Follows A Little Spark 27

>Your workshop is almost entirely empty.
>Everything was moved out earlier in the day, with the help of a few guards.
>Their attitude towards you has turned around massively; the jeering ones are reserved, and the skeptical ones more willing to voice positive comments.
>In the end, their commander didn’t do much for you but find you an unused building.
>His attitude must have trickled down, though.
>It was nice to get some respect around here, for once.
>The guards helping you even told you some of the choicest gossip, as you moved everything out to the new workshop.
>Not only had you almost killed Twilight, but Celestia too, with some sort of magic-stealing weapon the princesses defused at the last second, or that you saved them from with a change of heart just in time.
>You aren’t allowed outside the palace grounds without escort because you’re under house arrest for a terrible crime, but maybe one you didn’t commit.
>You were sent to gather information for your home, as some sort of advanced contact.
>As hideous as your body was, it was merely a projection for ponykind’s convenience to comprehend, masking a terrible true form.
>Your upright stature was a handicap, to put ponies at ease, or perhaps to disguise your incredible abilities when on all fours.
>Humans were a mythical race from before magic, and you were a harbinger of their glorious return, but only if you judged the world worthy.
>You might have come here from a parallel reality, to prepare ponykind for magic disappearing.
>You secretly had wings, but they were ephemeral and no good for flight. Any pony who managed to touch them would die, or maybe live forever.
>You were a… well the explanation was a little long, but some rough equivalent to a succubus. The princesses may or may not be under your sway, or trying to contain or control you.
>Eating meat gave you power, and once you’d eaten the meat of every sentient race of the world, you’d become an anti-deity like Discord.
>Who the fuck was Discord?
>Many variations on similar themes. It doesn’t help that Twilight is your primary contact, in their eyes, and she’s is a living superweapon who exists more or less to deal with dangerous unknown entities like yourself by way of reforming them.
>One of the guards helping you admitted he invented a couple himself, just to see how far they’d go.
>He was proud to report the Commander himself believes one of his fables, but wouldn’t tell you what it is.
>You’re starting to understand the meaning of ‘whimsy’, and how the Royal Guard was the greatest concentration of it in Equestria, when they were off duty.
>Once you’d warmed up to the idea, you got them back with some carefully-curated facts and myths from Earth.
>Humans and ponies had lived side by side for most of history, but ponies became obsolete.
>You refused to elaborate on what obsolete went.
>You got some good reactions when you showed them the height of an average horse, and talk about how humans would ride on their backs all the time without phasing them.
>You never did, of course, because they were all obsolete, remember?
>You even spiced it up with what little art you had on your phone of knights and such.
>A couple of them want full body armor now.
>You told them about the Four Horsemen, though you may have tweaked the colors a bit to something they could relate to better, like certain royal coats.
>Just to get them back for the one saying how you were going to end their world.
>You told them about centaurs, which apparently spooked one of them, who told you about some ancient enemy. The others treated him like a fucking nerd, so you’re not sure if this is historical or fiction.
>You’ll have to look through Celestia’s private collection for it, later.
>For now, though, the fun’s over.
>You sit against one wall, watching the only thing that hadn’t been moved.
>Your original workbench is still in the center of the room.
>The generator you and Twilight build still sits on the shelf underneath it, humming away under its sound-dampening dome.
>Frequently, a snapping sound can be heard despite the dome, as a bright spark flashes inside one end. After so much constant use, the commutator is showing some wear. You’ll have to replace it with a spare Twilight duplicated, when you move it.
>The sparking spooked the guards, who refused to touch it, though one pointed out it’d be difficult to dispel the soundproofing dome if Twilight was the one who’d cast it.
>Watching it was relaxing, in a way, even though the sparks did not fall into a regular pattern.
>It was nice to focus on something external, even though it let your thoughts drift to some less than pleasant subjects.
>You were looking forward to Twilight’s return today, but knowing she was some sort of weapon of last resort bothered you in more ways than one.
