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Forgiveness Pending

by Kiroberos

Chapter 57: Chapter 56

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Dreaming was a pleasant pastime for me. Admittedly, I'd discovered it was way more fun with a friend, as special as that felt to say. When I was by myself, even when lucid dreaming, I had a tendency to fall prey to negatives. Bad thoughts would magnify and more base fears would manifest themselves until I lost control of the dream and it shifted into a nightmare. That wasn't pleasant, of course.

With somepony else there, however, there was always something else for me to focus on rather than my negative tendencies. I really did try to stay positive, but a little bit of help from time to time was amazing. At this point, due to Twilight not really wanting to sync with me anymore, obviously before the Estrus, of course, I felt like it was a distant dream. As ironic as that sounds, it wasn't very pleasant after I'd gotten used to somepony helping me keep the memories at bay.

So, despite Sweetie having infinite amounts of fun and no complaints whatsoever, it still felt like a slightly selfish, naughty indulgence to me. My eyes stayed closed, enjoying the sleepiness even though I was keenly aware of being awake now. Dreaming always had that surreal, misty feel to it, even when aware of it. Things flowed and shifted freely there, and it was a delight to show the little filly all the ways you could change the dreamscape. First a circus show, then an interesting air show with the 'Wonderbolts', and even an aquarium of some sort was on our list of stops. She led the way from her own memories, and was delighted to see them come back to life around her. Admittedly, I was equally delighted to see the new aspects of Equestria, obviously not getting away from Ponyville much. Apparently the little filly had been much more active with events and shows and such when she was living with her parents. After they moved to Canterlot a year or so back, she moved in with her sister to stay in her current school, but Rarity obviously didn't have as much time to take her places. She was more than happy to go sightseeing, that said.

The last hour of our sleepy dream experience was on a breezy hill overlooking Ponyville from the south. I just enjoyed the sun on my side, and she rested against my chest in her prior adult form, saying she wanted to see what it was like without the monstrous, overbearing heat. Admittedly, far, far less hectic, I had to agree. We just lay there watching the sun slowly set, while its twin rose in reality. The wind and gently swaying grass let me just rest peacefully. It was a rare opportunity, and it surprised me that it had been Sweetie's idea. She was acting like normal again as well, just enjoying lying there lightly against me. Her adult form was exactly as I remembered it, and quite pretty, her lightly curled mane significantly longer and lightly resting down her shoulder and neck as I occasionally massaged her shoulder blades. Yeah, in a few years’ time, I doubted I'd have any issue with her. She was close to me already in other ways and felt familiar, which was definitely important. Either she was taking after her sister and an amazing mastermind to plan this relaxing last scene, or she really did mesh well with my interests and self. Was I just lazy? Eh. Not so much that as really, really tired.

Maybe that's why I just lay there for a bit, enjoying the soft mattress under me before the day began once more. I knew she was awake, too, both of us having slipped out of the dream at the same time. The mind only rested while in the actual dreamscape. It only idled, and our body rested while we were over visiting Keela, so I could never stay with my Keldarian friend all night. No, we needed a full rest.

The filly gave a soft sigh a moment later, her face pushing a little more into my chest as she relaxed in my forelegs. Even if we each had different potential reasons for the embrace, it was still pleasant. She was warm, soft, and adorable, and all three of those appealed to me on a base level, especially when put into one tiny little package. Well, again, she was pretty big, honestly, so maybe 'tiny' wasn't that great of a word to use, but eh, it wasn't like anypony else could see or hear my thoughts.

"Heh, I can see you two are awake. Gonna get up so we can go play?" I heard whispered in a very Scootaloo-sounding voice from somewhere above my head. Smiling lightly, having already felt her end of the enchantment close, my left eye slipped open and rolled up to peek at the grinning filly.

Sweetie Belle gave a soft murmur and ruffled her face against the fur on my chest for a moment before peeking up above my collarbone at her friend. Scootaloo couldn't tell, but I could feel the smile against my chest, even before the little unicorn nodded up at Scootaloo. "Mmm, yeah. We can. I was enjoying this, but, um, we really should get up. Can we, uh, maybe try the lake again today? I don't really like thinking about going to the water again, but I should really wash up," she whispered softly.

"Relax, Sweetie. Nothin' is gonna happen ta ya this time. Scootaloo an' Ah should wash, too, an' we'll be right there ta help ya out," Apple Bloom cut in, sounding like she was over close to the door.

My guess proved true as I looked over at the yellow filly, who smiled back at us earnestly. Sweetie peeked back at her, and AB gave a flex of her right foreleg as emphasis, the enchantment dancing along it still. Ah, yeah, I needed to add a bit to those today, too. A few more safety precautions added couldn't hurt.

"Ah, yeah, I'm guessing you fillies want your privacy for that. Still, I'll be within earshot of all of you just in case," I promised, sitting up in bed again and earning both a happy smile from Apple Bloom and a warmer one from Sweetie. I saw nothing but a blur from Scoots, however, as she cheered and hopped down off the shelf at the top of my bed, bolting over to Apple Bloom as well.

A stifled groan came from behind me, and I peeked down at the foot of the way-too-long bed and noticed Spike drag the other end of the covers more over himself. "Mmm, five more minutes, Twilight..." he whispered, earning a snicker from most of us.

"Just rest, Spike. Bring Tank down to the lake once you two wake up some," I requested, noticing the tortoise's shell still tucked up over by the sink full of water in the kitchen. He stuck a sleepy head out at his name, but, apparently deciding he wasn't needed for epic suspect apprehension or dragon airlift service, he tucked it back in a second later, probably resuming his sleep. Being that awesome probably took a lot of energy!

I felt a very awake Rainbow Dash snicker at the prospect and mental image I sent her way, and realized she must be really, really close for her emotions to be that clear. Heh. Sneaky Dashie. That one got a blushing scowl, and I grinned to myself before nodding back at Apple Bloom.

"Let's head to the lake, then. I should probably wash up anyway, as well," I pondered out loud.

The yellow filly grinned before playfully adding, "Ah'll say! Can smell ya from 'ere, as AJ would say."

My surprise shifted to amusement in half a second, and I hopped down at her, my tail whipping sideways and snapping a half-meter away from her rump as she squeaked in surprise and laughed, bolting over to the door. Scootaloo grinned even more and ran after her friend as I gave chase, laughing at their antics.

"Ah! Wait for me!" Sweetie chirped a second later, and I heard hoofsteps rapidly bolt after me and out the now open cabin door, hot on my tail. The sun was just rising, and Big Mac gave us a happy grin as we shot past, the two fillies ahead of me laughing now as we headed for the lake. The familiar cyan mare sat in the tree branches at the edge of the clearing and perked up as we approached at a breakneck speed, sitting up from her carefully chosen hiding spot. Her smile broadened as she took to the air when we passed under her, me smiling back up at her briefly after she dropped into a glide next to, and a little above me.

