Author's Notes:

A bit more of a somber chapter with some character development. I'll get back to the comedy, I promise. Please don't leave. I love you my reader.

I slumped immediately after my outburst, feeling spent. The party went dead silent with an audible record scratch. I heard more than a few awkward coughs, as well as numerous murmurs of different conversations within the crowd. Pinkie grinned at me from atop my apartment.

My eye twitched, as did my tentacles.

"Is that what the party is for?"

"Didn't that thing attack little Dinky?"

"What is that thing?"

I took slow, deep breaths in and out.

"Hey, Dritchy! Welcome to your Welcome to Ponyville Party!" Pinkie Pie appeared in front of me. I didn't even jump. I simply looked down at her and blinked sleepily.

"Hmmm." I hummed almost emotionlessly. I was too tired for this. I looked down at Derpy, Dinky, and Lyra. Lyra looked somewhat shocked. Dinky looked nervous and huddled close to my leg. Lastly, Derpy just looked worn out. I shook my head ad sighed. "Sorry for my outburst." I called out to all of them. "Have fun and enjoy the party, and if anypony steals anything, I will be very cross. I'm going to bed." Pinkie visibly wilted. I took a step towards the apartment, froze, then turned back towards my three companions. "Feel free to come in if you want. Though if Derpy's anything to go by you may want to just rest." I closed my eye for a moment, took a breath, opened it, turned around and strode into my apartment. The moment I did, ponies fled the apartment. Thankfully the door slammed behind them.

The apartment was a mess. The kitchen was trashed, books and figures were strewn about the living room and even my room's bed was a mess. I stared at the mess and started shaking, once again trying to take slow deep breaths. I did my damnedest to not start cleaning the place immediately. That'd just make me grouchy and even more tired than I already was. I pulled my cell out of my pocket and brought it up. I scrolled through the music's playlist. I found a certain song and pushed play. Instantly I felt chills as my body relaxed. I strode into the living room, switched the song on to repeat, set it on the table and finally sat on the floor. Well... less sat and more collapsed onto my ass.

I sighed as I flopped onto my back. Instantly finding that uncomfortable, I rolled onto my side. As the music played I slowly began patting the ground with my hands, alternating left to right. I closed my eye as the stresses of the day began to seep out of me.

And then the door opened.

Music erupted into the apartment, shattering my meditation.

I sighed and rolled over to face the door as said door closed, cutting off the overly loud dubstep. At least they're having fun out there. Dinky, Derpy, and Lyra were standing in my kitchen.

"Sorry dad..." Dinky said weakly. "Mom had something she wanted to say. Then we'll leave... I promise."

"Yeah... I may stay in here a bit... I got in a fight with Bon Bon." Lyra said weakly. "Sorry."

"Come on in..." I shrugged lazily. "Don't expect me to move though."

Lyra came in and hopped up onto my wingback chair. She was followed by Derpy, who slowly and nervously moved up to sit on the floor right next to the chair that Lyra sat in, essentially only a couple feet from me. Dinky, being Dinky, decided that the most comfortable place would be curling up next to my stomach. I had no problem with any of it. I gently patted Dinky. She in turn, nuzzled my hand like a cat.

I looked over at Derpy with a half-lidded gaze. "You have something to tell me?"

"Ye-yeah. I do." Derpy looked unsure.

"It's okay mom." Dinky encouraged softly.

"I know muffin." Derpy smiled warmly at Dinky, took a slow breath in, let it out, then looked at me. "Saying I'm sorry isn't enough. I attacked you without provocation and without any evidence or real proof. All I had to go on was misinformation from Lyra." She shot a glare at the aforementioned unicorn, who shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Derpy returned her attention to me and continued. "I know this isn't an excuse for me to attack you, but the thought of anything happening to my little muffin..." She teared up and sniffled. "She's all I have left. The thought of something like you-."

"Mom, don't be racist." Dinky warned.

Derpy giggled dryly, wiping away a stray tear with a wingtip. "Heh, you're right. Sorry."

"Eh, don't worry about it." I shook my head, gesturing a tentacle noncommittally.

"Alright... if you're sure..." Derpy slowly nodded. "I... I let my imagination run away with me... and I reacted because you represent what my mind most feared."

