Twilight Emeris sorted the various gems back into their appropriate places, they’d already cleared the floor of the runic inscriptions and sigils for their attempted ritual.

There was a pair of soft pops and flashes of light.

“Twilight. Emeris.”

Swallowing due to the trepidation of both of the bodies inhabitants, they finished setting down the gems and turned towards the two alicorns in the center of the library, “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.”

“Come here Twilight, Emeris.”

The two walked forward, their neck muscles twitching as Emeris tried to hold their head high even as Twilight tried to hold it low in submission, ’I’ve messed up! I’ve messed up bad!’

’You only did what you thought was right, even if you made a mistake while doing so.’

Celestia’s eyes narrowed slightly as the merged alicorn came closer; her horn lit up and a golden light washed over the smaller alicorn, causing an unpleasant prickling sensation along their coat. Mismatched eyes blinked, ’I recognize that spell, it’s what Luna used to see if I was still under the curse…’

The princess of the sun’s lips pressed into a thin line momentarily as the spell finished before her face returned to a regal, if neutral expression. That alone made Twilight cringe, she had not seen that look on her teachers face directed at her in years.

“Twilight, before anything else, I want to hear your side of this story.”

Taking a slow breath to steady herself, Twilight began, “I–… when Emeris was still under the curse, I made several attempts to sleep with him. I almost succeeded one time…” concern flashed through Celestia’s eyes and her jaw tensed, “But… while I didn’t succeed, it was only because Pinkie Pie interrupted us… since no one could talk about ‘Gary’ without activating the curse… I didn’t know no one else had gotten that close… and I thought… I’d thought other ponies had gotten him to mount them.”

The princess of the sun stepped forward and wrapped her warm, alabaster wings around the lavender alicorn, pulling them close to her chest. The merged alicorn stiffened briefly before leaning into the embrace, a slow stream of tears seeping from their mismatched eyes.

“Continue, Twilight.”

“S-So I had trouble trusting Emeris… I–… I think I hated him. S-So when you told me to trust him, to give him a chance… I thought that-... I couldn’t believe the curse was really gone…” tears were soaking into Celestia’s coat.

’At ease Twilight. It’s okay, just explain it to her.’

“I couldn’t trust him. I had to find proof to show how bad he really was to you so I tried to read his mind for that proof… but that didn't work out so I... I tried to merge our minds... that turned out… like you can see.”

One of Celestia’s wings came around to brush the slow trail of tears from the smaller alicorns face, “Yes, I can Twilight.”

“I–… I just thought he’d raped my friends and… and I couldn’t think past that.”

“But you didn’t come to me with that possibility Twilight.”

The alicorn’s head fell, “No.”

“And you still used forbidden magics to seek your information, or at least, those that require a specialized license.”

“Yes.”

Celestia sighed, her wing slowly brushing her wing along Twilight’s back, the disappointment in that sigh sent a pang of pain through Twilight’s heart, “I am disappointed, Twilight, I had thought I taught you better than this.”

“Princess…”

“I am mostly disappointed that you did not come to me with your concerns. All of this could have been avoided. But you have scared me. When I had heard that you’d merged yourself with Emeris I was worried for the mental stability of two of my little ponies. Emeris’ mind is a dangerous place, not only because of the knowledge he holds, but also due to his nature.”

“What do you mean Princess…?”

“Emeris, what are you?”

“... you mean originally…? A human…”

“Why are you a pony?”

“Um… I never totally understood that… magic conjured up a physical body for me which I’m possessing is the best I could figure out…?” I’d studied separately from Celestia and hers, so she probably knew the truth considering that she’s the one that figured out how to fix it.

“Your actual form can barely exist in our reality, your physics are fundamentally different from our own as you have noted to me. When you first came, Harmony wrapped around your form and acted as a buffer between your reality and our own. On a metaphysical level, the core of your existence is wrapped in a shell of Harmony magic.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open as something clicked in her head even as Emeris absorbed that information, “So that’s why we needed the Elements of Harmony to fix him! We were recalibrating his harmonious baseline so that the ambient magic wouldn’t try to ‘correct’ it!”

A small, though amused smile appeared on Celestia’s face, “That is correct Twilight.”

’Slow that one down for me please…?’

’If your form (and its effect on others) is/was a result of an error in the Harmony magic acting as a buffer between you and the rest of reality, any attempt at negating it or changing it would be going against what the universe considers the ‘natural order’, like trying to make the sun not shine or things fall up. The universe eventually corrects those effects by asking the “soul” of the pony what’s right, and since as far as the ambient magic is concerned your soul was that powerful harmony magic shell, unless-’

’-a powerful link to Harmony is used to perform the change or otherwise a part of the process, it just won’t work and reality will reassert the original state. Ah. Okay. Thanks.’

Then Twilight paused, “But… why does that make his nature dangerous…?”

This time, it was Emeris that picked up on the implications quickly, ’Because… what if you’re not ‘merged’ with me....

“Because, Twilight, the two of you are not merged in the normal sense that such magic would imply. Your real body is within the Harmony magic that makes up Emeris’ body while his soul is nestled within your own. The longer you two are combined in this fashion, the greater chance your very existence will be damaged by close contact with Emeris’ very different physics.”

“O-Oh…”

“Thankfully, separating you two should not be difficult, though it shall be painful. The only concern is how much dangerous knowledge you have gotten from Emeris due to osmosis.”

At this, Luna cleared her throat, “If Twilight was sharing Emeris’ nightmares for the past few nights, she knows of one threat of which the knowledge of could cause trouble.”

Twilight blinked, “You’ve been following Emeris dreams…?”

Luna raised an eyebrow at Twilight, “There are things in his rare dreams and nightmares that I must ensure do not escape. In the rare times he dreams, I must keep an eye upon them just in case.”

“Oh…”

“Emeris,” the merged alicorn turned back to Celestia, who still had a wing wrapped around them, “You are more aware of the things which you have fought than either of us, as well as Twilight’s exposure to your mind. Are there any other things which may endanger her mind?”

There was a flash of… something through their head before Emeris viciously suppressed it, “I can’t determine. There isn’t an easy distinction between our minds, I can’t simply view her mind without risking more bleed through, especially if I’m looking for something.”

Celestia’s mouth pressed into a thin line before she nodded, “I understand. Regardless, we shall need to seal off that memory.” Twilight swallowed, even if it was Celestia, messing around with her head wasn’t something she was looking forward to.

The princess of the sun stepped back even as Luna came up to stand beside her, both of their horns lighting up, “Relax yourselves my little ponies.”

’Wait, how? What are we doing? Are they about to do the memory thing? What–’

’Twilight. What are the laws of magical ethics?’