>Is that why Celestia first introduced you two? You know it’s not the only reason she sticks around – you know her well enough to appreciate her genuine interest in what you do – but it could still be one reason among several.
>Besides that, what if she gets hurt doing whatever it is she does? What would you do if she dies out there?
>On that note, death was another thing occupying your mind. You’ve caught some sort of thinking-about-mortality bug from the dream you’d spent with Celestia and Luna, a couple nights back.
>Seeing your name on a headstone was disconcerting and sobering, and it hurt knowing that the limitations of your body would let those who care about you down.
>Thinking about your place with them was uncomfortable in its own way. It probably wouldn’t look good for royalty to be romantically involved with another species.
>Immortality and the redundancy of three in one place meant heirs wasn’t a problem, but that was just one of the concerns.
>You’re still trying to wrap your head around the idea of it being okay to split your attention between both the mares who’ve expressed interest, let alone how to manage a relationship like that, and they both were still holding back on you besides.
>You’d been throwing yourself back into your work again to deal with it – or to avoid dealing with it, as usual for you – as unhealthy as you now realize it to be. This forced stop to open the new workshop today is probably for the best.
>You just know you have to leave something meaningful behind, before you die here.
>Your old dreams can have a new form. Maybe not one object you’ve touched, but many; you’ve done more design work on the articulated tiltrotor ‘wings’ for pegasi, but you’re waiting on anatomical measurements from Twilight.
>You weren’t putting all your eggs in that basket, though. You had something special in the works.
>From down the hall, you hear a pony approach.
>Not the measured strides of guards, but a trot.
>A quite lively one, too.
>All those terrible thoughts fade away, driven from your mind by those hoofbeats, for you know whose they are.
>By the time you’re off your butt and turned towards the door, Twilight appears.
>You spread your arms and kneel at the same moment she half-extends her wings, looking like they were just opening for a downstroke.
>She gallops all three strides to reach you, rearing back as you wrap her in a hug.
>She wraps her forelegs around your neck, and her wings around your body, nuzzling the side of your head and nickering.
>You can feel the metal talons on each of her wings on your shoulderblades.
“Welcome back!”
>”I missed you!” She pulls away from you and composes herself to what you’ve come to know as Proper Princess Poise. Not as calmly dominating in presence as Celestia, but prim in its own way. “I did not, however, miss teleporting between Ponyville and Canterlot twice a day.”
“Yeah, well, long distance relationships suck.”
>She cocks her head at this, and you belatedly realize what you said.
>Getting ahead of yourself again.
>It feels more natural than it did before, though. Progress.
>She didn’t even object.
>You reach out to tousle her mane around her horn, then stand up as she looks around the empty room.
>”Where’d everything go?”
“Oh, do I have a surprise for you. C’mon, follow me.”
>She follows you out of the room, adopting that bouncy trot you find so cute.
“I’m surprised you’re still wearing those. Showing off the claws to your brother and his wife?”
>”They were fascinated, though the questioned why I’d need them. Obviously, with magic and all. They understood I was just testing them, but honestly I haven’t taken them off the whole time.”
“You even slept with them?”
>”It took some getting used to, but yeah. I’d take them off every morning to preen my wings and readjust the straps, but I tried to wear them as much as possible, even though the power was disconnected a lot to save battery life. We need to know what heavy wear would do.”
“I’m worried about your wings a lot more than the talons.”
>”I’m fine. If you want to be sure, you can look when we get to wherever we’re going.”
>You two make your way through the palace, then out to a flattish area behind it.
>Turns out the guard had been much larger before Luna’s return. Made sense, when you thought about this reclusive tribe she’d brought back into the ponykind fold with her return, all of whom seemed to be devoted to her. The royal guard had shrunk by a third.
>Thing is, Luna’s new devotees had claimed a cave system inside the mountain the palace is built near. These had apparently been their domain before her banishment, and they were more than happy to take the place up again.
>This had left several of the guard’s buildings dormant, and while many were torn down for materials to use for later maintenance on the rest, a couple had remained, now overgrown and forgotten.
>You walk towards a somewhat isolated barracks building with Twilight.
