book stringlengths 2 250 | chapter stringlengths 1 255 | text stringlengths 1 4.64M |
|---|---|---|
The Lightning Bringer | 13 - Another Point of View | Work sat up, looking almost haughty. "I wasn't going to bring it up, sir, but I see you are..." He gestured at the bag the money had come from. "I do have needs, slim as they are currently. A little recompensation would go far."
I was being shaken for money, but I found it hard to be angry at Work for asking for some payment. He was in a far worse place than I was. Just... "Let's wait until she comes back."
"It's because you don't understand the coins." He raised a hoof towards the bag. "I may be a pony of diminished stature, but a noble I remain, and I stand proud of that." He nodded softly, even as his eyes wandered for sources of danger. "I will be truthful."
It was a matter of trust. I could wait until Easy came back, or show the coins to him and let him show his nature. I had a compromise in mind. I dug out my phone, had it on, and set out some of the coins. I took a quick snapshot of it. "Alright, how much is that?"
His eyes were on the phone, likely wondering what it was, but they lowered to the coins. His hoof danced as his mental eye went from coin to coin, counting it just under his breath. "You have sixty bits there, sir, give or take." He reached out and put a hoof on one. "This is the largest, a twenty bit coin." He moved and tapped another. "Five bit." And tapped a last. "One bit."
That was valuable information. At least I knew the basic sizes. They sure didn't have numbers written on them. I started gathering them up, dedicating the differences as I did so. "And how many would be fair for this service?"
"That's not a fair question, sir. Either a pony is greedy and quotes too high, or humble and accepts too little." He lifted his shoulders. "In my state, I confess, I am likely to be in the latter camp." He glanced in the direction Easy had gone. "You seem a good-natured sort, chap, and I like the vision you have. He pointed at one of the smallest one bit coins. "Just enough to get a nibble."
Part of me wondered how much of that had been a play on my own emotions, because it was working. I held out a five bit coin instead. "Let's start. I want to hear your story."
The clip-clop of hooves had us both looking. It was Easy, returning with a small basket floating beside her. "I didn't miss anything good yet, have I?" She sat down beside me and started unfolding what became a little picnic of supplies. "Not the most ideal place for it, but let's try to have fun with it." She waved at Work. "I got enough for three."
Work's expression warmed at that, a kindness he didn't expect, I imagined. "Thank you, now then, let's begin." He took one of the little rolls Easy had brought, dotted with seeds as it was. His equine chompers came down on it and he was quiet a moment. "Mmm, yes, so here is the tale, from my point of view."
Word of the conflict was only reaching our ears indirectly. Neither Celestia nor the rest of the council said a word about it. They were pretending nothing was happening, but it was much harder for nobility to follow along. After all, I had business that was not moving as it should, and I couldn't just 'pretend' that was alright.
So I left Canterlot, temporarily of course, to see what was going on. What I found chilled me. The rural ponies were beside themselves with quite the list of complaints. Some of them were quite edgy and I didn't sympathize at all, but a few had a kernel of sense to it.
You've met her, the princess, have you not? She really is a mess, through no fault of her own. I believe in her goodness. She wants to do what's right, but there's only one of her... I'm certain this conflict is no assistance in the matter. Oh, how I wish her sister were still here. I'm told she was quite a positive influence when she was around.
Ignored? Don't be ridiculous. My grandsire was quite a fan of her. Ahem, perhaps... indecently, let's put that aside. Regardless, I brought back the idea of Celestia abdicating some of her responsibilities. She already had the tremendous task of moving the sun and moon, and isn't that enough for one pony to bear? It is a miracle she hasn't burnt out as so many other unicorns have done over the years.
As I was saying, I proposed it, but it wasn't taken very well.
Celestia looked at me with those intense eyes, a mixture of sadness and frustration there. "You know I can't do that," she said.
The elder mare, Shadymane, leveled a hoof at me. "You've been talking with them!" she practically hissed at me. "I thought better of you."
The atmosphere around the room grew dark and tense. I had done it. I tried to back away from the topic, warding it away with gentle motions of my hooves. "Let's not get carried away. It is an idea, nothing more. Princess Celestia, the poor dear, is clearly overworked. We should think of her for a change inst--"
The general stood up, glaring at me. "Have him removed," he said, each word sharp, like an invisible thrown dagger.
The guards came for me, and I wasn't raised to break laws, so I didn't resist them when they led me out. It was a shameful moment, sir. I could feel the eyes of all my peers burrowing into me with each step. Their voices whispered my likely faults.
I was not welcome in my own home. My older sister threw a pittance of bits at me through the bars of the estate, and told me to leave them alone. I had been disowned, humiliated, and... here I am.
Work Pants slowly sighed. "Not my finest time, sir, ma'am. If I can provide anything, just know the people are not one mind. They have as many opinions on what should be done as there are people. They just agree that what we have isn't working."
He sank on himself. "I can't say they're wrong, in my condition. Tell me, sir." He was looking at me directly. "How would you fix this? Have you chosen a side?"
Easy was also looking at me, though she was chewing a carrot as she did so.
"I have." I pushed to my feet. "I stand by Equestria."
Work's lips quirked. "A fine sentiment, but we all do that, I hope. Does your Equestria have room for me? For Celestia? For those ponies? What is your Equestria?"
Easy wobbled a hoof. "It better have room for your manager, just saying."
I was getting a slightly better idea of things. "Did you meet their leader? I really want to hear what her story is." I gestured off, not that I had any idea what direction she was in. "She is a major player in this drama. If we can figure her out, a lot would come together."
"Once," he sighed. "She has a powerful force of personality. It was easy, from the first word, to see why other ponies were following her so easily. She took me aside, you see, and told me they would take back 'their' Equestria. I objected to the idea that unicorns burning out was ever a 'good' thing. Really, just a needed thing. We did it because we had to, not because anyone liked it."
He ran a hoof over a dirty cobblestone. "Imagine, sir, if you had to work yourself so hard every day that you collapsed from the effort, until, eventually, your arms--" He was pointing at my right one. "--just broke, and they never healed. You'd not have them anymore. They'd be there, but you couldn't move them. Imagine that."
I really didn't want to. That was a terrible fate. "Right, Celestia stays. Besides, she is a good pony, and murdering someone really isn't the pony way."
Work and Easy blinked in odd sync. He tilted his head. "While murder is not a civil way of things, where is it written that it is specifically not a 'pony' thing, sir?" Easy bobbed her head in quiet agreement with the question.
There I was, interjecting future-thoughts into things. "Well, it shouldn't be, right?"
"No... it shouldn't." He turned his head, eyes still focused on me. "What is the 'pony way', sir?"
He had noticed something, I felt certain, and he wasn't letting go. Well, crud. "I'm only speaking in idealisms, but there are things ponies should aspire to." I counted on my fingers, an act that had their eyes fascinated a moment. "Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and--"
Easy shook her head in a rapid little motion. "Laughter? What kinda 'virtue' is 'laughter'?"
Work looked less shocked. "We could use some laughter, just about now, ma'am." He stood up. "I don't know where you heard of such virtues. Did they come from your homeland, er, your original, I mean. I understand you've accepted Equestria as your new home, but we can't forget our roots." He stepped forward, emerging from the shadows entirely. "Even if you are willing to leave it all behind, you can't." He circled me, looking up at me. "You've taken some of it with you, and it will remain. That isn't a terrible fact."
Easy quirked an ear towards him. "When did you start waxing poetic on us?"
"I used to do it far more often." Work sat back down, though outside his alley. "Sir, as I was saying, she was quite compelling, but perhaps... extreme. I didn't favor her wish to see all the current rulers killed. It didn't sit right by me at all. Many of them have done nothing worse than argue for their vision of a better Equestria."
"A question." I was looking towards Work. "When that all happened, how did Celestia react?"
"Hmm?"
"When you were thrown out of the court," I expanded.
"O-oh... She was..." I guessed he was thinking back on the event. "She looked sad, sir. I don't think she wanted that."
I doubted she did either. "Alright. There is really only one direction left to go."
Easy pointed up at the castle. "There?"
"No." I pointed to where I had entered the city. "We need to go out and meet with them, personally. We have to talk to her."
Easy cringed and took an uneasy step back. "Everything I've heard about her makes her sound like a mare I don't want to be near."
And yet... "We have to. She is a key player, arguably the one that's to make the biggest difference." I dusted off my pants from what had collected from sitting there on the dirty street. "Work, you've met her."
"I have," he admitted easily. "Why?"
"We'll need a guide. It's a paying job, of course." I had half an eye on Easy for any strong reactions, but she just watched.
Work licked his lips before giving a stiff nod. "If you wish it, sir... I'm afraid the response you get might be... chilled, and caution you against it, but I doubt my counsel will prevent this action." He smiled a little. "Perhaps a little recklessness is called for, sir." His eyes fell to Easy.
Easy raised a hoof to her chest. "What are you looking at me for? I'm coming. I'll complain the entire way, but I'm his manager, which means I have to come." She formed a human hand with her magic and poked me right in the ribs with it. "That also means I need to be paid."
Right. "Alright, here's the battle plan. Me and Easy are going shopping for supplies. Tomorrow, bright and early, we'll come back here, pick you up, and we set out."
Work nodded even as his horn glowed, the one remaining roll that was likely meant for me, but I hadn't touched, floating up over towards him. "I will be ready, sir." |
The Lightning Bringer | 14 - Hero Departs | And thus it was! The brave hero marshalled his supplies, that being Easy and me. We bought a small wagon to go with it, but they had no horses, and looked scandalized when I brought up the idea. Apparently ponies drew their own wagons, and I was a very odd person for thinking it should be any other way.
Easy slipped under the harness and had it moving easily, at least once we upgraded to one above the bare minimum grade. I wasn't sure how any pony planned to pull that rusty monstrosity.
We filled the wagon with travel rations and camping supplies. I didn't know the going rates of most of those things and Easy proved her worth. She was the haggler of the two of us, ensuring we got a better price than the starting offer each time. She also know the hows and whys of what we were doing better than I.
With her help, I was feeling confident for a little journey across Equestria in greater comfort than I had suffered reaching Canterlot the first time.
"Weapon?"
My attention snapped to Easy Breeze. "Weapon?"
She pointed a hoof at a selection of swords and spears that hung close to what I presumed was a blacksmith pony mare. "Do we want some?"
"Do you know how to use one?" The idea of a pony fighting with a sword in their mouth was, in some ways, amusing. "I can't say I have experience in it."
Her magic wrapped around one of the blades and drew it free of the display. "How hard can it be?" she asks with bravado. "You know there are monsters out there besides irate ponies, and the monsters usually can't just be talked to nicely."
I imagined Fluttershy instantly. If she was there, surely she could talk to most of the monsters nicely. A pity she wouldn't be born for centuries... Maybe never, if I didn't do my part.
That's when it hit me. I literally had a destiny. It wasn't given to me by some cutie mark or angry god from on high. If the future I had seen came to be, which I hoped had to happen, it meant I had to not mess up. But then, did time travel work that way? I could be in a separate probability-based dime--
"Ian," hissed Easy, interrupting my inner monologue. "Weapons?" She waggled a sword in my vague direction. "You have hands, it should come naturally."
Was that racist? Still, I reached over and tried a sword. The moment I lifted it, I knew swords were heavier than I imagined them being. I'd have to build up some upper-body strength, or use a smaller weapon than that one. I doubted I'd put on that much muscle quickly enough to matter, and set the blade where it started.
"She's a beuat," spoke the blacksmith mare. "Why don't you try giving her a swing?"
The sword was female? I supposed you could ascribe whatever gender you wanted on an inanimate object. Still... "It's a bit heavy for me. What would you say is the next step down."
Her horn glowed as she snatched up another blade and thrust it towards me, hilt-first. "Try this one."
It was shorted and slimmer. I could have called it a 'short sword', but that didn't really say much. Still, I wrapped my right hand around it. The magic holding it up faded and I was left holding the naked steel. I swung it experimentally, and it felt... about right. I could move it without feeling like I was fighting the momentum too badly.
"I don't want to use this," I noted.
The mare nodded. "I'm glad to hear you say that, no one should. Still, sometimes you have to."
Easy slipped between us and began the haggling. Soon I was the... proud?... owner of a weapon. It even came with a belt loop and sheath to hold it in. Easy got one for herself as well. "Poor Work doesn't strike me as much of a fighter." She turned away from the display. "I think we're ready."
"And you are?" I mean, really. Easy did not strike me as the sort.
She shrugged. "I don't want any filthy things putting their various parts on me. I'll fight if I have to, or run. Running is also an option..." She pointed a hoof at the wagon. "But we'll be carting our supplies around, which makes running less an option."
And so we wheeled back to the castle. The guards were eyeing the wagon. "That can't come in," stated the one one the left in firm tones. He pointed to a smaller building. "You can park it in there. No harm will come to it or its contents."
Secured parking? Sure, why not. We had it stabled beside other wagons and retreated for some rest and food.
Which is exactly when Celestia entered the dining hall. Without a word she went around the table and sat down opposite me. She reached with her magic and began serving herself as if we weren't there.
Easy broke the silence first, "Good evening, Your Highness."
Celestia dipped her head towards Easy. "Good evening." Her voice was tired, perhaps after a long day's work. Her eyes went to me. "You're leaving?"
I put it together. All she heard was that I came back from the city looking ready to skip town. She might have been entertaining a thousand theories, few of them pleasant. "I've isolated the root of the problem, and I hope to fix it."
Easy bobbed her head quickly. "We're going to chat with that troublemaking mare and see if we can't talk some sense into her."
Celestia tensed. It was a subtle thing, but I saw it. "Travel carefully, speak carefully. They... have shown themselves willing to harm those who come to speak. Do... not use my name as a shield."
I could imagine that ending up very poorly. "We will come just as who we are, not on the 'behalf' of anyone. Besides, I'm not technically doing this on your assignment. You haven't given me one of those.
She smiled then, a timid expression with some hope. "And I will break that now, I think. You are hereby ordered to not die. You will return safely, no matter the odds. I would rather you come back in failure than not at all. Am I clear?"
No, she was a lovely off-white color, but I spared her my humor. "Perfectly. We aren't going to pick fights."
"But you are armed, both of you." Her eyes moved from my blade to Easy's, despite both being below the table. "I suppose that is... a necessity." She leaned forward, that long neck of hers letting her easily put her nose close to mine. "In that future of yours, do ponies still need swords?"
I hesitated, thinking about time lines and the muddling thereof, it was time enough for her react, "Nevermind. The future isn't for us to see clearly." She turned her head, focusing one eye on me. "It must be a terrible burden, to know what could be, and what is. You... I shouldn't interfere." She raised a hoof to the table. "I will wish you well, and hope that you return with good news on your lips."
She looked to Easy Breeze then. "You. I had... dismissed you, and I apologize for that. You had potential, and he saw it. Protect him. See that he returns safely and I will ensure there is always a place in this castle for you."
Easy thrust up her hooves. "Calm down there, Celly." The princess jerked her head back at the nickname. "I'm his manager, which means I'll keep him on target and schedule." She thumped her chest with a hoof. "I don't plan to mess that up."
"Y-yes, I see..." She dipped her head at the both of us. "Then I will leave you to your preparations. Equestria will wait for your return." She rose to her hooves, metal shoes ringing against the ground.
Now, this next part I wasn't there for personally, but found out later about. Still, I think you should hear about it in this order, so here we go. Let us enter the head of another pony.
I saw Celestia emerging from one of the dining halls. She looked visibly troubled, so I trotted over to offer my services. "Good evening, Your Highness. May I draw you a scented bath, or perhaps--"
"That will not be required, Water Lily," she cut me off before I could finish listing things I could do for her, but seemed to realize something even as she denied me. "You are familiar with Ian Langerman, are you not?"
"I am." I bowed low, as was proper.
"Did you know he was leaving?"
I tried to hold back tensing up. "O-oh? He is? Should I gather his things?"
"I trust he can handle that. He is leaving on a dangerous assignment of his own initiative. It may set Equestria on a better path, or it may kill him."
That was awful! Terrible! I didn't want my precious Ian being battered, or killed! His smooth and warm body was to be adored and cared for... "Oh no..."
She saw the horror in my eyes, perhaps. "Do you care for him?"
I felt heat rushing into my face. "N-not like that! It's just... he'll be so far away from me--" What had I just said?! "I mean... You've seen him too, m'lady. He's naked in a way we never are..."
"Do you fear for him?" I don't remember nodding, but I must have. "Will you watch him go?"
"If I must." I tried to stand tall and proud. "My first duty is to you and this castle, Your Highness. I have not forgotten that."
"And if I assigned you to his wellbeing, you would...?"
"I would serve to the best of my ability." I glanced towards the dining hall she had originally emerged from. "I'm a maid, m'lady, but I could see to his comfort and health? I would do what I could."
"And what more could be asked of any pony." She smiled in that gentle way that I liked. "Go then."
I had permission to go with him? That was... horrible. I didn't want to go galavanting out into the middle of nowhere, and yet... it was my new assignment. I would safeguard him as best I could. "I won't let you down." I bowed low and remained down until Celestia walked past.
I was eating and chatting with Easy about the general route of our trip. We had a map spread between us of current-day Equestria, one of our many purchases.
A gentle cough caught her attention. There was Water Lily, standing at stiff attention. "Good evening, sir, madame. I'll be accompanying you on this task."
Easy burst into laughter, almost toppling from her chair. "Y-you?! Seriously?"
She went red in her cheeks as she clacked her hooves together, standing all the more rigidly. "I will serve you both to the best of my abilities."
I put an arm on the back of my chair, swiveled to look at Water properly. She was putting up a brave front, but she was also shaking. "You really don't have to."
"I've been ordered," she contradicted. "If you refuse me, sir, then I will have to report that I've failed..." She dipped her head a moment, ears spread wide. "I won't be in the way. You won't even know I'm there unless I'm being helpful. I know how to launder clothes, prepare meals, and upkeep cleanliness. Please, sir, allow me to lend my hoof."
She sounded so desperate to go, and yet frightened of the very same thing. I wasn't sure which answer would be kinder to her. "This will be dangerous," I warned, hoping it would settle things.
"I am ready." She let her hooves slide out a little into a slightly more natural pose. "When do we leave, sir?"
It seemed our party had grown. |
The Lightning Bringer | 15 - Descent From On High | After meeting with Work pants, we moved as one larger party for the gate of the city. He nudged up against Easy. "Allow me, miss."
Easy snorted softly. "You think I'm not strong enough?"
"I'm certain you are, miss." He tilted his head faintly. "However, as Mister Langerman's manager, you should be free to consider more important things. I am without rank or title currently."
That line of argument seemed to reach her. Easy wriggled free of the harness and gestured back at the wagon. "Well, you have a title now. Work Pants, quartermaster."
Work inclined his head in a nod. "It is an honor." He wriggled into the harness and got the wagon moving smoothly across the cobbles while avoiding impediments to its progress.
Water walked alongside me, practically hiding in my shadow. I spoke to her, my eyes forward, "Are you alright?"
"Of course, Sir." She swallowed heavily as we approached the gates of the city. "I never... left the city before." She continued despite her obvious trepidation. "I will do my best, Sir."
Easy came in, putting Water between herself and her new boss, me. "Last chance. You could run back to the castle. I'm pretty sure The Big C would forgive you."
"No!" Water flinched away as if threatened directly. "I couldn't... She's trusting me. I will do the best I can." She looked up at me a quiet moment, still trotting forward.
The guards crossed their spears. They were both examining the lot of us and our wagon with their eyes without moving. The one on the right coughed softly before speaking, "Business and destination?"
I hadn't been questioned coming in. "Did something happen?"
"Mm?" The guard shook his head. "Orders are clear, sir. Anyone leaving with appreciable goods is to be checked." He raised a hoof at the wagon. "That looks appreciable."
Ah, so that was the difference. "We're headed to the northeast, hoping to meet some other ponies, see the sights, and maybe return with some favorable answers."
The other pony snorted. "There aren't a lot of good things out that way. You're the new mason, aren't you?"
I hadn't signed the line on joining that guild just yet. "I fancy myself a builder, but this isn't for that. We'll be careful, thank you."
"See that you are." They moved out of the way of us. We passed them and began down the trail that vaguely tried to pass for a road.
The wagon began to shake and wobble as Work got it over the rocks that littered the way. It bothered me that there wasn't enough foot traffic to beat the path down a little more. We had so much to fix. One step a time, right? If I kept getting distracted by thing I could do, nothing would get done. "Holding up alright, Work?"
"It's work, but it's not unreasonable," he assured with dignified composure. His gait became more even, as if walking calmly were a badge of honor he could wear.
Water slowed suddenly, letting Work catch up before her horn began to glow. She drew out a small bit of cloth and dabbed at the stallion, cleaning him of the sweat he had been gathering. "Thank you, sir. I wouldn't handle it as well."
Work blushed at the attention, but accepted it with a quirk of a smile. I wondered if he just liked having a mare fawning on him. I didn't see a reason to begrudge him.
"Don't spoil him," cut in Easy with a soft snort as she trotted ahead. She peered down the mountainside, taking in the vista it offered. We could see the rocky trail carving in a winding path towards the base. "We have quite a walk to get through. On the plus, I did some research before we left. The mountain's pretty safe, monster wise."
That was good to hear. I wasn't particularly eager to pull out my sword and give it a test. "With how steep this is, we'll have some times where keeping the cart from going too fast will be the challenge." I didn't want it to go careening down the hill, taking our supplies, and maybe Work Pants, with it. To that end, I let the wagon catch up and walked alongside it, keeping a hand on its side. At least I could grab it, if need be.
"Too right," agreed Work as he trudged. "I can feel it wanting to go, when a rock doesn't get in the way. Sir, I imagine it would make quite the mess if I wasn't holding it."
So we formed tight ranks, with Easy up front, watching the mountain and looking back to our progress as we slowly descended the mountain. Still, compared to when I first arrived, this was proving to be much easier. Down was just plain easier than up. I was also not alone. They were friends, and I liked their company. Sure, I knew some of them better than others of them.
"Work?" I spoke as we went. "Have you been out of the city?"
"On occasion, Sir." He nodded lightly, only to be dabbed with Water's cloth. "Thank you. My building was mostly limited to within Canterlot's walls."
That reminded me. "Were you in the guild?"
"I've been in a few, Sir." He guided the wagon around a small boulder as he walked. "Do you mean the Construction Guild? Surely I was. One couldn't work with the masons without being a part of their order. It just wouldn't do..." He slid on some pebbles that gave away under his weight, but a quick grab kept the wagon from running him over. "I'm alright." He regained his stance and resumed walking. "Why do you ask, Sir?"
Easy looked over her shoulder. "If you were in the guild, how'd they just let you become a bum on the street? What kinda guild is that?"
That was close enough to what I was driving at. I just looked to Work to continue.
"I wasn't... happy just taking my easy out, and there were the political troubles, I will remind." He craned his neck to look up at the sky and the sun that worked through it. "Mmm, I've grown spoiled by the town clock."
I pulled out my phone and checked. It was getting close to noon. "Just about noon. We can take a break?"
"Gladly." He veered to the left and ran the wheel of the wagon against a larger rock, parking it firmly.
Even as he wriggled free of the wagon, Water came trotting up to me with a little smile. "Lay down, Sir. I'll massage the tension away."
