Year 898 in Equestria.
Who's idea was it to put this place at the edge of the city? They should be fucking fired. It's not like ponies might want to see the people they care about from time to time, even if the place was depressing.
You walk down the street with your hands in your pockets, grumbling as you walk through the puddles of rain water.
"Why do we even GET rain? She can move the fucking sun you're telling me she can't just make the crops get their food?"
"What was that, Mous?" a voice asks.
"YAGWAHBUHWHA?!"
You jump at least a foot into the air and bring your hands over your face. Celestia laughs heartily and emerges from a nearby side street, an umbrella in her magical grip. "You weren't always this jumpy!"
"I WAS THINKING, YOU TART."
Celestia rolls her eyes. "I don't smell smoke."
"Cute."
"I am, aren't I?'
It's your turn to roll your eyes as you walk down the street and hope that she- Nope, she's following you. Goddamn it.
Celestia matches your pace and looks at you.
"What?"
"Where are you going?"
"...To visit someone."
"Where?"
"Somewhere in this direction."
"Where do they live?"
"What's with the twenty questions?"
"Tell me!"
"At the corner of "None of your." and "Goddamn business." across the way from "You shitting bitch."
A moment of silence hangs in the air as you walk. "...Shitting"?"
"Fuck off, Celestia!" you call back.
But that doesn't work, she trots right back up and keeps pace with you.
You grimace. "Why are you still here?"
"Because I'm not doing anything today and I'm bored."
"Go do a guard."
"None of them are in the mood with this weather!"
You reach the end of the street and groan inwardly as Celestia sees your destination. "Alright, fine, see what I'm doing and then leave. But don't say I didn't warn you."
You leave her there to catch up and head to the doors, passing the sign that says "Canterlot Asylum for Troubled Minds." along the way.
You enter into the asylum lobby and lower your hood, letting the rain water drip off you.
Celestia enters shortly after you and looks around inquisitively. "Mous, if you wanted to be committed, all you had to do was ask..." she says.
"I saw that coming, fuck you."
Seriously, oldest trick in the book.
A doctor trots past the lobby and spots the two of you, his eyes going wide at sight of the princess. "Oh! Logician, so nice to see you again, and P-Princess! What a surprise!" she stammers out.
"She's with me." you say.
"He's with me." Celestia says.
You and Celestia look at each other and frown as the doctor chuckles awkwardly. "Yes...well...I trust you have both come to see her?"
"Her?" Celestia asks.
You ignore her. "Yep, promised I'd stop by again soon."
The doctor nods and heads down the hallway, you follow. Celestia keeps pace with you more. "I'm proud of you for finding someone after all this time, Mous...but isn't an asylum a bit odd of a place to look for suitors?"
"Oh shut up, Sparkplug. It's not like that."
You fiddle with your bracelet.
"Then why are you here? Why did you say you'd been here before?"
"Maybe I just made some new friends? Anon's been gone over a decade and a half and you get tiring after a while."
Celestia rolls her eyes as you stop out front of room 500.
"She's been painting ever since you brought those oils last time." the doctor says with good cheer in her voice.
You chuckle. "That's my girl..."
The doctor opens the door and ushers you into a room where a young adult mare is sitting on her bed and hanging her paintings up in her wall with her magic, ruffling her wings as she does.
She turns to the sound of you entering and her face lights up with that smile that warms your heart. "Muh muh muh!"
The cream and purple pony flails off her bed and onto her feet, nearly knocking her paintings over before bowling over to you.
"Muh muh muh! Muh muh muh!" she cries.
You get down on one knee and hold your arms open, letting the mare jump into them and nuzzle your chest. "Hey there, buddy..."
As you pet her head, she opens her eyes and looks at Celestia. "Puh puh puh..."
"Yeah...that's the Princess."
Celestia mirrors the girls wide eyed gaze as she looks down at you two. "Mous that is..."
"Yeah, Erroria, remember her?"
You get back to your feet and pet Erroria's snout as she nuzzles into your hand.
Celestia has shifted her gaze from her to you. "The...girl from the forest...about twenty years ago?"
You nod. "That's right...we sent her here after it happened..."
You and Anon...
"And she's been doing so much better since then, right Erri?"
The Princess-That-Should-Not-Be looks up at you and smiles. "Yuh!"
You muss her mane and smile at her. "Atta girl..."
"And...how often do you come to visit her?" Celestia asks.
"Oh I'd say about once every two or so weeks, right Erri?"
