Author's Note

All chapters before this one were improved/overhauled on 29/10/2024.

If you previously read the story before that date, I highly recommend you go back and read the story from the beginning.

For anyone reading this story after 29/10/2024, don't worry, you have read the final versions of all chapters.

Enjoy.

Building Amends

Miles opened his eyes, finding himself tucked away in bed. The room was bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun. He smiled to himself. Perhaps he could find some joy in Discord's existence after all.

As he swung his legs out of bed, he noticed something sitting on his night stand. He picked it up and examined it more closely. It appeared to be a picture of Twilight and her friends. They all wore some similar-looking necklaces and beamed at the camera with joy. He placed the picture back down, carefully centering it on the night stand.

A moment later, he heard a gentle rapping on his door.

"Princess Luna, please..." Discord said. "I waited here all night to talk to you, and you still want to ignore me?" He snapped his talons and appeared in the bed next to Luna, smirking at her.

Luna yelped and fell off the side of her bed. After taking a few breaths, she glared at Discord and picked him up in her magic. Discord's expression grew bored and his body went limp. He cocked an eyebrow, however, when he noticed Luna dancing lightly in place out of frustration.

After some deliberation, she set him down and sighed. It's not like anything she could do to him would make them even anyway. Discord appeared genuinely concerned. "Look, princess, I'm sorry. Alright? I'm sssorry," he said.

"It is not I you should be apologising to, spirit," Luna snarled. "Just wait until my sister gets her hooves on you... I have already told her about what you did to the alien." She huffed and turned to face the window, admiring her sister's beautiful sunrise. "It is actions such as these which make me regret deciding to wake by day. It is insults such as these which make me question my sister's decision to allow you freedom."

Discord winced. "I don't know what else to say, Luna. I just wanted to know what we're preparing for," he said.

Luna swivelled on him, pointing an accusatory hoof. "It is that kind of hypocrisy which we do now forbid!" She jabbed her hoof into his brown fur.

"Princess, language..." murmered Discord.

"No, spirit. That was not the royal 'we'. Stop deflecting." Luna placed more pressure on her hoof. "You yourself have felt the sting of pre-judgement. We both have. What right do you have to harm and ostracise an estranged creature?" She turned from Discord once more, flicking him with her tail. "It is not your place. The human has harmed nopony - he is lost. Cease your unwarranted crusade."

Discord lowered his head and prepared to snap his talons. Luna caught his digits in her glowing blue aura and said, "I shall be informing young Fluttershy of your actions." Discord closed his eyes as he heard this, his features beginning to melt. Luna continued, "I suggest you speak with my sister and then apologise to Miles posthaste."

She looked over her withers and up into his expression, searching. Her gaze softened at what she found.

"I'll make this right," he said, simply. With a snap, he was gone.

Luna let go of a breath. Her sister was correct.

Discord was so different than he had been all those years ago that she momentarily forgot she was speaking with a creature capable of decimating their entire world with a mere thought.

She shivered.

"Oooooh, this is so exciting!" Twilight skipped around the cozy study, dancing excitedly in place. "Now we can get some hard data on Equestria's newest resident!" She gasped and held a hoof to her mouth. "Maybe I could even get this published in Science Monthly... The things this could do for the scientific community!" she shouted.

Miles stood by her side patiently, looking down at her with interest. Spike sat at Twilight's desk, idly playing with loose parchment and swirling a quill in its inkwell. He sighed and said, "Twilight, I'm bored."

Twilight ceased her excited jittering and looked at Spike, slack-jawed. She ran over to him, mushing her face into his as she rambled, "Spike, I don't think you understand what this could mean for all of us and I think you should really consider how many ponies will read it and how it could possibly lead to-" Spike stuck his claw over her muzzle and sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay," he said, "what do you need me to write down?" He lifted the quill from its inkwell, but frowned when he found its tip to be missing. "Uh, one sec." He hopped from his seat and grabbed a quill from the nearby shelf. Twilight was already beaming up at Miles, who had continued to wait in silence.

"So, Miles! I'll just be taking some basic measurements at first, before we go into anything too invasive," Twilight chirped.

Miles raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze gently drifting over towards Spike. When their eyes met, Spike gave him an apologetic grin and pushed his arms out slowly in a placating gesture. Miles got the message and gave him a subtle wink.

Miles looked back down at Twilight and said, "Of course, Twilight. Though, I hope you don't mind if I make us even once this is done?"