I sat down on another rock, there were plenty to choose from. "Thanks... for the offer." Apparently 'thanks' was keyword for 'sure!' since I felt her magic start gripping at my shoulders and down my legs, squeezing at the muscles that had worked the hardest to get us that far. She wasn't bad at the job. Part of me wanted to just roll with it. It was why she was there, right?
A valid excuse came to me. "Work looks like he could use your treatment a lot more than me. He was the one pulling the wagon."
She glanced towards him. "... Yes, I suppose being all... furry... would make this harder." She turned to him, her magic fading from me. "I'll be back."
Easy hopped up onto the wagon and she plucked a few small bundles and a water skin from the supplies. "Eat up while you can." She floated down the preserved food into the reach of each of us.
It was only then that I realized we were a party that all had effective fingers. I held my food and water in tricky human hands. The others all had theirs floating beside them, grasped in equally tricky unicorn horns. That made some things a lot easier.
The food was a simple fare of what tasted like dried corn and mashed potatoes ground together with a collection of nuts and seeds. A sweet sappy stuff held it all together into a sort of granola that was easy enough to bite chunks off of. Just a dash of salt added some savory hints and bring out the subtler flavors of the blend.
The drink was simpler, being just water. It was cool as the mountain breeze, that being the effective room temperature of the moment. I didn't have anything against water. Hunger defeated, I folded up the cloth the food had come in and tucked it back in the wagon.
Easy watched me with a cocked brow. "We're already in the middle of nowhere, you could just drop it."
"Could, but why make a mess?" I wanted to help fix Equestria, not be some small source of pollution and filth.
My actions seemed to inspire the others, and soon their cloths joined mine, to be brought with us, even if they didn't hold food anymore.
Water Lily trotted back to me. "It's your turn."
Easy saved me from having to shoot her down. "Let's get moving!" She moved under the harness before Work could get there. "I'll take a turn."
Work inclined his head towards her. "Very well. I'll assume the duties of scout then." He trotted up ahead, looking across the mountain.
I liked that. The way I saw it, they were coming to a sort of equilibrium. They were a team, my team, and were sharing duties. That was good. Maybe they'd even become friends? I felt a brush against my pants leg and saw Water was walking alongside me. "Sir, we need to talk, when we set up camp for the evening." She trotted past me then, not waiting for a reply.
Something to look forward to? I shook my head and pulled out my phone. The GPS didn't work, which was no huge surprise, but the map did. It was how I found my way to Canterlot in the first place. It being on the biggest mountain around helped, to a point, but it wasn't nearly as golden and shiny as it was in the cartoon, yet.
I pinched and zoomed around, finding ourselves. It didn't give us a marker, and certainly not one that moved around. GPS was out, remember? But I could find Canterlot on it, and could follow the way down to where we slowly descended the mountain. It looked like the road meandered down, becoming more and more snake-like on its way towards the base of the mountain.
"What are you looking at?" Work was walking alongside me at an easy clip-clop. "Is that a magic device?"
I mean, it basically was. "Yes, from my original homeland." I turned it towards him, so he could see the map too.
He turned his head, directing one eye at it instead of trying for a stereo view of it. "Fascinating. That is quite an intricate painting of the mountain, Sir. Did you make it? You have more talents than I would have credited, I admit."
A painting? I suppose one could see it from that angle. "I didn't. Really, I'm not sure what did. It wasn't there before I left my old home." My phone was a collection of mysteries I really needed to dig into some day... "But why complain? It has good maps of most of Equestria, provided we can keep track of where we are on it."
"I certainly wouldn't," he agreed with a flick of his tail. "I should imagine you could sell that artifact for quite the tidy sum of bits."
Easy snorted loudly. "I heard that! One, that's from his home, his original. I doubt he wants to give it up. Two, it's tricky to use."
Tricky to use? "How do you know that?"
Water pounced on the chance with a triumphant smile. "I was not the only one to give into curiosity, I see." She leaned in towards Easy as she pulled the wagon. "It's alright, we forgive you." |
The Lightning Bringer | 16 - Day One | The party of us descended from Canterlot. When we reached what seemed to almost be a road, things became measurably easier. Sure, we had to go back and forth along it instead of going straight down the sheer cliffside, but the way was mostly clear and the wheels of the wagon did so without complaint. The winding road was also angled down at a mild angle, keeping the wagon from actively trying to run down the pony pulling it.
The cry of a distant bird drew my eyes. It looked like some kind of hawk, descending from the sky and snatching a mouse with the poor sense to be out in the middle of the day. It would be its last mistake.
Were we mice, scurrying out from the safe little hole that was Canterlot? Did we march towards the hawk or cat or innumerable other predators, waiting to pounce on us and teach us a lasting lesson about survival? The thought did not bring me ease of mind. "Easy."
"Yeah, boss?" She looked aside towards me, pulling the wagon as she was. "Let me say, glad we didn't go for the cheaper model." She wriggled her shoulders as she walked. "This is hard enough, imagining the base model, mmm, no thanks."
"Glad that's working." I hopped up onto a medium-sized rock as if the vantage point would allow for insights. It didn't. "What kind of monsters are we looking forward to on this trip?"
"When'd I become the expert?" Her eyes darted to the two other ponies up ahead. "Right, I kinda am..." She quirked a smile, pressing on without delay. "We're not headed towards my old town, so I can't say absolutely for sure. First thing that comes to mind, ponies."
What? "Seriously?"
"Not happy to say it," she grunted as she pulled the wagon. "But I did some digging. This stupid war has everything out of order, which means ponies not doing what they should be doing, which means ponies doing what no pony should be doing. If there aren't some brigands on the road, I'll be surprised." She glanced back at the wagon. "And, look at me, I'm pulling a big target behind me. Tell me you have some amazing magic to help keep us safe?"
What, like a gun? I had not brought one of those, and turning it on a pony, even a mean one, sounded like an awful thing to do. "Monsters we fight or flee. A pony, we flee if we can, or we give them what they want."
Easy's brows lowered, glaring at me flatly. "That's your plan? And if they want a pony or two to go along with everything else, we just hoof them over and wish them a nice day while we're at it?" Her eyes went to Water Lily, walking a short distance ahead. "They'd snatch her up first. Is that what you want? Letting some poor maid that's fallen for you get dragged away?"
Christ. I wasn't a fighter... "We'll just have to be smart about it and not get into that situation in the first place."
"Let's do that then." She pulled ahead slightly, hastening despite the burden she drew along with her.
That was when what she said echoed internally. Pretending I didn't know wasn't really doing much. Water did have some kind of thing for me. What did I think of that? It was time to answer that instead of pointedly trying not to think about it. Then again, she may not have a thing for me, as a person. She loved my silky smooth skin and the way I walked around without much fur at all. She'd probably squeal with delight if she ever met a dolphin... or an elephant, come to think, but an elephant's skin was roughter, right?
I almost tripped over a rock, thinking such stupid thoughts while I was walking. I pulled out my phone and unlocked it. It was becoming late afternoon. The sky was starting to change colors in warning of evening and night after that. I recalled that when Celestia got to work, evening became night rather quickly compared to the more leisurely affair that had been earth sunsets.
"We should find a safe place to camp," I announced, looking around a moment before I turned back to my phone. It had a map, right? I squinted at the glowing screen, trying to pick out a decent site as we went, but before I could find a spot from the satellite pictures that had come without a single actual satellite, Work raised a hoof.
"Over here." He stepped off the curve of the road and slid down a gentle slope to a little nook of flat land off of the road. There were faint signs that a fire had been set there some time ago. Perhaps others had used it as a pitstop. Perhaps it was even a popular resting point for those coming or going from Canterlot. Whatever the case, he had found it.
"Good job. Easy, can you get the wagon in there?"
"Already on it." She took a slow step down off the road and half-slid down, having to backpedal a bit wildly to stop herself and the wagon once they were at the bottom. "And... there," she said as if she had planned the entire thing.
Water trotted up alongside Easy and pulled the harness free with her magic. "You must be tired. Rest, I'll get dinner ready."
Easy stepped free of the harness, eyeing Water oddly. "Um, thanks? I mean, we're not cooking dinner, so there isn't much to 'get ready', right?"
Water shook her head with a little smile. "There are always ways to make things better. It is my job to lessen the burden that you have all accepted in the name of Equestria." She circled around to the back of the wagon. "You're all very brave. I'm sorry that I can only do so little, but I will do it."
Easy sank to her belly close to where the remains of a firepit were. "Should we get this going?" She pointed at the bits of charred wood. "Or are we trying to be subtle?"
We were in a sunken nook, partially out of sight. That was good. "If we gather the wood but wait until after dark to light it, it won't be easy to see, especially from downhill."
Work finished a long stretch even as he started trotting. "I'll fetch some wood, sir. We won't want for that."
Easy looked to me, some curiosity in her eyes. "You know how to light fires?"
That. That was a trick I was ready for. I dug out a lighter and made sure it looked to be in order. "I'll get the fire going once the time's right, no problem."
Easy cracked a smile from where she sprawled on the ground. "I had a feeling you had another trick, when you told me not to get a firestarter. Can't wait to see it work. Your people are good at magic." She rolled over onto her side. "Almost as good as a unicorn, almost."
"Your drinks are served." Water approached with a tray. She had several cups filled with liquid balanced on it instead of sharing a water bottle. She brought it to each of us, it floating beside her. I reached for a cup, but the tray swiveled, putting another cup in reach before I could grab the first I had set eyes on. "Each cup belongs to a specific pony," she explained as she trotted towards Easy. "Here you are."
Easy lifted her cup with her magic and took a sip with a satisfied sigh. "A little water goes a long way." She watched Water trot back around the wagon. "Why cups, though? We could share from the skin just fine."
Water shook her head. "We could, but having one's own cup is a small comfort, and allows you to drink as quickly, or slowly, as one wishes without feeling as if they were slowing others from reaching the water." She set the tray down, Work's cup still parked on it.
I couldn't argue the logic there. "I hadn't thought of that." I mean, there were hygenic reasons to want to avoid sharing the bottle around, but the social reasons hadn't even occurred to me. It was nice having my own cup, now that Water had made me think about it.
Water rummaged through the supplies quietly before I heard her make a pleased sound. "Mmm, here." She emerged from the back of the wagon and approached with that tray. There were no cups on it anymore, instead the food packets were spread out tastefully. "Here you are, prepared specifically for you."
How true could that be? I took one of the packets even as I wondered. It smelled different than the one we had for lunch. Unwrapping it and giving it a taste, I found it was a mix of several berries mashed together. Was that peanuts? Crushed and mixed in it, it was like a peanut butter and jelly concoction, with some sweet herb that brought out a secondary flavor that lingered on the tongue. It remained in a brick shape, hardened and mostly-dry. Ponies did treats well, I was quite certain, as I chewed on the dinner. "Anyone see Work?" I didn't want any of us being out of sight for too long.
Easy started to stand, but Water set a hoof on her back. "Allow me, miss. He needs his meal as well." Water trotted off, carrying her tray with two more food packets on it. One, I presumed, was for herself.
Once Water was gone, Easy looked to me. "She's trying, at least."
I hadn't doubted she would. "You don't like her, I assume?"
Easy wrinkled her snout. "She's a maid, she snooped through your stuff, and she's a maid. Did I mention she's hot to trot around you, mister big shot?"
"You are, or were, a performer, and you have also snooped through my things." I smiled at Easy gently. "We've all come from backgrounds that have nothing to do with what we're doing now."
"True..." She stood up and began to stretch. "True... Maybe I'm being too worked up about it. Look... This is a big deal, to me." She faced me directly. "This is my first real job, and I want to keep it. That means doing it right, which also means not letting anyone else mess it up for me, you know?"
I wanted to pet her just then. I wanted to hold her and stroke her until her worry was worked away. Gah, she was still a pet in my eyes, even if it was one I was pretty sure I cared about.
So what if I did? I mean, I wouldn't mind someone caring about me half as much. And that is when I realized I did have exactly that. In Water's eyes, I was just the same. I was an amazing thing she dearly wanted to hold close, keep safe, and adore. Every denigrating thought I had towards Easy, she had towards me. It was karma, coming back with extra speed.
I should either quit thinking of Easy that way, or accept Water, or just be a lousy hypocrite forever. "Easy, what do you think our odds are, honestly?"
"Mmm? Well, if we get off this mountain without accidents, we have a few days of hiking ahead of us before we reach anything that could be confused with a town. I'm not so worried about the towns, just the places between them." She came closer and sat down next to me. "If we try to run, whoever is pulling the wagon at the time is going to be the one that's caught, just to remind you. If you care about us, really care, then you won't run."
That put a razor edge on that thought. Running meant sentencing one of them to pain or worse. |
The Lightning Bringer | 17 - Dismount | That evening, after a full day's hike down the mountain, we were ready to sleep. My thoughts tumbled around, keeping me awake as I gazed at stars that were not what I had been raised with. I couldn't find the Big Dipper, or Orion's belt, or the North Star. A pony would know a bunch of their own heavenly placeholders, likely, but I wasn't one of those.
A warm presence settled down beside me. Water Lily nestled in, but didn't touch, beside being against me. I was quiet, and so was she. I could hear her breathing softly, just... there.
It was a test. I felt certain of that. I would either scold her and tell her to go away, and she would, and never dare approach again. Or... I could welcome her, and she would be happy. She didn't speak. I imagined she was terrified, waiting for me to shoo her away.
Ah, heck. We were both adults. I just had to make a decision. She knew what I was and was obviously alright with it. Frankly, the idea of hugging a pony was not a repugnant one. In some ways, she was a reflection of a good Equestria. She knew no violence, and would be horrified to be subjected to it. She was a speck of innocence in some ways.
I turned in a roll, facing her. She was facing away, her back against me. I reached in the dim light and put an arm around her, brushing through her soft fur. I drew her back, into my embrace and held her. I could feel her tense, her breath catch, but she didn't flee. It was, I realized, a test that ran both ways. If she had fled, I would have never again dared.
But she didn't flee, and neither did I. I held the mare gently and nuzzled into her strong neck. She murmured something, and it sounded happy. I hadn't meant to, but I fell asleep. Perhaps the day had taken more out of me than I had given credit for.
When I woke up, she was gone. I sat up and stretched even as I looked around. It was already quite bright. There wasn't much of a sunrise, just as there wasn't much of a sunset. Celestia grabbed the sun and yanked it right past those moments all too quickly. It was a little sad, to think ponies really didn't get to savor those moments.
Come to think... I looked over at Easy, who was pacing about the campsite. "The sun seems to move on its own most of the day, why does it need help during sunrise and sunset?"
She hiked a brow. "Is that really the first thing on your mind in the morning?" She tossed over a water skin with a flick of her neck. "Have a sip, and let's get moving. We have everything ready to go."
Work stepped under the harness and rose into it, accepting the burden of the wagon. "Would you like something to chew on as we go? You're the last to awaken."
They had already eaten? Such was life. I climbed to my feet quickly. "I can eat while we walk." It wasn't as if I was pulling the wagon. My descent was, relatively, easy. I spotted Water. She was fetching a packet for me and came at a smooth but rapid pace. "Thank you." I took it and didn't resist. I ran a hand over her head, tussling her mane a little on the path.
She smiled brightly and bowed. "As pleases you." And she trotted off with a bounce in her step.
We resumed our journey, pushing on down the mountain. We reached the snaking road and it became easier, but slower. The road was shallow, but long. Easy trotted up beside me. "So, you made up your mind? She any good?"
Did she just ask what I thought she asked? "We cuddled," I said as if that was some kind of ironclad defense and felt absurd for saying it almost instantly. "Anyway... yes, I did make up my mind."
"Good." She looked up at me as she went forward, a feat made easier with her wide and large pony eyes. "She came here for you, it's pretty obvious. You could do worse, as mares go."
Work softly chuffed as he pulled the wagon. "To think, some foreign, if well-mannered, stallion should have more luck than I. The fates are strange indeed."
Easy waved off the complaint. "You have plenty going on for you, you just need to stop being a vagrant, and you're starting that." She pointed up at me, somehow walking on three legs. That... shouldn't really work, but somehow they managed. "He's giving you a job. With that, you get bits. With that, you get security, then the mares will come knocking. You have the rest down fairly well."
"The rest?" he asked, his eyes wandering over the mountainside even as we traversed it. "Whatever do you mean, miss?"
Easy shook her head. "You have a good voice. You're strong enough. You're a literal noble, even if you're down on your luck at the moment. You've been nice, so far I've seen, polite. There's plenty there for a mare to like."
His cheeks darkened, but he didn't argue her. He just focused on pulling the wagon.
I felt a furry presence brush against a leg from behind. There was Water, walking alongside me. I felt something bump against a hand. She was offering a cup of water, held in her magic. I accepted it with a curl of fingers. "Water."
"Yes," she said, as if answering a question.
I realized she thought I was asking if it was Water, instead of speaking her name. "I meant you. Thank you." She had been quite brave the night before. Was it my turn to show some initiative? I decided it was. I reached with my free hand and brushed a few fingers gently along her expressive ears, making them dance at the ticklish dance. "Do you know..." Of course she didn't.
She was a maid. Why would she have any real technical knowledge? Still... It wasn't impossible. Maybe she had hobbies? "Sorry, do you have any hobbies?"
Water laughed gently, and airy sound. "What a thoughtful stallion you are, already eager to learn more about me." She bumped against me lightly. "I like that. When I am not serving, I fancy myself a bit of a botanist, sir. I like learning about different flowers and herbs and what they are used for and how they live."
That wasn't a useless skill, I quickly decided. She could have had a doll collection, or enjoyed opera shows, neither of which would be helpful on our little journey. "That's great, actually. Do you know any plant that can help with soreness?"
"Several," She replied with a smile. "I've collected some as we walked, sir. I'm ready to treat anyone who feels ill." She nodded softly. "I like the way they look, sir, but it's also useful. When someone says they have an upset stomach or they can't get to sleep, I can fetch them a cure from the garden and ease their pain."
Easy suddenly laughed. "Look at that. I was wrong about you, Water Lily, that sounds useful."
Water's happy expression was clouded by the briefest frown. "I endeavor to be useful, ma'am..." She veered off to be closer to Easy, navigating the few rocks that could get under hoof along the way. "I know you do not entirely trust me, ma'am, but I have already sworn to do right. I will do my utmost to keep you all comfortable and safe."
Easy hiked a brow at her fellow mare. "Comfortable I can see, but safe?" She shook her head and closed her eyes for a few steps. "An adept massage or a fetched glass of water is not going to turn bandits or monsters away."
Water's magic brought over a dallop of something and tapped it against Easy's nose. "So you say."
Easy stopped dead in her tracks and hoofed at her nose. "Ack, what is it?!"
"It will keep mosquitos and other pests at bay." Water nodded confidently. "They are small monsters, but I will turn them away."
Easy hopped back to her hooves and hurried to catch up. "Warn a mare before you go tapping her nose with something. It stinks!"
Water shook her head. "It's a quite pleasing floral scent."
"Yeah, sure, until it's practically shoved into your nose." Easy quirked a half-smile. "Just warn me before you do that next time, all I ask."
The dollop hovered over towards me, cradled in Water's magic. I put out a hand. "Put it here, and I'll spread it myself. Thank you." She obediently set some down on my waiting palm for me to apply at my own speed.
Work didn't object when Water applied it to him last. "Thank you, miss. I think they know which of us will flee the least quickly."
I shouldn't have thought that. Water was the last one, dealing with herself only after everyone else was taken care of. "The scent is quite nice, but not to most insects. They will not land on the plant it comes from. That is how I found it. It protects itself from their hunger, and protects us just the same."
Easy shook her head a little. "If only there was one that manticores didn't like the scent of." She moved to the edge of the shallow road, her hooves crunching against the loose rocks. "It feels like we'll be winding on this road forever."
Work approached her, standing on the edge of the road. "We could risk going the short way, miss? If we can keep the wagon under control, it would be significantly faster."
I came up on the wagon from behind and dared giving one of the corners a pull upwards, testing its weight. It was pretty heavy, but glowing unicorn magic grabbed it on the far end, pulling with me. It lifted just barely. Work's horn glowed even as he squirmed free of the harness and he picked up a corner.
It began listing to the side. Easy waved at Water. "Grab the last corner!"
"O-oh!" Her horn lit up and she grabbed the last corner. "I didn't realize. Sorry..." She looked ashamed of her lack of foresight. "This is not too bad, with all of us."
It wasn't. It wasn't light, but it wasn't too heavy either. "Let's try shortcutting." Going downhill, I felt we could do it. This would not work coming back.
We left the road, half-sliding down the rough mountain side. We hit the next snaking of the road quickly though. If the wagon had been rolling, it would have been dangerous, but we could keep our footing if we proceeded carefully, and we kept the wagon up off the ground along the way. The base of the mountain suddenly didn't feel nearly as far away.
I cheered. It was a silly thing. We hadn't overcome any huge obstacle, but still, I felt triumph. "We can do this. Let's cut a few days off our trip." They all nodded, and we hurried forward, buoyed by our moment of cleverness.
By the time the sun was threatening to sink again, we had passed the winding road. The mountain has become foothills. We had officially dismounted the resting place of Canterlot. We were approaching a thick forest. There was a lone half-road that cut through it, where other brave souls had traveled. Of course, in other directions, there was no forest, but those were not directions that lined up with where we wanted to go.
We set up camp there within sight of the forest. Easy shook her head quickly. "We need to set watches. We're officially in danger now." She raised a hoof. "I volunteer for first watch."
I raised a hand. "I'll take third. I can get my phone to wake me up at the right time."
Easy tilted her head. "If it can do that, why not have it do it for all the watches?"
That wasn't an awful idea. "I'll do that."
Work nodded. "I'll take middle watch. Sleeping in naps is something I've learned to do." |
The Lightning Bringer | 18 - Forest Deep and Trail Dark | During the night, I woke with a start. Had some monster come to devour us?! Was a raiding party descending on our camp to take everything not bolted to the floor?
No, it was Water Lily, snuggled up tight against me. She hadn't been there before, and she was making unhappy little noises. She was also awake, I was fairly sure. "Water?" I called gently to her, almost a whisper. "What's wrong?"
Work sat up, ear turning towards us. "It's almost your watch, sir. Perhaps providence. Is it alright if I retire?"
He didn't say it, but I felt certain from his voice that he was tired. "Go ahead, I'm up now." I sat up, keeping Water from falling free until I ended up with her head in my lap, her eyes still squeezed shut. "Water, was... it a bad dream?"
"Mmhmm." She cracked open one large eye to look at me. "You're too kind, sir. I just had a little scare and... we... we are a pair, if only barely. I felt safer beside you."
I brushed her warm cheek, feeling the fuzz of her pelt brush back with equal force against the tips of my fingers. "You're fine." I wasn't mad at her snuggling up. "What was the dream about?"
"O-oh, nothing." Her eyes looked away. Ponies were awful liars.
"Clearly something." I scratched gently just beneath her chin. "Pairs share their problems, so go ahead. I won't laugh at your dream, even if it ends up being silly. Dreams are like that."
I heard Work settling down, curling up in his own little ball to get a nap before morning. Water rolled up to sitting on her haunches, looking at me quietly a moment, just the sounds of crickets to keep us company as we watched each other. "We were lost in some dark woods... Easy and Work were gone. We were... running, from something. No matter how fast we ran, it was just behind us."
Her ears spread out in either direction. "You tripped, sir. It rushed to get you, and... I woke up."