"Race ya," she offered a moment later, her wings flaring with light and energy. Heh, this probably was a bad idea.

"You're on," I agreed regardless a second later, my muscles activating in my legs, forming tight cords as we went. She looked momentarily surprised at my actual agreement, before I could no longer see her face anymore. I cleared the three fillies in front of me with one leap, landing three meters ahead of them and shifting my legs into a blur. Rainbow's gleeful laugh sounded from behind me as I felt her energy flare down the enchantment connection.

The last thing I heard before everything behind us shot away was Scootaloo's surprised "Whoa!"

* * * * *

"That was so awesome!" the little orange filly shouted out again, flailing up into the air and almost dancing in place. I lay on my back, panting at this point as I felt the heat pour off me and drift skywards. Rainbow had won still by a significant amount, but there was this lingering suspicion that she'd intentionally stayed back for a while. She seemed to almost enjoy flying right next to me as I ran. It was an odd sensation I picked up from her when it happened, but it was over before I could properly figure it out.

Now the cyan pegasus rested next to me, breathing hard but looking more exhilarated compared to my flat out exhausted. "I'll say! With that cyborg stuff, you're, like, the fastest Earth Pony alive! Well, maybe Pinkie's a little faster. She can keep up with me when I'm flying, too, but then again, that was before I had these babies!" Rainbow cooed, flexing her wings out and grinning back at her glowing jets that may as well have been a permanent attachment to her body at this point. She'd probably attack me if I tried to take them off.

Catching my breath still, I wobbled as the oxygen adjusters in my bloodstream leveled off. Rolling to my left, I gave her an amused smirk once I was on my side again. "It was fun, admittedly. Also a test, to be honest. After everything I ate yesterday, my leg is feeling pretty good today. A little tender after that, but..." To illustrate the point, I lifted it up a little and looked it over. The fur was definitely coming back, giving it a healthier look, and the veins could only be seen in a few spots now due to the muscles developing along it.

Sweetie edged closer and peeked it over as well, smiling lightly at it before nodding in agreement. "Yeah! I think it's looking good. It's wider now, too, so it looks healthier," she observed, obviously able to note the muscle mass in it now, which was a definite improvement.

My face blanked and my eye twitched as a hoof slowly slid along my right flank, however. Rainbow snickered from behind me a second later, adding, "Hey, the leg isn't the only thing starting to look good. Mender with muscles!" I slowly rotated my head, surprise shifting into a slightly annoyed yet skeptical glare back at her, her left hoof still tracing the muscles in my flank. Eh, at least it wasn't my butt, I suppose.

"Rainbow," Apple Bloom warned, frowning towards her and standing up again next to Scootaloo, who suddenly looked nervous.

What could only be described as light 'hunger' rapidly dissipated at the yellow filly's tone, and Rainbow snapped her hoof away from me in an instant, blushing lightly. "H-Hey! It was only a compliment! Sheesh. I learned my lesson, promise," she assured, sliding the hoof from shoulder to shoulder in a half-baked Pinkie Swear. Oh so subtly, I noticed she sniffed lightly as it went past, then shivered. Ack!

My magic burst a second later before flicking her casually over us like a catapult and into the lake, her surprised howl not unlike a siren the entire way. Apple Bloom burst into laughter in an instant as the cyan pegasus splashed down into the water, back first, slowing for a second as I enabled the parachute just before she hit. I wasn't cruel.

"Cool your jets!" I called after her as her head resurfaced, glaring back at me.

She let out a frustrated grumble, followed by, "Fine, I'm sorry, okay?!" Well, an indignant apology was better than nothing from the stubborn pegasus. I rolled my eyes, then nodded to the fillies, gesturing to the lake as well.

"Yeah, yeah. Head on down, everypony. Wash up and make sure Rainbow scrubs herself down, too, especially her chest. I'll head around the small peninsula over there with all the trees on it and wash up as well. I'll be within shouting range, however, if you need me for anything at all," I elaborated, nodding to each of them individually.

All three gave me varying affirmations back, Sweetie's a little too impish for my liking, but I decided it was close enough. Two splashes later, followed by an exasperated yelp from Rainbow, and I was slipping through the trees and into the water on the other side. It felt cool on my legs after all that exercise, and I sighed softly, sinking into it while I lightly washed over my left foreleg. It really was tender, and I turned my nerve receptors down a bit so I could properly clean it. It was still about three-fourths the width of my normal legs, which were already underdeveloped for an adult stallion, but that was better than being under half, and showing bone here and there.

Smiling lightly, I washed along it and the flat of my hoof while listening to the splashing and laughing on the other side of the trees. Sweetie hadn't dove in like the other two, but I kind of wondered how much actual cleaning was getting done.

"Ah, hey! I can wash myself, Scoots!" I heard Rainbow protest a moment later.

"You're not getting your chest, and Mender told you to!" the filly shot back, followed by a large splash and more laughing from Apple Bloom. I snickered to myself and rolled my eyes. Rainbow ran hot and cold so fast it kind of made me dizzy trying to keep up sometimes. I definitely preferred her warmer sides, but sometimes she got a little too warm, admittedly.

A second passed before the laughter stopped from AB's end. Eh? "Sweetie! What do ya think yer doin'? Get back 'ere," she suddenly warned. Uh oh. Was Sweetie having problems with the water after all? I frowned, and then lowered my ears a bit.

"Ah, um, I was just checking to see if he was okay! He's not making any noise!" I heard Sweetie call back, sounding significantly closer to me than the others. Oh. I slapped my forehead and sighed.

"I'm fine, Sweetie. Go clean!" I shouted through the trees, earning Dash's laughter this time instead. Grumbling followed, and I heard her hoofsteps moving away again, and sank back under the water. It wasn't like I was doing anything particularly enticing anyway. I mean, she saw me naked all the time. What was so different?

I paused for a second and rolled my eyes, realizing I had slipped into a bit of paranoia instead. Erring on the side of caution, I decided to wash my more private bits next while I knew she wasn't watching. I was going to be so happy to have a normal bathroom again, where I didn't have to worry about underage fillies peeping on me. Well, kinda underage. Sure, there wasn't a specific law for it, but I still didn't feel comfortable given the Crusaders' current ages.

Washing up didn't take long. Thankfully the equipment down there was similar to what was in my memories from my original self. The baculum, specifically, made it far easier to clean, the bone being able to extend whenever I needed it to. I knew enough about basic anatomy to know it would probably suck otherwise. A few minutes later, I had moved on to my back legs, checking over the right one again. It was still a little less muscled than the other due to the injury it had sustained, but doing significantly better. A broken bone, I guess, was far easier to recover from than getting your leg chopped off and biologically regrowing it from nothing. Heh.