A blinking of eyes was the initial response. A nearby clock's ticks filled the silence that followed.

Twilight eventually said, "Uh, sure?" She tilted her head and moved to grab her kit in a lavender aura.

"Good," said Miles. "So, what do you need me to do?" He eyed her various floating implements with caution.

"Just stand on this scale for me, first, please." She pointed at a weighing scale she had placed at his feet. Miles stepped on it and watched Twilight without a waver. Twilight lowered her head to take some readings.

"Three hundr-... That can't be right. One second, Miles. Would you please step off the scale for me?" asked Twilight.

"But of course," responded Miles.

Twilight picked up the scale, fiddling with it in an attempt to get it to reset. Miles took note of the lack of a digital weighing scale. Shortly after, she placed the scale back down and looked into Miles's eyes with a smile. When he did not move, she signalled to the scale with a hoof.

Miles gasped and feigned surprise with a playful smile, chuckling as he stepped back onto the scale. Twilight rolled her eyes and looked over at Spike, who watched the interaction with no shortage of amusement.

She once again peered down at the reading, and Miles noticed her brow furrow in confusion. He tapped her on the base of her tail, causing her to squeak. She quickly covered her mouth with a hoof and blushed heavily. Spike could contain himself no longer.

"Bahaha! Twilight, seriously, you're gonna kill me! We'll be here all day if you don't hurry up," said Spike, giggling between breaths. Twilight lowered her ears and glared at him in embarassment. She stole a quick glance up at Miles before returning her attention to the scale.

"You know," said Miles, "if something is confusing you, you could always just ask me." Twilight jerked her head and slowly looked back up at him with a sheepish smile.

"S-Sure, sorry... Well, the scale is saying that you weigh three hundred and nineteen pounds."

"Yes...? What is your question, princess?"

Twilight's eyes widened. "W-Well, I know you're large, but you're as heavy as a manticore! They are definitely bigger than you are, so how can that be possible...?" Twilight's eyes glazed over as she stared at the patterned wall with a hoof to her lips.

Miles gently grabbed the tip of Twilight's horn and used it to pull her gaze to meet his own. Twilight's flush returned with force. "Well, Twilight," he said, "how about you let me test something myself and I'll see if I can help you with that?"

"W-Well what do you meaaaAAAN?!" Twilight yelped as Miles hooked a hand under her side and picked her up, holding her by her fluffy chest. He raised and lowered her a few times as though performing reps with a dumbell.

"Hmm..." hummed Miles. "It's just as I thought." Twilight did not struggle, but instead gawped at the opposite wall and occasionally glanced at Spike in embarassment. This was Miles being scientific. Yes. She wouldn't want to squirm and disrupt his readings.

Twilight coughed into a hoof and looked up at Miles when he set her back down. Her hooves gently clopped as they met the solid flooring. She mewled, "What's that? What did you find out?"

"Well, you see, I found out that you ponies have outlandishly soft coats." Miles smiled at Twilight, his expression innocent.

Twilight jerked in alarm at this and found herself suddenly unable to look in Spike's direction. The small drake deadpanned at her and raised a brow. She stamered, "Uh, well, uhm..." Spike folded his claws and gently shook his head, his disapproving gaze never leaving Twilight. She could have sworn she felt his eyes singeing the fur from her side. "We p-ponies always keep our coats pristine. Eheh... Anyway, what else did you find?"

Miles noticed Spike facepalm out of the corner of his eye. His interest was piqued by the silent conversation his two companions just had. However, Upon noticing Twilight's panicked expression, he decided not to push the subject. "Well, I noticed that you are even lighter than you look," he said. "It seems you weigh, say, twenty five or so kilograms?"

Spike scoffed and muttered, "Hayburger addict..." Twilight glared daggers at him before looking over herself self-consciously.

Miles frowned and said, "Twilight, what is the matter? The reason I mention it is because for your size, small as you may be, I would expect you to be somewhat heavier than that."

Twilight blushed and waved a hoof at him. "Oh, you flatter me..." She smiled to herself. Miles chuckled at this.

"I'm serious, Twilight." He patted her on the head. "If you were in my world, you would certainly be heavier than that."

One could hear a pin drop in the short silence that followed. The freshly oiled gears in Twilight's mind grinded with a newfound sleekness as it all came together for her. "Wait, that's it!" she shouted.

Spike huffed and looked off to the door, resting his chin on his palm. Twilight stepped onto the scale as her epiphany continued. Her grin faded when she made another realisation.