"Let's..." I didn't like how that dream ended. "Let's just call that the worst case. We won't go down that path, I'm certain."
"How?" Her eyes sparkled, hoping for reassurance, I surmised.
"Easy." I reached for her, petting gently along her powerful neck. "We won't run. Running means a pony's getting caught. Whoever's at the wagon is being asked to sacrifice themselves for a chance for the rest of us. Even if that ended well, we'd be down a person, and our supplies. I don't want to give up any of you."
Water quirked a little smile. "You barely know us, sir."
"I know enough." I stood up and peered out into the darkness towards the forest that managed to be even darker still. The area we were in was lit by the moon up above, but the canopy of the forest ahead denied that fragile light access, keeping it in the purest of darknesses. "None of you deserve that. We'll make it together, or not at all."
Water swallowed roughly. "Or... not at all." I had failed to comfort her. She glanced towards the others, sleeping as they were. "Sir? If... something should happen, I would like to face it... without regrets."
That had turned more morbid than I had planned. "What are you regretting?" Maybe it was something silly that we could fix.
Her magic wrapped around my hand as she rose up and trotted away from the camp, pulling me along with her. "It is something you can handle well, m'lord."
As it turned out, I was a terrible guard. On the positive, nothing ambushed us, and I grew closer to Water.
As the morning sun began to shine down on us, skipping sunrise abruptly thanks to Celestia's unseen influence, Water trotted around the campsite with a content smile and a bounce in her step. She woke up Easy with a gentle hoof nudge. "Wake up, sleepy head," She said in a happy bidding. "We have a forest to get through."
Easy grunted as she shook out. "What's got you so happy?" She half-yawned, rising to her hooves. Her eyes darted to me and I looked away from her. Maybe I wasn't that much better than the ponies at hiding some feelings.
Easy burst into laughter. "Bagged him, huh? Was he any good?"
Water lit up fiercely and scampered away towards the wagon. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she defended as she went, fooling not a person present.
Easy snickered even as she ran a brush over her mane, taming some of the mess that had come of it from our journey so far. "Good job, boss. Let's see if we can get through this forest in one day. I'd rather not camp out in it."
Prompted, I dug out my phone and quickly had the map up. I ballparked how far we had come, and looked at how large the forest was. "If we can keep going as fast as we have been, it'll take us..." There was no specific tool on the phone to measure arbitrary distances across the map. That would have been too easy. "Probably two or three days?"
Work snorted softly. "This forest didn't look small, sir. Let's have breakfast and get moving."
So we did just that, swapping rations and a water skin. It was time to move. Easy moved to take her turn at the wagon, but Water got in the way. "Allow me," insisted the maid. "We should all take a turn."
Easy's eyes half-lidded with a knowing smirk on her face. "Was he that good?"
Water scrambled into the yoke and got the wagon moving rather than answer that question.
I flicked one of Easy's ears. "Don't tease her."
"Oh, fine, boss. I'll just tease you instead." She thumped against me as we began to hike. "So... Were you face to face with her?"
Oh, by all the gods above and maybe a few below... "We should focus on not being eaten."
Work nodded. "A far more pressing concern than our relations." He coughed softly, moving to walk alongside Water. "I wish you the best, ma'am." He moved away from the blushing maid, giving her space.
Easy hastened to be beside Work. "You can't say you aren't curious."
"I can and will, ma'am. 'Tis inappropriate for any stallion, or mare, to ponder such, all the more so when it brings discomfort." He swiveled an ear towards her. "They will speak what they are comfortable with speaking. We should not press for more than that. What are we, savages?"
Easy sagged a little. "Brutal... I was just having a little fun. Walking isn't that... interesting. The first little 'something' happens, and you want me to just pretend I didn't notice." She looked back at me. "You're not mad, are you?"
It is hard to be angry at a pony for too long, especially with her looking at me with piteous eyes, hoping she hadn't offended me with her nettling. "I'm sure everything went, you know, fine, boss..." She kicked a small rock on the path as we pushed into the forest proper. The calls of birds seemed to pick up from the branches as if they were making note of our entry into their domain.
We let that topic fall off and hiked in relative quiet, watching mossy trees pass by on either side of the narrow trail. Narrow or not, it had seen other wagons and travelers. It was a real trail, which meant our own wagon moved reasonably well. It was mostly flat too, which I counted as a blessing.
Water suddenly hastened, racing to be beside the other two. "Stop!" They did, going still as statues as she pointed up ahead. "A patch of poison joke is infesting the road."
The bright blue flowers were spreading across the tiny trail, from one massive bed of them on the right to another growing patch on the left. I knew what poison joke could do, in theory. What they'd do, in practice, one couldn't know without trying it, and we didn't have Zecora around to fix it, not that she'd be born for hundreds of years. I waved at the mess of dangerous blossoms. "Can we get rid of them? There's only one trail."
Water wriggled free of the wagon harness and circled around to the back. "I think I have something..."
Work sat down slowly. "Do you mind if I inquire as to the nature of this hazzard? I've never heard of 'poison joke'. What's the humor to be found in any poison?"
Easy rolled a hoof. "Maybe it's a joke because you think it's a pretty flower and bam, you end up with a rash everywhere the next day. Ha ha, funny?"
Work raised a brow at Easy. "That hardly seems humorous, ma'am."
Water smiled as her magic pulled a small wooden box from inside the wagon. "Here we are." She popped the box open along a small hinge and lowered it to where she could peer inside. "Oh, don't try to pick them. It takes a very careful hoof to pluck them without getting their powder on you, and that's what causes the problem."
Easy hiked a brow as her magic glowed around one far away from herself. "How powdery can they..." She yanked the flower free and almost invisible, but not entirely, spores spread out in a cloud all around the flower, spreading out in fine tendrils of promised corruption. "Nevermind!" She dropped the flower to thump against the other flowers, sending up smaller clouds.
Water shook her head as she pulled out a small bottle. "We have to cover ourselves with this. It'll protect us from the spores."
I believed in good luck, but... "You had anti-poison joke, just in case?"
Water blinked at me. "It's effective against the spores of many toxic plants, including poison joke." She suddenly smiled. "You sound like you know what poison joke is, sir. You've read about them?"
She popped the cork out of the bottle and approached Easy. "Sit still, please." She began spreading the thin goop all over Easy. All over. Easy squirmed, but allowed herself to be thoroughly coated, as did Work. When Water came trotting up to me, I was not... as eager.
I put out my hand. "I can take care of myself, promise."
She looked a little upset. Had she been looking forward to that? Well, too bad on that one. I took the bottle and got to spreading it over my face and hands and arms and anywhere else that would be exposed to air before giving it back to her.
Water looked at me uneasily a moment before she took care of herself, spreading the goop across the entirety of her form with sweeps of her magic. "We can continue." She was hastily back under the harness and pulling the wagon ahead. "Try not to breathe while you're in the middle of it."
Mutagenic spores? What else would anyone want in their lungs? I took a deep breath, held my nose shut, and plunged ahead. I heard the others pick up to race with me, rushing right through the dangerous patch on through to the other side. The cloud was thick from our, and our wagon's passage, but we didn't sprout any new limbs, and soon emerged on the other end, intact for our troubles.
I moved away from the bed and shook away what bits seemed to want to cling to me. Only once we were about fourty feet down the trail did I finally let my breathe go with a mighty woosh, resuming my gasps for air. "Everyone alright?"
"I'm fine, sir," assured Water.
"No sweat." Easy gave a hooves-up.
"I'm not certain how toxic those things were, sir, but better safe than sorry." Work nodded as he pointed up ahead. "I think I see a clearing beside the trail up ahead. Perhaps it is a campsite ponies use along this trail?"
At least we had somewhere to enjoy lunch. |
The Lightning Bringer | 19 - Teeth that Gnash | The rest of the first day in the forest was poison joke free. It was growing darker, not just with the passage of the day, but also the density of the canopy overhead. We were fully in the hold of the forest.
Work had taken over the wagon after lunch, and I moved to walk alongside him. "Work, do you know what this forest is like by chance?"
He cleared his throat softly. "I am, primarily, a Canterlot pony, but I have heard a few things. This is a wild place, infested with terrible beasts. Ponies proceed in great numbers, which scares many of them away and allows for safe passage."
I glanced around at my 'adventuring party' as it was. "Do we qualify as a 'great number'?" The trail didn't seem large enough to accomodate too many more people at once, though they could stretch backwards if they needed.
Easy shook her head. "I saw the caravans, they were usually bigger."
That wasn't comforting, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other. What was the other option, run back, through the poison joke, and abort the mission? Even if I tried that, it would be dark long before I made it back out. I'd just face the danger tired. "Any of you know any defensive or offensive spells?"
"I can't say I do," easily admitted Work Pants.
Water shook her head quickly. "I know a few spells for cleaning and tidying, sir. That is why we're not walking along with our fur coated in anti-spore cream."
I still had that stuff on my face and arms. I had managed to not even notice that they didn't have the gunk on them. "And you didn't use it on me?"
Easy snickered softly. "You didn't let her put it on, so she probably assumed. Anyhey, I know a few spells." She raised a hoof, her horn glowing and the hoof crackling with fits of electricity. "They're meant to entertain, but if you use them right, or wrong depending on how you look at it, it's better than nothing."
Water's horn glowed with far less electricity involved. She was whisking away the gunk. I could feel the magic peeling it away like a perfect scraper, leaving my skin clear. She worked over my face, then my arms, tossing the spent gunk aside with her magic as her eyes focused on me.
Then the magic went under my shirt, and I could guess where they'd go after that. "That's enough, thank you. You got it all."
Water's jaw set. "You didn't put any anywhere else, sir?"
"Just the exposed parts," I quickly replied, holding up my hands.
Water shook her head, looking worried, but she turned back down the trail and resumed the hike.
Her worry made me worried. "I wear a lot more clothes than the average pony."
She swiveled an ear back at me, trotting along as she was. "That is true, sir, but is it enough to keep spores away? It is not complete coverage... sir, but..."
Easy snorted softly. "So, what does poison joke do? Are we talking rash, feel terrible, or..." She glanced over at me. "Am I going to have to look for a new boss?"
Water shook her head quickly. "It's not lethal!" she squeaked out, face darkening. "Just... I'll keep an eye on you, sir."
Poison joke didn't kill, no, so far I knew. Well, crud, that hadn't been very smart of me. There wasn't anything to do about it though, so we all just pushed onwards, trying to get as much distance as we could. The canopy overhead was getting complete. It was dark, but my phone reported that it wasn't actually night yet. It didn't matter. We couldn't see the sun anymore. The phone doubled a a flashlight, giving some blessed light to press on through.
A piercing howl had us all jump. It sounded like a wolf, and too close for comfort. Was there a distance at which a wolf's howl was alright to hear? Through a computer, I supposed. A second echoed as if replying to the first, making it clear that there was more than one of the things.
This wasn't the Everfree, did it have all of the same hazzards? Of course, this was a wild Equestria, maybe all of the forests used to be that dangerous until they managed to tame most of them save for the one that literally had Discord's seeds keeping it wild and dangerous.
Water shied over to my side. "I suddenly don't feel as tired, sir. We should keep going."
Work swiveled an ear towards us. "While I agree on the urgency of leaving this forest, it's too wide to try to cross without sleeping at least once."
Easy's horn began to glow all the brighter, shedding light even greater than my phone could manage. "Part of me is hoping they show up so we can just take care of them now instead of worrying about them."
As if in reply, the trees to the left of us groaned as they were shoved aside to allow the presence of a great canine figure to surge through them. It was easy to think little of them, there on the screen, with ponies protected with obvious plot immunity.
That timber wolf was big enough to look me in the eyes, and it did, growling deep in its wooden throat as it stalked forward.
I was holding my sword. I don't remember when exactly I had drawn it. It certainly wasn't practice that let me get it out that quickly. I blame pure terror. I grasped it two-handedly, its hilt cool against my suddenly fevered flesh.
I was in a tunnel vision. I had no idea what the others were doing, just me and that massive creature, my heart pounding wildly in my ears.
Water's squeal broke the spell. A second wolf had burst free beside her and was already snapping at her, going for the weakest member of the party. Easy spun around in place and lashed out her hooves, electricity rushing up her legs before impact, bright flashes and sparkles cascading out from her hooves into the tough wood of the beast.
The sound of wood thudding against the ground brought my attention back to my original enemy. The wolf was charging for me. I did what I hoped would help, I swung the sword. It bit into its tough side, sinking in a precious inch. The thing howled in what sounded more like fury than pain, unstopped in its charge.
It crashed against me, its wooden stacks of teeth sinking into my shoulder. Let me note that I had not fought for my life before. The biggest thing I'd been bitten by was a cat, and it wasn't even really angry. That moment was different, very different.
I wasn't thinking about it. Adrenaline and fear had become a heady mixture, thoroughly distracting me from pain. The arm that was pinned against me, pressed between the wolf and myself, thrashed. I grabbed whatever sticks I could feel and wrenched them free even as I brought my free fist in, punching wildly. I wasn't holding the sword anymore. I had dropped it, likely when the thing barreled into me.
I heard... something. It sounded familiar, but the sounds of the wolf and my own efforts were all I could focus on. The wolf was suddenly forced off of me. Work had crashed into the thing's side, knocking it clear of me.
The wolf turned on its new target, baring its wooden teeth that dripped with blood, my blood. I grabbed the dropped sword even as the wolf lunged for Work. My shoulder screamed in agony with every motion, but it was a distant scream, easily ignored in the battle haze.
Work was doing the best he could, kicking out at the hungry animal, but that only bought him a precious moment before a great swipe of wooden claws sent him crashing against a tree with a pained wheeze. The wolf seemed triumphant, following him and maybe ready to grab him and run.
I knew only fury and desperation. I didn't want to lose anyone. I held the sword as tightly as I could and charged forward at the back of the wolf. I didn't trust myself with even trying to swing it at the thing. Its hide was too tough and I was too inexperienced. I needed a strong hit, a deep hit. I ran with the sword straight out.
Time seemed slow, as if I was running through molasses despite the strain I could feel with every stomp on the ground. I was bursting into a dead sprint as if my life depended on it. It did, I realized after the fact. Time suddenly resumed as if making up for lost time. I slammed into the back of the wolf, the hilt of the sword punching me in the gut in a nauseating jab of pain.
However uncomfortable it had been for me, the tip of the sword sank true and deep into the thing's back. The wolf writhed at the end of it before falling to pieces, allowing me and the sword to crash to the ground amongst the collection of twigs and branches.
"Show's on!" called Easy as she spread her hooves out, flames erupting between them into the side of the howling and squirming second wolf. I would have laughed, had I the strength or awareness. She was schooling the second wolf as if she were born to the task.
All I knew was that my moment of immunity had passed. My shoulder hurt. My stomach hurt. I hurt. I needed... a moment. Just a moment.
It all went dark as I slipped from that cruel reality into a more comforting place.
I was laying down, my head resting in the lap of someone, a woman. Her hand was gently brushing my hair as she smiled down at me with both love and care. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.
"I am." The fight was forgotten. All I needed was that woman.
She leaned in, bending over me for a kiss, but as she drew closer, I realized something was awry. Women did not have big equine ears jutting from the top of their head. Women did not have such big nostrils. She pressed her pony snout to my lips, somehow we were face to face in the logic of dreams.
Her arms were around me and mine were coiled about her in a shared embrace. I could feel her tail twitch against my fingers, reminding me that the creature that I was with was no woman, not a human one anyway. I didn't care, in that way that dreams worked. I ran a hand down her back towards her bottom and that tail brushed all the more easily against me.
I fell over backwards. I wasn't sure what made me do that, but also didn't question it. Dreams rarely had to follow that sort of logic. She fell on top of me, her hooves landing on either side of my head. She was a pony, a specific pony. Water smiled down at me radiantly. "I love you," she whispered.
I grabbed her at the sides, and we began to physically show our love. I was certain, before, I had been wearing clothes, and then I wasn't. Dreams don't have to explain these things.
Her noises were music to my ears, and my own tried to rise to match her, to announce to the world that we were together. She was perfect, and I was a match for her. Even her insides seemed to match my outsides. How did that work, if we weren't even the same species? I didn't question it too hard. Dreams didn't leave much room for those kinds of thoughts. I was her stallion, and she quite willingly was my mare.
Water splashed against my face and I started awake. I had a harsher, but truer, world to face. |
The Lightning Bringer | 20 - The Scars We Bear | I heard things before seeing anything. Opening my eyes just felt like too much work at that instant. Perhaps I was curious a little as well.
Easy was snickering, I knew her voice. "He thought he knew better than you, and he paid the price for it. Got off lucky if you ask me."
I heard a soft thump and a muttered unkindness from Easy. Work's voice rose with a bit of anger, "he saved me. There can be no question in it. I... owe him respect if nothing else. These injuries." There was a pause, but I couldn't see what he was doing. "He suffered them fighting for us."
Gentle hooves touched on my front. That was the precise moment my brain registered that I was not wearing clothes. That isn't to say that I was exposed to the elements. I could feel a blanket under and over me, but nothing else besides that. The touch had made me think about it, and thus aware. "I wonder how upset he will be... At least he seems healthy despite it," spoke a worried Water, voice filled with a fretting hope.
Easy broke into a second round of laughter. "You should be over the moon itself. Now he can, you know, do things." I couldn't see her, but I could feel her eyebrows waggling suggestively.
I tried to respond, but it came as a groan. I sat up, the blanket flowing from my body, pooling in my lap as I did so. That hadn't hurt nearly as much as I feared it might. I could feel Easy's magic press against me, supporting me. "It's alright," I insisted. "It doesn't hurt."
Flashes of the battle played in my mind. "But it really should... Why doesn't it?"
Water sat down beside me. "You were... perhaps blessed, sir? Your choices from before came back... They saved you much pain, but... Please don't be too upset."
Was I a pony? Was that what it had done? I didn't feel like a pony. I had sat up like a human. A glance revealed very human hands, and a lack of fur on my arms and my chest, while hairy, didn't qualify as pony furred. Did I have a snout? I had to assume not for the instant. I figured I would see a great big muzzle between my eyes if I had one of those.
I tried to wriggle my toes, but they refused entirely to obey me, as if they had fallen asleep, dead to the world.
I must have made quite the face. Water was suddenly coiling around me, her arms wrapped around, her soft hooves pressing. "Please don't be alarmed, sir..."
Work stood up from the fire, turning towards me. "I owe you a measure of thanks, for fighting." He raised a hoof to pat at some bandages that covered his side. "These could have been much worse, I dare say, if you had fled, or froze. Thank you for standing with us."
Easy nodded softly. "I don't suppose you saw me?" She grinned brightly. "I burnt one to a crisp, and took care of the other one you'd knocked over so it didn't get back up and go for a second round. I never really thought about using magic like that. Turns out, I'm a mare of many talents."
Those were all fine words, but they certainly were distracting from what I wanted to know. What had the poison joke decided would be the ideal joke to play on me? I reached for the blanket to toss it aside, but Water's magic wrapped around my hands, pulling them back. I could feel her shivering against me. "Water, your nervousness is only making this worse. Let's just look and get it over with." I mean, there were fixes for it, right? The Mane 6 didn't stay in their joke forms for longer than an episode.
Water drew back, breathing a little heavily, but seeming to be trying to comport herself. "Very well then. If... I don't know what to say, except that none of us here see you as anything but the same person that we wish to accompany."
Off went the blanket, tossed aside. There it was... My legs were pony legs, covered in hair that matched the hair on my head. Soft and thick, it didn't look like I had just gone without shaving. I had pony legs. They terminated in the same hooves that the others always had.
That thick fur poked up a little beyond the belt line, but tapered off into the smoother human flesh beyond it. I thrust a hand under myself as I leaned to the side. I had a tail. It was a thick tail that twitched when I felt it. I could feel me touching it even as I felt it. The sensations from an entirely new limb was more disorienting than I would have given credit for. My brain struggled to map it. I had live with a nice human structure for years, so pardon me for being used to it. It was, I think, a literally biological thing.
My various synapses didn't have this in the plans. Like shoving a new part in a computer, it had to pause and search for drivers, decide how to address the new part, establish communication, and a host of other steps before it dared to actually start using it. Thinking of it like that calmed me a little. I just had to finish booting up my... tail... and it would be alright.
A soft brush pressed against the new tail and began running down along it in slow strokes. "Your tail is well structured, sir." Was Water trying to be supportive?
I wasn't sure how to take that, at all. I was still searching for drivers. I could feel the tail. I could feel it being brushed. The sensation scoured across my brain in odd ways. At first I could just feel the contact, but the resolution seemed to sharpen over time. The tail was coming online, being accepted by my stunned brain.
The connection deepened. Having my tail brushed by someone else was... nice?
Easy suddenly snorted, covering her mouth with both hooves as if trying really hard not to laugh.
Work softly coughed, turning away. "Madame, your attention is... having an effect."
As if the tail and the lack of toes wasn't enough, there rose another hint of the perversion visited on me. Between my powerful thighs was an inhuman projection growing into the flickering light of the campfire. That was not what any human man should have, even if some of them might have daydreamed of it. I had not grown, really. It made me wonder if ponies were fairly equivalent already, though I doubted Work would let me compare. The shape and layout of it had changed.
And that's enough of staring at my... equinity? It wasn't my manliness anymore... I grabbed the blanket and pulled it right back over my shame. "Where are my clothes?" This is exactly what clothes were for! Not having one's parts dangling out was a fine part of being clothed.
Easy was still failing at not snickering as she floated over my clothes. They were slightly stained from the fight, but a lot less than I would have guessed. "You haven't even noticed," she said in a teasing sing-song. "And nobody else here is daring to say it, so it's up to me." She dropped my clothes right on my head.
Which squished something down. I could feel another part coming online slowly. There was only one bodypart that could be up there. "I have pony ears," I sighed out defeatedly. "I'm a damn satyr."
Work dared to peek, then turned as he saw a blanket was covering the objectionable bits. "I can't say I know what that is, sir, but you haven't changed." Oh, the look I gave him. "That isn't to say you haven't changed at all, sir," he hastily added. "I just meant that you are Ian Langerman, leader of this expedition, and that remains true."
Easy hopped up to her hooves. "You're still my boss, boss."
Water began dressing me with her magic. "I am still charged with your comfort and well-being... I apologize for my failure. This was my fault. I should ha--"
"--No," I cut her off, standing up and wobbling in place. Hooves were not human feet. The balance was different and I struggled to regain it, but they were my hooves. "You wanted to protect me. I was the one that was squeamish about it, so this is my fault. Did we make any progress while I was out, or did we camp here?" I turned my thoughts towards the mission. That seemed like a much easier thing to worry about.
Work pointed at the cart. "You rode in it, Sir. We may leave the forest today if we press hard."
"Then let's get going." I was dressed, through basically no fault of my own. My tail gave a soft twitch as I took my first step as if to aid in my injured balance. How did it do that? I reached back there to feel that Water had put a hole in my pants to fit the tail. It seemed tailored, sewn neatly to admit the tail without being a ragged tear in the fabric. "You have many talents."
Water beamed, clearly recognizing that I had noticed her work. "I thought it prudent, sir. I doubted you would cease wearing clothes, even if there's less need for it."
Work was kicking dirt over the fire, snuffing it. "Easy Breeze, get him something to eat. I think he's ready to start moving."