’W-What?’

’What are the currently accepted laws of magical ethics?’

’The First: Do not end the life of another with magic

The Second: Do not alter the mind of another

The Third: Do not permanently alter the form of another

The Fourth: Do not summon from beyond the veil

The Fifth: Do not use outside energy to power your spells

The Sixth: Do not give energy to another’

’Seventh, don’t worry when the super powerful immortal princess of the sun tells you not to worry.’

’... what?’

’They’re done.’

“What-?! I– Princess?”

“I’m guessing that Emeris distracted you, Twilight?”

“I– … yes…”

“Yes, we are done with the memory seal,” Celestia’s smile edged into ‘amused’.

“Oh…”

“And now we must pull you out from Emeris’ form,” Luna was moving to the other side of the merged ponies.

“J-Just like that?!”

“Time is of the essence Twilight,” her eyes locked with theirs, “I am sorry, but this will be quite painful, especially for you Emeris.”

“I understand. We are prying my body apart to pull Twilight out of it…” there was a switch in tone and accent as Twilight took over the vocal chords once more, “S-So what do we do?”

“Relax as much as you can and do not struggle, yourself especially Twilight, if you struggle you risk harming Emeris internally.”

Twilight let out a little squeak at that as Luna slowly traced a circle into the floorboards around the smaller alicorn.

’Twilight, it’s okay, I trust you. We can do this.’

’Is… is this what it was like for you when we broke your curse…?’

’... yes… yes it was.’ They were nearly sweating, fear was clenching around their heart like a cold fist, their breath kept threatening to get away from them… ’I found it helpful to try and stay in a single position rather than trying to go limp…’

As the circle beneath them lit up, there was silence in their mind for a long moment, ’Emeris?’

’Yes Twilight?’

’Before we’re separated again… I just want you to know just how sorry I am about all of this.’ The thought was accompanied by the Element of Magic opening her mind to her headmate almost completely, her emotions flooding through their conjoined minds.

’Twilight… you’re forgiven. You’ve been forgiven.’

’It still needs to be said.’

The pain started at their chin. It was like a knife was being used to split their lower lip right down the middle, and while a whimper escaped them, they did not move. The magical effect began to slowly move down their body, tracing from their lip down their neck, then their torso, all the way down their barrel. While considerable, the pain wasn’t excruciating, like a very large paper cut. Then there was another cut, from the inside of one forehoof, up their leg, across their barrel, and then down to their other forehoof, a process repeated with their hindhooves.

The lavender alicorn was slowly lifted, ’And suddenly… I have a premonition this is gonna suck, hard.’

’Emeris-!’ Twilight chastised, even as she struggled not to laugh. Then there was almost a lurch as something grabbed onto Twilight’s existence. Unnoticed by the conjoined minds, golden light began to shine through the cuts.

’Okay, that hurts. That hurts a lot.’ There was a pulling, feeling to Emeris that a hot brand had reached inside him to clench around his heart and pull it from his chest.

Which, to be honest, if it was pulling Twilight from him, it kind of was.

Twilight felt like she was enveloped by the sun, not in the sense of the pleasant warmth of sun during summer, but the blazing heat of the sun in the desert, it was pain and discomfort.

And then the force started to pull, prying his chest open

’OW! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow, ow, ow ow ow ow, seriously by the way, ow, still not as bad as the curse being lifted but ow ow ow ow ouchies ouchers owie oh such a dick ow ow ow ow ow ow ow fucking ow god damn mother fucking cock sucking ass licking piss drinking cum guzzling rabbit fucking donkey humping fisting loving piece of shit–......’

Emeris mind slowly faded from the fringes of Twilight’s, leaving the mare stunned at his quite… eloquent cursing even as it faded. She was uncomfortable, but her discomfort went from pain to disgust as the sensation of far too warm sunlight against her skin was joined by that of warm, wet flesh, the pulsing of blood and bits of bone surrounding her.

There was a wet, squelching sound as her vision faded, being replaced instead with a wash of dark red.

Panic tried to grip her, but she forced herself to stay still and calm, she risked not only herself, but the pony she’d wronged if she panicked. There was a sucking sensation all around her and suddenly light nearly blinded her and there was a chill against her coat.

She breathed in, sucking in air as if she hadn’t breathed in hours, blinking repeatedly despite the pain in her eyes, red tears flowing freely down her face as blood was washed away.

Panting as she floated slowly to the ground, her legs crumpling beneath her. Curling up and both feeling and looking like a newborn foal, she saw Celestia in front of her, shining like the sun with golden light. The realization that she was in her own body was quickly followed by the one that Emeris was likely behind her and she quickly looked back, a strangled cry escaping her, “Emeris-?!”

There was the body that she’d shared with him, lavender coat covered in blood, mismatched eyes that were glassy, mane and tail tangled… and opened up from jaws to tail, ribcage spread open and blood falling to the floorboards… and inside the chest cavity… something.

There was something words failed to describe residing in the chest cavity of the body, shining with darkness, bent at impossible angles, twisting and shifting and impossible to describe. Twilight’s mind recoiled from it… and yet it was so familiar because it was… it was EMERIS on a level that was hard to describe but was so fundamental that it actually hurt–

The bodies chest closed quickly and with a sickening squelch, the magical aura around him an ever shifting mix of golden yellow and midnight blue, the body slumping bonelessly in the hold.

’He… he isn’t breathing...’ “E-Emeris-?!” Twilight croaked, her legs fumbling weakly, uncaring as she smeared blood against more of her floor in her attempt to stand, or at least crawl closer to the hovering body, “Emeris!”

“At ease Twilight,” Celestia’s voice was terse in concentration, but thankfully calm, “He only looks bad, give it a moment.”

And so, as she watched, tendrils of that mind-bending existence reached out of the cuts in the barrel of the alicorn body and pulled them shut… a rainbow light shimmering along the seams before slowly spreading to encompass the entire body. Twilight stared in awe as the body began to burn with not only the magic of the elements of harmony, but also black magic. Strands of black power swirling in the infinitely colored flames that enveloped the body, hiding it from view.

The flames of harmony slowly faded, revealing the large stallion that Twilight had come to associate with Emeris, the mess of scars along his barrel and legs, the three large ones on his cheek… and now a new set mirroring the ones that had just been carved into them to release her. A line bisecting his body from his bottom lip to his nethers and another two stretching between each set of hooves. The pink vest he had taken to wearing was obviously not present, but his Cutie Mark, a black lotus design on cover of a book, was the same.

And his eyes were closed, his breathing… he- he wasn’t breathing…

The body was slowly lowered to the ground as the flames sputtered out, and Twilight immediately crawled a bit closer, “Emeris!”