They had a scale right here. So why did he...?

She looked up at Miles with a questioning gaze. He raised his eyebrows at her, his smile innocent. Perhaps he simply forgot...

She shook her head and took her own weight reading. Miles was right - she currently weighed around fifty five pounds. Although, it seemed Miles preferred the metric system, so she said, "You're right, Miles. Twenty four kilograms... So I'd weigh more than that in your world?"

Miles nodded. "Yes, although you ponies are built very differently to the ponies from my world," he said. Twilight's eyes sparkled at the prospect of alien ponies. Miles paused for a moment to chuckle. "They're much bulkier than you are. So, I'd say you would not weigh more than thirty five or forty kilograms at most in my world."

Twilight held her tongue for now, but made a mental note to ask him more about ponies from his world later. "Well, in that case, perhaps gravity is different on your world. Have you noticed yourself feeling any different on your, uh..." She pointed down at his feet and looked at him questioningly.

"Feet, Twilight," he clarified for her.

"Right... So, have you felt any different on your feet since you got here?" she asked, silently wondering if his 'feet' held any connection to the unit of measure. Miles shook his head.

"No, not at all, princess." He folded his arms.

"Oh... Hmm... Well, if that were true then you'd still be lighter here, which you aren't..." She stuck out her tongue in thought. "In that case, the only conclusion I can draw from this is that objects in your world are more atomically dense than ours... This will require more thorough testing later!"

Twilight hopped in place and Spike groaned in disdain. "Spike, write this down! Miles weighs three hundred and nineteen pounds, and is..." She grasped a tape measure in her magic and placed it alongside Miles's stature. "Six feet and ten inches tall."

"Done and done," said Spike. "Can we go now? Please?"

Twilight ignored him, slipping into her patented scientific trance. "Also, take note of his apparent atomic density and how we'll need to conduct further testing on that in future." Spike merely grunted in response.

She looked back up at Miles. "So, Miles, now that you have helped us understand the general size and weight of a human, we can move on to the next steps!"

Miles laughed and ruffled her mane. "Twilight," he said, "I'm afraid I'm not the best subject if you're wanting data on the size of the average human."

"Oh, you're not? I suppose that makes sense, considering your, uh..." She looked closely at his arms, going silent for a few seconds. "...Build..." She attempted to clear her throat, her voice having become hoarse from breathing something down the wrong way.

Miles resisted the urge to grin and said, "Yes, the average human male stands around five feet and nine inches tall and weighs one hundred and sixty pounds." Twilight nodded eagerly at him and looked over to Spike, who rolled his eyes and proceeded to write.

"And a human female?" Twilight asked, clearing her throat one more time.

"Five feet and four inches; one hundred and twenty pounds."

Spike growled to himself and continued to scribble down notes on his parchment. Twilight blinked as the information she had just been given settled in. If what he said is true, then... She gulped.

"Is that really true, Miles?" asked Twilight. "I'll admit, I find it hard to believe that you're double the size of the average human male..."

"All I can really do is ask for you to trust me. I do not have any other humans around to show you." Miles laughed, now leaning against the wall. "Most humans do not put in as much effort as I do to maintain a strong physique. Add that to my abnormal height and I'm sure things will begin to add up in that little purple head of yours." He absently stroked at his stubble.

Twilight caught herself staring once more. With all her might, she resisted the urge to reach out and... She shook her head.

For his part, Miles attempted to count his blessings, yet found himself unable to keep track.

Spike coughed into his claw and stared at Twilight, appearing more than a little frustrated with her by this point. Twilight took a deep breath, nodded to herself and clopped her forehooves together. Considering the circumstances, Miles could not help but smile to himself.

"So," Twilight sang, "get those clothes off, Miles!"

His smile dissipated.

"Twilight," sighed Miles with a frown, "there are a number of reasons us humans keep our clothes on almost all of the time. I'm not going to just strip down for you..."

Twilight appeared confused. So his kind were not comfortable with being unclothed... Her eyes widened and her grin returned as an opportunity for cultural exploration presented itself. She opened her mouth to reply to Miles, but he barked out in laughter and continued before she could so much as make a sound.

"...At least take me to dinner first!"

Discord yacked and pulled himself away from the scene. He'd rather sit through another thousand years in stone than watch Twilight Spergle act up like a filly in heat for a moment longer.

