Slipstream effect with its barrier rapidly disintegrating, steam coming off it as the super-cooled shield met the much warmer air. A flower?

A thin note followed a moment later, sliding under the flower as both landed gently on my bedside table, conveniently next to the tray of food I had finished last night. Well, then. She was a hell of a lot more accurate than she had told me the last we talked about it. A sliver of bitterness slipped through me as I realized she had probably lied to me about that, too.

The prismatic effect condensed upon itself, and I sighed. She'd activated a Slipstream effect just to give me a message and a flower? That seemed like kind of a waste of energy to me, when she could just speak into my mind. My ears perked half a second later, however, as I heard commotion down the hall. Uh oh.

I didn't get a chance to fully process what was going on, however. The prismatic bubble twisted in upon itself and shot sideways in an instant. My shields flared up as I braced for any sort of impact, but none came. Instead, it flickered like a firefly over onto my blankets, settling a half-meter in front of me where my back hooves were under the covers. My eyes widened as it grew significantly larger, to roughly the size of a bowling ball, before radiating outwards and popping. The effect was gone instantly, having used up the last of its energy to do whatever it just did. A weight hit my rear legs, however, as the energy cleared in a puff of steam. My already wide eyes expanded further as the steam cleared. No. No way.

I ignored the rapid hoofsteps rushing down the hallway towards my room. There it was. Sitting there, lightly cooling my hooves through the blanket was a small, blue book. No, it was 'the' book. I stared at it in shock as the key slowly slide off the cover of it and landed next to it on my bed. She actually gave it to me?!

With my senses dulled, I only barely looked up as my door slammed open. Shining Armor himself almost broke it off its hinges as he stumbled in, horn flaring with magic. Oh! He sensed that.

"Mender! Are you okay?!" he asked instantly, vigilant eyes scanning the room rapidly as a few flares came off his horn. I found my entire bed encased in a barrier in an instant and the room's personal shield flared into life and almost doubled in thickness.

"Ah, um, yes!" I shot back, honestly startled by his rather impressive response time. Light blasting noises could be heard coming down the hallway rapidly at the same time, each sounding vaguely like a blast of air, and was accompanied by a light flash. Twilight appeared in the room an instant later before flickering out of existence again. She appeared inside of the bubble on the bed instead and crouched down against me, horn also flaring up.

"What's going on, Mender?!" she asked, sounding significantly more confused than her brother seemed.

Slowly, my heart stilled its furious beating and I relaxed, exhaling softly. "I got a delivery, it would seem," I finally spoke up, figuring it would be wise to calm them both down rapidly.

Shining Armor's attention shot back to me in an instant, and both he and his sister followed my hoof gesture to the flower and note on the table. Twilight's eyes widened first and she peeked over to get a better look at it. "A note and flower? Oh, Keela?" she asked abruptly, horn lighting up as the note lifted into the air.

"No, Twily! I'll get it," Shining Armor interrupted, pulling the note out of her telekinetic grasp and slamming it to the floor an instant later. My ears drooped as I watched him rapidly start to scan it with waves of magic, horn glowing furiously.

Twilight smiled and nodded, apparently content with his thorough precautions as she shuffled closer to me. I turned and looked at her, earning a pleased smile instead. "All right. It's clear," he finally announced a moment later, relaxing visibly and standing up straight again. I almost didn't have the heart to show him the full sized book that was already inside the inner shield.

"What's it say?" I inquired, suddenly enjoying the sensation of Twilight's fur against my own. Beyond the minor scare, this was starting to become a pretty good day. I kept my thoughts in careful check, however, just in case I jinxed myself by thinking that too strongly.

He gave me a skeptical glance before levitating the slightly dirtier note up and through the barrier towards me. "Reading somepony else's correspondence would be rude," he corrected, smirking at me.

I raised an eyebrow, suddenly seeing a bit of family resemblance as I accepted the paper from him. A cursory glance told me that it was a card and opened up. "Eh, what's this?" Twilight asked, suddenly noticing the book immediately to her right. I ignored her as I flipped the card over.

"I'm Sorry," was printed on the front side, in elegant writing. Ah. It was going to be like that, then. I flicked it open with my left foreleg a moment later. "I know you probably don't believe me, but I didn't mean for any of this. I'll understand if you just cut the link. You have your book now, so the link between our dimensions is only being held by our connection. Removing it will cause the dimensions to drift apart in a week or two, forever separating us. I'm so very sorry for everything. I'd love to talk to you at least once more and await either a tug, or to feel the link fade away. Signed, Keela," was written in the letter.

Twilight had noticed my lack of reply and shifted her attention to reading along with me. "She sounds really sad," she muttered a moment after I lifted my head up again.

"She also sent a white tulip. Traditionally, that flower in particular means 'a sincere apology', if I remember correctly," Shining Armor added, lifting the flower up gently with his magic. I resisted rolling my eyes as he scanned it a couple times. Well, at least he was dedicated.