"I know... I saw..." I said, shuddering as my stomach twisted from the memories.

All three stared at me. "You... what?" Derpy asked.

"When I fell and brushed against you. I saw what you most feared. Call it telepathy or call it Eldritch Mind Powers, I saw what you saw me as..." I felt my stomach heave and I clenched my abs in response.

"So that's why you recoiled..." Derpy's eyes widened. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No, I'm sorry... Ugh... This day has just been a mess." I sighed.

"Stop it," Derpy still sounded sad, only this time I could tell it was for me. "I attacked you." She sniffled again. "You're allowed to be angry."

"Dad, you have a right to be mad at mom." Dinky's eyes stared in mine.

"I don't get angry." I sighed, glancing between Derpy and Dinky.

Both of them stared at me in confusion. Derpy was going to say something but Lyra cut her off. "If we're apologising about stuff... Then I've got something to apologize for too..."

"Oh really?" Damn, I wished I had a second brow to raise. Curse you, you mono-eyed cyclops! Wait....

"Yeah... I kinda just left you to get pummeled, aaaaand before that I argued with you, and I didn't help you with Derpy in the first place...." Lyra said weakly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"Well, Derpy was after me. You actually didn't have to do anything." I pointed out.

"But as you said. You're my Herald." She did a passable impression of me. "I should have done something to help."

"You did eventually go get Dinky." I replied blandly.

"Dammit Eldritch! Get Mad!" Lyra snapped. "You're allowed to be angry at us! It's seriously worrying me that you're not!"

"You said, you don't get angry. Why?" Dinky looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

I groaned, rolling my eye. Then I sighed. "I guess I could tell you a little about myself." That got their attention. All of it. "Now I'm going to preface this. Before today I was a human." Derpy and Dinky blinked, clearly confused. I however I looked directly at Lyra when I said that.

Lyra and I stared at each other. "What?" Lyra asked with a raised brow.

I blinked. "Huh... I was expecting a bigger reaction." I mused aloud.

"Why? Eldritch Horror kinda beats human in my book. Just by a bit though." Lyra rolled her eyes with an overly dramatic groan.

"Well huh...." I shrugged.

"Ummmmm. Dad. what's a human?" Dinky cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"You know your hunter in Bloodborne?" I asked

Dinky face hoofed. "Oh... duh, probably should have guessed that."

"So.... What's a human?" Derpy asked, looking very lost.

"A pink mostly hairless ape-like creature." Lyra and I said in unison.

"Pound it." I reached out with a tentacle. Lyra went Eldritch-Mode and bro-hoofed my tentacle with hers.

"Okay, I think I can imagine that." Derpy nodded.

"Let me just have you over when I get Dinky to play Skyrim. Then you'll see what humans can look like." I chuckled.

"So... what's being a human have to do with you not getting angry?" Lyra asked crossing her forelegs over her chest and raising an inquisitive brow.

"Oh being a human has nothing to do with it... I think... I just wanted to see you react." I pointed a tentacle at her.

"Celestia.... Why does everypony think I have a thing for humans?!" Lyra Snapped in exasperation.

"Mainly for their hands." I nodded.

"Tentacles or Get The F*** Out." Lyra stated.

I blinked. "Did you just bleep yourself?"

"Yeah, what the f***'s it to you?" She grinned.

"Hey! We're kinda getting off-topic, and I'm really curious! Dad, start talking!" Dinky poked me in the chest with a hoof.

"Sorry..." Lyra and I said in unison.

I sighed, looked down at Dinky and patted her mane. "Okay... So I don't get angry because I had... no, still have some anger issues."

"Okay, how bad are we talking?" Lyra asked.

"Like I'd blow my top and wreck shit, kind of anger. See, I suffer from Intermittent Explosive Disorder, at least I'm pretty sure I still do. What that means is, when I get angry, I get really angry. Like, you're getting a number of my stored up fucks, kind of anger." I sighed and looked at Derpy. who had oddly been silent. "Apologies for the swearing by the way."

"I'll give you a pass." Derpy said, sounding down.

"Thanks." I nodded at her. "It's just with I.E.D. you're fine one minute, then something triggers you. Like you have one bad reaction and you become..."