And yet, the scene he had just observed, cringeworthy and painful though it may have been, filled him with a deep-seated feeling of regret. Miles showed no signs of aggression. Perhaps he truly was just a lost creature putting on a brave front of bravado.

He tried to ignore the itching and biting of an unfamiliar sensation as he teleported into Celestia's chambers.

Princess Celestia gasped when the lord of chaos appeared behind her. She had been sitting at her oaken dresser, in the middle of applying lipstick. After briefly taking note of his distinctly guilty-looking posture, she grunted in frustration and turned on him.

"Discord, please don't do that!" she shouted in frustration. Discord suppressed a laugh as he noticed smudged lipstick along her chin.

"Alright, alright. I'll fix it." With a snap, the smudge was gone. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... I was worried that I'd have to meet the ambassador like that for a moment." She sighed and relaxed her features. "Discord - I know why you're here." Discord looked into her eyes. The fire he found therein caused his face to turn away. He physically shrunk to around the size of Celestia's head.

The princess groaned inwardly. She didn't have much time before the ambassador's arrival. "I don't have time for this, Discord..." she said.

Discord said nothing. He walked over to her dresser and grabbed one of the chair's legs. He peered around at her from behind it with the best puppy eyes he could muster.

Celestia frowned and grabbed him with her magic. She walked over to her bed and placed him on the end of it with a huff. "I don't think much needs to be said. I asked you not to harm the human, and you broke your promise. I needn't tell you the rest."

Discord inflated back to his usual size. He interlocked his digits and said, "Celestia, perhaps I..." Celestia could see that Discord was really struggling to force the words past his mouth. But she would not stop him. He needed to do this himself. "Perhaps I was... wrong about the human. At least, in part. I still don't like him, but it was wrong of me to treat him as something dangerous when he hasn't done anything to put anypony in danger..."

Celestia smiled, but did not speak. It was not her forgiveness that he needed, after all. "I'll be apologising to him today, after he's done doing..." Discord trailed off. "...Whatever it is he's doing with Twilight."

He frowned to himself and then held his palms out to Celestia. "With that being said, I do think you should reign in your dear student." He floated on his side, his usual demeanour gradually returning. "I swear, if I'd turned her into a cake and cut her down the middle, there wouldn't be a knife in Equestria sharp enough to slice through all that sexual tension knotted up in that little purple body of hers." Discord spat the words as though they were poisonous.

Celestia could not help but hold a hoof to her mouth and snicker. These snickers very quickly built to joyful laughs.

Discord rolled his eyes and said, "I'm serious, Celestia. I think you need to get that wannabe scientist laid, and fast-" Celestia's laughter escalated to belly laughs, and Discord grinned. "-Maybe then she'll let the alien breathe."

Celestia's laughter gradually died down. "Discord, I think you should be more considerate of my student," she chided, playfully. "She is a grown mare, after all. It is not our place to control who she's attracted to." Discord threw his arms behind his head and groaned.

"Ugh, fine, whatever. Now, I believe I have business to attend to. Tata, my dear!" Celestia looked to him and held out a hoof, but he was already gone. She smirked to herself and lowered her head. He never was one for formalities.

A gentle breeze blew in through her window, breathing new life into her tired spirit. She looked to her door and took a steadying breath.

The glaring sun hung proudly in the sky above Ponyville. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, through the clatter and thunk of produce carts and carriages alike, one relieved human stood. With his tool bag in hand, he made his way back towards Twilight's castle.

Thankfully for Miles, those repulsive ponies from the marketplace gave him little grief during his visit to fix their bedroom. Whether they were too afraid or too disinterested to speak mattered not to him. They had nothing to offer him yet, anyway.

Speaking of which, it was about time he made some real progress. He spared nary a glance around the town as he beelined for Twilight in anticipation of what he knew would be good news.

It had been a long day. Twilight had grilled him about many other aspects of his species before he was finally able to leave. He had every faith that she had succeeded in obtaining his permit. After his experience with her today, it wasn't even in doubt.

Eventually, he arrived at Twilight's castle, having paid no mind to the various ponies on his way. While not so severe as when he first arrived, they for the most part still gave him almost as much space as they did visual attention.

Perhaps once they see their princess's approval of him, things would change.

After some gentle knocks, Miles was met with none other than Spike, his diminutive dragon form apparently having somehow reached the handle.

"Well hello there, Spike. Is Twilight around?" asked Miles, casually.