>Over the door, a stenciled sign reads WELCOME TO EARTH
>When Twilight reads it, she starts bounding ahead of you towards the door.
>“Skies above, I didn’t know you were getting an upgrade!”
“We just moved everything out this morning.”
>She stops inside the entryway, marveling at the room.
>The place is all now-pristine stonework, this first room being easily three times the size of your old shop. Shelving lines one wall, stacked with test equipment and various parts. Two massive stone tables sit in the middle of the room, with just enough space between them for you and Twilight to stand back to back. Or, back to rear.
“I decided to make this common room the main lab. There’s a room that I suppose was a workout or dining area that we’ve cleared out to be a testing area. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the various individual rooms down the hall there, but I suppose they could be parts and material storage, as well as places for finished projects. I’ve taken over what I think was an office as my own bedroom. This little embassy also has the small adjacent grassy area, in case we want to test something outside. It’s not a lot, but it’s way better than what I had.”
>She turned all the way around in the room, before trotting off to inspect the rest of the small barracks building. “This is incredible! How did you convince them to let you have all this?”
“Easy. I told them what we were planning.”
>She pokes her head back into view from down the hall. “They agreed?”
“Well, agreed to let me prove it’s worth something. If I can get them proof of concepts, they’ll take things as they come. Now get over here and let me look at your wings.”
>She returns to the main room, and climbs up on a chair near where you’re sitting. She puts her back to you and extends both her wings out.
>You pull your chair up right behind hers, so your legs are on either side of her chair. Then you gently pull one of her wings back towards you to examine.
>She’s managed to find a way to arrange the straps better between her primary feathers so there’s minimal interference, with the upshot that the straps are almost entirely hidden from view. It takes you some effort to undo them all without causing undue discomfort, but eventually you have it off her and placed on the table beside you, followed by the other.
“What’s with this fabric wrapped around them?”
>”Oh, a friend of mine works with textiles and tailoring. I had her make that as a protective covering. It’s water-resistant, too.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
>”Whenever you asked.”
“Hah. Got me there.”
>You look over a wing in detail, now, picking through the feathers she’d strapped the claw near, making sure everything looked proper, compared against other feathers that wouldn’t have been impacted by the straps.
>Twilight’s fidgeting a bit with your ministrations, but isn’t saying anything about them.
“So was this some official business, or just visiting family?”
>”Just a visit. I’ve always been close to my brother, and Cadance and I go way back. And I like to keep up with Flurry, she’s growing so fast. She’s important, you know, besides just being a princess herself. The first natural-born alicorn we’ve known, she’s amazing.”
“Wait, alicorns can be born? Celestia told me you all become that way. That you three were unicorns, and Cadance a pegasus.”
>”Yeah, and that’s all we knew, until she and my brother had their foal.”
>Shit. Maybe the heirs thing was a problem after all.
“Hey, uh, can we talk about something?”
>”Aren’t we already?”
“No, uh, I mean, specifically. There’s been a lot on my mind.”
>Twilight turns herself in her chair, looking at you with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“This is my first time learning about Flurry being, well one of you. I, uh, you know if we ever decide to, er, go through with this… We’re probably not that compatible, being two different species from two different worlds.”
>”I’d figured, Anon.”
“And that doesn’t bother you? If Flurry’s an alicorn, that’s an incredible opportunity. I’d think you’d want to, y’know, try for some of your own. Perpetuate the tribe, or something. I wouldn’t be able to do that for you, if you decide to end up with me.”
>She looks at you and smiles. “It’s fine. It’s not like the ones already around are going anywhere.”
“Yeah, uh. Immortal. Right. About that-”
>”Anon-”
“You already know humans don’t last forever; our life cycle and such was one of the things in my arrival interview you said you’d read, and-”
>”Anon, don’t-”
“It doesn’t feel right expecting you to-”
>”ANON!”
