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Forgiveness Pending

by Kiroberos

Chapter 30

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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.

Author's Notes:

An extra three pages added, for your reading pleasure!

Next Chapter: Chapter 31 Estimated time remaining: 52 Hours, 14 Minutes
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