"Yuh!"
"And you what, just come to say hello?" Celestia asks.
You shake your head. "Well that'd just be no fun, wouldn't it? No, I stick around for the day and watch Erroria. Because of her...abilities, she can't leave her room without an escort.
Erroria hangs her head.
"And because of my attributes, I make the perfect one. So I take her out to stretch her legs whenever I'm here."
Erroria smiles and trots past you to the door. "Wuh?" she asks.
"Coming, Erri."
You turn on your heel and put your hand on Erri's shoulder.
"You coming, Celly?"
-Music-
You usher Erroria into one of her favorite places in the asylum, the greenhouse. The rain still patters against the class walls and the lack of sun meant that the temperature was colder than usual, but she still loved it here.
"Fuh!"
"Yes, go play with your flowers, Erri."
Erroria bounds off into the aisles of flowers as you take your place near the stairs by the door. Celestia trots in shortly after you and sits down next to you, eyeing Erroria as she runs around.
"I must admit that this girl had escaped my memory after the incident..." she says.
"Tch. Yeah...that was the case for a lot of people."
"And you've been here every two weeks since then?"
You shake your head. "I held off for...about five years. Then out of the blue I just...felt guilty and came to visit. Stuck around and drew some pictures with her. Then I figured she could use a friend, not a lot here, you know?"
Celestia looks up to the barred windows. "I can imagine..."
"I'll bet."
Celestia looks back to you. "Are you her only friend?"
You shrug. "She says the nurses are nice and the doctors are neat, but there aren't too many other people here with her...unique predicament."
Celestia nods slowly. "What ha-"
"Fuh! Fuh!"
Erroria runs from inside the rows of flowers with one in her grasp, a purple one a shade off from her mane. "Fuh fuh! Fuh fuh!"
You take the flower and turn it in between your thumb.
"It's pretty, Erri!"
You push her mane out of the way and tuck the flower behind her ear. "There you go...pretty as a princess, wouldn't you say, Sunass?"
Celestia shakily smiles. "Yes...very nice."
A bit later, the three of are back inside in the common area.
Hooves meet ivory in a melodic tick unti- BONG.
"No no, Erri."
You scoot her hooves away and set your fingers.
"Now try and follow along...okay?"
-Music-
You let your fingers go over the keys before you drop down to the low end of the piano, Erroria watching you intently before joining in on her side.
"That's it!"
Erroria smiles as you scoot off and let her take your place on the seat. She mimics your movements on the keys and fills the room with music.
"Thata girl..."
You pat her shoulder and go join Celestia on the nearby couch. The Princess never takes her eyes off Erroria as she drinks the tea the nurses set out.
Being royalty had its advantages.
"She is very talented." she says.
"Takes her a while, but she gets it down quick enough."
Celestia nods. "I...noticed she can't talk."
You sigh "Yeah...after the forest her mental capacities just-"
"I understand." Celestia say, saving you the need to.
The room is silent save for the piano.
"She...understands the world, a lot. I can look in her eyes and see how bright she is. But her motor skills...she can only really get the first syllable out."
Celestia turns her gaze to you and lowers her voice to a hushed whisper. "Mous...do you know what happened to this girl? What made her like this?"
A wave of shame passes over you, one you've had to bury each time you see her over these years.
You look over and see her on her piano, so happy and content out of her room. You look away.
"Celly...ask me that some other time...just...not around here..."
Celestia looks at you, her eyes lacking even a hint of the standard jovialness they usually had. Instead all that was there was a cold stare that looked right through you.
The clapping of hooves together draws your attention to Erroria. "Muh muh muh!
You get up and pat Erroria on the back. "You got through the whole song! Good job, Erri!"
Good job...
Later still you and Celestia join Erroria in her room. Despite the weather, you like to think Erri had fun today. You had eaten a nice lunch, told her what you did since you last visited, played a game of hide and seek and blew bubbles.
Now you're back in her room looking over a somewhat crude painting of a familiar clearing in the woods.
"It looks wonderful, Erri..." you say, getting a smile from her.
The clock behind you strikes five and chimes through the room. Erroria's and your own faces fall as you realize what time it is. The end of visiting hours.
You drop down to your knees and hug the sick girl. "I had lots of fun today, Erri. Be good for the doctors and I'll come visit again soon, okay? Maybe we can go out into the city."
You knew on the inside that was a lie, that anyone who saw her would freak out over the new "alicorn", but it made you feel better to say.