"A rage monster intent on beating the ever-living shit out of a tentacle monster for daring to touch your daughter..." Derpy said in almost a whisper, looking down at the floor.

I blinked. My eye widened.

She understood.....

I reached out and grabbed her. She yelped as I pulled her into a hug, squishing Dinky between us, but she didn't seem to mind. Derpy struggled briefly, before relaxing and accepting the embrace. I felt tears staining her cheeks. "I-I let my anger get the better of me, and I-I h-hurt you." She sniffled, her breaths hitching.

"Shhh, it's okay I got better. I forgive you." I said softly. Dinky squirmed out from between us and laid over the two of us in a hug.

"W-why?" Derpy hiccuped.

Because I need to remain calm, and if I don't I will literally destroy the very ground you walk on, kill Celestia, Luna, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, and Full-Power Tirek in less than 3 minutes, and nothing will be able to stop me.

"Because you're too cute to be mad at." I nodded sagely. I could feel her blushing.

"Soon..." I heard Dinky whisper.

"Well... That's certainly cheerful..." Lyra sighed. "So!" She clapped her hooves. "Can we move on to happier things? Please?"

"Of course." I nodded, then looked to at Derpy. "You want me to let you go?"

"Ummm.. No?" Derpy looked up, blushing and blinking her misaligned eyes.

Hnnng! Ow... My heart!

I looked back to Lyra before my heart exploded. "What do you want to know?"

"Well.... What did you.... as a human?" Lyra asked awkwardly.

"You're bad at this." I responded flatly. "Well, what do you expect. I didn't do anything important really. I worked at a restaurant to pay for all of my nerdy addictions. I didn't have many friends when I was younger because I really didn't like talking to people. Which changed little when I got older."

"How old are you?" Derpy asked.

"Eh..... Twenty... Six?" I said slowly.

"Twenty-six." Lyra shrugged.

"Eleven." Dinky chirped.

"Ummmm.... Twenty... Seven..." Derpy said awkwardly. Well huh... Wait... She had Dinky when she was Sixteen? That's... depressing...

"Huh, well cool. What else do you want to know?" I asked.

"What's your favourite nerdy thing?" Dinky asked.

"Ummmm..... Can't decide between Blizzard, Bethesda, My Little Pony." I used a tentacle to tap my facial tentacles in thought. "And I know you won't get any of those-"

"What's My Little Pony?" Lyra asked looking very confused.

I froze.

SHIT! I should not have mentioned that!

"Well... it would be easier to show you...." I said slowly. I wrapped a tentacle around Dinky, then lifted Derpy and myself off of the floor using the other three. I proceeded to spider-walk over to the couch and pull us onto it, leaving Derpy in my lap, and Dinky in Derpy's lap. Using Tentacles I turned on the T.V. and PS4.

Hmmmm, what to choose as a video. Ah... How about this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9T3CIZvPUY

Derpy watched, looking confused. Lyra and Dinky, however, were giggling at it. Well good.

"What was that?" Derpy asked.

"The only answer you need Derpy is..... Multiverse Theory!!!" Lyra nodded sagely.

"Well yeah, it would make sense that out there somewhere is a world where we're some cute form of entertainment." Dinky also nodded sagely.

"Good, you understand," I looked down at Derpy, "somewhat. Can we not spread this around? I don't want Twilight busting in and grilling me on this."

"Oh sure." Lyra nodded.

"Okay." Dinky grinned.

"Sure.... I don't think anypony would believe me anyway." Derpy said, still looking a little unsure.

"Good. This has been kinda nice. Just some real low-key time with friends." I sighed contentedly, closing my eye as I relaxed on the couch.

"Hey.... Eldritch... Would you, maybe, like to get dinner sometime?" Derpy said slowly. " I could feel her blush.

My eye snapped open.

Nuclear Panic Attack Detected!

5...

4...

3...

The front door burst open, thankfully shattering my oncoming freak out.

"Hey Dritchy! Where are you? You're missing a great party!" Pinkie Pie's voice erupted from the kitchen among a blast of noise.

I slowly set Derpy and her daughter down next to me on the couch. I stood slowly.

"Excuse me ladies... I need to murder a ponk." I growled. "And show a DJ what real dubstep is..."