After carefully washing my legs up, I inhaled sharply and slipped sideways into the deeper part of the water, staring out into the lake as I slipped below the surface. My rebreather kicked in and I relaxed, sinking towards the bottom as I rested there. That was another downside of my broken suppressor letting the tiniest sliver of my density through. I naturally sank like a rock, because I kind of was of similar density to one. I had to work to stay floating and couldn't do so and truly relax.

My eyes closed as I rested at the bottom of the water, ears rotating around and absorbing the muffled sounds from the lake. I couldn't go back over there until they said they were done, so there was nothing better to do. My right eye's readout activated and I flicked through all the notes I'd taken for Twilight on the disks and data about the link. Alongside notes I'd made on the weapon for myself, there were well over a hundred pages. I'm sure it was light reading for her, but at least I felt better understanding myself a bit more. Ironically, the majority of the disks were made from crystals found here, in Equestria. Idly, I considered the aspect that I could technically make more 'blank' disks that could be linked to anypony, and then I decided that was probably a bad idea until I fully understood them. Yeah. Besides, I didn't really have anypony else I trusted enough to give them to. Well, that could consent to it anyway. Spike and the Crusaders were a little young to be making huge choices like that.

"I still can't believe there's an age limit to sign up! It's just not fair!" I heard the muffled Scootaloo yelp, stirring my attention again. Eh? Well, it wasn't screams of panic and terror, or a confirmation that I was to rejoin them, so I just idly listened.

"Scoots, this isn't like the Running of the Leaves. This race is in the air and a lot more dangerous. You can't just sit down and take a rest if you get tired, obviously," Rainbow warned. Well, unless they found a cloud, I guess. Heh. Of course, my last experience with being on a cloud was less than wonderful.

There was a weak sigh, followed by a long pause, and I opened my eyes again. A small, yellow fish drifted in front of me, giving two slow blinks as I caught sight of it. It didn't seem particularly concerned about me, probably being intelligent like all the rest of the creatures here. I smiled lightly to it, and then closed my eyes again, having decided there wasn't much interesting to look at. Less talking, more washing, girls! Gah.

"I guess I just really wanted to be able to fly with you, is all. Now that I have these wings, there's so much I can do! It just feels, I dunno," Scootaloo continued, her quieter tone harder to hear through the water. Eh, this wouldn't work very well. I mean, what if they were screaming for help really quietly?

My eyes opened again and I gave a start, noticing no less than seven, equally yellow fish in front of me now, all drifting there and watching me. Eh?! What was I, some sort of curiosity or something? The front-most fish, noticing it got my attention, swam in a small circle and looked down towards my right shoulder, which was pressed into the lake floor. Huh?

Glancing down, my eyes widened as I saw a tiny, paler yellow fish stuck under my shoulder, wiggling about a bit. Oops! Moving up a little, I lifted my right shoulder up and let the tiny thing swim out from under me. It made several angry flicks towards me before wracking me lightly in the nose with its tail. Wincing, I managed to mouth, "I'm sorry," to it underwater, wondering if it could understand universal common or not. Eh, if it couldn't, at least I only made an idiot of myself.

It stared at me for a moment, still looking angry. My eyes shifted to its side, where I noticed a few scratched and missing scales. Scales? Oh, that I could help with. It fidgeted in the water as I gently raised my left hoof towards it, and all the other fish started to swim forward in worry, but my magic lightly danced across its side, repairing the scales easily enough with very little effort.

I watched, rather amused now, as the little fish took turns examining the work, then circled around me, lightly bumping into my forehead and muzzle in a rather affectionate gesture before shooting off into the lake again. My smile returned as I watched them all swim away. That was something that was entirely me. There was that warm sensation I got when I saw somepony was better off or happier because of me. It helped me feel like I was useful and contributing.

A moment of hesitation later, I sighed underwater and watched the bubbles drift upwards. I followed them with a push of my shoulder, and broke the surface of the water again, thoroughly soaked at this point, but very much clean. Dark circles appeared along the sand as I waded out from the water, and I shivered lightly. Taking a page from several canines I'd seen, and Rainbow Dash earlier, I spread all four of my legs out for balance and shook my entire body as violently as I could. The spray was rather impressive, reaching a good four meters from me, and I smiled, feeling much better now that I was all washed up.

With that, I sat down and wondered when they'd finish and call me back over. My ears and proximity scanners stayed on high alert, however, and I kept a close eye out into the woods to my immediate north. Maybe I was paranoid, but they weren't about to ambush my friends on my watch. Just in case, I stayed tucked in the foliage and out of sight as well.

Five minutes passed, and I didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed that nothing happened. Ah well. I'd never regret taking precautions. That much wasn't in my nature. Apple Bloom called out that they were done, however, and I stood up again and trotted carefully through the trees and back towards the main area. My eyes drank in the sight of four rather puffy looking females, and I smiled. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both perked up as they saw me, anyway. Scootaloo was busy pressing her tail along the sand, either to ring the water out of it or to reapply some quota of dirt she had. Rainbow was crouched a bit lower and tilted to the left instead, smacking the other side of her head with a forehoof while water popped out of her lowered ear.

"Everypony does look really clean!" I complimented, smiling to the two fillies as I approached. Apple Bloom grinned, while Sweetie stood up more fully and rotated around in front of me, showing me multiple angles of her fluffy fur before striking a rather elegant pose, smiling at me warmly.

I raised an eyebrow to her at the same time her yellow friend rolled her eyes at the display. She didn't have to show off for me, I hope she realized. "Yes, you look very pretty, Sweetie," I assured regardless, causing her to practically swell up she puffed her chest out so much, grin widening.

"Ah'd say yer actin' like yer sister, but Ah'm gonna go an' guess that it's just fer Mender, am Ah right?" Apple Bloom inquired slyly, causing the little unicorn to blush in an instant and stumble out of her pose.

I caught her with my magic while snickering, sitting down a half meter away from the two. "I don't mind. Again, I was honest when I said she gets full consideration in two years, so I'm actually rather flattered that she wants to look nice for me," I pointed out. AB tilted her head towards me, but Sweetie let out a little gasp, blush intensifying as she looked at me in surprise. Was it that strange of me to say?

"Ah think Ah understand. It's not just 'cause she looks pretty, but because she took tha effort ta look pretty for ya spe-spa-er, just you?" Apple Bloom suggested, smiling at me finally.

"Specifically?" Sweetie offered her, before her yellow friend gave her a shove again and a mildly irritated glare.

Shaking my head, I finally interrupted with, "Yeah, that's pretty much it. I mean, I already kinda guessed how important it is to Sweetie, but it's still nice to see her efforts. That, and she really does look adorable."

Apple Bloom gave me a happy nod at that, and Sweetie no longer even looked mad at being shoved! Instead, she squeaked and hopped forwards, embedding herself against my chest again in a somewhat damp hug. It would seem I did a better job of drying myself than she did...