"Muh." Erroria says poking you in the chest with her hoof.
In the years you'd been visiting, you and Erroria had gotten a pretty good system down for understanding what she has to say, poking someone with her hoof meant she was addressing that person.
Her face curls in immense concentration. "Ffffffffffff..."
"Sound it out Erri, come on."
"Fffffffffrrrrrrr..."
You cock an eyebrow "Erroria?"
"FffffffffffriEND." she finally blurts.
You're taken aback. She's never been able to get a whole word out...
"H-heh..."
You pull her in for another hug. "You're my friend too, Erri..."
Hoofs on floor tiles come from the hall, heralding the arrival of the nurses. You separate from Erroria and smile.
"Later...buddy."
With that you muss her mane and head out the door.
-Music-
It's still raining outside when you leave the asylum and let out a deep sigh. One hand runs through your hair while the other reaches into your pocket and sticks a toothpick in your mouth.
"Is something wrong?" Celestia asks coming out of the door behind you.
"They help me relax."
"Toothpicks?"
"Cigars are expensive."
You sigh again and chew on the toothpick some more, letting the repetitive motion calm your nerves.
Celestia comes up beside you and sits down. "So."
"...So?"
"So you obviously know what happened to her, tell me."
You sigh and look away. "Let it go, Celestia."
"Tell your monarch, Mous."
"I don't take orders from you."
Celestia stares at you with steely magenta eyes. "Now."
Uhg...dammit.
"...Fine. Do you remember when that giant Ursa came and marched on the city...? And the cannon we built to stop it?"
Celestia silently nods.
You break the toothpick, throw it away, and pick out another one. "Turns out...letting that much magic loose over the world has drawbacks. I had the magisters look into it and we found that the magic got caught in the solar winds and just ended up circling a small town a ways south of Fillydelphia...and guess where our little "Princess" lived?"
Celestia continues to stare. "The report Anon filed claims that an experiment with the capacitors underneath the city was the cause, that the magic had to be released into the air."
You shake your head. "That...was something else. The new head magister says that the capacitors for the city wouldn't hold enough magic in them for a hundred years to change someone into...what Erroria is."
Celestia falls silent.
"No...only the power released from the cannon -I- was so adamant for and the Ursa Gigantis -I- used it against mixed together could do that..."
Celestia turns away and looks to the falling rain.
"Because I was so intent on using the direct method...I ruined that little girl's life."
"You and Anon saved the city with that plan." Celestia says matter-of-factly.
You think about that...one life for the sake of many.
"My fault...my responsibility."
"And you come here to punish yourself?"
"...I come here...to try and repair the damage I caused. To give her the things she needs the most to have as normal a life as she can..."
"Well." Celestia says, her voice warming up a bit. "You already seem to have given her a friend."
You laugh once, a harsh and bitter laugh, but a laugh all the same.
"Baby steps...huh?"
Celestia nods. "Baby steps."
Celestia's horn glows and the rain stops, the clouds parting to reveal a setting sun off in the distance.
"Friendship and time can heal all wounds, Mous...never forget that." she says.
"Even the ones we ourselves cause?"
As if on cue, a dark blue shape takes off from the royal palace and flies through the air, the moon rising above her on the same arc she herself flew.
"With our friends, proper patience, and care...we get by."
You snicker. "Have you been getting into my music again?"
-Music-
its still hard to read this sometimes. can you like go back to years maybe around 10 to 20 maybe?
D'aww
2539008
I have been meaning to do that...like, eventually. I just keep getting distracted by other shit.
2539057
I do wanna see dash again and there kid..
24.media.tumblr.com/15059eff8626be843678fb0e70a11cad/tumblr_mlirgg3LVI1s3c4xeo1_500.jpg
2539307
2539505
why did you have to bring that up again!!!
im still trying to get over that chapter!!!
2539549
I was so happy... and my feels.... first time I cried since my little dashie..
OH GOD NOW I HAVE THAT FIC IN MY MIND!
*cries in the corner of the room*
2539585
*gets up from corner and back into chair*
*snif* yea that chapter really hit me here
I really almost stop reading this fic after chapter 69...
but *sigh* I read on intill mous's girlfriend went next....
This story will haunt me for life... in a good way, as I remember some of my friends back in elementary.
This story brings me back to the days "sniff" excuse me, but continue on.
2539629
when the years increased... I almost couldn't... then celly and lulu died....
they all died.... *cries in the corner again*
why god why...