I was. I really was. I took the food that was given to me, but barely paid it mind. I chewed on it absently as I walked, trying to get mastery of walking back. My legs moved in, mostly, the same way. The balance of my hooves at the end is where things were altered. Instead of projecting forward, they were a rounder foot placed directly beneath. "So, how expensive are poison joke cures?"
Water blinked at me with wide eyes. "What do you speak of, sir? They have a cure for this ailment?"
Oh, right. Zecora was not here, nor would be for centuries... Well... "We'll figure something out." I was supposed to be a clever human. If I couldn't figure out something, I deserved to be equipped with a horse's ass. On the bright side... "You all look fine. Water Lily's cream must have worked."
Easy bumped into me from the side. Interestingly, my hooves were fairly good at simply not moving if I didn't want to move. "If you had just let your marefriend finish greasing you up everywhere, we could have avoided this, but it worked out." She pointed up at where my shoulder had been bitten by the wolf by uncomfortably massive stakes. "Your changing fixed most of the damage. By the way, nice work with that sword. Not, you know, subtle or anything, but you got the job done."
Work shook his head as he worked under the harness of the wagon and got it moving. "That is the important matter, in the end. We prevailed, and there were no... losses." He swiveled an ear towards me. "At least, in this case, I understand the thrust of their humor, sir."
"They decided to hurry it along." I stepped up on a log and hopped down, testing my hooves and getting a better grasp of how they worked with the rest of my body attached. "I said this was my home, and Equestria is a land of ponies."
Water sighed softly. "I will mourn your loss with you, Sir..." She glanced away a moment. "Your smooth legs, so silky and..." She huffed softly, clearly upset at their loss. "At least... you still have your hands, those... long and sensitive digits..."
Easy snorted explosively. "Damn, mare! Save it for after the sun goes down."
With a raging blush, Water trotted along beside me. |
The Lightning Bringer | 21 - Across the Country | The gloom of the forest began to lift. With every passing minute, the sun could reach us just a little better. I'd like to say there was this moment of blinding light, but it was too gradual for that. In defiance of cartoon logic, we started to travel through less and less thick canopies until spots of light dotted the shade, then bits of shade interrupted the light.
At last, we emerged from out of the last tree, revealing rolling hilly countryside. We had survived the forest, and I could feel tension fleeing from all of us. Easy suddenly looked over her shoulder from the front. "Ta da! And we were worried."
Work nodded softly. "I admit I still am, madame. We have to go back eventually, but I am glad we've made it this far."
Water's magic gave my pants a little tug. "Are you alright, Sir?"
Though tempted to brush her off, I quickly realized it was a perfectly valid question. How were pony legs treating me? "I'm not falling over with every step. Thankfully, I don't think being graceless was part of the joke they were playing. They just wanted me to 'go native' a lot deeper than I already had."
Water's head tilted slightly. "Go native, Sir?"
Work coughed into a hoof. "It's a street term, miss Lily. What they call it when a pony finds a fancy while visiting another land, usually causing them to not return." He pulled the cart ahead despite the conversation, keeping the caravan moving. "When such a pony is met again, they typically dress as the others do, speak as they do, and otherwise do their best to fit into their new culture."
Easy twitched an ear back towards me. "You were doing that before Water came along. I think anyone with a grain of sense does that. No point being the odd one out. When in Canterlot, do as the Canterlots do." She nodded to herself, clearly satisfied with her logic.
I ran my fingers through Water's smooth mane as we hiked. It occured to me that she might like that because my fingers were 'decadently' furless. Good thing I hadn't lost them, for a multitude of reasons. I moved the hand away to pull out my phone and check out the map. We had emerged from the forest... there. Our target was there. That I knew, I had left a pin on the spot.
"We're going a lot faster across these hills instead of down a mountain side or through a forest. It shouldn't take long to get there." I pointed ahead. "Let's save a country."
I remained the most enthusiastic on that front, their cheers sounding more because they felt they needed to, for my sake. Still, they were with me, and I decided to be grateful for that.
We hiked across the Equestrian countryside and the thing that hit me the most was the simple lack of ponies. These were lands that were simply not being used. The only sign of activity was a town we could see in the distance on the second day. The houses were close together as if huddled for protection, and that was it. Equestria was more empty than not.
It took four days in total from emerging from the forest, but bandits didn't visit us, nor did new monsters ambush us, so I won't bore you with the little details. Whatever Water had said, she seemed to be alright with my, er, changes, so long as snuggling occurred afterwards, and I'll leave that at that.
One thing, and this may sound like a distraction, but I realized one huge difference between a pony and a person. Ponies have nothing going on where a human has a butt. I thought that wouldn't matter much, but I was wrong. A quick check of the files reported a good portion of why walking felt so odd, since I was walking using all leg muscles instead of the assist that my rump once provided. It also made sitting less cushy, which is a thing I never thought of until I didn't have it.
What I didn't expect was our actions to inspire the others. Though they had done their best to be discrete, it wasn't hard to notice things changing between Work and Easy. She barbed him a lot less often and mellowed out a little in general. Turns out they both needed a little companionship.
As the sun slowly moved overhead, our target came into view. It was a town, larger than that tiny farming village we had seen on the second day. We could see signs of life, ponies moving about and getting things done, though we couldn't make out much of the details from the distance. Still, it was encouraging.
What we could see could also see us. I dare say we were easier to see, being a few walking people coming down the hill towards them with a wagon attached, rather than any single pony in the middle of the town. Our presence was noticed quickly and a small group of ponies approached, long spears attached to their sides and little frowns on their faces, ruining some of their innate pony cuteness.
"Don't mention the princess, or any else from the castle," I hurriedly reminded as I stepped towards the front of our group. "We're here on our own, not for anyone."
We drew to a stop to let them approach without showing signs of aggression. They spread out, spears pointed at us from different directions as they created a semi-circle. One at the front, an earth pony mare with bright green eyes, pointed a hoof at us. "Don't recognize any of you." She pointed at me in specific. "Don't recognize even what you are, minotaur?"
I held up my hands, palms showing, nothing in or on them. "We're just travellers, curious about the stories spreading--"
She took a big step forward. "What stories?"
Easy waved a hoof grandly. "There's supposed to be a mare that has some answers." She scrunched her face. "You know, the kind those jerks aren't giving. Is this how you greet all your newcomers?"
The spears lowered a little. Easy had, apparently, given a satisfying answer. The leader of them nodded. "There might be such a mare, or there might not. If the false princess and her cronies had their way, there wouldn't be a mare at all." She turned back to the town. "You still haven't said what you are."
Work stepped forward, pulling the wagon with him. "He's a little sensitive, ma'am. Poison joke."
"That old mare's tale?" She looked over her shoulder at me. "Well, hard to argue with the results... Sorry for your loss."
I hadn't even considered that, but being someone who was poison joked was a lot easier to explain than casually noting I was some strange alien creature that came in peace, so please take me to your leader. That was when I realized I was living up that cliche and snorted back, trying to hold in the laugh. Fortunately, people were starting to move for the town.
"As you can see, we're doing the best we can. At least no one is going hungry here, she won't tolerate it." The leader spoke without looking at us, leading the way at a steady trot. "Did you bring any supplies in that wagon of yours?"
I waved at it, not that she could see it. "Just enough for traveling here and maybe back."
She glanced over her shoulder. "Back? Not sure if you'll like what you find?" She raised a hoof. "Take it."
That was all she had to say. Ponies moved in, pointing spears at Work until he unhitched himself and stepped away from them, allowing one of them to take up the control of the wagon, which was their wagon now, apparently. Lovely...
"That's not... very polite," I noted, even as it sounded lame in my own ears.
"Are you considering using that sword of yours? Don't." The leader didn't slow in her march. "You don't look that skilled at it, and you're not even in your normal form, poor thing. You wanted to see what we had to offer, you'll find it. This is a one way street and you're already past the point of no return."
We entered the town proper. The noise of ponies bustling about became louder. I could hear metal being pounded, ponies shouting, wood being shoved around, and other things. The smells were a melange of industrial whiffs and lighter hints that life did progress. That fresh bread was suddenly very tempting compared to the trail rations we had survived on this far. Where was that bakery?
The leader turned to face us, stopping. "Welcome to your new home. If you can work or if you can fight, you'll find it a hospitable one." She pointed at Work. "You look ready to earn your keep, am I wrong?"
Work dipped his front slightly. "I am ready, ma'am, but I must insist on not being sep--"
She waved his words away, looking to Easy next. "You look like trouble. What do you do?"
Easy reared up on two legs, throwing her forehooves in a Y formation as sparkles an flames erupted from her hooves. "I am an entertainer, and a manager." She fell back to all fours. "His manager." She directed towards me with a toss of her head.
The leader stepped up and cuffed Easy across the top of the head with a hoof. "No uncontrolled fire in the town limits. That is your final warning. Hmmf, and you?" She turned to me. "What do you do that's important enough to have a manager?"
Water put a hoof out in front of me suddenly. "Apologies, miss. I am his maid, charged with his care."
"I didn't ask you!" hissed the leader, displeased at Water jumping in line. "How's a maid supposed to help a pony with... this." She waved her hoof at me at large.
I had that answer. "She's also a botanist."
The leader looked back and forth between us. "You two are really good at not following my directions." She pointed at my sword. "Can you not hurt yourself with it? If someone else answers instead of you, I'm throwing them in a box."
I reached for it, and the spears rose at me. Alright, poor idea. I slowly withdrew my hand. "I got it in case of monsters or bandits. I never had any practice before this trip."
"Figured as much." She flipped her mane from her face as she turned away. "For now, you'll stay here." She pointed to a house on stilts. "We keep it ready, for just such emergencies. I'd like to say you're welcome to look around--" She turned back to us. "--but I don't trust any of you."
She pointed at a passing pony who stopped in his path. "Get them some food and water." She gestured up at the stilted house. "You two." She indicated two of her soldiers. "Make sure they don't wander off."
That seemed like a time to at least try to get some answers. "You run a tight ship." I watched all three rush to do as she asked. "What's your name, Miss...?"
She hiked a brow at me. "Strangers first."
"Ian Langerman," I offered, hoping my name hadn't really spread far outside the castle.
"Curious name." She frowned a little. "Sunset Whisper." She cracked a faint smile. "The rest of you are free to join in." Work, Easy, and Water were quick to offer up their names. "There, see, we don't have to be hostile about it." She led the way to the narrow stairs that led up to the stilted house's single door. "I'll inform her that you want to meet her. Warning, since I see a lot of you like your clothes, but there won't be any of that when you meet her. Don't call us paranoid, we've had a few attempts made already."
Something to look forward to. |
The Lightning Bringer | 22 - Building a Better Tomorrow | Our dwelling wasn't a shack. It had three bedrooms, a serviceable kitchen (with a wood-burning stove, and no wood), and even an indoor outhouse, though that did not imply plumbing. It was little more than a hole over a ditch far below, which I couldn't imagine would be at all pleasant for anyone daring to approach it.
Work and Easy got a room each, and Water appeared at my bedside after everything else was settled. I didn't turn her away.
Food came twice a day, in the morning and at night. Water was given in the form of a barrel of the stuff with mugs to serve up individual portions.
Right on time, a knocking came around dinner. Water trotted to the door and had it open with a glow of her horn. "Thank you," she bade without even looking.
"You're welcome," replied a female voice, a mare stepping inside with a soft smile and a platter of food balanced on her back. I knew her. I had seen her, in the visions given to me by psychic grandma. That was the pony that had stood opposed to the royal sisters, come wandering in with our supper.
Was it another test? I felt like it had to be. She wanted another view of us. This was also a great chance for us to immediately react to her, which would reveal things about us. It was also trusting, I decided, or she was very confident in her ability to subdue all four of us if she had to.
"Are you all doing well?" she asked as she allowed the platter to slide off of her onto a small table.
Work nodded towards her. "Apologies for making you go through the trouble, ma'am. I'd be delighted to handle my own chores."
Easy waved a hoof diffidently. "If this is what they want, they get it. Mister slave driver over there doesn't give me days off usually."
She hadn't made the barest of hint of wanting a day off! "Thank you," I said to the mare, trying to ignore Easy's nettling. Should I reveal I recognized her? The thought warred. "You look familiar."
She hiked a brow at me, her eyes sweeping over me with their piercing brown. "Do I? You're much more recognizable. Poison joke, was it?" She wobbled a hoof at my form in general. "What a poor joke. Does it hurt?"
Water stepped partially in front of me like a little mare shield. "I see to his needs."
The mare snorted softly at that. "I imagine you do. It must be trying, being cooped up in here."
None of the other ponies that had come had spoken with us for more than a sentence or two, she was already over that. I decided to take the lead in chatting with her, "It's not too bad, though we'd love to actually be doing things rather than being a drain on the town."
She smirked suddenly. "And you'd rather have your clothes back."
Did I mention we were all naked? For three of us, that was less of a big deal, a fashion mistake at best. I suppose I should be grateful I was a satyr, which meant less to dangle. "That would be nice," I easily agreed. "Clothes aren't against town rules, I hope?"
"Oh, no." She shook her head slowly. "But most of the ponies here can't afford the luxury." She peered at me. "Nor three servants. Nor a wagon and two swords special for a trip... You were quite the successful pony, before you got cursed, hmm?"
She had a point. I could try to weave an elaborate lie... or go with the truth. "I'm an engineer. My projects are being stifled by the unrest in the kingdom. I want to make it a better place, but I can't because resources are going towards it instead of improving the lives of its people."
Her expression brightened, a smile spreading as her eyes darted to the other ponies, but she had me in the center of her sights. "That sounds closer to some truth... I am unfamiliar with this word, 'engineer'. Are you mispronouncing?" She raised a brow at me. "If you are a builder of fortifications, is this not exactly as you would wish? Surely there is plentiful call for your talents."
Did Engineer used to mean that? Crap. "I want to clean the water of ponies and remove filth from their land. I want to attack disease so people can live longer and happier lives."
She sank to her haunches, blinking. She looked to Easy. "You are his 'manager', explain his words."
Easy threw up her hooves. "I help him find ponies and keep track of his schedule. I have not a clue what he actually does except it involves pipes."
Work cleared his throat into a raised hoof. "Regardless, that sounds like a noble ambition."
She slowly nodded towards me. "Since pipes are not involved in anything I would consider an ingineer's--" The word was subtly different from engineer. "--duties, I will assume you are using a new word." She put her hooves on her hips, rising up to stand much like I was. "You're here. How do you plan to resolve things so you can play with your pipes?"
That was a blunt question. "Can we start--" I rolled a hand, as alien as that might be for a pony. "--with what would need to change to make the people here happy?"
She fell back to all fours, peering up at me as if I had grown another head. "Where do we even start?"
"The beginning?" I ventured hopefully. "We're all Equestrians. We want the same thing, in the end, right?"
She gestured towards the floor with her hooves. "Have a seat then." She hopped up on a broad-bottomed chair, facing me. "The basic problem is that of... agency. Ours is being taken from us, by a pretty face in an ivory tower, whispering her sweet lies down to us, comforting and gentle." She rolled her eyes. "She will handle everything, until she dies. Everyone dies, that is the nature of things."
Water looked scandalized. I could imagine her not even having a concept for the unaging Celestia ever passing. If I had my way, she would live for many more centuries at least. Would I be around to see it? "We're talking about raising and lowering the sun and moon?"
She thrusted a hoof at me. "Precisely! Good. I had feared we'd have to start further back... The art of a circle of unicorns controlling the heavenly bodies was almost lost, almost... I found it." She brought her hooves together slowly. "I found it and brought it away from Canterlot, to others. She didn't want us to have it, a secret to a world where she didn't exist." She leaned forward towards me. "And you are not as good at bluffing as perhaps you thought. The idea frightens you, maybe apalls you. What is life without Celestia and her cronies watching over everything?"
Work coughed softly. "Pardon me, ma'am, but I should imagine most ponies would at least wince at the idea."
She glanced towards him briefly. "True... Well, speak your peace then."
I extended a lone finger towards her. "You have me at a disadvantage, miss...?"
"I am Rough Bearing," she said with some pride, sitting up tall. "And you are in my town. I presume you've already figured that part out." Easy and Work both nodded, though Water looked genuinely surprised. "And you are Ian Langerman, rising star of Celestia's court." She smiled wickedly. "Come to quell the rebellion with more of her sweet words. Go on, make your promises."
Well, crap. "I won't."
"Giving up before you start?" She hiked a brow. "That's--"
"--I'm not giving up," I quickly cut in. "I'm not here to spout promises or platitudes. I want to resolve this."
Rough was quiet, watching me a moment before her smile fell. "I think I believe you... That only makes this more tragic. This is not a matter that will be 'resolved' in this room, I should think. Celestia has proven at her own hooves that she and her sister are not invincible. Her sister is dead--" She slammed a hoof down on the table that held the food, rattling the tray with the impact of her sudden violence. "--essence scattered across the moon in a public display of barbarism we can see nightly. If she can die, so can her sister, and with her, we would all be lost. That is the world she is building."
My companions were looking to me. They didn't have any good arguments to forward. "She isn't dead," I said before considering how hard that would be to prove.
"What?" She shook her head. "You can see her grave in the night sky. How can you even imply otherwise?"
I abandoned that. "I don't think you're wrong, mind you. That isn't information that should be lost. Things do happen."
She smiled thinly at that. "Thank you for seeing further than the 'council' ever managed."
"But that doesn't translate into throwing the country into civil war." I slapped a hand down on one of my furry knees. That was a casual reminder that I had those. "That information should be not only allowed but safeguarded, preferably in more than one place."
"More than one place?" She sounded confused at the idea. "What do you mean?"
But I had an answer for that! "If Celestia dies without a backup, what do you fear? What happens if this spell is only in one place and it is lost? It's the same problem, with the same solution. This spell should be in more than one place. It simply has to be. Do you have the only copy?"
Rough's brows furrowed in a frown. "Turning my logic on me, so this is why they can't stop talking about you. Tell me, have you done this to Celestia yet?"
"We've had a few chats," I admitted with a tenous smile. Was that a good thing? "I try to be logical. I'm not in this on any side but making the world better for the people in it. I just wanted to address some large problems in Canterlot, but every step was met with barriers and they eventually led to here and... this." I waved a hand vaguely about. "In the end, I want to get back to building, not fortifications, but--"
"--Enough," she interrupted with a snort. "I will send you back."
Easy cocked a brow. "And the catch is...?"
Rough smiled softly. "I'm sending you with a copy of the spell. You'll display it in court and explain exactly what it is and what it's for. Their response will be enough of an answer to this gesture. I am also sending some of my ponies with you." She pointed at me. "Don't need more... accidents... do we?"
Water sat up suddenly. "We're free to go?"
Rough waved a dismissive hoof. "You're hostile agents, as reasonable as you may be. I gain nothing having you around, and spilling your blood across the ground just makes me into the monster they assume I am."
That was a phrase I had heard before. "We're all ponies." Well, I wasn't, technically? "We want the same thing. I don't think most of them want to fight you."
She hopped down from her chair and moved for the door. "Show them the spell. That will be proof enough. I don't expect much."
"Wait! One thing." She turned at my outburst, looking tired. "Just a small thing." I held two fingers close together. "On the day of the first conflict, when the council was there, and you were there. A spear was thrown, from your side, or so I'm told. That was the start--"
Her expression became a mask of rage. "Is that what they say!" She turned to face me, shivering with obvious fury. "That we hurled the first stone?! Not a single pony in my army threw that spear! Show them the blasted spell and begone!" She banged on the door and it opened instantly, allowing her out with an angry grumbling all the way down the stairs. |
The Lightning Bringer | 23 - There and Back Again | Our cart was not returned, but a new one rolled out. It wasn't being pulled by us. One of the local ponies was attached with a serious look on his cute little face. Even rioting ponies were hard to see in a truly imposing light, at least so far as I was concerned.
We had our clothes back, and they even trusted me with my sword again. That was quite the display, I decided. Even if I was untrained at combat, I could cause significant harm if I moved at the right time. Not that I planned to. If they were going to see us back to Canterlot safely, great.
While they prepared for the journey, I hiked a thumb at the house that had been our temporary home. "You know that's a health hazzard, right?"
Rough turned from the pony she had been talking to. "What are you going on about? That's built quite securely, and I don't see a single splinter on the lot of you."
I made a lowering gesture. "Not the house itself, what comes out of it. There's nothing separating the... leavings from everyone else." I could see it clearly once I had come out. The inside outhouse's trench was right by the road. "It's just another way to spread disease."
She looked between me and the problem. "We're worried about making sure the sun rises tomorrow and you're worried about the stink someone makes? Get out of here, engineer." She stressed that part of the word in almost a hiss before pointing towards Canterlot. "Take them, and come back once they're delivered."
We pushed across the hills, a mighty caravan. Things were different. We had enough ponies to keep predators away, and many of us appeared to be combat ready. Food involved more utilitarian dried and tough food rather than the sweeter stuff Water and Easy had selected, but it kept hunger at bay.
The forest seemed far less imposing on the return trip. For one, it was our second time instead of the first. For another, we weren't alone. Even the timber wolves were hesitant to rush at our mob.
"I would have set them on fire," confidently stated Easy as we went.
The poison joke was still there, clogging the path. Our new companions grumbled softly on seeing it. "Guess that wasn't a lie," noted one before pointing into the forest. "Let's carve around it."
They grabbed axes from the wagon and hacked free a new path with surprising swiftness, working their way around the patch of blue trouble. Could I even be affected again while I was under its curse? I wasn't sure, but the possibility of it finishing the job wasn't 0%, so I opted against tempting fate.
I liked my fingers, damnit.
We made it past without any puffs of spores that we could see and pushed on through the forest.
When it came time to climb the mountain, there were no shortcuts. We didn't try scaling it directly. It was follow the windy trail back and forth, slowly but safely. That felt like the theme of this return trip, slow but safe. There wasn't much adventure in it, but we were making it in one piece. On some level it seemed almost disappointing, as if the first trip were lessened somehow.
But that was just me being silly. The first was still just as dangerous, even if the second was routine.
When we crested the mountain and Canterlot came into easy view, Water looked the most immediately happy. "Home," she sighed out, trotting forward, her eyes locked on the castle we could all see.
An arrow landed just in front of her, bringing her to a sudden halt. Ponies stood with bows planted into the earth. The one that had fired the first was drawing a new arrow to load as more melee guards galloped out to meet us. "That's far enough," declared the first to reach us. "Quite bold of her, sending an attack directly on Canterlot."
"Hold it hold it!" I put up my hands. "I am Ian Langerman and I'm returning with news for the council. They were just seeing me here safely, nothing more."
The guard inclined an ear at me. "I don't recall Mister Langerman having hooves..." Still, his eyes wandered past to Easy, Water, and Work. "You must have some story to share. Head inside, we'll deal with these."
Work shook his head quickly. "I'm afraid I cannot accept that, Sir."
Easy rolled her eyes. "Much as I'm looking forward to not camping out, yeah, let them go."
The ponies that had guided us this far were watching, but weren't reacting, not directly. I had expected them to reach for weapons or break into a run, but they were being remarkably patient. I gestured at them. "They're just going to turn around and go home. No one has to fight today, and hopefully we can settle this whole thing."
"They are criminals, Sir." He squinted at the lot of them. "Hostile insurgents, in fact."
I shooed at our escort, waving them away. "They're going home. If that was the wrong thing to do, I'll be strung up for it at court, which is where I'm going anyway."