"Psh, you shouldn't be content with 'adorable', Sweetie! A mare should try to get her stallion to think she's 'gorgeous' or 'sexy'!" Rainbow 'warned' a moment later, apparently paying more attention to the conversation than I had given her credit for, prior. Both her and Scoots fluttered over the short distance towards us, landing all of a meter away while keeping the sand blast to a minimum, which I was thankful for. I'd hate to have to launch her into the lake again.

Apple Bloom gave her a somewhat skeptical stare as Sweetie herself perked up and rotated around to face Rainbow instead, tilting her head but making absolutely zero effort to move away from me. AB beat her to the question, however. "Uh, ain't she still considered just ah filly, though?" That was a very good point.

Rainbow didn't buy it, of course. "Hey, it's never too soon to start in order to woo your stallion! With so many straight mares out there, you have to keep in mind the competition! Especially if the stallion only wants a single mare," she warned, hoof gestures emphasizing that last part especially.

"Doesn't Mender already have two mares? That kinda means he doesn't mind more than one, right?" Scootaloo asked, oddly sounding more confused than anything.

Dash gave an exasperated eye roll and shook her head, rubbing the tip of her muzzle with a forehoof. "I wasn't specifically talking about Mender. This is more advice to you and AB. Sweetie kinda already has it in the bag," she corrected.

My ears flattened back at that and I glared at her, causing Sweetie to squeak when she noticed. "Ah! Please don't be mad at me, Mender!" the little filly begged, turning back around towards me and putting both front hooves up imploringly on my chest.

"You weren't the one who said it, Sweetie," I assured, petting the top of her head as I kept my glare locked on Dash instead, who was doing her best to look completely innocent. At least Sweetie's priorities appeared to be in the right place. Well, now, anyway.

"'sides, mah sis says that sorta thing ya need ta wait fer, an' not rush into until yer sure it's love. 'Beautiful' or 'gorgeous' probably ain't bad, but 'sexy' ya should avoid fer now, Sweetie," Apple Bloom appended. That was far less risky sounding advice, and I nodded along to that, causing Sweetie to relax and smile up at me.

Rainbow surprised me by looking shocked rather than annoyed at the correction. Oh, wait, no, it was probably the 'source' of the advice more than the advice itself. "W-Wait, AJ said that? Uh, does she, um, well, has she-" the cyan pegasus stuttered out, suddenly looking a little paler. A spike of apprehension shot down the empathy link, and I tried to return assuring sensations, earning a light blush as she suddenly glanced over at me instead.

Apple Bloom nodded, then snickered, cutting the pegasus off. "Yeah. She ain't ever let anypony that close ta her, though. She listen's ta her own advice, don't worry," the clever filly answered, earning a smirk from me.

If Rainbow had figured out the implications, it probably hadn't registered as I literally felt her slip into her own thoughts at this range. A light blush formed on her cheeks a moment later, giving me more than a small hint as to what she was thinking about. "Yeah, that means Applejack's probably just as experienced as you are," I whispered into her mind through the connection. That tiny pink tint flared up to a full red flush as her eyes widened and she looked up at me with a mixture of embarrassment and horror. Wow, she was never going to remember that whole link thing, was she? Could I honestly just keep pranking her with this every time?

"Link?" I reminded down the very thing itself, causing her expression to fall to an irritated glare instead, ears drooping as she looked amused yet exasperated.

"Uh..." Scootaloo voiced, looking back and forth between us.

Apple Bloom snickered, however, and shook her head. "Don't forget, they have that link thingy. Ah have ah feelin' Mender just pranked her again," she reminded, causing Scootaloo to grin and Rainbow to direct her ire towards the little yellow filly instead.

"Ooooh, are ya pranking each other?!" suddenly exploded over the mental link, causing both of us to wince at the pink one's sudden barrage. A light haze drifted with it, spiking the temperature at least three degrees, it felt like, while strange, distorted balloons and snow-like confetti fell around us. What the hell? It wasn't as, well, crisp as her normal mental pictures.

"Ah, Pinkie! I told you to ease up on the link," Rainbow groaned out, ineffectively putting a hoof over each ear while speaking both through the link, and out loud.

Apple Bloom perked up again, adding, "Oh, Ah forgot she had ah link, too!" Lucky her. I certainly didn't forget!

Giggling sounded out from all around us, and what could only be described as hot breath across my neck drifted out later. "Oooh, I should have thought of this earlier! You two feel really, really good," she cooed out in amusement. Uh, what?

My eyes widened as I felt the sensation of a warm nuzzle along my neck and flailed sideways, but nothing was there except distorted pink. Oh. Oh hell! They widened even further as I saw a pink distortion assaulting Rainbow's ear with playful nibbles as well, the cyan mare yelping and flailing away from it as the red flush shifted down her neck as well.

"Pinkie, you know you're not supposed to contact me during estrus! We'll talk about this later!" I growled out, just as she started to pounce towards me again. She was gone an instant later as I flicked her link off. Estrus wasn't fun...

Rainbow winced as she slowly got back up to her hooves, shaking her head slightly. She looked more than a little flustered, and I sighed. Scootaloo looked between us with wide eyes. "Whoa! What happened?!" she asked, Apple Bloom looking just as confused. Sweetie oddly didn't, and just sat calmly at my side, pushing me back up after I finished reeling.

"Ugh, Pinkie can be a bit, um, overbearing in her mental communication sometimes, and apparently it's worse with Estrus," I explained, massaging my right temple with a hoof.

"Thank you... You made it stop," Rainbow gasped out finally, after shaking her head so hard that her eyes wobbled back and forth for a moment.

The little orange pegasus next to her looked less than dissuaded, however. "Actually, that sounds kinda awesome! I wish I could see that, too!" she admitted wistfully.

"You really don't," Dashie groaned, mimicking me now and rubbing at her head.

Snickering, I shook my head towards the filly as well. "At the moment, that's not possible. I figured out how to make the disks now, but I don't want to make more before fully knowing what they do," I explained.

Okay, so I hadn't been expecting all four to perk up at that. "W-Wait, you can make more?!" Sweetie asked almost instantly. Err.

"And ponies other than tha Elements o' Harmony can use 'em?" Apple Bloom added a heartbeat later. Rainbow started to grin at the same time, and Scootaloo just looked confused again.

"Well, it's all conjecture right now, but as far as I can tell, yeah. The disks for the Elements were specially made. It would appear the full thing is more flexible. They're apparently called LMNS units," I revealed, attempting to filter out some of the awkwardness of the situation. I hadn't anticipated needing to explain the disks to anypony this soon.

Scootaloo tilted her head at that. "Limins? What's that mean?"

"Ah think it's one o' those acra... Acro... Uh, words made o' ah bunch o' first letters in ah phrase?" Apple Bloom suggested, tilting her head towards me for verification.

"Acronym," Sweetie chirped a half second later.

Apple Bloom perked up and nodded to her, adding, "Thanks!" I couldn't help it and just started snickering. Sometimes the fillies were just so cute.