"Shiny is really smart! And he protected my coltfriend!" Twilight complimented, snickering as she squeezed me gently. I blushed, predictably, which only caused her Cheshire grin to widen further. Okay, yeah. She was doing it on purpose.

Her brother snorted and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to act cute, Twily. Mender's a good stallion, too. I'm not guarding him just because he's your coltfriend or Aunt Celestia asked me to. Although both of those are also good reasons," he informed, looking mildly amused as Twilight squeezed me.

"What are you two doing here so early, anyway?" I asked, noticing Clocky telling me that it was barely oh nine hundred hours. Celestia's Sun had only been up a couple hours!

Twilight shook her head before lightly letting me go again and sitting down next to me on her haunches. I took her momentary distraction to reach down and pull the book to me while I had the chance. She looked curious, but answered first with, "The construction team is reinforcing the balcony today and needed the lower floor cleared again, so I didn't open the library. Instead, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit my friends and coltfriend! I've already spent an hour with Pinkie."

"I came here after finishing my rounds and observing the shield. Then I met Twily in the lobby and we got talking," Shining added, gesturing softly towards his sister with a hoof.

She grinned and chimed in with, "It's nice to have you in Ponyville. I miss hanging out with you all the time." The shift away from me in the conversation left me distracted as I felt the tingling sensation coming off the book through my forelegs and chest. It practically radiated power! Feeling out into it, I was surprised when there was no resistance in the slightest. It knew me, I realized. Not only that, but I could feel the incredibly strong connection to it far clearer than in my dreams.

A whisper resounded through my head, simply speaking, "Prudentia." It wasn't a word so much as a symbolic essence. It was the book, I realized. Its name was Prudentia. I acknowledged that, and more words drifted lazily into my mind, no longer whispered but simply deciding to float there. Focusing, I pulled them into conscious recognition a moment later. "You have her now. Please, take good care of my Prudentia. Our Prudentia. She is now yours."

It was gone an instant later. Frowning, I realized there was nothing else. What was that? I stared at the book, the faded blue of the cover meshing well with the golden binding cuffs and lock. It looked so old, but I knew it was almost indestructible. It must have been old when it first became an Aegis Artifact. When my old self turned it into an Aegis Artifact? He had somehow used a technique that hadn't required his death, as well.

"... Mender? Are you okay?" Twilight asked suddenly, snapping me back to attention with the mention of my name.

"Huh? What was that?" I asked rapidly, giving a start as I squeezed the book a little tighter.

Twilight frowned, giving me a skeptical yet disbelieving glance. Shining Armor was locked onto the book instead, however, his eyes rapidly expanding. "Holy horseapples! What is that?! Sis, do you pick up the same readings I do on that book?" he asked a moment later. Aww crap.

Twilight's horn lit up almost instantly as she looked back down at the book I was holding and now trying to shield from her. Her eyes widened dramatically, exactly like those of her sibling. "The energy in that book is ridiculous! Mender, what is that thing?" she asked, slightly less startled sounding, but with hinting of concern instead.

"This is the book I told you about; Prudentia. She sent it to me. With this here, the only link left to my old dimension is her," I revealed, hoping to head off any paranoid assaults on the book. Of course, I doubted Twilight would do something like that without provocation at this point. She'd been amazingly level-headed for the past couple days and I found myself relaxing easier around her. Maybe I was just trusting her more now?

"What is it?" Shining Armor asked, cautiously shifting closer before sitting down next to the bed and staring at the object as if it violated his principles. He definitely looked more wary than Twilight did. I suddenly felt a little uneasy, but answered regardless.

"It's what my old race called an Aegis Artifact. The males weren't given the specifics of what one is, but from what I've grasped so far, it appears to be a magical item created by using the unique properties of our Aegis Barrier, our FTL technology called Slipstream, and the life force or will of a Keldarian. This is the Aegis Artifact belonging to..." I started to explain before trailing off. I'd almost said the soldier I had been 'cloned' from. My eyes softened and I stared at the book again.

Twilight gently squeezed my right shoulder with both forehooves, frowning towards me. "Are you okay, Mender?" she asked softly, sounding worried. I looked over at her, searching her eyes as she looked back. The lavender mare had changed quite a bit. She seemed like she'd added me to her list of determinations, honestly. It felt like she was prioritizing me, which was an amazing feeling, I admitted.

"Yeah. I just remembered something Nirru said to me, is all. Anyway, this book belonged to my old self. Now I have a link to it instead," I finished, looking away from her a little. Yeah, it was worth the risk. I wasn't ever going to trust her if I didn't take the first step. Being honest was important, but the entire truth would have to wait until she was alone.

I made the conscious decision then and there that Twilight was going to be the first to find out about what I really was. Not only was she most likely to accept and justify it, but I also had a feeling she'd appreciate being the first to know. Maybe I could extend it as a pseudo olive branch of sorts to start repairing our relationship?

"What did she tell you? Was there anything important in regards to her plans or Equestria?" Shining Armor asked almost an instant later, startling me with the sudden question as I looked back towards him.

"Brother! Give Mender time to rest. I know you can keep this barrier up for weeks at a time, so a day or two more isn't going to hurt you," Twilight headed off, glaring past me at her brother.