They turned back and began the slow descent down the mountain, leaving us behind with our own troubles to deal with. The guard snorted in a uniquely equine way. "I will be reporting this, Sir. We could have gotten valuable intel from them." He turned to the castle and the other ponies that were standing down. "This way. I'd put you under arrest but, as you said, you're already going to the right place."
Work hastened to be at my side as we entered Canterlot-proper. "If it helps, Sir, I agree. It would be a very poor showing to arrest them just after they did us a favor."
Easy strolled up along the opposite side. "Besides, if we can call this whole thing off, even better, and what's the point of jailing people then? You do have a plan for that, right Boss?"
Oh, sure, plenty of plans... Or maybe just one. I planned to show off that letter and argue their case for them.
"You're back?" asked a familiar elderly voice. "Ah, yes, there you are. And in one piece."
That made me think about what the poison joke had done, which was apparently enough for psychic grannie to get a whiff. "Oh. Mostly, at least. Tell me you've come with a miracle and they've surrendered."
Not so much, I silently thought to myself. You'll find out with everyone else, tomorrow, in court. It's already too late for today.
"You'll keep me waiting? I suppose I can stand this much..." Her presence seemed to fade, my thoughts becoming my own.
We were being given an escort. The guards nudged anyone else not fast enough about getting out of the way free of the street as we proceeded right up to the castle. It was also a good chance to experience the ripe stench of the city. It was the weeping sore that pointed at the troubles that faced the kingdom. A lot of it could have been solved without a fancy new sewer system.
But they weren't getting a sewer system, or even clean streets. I wondered how it was affecting the other cities of Equestria. Images of an old-timey version of Manehattan jumped into my mind. Did it even exist yet? I'd have to get a current map of the kingdom to be sure which cities were actually there or not.
That wasn't helping us at that specific moment. We ascended the stairs to the castle and the guard that seemed in charge turned to us, pointing at Work Pants. "Mister Langerman will call for your presence, presuming he isn't clapped in irons."
Right, he wasn't officially in my employ anymore. "One moment, I do owe him payment." I dug out the money that had been trusted to me and ... How much was he owed?
Easy seemed to read my indecision without words, trotting up and taking the bag in her magic. "Standard pay per day, plus hazzard." She started piling bits up in front of Work in neat rows. "And a tip." She placed down a larger denomination bit to end it all. "See you next time, right?"
Work folded an arm across his chest and dipped his head, ears going low a moment. "It was a pleasure to walk at your sides. I trust we will do it again, once this distasteful business is comfortably behind us." He gathered his bits in his magic and squirreled them away into his shirt and that pocket that ponies had. "Good luck, all of you."
We left him behind and entered the castle. Water Lily inclined her lead to the right. "I should resume my duties, Sir, Ma'am. I'll visit when I can." She smiled brightly, if a little awkwardly. The guards didn't stop her from moving quickly down a hallway to join the other maids in the upkeep of the castle.
Our little adventuring party was being stripped away. It was just me and Easy, back to where we started, in our room. The major difference being that we were told to stay there and not leave until it was time for court.
"You really stepped in it," noted Easy, seated on her bed on her belly, watching me. "Is that paper supposed to change it all?" Her eyes darted to where I was hiding it. "Do we even know it's the right spell?"
No. "I can't read magic. Can you?"
She rolled her eyes. "That question hurts. Really, Boss. Magic is one of my 'things.' Pass it over."
I drew out the rolled scroll and held it towards her. It glowed in her magic as she pulled it the rest of the way, unfurling it as it came towards her. "Now let's see..." She ran a hoof over the paper, frowning in concentration. "Good news, it's not a little spell." She pulled it more open with her magic. "And... it just keeps going... and going..." She pulled it out and out, unfurling in a grand display.
"This is going to take a while, Boss. No way around it." She sat up, her interest piqued. "I'm on it."
That didn't leave me with much to do. Watching a unicorn study up a spell wasn't going to get me much. I wanted to go talk to Celestia. I wanted to investigate. Who did throw that first spear that launched the civil war in the first place? That felt like an important question, seeing as both sides saw the other side as the agressors and didn't want to back down in part because of it.
"Wow," breathed out Easy. "I never knew the magic word for the entire sun before..." She swept a hoof reverently across the scroll. "This is no... joke." Her eyes raised as if looking towards the sun through the castle itself. "You'd have to practically kill yourself trying... Oh... Is that... wow..." She sank to the bed, looking drained. "Wow..."
"Are you alright?" I moved to the side of her bed with a clop with every step. "You didn't try to move the sun just now, did you?"
"No!" She dropped the scroll suddenly. "No no no! You couldn't pay me enough bits to try! I just got to the core, the sun..." She pointed a quivering hoof at the scroll. "Just reaching that far, pulling that hard... Unicorns were not designed to do... that. It's too much! No wonder, oh, wow, no wonder."
Was she in shock? I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Come back to me, Easy Breeze. No one's asking you to cast that spell, promise."
"Y-yeah... I'm just imagining... what it would have been like." She smiled at he oddly, a haunted look. "Imagine taking a boulder and working it up a steep hill in the rain... then do it again the next day, then the next day... And the day after that." Her teeth began to grit together. "No wonder..."
I had no idea Easy was capable of such sympathy, still, it was a daunting task that eventually left unicorns crippled and worthless. "And Celestia does it practically without effort."
Easy thumped against the wall she was beside. "That's literally her destiny. She's also twice as big, and an alicorn to boot. Good on her." |
The Lightning Bringer | 24 - Court is in Session | It was early morning, pre-dawn. The nobles were gathered in the loose line they formed to get into the still-closed court. We were among them. Though a guard stood nearby, we were trusted to stand in the line without being locked down physically.
The other nobles kept glancing over. They had known me well enough to know I didn't used to have pony legs or a twitchy tail. I couldn't be sure if the change had raised or lowered my appraisal in their eyes. I guessed that the change itself was odd. Most creatures didn't just change parts.
A soft cough caught my attention. Soft Word had snuck up on us. "Do you mind if I cut in with you?"
I waved for him to join us and he did so with a smile. "You appear to have been busy. Are you attempting to go native in a most literal display?" His horn glowed and I felt my tail being gone over, which was an odd sensation. I was not used to things touching that limb I had not had for most of my life.
Easy reached up, casually flicking his horn and banishing the reaching magic. "Keep it on your head. Ask someone before you go touching, seriously. What's up, Soft?"
Soft smirked faintly. "Miss Breeze, you haven't changed." He glanced towards the guard standing across the room, watching us. "You've gained attention, and I imagine the reason for it will be brought to light today. Are you well, minus the obvious?"
Was I? "I think I can put a lot of things to rest today, in theory." I patted where the scroll was tucked away gently. "I have a better understanding of the big picture."
"Good to hear." He put a monocle in place lightly. "They're about to open, and I will root for your success, Sir."
He had called it, the doors opening and ponies strolling inside to take their places. Miss Mason, the guild matron of the builders, bumped against me as she went past. I could see her glancing at me purposefully, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
We took our seats, Easy to my right and Soft perching to my left. They sat up on the bench as a pony might, and I tried to sit the human way, as less comfortable as that was with pony legs. I didn't plan to give up that though, so there I sat.
The council emerged with proper pomp, and they even managed to get through the greeting of the day without descending immediately into arguments. Good for them. Or they were all focused on something already.
The moment the greeting was complete, Celestia looked directly at me. "The court calls Ian Langerman. Please step forward."
I hadn't been asked to step forward last time. "May my manager come with me?" I stood up without delay, gesturing to Easy. "She has information the court will want to hear as well."
Easy cringed even as she tried to smile. "Thanks, boss," she harshly whispered.
"The court recognizes Easy Breeze. Please step forward," She pointed to the podium beneath the level of the council members. "As some of you are aware, I entrusted Mister Langerman with a delicate assignment. I hope we will all see the fruit of it."
No pressure, right? I moved down the aisle, hundreds of pony eyes following me as I took the stand and Easy popped up beside me, an unsure smile on her face. "I bring news, mostly of the good variety. I think this ugly affair can be put behind us, but there are other things to be concerned with."
A heavy slam brought everyone attention up to the war-leading council-stallion. "Her forces are still very-much present, and they are not unarmed. How can you even imply this matter is anything but immediate and dire?"
A thought tickled at me. "You have a point. Her followers are dangerous, perhaps." I looked to Psychic Grannie, sitting there looking back at me. "You were there when it started. Which of the council members were present on that fateful day?"
She looked surprised at the question. "I don't like thinking about it, but I can remember it clearly." She started pointing out the council members, but didn't point at the war-leading one. "We were all there."
The war leader pointed at himself. "Except me, of course. My position was a result of that day."
"And you've done a fine job," I said with a smile. "But about that day. The spear that was thrown, how far and accurately can a spear be hurled by a pony?"
He snorted softly. "In the correct teeth, nearly as far and well as you wish."
"So it wasn't magic?"
He blinked, confused at the idea. "Mm?"
Psychic grandma raised a hoof. "It wasn't glowing when it flew through the air."
I raised a lone finger. "Are you trained in spear use?"
"Of course!" he hotly defended as if insulted by the question. "One of the best. Why? Why are we even entertaining the word of this deformed half-pony to begin with?"
The court murmured in agreement. Why were they listening to me?
Time for bigger guns. I drew out the scroll. "On this is the spell that allows a group of unicorns to move the sun and moon."
Gasps rolled out, replacing the quiet whispering.
Celestia sat up tall. "That spell is outlawed, Mister Langerman. We would not want any other unicorn to sacrifice themselves, or damage Equestria through its use."
I waved the scroll at her lightly. "And yet, it cannot, must not, be buried and forgotten. The lives of everyone hinged on avoiding just that." I brought my hands together, the scroll trapped between them. "Though I hope for your long presence, nothing in this universe is assured. If something happens to you, the duties you fulfill must fall to another. Without this knowledge, that is impossible, and all must suffer for the hubris of it."
Easy raised a quivering hoof. "No one would want to use that... spell. Unless the sun or moon was literally your purpose or maybe you were the incarnate of magic or something, it would wreck you completely." She clopped the podium, standing tall despite her shaking. "Maybe not the first or second time, but you will break something important, and be left a husk without magic."
Celestia wearily sighed. "That is precisely why it was outlawed. What would you have us do, as an outside perspective?"
I could hear whispers and mutterings, though it was hard to make them out. They were all about me, that much I felt certain enough. "The spell must be kept safe, in more than one place. In the event of such an emergency, a pony should be allowed to retrieve it and use it. Ideally, it should be stored away from you, Celestia, just in case whatever caused your end would harm it along the way. To maximize the odds of recovery, several copies should be spread out as far as possible."
The war council pony slammed a hoof down on the railing around his seat. "And what stops a pony from taking one of these remote copies and causing untold damage with it?"
Easy shook her head wildly. "They wouldn't last long enough to do much of anything. No sane person would want to do this unless it was really needed. No insane person will survive it if they do it alone."
I had another argument. "We've already seen what happens." The room's attention focused on me anew. "She's had this scroll. She's the one that gave it to me. She had it for however long this struggle has endured, and yet the sun has not crashed into the world nor the moon been shattered. She sent me back here with guards and well wishes, knowing I was an agent of this very court. Even at their worst, ponies don't want to destroy the world."
Thump! The war pony was looking increasingly irate. "About that! How dare you aid and abet enemies of the state!? You had in your hooves vital intelligence and outright criminals in need of justice and it was by your word alone that they trotted free."
Psychic Grandma's horn glowed softly, and he fell silent. Not that he wasn't moving and ranting, but no sounds came out. He didn't even seem to notice the difference, shouting silently at me. She nodded at him, then looked to me. "I have caught the hint you provided. Tell me, what did she say when you told her of that fateful day?"
We were switching topics rapidly, but I felt we were still headed in the right direction overall. "She became furious at the idea that she, or her ponies, would have started the fight. She swore they hadn't."
With a dull thud, sound returned to the war council. He had rushed from his podium at Psychic Grandma in a flash and struck her, slamming her face with an angry hoof and sending her crashing down with a weak cry. Her spell was broken, allowing him to speak, "Arrest him!"
Celestia's wings unfurled wide as she recoiled as did most of the others in the court. The council coming to blows was apparently new enough. "You have broken a solemn oath," she intoned, standing up with a growing scowl. "There is a male that will be arrested today, but he has four hooves, not two."
"You sit down," he barked, pointing at the prone and still form of Psychic Grandma. "She cast a spell at me, silencing me and breaking the very same vow first. I only defended myself."
Another council-mare cleared her throat softly. "Even if we accept that at face value, your reaction was far more severe than warranted. She is an old mare and you... You punched her. Is she alright?"
~That may have been a mistake,~ drifted into my mind. ~I can't feel much. Make me proud, strange thing.~ Her voice faded from my mind an I felt fear grip at me. How seriously had she been hurt?
"Get a doctor!" I blurted out, which only got looks of confusion.
The doors leading out of the courtroom banged open as a pony in robes entered, half-glasses on her face. "Physician Steady Cast, reporting for duty," she announced herself as she trotted down towards the trouble.
Had the word doctor come in after physician? Whatever, I was glad she was there and just hoped leeching was not still the desired treatment of the day.
Guards were moving in, but they were not unified. Some looked like they wanted to grab the war-leader, while others moved to defend him. As soon as one reached to grab him, another grabbed that guard, and it devolved into a brawl almost instantly as loyalties were drawn and fought over.
A blinding flash had them all rubbing their eyes against the dazzling effect. Celestia was approaching, horn held high. "Enough! You will stand trial." She pointed the prone form of Psychic Grandma. "She will have her turn, as soon as she is capable. If the council has no objection, I move that you both have your station removed until such time."
The others nodded in easy agreement, muttering their thoughts. The same mare as before pointed at the fallen elder. "I hope she's alright, even if she shouldn't have done that. We shouldn't treat her like that."
And so it was that two council members ceased to be members of that council. That was not as I had planned... Still. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but..."
"Yes, of course." Celestia turned back towards me and the rest of the crowd. "Court will resume. See them to their rooms and to their comfort and care, but they are not to leave." She sat down on her throne with a soft sigh. "You raise an important point. If she wished to cause harm, she had the tool to do so for some time. Perhaps we have been looking at this from the wrong angle. Tell me, tell us, what is it she truly desires?" |
The Lightning Bringer | 25 - What I Want | "What she wants--" I spread my hands, standing firmly on my new hooves. "--is a future that does not break with the removal of one pony. That is her wish. No matter how wonderful that pony may be, she is only one, and that is not the security she can live with."
Celestia slowly exhaled as the others muttered back and forth. "Is that all she truly wants? Since this is now brought to light, I have heard tale that she desires our heads."
I could guess who started that rumor, or at least who fed them carefully. "I think you would like her, once this issue is behind us." I set the scroll carefully down on the podium. "Keep one copy with any other outlawed spell, but send a few others to remote places. We will pray we never have a reason for it but we will be ready if we do."
Another of the council members, a male, nodded towards me. "You may sit," he dismissed. "Thank you."
Just like that? It was true, I had spoken my peace and planted seeds of rebellion against the idea of continuing the battle, but... I nodded to Easy and we made our ways to our seats, scroll in hand.
"The court calls for Water Lily, summon her at once," barked the same male, waving a hoof at the door beyond the crowd. The guards crisply saluted and several dashed off in search of the maid.
I hadn't mentioned her, or thought she'd be in court at all. I wondered how she would handle it, or what they even wanted to ask her. Easy nudged against my knee in several sharp taps of a hoof. "Ten bits she cries."
"I will not bet on a friend."
"Pfft, you won't put money down on her side? Coward." Her eyes rolled mightily.
Soft waved a hoof from my other side. "I will see that wager. The maids are quite trained in decorum."
Easy tilted her head. "Consider it done." Her voice betrayed that she did not expect him to hop in.
The doors swung open, a guard returning, then another, with Water Lily following behind with a worried expression. A third guard came in behind her as if to make sure she didn't go anywhere they didn't want her to go.
Celestia nodded towards the newcomer. "The court recognizes Water Lily, please step forward. As with Ian, you were sent on a task of some importance, and it is time you shared its results with us."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty." She bowed low towards Celestia, then began to walk purposefully towards the lowest stand for those not in the council that I had stood in a few moments before.
"Tell the court what you witnessed, of Ian's character and purpose. He is a stranger of every variety, with strange thoughts, strange origin, and of a strange species. What manner of pony did you witness?" She was facing Water Lily as she spoke, even if her words were all about me. "Do not embellish in any fashion."
Water sat down on her haunches and took a little breath. "What I saw was a scared pony, but one ready to walk despite it. What I saw was a vulnerable pony, without even fur to protect himself, but he fought when he had to and never entertained the idea of sacrificing someone else for his benefit. What... I saw was a clever pony, who wanted the truth and was ready to reach for it, even if it got him hurt." She looked out over the crowd, picking out my naked face among her furry peers easily. "What I saw was a fine pony."
What she saw was a new boyfriend, but I didn't raise that point. I mean, I was doing alright, right? I really did want the best for the world I had found myself in and I didn't want to hurt any of them.
Celestia nodded primly. "How did Mister Langerman come about his new... condition? Was it intentional?"
Water shook her head so quickly her ears flopped from the force of it. "I should have made the situation more clear, Your Highness. I failed to impress the danger of the plants we approached and its curse touched where he did not protect himself. It was my error." Her ears sagged low. "I failed in my task."
Celestia raised a hoof. "I will be the judge of that. When speaking with the mare that led the rebelling faction, were you present?"
She nodded gently. "Yes, I was there."
"What are your opinions on her?" prompted Celestia gently.
"She seemed agitated, but not altogether impolite." She raised a hoof to her chin. "If I had to serve her, I predict she would not be too troublesome. Independant, and likely to shoo me away as I worked, but not one to leave much work for me to do in the first place. I think she takes her role seriously, and seemed to care about the ponies that were around her."
Celestia smiled a little. "Exactly the manner of answer I was hoping for. Tell me, in your opinion, would she accept an answer of compromise?"
Water looked a little uncertain. "I... Mmm... I think... If it kept her ponies safe and didn't abandon what she wanted to do, she probably would." She tilted her head a little. "I am sorry, but I didn't entirely understand what it is she wants. Did she--"
Celestia raised a hoof for quiet, and Water silenced herself immediately. "The ponies who escorted you back to the castle, what happened with them? What manner of ponies were they?"
Water's ears perked up quickly. "They were ponies doing their job. You could tell they wanted to make her happy. They didn't care much about Mister Langerman besides what they were told to do. They were ready to do as they were told, and they have confidence in her ability to make decisions. I've seen that sort before..."
"Did they seem prone to violence?"
Water shook her head. "When the guards were ready to arrest them, they weren't fighting back. When they were let go, they left without saying unpleasant things."
Celestia spread her wings wide. "Very well. These do not sound like brigands to me. I motion that Mister Langerman not be prosecuted for his actions. It is entirely reasonable to ensure the safe travel of one who has done the same for you, and most unbecoming to have a pony arrested for the crime of seeing you to your destination."
One of the council-mares raised a hoof. "A question, for the maid. Miss Lily, was an agreement made between that mare and Mister Langerman?"
Water tilted her head a little, looking uncertain.
Celestia nodded softly. "Speak honestly. The truth, unvarnished, is what we desire."
"V-very well. Yes. She asked that he display a scroll with some sort of spell on it." She scrunched her nose a little. "I didn't understand what was so important about it, but she said he should show it, and that she didn't want him to stay there." She glanced in my direction. "Did he?"
The councilmare shook her head. "It is not your place to ask questions."
Water quickly turned red. "My apologies!" She dipped her head low, abashed at her lack of decorum.
The same mare looked to Celestia. "I second your motion."
"Thirded," agreed the stallion.
"Motion is carried. Ian Langerman will not be held in contempt for his actions." With a gavel wrapped in her golden magic, she struck the railing that partially surrounded her. "You are dismissed, Water Lily."
Water Lily's eyes grew amazingly wide, tears starting to form as she trembled.
Celestia realized her error swiftly. "You may step down, Water Lily, and resume your duties."
Water's blush returned with a vengeance. She quickly scurried down from the stand and rushed from the courtroom towards the comfort of the job she knew much better than the strange workings of the court.
"Ten bits for me," whispered Easy.
"She only began to shed them when she misunderstood the command entirely. She performed quite well," argued Soft just as quietly.
"She still cried," Easy crossed her forelegs with a confident smile. "Open and shut, ten bits."
Bits floated in front of me, passed from a mildly annoyed loser to the grinning winner of the bet. I doubted ten bits meant all that much to Soft. It was likely the principle of the thing that bothered him.
Celestia gestured with a wing in my direction. "That leaves us with--"
A voice cried from the crowd, "when do we get to our concerns?"
"We waited a long time to get on the docket," agreed another, unhappy grumbles spreading.
Celestia grit her teeth. "Be that as it may... this is not a matter to be delayed any further." She stood up, towering over all the other ponies present. "I motion that the scroll containing the celestial alignment spells be given to each grand city numbering at least one million ponies. Should a city reach this number in the future, they will be entrusted with a copy, to be safeguarded by its governing body in the unfortunate event that it is required."
The councilmare frowned at the idea. "That number is too small and will send it to too many places. It should be at least double that!"
The stallion nodded softly. "That would be best. I second two million."
Celestia looked like she was barely resisting putting a hoof to her face. "How absurd of me, yes, two million. Motion carries?"
The other two nodded and she slapped her gavel on the railing. "That is only one city at present, but more will come over time, harmony allowing. Let the new law be recognized." Her eyes swept over the gathering of ponies. "Dispatch word of our decision across the country, that all will know of the decision made today. I hope this is the end of these... troubling times."
A mare in the crowd stood up, waving a hoof wildly. "Can we start on the docket now, please?"
The matter of the civil war was allowed to be put to the side. In came the rush of little ponies with little problems and big voices. Their problems, perhaps, could be abated if the war was well and truly over. It seemed surreal to me. Was that all it had taken? They could have settled on it so much earlier, without all the violence.
Of course, they might have done exactly that, if someone hadn't chucked a spear and started the war. I had research to do. Since my job in the court was done, I rose in a crouch and began slipping away. I could hear the clip-clop of hooves behind me.
When I emerged from the court, I turned to look at Easy, but it seemed that Soft had also followed me. "Not interested in the rest of court?"
He shook his head. "You are far more intriguing. You moved with a clear purpose, and I would love to know what that purpose is. Congratulations on your exoneration."
Easy shrugged softly. "When he gets an idea, he starts chasing it. What's on your mind, Boss?"
I marched through the halls of the castle, the two following me on either side. "Soft, maybe you know, but how common is spear use?"
"The guards always carry one, it seems." His tone implied he was curious where I was headed with the question.
"Was the councilpony in charge of war a guard before?" I glanced back at him, though still walked.
"Indeed he was." He nodded softly. "Quite an upset, a guard advancing to a council position. Doesn't happen that often."
The pieces were coming together nicely... "Do they have any contests, the guards that is?"
He shrugged softly. "I don't know that, I'm afraid. Is that what we are to find out?"
"Precisely." I grinned a little as we approached the library. It was time to make like Twilight and read a book. |
The Lightning Bringer | 26 - Read a Book | I thrust out a finger, pinning down a sentence like a small animal I was capturing. "Better than expected."
Soft and Easy perked up from their own books. "Did you find something?" they asked in eerie sync.