He coughed and his chest started to rise and fall, a small sigh of relief escaping Twilight even though he groaned in pain. At least he was alive. She turned to her mentor and teacher, eyes wide, “Princess, is he going to be okay?”

“Yes, Twilight. Emeris is exhausted and in pain at the moment, but otherwise fine.”

Turning back to the stallion on the floor, Twilight’s eyes narrowed momentarily before turning back to her mentor, “Can he do that again? The healing that is?”

Celestia shook her head, “No. That was Harmony magic… ‘correcting’ his form. It did something similar whenever he tried to alter his appearance while he was an alicorn.”

“Oh…” Twilight stared at the large stallion, his breathing was coming in harsh pants, a small tremor working its way through his body.

“While it looks otherwise, your body was not physically within him, only metaphysically so. The only injuries he truly sustained where the ritualistic cuts.”

With that said, Twilight still couldn’t dispel the concern constricting her chest, ’He’s not moving.’ struggling, she pushed herself closer to his unconscious form. Her legs just refused to work properly, fumbling beneath her like a newborn foal as she stumbled closer.

“... Twilight?”

She didn’t respond to her mentor, she was determined. In spite of her disrespectful legs, she forced herself closer, stumbling until she was within a hooflength of him. That much motion had taken a lot out of her, but she was satisfied when she could extend her forehoof to press her fetlock against the side of Emeris’ face.

Relief flooded through her when his harsh breathing slowed at the contact. A small smile found a place on her face when his tremors faded, the feel of his hot breath against her hoof assuring her that yes, he was alive.

“Twilight.”

Celestia’s soft voice drew Twilight’s gaze, looking up at the alicorn that had come up beside her. Twilight’s entire face turned a bright red. Here she was, covered in blood, laying on the floor of her library with her mane and tail matted against her coat, unable to even stand, her forehoof gently pressing against the face of a large unconscious stallion, and she’d ignored Celestia! “Sorry Princess…”

A gentle smile appeared on Celestia’s face, “It’s alright Twilight, I understand that you were concerned.” The large alicorn settled down beside Twilight, her wings folding against her sides. She nodded at her sister, and with a nod back, Luna vanished with a flash of midnight blue, “But now we must talk about your punishment.”

Twilight cringed, curling up.

“Do you know what you did wrong Twilight?”

“I–… I didn’t trust you or my friends to talk about what was going on… and I misused magic, using dangerous spells.”

“That is correct,” a sad look crossed her face, “Because you did not trust my sister or me enough to come to us with these concerns, and because you used inherently risky magics, you have put yourself and others at risk.”

Twilight could only hang her head.

“Thus your punishment is this: you are to not use magic at all for the next month, and you must get help from others for even the smallest tasks,” her eyes bore into Twilight, her tone unwavering, “You must be reminded of the power of magic and how to trust your friends. You must get assistance from one of your friends for any task aside from walking or your own hygiene.”

The unicorn’s head jerked up, eyes wide, “I–!” but then her head fell, eyes falling to the floorboards, “Yes Princess.”

“Do you understand Twilight?”

“Yes Princess.”

“Mmngfck…”

Both of them blinked before turning towards the source of the sound, the stallion in front of them.

Briefly, Emeris coughed before croaking out a curse, gray-green eyes fluttering open with a cringe, “Sorry. Ow. But… what if something big and nasty comes to town during the month?”

Several emotions flashed across the faces of both mares, surprise, relief, then embarrassment for Twilight, and surprise then amusement for Celestia, “Emeris, my little pony, that is why you are here.”

Both of the unicorns blinked at that, looking up at the alicorn laying beside them, “Um…” started Twilight, “Could you elaborate on that please?” finished Emeris.

“Emeris, should anything dangerous or crazy happen in Ponyville while Twilight is not allowed to use her magics, I will be expecting you to handle things. You have more experience handling the insane and dangerous than anypony, other than possibly my sister and I.”

Rolling onto his stomach with a small groan, Twilight’s hoof fell away from his face as Emeris righted himself and looked at Princess Celestia, “Princess… are you sure…?”

“Emeris, could you handle an Ursa should it come to the town?” she asked with an amused smile.

“Well… yes,” the green unicorn shifted slightly.

“If a dragon were to appear, would you be able to stop it?” Celestia raised an eyebrow at him, her smile still in place.

“Probably?” he knew that answer really depended on the size of the dragon in question. Any being other than himself under the effects of his curse would struggle with some dragons, even Celestia or Luna.

“If there was an incursion from the Everfree, would it be within your ability to stop it?”

“... most likely,” fire magic might not be my specialty, but it had its place.

“Then I feel safe in declaring that any event that would require Twilight’s magical power can be handled by you for the duration of her punishment,” she said with an amused smile before it melted into a more motherly one, “You have talents Emeris, ones that will be very useful in time. Do not be afraid to embrace them.” A brief sadness crossed her eyes, “You are more brutal than my little ponies, and I may need to call upon that part of you in the future. You are rare, though not unique, in your combination of viciousness and power.”

“I–… I understand Princess… it just makes me uncomfortable… it’s too familiar in some ways…”

Celestia smiled sadly at him, “You once called yourself my sword and shield, to use as I see fit to protect Equestria and stop that which threatened it. Though the terrible curse upon your existence has been removed, as your destruction of those timber wolves proves, you are still a greater warrior than many of my guard. You are no prince, but you swore yourself to be my warrior, has that changed?”

“... no. No, it hasn’t.”

“Then shall you defend Ponyville while Twilight serves her punishment?”

Emeris raised his head a bit higher, “Yes.”

Celestia’s smile was radiant as she leaned down to nuzzle Emeris before pushing herself up onto her hooves, “Then this distasteful mess can be considered finished. Twilight, you shall serve your punishment for a whole month, starting now. And Emeris… do try to relax. I had hoped you would have more time to enjoy being a normal pony before I introduced more insanity into your life.”

The princess of the sun glanced over Twilight before her regal look melted into a more amused smile, “Though Twilight, if I may make a suggestion?”

“Yes Princess?”

“Do get Emeris to assist you in getting clean. It will be quite difficult to clean up without any magic in your current state.”

Both unicorns looked over Twilight’s form, covered in drying blood, her mane and tail matted and coated in the fluids and in tangled messes. Emeris’ cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as Twilight flushed a bright red, “Ah… right… thank you Princess…”

With a final smile, Celestia teleported away, leaving the two unicorns on the floor of the library, the wood still coated with streaks of the blood that Twilight had left when she’d dragged herself over to Emeris.