Spike sighed, knowing exactly why he's looking for her. He remained silent for some time, before eventually speaking up. "Yeah, she's here... You know, don't you think it's a little soon?" Spike grimaced awkwardly as he looked up into Miles's gentle expression.

"'Soon'?"

"Uh, yeah... Don't you think it's a little too soon to be setting up your own place, in a new town," Spike said, counting with his claws as he spoke, "in a new world, on your own, before ponies are even comfortable being around you?"

Miles chuckled. "Spike, my friend, allow me to answer your question with a question." He took a knee. "How are these ponies going to grow more comfortable around me if I remain locked away in a castle with their princess like a VIP guest?"

Spike blinked, but did not respond.

Miles pursed his lips for a moment before continuing. "If I integrate myself with them like any other average creature, then perhaps that will help them see me as such. I'm sure you and I both know how it feels to stand out from a crowd here." He patted the small drake on the shoulder before rising back to his full height. "Now, then. Twilight?" He raised an eyebrow at Spike.

The afternoon sun had begun to set, casting the pair in a deep orange light. Spike looked off toward the horizon for a moment and smiled. He looked back up at Miles with newfound understanding and said, "Oh, of course! She was over in her study looking over the notes from today's 'study session', last I saw her." Spike shook his head and smirked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder into the castle.

"Anyways," said Spike, "I've got a hot date with an encrusted pastry. See ya, dude." With that, he waddled away into town with what Miles supposed was attempted masculine swagger.

Miles made his way into the castle, only to be met with yet another obstacle. This one had seemingly transformed the castle's entryway into a massive ocean of pudding. The pudding appeared to be held back by some kind of invisible dam, meaning that although Miles was not drowning, he certainly wasn't getting through without first confronting the entity he already knew was responsible.

Miles sighed internally. Without warning, Discord emerged from the pudding on a large Celestia-shaped floatee, wearing a pair of star-shaped sunglasses and carrying a lengthy shower brush that he used to scrub his back with the thick, custardy pudding.

As his floatee gradually turned to face Miles, Discord gasped and dropped the brush into the ocean. He lifted his glasses and eyed Miles before snapping his fingers. In an instant, the ocean of pudding was gone and Discord hung in the air in front of Miles, upside down with a smirk.

Miles frowned, pushing through Discord wordlessly on his way to meet Twilight.

"Miles." Miles froze in place, but did not turn. "Look, Mr. Alien, buddy ol' pal," said Discord. "I just wanted to say that I'm s-sorry for what happened..."

With the tension broken, Miles turned to face Discord. He still did not speak.

Discord groaned, his playful grin completely gone. "Ugh, Miles, I was just trying to look out for my friends... I suppose now is a good time to confess that I have also been watching you." Miles did not appear surprised, yet still remained mute.

"And I have to say," said Discord, "I think I might have been a little too... judgy with you, since you arrived." Discord folded his arms and looked to the side. Miles struggled to hold back his laughter as he watched this godly creature squirm. "You have every right to be angry with me, and I don't expect forgiveness. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I hurt you. I promise not to spy on you anymore. Th-That's it." Discord huffed in annoyance once he finished.

A few seconds of silence passed. Miles glared at Discord, his mind dancing with glee in the twisted grip of silence for as long as he was able. Eventually, he spoke.

"Of course - no problem. You and I both know that having power doesn't necessarily mean it will be used for harm." Miles stepped closer to Discord and held out a hand. "Take it as a lesson, I suppose."

Discord rolled his eyes at Miles's words, and with a reluctant grimace, he grasped the human's hand and the pair shook. Discord couldn't believe what he was now willing to do for his friends. His thoughts drifted to Fluttershy and his crooked, spluttering old chaotic heart fluttered in kind.

Neither of the two said a word for several moments, and Discord began to feel increasingly uncomfortable under the human's relentless, blazing gaze. This alien was clearly no threat to him, yet Discord couldn't help but feel... Off.

After they broke their hold, Miles remained standing in Discord's space. A few more seconds of silence passed and Discord prepared his claws to snap, his expression blank and his eyes now locked firmly with those of Miles.

Miles smirked with a wink and said, "See you later, friend."

With a Snap, Discord was gone.

Miles and Twilight stood at an empty plot of land some short distance from Ponyville's marketplace. The plot was small, but more than enough for what Miles needed. The plot of packed dirt was tucked away in a corner, surrounded by old, tall buildings. Their looming presence provided a strangely comforting atmosphere. The spot could easily be missed should one not have been informed of its existence before passing it.