I hesitated a moment, caught off-guard by their moment of solidarity. "Huh, yeah. They have a record for spear throwing." I tapped at the passage. "And they've been tracking what it is and when it was broken. To make the fabled 'first throw' would have been in that range of distance. That's the first hint, but not the last."
Soft reared up beside me, looking down at the paper. His jovial expression darkened quickly at the name listed as the current record holder. "Quite the distinguished guard, wasn't he?"
Easy popped up on the other side, sharply whistling. "Now there's a rising pillar of smoke. So our buddy-pal was a champion thrower, making him one of the few people that could have made that kind of throw."
A deep male voice spoke behind us, from the direction of the door, "That's quite enough." We wheeled around as several ponies in armor took up posts barring the door off entirely. The one that spoke was approaching at a slow walk, a spear in his mouth. Fitting... "They may have exonerated you, but they won't hold us liable if you attack us."
Damn it. If I didn't attack them, they'd rough themselves up just enough afterwards to make it look like I had. If I did, well, that worked too. The war leader wasn't without supporters, it seemed. I reached for the sword I no longer had, cursing internally.
Easy stepped forward with a loud snort, sparks and flames dancing around her horn. "Want to try me? Let's dance!" She had become a lot more confident in her ability to weave destructive magic. I wasn't sure if I should be happy or worried about that.
More surprising was that Soft was at her side, dark-blue-white rings undulating along his horn. "I'm afraid I must insist as well. We are not helpless and will not accept this on our haunches."
Apparently I was the only one that didn't have a weapon. Great. The leader span his spear around in a terrific display of tongue and mouth coordination. "Looks like they're resisting arrest. Take them down, no need to be gentle." The ponies at the door charged forward in a fan of angry pony flesh.
Easy exploded in a shower of fire and sparks, little fireworks dancing away from her horn as she warded one guard from approaching her. She laughed like a mare having far too much fun as she advanced on him, pressing him back faster and faster.
A sudden jab of a spear had Soft leaping over it, the strobe of magic bursting free in a sudden sphere from his center, colliding with the guard and throwing the pony away, the spear left behind to clatter on the floor.
That left the leader for me. He was charging right at me, his spear poised to stab into my alarmingly fragile skin. Delaying tactic. I dove under the table behind me and came up before I got past it, throwing it up behind me to serve as a basic barricade. I heard him snort with annoyance, but that changed just as quickly.
The laughing of Easy was returning and he yelped as the mad mare's magic found his exposed bottom, scorching him. Why hadn't those stupid plants given me a horn? That would have been handy right about then. Then again... I edged around the table as the leader jabbed wildly at Easy, forcing her to withdraw for a change.
With a sudden lunge, I grabbed the spear the other guard had dropped and rolled up to my feet. I hadn't even pulled off that move before and for just a moment I was just happy I had managed it.
That's when I was stabbed. Pain lanced out from a leg and I swung my spear wildly in that direction, crashing it against a spear held in one of the guard's mouth. He snarled, biting down on the haft of his spear as he backed up a step.
"Did you forget me?" asked Soft as he held up a hoof, a book floating over it. "A library is for reading." As he said the last word, the book propelled itself, glowing with his magic as it struck the guard across the side of his face with a dull thump.
For being a soft noble, Soft certainly didn't seem shy about fighting. I gave him a thumbs up, even if he likely had no idea what that gesture meant, and rushed away from the dizzy guard towards the captain that was attacking Easy. She was falling over herself, scrambling away from his wild jabs. I could see bits of flame escaping her, but she couldn't back up very quickly and keep her horn pointed in the right direction.
"Enough!" boomed a loud female voice just as I reached the captain. Everyone in the room went still a moment before we looked to see who had shouted at us.
Celestia stood, her wings unfurled and a frown on her face. "Everyone, put down your weapons this instant."
I heard other spears falling and let mine join them on the floor.
She took a step forward into the room and the other councilmembers filed in after her, flanking her. "It would seem your assumption was correct."
The smaller female councilmare smiled confidently. "Now that we know who we're dealing with, he's predictable enough."
The male nodded softly. "Attacking a citizen, in the castle, in the library... He should be ashamed."
Celestia shook her head slightly. "Using fire?"
Easy began to go red quickly. "Oh, um, that's... my fault... I didn't set any books on fire!"
Celestia gestured a wing and a small raincloud appeared, vanishing almost as quickly as it turned into a faint shower that put out the one book that had caught fire. "Please abstain from damaging royal property." She pointed at me with a gold-clad hoof. "As it turns, he is one of those, and he appears to be damaged in a way a quick spell will not address."
I was property? That was also a reminder that I had been stabbed. Christ, that hurt. The adrenaline of the moment had passed, leaving me to 'enjoy' the throbbing pain of where the spear had punctured my innocent little pony leg.
The guards had formed up, two behind the captain. The captain stiffly nodded at Celestia. "They were causing trouble, Your Highness, and we were attempting to subdue them."
Celestia gestured at the source of my pain with a wing. "With the sharpened end of spears? Hardly a fitting tool for subduing any particular creature. Did you try asking?" Her eyes flicked to my face. "Mister Langerman, sit."
What was I, a dog? Still... I did slowly sink down, trying to avoid any new signals of pain from my hurt leg.
Easy was suddenly in front of me, looking like she was ready to protect me from Celestia of all people.
Celestia just smiled gently. "You are a loyal and good pony. Thank you for protecting my property."
Easy's nose wriggled. "He's his own property, and my boss. My boss can't belong to someone else, how does that even work?!"
Soft cleared his throat softly. "I am willing to act as witness."
"Very good." Celestia nodded. "I'm glad this is settled then. You three, report to prison."
All three faces fell as one. One of them started walking away slowly, ears sunk.
The captain was not that one. "We've done nothing wrong," he barked with a low growl.
The male councilpony stepped forward. "And you will have a chance to argue your side, on your day of court. Do not make your case more difficult. Your subordinate is showing more sense than you."
That was enough to make the second guard slink off after the first, both soon fleeing the room, presumably towards wherever the jail was.
With a sudden shout, he ducked his head low and grabbed a spear. Rather than charging with it, he gave it a toss with a flick of his head. My life flashed before my eyes as it came at me, the deadly tip spinning slowly as my perception of the world seemed to carry it slowly.
I was sitting with no way to move out of the way fast enough to do a damn thing about it. My hands were lifting, but were just as slow. What did I plan to do, order it to stop with a palm? Maybe take the shot through my palm instead of my chest, as if that would be far better.
The spear suddenly stopped, encased in a bright golden sphere. Celestia's horn glowed the same color. "We've all had enough thrown spears for one century, I think we can all agree on that."
"Attempted murder," hissed the female councilpony. "You don't know when to quit, do you?" She gestured at me. "That is an asset of Equestria, one you seem quite set on damaging. You are relieved of your station!"
"Seconded," somberly agreed the male.
"Thirded, motion carried," finished Celestia. The spear dropped limply to the floor and the captain was instead grabbed in the golden sphere. "I motion for immediate imprisonment."
"Seconded." "Thirded."
"Wait! I--" He was gone, winked out of existence by Celestia's powerful magic.
Celestia gestured at me. "See to his medical needs. Mister Langerman, today has been a busy one for you. We are in your debt for unearthing the troubles around us. For now, rest and recover." She turned away, the others turning with her. As one they left as they had come, with proper pomp.
I felt a poke right near where I had been stabbed. Even as I hissed, Easy was grinning at me, being the one that poked me. "You're not that hurt, Boss. You're a tougher pony than that."
That still hurt! Still, it was true that I didn't feel flowing blood, which was good. I stood up, shaking a little. That had been... a lot. "I don't like being called 'property'."
Soft shrugged as he approached, the table I had knocked over glowing with his magic as he set it right. "A legal convenience to make it clear that damaging you carried even more weight, I imagine. Your being an unknown species makes it an easier bluff to carry."
Easy wriggled her nose. "For being a nice, if still snooty, noble, you sure are involved in this."
"You work for her," I thought outloud. "You are her eyes."
He bowed gently, lowering his front and sweeping a hoof. "Sharp as ever, Mister Langerman. It fell on me to record how they reacted to your little proposal, and to see how you presented it. I would thank you both to keep that quiet, mmm? We are still friends, I hope."
Easy tilted her head. "You mean we could have just asked you instead of hiking all the way out there to talk to her?!"
In part, perhaps, but... "We wouldn't have gotten the scroll that way." I was looking at Soft directly. "Well, how did it go? Will she be happy or not?"
"I am not her, so I couldn't say exactly, but I think today has been a few steps in a much desired direction. The spell is no longer to be hidden away where none can find it. One will be here, in Canterlot, and another to be secured in Baltimare, with others to be added over time." He tilted his head. "This is to say nothing of potentially incriminating the one who caused this conflict to begin with. Busy, you are nothing if not busy, Mister Langerman."
Easy snorted softly. "And I'm his manager, so, yeah, busy." She waved at me wildly. "I can't even stop him from getting hurt!" |
The Lightning Bringer | 27 - Medical Attention | I had returned to my room. Soft went back to whatever his daily needs were, and Easy served as a support when I wanted one. She was good-natured about it, walking right by my side so I could rest a hand on her back as we navigated the halls. "Here we are," she noted, willing the door open. "Now get to bed, Princess' orders and all that."
"There he is!" came a familiar voice. Water Lily hurried inside just after us, her eyes set on me. "I expected you in the library, sir. Why are you walking around? Please, lay down."
It seemed all the mares wanted me to lay down. Who was I to argue it? Not like I wanted to stand on that injured leg. "Do you know what's happening?" I flopped onto the soft bed, wincing softly at the movement of my leg as I got into position.
"Only that you were stabbed! That can be very serious." She reared up, bits of herbs and a few bottles floating up out of her dress in an impressive collection of things. "As a trained apothecarian, they chose me to see to your injuries." Her eyes wandered over me, settling onto the clothed injury. "Can you take that off?"
My pants? I saw Easy snickering, but also knew ponies were nudists as often as not. She was laughing at my discomfort, not anything that would actually be revealed. Water certainly had seen it before... "Can we close the door at least?"
"Oh, of course." The door shut quickly, but did not slam, in her magic. "If it hurts, I can do it."
"I can take it off myself." I hooked my thumbs into my beltline and soon had things loosened. I pulled it down even if it hurt to move things over the injury. I wasn't bad enough to accept help just getting my pants off.
"It could have been worse," gently spoke Water with a little smile. "At least they didn't put marks on your skin."
Fur covered or not, skin was involved! "I don't feel lucky, except the part where I'm around to complain about it."
She hopped up suddenly, her things floating around her. She was right between my legs, gently feeling where the spear had bit into me. "You poor thing. You don't deserve this kind of treatment. Let's start with a cleansing." A bottle lowered from the cloud of others and she began to pour it on--Dear god! "Does that hurt?" I imagine my expression gave it away, but I didn't shout.
"It'll be over soon." She worked it around the injury carefully before she re-stopped the bottle and held up a hoof, another bottle moving to it. "This one will help you heal faster and without as many nasty scars."
Was it Aloe? I could distantly smell it. I heard that stuff actually worked after scientific prodding. One of the few folk remedies that passed the acid te-- Ow. It still hurt to have it rubbed in, however gently she did it. I was sure she was being as careful as she could be, but that didn't mean it was painless. Still, I decided, I could have been far worse. She was soon wrapping gauze around my leg, softly tisking.
"I hope they punish the bad pony that did this to you. This just isn't right."
I thought back to which of them did that. It wasn't the captain. "I don't think punishing him more than what he gets for being involved is really needed." It was a 'following orders' situation, as lousy as an excuse as it was, I could imagine what stories he might have said to convince them I was a dangerous threat to Equestria.
The fact that they had submitted quickly when told to go await judgment was a plus in my book. Now the captain, he deserves everything he had coming... "Thanks for the first aid."
Water was looking at my pants, which were floating in her magic. "Torn and stained. I'll get right on that." She hopped down off the bed, her various herbs and bottles hiding themselves within her maid's uniform. "Don't you even worry about it."
I tried to stand up after her, but my leg was quick to remind me why that was a bad idea and I flopped back onto my ass with a soft hiss.
She looked over her shoulder at me. "You are to stay here. I'll be back once I pass this to another maid to clean and tailor and I'll bring some food for you both."
Easy snickered as Water left. "This is one of the few times maids get to give orders, when they're taking care of a sick person."
"I'm not sick." I slapped my good knee. "I want to know what's going on. Are things resolved?"
Easy perked an ear. "Not sure I could answer that for you, or anyone else, unless Celestia comes walking through the door there with answers." She glanced at the door as if that were a possibility. "No such luck..." She put her hooves on the bed beside me, reared up with her face close to mine. "For now, relax. You're at least getting room and board for your 'noble service.'"
There were other things... "I imagine Soft is reporting in about now."
"Mmm? Oh yeah." She hopped up, sitting down on her haunches beside me. "I didn't see that coming. Say, uh, boss, how's that treating you?" She waved a hoof at where skin transitioned to fur and downwards along my equine legs. "I know I give you grief sometimes, but I'm not trying to be mean. You alright?"
What had prompted that? "Thankfully whatever adjustment was involved didn't make walking normally out of the question." If I had been thrown forward on all fours, that would be a whole new, terrible, thing. Just imagining walking on two hooves and my hands like an awkward... thing... ugh. "I have to say, right now, being stabbed ranks higher on the 'things that make my body not the way I want it' meter."
"Can't argue that." She went quiet a moment. "Sorry. I mean... I tried to fight them, and you go and get stabbed anyway." She rubbed her forehooves together softly. "So, you know, sorry."
Was she feeling guilty? I hadn't expected it out of her. I reached for her, but she wasn't the kind of pony to idly accept a pet, shying away. "It wasn't your fault. If you hadn't been there, things could have gone a lot worse than they had." I didn't want to imagine what would have happened if it was just me against three armed guards. The best I could have hoped for was running past them, and spears are pretty good at stopping that from happening easily.
"Hey, I thought I was going to be a magician." She wobbled a hoof before rising up onto them. "Instead, I'm a manager, and a fighter. I didn't expect that last one especially..."
"I didn't expect a lot of what I've run into so far." I looked to the closed door. It struck me that I was still pantsless, with nothing covering unseemly things. Not that Easy seemed to care. "Do you still want to build?"
Suddenly her hooves were on my shoulders. She was reared up behind me, sliding her hooves past my shoulders until she fell on me, her head just beide mine. "That's what I signed up for. I mean, I won't build stuff, but I'll help you tell other people how to build something. We'll be an amazing building duo, right?"
I hadn't asked to get a mare as an ornament, but I smiled despite the surprise of it. "We'll get to it. If this... really is resolved, then things can start to heal."
"Why don't we start with the basics?" She bumped her head against mine. "That garbage pile of a city is no place to build great things in, I say."
She had a point, I thought to myself. "We'll talk to Celestia as soon as we can, see if we can't get those things handled. There's not a lot of reason we can't start our project while that's underway though. Not like she'll put us in charge of all sanitation."
She snorted, close enough that I could see how her nostrils flared in the motion. "You jinxed it. Now that's exactly what she'll do. I hope you're ready to be the Grand High Janitor of Canterlot, long may you reign."
I reached up and pushed her face off to the side. "There would be worse fates, but I think I can do more than that, given the chance."
She reared back and nipped at my hand, holding it without it hurting in a display of care and precision. "Like what? What other marvels do you have in that funny shaped head of yours that you're waiting to spring on us innocent little ponies?"
Still didn't know how ponies spoke with their mouths full. When I tugged at my hand, she let it go and I set it back at my side and a little back, propping me up on the bed. "There are more things than I can count, but I have to be realistic. Some of the things I'd really like require other things you don't have, and those require still other things, and other things for those too."
She reared up, pulling her hooves off of me and coming own on all fours, circling to my side once more. "What kind of kingdom do you come from? What sorts of things are you so used to, that..." She rolled a hoof. "Name one, just one thing, and tell me why we couldn't do it."
Why not something simple? "We have light whenever we want it, powered by electricity. Do you know what electricity is?"
"Oh, sure." Her horn began to crackle and jump with the stuff. "I can make that. I can make light too. What's so special there?"
I pointed up at my head with my other hand. "You'll note a lack of a horn. This is light anyone can use, without magic. We can summon and banish it with barely a gesture." I made a motion as if flicking on a light switch, then turning it back off. "It requires that the electricity be generated first. To do that requires a plentiful supply of different metals to create the generator, then to create the connections from the generator to wherever you wanted the power. If you don't insulate the connections--"
"--They get cold?" she interrupted with a guess.
"They might do that, but the problem is more that the electricity can escape. They can be wasted along the way, not to mention hurt animals or people who were too close. You have to have them insulated and usually either raised high or buried under the ground to try and avoid that. No one wants to get shocked." I gestured high and low as I talked, explaining the situation as best as I could.
"Alright, so you have electricity--" Her horn sparked for emphasis. "--and you put them in big cables. Does that work?" She looked around the room suddenly and reached a hoof towards a butter knife that had been discarded before. It zipped over to her, wrapped in her magic. "Let's try!" She pressed one end of the knife against her horn and reached up a hoof to hold the other end. Her magic faded from the knife. "If I can..." Her horn lit up, sparking. The spark jumped right down the knife and into her hoof and she yelped, dropping her hoof and the knife at the same time. "That hurts!"
I had to smile. That had been a painful but very practical lesson in the nature of electricity. "Electricity follows the path of least resistance. Air resists electricity, but metal does not, or does so a lot less, so it went through it, then through your hoof, and down to the ground, which is where it wants to be."
She was shaking her jolted hoof. "Is that what it feels like? Now I feel a little bad zapping those guards..." |
The Lightning Bringer | 28 - The War is Canceled | Several days had slipped by. My leg was feeling better, and my pants were repaired. Rumors were circulating around the castle, and I was known enough to get some of them. Psychic Granny had not weathered the assault she received, and the charges against the deposed council member had only increased as a result.
I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for him. He'd cost a lot of ponies a lot of time and blood, not to mention personally killing at least two of them, likely more. Had they already gained access to Tartarus? Seemed like a likely place for such a person. Easy had looked perplexed when I asked her about it. "That's just an old mare's tale," she scoffed, waving it away.
I was allowed to wander the castle, but not to leave it. Fortunately I had Easy to talk to at least, and books to pursue if I dared to approach the library again. A soft knocking rose my attention towards the door of my room.
"You have a guest," came Water's voice through the wood. "I believe you are familiar with them."
Easy glanced at me a moment before she called out, "open the door."
The door's knob glowed as it twisted and the door opened, revealing Water Lily and Soft. I smiled at the both of them and waved them inside. Soft took the invitation without hesitation, but Water stayed outside. "If I can get you anything, you have but to ask, but I'm on duty, sorry." She took her leave without waiting for much of a reply, the door closing behind her.
Soft nodded to me, then Easy. "Good to see you both. I come bearing felicitous news."
I hiked a brow. "She's calling off the war?"
"Exactly that." He pointed a hoof at me. "She's not happy with the spell being in two places, but that's a fair step higher than zero. Knowing the pony responsible is being brought to justice has eased things considerably." He sighed softly. "So much wasted, and for what?"
Easy rolled a hoof. "So a pony could feel important and roll around in undeserved bits?"
I grunted at that. "I'd love to hear his view of it, but I doubt I will, and it doesn't matter in the end." Looking to soft, I rolled a hand, "Any new word from court?"
"Only the one I will be delivering tomorrow morning. I had hoped I could talk you into coming." He cracked a little smile. "It would be a pleasure to have you in the crowd when I delivered the news. You did play a key role in ensuring it."
Easy leaned forward on her bed. "Is that invite for him only?"
"Perish the thought." He coughed into a hoof twice. "You are his manager, are you not? I wouldn't imagine he would come without you."
"Exactly." She bobbed her head, looking pleased. "Soon we'll get to things that need real managing."
"One thing." I held up two fingers. "You said two instead of zero, but they only named one city."
Soft chuckled softly at that, tapping the ground with a hoof. "Why, if they have a spell in some other city, there will be one here, in Canterlot. That goes without saying. Besides--" He raised a brow at me. "--you are going to make this city grow. I am uncertain exactly how true the methods you may bring are, but you have given us little reason to doubt you so far. You are earnest, if nothing else."
Easy waved the uncertainty away. "We're gonna make this the place to be. Ponies will be fighting for the right to live here." She grinned wide at me. "Right?"
"That's the goal." I rose up onto my relatively new hooves and felt the equally new tail swaying behind me. I had gone so very native. "I'll be there, tomorrow."
"You look unhappy." That was a casual reminder that I also had expressive pony ears, broadcasting my emotions and removing a lot of my deception ability.
I raised a hand to cover the fuzzy things as if that looked any less obvious. "I'm not used to having these, or these, or this." I pointed down to my hooves and back at my tail. "I'm not sad about coming to court, promise."
Easy shook her head. "They look nice enough at least. You could have gotten ugly pony parts."
"She has a point, if crudely stated." He turned for the door. "See you in the morning, Sir. Let's put this ugliness behind us."
Easy grabbed the door for him as I waved lightly, turning back to her. "We have somewhere to be."
"Yeah, tomorrow." She rolled her eyes as she said it. "Anything for the rest of today?"
I didn't have any grand ideas, just little ones. "Let's plumb."
She hiked a brow. "You're joking."
"Nope." I grabbed my phone and pulled up an article. "Let's start small and see how the pipes in the castle are laid out."
"What makes you so sure they have pipes?" She hopped down from her bed, trotting towards me for all of the few steps it took.
"They have tubs and it didn't look like they were bucket-filled," I reasoned as I stuffed the phone away. "Let's have a look."
"After you, Boss."
I led the way, heading directly for the bathing room. The door wasn't locked, but I didn't dare rush in. I rapped on it with the back of a hand. "Anyone in there?"
"Just me, Sir," came a soft voice. The door opened, revealing a maid. It wasn't Water, but she had a gentle smile much the same. "I was cleaning. Are you looking to bathe, Sir? I can assist." She noticed a pony behind me. "For two?"
I advanced into the room, the maid backing out of the way automatically. "I'm actually here to look at the bath, not use it. Can you bring me some tools? Hammers, screwdrivers, things like that?"
"Oh, um..." She looked obviously out of her element. "I'll see what I can do." She dashed off in a tizzy, likely racing for someone more knowledgeable in crafts to ask.
Easy walked behind me as I approached the bath. "It's full of water, to start. How do you empty the thing?" She looked left and right, scanning the area. "The tubs I used before you had to use buckets to fill, and you tipped them over when you were done."
I could easily imagine the metal basin she'd likely use. The porcelain work of art before us was not one of those. "There has to be something..." I looked along the walls, feeling them as I went. "Here we..." I felt the wall come up just a little, a hidden button? "Go." I pressed down on it.
The water didn't so much as flow down as it promptly ceased to be, sparkling faintly as it went. "Magic," I sighed out sadly. Effective? Sure, but I was trying to engineer, not magic it... I sank down beside the empty bathing tub, all clean and sparkling as if there hadn't been bathwater waiting to be used.
Easy, on the other hoof, was busy clapping her hooves with obvious joy. "Wow, that was great. I should have thought of that. Why wouldn't the palace have magical artifacts for silly little things like that? Why are you looking glum?" She walked over and casually reared up next to me. "You're much more honest these days."
"Wha--" I didn't get to finish my question as she nipped one of my hanging ears. I pushed her away even as she laughed. "I was hoping for a non-magical setup. I can't do much with one powered by magic."