After a moment of silence, Emeris cleared his throat, “Well! Anyways. Awkwardness awkwardness awkwardness. So! Let’s get you up to the shower and cleaned up! It’s not like we haven’t done this for the past few days or anything.” His horn lit up even as he stumbled to his feet, Twilight being lifted from the ground by an emerald glow.

Her legs flailing, Twilight’s eyes went wide, “But it is different–!”

“Only because we’re making it so~”

“Damnit Emeris!”

“Then walk without magic,” Emeris said with a teasing tone, his magic fading even as he stopped.

Twilight’s legs wobbled beneath her, and she sent a triumphant look Emeris’ way.

Then her legs buckled under her after only a moment’s worth of standing.

Emeris returned the triumphant look, his horn lighting back up and lifting a sulking lavender unicorn off of the ground and walking up the stairs, his own legs still unsteady from the ritual.

“Droolykins…?”

I’d walked home… my real home.

Despite my teasing, I hadn’t done all that much other than get her back, legs, and mane before leaving the rest to her. She’d regained strength in her limbs relatively quickly and I’d left her to deal with her more sensitive areas.

We’d had enough shower time together already thank you very much.

But now… I was home. Pushing the door open and looking for an animal I’d missed quite a bit the past few days.

“Mrwowr…?” came a sleepy sound from inside.

“Pfft, you lazy little snot,” I couldn’t help but grumble, my horn lighting the room with an emerald glow as I slipped inside, “I–…”

I paused, realizing that tears were slowly escaping my eyes.

I was home. The craziness wasn’t over. Twilight was hurting and suffering now, but we were friends? I had to figure out what to do about Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I had to tell the girls about us being separated once more… it was all so much, and it had all come crashing down on me at once.

And there was no one to be strong for.

“I kind of need you right now… I just–” I almost sobbed as I crawled into bed, my still-pink cat meowing plaintively at me, “I just need to hold you close for a bit and cry okay…? I- I’ve had a rough week…”

My cat meowed and lifted onto his hind legs, pressing his front paws against my chest and making a shoving motion. I went with it, rolling onto my side as the cat came up and curled up against my chest, starting to lick at my coat. A small sob wrenched its way free from my chest and I wrapped my forehooves around Droolykins.

I was home.

I was finally home.

Sunlight beat down against my coat, warming my skin and soothing the aches in my joints and muscles. My vest was laying on the ground beside me as I lay on my side not far outside of the Everfree.

I was comfortable, and my mind was just wandering.

My original intention had been to head into Ponyville and talk to the girls, updating them on the situation, but when the sun had hit my coat once I was out of the shade... I'd started crying again. No huge sobs or anything, but tears had started to flow and I'd laid down on the thick grass.

I was messed up, I knew it. I apparently had PTSD, I also probably had a couple other psyschological issues to be honest... but I would get better with time. I was determined to get better. I would address the issues as they came up and fix them, because I was stronger than this mess, I had to be. Especially if I was to be the defender of Ponyville, no matter how briefly.

That said, right now? I really just wanted to relax for a while without any of the stress of protecting ponies or interacting with those that still hated me.

So sunlight! It was awesome. +4 Self Esteem and -3 Horrible Psychological issues per round.

And fuck, there's the tears again.

Damnit, stop that. Bad emotions. Bad. No sudden swings. Bleh.

With a huff, I rolled over onto my other side, snorting into the tall grass.

Oi veh, what a start to the day.

Thankfully, the walk through Ponyville was quiet, the various ponies treating me with their usual disdain and disgust and general other d-words that I probably shouldn't say.

But getting to the Carousel Boutique was thankfully uneventful, the bell jingling as I stepped inside the overly fanciful establishment slash home.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, how may I– Emeris! Darling!” Rarity's polite smile brightened into a far happier and more relieved one as she trotted over, “You've been separated from Twilight!”

I smiled, “Thank you for stating the obvious, but yeah. The Princesses split us apart relatively easily.”

Her eyebrows went up, “Oh dear, the Princesses found out?”

I nodded, my smile fading, “Yeah, Luna came to check on us just as...” my mouth shut briefly, “Well, she came upon us fused like that and wasn't happy. She got Celestia and after they split us up, they gave Twilight her punishment.”

“How bad is it?”

“She's not allowed to use magic or do anything without the help of others for a month. The only exception in the latter case being walking and personal hygiene.”

Rarity cringed, “Oh... my, that's going to be quite difficult for Twilight, her magic is very much a part of her.”

I kept my mouth shut, I wanted to snark about having lived without magic for most of my life, but there was a time and place for that.

“Regardless darling, how are you doing?”

“Alive, awake, and very happy to have my own set of limbs once again,” I admitted.

Rarity started to smile and nod, but her eyes narrowed, her lips pursing. I raised an eyebrow at her curiously. Then her forehoof came up to press against my bottom lip and every muscle in my body tensed, ready to leap away.

She paused, a brief look of confusion coming across her face before she rolled her eyes, bopping me in the nose with her hoof, “Oh relax, I'm not interested in you like that Emeris and that hasn't changed.” Then she scowled, “But I just noticed this,” her hoof pressed against my bottom lip and tracing down my neck, “It appears you have a new scar... how dreadful...”

Then something clicked in her head, “Oh dear! Does Twilight have a matching one?! Scars can work for you but on Twilight-!” she rushed off into the boutique.

I rolled my eyes, “Rarity–”

“They work for you because of your rough and tumble look but on Twilight–! Oh the poor dear, I absolutely must figure a way to cover up such blemishes on her otherwise wonderful coat! Especially if she can’t use magic to hide–”

“Rarity!”

The alabaster unicorn stopped in her rushing about to stare at me for a long moment before blushing, “... Twilight doesn’t have a matching one does she?”

“No,” I smiled in amusement, “No she doesn’t. They’re ritualistic and I’m the one that has them. She’s still unblemished.”

“Oh… oh, that’s good,” with a flick of her hoof she ‘fixed’ her fancy hairstyle, “I was quite worried there for a moment.”

I just raised an eyebrow at her, knowing full well that I was smirking at her.

“Oh hush, Twilight has an elegant beauty that she simply does not properly exploit and I was worried that it had been ruined.”

Suppressing my smile, I assumed an exaggerated affronted look, placing a hoof against my chest, “Are’st thou saying that I lack such elegance and beauty?”

Rarity smirked, “Yes.”

I paused, pretending to mull it over, “Well you’re right,” lifting my heavily scarred foreleg and giving it a waggle, “I kind of look like a warzone.”

She shook her head, a small smile on her face, “Now my dear, what did Princess Luna appear during?”