To his credit, he looked extremely surprised for a moment, then apologetic towards me.

"Ah, yeah. You're right of course, Twily. I just want to know if there's any more risk I should specifically keep my eyes peeled for," he explained, nodding towards her.

Frowning, I nodded as well. I could understand the feeling. "As far as I know, Nirru was captured by the Keldarians after her body was destroyed here. I assume she's still being held captive. Further, she couldn't operate Keela's machinery alone, so it's fairly safe to say her threat is massively reduced," I deduced out loud a moment later, looking back over at Shining Armor.

He gave me a blank look for a moment before smiling finally and nodding. "That's a definite plus. I guess talking to Keela would be recommended, then," he suggested, looking over at the flower he'd set down on the bedside stand again.

I shook my head slowly. "Maybe later tonight. Although you should probably tell the guards to keep a look out for any prismatic glows or lights, especially in the shape of wings. That's what our FTL effect looks like," I warned.

"FTL?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly in my direction. Oh, oh yeah. Their culture probably wasn't as big into acronyms as ours seemed to be.

"Faster than light. It's a theoretical form of speed that's apparently been breached by their culture. From what I've picked up, that's how they send things to Equestria," Twilight cut in instead. Whoa. Her observations were scarily accurate.

Her brother nodded promptly at that, returning with, "Ah, so look for the effect because it means something might be coming through. I'll head to the temporary barracks we have set up right now and spread the word." Whoa. I felt both honored and significantly awkward that he was taking me on my word and description, just like that. I wondered what I had done to earn his trust so readily!

"That's an excellent idea. The more information we have to prevent this sort of thing from happening again, the better. I'm going to stay here with Mender. That's why I came here in the first place," Twilight excused, smiling over at her brother as he headed towards the door.

He smirked back over his shoulder momentarily, warning, "I'd better not walk in on anything hanky panky when I get back, you two." Er, what?

Twilight's blush flared up again and she glared back at him, however, so I assumed it was something either inappropriate or naughty. "Watch it, Shiny! I'll tell Cadence on you if you keep misbehaving," Twilight shot back, a smirk growing on her face. His wife? Yikes!

As I figured, his eyes widened and he rapidly propelled himself out of the room at a decent trot, earning a giggle from my fillyfriend. "What's hanky panky mean?" I asked after a couple seconds, making sure he was out of earshot.

Her eyes widened and the color in her cheeks flared up again, but she smiled back at me a moment later instead. "Oh yeah, cultural phrases that you're not used to yet. I keep forgetting. Hanky panky is doing something naughty that generally is done only when a couple is alone. Like if he walked in on us making out," she elaborated, smirking towards the end as my blush joined hers.

"Um, oh," I managed to mutter, totally unsure of what I was supposed to say in this kind of situation. She surprised me, however, by shaking her head and lying down next to me instead.

"I'm happy to explain things to you, Silly. I'm really going to try to turn over a new leaf! No more letting stupid ideas get the better of me," she promised, looking momentarily determined before I pecked her on the cheek again, causing it to fall apart.

"I'll try not to jump to conclusions and trust you as well. If there's anything wrong though, just talk to me about it," I requested quietly, smiling at her. Maybe, just maybe this would work out.

Twilight nodded, looking extremely pleased with the direction this was taking. A moment later, however, her eyes shifted downwards to the book I held in my forelegs again. I knew she'd have more questions about the book, of course. "I'm curious now. Would you mind explaining the properties of an Aegis Artifact or Barrier to me?" she inquired after a moment's hesitation.

Heh, now she was curious? I bit my tongue, however. "If you go over the 'Principles of Enchantment' with me?" I offered, gesturing towards the top book she'd left me yesterday. I wasn't quite expecting her eyes to light up and widen in sudden surprise.

"You really want to go over a book with me?" she asked, sounding shocked. I hesitated, unsure of what to make of the reaction, but I bravely nodded, regardless. Trust, Mender! Her confusion shifted instantly to a considerable smile as she hopped up, dancing back and forth on her hooves excitedly. I moved my right foreleg out of the way so it didn't get stepped on, almost immediately.

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll go over the book with you! I mean, I occasionally read alongside Rainbow, but those are all adventure novels and such. I've never gotten the opportunity to help somepony with actual academics!" she squealed, eyes now sparkling as she grinned down at me.

Nervously, I backed away a little from her rather spastic exuberance. She tilted her head questioningly, so I informed, "Uh, sorry. I just don't want to get stepped on. I'm a little more squishy than normal at the moment."

She giggled and nodded, calming down immediately before gently levitating the book over, apparently having forgotten all about the Aegis Barrier discussion. Not that I minded, because not only was she adorable when happy, I felt a certain warmth stir inside of me as I watched her. The cute giggle only served to send more sparks through me. After the hours of cold numbness, I clung to the feeling as best I could.

"Of course, Mender. I'm just excited! I'm kinda surprised you didn't call me on the dancing, though," she muttered, laying back down slowly with a sudden blush evident on her face.