"Why not? Isn't magic easier?" She tilted her head a little, looking genuinely baffled.
"But not every person in this kingdom has that." I waved at the empty tub. "How expensive do you figure this trick is? If you wanted your tub to fill up with hot water whenever you pressed a button, how costly would that be?"
Easy frowned, considering it from the look of it. "Not cheap," she settled. "Maybe after I'm rich and famous."
"Exactly." I tapped at the porcelain side of the tub. "The answers I'm aiming for are for everyone, not just the richest of the rich. That explains the lack of a drain." Without the water and suds in the way, I could easily see that the tub was entirely sealed with no such need for any outlet for the water.
"I've seen those." Easy nodded firmly. "If you don't like tipping your tub out, just open the drain and let it come out." She made a twisting motion with her hooves. "Just like that. Kind of handy. Dad never installed one on our tub, cheapskate that he is."
I felt a smile coming on and my ears perking up. "Just like that, but both ways. You open a drain that keeps fresh water out of the tub and it comes in. You open a drain on the other end and the water goes out when you're done bathing."
Her eyes shined. "That would be fantastic, but you'd need a lot of water to do that, right? Always right there, waiting to pour into your tub." She sank to her haunches. "You plan to make that much water ready for anyone?"
The door swung open as the maid returned with another pony, a stallion in very clear wizardly attire. The stallion wore a pointed hat and had a long beard. He was not Star Swirl, but easily fit in the same mold. "I was told someone wanted to interfere with the tub?" He saw us there at the side and hurried over, leaving the maid behind. "What is the meaning of this?"
I scrambled to my feet, which I didn't have. They were more hooves really, and as if in objection to my thinking of them that way, they slipped, and I went over into the tub. Magic glittered around me, pulling me back up to stand beside the tub, the wizard's horn glowing. "As I was saying?"
Not the best way to make an impression. "Nice to meet you. I'm--"
"Mister Langerman, the princess' pet." He gestured in a slow roll. "I am not that sequestered in my studies. Why are you interfering with this fine work of enchantment?"
"He's an engineer!" hotly defended Easy, moving between me and the wizard.
I gently nudged her back to the side. "I'm investigating how water is moved in the castle. I had thought this was a feat of engineering, but it was, instead, a work of magic."
He cocked a bushy brow. "Engineering? The word is foreign, but, yes, it is magic, and, permitting, it will remain." He strode past me, his glowing horn turning towards the hidden button. The tub refilled with hot water, bubbling faintly as soaps were apparently added automatically. "Is there anything wrong with it, Mr. Langerman?"
"Quite impressive, really." I waved a hand at it. "How much would it be if I wanted such a tub for myself?"
"More than you will likely ever have," he stated flatly as if it were a simple truth. "You..." He paused just long enough to look up at my head and back to my face. "--have no horn, so teaching you the principles would be a waste of time for all involved."
I didn't suspect learning magic would help me much. "My methods are different. I think I've learned all I can from this. Nice work."
"Of course." He tipped his head towards me before turning to the maid. "Make sure he didn't break anything," he hissed as if I couldn't hear, and he tromped off, likely angry that I had disturbed whatever study he had been in the middle of.
The maid walked up to us with a nervous smile. "I'm sure you did nothing wrong, Sir, Ma'am. He's just like that. Don't be too angry with him." |
The Lightning Bringer | 29 - Unanimous Vote | I spent the rest of the day digging up information about how the rest of Equestria got its water. The ponies were not without their tricks. They knew how to move water, and that was good. If I had to go over even those basics, we'd never reach the point I was aiming for. It was also comforting to know 'magic' was not always the default answer.
Most of the books I had seen seemed to imply that was an answer out of reach of the average pony. Good. No surprises should come from the idea of handling it without magic then.
"Are you done reading?" sighed out Easy. "It's late, I'm hungry, and we have court tomorrow."
I couldn't entirely argue with her. "Let's get something. Good job."
"Huh?" She tilted her head at me.
"You're already managing." I pointed a finger at her as I shut the book I had been browsing.
She sat up with a proud smile. "As if there was any doubt? I'll keep you on track." She hopped up to her hooves and we went off to the dining hall.
We ate, chatted, and slept. My rest was interrupted by a warm and fuzzy presence. Water had slid in beside me, snuggling beneath the blanket.
"I'm going to fix it," she whispered urgently. "Just wait... We'll have your wonderful skin back where it should be."
She was moving in a frisky way, and I had little reason to turn it down, so it was an evening well spent. If we were to become a permanent thing, some part of me might have been alright with that alien bit of anatomy, since it fit her so well. Besides, what man hadn't fantasized about that part at least once?
Water was gone by the time I woke up, and I was clean as if she had never been there. She was a maid first. I had to respect that in a way.
"Enjoy your visit?" snickered Easy, a hoof over her mouth as if to clumsily hide her mirth.
"We didn't bother you, I hope?" I started getting dressed for court, gussying up as was proper.
"What, me? Nah..." She waved it away. "You two really have a thing going, don't you? Gonna take her hoof and marry her? I bet she's waiting for you to ask."
From what I knew... "Don't ponies lean towards matriarchy?"
"What? Sure, but it's usually the stallion that pops that question. Besides, she's a maid. Assuming authority is so far outside her usual day, I wouldn't expect her to take the lead in that." She hopped down from the bed, stretching out. "Didn't answer the question. Do you want to marry her? Do you like her back, or just being a randy stallion, enjoying the fun?"
It wasn't as if I wasn't enjoying the fun, but Water was a person too. "We should get to court. We'll see how much Water wants to be around when I start working outside this castle and we both get dirty."
Easy strode for the door easily. "Already ahead of ya, boss. Today we watch, right? Easy."
We worked through the halls to join the line that was already formed in front of the court doors. Soft was not there, or at least not near us. Some of the other nobles watched us, or more me, but most were busy having little conversations about upcoming things they wanted to bring up at court.
"Pardon," inquired a female to my right. The tall and slender unicorn was looking me up and down. "I've been meaning to ask you a few questions, if you've the time?"
I didn't know who she was, but I figured that was true for a lot of ponies. They knew me, from the fuss I'd made. "What's up?"
She glanced upwards as if something may actually be there, but they fell quickly to me. "Is it true you've run clandestine operations on Princess Celestia's behalf?"
That was a touchy question! "I've done nothing illicit or underhanded."
She smiled a little. "Good to hear. Tell me, what is your goal? You don't have a house."
"No I do not," I easily agreed. Being the only human, trying to lie about that would only be good for laughs. "I just want to make Equestria a better place."
She hike a brow at me, her long tail curling a little. "Noble words, but empty pretty words are easy to speak, strange sir. We all want for something, you would be better speaking of those wants, rather than to claim you have none."
Easy was suddenly between us, popping right between my legs to get in the way. "Look, it isn't complicated," she huffed out. "He's one of those ponies that wants to be remembered in books, maybe get a statue or three for leaving a legacy worth remembering. That isn't so strange is it?"
The mare recoiled in surprise, but it turned to a smile moment's later. "That is understandable. Thank you." She nodded to Easy gently. "And you are?"
I interjected that time, "This is Easy Breeze, my manager."
"She manages you?" asked the noble looking unicorn.
"I manage things for him, and sometimes him. Whatever needs managing, I'm there." She thumped her chest with a proud grin. "The door's opening. Let's go."
We filed into the court, taking our seats. The mare whose name I hadn't gotten did not sit near us, but Soft appeared, sinking down beside us. "Good morning. I'll be giving my announcement. Please wish me luck, and thank you both for coming."
I sat up in my chair. "You sound nervous."
"And why would I not be?" He raised a brow. "Though I am the bearer of good news, it will be tacit confession that I had contact with her before now. Few will believe that she suddenly picked an entirely random pony to make this announcement through. If it should come to it, I do hope you two will speak on my behalf." He cleared his throat softly. "I only meant the best for all involved."
The council arrived, minus two. Psychic Granny would not be returning... And the war-mongerer was gone. Had he been punished properly? What was that punishment? I wondered silently as they began the ritual with the greeting of the sun, speaking their thanks for those who sacrificed themselves to bring us this far.
Celestia nodded to the crowd, her eyes sweeping over me an instant, seeing me, but not lingering there. "There are now two holes in our ranks, holes we cannot abide. This is not a matter of disrespect for those who have vacated them--"
"--Except one," shouted out a mare, getting soft chuckles around her.
Celestia coughed into a hoof. "As I was saying, the government must go on. Now is the time to step forward, should you have interest in assuming this heavy responsibility."
Hooves rose, glares were given and received. A few loud shouts got some hooves to lower as ponies bullied and socially shoved to scare some right out of the race before it properly began.
The female council member nodded. "I've taken down the names of those stepping forward. We'll be in touch."
Soft stood up. "Forgive my interruption, Council, but I have dreadfully important news to share."
Celestia's ears perked right up towards Soft. "Yours is not a face I typically associate with rudeness. Soft Touch, what inspires you to stand up so suddenly?"
Soft bowed his front forward. "I bring word from her. She is willing to step down from her agressions and return to civilian life, if she is permitted to do so. The civil war can be over at your word, with her followers disbanding simultaneously, provided amnesty is offered to them in return for peace, that Equestria may advance as a unified people once more."
Celestia looked left and right, meeting the surprised looks of the other council members. They all leaned in closed to one another, heated whispers going back and forth before the stallion sat up, hoof raised. "If she is willing to put aside her desire for war, we will not be outdone in the name of peace."
The mare nodded quickly. "Any pony that sets down their weapon and returns to more gainful employment within the next moon will be forgiven and welcome in society."
Celestia inclined her head softly. "Starting with her spy."
Soft tensed even as he bowed again. "I am... overjoyed to see this ugly affair set down for the betterment of the nation."
Celestia raised a hoof lightly. "You, Soft, I confess to surprise... Still, the motion passes." All three of them brought down a hoof as one, clopping the decree into existence. "Tell them, they have until the end of the next moon to disperse. Those who remain ready for battle will be treated as outlaws."
"I always knew he was up to something," whispered a pony a row or two back from me. Other similar grumbles spread. Poor Soft had taken a severe social hit doing what he did. Would he ever be fully trusted again?
I reached over and laid a hand on his head, making him jump. I really should have stopped touching ponies so casually, but they were so pettable. "Soft, want to join my team? I could use a pony skilled with how noble channels flow."
His ears perked, the fur tickling the underside of my arm. "I... I would be delighted to help."
I had a feeling other jobs options would be dry for him for a while. Everyone would know he was a spy. I wasn't mad at him, and his working for me would help his reputation recover if we got things done.
"Just, um, Sir." He pointed up at my hand still resting on his head, his horn between two fingers. "We're not that familiar, Sir."
I pulled my hand back in a flash. "Sorry." How would I explain that they were just nice to pet? No reasonable way. I could lie and say humans did that, but they usually didn't pet one another. "With this war officially moving out of the picture, we can get to planning the next step."
He tilted his head faintly, looking past me towards Easy. "Is there a next step in mind?"
"Nope," she replied without hesitation. "But there's gonna be one." She raised a hoof, pointing at the council that was speaking on other matters. "We need to talk to them. If bits aren't being wasted on this stupid war, maybe we can get our hooves on some to start real work."
That reminded me. "There is a matter of the union." Trying to cut them out would create a ripple of bad feelings that could cripple the project in the long term. "Let's go see what they need, and being a member may have other advantages when it comes time to start building."
Soft nodded softly. "Very good, Sir, Ma'am. Shall I see to their needs?"
Could he do that? It was tempting... "I should probably put my own hands on that. I have a feeling they'll be deeply involved with this project. I'll want you there, mind. Let's reconvene after court and get started with that."
We shared a nod of agreement, a shared purpose in our chests. It felt good, to be reaching for what I had come for in the first place.
"Miss Breeze?" asked Celestia, looking to Easy Breeze, who was waving a hoof excitedly. "You are not on the docket. The court recognizes you for just one minute. Please proceed."
Easy sat up tall, clearing her throat. "We've done everything asked of us. We want to get building. Can we have some budget put aside for that soonish? We're ready to go!"
That was not how I would have put it. It was not how Soft would have put it either, gauging from his subtle look of surprise from Easy's direct approach. |
The Lightning Bringer | 30 - Budgetary Concerns | The mare, not Celestia, raised a hoof. "It falls to me to oversee the budgetary needs of local projects. I will hear your proposals outside of court and give it proper consideration." She nodded towards Celestia. "We should move on."
"Agreed. Next on the docket..." Court proceeded as if the war wasn't even a topic. Things were still tense, and people had plenty of needs that weren't being met, but I wanted to think that would start to change. As the rebels found their ways home to jobs and it become a fading memory, ponies could focus on more important things.
When the court adjourned, ponies began to filter out. "I hope she paid well," spat a random stallion at Soft before stomping out with the rest. Soft grumbles implied others shared the idea. Soft shrank a little with a sigh.
"I knew what I was signing on for," he consoled himself. I really wanted to pet him right about then. He looked like a puppy that had been kicked and I wanted to make it all better again. I kept my hands away from him though.
I kept it professional. "Let's go see a union."
"Let's." That was not him, or Easy. I turned to see the rounded form of Miss Mason, the guild mistress, standing there with a raised brow. "We were just going to ask about that. It seems you've been quite busy... Mmm, and union? We don't go by that name. Let's put that aside." She tossed her head towards the exit. "Shall we go have a chat? We have so much that needs to be settled. Now, preferably."
Easy waved her hooves a bit wildly. "We were just going to go looking for you!"
"How fortunate." She did not look away from me. "Then we both want to talk. Let's go."
When all three of us started for the exit, Miss Mason peered at Soft. "Why is he coming?"
I put out a hand between him and Mason. "He's with us. You should be thankful he helped broach the agreement that will see bits flowing freely into your, and your guildmate's, coffers."
Her brows went up together. "Mmm? There's another side of this? I want to hear." She moved on, her retinue drifting behind her. The matter of Soft was put to rest for the moment.
We all burst free of the courtroom. While most ponies were scattering, some in pairs or triplets, we were a large group of guild members and my plucky group of three. There was a place I could remember in town. It was one of the cleanest places, which is why it was fresh on the mind. "I know a place we can enjoy a nice lunch and talk business."
Mason's expression brightened. "Have you been studying me? I'm charmed. Very well, lead on, good sir. I will be judging your choice."
It was in part because she was large, but I was also just hungry after a waiting through all of the court session. "This way." I led all the ponies, my two hooves joining the small riot of clip-clops behind me. This was more like how I imagined coming to Equestria to be like, talking to important ponies and getting things done. I liked it.
The city was a mess. That hadn't changed the instant of the announcement. That would have been nice, but not terribly realistic. I wove through the streets determinedly. "I saw this place when we were doing the city survey."
Easy snorted softly. "And you never invited me to it? Boss!"
I held up a hand. "I'm doing that right now." There it was. It had nice little curtains out front and the street around it was clean, the tiles scrubbed and fresh. "This one."
Mason nodded as she approached. "A fine choice, if a little on the pricey side. I trust this is a sign of what is to come?" She laughed as she took the lead, guiding the way up the small steps to the door.
It opened just before she reached it, another pony standing in the doorway, a unicorn. "This way, madame. Party of..." His head bobbed and I could imagine him counting us quickly. "Ten?" When she nodded, he pointed to a table and pulled the door wider for the rest of us to proceed.
The interior was brightly lit. Soft music played from nowhere, with not a band in sight. It was some sort of classical arrangement, but they weren't playing any song I could claim familiarity with. The image of a ponified Beethoven hopped to my mind.
The table we were directed to was large enough to comfortably seat ten ponies in a circle, with a low and wide seat with a cushion for each of them. I flopped into mine with less than complete grace. Pony legs were tricky to get used to, especially when the rest of you wasn't built the same.
A waiter hurried over with a smile. "Hello and welcome! It's an honor to see such dignified guests." He was looking at Miss Mason in particular. That didn't surprise me. "Let's start with drinks--"
She held up a hoof for quiet and he stopped talking instantly. "Get my ponies a large barrel of beer and enough steins for the lot of them." She turned her hoof to herself. "I'll take a whiskey, top shelf." She looked over towards me with a silent question.
I would have ordered a soda, but those didn't exist. Water wasn't as safe as it could have been. "I'll take a light wine. Easy, Soft?"
Easy thrust up a hoof. "Give me..." Her hoof began to fall. "I... what do you suggest?"
The waiter gestured to a broad wall of liquor options. Bottles on bottles. "We just got a fresh bottle in just today. It smells exquisite, if you are partial to brandies?"
"That." She nodded firmly. "I'll try that."
"Excellent." He looked to Soft.
Soft shook his head. "I'll take whatever fresh fruit beverage is available."
"We have a pear-based slice of pleasure. I know you'll like it." He made a final note with a floating quill. "I'll be right back."
The moment he was out of earshot, Mason's ears turned towards me. "Now let's begin. Do you see us as an obstacle to be worked around, Mister Langerman?"
I set my hands down flat on the table. "On the contrary. You know the area. You know the people who work here. I haven't reached out to you yet because I had nothing to offer you."
"Mmm?" She eyed me, perhaps with suspicion, but I couldn't quite place it. "You do wish to build things, do you not?"
"Not myself." I offered a hand towards her. "I have ideas and notions. Others will do the heavy lifting, and others need to oversee them." I moved the same hand to gesture at Easy. "Hence getting a manager to start."
Easy saluted sharply. "Reporting for duty."
"But she isn't a builder."
"What? I mean, no, I guess not." Easy rubbed behind her head. "Still a manager..."
Mason smiled brightly. "I think I have an understanding. You did not join the guild because you never intend to." She leaned forward, that smile deepening. "And you never intend to because you want to hire the guild, not take part in it."
I nodded towards her. "Exactly. There was a workgroup that I hear has ties with the guild, led by one Work Pants? Good pony. I'd like him on the project."
Mason jerked at that, ears going upright. "Him?! But--" She fell off abruptly as several waiters approached. A large keg of beer was set by her minions to enjoy, steins placed out with them, one in front of each pony. A delicate glass was put in front of me and filled tall, as the others were served theirs. Different drinks had different glasses. I heard there was a point to that, but I didn't remember it at the time.
I lifted my glass in a uniquely human way I doubted the ponies would match, the stem between pointer and middle finger. "I propose a toast, to making the city better, one laid brick at a time."
Soft raised his glass in his magic. "To successful partnerships."
Easy's glass lifted up, glowing with her magic. "To brighter tomorrows!"
Miss Mason would not be outdone. She lifted her wider glass with a sultry smile. "Let's clean up this city. As you said, one brick at a time." Glasses and steins met in a chorus of tinks and clanks. "Now then... Why him? He hasn't performed a project in some time... I can get you quality ponies, a dozen of them, tomorrow. You have but to name the location."
He wasn't even a member of the guild anymore. I knew that. I knew she knew that. She was trying to discourage my choice without telling me that. Work Pants needed the work, and I was sure he'd work hard and long. He'd also drag his people with him, and they could do something besides mug ponies on the street. "I feel he is the perfect fit. Besides, now that this little... incident is over, there's no reason not to get him back to work where he can do the most good."
She frowned a little, but it eased away. "Speaking of that." Her eyes darted to Soft. "Tell me how he put bits in my purse."
Soft tipped his head as he took a sip from his glass. "That I can answer, ma'am. I was a communication channel between the lady in question and the going-ons of the court. It was my intervention that helped end it as soon as it did, and with it, money can go towards better things."
Easy thrust forward a hoof. "Like building!"
"Yes, like that." He nodded towards her before looking back at Mason. "I am quite glad the matter has been put to rest. I have already pledged my services to Mister Langerman to see to that building."
I set my glass down, half-drained. "Without him, there would be at least another three months of this fruitless war, possibly more. I'm very certain of that figure. Similarly--" I leaned forward a little, hands crossing and fingers interweaving. "Work Pants proved himself in this task, assisting me in a dangerous trip to put this matter to bed. He never once complained despite the hardships, and was always ready to work. I want him on the project."
Admitting bias seemed to ease her. "Returning a favor, are we?" She tapped a hoof lightly on the table, then glared at the waiter when he went past. "Dinner, bring it."
"Yes, Ma'am!" He hurried away in a rush.
"As I was saying." She brought her forehooves together. Was she imitating me? Flattery, or was she trying to show she could be sympathetic. I'd read about that sort of thing. Copy what the other person did to look more familiar. "Very well then. I will reach out to him and see if he'll accept the job. That does depend on the exact nature of the project." She leaned forward, her chin touching where her hooves met. "Which means I want specifics, now if you would be so kind. What is it you plan to build with my ponies?"
"Water!" exclaimed Easy in a blurt. Many eyes turned to her and she went quiet.
"It starts with water," I agreed. "But hardly ends there. The first leg of the project is to get clean water flowing into this city, running directly into pony's homes where they can use it as they wish. No public wells and their related problems." I extended a pointer and swayed it between each unicorn present. "No magic either. Nothing but clever brickwork and gravity will get the water where we want it, ready to drink, wash, do laundry, or anything else a pony might want."
She softly hummed. |
The Lightning Bringer | 31 - Project Review | We began to hash out details. I brought out my phone to show some pictures of some of the things I wanted. "I'm thinking a ram pump is--"
"Ram pump?" Mason frowned at me. "Explain."
"Alright, there is a source of water, right? One primary place the water comes from?" I waved vaguely, not knowing where it was.
"Sure." She firmly nodded. "There are two sources." She raised a hoof. "Magic." She raised her other forehoof. "A spring a small walk from the city."
"We'll ignore that first one. Is this spring above or below the city?"
"Below." She rolled her eyes. "As if it would be that easy, Water Bringer."
Easy gestured grandly at him. "I bet he already has an answer. Show 'em, Boss."
I flipped to a diagram. "A ram pump uses the power of falling water to send water flowing uphill."
Mason's brows fell as one. "You're going to have to explain that a little better."
"Falling water has energy. If you've ever felt it dropping on you, you know that, right?"
"Yeah?" She rolled a hoof before taking a sip of her whiskey. "Mm, right, as it falls, certainly, until it hits something, then it's gone. What of it?"
"Energy is never 'gone', just moving." I could see their confused looks, all of them. "Alright, so you get a lot of water to flow down, then you trap it when it's moving fast and squeeze it right back up." I trailed a finger along the parts of the pump at work. "There are only two moving parts, so it shouldn't need a lot of upkeep. We need water coming up here, right to the city. After that, we start getting it right where we want it."
Soft inclined his head a little. "If the water is coming in through a single pipe, you could enchant the pipe to clean the water."
Easy clopped her forehooves. "Great idea! One little enchantment could clean everypony's water. It wasn't, you know, practical to do that for a whole spring, but one pipe? That wouldn't be hard."
Mason shook her head. "I don't entirely grasp how... that works, but we'll get it built. We'll lay the pipes and make sure they're sealed and ready for the water. You'll need smiths for this pump of yours. I know a few, and can put you in contact. When do we start this little experiment?"
I curled my thumb, hiking it towards the castle. "We have to meet with the budgeting council member and get funds set aside for exactly this. Once I have a specific amount, we can start."
Mason smiled, a full-face expression. "Then it has been a pleasure. You will find our organization treats its clients well, and you are now one of them." She offered a hoof towards me. "Apologies for the misunderstandings before. Let's put that quite behind us and get to building."