2539671
why is there no sad tag on fic...
so sadness, my eyes hurt for days!
I actually stayed home from school! because of this fic but I finished it
Troopers ON WORD!
2539705
Because this isn't a fic that sets out to make you sad. Things are light hearted and silly most of the time even after the sadder chapters.
2539746
Troopers fall back to older positions!
that kinda makes since
hmmm there was lost of humor in it....
dammit!
*troops on word!*
This was a nice sad chapter. Still no tears from me, but I liked it.
2540633
Muh character development.
not like alot of the chapters after the first sad one that caused me to cry nearly every time but still sad.
thou a very nice chapter still.
2539505
why did you even reminded me of that again? i had to re-read that chapter and now i'm sad.
Mandroid, I fucking love this fic. Over the course of three days I've read all of this and loved every minute of it. I have laughed, shed manly tears and 'Dawwwwwww'd' all the way through it, It's an extremely well written fic and I can't wait for more.
Have a moustache
OMG I was crying on the inside so sad but touching
2540923
I give you something nice and then I take it away without telling you.
the three of us*
2539307 I laughed at that, it then proceeded to dissolves into sobs.
DAMNIT MAN MY FEELS I JUST GOT THEM FIXED !
2546305
Teehee~
motherfuker media.tumblr.com/806d563ef15e93fce71662208bb7a4bf/tumblr_inline_mjoujqpdQ91qz4rgp.gif
2548717
2547680forgifs.com/gallery/d/194419-1/Football-return-rage-faces.gif
That was a sad chapter
2552521
You know, everyone said that about this chapter, but it really wasn't something I was trying to do, it just kinda happened.
2554001 That just makes it even better!
2555600
I think that's a record.
Would have gone with DJ Magnet's "With a Little Help from Sublime" for the ending song there, myself, just because I think it better suits the feel there at the end. Plus we could use something to lift us up after CRUSHING OUR SPIRITS WITH THIS REVELATION.
That nitpick aside, great work as usual. You're definitely one of the best FiM authors out there.
2589018
>Talent.
>Me.
Sir, I just ramble for a living.
2600547 Cool Need to see that too now... I can't get off this site it's like drugs !
I am just loving this story... and your profile picture. I mean, I'm a fan of Celestia. Both your story and your profile pic is amazing.
... i just read the entire deal in one sitting...28 hours of staring at a screen the size of a phone and print at arial narrow size 3
my eyes hurts, my brain is killing me, and my motor skills in question are failing
i love the story, every bit of it, but im going to bed now
OMG! I have been waiting for an awesome story like this to be made! I can't wait to read all this! This will keep me busy for days!
2676695
You can try, but it won't work!
2677487 Make us proud! Make us laugh!
2688497
I'll put yours right next to all the others!
I think haunches are top part of their thighs
"To be the master of good and evil, one must become both."
2739630
:bow:
Been a while since I read any of this. And I also figured something out
Anon and Mous
And in Spanish is 'y'
Anon y Mous
Anonymous
My brain covered the walls right then
2756002
I've been putting off a joke in Spanish where one of them calls them "Anon Y Mous." for ages. For now, just assume that they call their house "Y".
2764973 Go right ahead, and don't worry about crediting me, just don't claim it for yourself.
To go on with this deal, just sign here x___________________
2768575 Fool, the only one whom you can blame is yourself. (And the guy who made the comment I was talking about)
Hey again.
I think this is what... the third time I read through this?
Ah, who cares, I still love it. It still cracks me up, makes me tear up and has me thinking. The best combination in other words.
All the '0' in anyp0ny, somep0ny and the like still gets a bit on my nerves... Good times.
And I know, I know, I unfaved it because I didn't want updates I didn't read piling up in my updates thingy. Still kept it bookmarked, which is more than I can say for over half of what I've faved so far. I do love the chapters I hadn't read now, just had to take it all at once. (That's what she said).
And with that, I'm off to unknown parts once more. Gotta update my own stuff too... soon.
2776442
Thanks for your kind words, always nice to hear from a fan.
To answer a question...
The reason for this is because 4chan's automatic spam filter will ping "somepony" and "anypony" and not let you post. And since I had made a small joke out of those as well as a plot point, I had to continue to do them throughout.
2787453 no problem , have a nice day, here's some music so you can relax
2722064
Do me a favour.... Look at smaller gems... Less powerful spells, that kinda thing. Flame grilled dogs and lightly charred, traumatised fillies. gosh.