"She's right, though. It stands for Link Monitor and Nanite Surveyor," I confirmed.

Rainbow raised an eye at that one before asking, "Nanites? I know what it means by link, but I'm not sure what a Nanite is." Admittedly, I had expected that much.

"That's because Equestria doesn't have them. They're little machines smaller than what you can see with your eye that can do things in a really tiny area. Millions of them usually in this case," I extrapolated, feeling a little bump in nervousness as I saw the next part coming.

Three confused frowns and a somewhat apprehensive stare greeted me, almost as I had anticipated. "Wait, what do tiny little machines have to do with the link thingy?" Scootaloo asked instead, probably beating Rainbow by a few seconds.

I flattened my ears back and looked away from them, not so comfortable anymore. "I was going to wait to tell everypony until after I talked to Twilight about it, but as you're asking, I guess, well..." I muttered, unsure of how best to proceed.

"The link isn't magical, is it?" Rainbow asked nervously, and I felt her apprehension bleeding through both links at this distance.

I shook my head idly, wondering at the best way to explain it. "Well, they use magic to communicate with me, but they gather the information through technology. You have millions of tiny machines in your body now, Rainbow. All the Elements do, as it apparently happens when you touch one of the disks. They don't just monitor, either. How's your side feeling?" I asked quietly, now touching upon two tender topics at once. I was on a roll today!

Rainbow's eyes widened further as she reached down and touched her left side where my hoof had impacted. There wasn't even a mark at this point, and she knew it. Her eyes stayed locked with mine as she swallowed weakly and nodded a second later. "Gone. I could have sworn it was going to bruise up but, um," she whispered, finally breaking away and looking down at it. In most cases, I'd think she'd think it would be 'cool', but I guess it was a little more nerve-wracking when it was real.

"They healed your injury. I'm glad for it, but I need to find out more about it, and fast. I've locked down all the internal controls and put some heavy duty protection on the links inside of me so they won't do anything they're not already programmed to do, but it's better safe than sorry," I assured, looking down at my hooves. They were the same nanites that were inside of me, so I had a good idea of what they were capable of and supposed to do, which should be purely beneficial. Of course, theirs also had the specialized capabilities for whatever scouting project I was originally intended for.

A yellow hoof lightly nudged me in the left leg, and I looked up at Apple Bloom again. "Uh, when ya say touched...?" she inquired hesitantly, eyes widening a bit. Touched? Oh!

I smiled and shook my head towards her. "Oh, no. I'm pretty sure the nanites are only transferred on registration of the disk," I assured, causing her to smile again. Plus, I'd have to figure out how to get around the specialized nature of the disks for the Elements of Harmony. I definitely didn't want all those scanners and controls on anypony else.

Scootaloo, who accidentally became the random target of my gaze after I turned from Apple Bloom, perked and nodded towards me as I assured them. "Awesome! Well, we can save that for later. I'm getting kinda bored. Do you think we could train again with enchantments and our abilities?" she asked eagerly, smile widening into a grin.

"Oh, I don't know, Scootaloo. I mean, I'm not exactly a trainer or anything. What do I get out of it?" I asked her, tone shifting to mirthful and teasing instead as I leaned closer, winking to her.

Her eyes started to widen a little when Rainbow leaned in as well instead. "Careful, Mender. You wouldn't let me pay you in bits before, so if you charge her, you'll have to accept tasty, delicious payment from me instead," she cooed out, winking towards me as I swallowed. Hey, she was ruining my prank!

"Ah, n-no. I was just joking," I hastily appended, noting that I had set myself up almost perfectly for that one.

"Psh, you’re no fun," Dash scoffed, smirking at me and trotting away again towards the lake. That brat! She was just teasing me that time, I suddenly realized. She changed demeanor rather rapidly, and it made me a little dizzy trying to keep up all the time.

Scootaloo, for the most part, totally ignored the exchange, masterfully pulling out only the information she had wanted. "So, um, you'll help us train again?!" she inquired excitedly a second later, grin widening as she hopped in place.

Rolling my eyes, I gave her a soft, if not tired, nod as I stood back up again. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get back down by the lake, just in case there are any accidents. Having water close by seems like a good idea," I instructed, walking past the filly and towards where Rainbow had stopped by the shore.

"Hey, I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to set your tail on fire," Sweetie groaned from somewhere behind me. I sighed weakly as Apple Bloom started giggling, two sets of hoofsteps following along after me as Scoots took to the air.

* * * * *

The chaotic barrage was surprising to say the least. Despite the distractions, I managed to cushion the little filly's inner energy stores and get her balanced again. Slowly easing back and withdrawing, my eyes opened up again at the same time hers did, and she gave me a sleepy stare as I sat up again fully.

"And what did we learn?" I asked, watching her wings spread back out.

Scootaloo sighed and looked away from me but made no attempt to escape my grip. "Stop means stop, not 'just a little bit longer?'" she offered weakly, fidgeting with her forelegs. Rainbow turned light pink for some reason, and I gave her a questioning glance before deciding I probably didn't want to know.

"Yeah. When I tell you that you need a break, it's not just because I'm trying to be mean. Overdoing your magic isn't pleasant, as you now know," I reminded, finally letting her go and watching her slip back up into a sitting position, the glow now gone from her wings due to me having turned off the enchantment.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both looked on, the unicorn blushing lightly as she watched me, oddly. It had only been an hour and a half, yet Apple Bloom had already bashed herself in the face with an out of control ball of sand, and Sweetie had set my mane on fire this time. Honestly, I didn't think it was a difficult concept to not aim her horn at me when casting. Now, Scootaloo burned out her entire magic supply trying to get five levels like Rainbow could, despite being far less experienced, smaller, younger, and not as in shape yet. Were they trying to kill themselves or others?

Scootaloo sighed and nodded again, Rainbow smiling and putting a foreleg over the filly's shoulders. "Relax, Scoots. You'll get there eventually, but you gotta have patience. I know it's hard, but I've put a lot of work into getting to where I am today, so I know if you do the same, you'll get there. Just don't push yourself like that, okay? You getting hurt... That would be very uncool!" she exclaimed confidently, her wings fluttering out behind her a bit.

The filly gave her a soft smile and I suddenly felt a pang of regret, wishing it didn't have to be me being mean to her and lecturing her on how to practice. She really did look up to Rainbow, and admittedly, that level of devotion was inspiring. It also made me question why I was getting jealous over it. I had ended up questioning myself a lot, lately. Why wasn't I content simply with what I had already, even knowing what I really deserved? I exhaled softly, wishing there was an easy answer over that.

"T-That's what you do to, um, help somepony recover from magic exhaustion?!" I heard Sweetie ask suddenly, giving me a start and knocking me out of my stupor, thankfully.