I was a little confused, but waiting for her to set the book down on the bed before asking, "What about the dancing? It was cute to watch." She looked up at me for a moment before the blush brightened and her eyes widened a bit.

"Wow. You're being honest, aren't you? You didn't think it looked silly? I know I can behave a little, uh, immature when I get excited. I just get so much energy inside me sometimes that I can't help but go on and on and I feel like I'm so silly looking sometimes when ponies stop and-" she resumed explaining, finally letting me in on what she was talking about.

Snickering, I ducked forward and snatched up her lips with mine while she continued, shutting her up instantly and causing her eyes to bolt open to maximum size. I closed mine and momentarily pressed against her mouth tenderly, feeling her give a gentle sigh and pushed back a little. Not wanting to distract her, I broke off a moment later and smiled softly at her, giving a nod.

"Shush. You're adorable and I don't mind you acting like that in the least, Twi," I corrected, watching her blush expand over most of her cheeks.

She fidgeted a moment with her front legs before smiling up at me shyly and nodding. Her eyes were soft, however, and only partially open, giving a warm feeling that radiated from her almost. The emotion she displayed was new to me, however, and I couldn't quite place it. She looked very happy, though, so I was more than content with the shift in demeanor.

"Um, thank you, Mender. I'm really, really glad you're giving me another chance," she finally spoke up. I nodded as she shifted closer and pulled the book into her lap, leaning against my pillows as she pushed into my right side. Smiling, I rested my head on her left shoulder as she opened up the book and propped it so we could both see.

"We'll start from the beginning then. I'll read it to you and explain anything you want," she offered, earning a pleased nod from myself. I made a mental note to remind her about her wanting to learn about the Aegis later. Having the clever and highly intelligent unicorn on board with the Aegis Artifact study would be a huge boon as well.

"Works for me," I agreed in a whisper directly into her ear, causing her to shiver lightly. I gave a gentle kiss to the side of her head shortly afterwards, more as thanks than anything. A momentary hesitation drifted through me as I did so, and I wondered if it was right for me to lead her on like this before she knew about me. I didn't feel like a machine, but if she didn't want to be with me anymore because I was fake, I honestly couldn't bring myself to hate her. It was justified, really.

My thoughts were disrupted by her kissing my shoulder in return before starting up her reading in a low, quiet voice. Damn. The warmth drifted through me and I managed to pull back a bit of water from my eyes. If she really did decide she didn't want to be with me anymore, it was definitely going to hurt. I couldn't decide if that made me more or less pathetic, as far as robots went.

With a bit of a repositioning and snuggle, she started in on the prelude.

---

It progressed from there. Papers were strewn about the bed as we subtly shifted from an Equestrian enchanting tutorial to full blown experimentation on the reaction between our two types of magic. Well, Twilight was experimenting; I was simply providing the magic to test against as she took notes. That was fine, though. It actually gave me more information than what was in the book, anyway, with her telling me all of the results.

"Are you sure it's okay to have it out like that?" Fluttershy asked timidly from her position to me left. She'd arrived about twenty minutes ago and was simply lying on top of the covers this time, having set her book down to watch me 'cast' with my left foreleg. Technically, I could form the symbol on any part of my body, but that would involve explaining awkward things that I didn't quite want to talk about yet.

"The nurse said it was quite fine," I assured, smiling softly over at the mare.

Twilight paused in her magical manipulations and gave me an extremely skeptical glance. "Actually, if I remember right, she said that your recovery rate was phenomenal. Healing shattered ribs to just a hairline fracture in less than three days is unheard of," Twilight corrected, eyes watching me carefully.

I swallowed an uneasy lump but Fluttershy cut in before I could say anything, with, "Twilight, isn't that a good thing? You sound, um, upset. Are you okay?" Twilight's gaze didn't budge for a moment, but eventually she sighed and nodded, shifting her attention back to the shielded, floating food tray in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm all right. If you need to talk about anything, though, you know you can trust us, Mender. Right?" she asked, eyes shifting back over to me while she still pointed forwards. I thought about it. Did I trust them? It wasn't really that I didn't. My reservations were in how huge it was, not that I thought they were untrustworthy. Frankly, I thought anypony would have issues with the knowledge I was hiding no matter how loyal and honest they were. I closed my eyes gently, calming the storm of indecisiveness in my heart. What a mess. Idly, I wondered if there was some way I could become a normal pony. I doubted it, however. Surely, Celestia would have mentioned something along those lines already, even if only to eliminate the risk a monster like me posed to her kingdom.

A warm and gentle nuzzle pushed against my shoulder, and I smiled softly. Her smell told me it was Fluttershy without even needing to open my eyes. "Mender, please. Remember what we said yesterday. We're not going anywhere, even if something scary happens. Um, of course, unless you tell us to, that is. Uh, well, if that's okay. I'm not sure entirely what you want us to do. Sorry," Fluttershy murmured before dwindling into a quiet whisper as she lost certainty in herself.