That made me blink, “Um…”

“You were talking about how Luna appeared while something was happening and then moved on. I do know your tells, maybe not as well as my other friends, but yours are quite distinctive,” her forehoof came to gently rest on my chest, her smile warm, “Now what happened that’s made you uncomfortable darling?”

“Ah… well…” I glanced off to the side, feeling my face heat up as I rubbed one foreleg with the other awkwardly, “See… I… kind of had another breakdown… but Twilight was stuck with me as I did…”

“Oh… dear, what brought it on…?”

“... both AJ and Dash came to ask me out at once…”

“... oh…” her hoof fell, “I was afraid that something like that would happen…”

“... really?”

“Yes… would you like to talk about it over some tea dear?”

“I… yeah, I’d appreciate that…”

“So that’s what happened on my end…”

Rarity sighed, rolling her eyes, “I swear, that Applejack can be so brutish when she gets an idea in her head. Not as bad as Rainbow Dash is, but still quite headstrong.”

I looked at her, cradling my cup of tea in my forehooves, “... did you give her the idea?”

But Rarity shook her head, “Not on purpose. I was trying to offer advice on the situation but she took it the wrong way.”

I gave her a look.

“Oh don’t give me that!” she huffed, “While it’s private and I won’t provide details, I didn’t suggest she rush off to ask you out, let alone doing so with Dash. I’m quite aware you don’t handle such things well.”

With a sigh, I let my head drop to the table. Her hoof came over to stroke my shoulder, but the dramatic mare was quiet, “I don’t know what to do,” I mumbled into the wood.

“What do you want?”

“To be happy and safe? For my friends to be happy and safe?” I was quiet for a moment, “For the mares I care about to be happy and safe…”

“Emeris…”

“I know... I know that’s not helpful… but I don’t–…” I sighed again. There was the clop of hooves on the floorboards as Rarity got up from her chair and came to my side, wrapping a foreleg around my withers. Though I stiffened momentarily, I still relaxed into her loose hold; turning my head to look at her, I continued, “Before all of this, I wanted to have romance… to have someone to love and be loved by. I-... I still do. But I’m scared.”

“Do you like them?” she asked gently.

“Yes,” I said without any real hesitation, knowing exactly to whom she was referring.

“Can you give them a chance?”

“I-... I don’t know.”

“Do you want to?”

The thought of the sun rising behind Applejack, of reading with Dash, the possibility of kissing them, of holding them close…

A small sob escaped me, “Yes.”

Rarity’s legs encircled me in a tight hug as I broke down for the second time today alone, wrapping my forelegs around her barrel and burying my face against her neck as I sobbed into her soft coat of fur.

I blew my nose into the fourth tissue so far before discarding it into the proper waste receptacle.

While it’s not something I’d do, if I’d tossed those anywhere else, Rarity would’ve had my head mounted. Or at least a maiming… probably a maiming.

“You do need to talk with them dear.”

With a small pulse of magic, I pulled over another tissue, this time to dab at my red-rimmed eyes, “I know. It’s where I was headed after talking to the others and checking up on Twilight.”

“I… well, I’m a bit surprised honestly.”

“... why? I don’t back down from what needs to be done… I just know when I need a breather before I dive in…”

“I know dear, but…” a small smile appeared on her face, “You have to remember that most ponies aren’t like that.”

Even as I tossed the latest tissue aside, I rolled my eyes and grumbled good naturedly, “That’s because y’all are way too panicky. Freaking flighty ponies.”

So… right, this was a rough day. If I’d been thinking, I’d have stopped by Fluttershy’s first, but I guess I’d have to catch her on the way back… eesh. That left AJ and Dash who I wanted to talk to together and last, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight.

I had no idea where Pinkie was at the moment, but I’d check the Sugar Cube corner after checking up on Twilight.

I mean, what were the odds that I’d run into her on the way to the Golden Oaks Library…?

… well now that I actively thought that, pretty close to 100% considering we’re talking about Pinkie Pie.

Seriously, that pony seems to run on narrative sometimes–

“-and so you see, since there’s been a little wibbly wobbly, magical wagical mishap, the ‘Yay you’re not an Alicorn of Equestria’ party will have to be put off a bit longer, okey doke?”

… seriously?

… whatever, I can work with this.

While a disgusted looking pony cantered off away from Pinkie, I was actually able to anticipate the sudden surge of pink, fluffy, sugary happiness that glomped me (for once). I kept walking despite the pink cling-on I’d gained, her hooves wrapped around my neck in a hug, her back legs dragging across the ground, “Hello Pinkie.”

“Hiya Emmy! It’s super duper good to see you separate from Twilight again! That was all super weird, I mean, what kind of pronouns do you use when talking to one another? Or when talked to? Or– mmph mmph mmph-?”

I’d pushed a forehoof into her mouth to stop the stream of consciousness, unable to help the small twitch of my eye that happened when her tongue brushed against the soft part of my hoof. While contact with Pinkie didn’t bother me as much as it usually did with ponies, anything related to her tongue made me flinch. Bad memories. They weren’t here fault and she disliked them as much as I did, but… it didn’t make it any easier.

“It’s good to be separate again, and we struggled with the pronouns sometimes ourselves. First and Second Person were fine, but third person was confusing as hell.”

“Oh, that had to be super duper weird!”

“Mhm, very,” I hadn’t stopped walking towards the Golden Oaks mind you, even with her back-hooves dragging across the ground, “So you know, Twilight’s being punished for a month.”

“Gasp!”

“Luna discovered us merged like we were and got Celestia to help break us apart as well as deliver Twilight’s punishment. She’s not allowed to use magic for a month and is supposed to get help for… pretty much anything she does.”

“Double Gasp!” I rolled my eyes, Pinkie was saying the word gasp again, “Twilight can’t use her magic?! And she has to have help with EVERYTHING?! Not just every thing, but EVERYTHING? Igottagohelphernowseeyoulaterkthnxbye–”

She attempted to disappear off, but I stopped her with a telekinetic grasp on her tail and an eyeroll.

“Pinkie.”

“Yeppers?” she asked while hanging upside down.

“Could I ask a favor?”

“Sure!”

“I’m going over to Twilight’s myself so I’ll help her out, but…” I took a deep breath and made the plunge, “I kind of need to talk to Applejack and Dash… I’d appreciate it if you could tell them to meet me outside of Sweet Apple Acres about an hour after noon?”

The party mare cocked her head to the side, giving me a look I had trouble parsing…

Then she smiled enormously, “Okie dokie lokie~”

I smiled back in gratitude, “Thanks Pinkie. “

Setting her down gently, the emerald and almost crystalline glow of my magic faded from around her as she did a little spin in place, twitching spastically.

… wait, what? What is she doing…? She got up on her back hooves and put out a foreleg, spinning in place once before stopping in a random direction, eyes brightening.