>Twilight’s wings are still folded, but lifted off her back, angled forward. Her head’s dropped a bit, quite close to you. Her eyes flick between the two of yours. “Anon, just… calm down. You act like I haven’t been thinking about this myself. It’s okay. Once everything’s settled out, we’ll take it as it comes. I haven’t thought a lot about foals. Maybe I’d want one someday, but if you’re my stallion, that decision’s already made.”
“Just doesn’t feel right. I’d be tying you down, in every sense of the word. Until I’m not anymore.”
>You chuckle weakly and lower your gaze to the floor.
“I guess my mortality’s a blessing, looking at it that way.”
>She scoots forward on her seat and drops her head so she’s looking up at you, blocking your floor-bound gaze. “Don’t say that. It’s our choice, and we’ll make of it what we can.”
>Her breathing’s matched yours, in those pauses between speech. It’s a strange sensation, but you think you know what it means, now.
>It’s comforting.
>”So please, don’t worry about yourself on my account. I had a lot of the same thoughts you did. When I was away, I talked to Cadance about them. I’m a scholar, Anon; if I have questions, I ask an expert and study.”
“Heh. I can’t imagine what she must have thought of that.”
>”She wants to meet you.”
>You pull your head back in surprise. Twilight scoots forward a little more and raises her head again, smiling as she follows you back.
>”Really! What did you think she’d say?”
“I don’t think you’d appreciate hearing it.”
>She laughs gently. “No, probably not. Your strange alien nature aside, Anon, her and Shining weren’t that different. She’d already become an alicorn by the time they were dating; she’d gotten her horn even younger than I’d gotten my wings. My brother and I had some status due to our positions, which elevated our family a bit, but we weren’t nobility, let alone the royalty she was entitled to by her achievement.”
>Her expression falters. “She’s going to outlive my brother, too. As am I.”
>But that sadness lasts only a moment. “But they worked out. They’re exclusive, that’s Cadance’s right as a princess, and I don’t think either of them would want it an other way. I’ve never met another pair more in love with each other than they.”
>She recovers her smile. “You should sit down with my brother, when they arrive. You two could have a lot to talk about.”
>You crack a thin smile, yourself.
“Meeting your family, huh? It sounds like you’ve already decided what you want. How long until I have to face your parents?”
>”I still intend to wait a bit on everything. The social obstacles aside – knowing who else wants to claim you – we’re still feeling things out, so taking things slow is just smart, but...”
>Her face is still close to yours.
>REALLY close.
>Not that she can see, with her eyes closed now.
>Wait, hold on, you’re experienced enough to recognize this.
>How the fuck do you even kiss a pony?
>Instead of the usual head maneuvering, though, Twilight just slowly, very gently, pushes her nose into yours.
>She holds it there, for several moments, your breathing again synced with each other.
>You’re not sure if it’s just carbon dioxide rebreathing or something more, but your chest feels awfully light.
>When she pulls her head back, she’s smiling, but her head’s tilted down, and her cheeks have that strange undercoat coloration you’ve been assuming is blushing. Her demeanor looks somewhere between demure and embarrassed.
>”Your standard, before I left, was ‘does it make you happy when I do?’ So I ask you, does it?”
>You smile back at her.
“Well, I sure felt something that I wouldn’t mind feeling again.”
>”As you said then, that’s enough for me.”
>You hold each other’s gaze with your soft smiles for some time.
>Then some more time.
>It’s getting awkward.
>Come on, you’re smoother than this. How did you even score back home if you were this much an artless mess?
>You two break eye contact and look away at the same time.
>Hell yeah, nailed it.
“Well, uh, now that you’ve seen the place, lets break it in, huh?”
>Her eyes, now wide as dinnerplates, snap back to you, along with her ears. Her wings flinch outward at strange angles.
“I got some plans I want to go over with you, I need your help refining them. I’ve drawn up initial designs for the replacement wings, and other limbs to boot. And I’ve made some revisions to what we were thinking for sensory apparatuses. And we gotta move the generator out of the old room, sometime today.”
>She relaxes again, adjusting her wings then refolding them.
>You wink at her.
“Taking things slow is just smart, Twilight.”
>She shakes her head. “Colts.”