"I know, Fluttershy. I'm just doing a lot of thinking lately. I'll tell both of you soon, though. Probably once I'm out of the hospital," I guessed. Just in case I had to run away in blind panic from a unicorn either thinking I'm an abomination, or wanting to dissect me while I was still alive, I should probably wait until I was fully recovered.

Both mares smiled softly at me, and Twilight gave a nod. "I expected you were just thinking too much, but if there's anything else, Mender, let us know. If we're going to be a herd, we need to look out for each other," she reminded softly, resting back against the pillow gently. A herd, huh?

My eyes closed lightly. Would she really think the same way after she knew my secret? I couldn't really see a happy ending to this, regardless. She'd probably be mad at me for lying to her as well, of course. Fluttershy would also be even more traumatized around me than she already was, so even at the happiest outcome I was looking at a huge setback in both relationships. Maybe I should just back off after I tell them and let things settle for a while? That would give Fluttershy time to recover, and maybe even pursue Twilight independently for a bit. I had no doubt that I could survive by myself if I just wandered into the Everfree. Ironic, considering my initial impressions of the ponies, I now found myself an extremely universal omnivore, rocks and dirt probably amidst the list of things I could consume for mass, anyway. Of course, they were probably fairly low on the vitamin scale.

For a while, I imagined myself idly wandering through the forest. In my natural form, I doubt I'd be harassed much by the local wildlife. I couldn't even manage to kill myself, so I doubt anything else could in there. Still, I should probably read up on some of the wildlife before venturing forth. My thoughts drifted, and I lost sync with the rest of the world as I let my mind wander.

The door opening again snapped me back to reality as I sleepily opened my eyes. Shining Armor wandered back in, giving the mares a smile and me a curt nod before turning and shutting the door again. He seemed a little bit 'colder' than earlier, I noticed.

"Hey, Shiny. You were gone a while," Twilight greeted, raising an eyebrow up at him as he sat down in front of the bed. My warning flags went off and I armed my weapon system just in case, watching him carefully as the stirring extended to the surface of my back.

He sighed wearily and shook his head before explaining, "It's a nightmare. Cadence sent me correspondence while I was visiting the barracks relaying that the attack is being talked about all the way in the Crystal Empire. The citizens are worried about their safety, of course. She's doing her best to console them, but is worried that other cities are having the same problems." Ah, so a really bad day, then. I'd take that over being replaced by a homicidal alien assassin any day. Although, now that I thought about it, wouldn't that be classified as a 'really' bad day, then?

"Oh no. Those poor ponies. Is there anything we can do to help?" Fluttershy asked almost instantly, sounding a little distraught.

Shining Armor shook his head before looking back to me and relaying, "We need information on how secure we are, of course. Mender's pointers so far have been invaluable in tightening security, but Aunt Celestia has requested that we try to get a hold of Keela herself and ascertain if Nirru has been captured or not."

"I'd like to be there, too, Mender. Is there any way you can connect all of us to her?" Twilight asked, shifting her attention back to me.

I shuddered lightly, instantly imagining Celestia smashing her massive amounts of energy into my skull in attempts to connect, too, and comparatively decided that I'd rather fling myself into the sun. Not to mention, who knows what Twilight would discover while connected to me after everything that happened?

Shining Armor interrupted before I could say anything, however. "I want to be there, too. It's my job to guard the Princesses. That includes my sister now, as well," he announced, stomping his hoof down lightly and frowning at me, as if it were my fault she hadn't included him.

"Shiny, it's okay. Mender will sever the link if anything bad happens. Besides, Princess Celestia herself will be there," Twilight assured gently, nodding twice afterwards.

To my surprise, his eyes narrowed a little instead, shifting down to the book in my lap a moment later. I knew he didn't like the thing, but was he seriously thinking I'd purposefully hurt Twilight after everything I told him?! "There's just a lot of weird things happening, and I don't like it. I'd like to bring that book to Princess Celestia and have her take a look at it instead, honestly," he added, confirming my suspicions, anyway.

"You can if you want. I promise you that it's not dangerous. It's an extension of me as much as my left foreleg is," I assured, trying to be as open as I could. The last thing I wanted was for anypony to think badly of me. I'd have enough trouble once they found out what I was!

"Mender! No, that's not needed. He says the book is safe, brother! There's no need to take it away from him. Just relax," the lavender mare next to me defended, much to my surprise. I really didn't have a problem with him taking it. I felt its capabilities now that it was this close. If I really needed it back, I doubt anything could stop it from returning. Honestly, it kind of scared me. I didn't need its powers in the first place.

He frowned over at her instead. "Twily, what's gotten into you, lately? I heard about what you said to the Princess, too. You're her faithful student, remember?" he reminded, looking both worried and perplexed.

"Of course I am, Shiny! I'm not doing anything to be disloyal, am I? I told her I wouldn't spy on my coltfriend anymore, and she agreed with me! Before all of this, I made the mistake of not trusting Mender, too. You saw what happened because of that. Everything he said turned out to be true, so I'm not going to doubt him ever again," she fired back, chaining together my surprised reactions into a rather vicious combo. What exactly had I done to change her mind in the first place? Surely it was more than her just finding out I wasn't 'completely' crazy.