Rotating, I shot her a questioning glance over my shoulder, not entirely sure why she was so interested suddenly. The technique was supposed to be for a unicorn, sure, but she already knew I could use magic as well. Was it really so surprising, or was she interested in it from an academic standpoint?

"Uh, why do ya wanna know, Sweetie?" Apple Bloom asked, beating me to the punch by a few seconds.

She didn't get a direct reply. I kept rotating until I winced, deciding to spin around the other way as Sweetie shot past me to the right instead, headed for the lake. "So worth it!" she cheered a heartbeat later. Wait, what?! What was worth it?

My eyes widened as my head snapped back around to lock onto her. I was momentarily blinded by the meter wide ball of raw magic expanding in front of her horn and I winced, holding up my left foreleg in front of my eyes before shouting, "What are you doing?! Don't put that much energy into a-"

The flash fired off a second later, a pencil-thin beam of light arching off into the distance, a shock wave traveling underneath it along the water and the clouds parting a dozen kilometers or so off. Oh hell! Why?!

"Whoa! Awesome!" I heard Scootaloo mutter behind me as I ran towards the unicorn filly, who looked lightly dazed and wobbled sideways on her hooves.

"Ha... So, totally worth... It... Oh, ow. Ow! Aaaaaah! My head! Not worth it! So, not worth it!" she started screaming as she fell sideways and rolled onto her back, both forehooves clutching at her temples as a trickle of blood came down her snout. Damn it.

It took almost forty seconds for Rainbow to get a good enough grip on her to hold her steady while I tried to form a connection, both other fillies looking on with varying levels of horror to their expressions. Sweetie's blood was peppered all over the sand at this point, as well as along Rainbow's forelegs and my chest in long smeared strokes. The mental fatigue caught up with the little unicorn faster than we could restrain her, however, and her struggling slowed along with her breathing as Dash finally pinned her to the ground.

Groaning in frustration, I ducked in and pushed my forehead under her horn rather hard, earning another gasp from the little filly. She tried to move again, but it was far too late as the connection finally stabilized and my energy darted inside her. Nerves got doused first, me holding her rigid from inside her own mind as she gasped out, her own inner-self flailing in agony. The nerves went numb an instant later, shock setting into her mind as the pain turned to nothing at all, little tingles dancing along her extremities as I felt it, too.

Her inner 'self' was pushed down lightly, my aura shifting around and through her, bolstering her magic as I felt her finally relax against me. Damn it, Sweetie! She was downright impulsive sometimes, having very little regard for her own safety. I felt her inner self swallow, as I knew my frustration and irritation over her actions were clearly felt, my energy actually inside her at this point. For just a moment, she had the empathy link that Fluttershy shared with me, even if it was just due to sheer proximity.

Fatigue hit fast as I had to use a lot of energy up to repair her inner paths, her mind soothing alongside her energy pool. Twilight could have done this no problem, but I didn't have the inner energy to repair two ponies back to back like this, especially with Sweetie's being so severe. The frustration was palpable and I almost tasted it in my mouth, and I sighed, pushing onwards. I had to at least stabilize her.

It was strange. I'd never really been truly frustrated with her before. With any of the fillies, really. But something about Sweetie could really try my patience sometimes. She was right there, and felt the thoughts enough to wince at them, but I mentally shook my head towards her. No, it wasn't that she bothered me like that. She frustrated me. It didn't take me long to realize that it was her total disregard for her own safety and health when it came to pursuing her feelings that really got under my skin.

A guilty sensation drifted through her, but I brushed my magic along hers and earned a quiet sigh, her inner-self relaxing again. It was definitely because I cared about her and didn't want her getting hurt. But why did it get to me more than when Scootaloo did the same thing? Well, Sweetie's case was intentional instead of just being inexperienced and foolish, and directly because of her feelings for me. Was that it? Was it because it was technically 'my fault' that she did this?

Panic danced through her mind as I felt her vigorously shaking her head, some even carrying through to result in light twitches to her real body. Heh. She didn't know how to talk yet in her mind. Still, I found it oddly adorable regardless. I cared about Sweetie. I'd spent the most amount of time with her out of the Crusaders, and she felt technically the closest to me. Still, if she truly felt that way about me, I felt at least a little responsible for her hurting herself while acting upon it. But no, that was only a half-truth, admittedly.

Her eyes widened a little but I forced myself to relax, finishing the last of the stabilization inside her mind. Yeah. It was true. By the time she looked like she did in last night's dream, I'd probably have no problems liking her as more than a friend. It wasn't an aspect of what she looked like really, but she really did appeal to me. A certain mix of loyalty to her friends like Dash represented, while also maintaining flexibility and an appreciation of kindness like Fluttershy. Not too much of either, though. Plus, she held the regal airs and politeness from her sister, but really felt like she was looking at me rather than a storybook cutout parading around in silver armor. Oh, and her adult form being rather cute in a not-so-foalish way helped.

Overall, comparisons didn't do her justice, as she was her own individual. Her carefree attitude appealed to me, but she retained dignity and compassion at the same time, which was nice. Honestly, she could probably be more open and ultimately comfortable about things than either Fluttershy or Twilight, I bet. Now, all that was left before I really, truly let myself consider it was to get to know her over the next few years.

It was a timid sensation as it creeped back up, but a deep sense of regret danced from her, mixed with large amounts of thankfulness. I mentally questioned what she was exactly thankful for, and instead I got a drop of her memory projected towards me in a somewhat clumsy way. It was a messy blur of movement and I couldn't pick anything out, but felt what she knew to be 'me' under her and running. Ah, that was after she poisoned herself.

To my surprise, I felt it. At that range, I felt it through her as it seeped off my skin. A very light, but very absolute empathic feeling. At that lowest point, she 'felt' my aura directly and figured out what she wanted from it. In that memory, I felt that she had picked up the fact that I was being honest with her. She really was going to get a chance when she was fourteen. Relief and thankfulness mixed with a pang of regret over doing everything she did, then.

I smiled inside of her mind at the overblown lengths she’d gone to in order to show that to me, but also at her honesty at that point. That was her own memories she showed me freely, just to try to be open with me, and I really did appreciate that. That much I sent directly to her.

The blush carried through to her real body unabated, of course, and I smiled to myself as I withdrew, relaxing and opening my eyes again as I lifted my head up. Hers were already open and quite wide, staring up at me with pleasant surprise, despite her matted fur that had streaks of blood caked in it.

"Uh..." Rainbow questioned in an uncertain tone from in front of me. Neither Sweetie Belle or I said anything, however, as I just stared down at her. She knew I didn't approve of her stunt and I knew she was sorry for it. Oddly, it felt like I understood the little filly a bit better, and I felt closer to her, with her not being a little filly anymore, but a mare capable of her own decisions. The Crusaders really were starting to get old enough to be.