… right, Pinkie Sense, she’s probably finding–

“Aha~ Hiding near the pickles again!”

–… not gonna ask.

I pushed my way into the Golden Oaks Library, “Twilight?”

“In here!”

Closing the door behind me with a rear leg, I walked to the kitchen, not knowing what to expect. I found the lavender unicorn fumbling with a quill in her mouth, ink stains on her lips as she worked on… a rather big stack of paperwork…

Walking up to the kitchen table, I shared a glance with a young drake that was holding her inkwell; torn between amusement, resignation, and concern, “Extra homework?” I asked, looking over the four feet worth of paperwork.

Twilight made a face, “Mhm.”

With a small smile, I reached out with a hoof to wipe the ink stains from her lips. She blinked before her eyes flicked to mine, “Ink,” was all I said as I sat down beside her. I glanced over the paperwork… which seemed more like community service sort of stuff… mixed with grading mid-level college-equivalent magic coursework.

Not really homework then, but community service paperwork.

I turned back to her, “How are you holding up so far?”

She made a face, her ears folding back and her lips pressing into a line around her quill, her ink-stained hooves on the tabletop.

“That good huh,” a quick glance at the table confirmed that her ink bottle had probably been knocked over a couple times, not to mention that there were splatters of ink on Spike and the floorboards beneath him. My horn lit up as I pushed some power into the glass. The normal shape of the bottle was intended to limit spillage if I remembered correctly, but considering she was mouth-writing it’d be better with a wider mouth to it. I altered its state to liquid long enough to reshape it like clay into something more resembling a cup or bowl, adding some support struts to prevent tipping before switching its state back to pure solid.

Twilight blinked, looking at the reshaped inkpot for a moment before shooting me a look of gratitude, shifting the quill in her mouth.

“It’s no problem,” with some focus I tagged all of the ink on the table, floor, and Spike and pulled it from there, getting back what had been spilled and poured back into the inkpot, “Just because it’s punishment doesn’t mean you have to suffer, you were only doing what you thought was best.” I gave her a teasing look, “Just try to think about it a bit more next time you consider using gray magics.”

She scowled, grumbling “Hush,” around the quill.

I smiled, knowing that she would.

I looked over at Spike, “Morning.”

“Um… morning?”

“I know we’ve never really talked before, I was hoping to fix that,” I extended a forehoof, “Name’s Emeris.”

He raised a scaly eyebrow, taking my forehoof in a clawed hand, shaking it, “Spike.”

“Now to avoid the fumbling for a topic, I shall default to the social call of nerds everywhere. How about that popular sports team?” Spike made a face, snorting and trying not to laugh, but I wasn’t done, “I hear they’re doing so much better than less popular sports team. They’re definitely going to go to the championships for the sport.”

Spike broke down into laugher, making me smile as he covered his face with one claw.

“But seriously, how are you holding up?”

Taking a moment to catch his breath and shifted the ink bottle in his claws, “I’m doing okay, it’s good to have Twilight not going crazy over stopping you or the two of you fused together.”

A displeased huff from said unicorn made me smile, “I can definitely see that, the lack of those things improved my days too.”

A rather eloquent grunt from Twilight that translated into ‘Oh shut up’.

Both Spike and I smiled at that, but I turned to Twilight, “More seriously, I’ll be along sometime tomorrow to help out so Spike can get a break.”

Both of the purple beings in the room shot me a grateful look at that, warming my heart. For all the bad that had happened because of me, at least this much I could do.

Now for the part of the day I dreaded…

Ignoring the clenching of fear around my heart, I headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. I had to do this, I couldn’t just run away… that’d make me scum… no, lower than scum. I’d always hated the anime harem protagonists that couldn’t buckle down and deal with the fact that they had girls that liked them.

I might be many things, but a hypocrite is not one of them.

So despite the tremors that kept trying to work their way through my body, I kept walking.

I turned a corner and there, sitting in front of the archway for the farms were the two mares I was dreading talking to.

Fuck.

Swallowing, I forced one hoof in front of the other as I headed towards AJ and Dash, the two of them surprisingly quiet, and any conversation they had been having had petered off once I’d come into view. Yeah, it’s not like that was detrimental to my nerves or anything. At least they weren’t staring at me creepily.

Finally approaching close enough to speak comfortably I cleared my throat, “Ladies.”

“Heya Sugar,” Applejack’s brilliant green eyes were locked with mine even as she fidgeted slightly, a hesitant smile on her face.

“H-Hey Em…” Dash’s rose colored eyes though refused to do more than glance at me, her wings ruffling and shifting as she tried to adjust herself into a more comfortable position.

I looked at them, really looked at them.

Applejack was right, they didn’t look like mindless fanmare’s.

There were no glazed looks, no spoutings of platitudes, no sudden affections or attempted molestation or any number of things that happened while I was an alicorn. No, this was a pair of uncomfortable ponies talking to another, hell, Dash didn’t even want to be here… she was worried and scared...

I sighed, “Alright… first things first. I like both of you, quite a bit, and very much in the romantic sense.” While a small blush spread across Applejack’s face, Dash’s lit up like a fire hydrant, “But I’m terrified. I spent two years having to run away from any interest shown in me, and the two of you coming on to me at the same time like that made me think that curse was coming back and… well… yeah… I didn’t handle that well…” I admitted, trailing off.

“A’m sorry about that, that was my fault, Ah shouldn’t have teased y’all so much, it made everythin’ so much worse…”

“Hey!” Dash leapt to her hooves, “Don’t pretend like I didn’t go along with it! If I hadn’t rushed this along–”

“Now don’t go blamin’ y’erself sugarcube! You were totally against rushin’ things until Ah talked ya’ into it!”

“Ladies…” I said with a sigh.

“I made as much of a mistake as you did! You don’t have to take this all onto yourself!”

“But it’s the truth! Ah talked you into askin’ Emmy out way sooner than ya’ would have!”

Rolling my eyes with a small smile, I still boomed out a word, “Girls!” They both flinched, making me feel bad briefly as their heads hung. But I kept my voice gentle as I said, “You’re both forgiven. I get that y’all got out of hand and weren’t thinking. It’s not like you haven’t done it before.” I smiled gently at them, “If you remember, I’m usually the one reigning you two in when we’re together.”

“Not always,” Applejack said with a pout.

“Well, no, it wouldn’t be as fun if I did now would it?” I asked, a warmth starting to fill my chest. This… this felt right.

Dash fidgeted again, bringing my mind back to the situation, “Alright… so… you both like me?”