Fluttershy shifted closer to me after wincing at the initial reactions. "S-Stop it, everypony. Please? There's no need to get mad at each other. Um, if you don't mind, Mender, maybe Shining Armor would feel better if you explained what the book does?" she suggested timidly, but in a surprisingly wise manner.

Shining Armor froze for a moment before sighing and looking away. I recognized that expression instantly, and realized that he too was susceptible to the powers of Fluttershy. Although, the nature of her suggestion posed a problem.

"I, uh, don't know much about it in the first place," I warned, before following up with, "It can float freely in the air using basic gravity manipulation. Uh, it can also generate barriers like mine and is practically indestructible." To illustrate my points, I let the book drift into the air of its own accord, a diamond-shaped barrier forming around it as it rotated.

Twilight tilted her head as she watched it, interest shifting rapidly to that instead. "Indestructible?" she inquired, sounding curious.

"Keela said that it could be ejected into a star and be totally fine, even after the thing explodes. It also survived the point blank explosion of the Grosh vessel, too," I elaborated, summarizing extensively.

Shining Armor was rapidly shifting from hostile to interested, much like his sister. "What's inside of it? If it's a book, surely it has things written inside," he reasoned, extremely accurately this time.

I nodded, explaining, "It's a journal. I'm assuming it has every bit of information all the way back from when my original self started it. I know that it magically updates itself based on everything I experience as well, but unfortunately, I can't get it open. The key requires, well, something else in order to fit into the lock."

Twilight lifted the tiny bronze-colored key up before lightly pushing it against the lock on the front of the book. I saw the glowing of the barrier that covered the keyhole as it flared up a couple of times, completely resisting her jabs.

"It's like there's a shield of some sort over the keyhole," she muttered a moment later, moving the key away and glaring at it.

"Keela explained that it needs something else from whomever tries to open it. She said it could be most anything, from being a specific individual, to thinking key thoughts, to even a certain feeling held strongly while pushing the key into the hole. I don't even know where to begin to figure out how to open it," I elaborated, restraining the mild irritation in my voice. Admittedly, I did really want to see what was inside of it myself.

"Huh. It doesn't seem as dangerous as I was afraid of. What do you plan on doing with it?" he inquired, ignoring the annoyed expression Twilight shot him a moment later.

I shook my head, however, looking down at the book as it dropped back down to my lap. Just seeing it left me feeling rather hollow and empty. The things we all had to go through just for me to get the bloody thing... "Nothing, really. Well, beyond trying to open it. The only reason I wanted it here so badly was because it was holding the connection open to Equestria while it was on the other side," I muttered, unable to contain the bitter tone this time. The price to get it here wasn't exactly low, that was for sure. My left foreleg twitched lightly and I shivered, pulling it closer to myself to warm it from the sudden chill. I vividly remembered the feeling of having it snapped backwards and ripped from my body.

"Mender, it's okay now," Fluttershy assured softly, instantly rotating around again and squeezing me with a light hug.

Sighing, I rested my head against her shoulder as she squeezed me, giving her a weak nod. "I know. I just, well, remember what it felt like when she, um... Well, regardless, it wasn't easy getting this thing here," I tried to explain, suddenly finding myself extremely uncomfortable with even saying what happened.

A light flash. The tearing sensation burned through me from my snapped shoulder. I couldn't remember screaming, but I must have as she smashed my skull into Applejack's cage over and over again just from the motions of her yanks. My foreleg hit the wood in front of me, a splatter of blood coming off it from the impact as I felt it running down my side, everything going numb. It didn't even register as mine. It couldn't be mine! Applejack's expression shifted into shock and horror a moment later as she stared at it, tears starting to come down her cheeks. No!

I gasped, mind reeling as my body suddenly felt extremely cold. "Mender! Snap out of it. You're here, with us!" Twilight suddenly shouted, causing my eyes to open again in shock. Fluttershy was holding me tightly with her wings wrapped around my shivering body. Twilight herself was pressed into my right shoulder, giving it gentle nudges to get my attention again. Both looked extremely worried as I finally looked around, feeling the blood pool in my stomach. Damn it. Another stupid flashback.

My head lowered lightly against Fluttershy's foreleg as I sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony. I, um, didn't mean for that to happen," I muttered, sad that I had worried them. Shining Armor looked downright shocked, now that I glanced up at him.

Twilight laughed; a short and mildly amused barking noise, almost. "Obviously, Mender. I don't think you'd ever 'want' to have a flashback like that. Just relax, though, okay?"

"Yes. Um, please relax. You're here with us and nothing bad is happening," Fluttershy chipped in, pulling me closer against her as she tucked herself partially under the blankets.

"Dang. I, uh, didn't mean for that to happen. I'm sorry, Mender. I didn't realize," Shining Armor apologized, glancing between Twilight and me.