"Well, here we are!" chirped Twilight, holding out a hoof in presentation. "I'm afraid this is the best I could do..."

"It's splendid, Twilight. You really do spoil me." Miles placed a hand to his chin, already building his new home in his mind. "It will take some time for me to build it, but it'll be done, thanks to you." Miles placed a hand on Twilight's withers, giving her a gentle pat. She shivered at the warmth of his touch.

"Hey, what are are friends for, right?" Twilight was practically beaming. "I, uh... I know it's only been a couple weeks now since you arrived, but it's gonna feel odd not having you around the castle all the time once this is built."

Miles chuckled. "Well, I'm sure it will, but I'm equally sure we will still bump into each other." He gently tapped her foreleg with his foot and walked away from her. Once he reached the plot, he squatted down to more closely observe the ground he was working with. Twilight felt the air around her grow colder.

"Y-Yeah... So, do you think you'll be alright building this all by yourself?" She reached a hoof out to him subconsciously.

"Of course, dear purple pony," said Miles, "it will be absolutely no problem. You have already done more than enough for me. Although..." He rotated one of his arms as though warming it up. "It will certainly take me some time, and I may well end up out here for most of the day, every day for a while." He looked over his shoulder without moving his head, already knowing what Twilight was going to say.

"Oh... Yeah, I suppose you'll be pretty busy. L-Like me, I guess, heh..." Twilight hung her head slightly and pawed at the ground. Miles did not respond, choosing instead to continue observing and smoothing out the ground as nature ran its course.

"B-But, you know," stammered Twilight, "I think we could get you some help, with uh, all of this." She waved a hoof around at the plot with an apprehensive expression. Miles still was not looking at her. She pawed the ground a couple more times with a furrowed brow, this time with speed. "I'm sure my friends would love to help us. Yeah!"

Miles could feel this mare's gaze burning through the thick, corded muscle of his back. He couldn't help but grin to himself at her words.

'Us'.

Finally, he turned, gracing her with a winning smile. As he did so, Twilight's anxious expression melted and her face soon sported a smile to rival his own.

Miles stepped back closer to her and reached down to scratch behind her ear. She gasped lightly at this action with a coo and leaned into his movements. Her eyes drooped as his fingers worked their magic.

"Whatever could I possibly do to repay all of your numerous acts of kindness, princess?" purred Miles. The warmth with which he spoke and the alien, yet overwhelmingly pleasant sensation of his fingers' ministrations sent Twilight's mind on a journey she felt glad he was unable to see.

With heat in her cheeks, she opened her mouth to answer, yet found herself unable to say what was on her mind. In an act of either mercy or punishment, Miles stopped his scratching. Twilight caught herself before she could whine in complaint at the absence of his digits.

Twilight shook her head, now finding herself able to answer. "Um, just... Just keep being you!" She placed a hoof to her chest. "Being your f-friend is more than enough for me. I didn't do any of these things for you expecting any kind of reward. That's just what a good friend does!"

Miles gave Twilight a thumbs up, causing her to look up into the sky with a raised eyebrow. She looked back down at him and cocked her head.

Miles ignored her confusion and said, "Well, honestly, I'm flattered. I still feel quite odd about this whole situation, and you are very much helping me 'ride out the storm', so to speak."

"That's understandable. I'd be more than happy to ride you-" Twilight blanched, coughing a few times with wide eyes in hopes that it would mask the words that just crept past her lips. "R-Ride with you! We'll ride - I-you..." Miles raised his eyebrows as Twilight mentally scolded herself.

Twilight took a breath and said, "I mean to say that I'm happy to help you ride out that storm." Her words now sounded almost robotic and rushed. Miles took notice of her eyes discreetly darting to his hands and her cheeks flush with embarassment.

Miles inclined his head and looked down at her with a friendly smile. Placing his hands on his hips, he then turned and smacked his lips. "Well," he said, walking over to his bag, "I had better take some measurements before we get started tomorrow. I will see you at the castle later, Twilight. Thankyou again."

Twilight sheepishly looked off to the end of the street and began to trot away with her ears folded against her head. She prayed her purple fur would be enough to conceal her still burning cheeks. "Tomorrow... Y-Yeah... See you later!"

Miles turned his attention to his tools and peered down at the land, pretending not to notice her linger for a moment at the corner of the street.

Once she was gone, he chuckled and flicked his spirit gauge before mumbling to himself, "You know what they say about distance and the heart, princess..."