AJ nodded, “Eyup. Though if ya need more convincing, ah’m sure we can work somethin’ out.” I couldn’t help the small twitch at that statement, both so similar and yet so very different from what I’d heard before.

With a cough, Dash turned away, a dusting of red appearing on her cheeks as her wings pressing tightly against her sides, “Y-Yeah… w-what she said.”

I sighed, deciding to ignore that one as I rubbed one foreleg with the other, “Alright… I don’t really know how this works. I know we’ve read books with romance in them Dash, but… that doesn’t really help me in a situation like this…”

There was a glance from Applejack towards Dash, “Well, if we weren’t competin’, Ah’d suggest that Dash and Ah... demonstrate. Or maybe it would even help things along, give Em here a little… visual aid to help him make a decision.”

The pegasus squeaked and her wings flared, her blush intensifying along with my own.

“But this ain’t exactly normal,” Applejack admitted, “See, normally one mare asks a stallion out and they go out for a while before bringing other mares into the herd. And when mare’s are competin’ like this they usually don’t expect to be a part of the same herd…” Her a soft shade of pink tinged her cheeks as she bumped her hips against Dash’s, making the cyan pegasus turn an even brighter shade of red.

“A-Ah… right…” I coughed. I was horrible at flirting but even I could recognize that. If I’d had a collar, I’d be adjusting it, “Ah… well… I don’t want to hurt either of you… ”

Applejack snorted, “Don’t you worry about that none Em. There ain’t nothin’ keeping the two of us from bein’ in the same herd. This is about time and our bet.”

I shifted a bit at that, this… it wasn’t fanmares but… damnit I wasn’t exactly from a polygamous society.

To my surprise, Dash swatted AJ upside the head with her wing, scowling at her. Though I was confused, Dash still came up to me, an intense look in her beautiful, rose colored eyes, “... Dash…?”

She ducked her head before gently bumping the underside of my chin with it, “Em… don’t you dare feel rushed, okay?” I flushed as she slid her head to rub her cheek against my neck, finding my heart warming as comfort flooded through me, “We don’t need an answer right now. You’re scared, I get that… I mean, you’re considering going out with the most awesome pegasus and earth pony ever.”

I could feel her smile against my neck and I had to choke back a laugh, bopping her atop her head with my chin, “And you call me a dork…”

She pulled back and blew a raspberry at me, making my face split into a broad grin. Her face melted into something more serious though, “But really big guy… don’t feel rushed to answer. I-... I really like you, but I definitely get that you’re scared and not ready. I can wait, I-.... I just don’t want to lose my friend because I was jumping at the bit…”

“I…” her words sent my emotions tumbling around in my chest. I swallowed around the lump in my throat, my rump sliding to the ground and a shaky breath escaping me.

“Emmy?” Applejack stepped up beside me, “You okay sugar?”

“I… I need a minute to think…” I said softly, rubbing my face with a hoof, “I-... I’m guessing not-choosing isn’t an option?” I asked with a hint of strained amusement.

The earth pony gave me a deadpan look, though Dash shifted uncomfortably, “No sugar, not choosin’ ain’t an option. We’re having a competition about who you go for first,” while Dash didn’t look totally behind this, she didn’t disagree.

That brought up a question: Did I like one of them more than the other?

I-... I didn’t know… maybe?

They were both beautiful in ways that are hard to describe to a human sensibility. Dash was all lean muscle that shifted beneath her coat when she moved like chorded steel, not to mention her absolutely beautiful wings. She was way smarter than she pretended or even considered herself. She was an avid reader that totally got and shared my desire to totally geek out about things. Hell, she went from a badass beauty to an adorable cutie whenever she went on a geekgasm.

Applejack was a down home beauty. Was she elegant? No. But… she’d push me to poetry in the right light. She was strong, determined, solid, and understanding. She was fun to be with and work for, wonderful to teach, and she really got how much I could enjoy the more mundane, repetitive tasks. She was a strong mare, and I have to admit, I’ve kinda got a thing for females that can take me to task… but…

I looked up at them, glancing between the two beautiful mares, between a pair of rose colored eyes and a pair of brilliant emeralds.

I always hated the harem protagonists that didn’t make a choice. Sure if the girls are all happy for a harem, more power to ya’ but if they demand a choice and you waffle? Bite me, suck it up and accept there’s no way to get out of the situation without hurting someone.

So here was the question: Who would be hurt more by my choice?

Applejack wasn’t as sturdy as she appeared but… Dash showed every sign of having a fragile heart.

A sigh escaped me, “Alright, if I have to choose–”

“Whoa whoa whoa big guy,” her eyes had widened in panic, her wings fluttering, “I just said you don’t have to choose just yet-!”

I extended a forehoof to gently press it against her lips, “Dash.”

She pulled back, “Seriously big guy! Take as much time as you need! I totally get that we scared you! I mean, I don’t like some of my fans when they get a bit weird sometimes and you had it way worse for way longer so I totally get it!”

I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my face, keeping a forehoof pointed at her.

“I was serious when I said that you shouldn’t feel rushed. I’m totally against rushing you into this, especially if you’re scared of this–” realization slowly dawned on Applejack’s face as she noticed my hoof still pointed at the fidgeting pegasus. She failed to cover her amused smirk with a hoof quickly enough that I didn’t notice even as Dash continued her rushed outburst.

“Dash,” I said softly.

“–I mean it’d totally be okay if you didn’t choose and we just stayed friends f-for as long as you want–”

“Dash,” I said stronger, gently pressing my forehoof against her chest.

“– it’s okay if-... um… yes?”

“I choose you. If I’ve got to choose who to date... first. I’m choosing you.”

“... really?” she squeaked.

“Yes. Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”

Her wings flared and her eyes went wide, a smile practically exploding onto her face, “Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh–! Eeeeeeeeee–!”

There was practically an explosion of rainbows as the pegasus launched into the air and began circling around nearby, giggling and laughing.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. It faded though as I turned to Applejack, finding a similarly amused smile on her face, “Hey…”

She turned towards me, “Hm? What is it sugar?”

“I–… Sorry about choosing Dash.”

She snorted, still smiling, "No need to go apologizin' sugar. How can ah out romance Dash here if she don't get a chance at romancin you?"

Relief flooded me, the tight grip around my chest easing slightly. Still, I couldn’t help but tease, “Not because of that–”

As if on cue, Dash swept up in front of Applejack and pointed a hoof at the groundbound pony, “Hah! I win! The bet is as good as mine!”

“Because of that,” I smirked at Applejack, who only stuck her tongue out at me before turning to Rainbow Dash.

“Ah’ll have you know that this don’t count just yet Dash, it’s just the first date! Ya’ don’t have him just yet!”

Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry at AJ and I had to facehoof to cover up the smile and laughter that threatened to escape me.

I was still scared, unsettled by the fact that they like me, still worried on some fundamental level that this… this slice of happiness wasn’t real… couldn’t be real.

But… they were never this real. The fanmares, the psychosis caused by the curse… were never this real, this natural. This byplay, this back and forth, this was something the curse never could really be. Intellectually, I trusted the Princesses, I trusted them when they said that the curse was gone. Logic truly said that this was the real thing.

But emotions never listened to logic, even mine.

Fear, discomfort, and panic were very much a thing for me.

But damnit, I’d make my Will Saves as many times as I had to to give this a try. I wanted to be happy, I wanted them to be happy, and I was willing to do damn near anything to ensure that they at least had a chance at happiness.

“Now, I hate to interrupt this delightful example of friendship and solidarity,” I wasn’t even joking! “We do kind of have to figure out the basics of when we’re actually going on a date, Dash.”

A small blush appeared on Dash’s face, but her ears remained perked and forward as she landed, her wings fluffing, “Right! Um-... I’m not too good at this part actually...” she admitted softly in embarrassment.

I snorted, “Me either, but we’ll figure it out.” I couldn’t help to glance at Applejack’s amused face, “But it’s probably bad form to discuss it in front of the mare you were chosen over.”

Dash coughed, “Um, right. Good point… sorry AJ.”

“Don’t apologize sugar, we are competin’ here, and just as a reminder, if ya’ don’t win…” she stepped up beside Dash and leaned in, whispering in her ear, “Ah’ll be the one kissing you rather than the other way around. But don’t go usin’ that as an excuse to throw the competition now.”

Dash’s face wasn’t the only one that lit up with a blush, that whisper had not been quiet enough to avoid my own ears catching it. The same way my ears snapped to attention at that, Dash’s wings sprung up as she let out an adorable little squeak.

“R-R-Right! We’d better get going!” And Dash was off like a rocket, at least as much as her extended wings would allow.

I tried to scowl at Applejack, but there wasn’t much heat in it, “Bad Applejack, don’t tease Dash like that!”

“Like you wouldn’t do the same,” she rebuked with a smile.

“... touche’.”

Shaking away the heat in my face, I started to turn to follow after the retreating form of Dash, “... and seriously… AJ… are you okay with this?”

My only answer was a slap of her hoof against my flank, making me rear up with a whinny and scampering off on reflex.

Damn that mare for her greater knowledge of (and willingness to exploit) natural reflexes of this body. Damn her to extensive cuddles and lavished attention upon. I slowed down to a trot rather than a panicked gallop as I followed after Dash, but there wasn’t any real heat to my thoughts. I was just grateful that Applejack wasn’t turning this into a mess… at least any more than the competition already did.

That-... that had actually gone way smoother than I’d thought it would…

… okay, something was up… the only question was what?

Even as I caught up with Dash (my marefriend?) I puzzled over that troubling thought.

“Alright, y’all can come out now.”

Applejack resettled the hat on her head as she watched Emeris head off after Rainbow Dash, a small smile on her face. At least until several long moments passed without any ponies appearing. A scowl appeared on her face, “Ah know y’all are there, there ain’t no way Pinkie and Rarity would miss this.”

There was a delicate clearing of a throat and a couple ponies slipped out of various hiding places around. As expected, there was both Rarity and Pinkie Pie, but also the hesitant form of Fluttershy.

“Oh, I’m sorry, we were just worried that things might have gone badly…” the shy pegasus said softly before catching herself, “W-Well, I was worried about that, I’m sorry if I assumed something about why Rarity or Pinkie were here…”

“Don’t be darling, that’s every reason why we’re here, and I’m very sorry about this Applejack, Emeris wasn’t exactly elegant in his handling of the situation.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, “It’s alright, this is about exactly what I hoped would happen.”

There was a long pause, even from Pinkie Pie, “... what?”

“Ah said that this is about exactly what I was hopin’ would happen…?” Applejack said again, giving them a curious look.

“Well that’s not exactly what you said, but that’s the intent of what you said and you see what we’re really confused about is that it’s totally weird that you would call a challenge with Dash about going out with Emeris if you were hoping that he’d pick Dash anMmmph mmph phhhmmph–”

Rarity had placed a hoof over Pinkie’s mouth, “What do you mean dear…?”

“Well, Ah was honestly hopin’ that Em would pick Dash. I like the guy, no two ways about it, but Dash really likes him. She’s liked him since Em was an alicorn! It’ll take a bit before I’m as comfortable with this stuff.”

“So why did you compete with her…?”

“To make sure she didn’t talk herself out of it. Ah figured he’d choose her, an’ this way I get a bit of breathin room to work up my own nerves,” after a moment, she noticed the surprise on her friend’s faces, “... what?”

“That’s… quite devious Applejack, especially for you.”

The cowpony snorted before grumbling, “It’s not like Ah lied or nothin’.”

Pinkie Pie nearly bounced in place, “Does this mean I get to throw a ‘Yay for getting into a relationship!’ party for Dash and Emmy?”

“No.” came the unanimous agreement from the rest of the girls. The reasons varied from ‘It’s too soon’ to ‘You know that would scare Emeris’.

“Regardless, this does require at least a bit of celebration.”

“Oh yes, it’s really good that those two are starting to find happiness.”

“Yay! I’ll go get the streamers and the balloons and we’ll–”

“Have a light snack together as friends,” Rarity overrode the excitable pony.

“-have a light snack together as friends! With balloons and streamers! And cake!”

Author's Notes:

That... came out way sooner than expected. It's not likely to happen again for a while, but still, damn. This is pretty impressive for me considering how much I work and my classes...

So yeah! Emeris is screwed in the head and not a perfect person, he tries sure, but he isn't for a variety of reasons.

I'm not super happy with the "Who am I going to date?" part of the chapter or the tail end, but I'm reasonably happy with most everything else.

The story still needs a cover image though! It always makes me a lil' sad when I see it without fancy pictures. That is usually made up for the fact that the story having a TVTropes page makes me giddy for no discernible reason.

Total side note: If you haven't tried out kudzuhaiku's The Chase, YOU SHOULD. It's a wonderful story with numerous, well written OC's with characters that are written as people rather than pastiches. It basically encapsulates a large part of what I wanted to with this story: OC's aren't bad, even super powerful ones. Total different update plan than me, and and admirable one, multiple 2k+ chapters per day. Seriously. Impressive stuff.

Pimping of an awesome story out of the way, as per usual, any thoughts, comments, and criticisms are welcome! What did you like, what didn't you like, what confused you, etc. etc.?

And with that said, Autobots! Roll out!