Finally, I just shook my head wearily, looking back up at him. "It's fine. You want to protect everypony. I can definitely relate to that. I'm just a little shaken up over everything that happened still. It's not every day that I get my foreleg torn off," I excused, lowering my ears again. That must have been a pleasant thing for Twilight to discover upstairs, now that I thought about it.

The mare in question smiled softly and gave my right foreleg a squeeze. "It's all right, Mender. I'm just happy you managed to get it back and are recovering," she assured. Her tone had a slight shift in it, and I glanced back up at her hesitantly. It was hard to place the emotion in her eyes as I stared at her. She specifically avoided saying the Princess got it back for me, I suddenly realized. She hesitated, then looked away from me a moment later, causing me to frown. Oh hell. Did one of the two Princesses say something to her?!

"Yes. It's a miracle, honestly. I didn't know Princess Luna was so good at healing magic," Shining Armor furthered, smiling and nodding politely towards me. He hadn't meant anything by it, but it still sent a shiver down my spine.

Fluttershy slid down my side and shifted her wing over me, her book now apparently having been forgotten. Still, I couldn't bring myself to remind her, as the warmth of her coat felt amazing against my still damaged left foreleg. I expected them to be queasy over it, so this was quite a surprise. It wasn't slimy or squishy or anything, but it certainly looked rather disgusting with its discoloration, bony protrusions, and fresh veins expanding out across it. It also itched like crazy as my fur started to lightly grow back across the surface, but that much I was expecting.

None of the prior mentioned oddities seemed to bother the adorable yellow mare, however. She cradled the leg against her chest, smiling as it stopped shivering and warmed up under her body heat. Her wing expanded over me as well, further keeping the rest of me warm as she lightly dropped it across my chest. She trusted me with it now, I suddenly realized. Smiling, I gave it a light kiss along the top of it, earning a whimsical giggle from Fluttershy.

"Okay, you're adorable, Mender. Applejack and Fluttershy are right. I suddenly realize that you'd make a wonderful father as well. You're so understanding and gentle," Twilight suddenly spoke up, making my eyes shoot to full size almost instantly as I looked over at her in surprise.

"Whoa! Uh, is there something I should be telling Mom?" Shining Armor asked almost instantly, ironically looking as surprised as I felt.

Twilight snorted, however, and stuck her tongue out at him. "Shiny, you're smarter than that. For one, you know that I'm a good girl and won't be starting a family until I'm sure I'm ready," she reminded, giving him a skeptical glance. Of course, what she didn't mention was that 'ready' wasn't likely to occur in the lifespan of say, the star in the sky. If her prior statement still held, I had a feeling the ball of burning gas would be on its last legs by the time she even decided to become intimate.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about-" he started to agree before she raised a hoof and silenced him.

"Further, and more importantly, Mender arrived in the middle of summer, 'after' the first estrus cycle. The second one hasn't come yet. Thus, it would be physically impossible for me to be pregnant," she pointed out.

I choked back a snicker out of respect for her brother. Fluttershy giggled, however, and squeezed tighter to me while Shining Armor rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You're a real piece of work, Sis. Suddenly, I think I was wrong. Fluttershy is probably going to end up having foals first, isn't she?" he suggested, recovering his smile from before as Twilight shifted instantly into a blush. My cheeks lit up too due to me not considering Fluttershy like that before.

Of all things to not make her squeak, however, this was apparently one of them. Fluttershy's smile simply widened as a light flush drifted into her cheeks. "I, um, don't think I'd mind. Probably not this year, but maybe next if, uh, Mender accepts me into the herd. It might be scary, but I'll have Mender and Twilight here to help me, along with all our other amazing friends," she murmured against my chest. My heart dropped into my stomach at about the same speed as my jaw dropping onto my chest.

Twilight looked equally stunned for a moment, barely managing to get out, "Um, whoa. Uh, you do realize that means you have to, um," she tried to point out, causing me to blush at the implied direction of her question. Fluttershy opened an eye to peek at Twilight as she trailed off. Frankly, I was shocked we were even having this conversation, let alone it going so well, even if I was just listening, really.

Fluttershy nodded gently against me, eyes only open a little ways and looking half asleep. Maybe that contributed to her mellow take on the conversation? "Yeah. It's, um, all right, though. I trust Mender and it's a natural thing, right?" she reasoned, her left hoof gesturing towards Twilight as she rested.

Twilight momentarily looked surprised, but relaxed soon after, giving her friend an agreeable smile. "Well, yeah. You're right, of course. I think I'll let you become a mother first, though. That way I'll know what I'm getting into," she finally agreed. Wait, what?!

My eyes widened as I looked back and forth between the two mares.

"D-Don't I get a say in this?! Why are we even talking about this, anyway?" I finally managed to ask. Shining Armor, who had been doing so admirably with both forehooves pressed to his muzzle, finally caved and burst into laughter. My ears flattened back as Twilight joined in a moment later. I opened my mouth to say more, but Fluttershy slipped up and kissed me lightly on the chin, causing me to blush and momentarily lose control of my voice.