She hesitantly nodded to me, and I returned it before shifting my muzzle in the direction of the lake with a light gesture. Shakily, she hooked onto my right foreleg and I lifted her onto my back, slowly walking past Rainbow and towards the lake again to clean us up. "She'll be okay now, Dash. Can you help get her washed up?" I asked glancing back over my left shoulder at the confused looking pegasus.

She smiled finally at my acknowledgement and nodded, standing again and trotting after me, the other two following closely. Scootaloo looked downright worried over the whole ordeal and asked, "Are you sure she'll be okay? There's, um, blood everywhere." I hesitated at the way she said 'blood' and frowned. Sweetie had a lot more blood in her than this, and it wasn't really that much, I didn't think. I lost easily six or seven times this after I got my leg ripped off. Although, uh, I kinda died from it. Huh. Bad comparison.

"Yeah. She'll need to rest after this, and no more practicing for today. Oh, and getting her something light to eat would be a good idea," I suggested, bringing up my limited first aid knowledge. I'd given up lamenting on not having learned healing magic. It was one of those things that would have been absolutely invaluable at this point, and thinking about it would just get me depressed.

Apple Bloom skidded to a halt almost instantly, eyes perking up as I glanced back at the sand scuffing noise. "Oh! Ah'll go toss together ah sandwich fer her, then!" she offered, not even waiting for me to nod before spinning around and booking it back towards the picnic basket we'd left at the edge of the sand. Heh, she really was worried about Sweetie then, and just was trying to be tough.

Smirking, I turned back around and walked lightly into the water before rotating and carefully lowering Sweetie in. She held onto my right foreleg tight and gave an apprehensive stare at the water as I set her down, but I kept hold of her and steadied her balance as Rainbow slipped up next to me and sat down.

"You hold her upright, I'll do the washing, okay?" Rainbow suggested, before grinning and whipping her foreleg up. Sweetie gave a surprised squeak as the water blasted over her face, eyes barely closing in time, and I sighed.

"Wash, not attack, Rainbow," I requested dryly.

The mare rolled her eyes, replying with, "Yeah, yeah. She needed to get her face washed anyway!" Heh.

Switching over to short-range mental communication, I warned, "Careful, or I'll pin you down and slowly lick your hooves." That said, I waited for it.

Two seconds. I contributed it to system shock at first, considering it. Her eyes shot open and her cheeks went red in an instant, her head whipping towards me a heartbeat later. "W-What?! Wait, how do you know, er, I mean, why would you do that?!" she demanded, both in mental and verbal voice. She was never going to get the hang of that...

"It was one of the several hundred thoughts you had running through your mind like an out of control train when you formed this," I explained out loud this time, pushing the tiny rainbow strand of energy out of my forehead as emphasis, peeking up at it as it swayed about. It had been extremely clear for one of the scrambled thoughts. 'I really hope he doesn't find out about the hooves. Why are mine so sensitive?! Oh, oh wow. If he kissed them...'

Her face went scarlet as it crept down her neck the longer I played back the thought in her own voice down the mental link. "O-Okay! Please, just stop!" she whined before flailing about and dunking her head under the lake. Scootaloo looked more than bewildered at this point, but Sweetie just watched Dash while giggling lightly.

"I'm guessing you found something that she doesn't want spread?" the little unicorn asked while Dash was busy soaking her head.

I rolled my eyes and nodded to her before slipping my left foreleg under the water and pulling Rainbow back upright, pointing out, "Drowning isn't a viable exit strategy, Dash. It was a joke."

She scowled at me for a moment, and I almost felt her trying to stab me in her mind before flopping over backwards. "Gah, I know that. Still, don't do that to a mare in heat!" she shouted a second later.

I snickered before I just started washing Sweetie's face and chest by myself, the little filly relaxing to the side against my foreleg that was hooked behind her back. I had her totally supported and I knew she could feel that, but it still surprised me that she was so readily relaxing despite the water being around her, up to her hips.

Grumbling, Rainbow finally rejoined me as Scootaloo waded into the water, too. The orange filly helped scoop up water with me to wash Sweetie's chest, and I wasn't about to complain about the extra help while Dash got her back. I was pretty much out of my magical energy apart from my life force, and I wasn't about to remove the seal on that if I didn't have to. It was resting time for me, too!

* * * * *

It took almost a quarter of an hour to get all the blood off us. Rainbow groaned up at the sky as we finished washing her cyan coat off as well. Light sprinkles were coming down around us at that point, ripples dancing across the surface of the lake.

"Relax, Rainbow. We can't practice anymore anyway. I don't have any energy left to safely stabilize you if you run out of magic," I warned, tiredly watching Scootaloo clean every single inch of Rainbow's forelegs, almost obsessively. It had been a good idea to enlist her aid in the task, I now realized. She had more than enough energy to spare to help her hero out.

Rainbow sighed but shook her head a second later. "I'm gonna just do some speed runs with my normal wings, then, before the rain picks up. It's not supposed to be as bad as last night, but I hate flying with wet wings," she groaned out, wiggling her wings about that were still under the water as emphasis.

I nodded, checking again and only finding about twenty percent of my energy recovered. "Good. I'm, uh, really tired after all that," I muttered, eyes softening as I lost focus and relaxed again, lying on my side in the sand. Sweetie lay against my stomach, upright and lightly munching on a sandwich Apple Bloom had made for her. The yellow filly in question was nice enough to pop out our umbrella and had it stuck in the sand, holding it upright for us both to stay somewhat dry under.

"Ya need ta rest, then, Mender. We could go over by that overhang ya were at when we went lookin' fer ya," she suggested, gesturing to my left, westward, to where I knew my prior hiding spot was. Under the cliff I'd been laying on was a good, three-meter under-cut in the rock, which would be good to stay dry in. I nodded back to her as Rainbow struggled out of the water, looking mildly like a soggy, unhappy rat.

"I'll make a tiny fire under the rocks over there, then. Rest by it for a few minutes before going flying, Rainbow," I more ordered than anything. The cyan mare sighed but nodded towards me as she followed after us.

* * * * *

The fire swayed lightly back and forth over the dry sticks the Crusaders had found. I watched it flicker gently, relaxing as it made tinted imprints in my eyes because of the light. My body lay motionless; my head propped up to stare into the fire half a meter away. I thought of nothing in particular as I let the sound of the light rain drone through my ears, and the wet, earthy smells ebb around me. My mind tended not to focus on any one topic when I wasn't directing it, dancing between the frustration my newly discovered 'aura' brought me with mares, worry over what had happened with Snapshot and whatever organization had hired her, and ultimately what was going on with my own past. Nothing stuck, however, and eventually I just let my thoughts blank as I watched the dancing flames. To hell with it. This was supposed to be a 'vacation' for me, and so far it had been just about as bad, if not worse, than my normal routine. I think it owed me a bit of relaxation at this point.