She let out a giggle as I looked down at her. "Of course you get a say, Mender. You're going to be the daddy, after all. It still amazes me at how gentle you are with me. I had been wrong all along," she muttered, frowning a bit towards the end.

"Wrong?" I questioned, wondering what the sudden shift in tone was about. The siblings' laughter finally dwindled as Fluttershy shook her head.

"I know you aren't mean and you'd never intentionally hurt anypony. The images were just so scary though that I started to, um, doubt that in my mind. Now I'm, well, really, really upset with myself. Ooohh! I could just scream I'm so mad. I wasted a lot of time being silly and doubting you, and then I see you're really like this and I regret the whole thing," she explained, being remarkably quiet and soft spoken for being angry. Well, not that I expected her to actually start screaming or something.

Twilight snickered and shook her head softly. "If Mender's fine with it, I have no problems with you being in the herd at all, Fluttershy. If you feel badly for it, just make up for lost time and be together with us now instead," she suggested, nodding twice afterwards with that satisfied smile she always gets when things are neat and orderly. I nodded along with a similar soft grin, discovering that I wasn't really needed for this to work out.

All four of us were interrupted, however, as three bright blasts of pink flames and smoke appeared in the air around Shining Armor's head. He sighed as he caught the three scrolls in his magic and rotated them in front of himself.

"Yup. All three are from Cadence. Well, you three seem to have everything covered, so I'm going to go for a while. I need to send another letter out to my wife, it would seem," Shining Armor excused after Fluttershy relaxed against me again. Twilight started giggling in amusement. He stopped a moment later, however, looking as if he suddenly remembered something.

"I almost forgot. You never did answer, Mender. Is there a way to draw other ponies in to talk to Keela with you? Aunt Celestia was curious," he asked yet again.

Oh! Oops. I'd forgotten I technically didn't answer that after our topic got derailed. "Oh, um, yeah, there is. Well, I think so, anyway. It feels extremely similar to when Twilight touches her horn to my head and slips into my mind. I think that if she does that when I transfer over to the other-" I started to explain. It got cut off most unexpectedly however.

"What?!" he asked almost instantly, shifting to a mixture of what looked like shock and hostility as he looked over at his sister. I blinked, totally blindsided by the reaction as I looked towards Twilight as well. She was blushing furiously and averting her eyes from both of us, however. I suddenly got that familiar sensation that she was hiding something from me again and I just blundered into it accidentally.

Fluttershy looked just as confused as me, however, before asking timidly, "Um, is that a bad thing? It doesn't sound bad. It sounds kind of romantic," she inquired, smiling towards the end and giving my chest another squeeze. I smirked down at her and held her closer, enjoying the sensation. Well, she was right. Honestly, I guess it was kind of romantic.

"Ah, can we talk about this later, Shiny?" Twilight pleaded, looking back up at him and pushing her forehooves together.

"Don't 'Shiny' me, Sis. Acting cute won't change the fact that you've been Mind Syncing outside of marriage! What would our parents think?" he lectured, sounding irritated.

Uh oh. Outside of marriage? There was definitely something she hadn't told me, I had a sudden suspicion. "Oh! Oh, I remember now. It's part of the Unicorn marriage ritual, and needed to consummate the union," Fluttershy suddenly remembered out loud. Oh. My cheeks flared up with heat and I shivered lightly, looking back over to the lavender unicorn who still refused to meet my gaze.

"Exactly. You were supposed to wait, Twilight. I just... I don't know. I don't have time for this right now. I'll see what Mom and Dad want to do about it," he finally decided out loud, shaking his head and turning towards the door again. No matter how many paths I followed in my mind, I couldn't foresee a good outcome to this.

"Shiny, wait! You don't have to tell them at all!" Twilight shouted as he exited the room. She stood rapidly and was gone from the bed in a flash of light, reappearing in the hallway in an instant. "Wait, I said! Just listen to me!" she yelled after him.

His hoofsteps further down the hallway didn't slow, however, and Twilight let out a low growl before chasing after.

Fluttershy and I listened to her voice dwindle as they got further and further down the hallway. Well crap. "Oh dear," Fluttershy murmured, staring in surprise at the door. I still couldn't process what had just happened fully, and suddenly decided that maybe I should stop trying. I couldn't exactly run and catch up with them anyway.

"I couldn't agree more," I returned before exhaling softly and flopping back into a lying position. You know what? Screw it. The world can wait. I had a warm bed, soft covers, and an amazing mare squeezed up against me. She shifted back to a smile as I pushed my muzzle into her tummy and drew her down into the covers again. "We can deal with it later," I assured, smiling up at her from the shadows of my blankets. This was an amazingly comfortable bed for being in a hospital.

"That sounds, Mmm, nice. Yes," she agreed softly before slipping down next to me. I let out a pleased cooing noise before snuggling against her and closing my eyes again. Fluttershy felt nice and warm against me, and staying awake for so long had really tired me out. There was a hazy, sleepy sensation as we snuggled against each other under the covers. Honestly, I could be happy with this. Very happy. So very sleepy as well... I'll see what's going on later. Slowly, my body relaxed and everything drifted away.