Sweetie Belle made a murmuring noise next to me, breathing speeding up just a little as she shifted, then resumed snoring lightly. I smiled down at her with a shift of my head, and then just watched her chest rise and fall for a few minutes. Sometimes, reality caught up with me, and the details suddenly became the only important thing. The little filly was alive and well, her torso moving with each breath, and a soft smile on her face. She was soft and warm against my stomach, and suddenly I found myself in awe, realizing such an expansive personality and mind was keeping me company. It was difficult to explain, even to myself, but she felt special, anyway. Like it was the first time I really 'saw' a will and ego behind another pony, apart from my own. Really, all I had were my own experiences and thoughts as comparison. She had her own as well, just like everypony else. I entertained the thought for a while, in all of its existential glory. It was certainly appealing to realize that I too had my own set of thoughts, further distancing me from the 'mechanical' parts.

My ears perked up first at the sound of heavy hoofsteps heading down towards the beach area. Turning, I double-checked on everypony, noticing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom still playing in the shallow water by the shore, and Rainbow lazily drifting through the sky above, trying to pull off a backwards loop out of a glide for some reason. Oddly, I felt certain muscles tugging lightly in my back as the empathy link mirrored us, and decided she was probably trying to do something extremely specific with her flight muscles. Well, she was the expert.

Shifting back to the right, I peeked at the intruder a second later. Big Mac slowly walked down the beach, slowing as he got about halfway down. I relaxed, watching him stretch out and look up at the sky for a moment. It wasn't an intruder after all. I didn't need a link to know it was really him. Somepony wouldn't dare impersonate him, as that was like signing off on your own death. Either Carrot or AJ would beat your bones to mush with their bare hooves for trying...

He sniffed a moment later, and then perked his ears up as he glanced over to the left, locking eyes with me, and then shifting them down to the fire a second later. In just that instant, his normal relaxed look flickered to a more sharpened, analyzing one before he let it rest again, adopting a slight smile and walking over. Yeah, he was a lot sharper than he seemed to like to appear, either intentionally or out of a particularly laid back attitude.

"Howdy, Mender. Ah'd say yer tha smart one, stayin' warm out 'ere. Sweetie okay?" he asked quietly upon reaching comfortable 'quiet voice' talking range.

I peeked at her again before slowly nodding. "Yeah. She overdid her training and got a nosebleed. I told her to rest for the remainder of the day," I explained, equally quietly, notably not elaborating on exactly how horrible the bleeding had been. I was starting to feel scarily comfortable with the half-truths thing. Maybe I'd be okay working for the government after all? Sweetie didn't stir in the slightest, but still appeared to be breathing, so I relaxed. Deep sleeper?

"Good call, there. It's nice ta know yer ah responsible stallion. How's things?" he inquired, again seeming to cut off all unneeded words from his sentences. I smiled, looking back to the fire as he sat down with a surprising level of gentleness for such a large stallion.

"Quiet. I'm just enjoying the rare moment of peace while I can," I admitted, feeling the tiredness leak into my words, and I was forced to exhale lightly after.

He stared into the fire himself for a moment before nodding ever so slightly. "Eeyup. Ah wouldn't envy yer position, fer sure. But ya got mah support, an' tha support o' tha Apple Family, that's fer sure." His tone was quiet, yet adamant. Somehow he could pull off that level of assurance without needing to raise his voice, and I was impressed.

"Just knowing I have friends helps a lot. What are you doing over this far, anyway? I mean, if you want to tell me," I asked, curiosity finally getting the better of me, but still maintaining enough sense to be polite about it.

He smirked and looked skywards again, scanning towards the north through the canopy. Eh? Was he expecting something from Ponyville? "Today's tha fifth day o' tha main bulk o' heat. Tha mayor usually sends ah pegasus that's already safe ta deliver news, either today or tomorrow. Tell how much longer an' if'in cleanup's started," he explained absently, eyes not leaving the sky.

Oh. That actually made sense. "So, the bulk of estrus is five or six days for the town? The summer one's a little longer, right?" I asked, trying to get my days right. This was important to remember, now that I was a pony!

"Eeyup! Worst o' tha scents are done and most o' tha mares are safe after five ta six days. Then they clean up an' we come back on tha sixth day. Sometimes seventh. Summer heat's longer, with eight ta nine days o' solid scents an' fertility. Then we come back on day ten, usually." He was amazingly patient with me, which I was rather thankful for. Being one of the few who actually knew not only my situation, but what I was, I appreciated him quite a bit!

He perked up suddenly and finally took his gaze from the sky long enough to look over at me, a light frown playing across his face. A moment later, he relaxed and nodded, slipping his head back and into his left saddlebag, rooting around in it for a moment. I watched curiously until he pulled out a roll of paper and flicked it over in my direction.

I let it land before my magic slipped out and unrolled it in front of me, assuming, despite his silence, that this must be meant to be read by me. He confirmed a second later with, "Forgot. Found that in tha wagon. Take a peek."

Raising my eyebrow, I looked down at the mysterious slip of paper, and immediately noticed it was a flier. Three nicely drawn gears were spread across the center of it, slightly towards the top, and, to my surprise, the axel on the middle, largest gear was heart-shaped. What?! Wait, flier?

Groaning, I smacked myself in the forehead, earning a confused glance from Big Mac. I'd forgotten to ask Featherweight more about that flier he mentioned! Was this one of them? Looking back at it, I noticed 'Announcement!' across the top of it in big lettering. Well, it got its point across. Under the gears was even more startling, however.

"New business opportunities! Moon Mender, new to Ponyville, offers advanced skills in Engineering, Design, and Magical Enchantment. He's opening a personal business with reasonable pricing available for everypony. If interested, or in need of consultation, please speak with Moon Mender, Twilight Sparkle, or Applejack in Ponyville! Prices are negotiable with Twilight or Applejack. Questions welcome!"

That little...! Given who the contact ponies were, it was really easy to figure out who was responsible for this. And the fact that they left me out of pricing arrangements stunk of Applejack's doing. If it was my business, shouldn't I be the one to decide prices?! They just thought I was going to work for practically nothing, didn't they? I sighed weakly as I read it over once more. Big Mac started chuckling lightly as he looked back skywards, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Your sister, I assume?" I asked, sliding the paper back over to him with my right hoof.

"Keep it. An' probably. She did say she was gonna advertise fer ya. Ah just didn't think it'd be so soon. Ah'm not one ta mince words, so Ah'll just say it. Ah approve, an' hope ya'll help me out after tha job with tha Cakes is done. Ah got ah few upgrades fer tha farm Ah've been hoping ta do at some point," he requested, slowly turning and looking back towards me.

I watched him for a moment before smiling and nodding. That was an easy choice. "Of course. What do you have in mind?" I inquired curiously, tilting my head.

His smirk came back, a little wider this time. Oh boy. I suddenly realized I was going to be really, really busy the next few weeks...

Next Chapter: Chapter 57 Estimated time remaining: 32 Hours, 56 Minutes
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