One of her subordinates gave a soft clopping, soon joined by the others. One of them, a mare, raised a hoof in a thrust. "To new projects!" A cry that was soon joined by the others.
Easy grinned widely. "Time for dinner? I'll have to manage soon, and a good manager needs food."
"As you request." Waiters showed up, not one, but about three, working together to get plates and dishes all across the table, ready for the dinner. "Please, enjoy," bid the original waiter, dipping his head. "It's always a pleasure, Ma'am."
Mason tittered softly. "As if I could stay away. Now run along." She made a gentle shooing motion and the waiters vanished. "You picked this place just to grease the wheels... An excellent choice."
I hadn't! I had no idea she knew of the place, or frequented it. I didn't say that. "Let's enjoy dinner."
"I'll cover this." She nodded towards the feast. "You aren't paid until after you speak with the council, is that not right?"
I considered fishing out some of the bits I had, hot to defend my honor! I realized even as my hand twitched towards a pocket that it would be a bad idea. She was trying to show generosity and a willingness to treat her clients favorably. Insisting on paying my part would just insult her and sour things. "Thank you. Your reputation is well-deserved."
She grinned a little. "All of it, good and bad. Tonight, we eat." Her horn glowed and brought some food to her waiting snout. Talking was over.
The food was quite good, allow me to say. I won't bore you with the details of it, but it did make me think. All ponies needed to be just as happy. Maybe not eating as fancy of foods, but in a clean place, safe and secure as they did so. That wasn't too much to ask for them, I decided. I would do my part to bring it to them.
Still... They had mentioned magic. Magic in my marvelous engineering! ... Was that so bad? A little magic to filter things actually sounded pretty good, and if it was at the start of the system, it would service everyone at once, instead of being a luxury good each person required. We just needed to keep the pipes clear and ready.
But who would actually be doing that enchantment? "Mason, do you have a recommendation on that enchantment?"
Easy suddenly prodded me in the side. "You have a star spellcaster right next to you and you don't even ask her?!"
Soft hiked a brow across me towards Easy. "Are you capable of such feats?"
"Well, no, still..." She tapped her forehooves lightly together. "Should have asked..."
Mason swallowed what she had been working on. "I know a few ponies, but I bet the council could arrange a royal caster, even better." She rolled a hoof. "Take advantage of the position you're in. I'll get it built, but they'll get it cast. Not the same thing."
"Sounds like a plan." I glanced aside at Easy. "You were here to be a performer, and became a manager. I didn't dare believe you could fit even more awesome into one package."
She burst into a rough laughter. "Flatterer! Forgiven." She floated up her mostly-drained glass. "To having a great boss."
"I'll raise to that." Soft brought up his own glass in his magic, tinking it against Easy's lightly. "I look forward to starting. Do we have an appointment with the council?"
"We don't," I admitted. "I was going to look into that tomorrow. I presume this case calls for a meeting outside the courtroom."
"It does, and you will leave it to me." He gestured to his chest. "I know my way around that. I'll have the meeting arranged by sundown tomorrow, though I can't assure the meeting itself will take place then."
Mason waved it away. "The palace moves at its own speed." Leaning forward a little, she smirked at me. "The important part is having their eyes, and you have that. That makes you valuable."
A valuable thing she planned to make use of, I gathered. At least the food was good. "Hopefully we'll push past this part soon enough and get started. It's why I came here."
Mason hiked a brow. "That eager to leave your mark on the world?"
"I want to leave it better than I found it." I smiled a little, thinking of the future Equestria, where clean water wasn't even a thought. I knew it was possible.
Soft inclined his head faintly. "You have the look of someone with a vision... Like you can just see the project already completed."
Easy pointed at Soft. "And you don't? You took a big risk... for a reason, right? I mean, it wasn't the easy way out, that's for sure."
"No... That it was not." He coughed softly into a hoof. "I'm glad it's behind us, however well it is resolved now." His eyes fell towards my equine legs. "At what point do you intend to repair yourself?"
"Is that an option?" I hiked a brow. "Poison joke isn't a very well understood phenomenon at this point."
"This point?" He frowned with thought. "Then go to the point where it is known?"
Well, crap. I had used bad phrasing there. "Sorry, misspoke. No one has the answer to this. There's no cure, so I'm stuck with it." I wiggled my hooves, wobbling them a bit where they rested on the floor. "It's not all bad."
He cracked a little smile. "I should imagine being a pony isn't a terrible thing, or so I have discovered... Still, it is not what you were. I would be quite vexed to become... what you were, Sir. No offense towards you, but it is not what I am."
Easy suddenly nudged against me. "He's a stallion with his eyes on the prize! He wants to build things and get things done and who cares if he gets a few hooves or a tail along the way?"
That wasn't an entirely incorrect way of viewing it... "I'm still hoping Water figures something out."
"Water?" Mason looked over from her meal with some curiosity.
Easy waved it away. "Just a friend we have that knows a lot about plants, like the one that gave Ian here a set of handsome hooves."
"Wait, they're handsome?" Could hooves be handsome?
Easy burst into laughter. "I mean, they would be, but then they lead to the rest of your weird body. Water likes it though, so it isn't a total loss."
One of the stallions with Mason lifted a mug in his magic. "To new projects!"
"They already said that. Is your horn poking you the wrong way?" A fellow beside him gave him a rough nudge, both laughing for it.
It was a perfectly fine dining experience. We parted ways after that with smiles and waves. I supposed they had little reason to be upset anymore. I went from a potential rival to a potentially-lucrative client in an instant. That was a better place to be... I fiddled with my phone on the way back.
Soft took his leave with a bow. "I do not have leave to stay here, in the castle. I will return in the morrow and secure that appointment for you, Sir. Have no doubt."
"I trust you to see to that." I tucked the phone away to offer a hand. He met it with a hoof, though he looked a little bemused when I shook his hoof.
Easy snorted softly. "Next time just ball up your hand." She put out her hoof, Soft already gone. "Tap it."
A hoofbump, right. "I blame the drink." I met her offered hoof with a soft thump of my knuckles. "I have to make sure a ram pump is the best solution. We should go see that spring and what kind of situation we'll be looking at. If it flows in a river, that gives us a lot more power to work with."
She tilted her head left and right. "Oh, like a mill? Except... instead of grinding oats and things, you're moving water."
I had to smile at that. "Yes, exactly. That's another kind of pump we could use. There are countless ways to get water moving, we just have to pick the one that will work for this situation."
We were arriving back at our room. Opening the door revealed a pony with her head already bowed towards us. Water smiled brightly. "I had hoped you would return soon."
I reached for her head. She liked it when I touched her, so there was no foul there. I think she likes the feel of my bare skin against her fur. Good thing too, since I liked the feel of her fur against my skin. I gently stroked one of her ears. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting long, Water."
"Just a few minutes," she assured, though I didn't feel certain. She could have waited hours and would likely report the same. "Now that you are back, may we forget formalities?"
That was her way of saying 'I want to be your girlfriend now and not a maid.'
"Let's." I closed the door behind the snickering Easy. She knew what we would likely be doing, and it only amused her. |
The Lightning Bringer | 32 - Magic Consultation | I sat across a desk from a pony stroking their beard. "Hmm," he mused softly. "A curious request."
"A simple thing." Underplaying the importance and magnitude of its effects seemed prudent. "The focus is on longevity and ruggedness. All it has to do it clean any water passing through a pipe. I want nothing but pure water coming through. Not even the tiniest specks of anything else should get past." I wasn't quite ready to break his mind with germ theory.
"And what would be done with what it catches?" he asked with a raised brow. "Destroy it?"
"What are the options, and their costs?"
"Lay it all out," spoke Easy, reminding me that she was there. "So we can make a pick."
"Well, destroying all that is not-water will cost the most to start, but be least likely to have long term issues." He tapped his hooves together lightly. "The most expensive part of this process will be procuring Pure Water." He said it with capital letters, you could tell. "That never comes cheaply, but is required for the creation of magic that creates entirely pristine water, either wholecloth or rendering existing water. You're looking for the latter, if I understand correctly?"
"Right." But... "If Pure Water is literally pure water, I think I can arrange that."
His brows went up together. "Can you?" His horn glowed, setting an ornate jug down in front of us. "I will require this to be filled then. It should be clear enough to be entirely transparent and taste of nothing but water. It will be the example the magic will cleave to and strive for."
"This may be a silly question..." I reached for the jug, drawing it closer. "But why not take already pure water from an existing water production point? That would be free and easily available."
He smiled softly. "You would think that. I can't even hold offense to the thought. Every mage thinks that until corrected. Water created wholecloth by magic is subtly different than true Pure Water. Using created water as Pure Water creates an unfavorable taste and texture, and we do not suggest it. This is why it is costly, for it must be done right."
Except I knew how to filter water, especially manually and for one specific purpose rather than building a filter that would last years on my own. "I'll provide that, without magic."
"I look forward to what you can do," he said with some doubt in his voice. "Putting that aside, if you can do that, you've removed much of the cost. The enchantment in this case is rudimentary. We can place it on a ring to be fit snugly around the pipe to be cleaned. Will you be providing a ring of the correct size?"
I felt like we were making progress. "I can work that out. Besides fitting on the pipe tightly, how large should it be?"
He held up two hooves about an inch apart. "This wide. A little longer will give us more room, but no smaller. If you're providing the ring, we can't start until you bring it to me." His ears suddenly perked. "Ah, do use the purest metals."
"Define pure?"
Easy thrust up a hoof. "He means it should be free of rust, dirt, and other things like that. It should be nice and shiny, inside and out."
The mage nodded. "As she said. Cut-rate smiths may produce metals lacking in that, and magic does not hold as well to such metal. If you want it to last, make sure to use only the finest materials."
Stainless steel would be nice... but extremely beyond Equestria's current industrial base. "I'll find a quality smith and return with the ring, and the Pure Water." I hefted the jug. "So if I'm providing both of those, what will the cost be?"
"Then all that would remain for us to do is place the final spell on the ring. Are you certain you would not want water created? It's much more reliable." He furrowed his brows a little. "We can fill a tub in moments without issue."
I wanted to fill all the tubs in the entire city... "That reminds me. Assuming this was placed around a pipe, would there be a limit in how much water can pass through it or how quickly it flowed to be effectively cleaned."
He snorted at that. "Provided you don't damage the pipe, our magic will operate on all water that passes through it. Be mindful living things don't pass through... it would end poorly for them."
That was good, but also meant we should avoid allowing fish to slam into the deadly magical trap, though... "I'll bear that in mind, thank you."
"So what's the cost?" asked Easy with no subtlety.
I held up a hand at that. "This will not be the only project I have, just the first."
That seemed to relax him. I figured he was hoping I would be an opportunity for funds, just as Mason had. "That will vary partially based on the size of the ring. But to give an estimate..." A paper slid forward with numbers spread across it, showing different sizes to different costs.
What intrigued me right away was that the larger rings cost less to enchant. "Query, if the ring was broken, so it could be easily attached to the pipe and clasped into place, would that affect things?"
The mage shrugged softly. "Bring it to us already clasped. It will not function until it is clasped again. If that is all, I should resume my duties. It was a pleasure." He nodded lightly but made no motion to move.
It was our turn to get out. We said our goodbyes and departed, a jug in my hands. Easy hopped ahead lightly in a sprightly trot. "Well that went well. Those numbers don't even look too scary. I mean, I wouldn't want to pay it, but for what you're doing, not bad."
I needed a better feel for Equestrian economy and how far the bit went. From what I had experienced so far, the rings weren't cripplingly expensive. About 3 of the dinners we had enjoyed for all the ponies present to get something that would last for quite some time and service so many other ponies?
"I can see why a common pony couldn't afford anything like it."
Easy nudged into me. "There was a reason he tried to talk you up into making water. Bet it's more expensive."
"And slower." A tub in moments really was nothing for an entire city's demands. "Next step:"
"--Wait for Soft?"
An option, but... "I'd rather have a look at the water source. No matter how Soft's efforts go, we need to know the lay of the land." I hiked a thumb towards the exit. "Ready for a hike?"
She stuck out her tongue, but veered towards the exit through the halls. "Yes, Sir. Pity I never learned how to teleport."
I walked alongside her, watching the guards standing at their stations and the nobility that filtered through the halls with us. "How hard is that kind of magic?" Twilight could do it, in the future, and Starlight, but that was only two confirmed unicorns out of untold others.
"Simple, in theory." She twitched an ear. "In practice, complicated. The penalties for messing up are pretty high too. I'd rather walk for a good few tens of years than teleport wrong for a day, you know?"
We emerged from the castle into the light of day. A guard cleared his throat. "Sir, should I call a carriage?"
When did I get carriage access? "If one can take us to the edge of town, closest to the water source?"
"Of course, Sir." He dipped his head and left. There was another guard there, the post not unattended.
Easy laughed triumphantly. "Or we can ride in style, that works too. They must be starting to like you in there, Boss."
"Us. They like us."
Her smile only grew. "Yeah. Let's go check out that water."
A carriage eventually came up to the steps and we went down to meet it. The interior was simple and soft and we were born along bouncily through the streets. The best part was perhaps that fragrances in the wagon kept most of the foul odors in the city at bay.
We were soon there, announced with a rapping on the roof. We disembarked and the unicorn driver nodded towards us before he pulled on the leads. He did not lead horses, they were ponies with the leads attached to their sides, not their mouths. They followed the directions though and soon started back into the city.
Ponies helping pull other ponies along? It was... different. It worked for them, and if the ponies were paid well, what harm was there? "Alright, where is the water source?"
Easy pointed as she walked. "This way, down the hill."
I looked up at the purplish stone that made up the mountain rising higher still away from Canterlot, then followed Easy along. It wasn't that far, maybe a ten minute hike through the countryside before we started hearing the gurgling of water. There it was, a pool of water that ran off into a river going down the mountain. "Perfect, almost... Where does this water come from?"
"Come from?" Easy squinted a little. "What do you even mean by that?"
"Water does not just... happen, magic excepted. This water is going that way." He thrust a finger in the direction of the river. "But it had to come from somewhere. I'd like to know where that is."
She looked left and right. "I don't see any rivers leading to here, so don't know, boss."
Well, logic time. Water. It moved sideways to diffuse, and it moved down to follow gravity. It went upwards only when it was vapor. This wasn't a raincloud, so up was not a direction it was moving. My eyes turned to the mountain that rose above Canterlot. "This isn't the source."
"Is isn't? Sure looks like a source..."
"Do you have a water breathing spell?"
Easy blinked rapidly. "Huh? Sure." She lowered her head at me and with a bright fit of sparkles, a bubble was made around my head. "Ta da! I used to love that spell for hiding underwater and playing pranks during the summer. Poor little colts never knew what hit them."
I smiled at the image of a young Easy impishly pranking people with her magic. "Can you do yourself at the same time, and how long does it last?"
"Sure." Her horn glowed as a new bubble appeared, her voice sounding a little distant going through it, "It'll last as long as I power it. It's not that stressful as spells go. What are we doing with it?"
I pointed into the pond. "We're going for a swim. Do you know how to swim?"
Her eyes half-closed. "Didn't I just tell you what I used this spell for? Of course I know how to swim." She divested herself of her clothing without delay, folding them neatly in her magic. "You going to get naked? I know you're all touchy about that, but, really, I've seen you going to town on Water... you have literally no mysteries left for me."
My cheeks began to burn without my input on the matter. "Mostly..." I was soon down to boxers. I set the rest aside carefully. Plunging my phone into the depths certainly felt like a bad idea.
She snorted softly. "Those hide nothing." She rolled her eyes towards the water. "Are we looking for something, or just enjoying a little swim? I'm not opposed to either. It's been a while since I had a good swim."
"I have a feeling we'll get that..." That was, possibly, an ill-advised idea... "We're going to swim against the current. Wherever the current is going, we'll go the opposite way until we can't anymore." |
The Lightning Bringer | 33 - Into Depths | "Or, we could not do that." Easy hiked a brow. "I'm not quite up to making light, which we'd need, and keeping us both breathing, and swimming against a current all at the same time."
I had been ready to jump into the water, but that was off. "Do you have an alternative to figure it out?"
"Not exactly, but I'm saying let's limit this a little." She sat and brought her hooves close together. "Let's just see if there IS a river we can't see. If we find one, great, we know it's there, but we don't go into it because I want to live, Boss."
Well, the logic was sound enough... "Alright, let's do that, then we can make some of that pure water, since I don't imagine that will take long."
"I love how doing the most expensive part is just 'something we do because we have some extra time'." She rolled her eyes as she approached the shore. "You live in a different world, Boss. Sometimes I wonder."
She had a point, I had to agree. Did pony legs work like human ones for swimming? I was about to find out. "Let's go for a little dip." And not drink too much, I decided quietly. I stepped into the water, expecting ground beneath the dark surface. I was suddenly cold, but not wet.
As it turns out, you can't really be 'wet' if you're entirely in the water. One of the curiosities of the universe. With a gasp, I broke the surface, kicking with hooves and paddling with hands to keep myself buoyant. "Alright..." My hooves felt different than feet for moving water, but they were moving water, and I was floating, so that was good.
"That was an interesting way to get in." Easy slipped in without the sudden dunk, paddling towards me. "Now for some air." Bubbles appeared around both of our heads. "And I'll be the light." Her horn glowed all the brighter. "Which is why we're not doing the thing you wanted."
"I already agreed." I splashed some water at her in petty vengeance. "Let's go see what there is to see."
She stuck out her tongue, clearly more amused than irate. We both sunk beneath the surface. The air bubbles around our heads served as goggles, allowing us to see what was around us fairly well, though we were just looking for either walls or an incoming river. One or the other, all we needed to find.
Working against the current wasn't as hard as I feared. The pond we were in wasn't moving that quickly, with the speed only picking up where the water got constrained in the rivers. That did mean it was likely going faster closer to where it was coming from.
The ground was easy enough to spot, and the walls came into view, keeping the water safely contained. "Follow the walls."
"Ok," she replied, but her voice was distorted by the water in a way I had to assume mine had also been. It was like she was further away, shouting through a tunnel at me.
I swam up to the wall and felt along it, pulling myself with clever human fingers instead of swimming to quickly scoot along the wall. The current was getting stronger the further I went. My hooves started to be pushed away from the wall.
"I'm going up," came her shout. "I'll keep your air going." She swam up and away, leaving me there.
Was doing all that really that hard? I couldn't speak from experience, and keeping clung to the wall was becoming a challenge, so I focused on that, clinging and walking with my hands towards where the pressure grew only stronger and stronger.
Darkness. It wasn't a wall. There was a hole, and water was pouring out of it, into the water of the stream. It was also colder, which made sense enough to me if it came from higher in the mountain. There was a source, and it wasn't here. I let go of the wall and my fingers sang with the pleasure of not having to hold the rest of me. I was pushed out some distance before I began to swim upwards.
I broke the surface, which felt odd. You don't normally have a bubble around your head when you do it. "Easy?" I looked around for her, ah, there she was.
Arguing with ponies on the shore.
That was less than good. I got to swimming to the closest shore there was.
"You can stay right there." Another pony emerged at the point I had been swimming to. "We have questions, and you will answer."
Ah, delightful... "Is there a reason I can't answer them on land?"
"Call it a security thing." The stallion rolled a hoof. "You aren't drowning, whatever you are."
His horn glowed, lifting my phone and a few other bits and bobs in my pocket into view. "What, exactly, are these?"
"My things." That wasn't a lie. "Can you put them back where you found them?"
"What are you?" The pony leaned forward a little before righting himself. "Strange new thing just breezes into town, taking our mares, our heroes, and shoving their nose into our business." He waved a hoof over the pond. "Now he's even in our water like it's nothing."
"I'm just trying to help." I wanted to raise a hand, but staying afloat with strange legs meant keeping my hands a little occupied. "Did I do something to you?"
"We don't need your help." His magic casually threw my things aside. My phone bounced off the ground, landing close to the water, but not in it. A yelp pulled my attention to where they had shoved Easy over. "Now, look, you're going to come up now, nice and slow, and we're going to educate you a little. I'd say it wasn't personal, but..."
"You probably shouldn't have done that." The bubble around my head vanished, as I guessed it would. She needed her magic for other things.
"I haven't started yet. Come on." He backed away a step, gesturing to the ground.
I'll admit, I expected the next thing to happen was Easy losing her cool. Ponies continued to surprise me. With a dull thump, a new one crashed into the pony I was talking to, sending him crashing into the water with a great splash. Work Pants stood there, heaving. "Sir, please, move quickly!"
A frustrated female cry told me my prediction had only been slightly off. Flames and sparks began to explode from her direction as I swam past the dazed stallion as quickly as I could. My world went lopsided. The pony in the water with me managed to lash out with a hoof, connecting with my skull in a distinctly painful way.
Feeling me, he started to pull me closer. "Y'ain't going nowhere!"
The pony was stronger than me, I was already certain. My advantages: fingers, grip strength, and the ability to wiki things. The last one would not be helpful in that situation, I quickly decided. Instead of trying to swim away from his grip, which I doubted I could manage, I lunged for him.
I'm sure he expected a kick or a punch. He did not expect my hands at his throat, or the pressure when I began to squeeze with everything I had. He made a muffled startled noise and thrashed at me, but I was too close to make that easy. I was clinging to him as we sank beneath the waves, neither of us swimming.
Now, in the movies, choking is simple. You grab on, the person's out like a light in no time at all, possibly dead in a few seconds. That is not quite how it worked. Maybe if I knew how to stop the flow of blood to his brain? There was a specific artery for that, right? I didn't know it, especially not in that moment. I was busy squeezing and holding as hard as could, getting buffeted as a reward as he desperately tried to fight me off.
His movements suddenly slowed. Was I doing it right? He was still trying to hit me, but it wasn't working very well. Soon I was holding an unconscious pony. I did it! I had actually choke-held someone, from the front. That was... extra hard, I think. Maybe pony arteries were in different places, or I was just that desperate.
Teeth closed around my shoulder. It hurt a bit, but it was effective as drawing me free of the water suddenly. Work tossed me to the side, then quickly fished out the other pony and tossed him in the other direction. "Hard Line, stop this! Stop it right now! This isn't us."
Hard, the pony I just choked, coughed to life, recovering rapidly. "What? Work? I told you to stay out of this!"
Work pointed down the shore, where Easy was huffing for breath, her assailants fleeing in a panic. "You're only getting the team singed, and yourself possibly killed. He's trying to hire us, not hurt us. We should be thankful."
"Yeah no." He scrambled to his hooves, taking short gasps of air. "He ain't one of us. We don't take charity."
I stood up about as quickly as he had, wobbling a moment. "Look, this is good work, that will help a lot of ponies."
"You aren't a pony." He squinted at me with obvious displeasure. "Mostly?" One brow raised.
Oh, right. I had no boxers anymore after all that. "I need tunnels laid down through the city. I need it done quickly, well, and to last. Can you do that?"
Work gestured to him. "He can, if he'd listen to reason."
"You're spouting nonsense. You were blacklisted, Work. Blacklisted ponies don't just get a sudden hire from the guild like nothing happened. You're full of lies and so is that thing, whatever it is." He thrust an accusing hoof at me, his stance recovered from his traumatic experience.
I threw a hand wide. "We had dinner with Miss Mason. A charming mare, mostly. She's eager to get this project underway, and was ready to throw one of her other teams at me. I'm the one that insisted Work get the job, Work and his team. Are you on his team or not?"
"Maybe not after this display," grunted Work before sighing softly. "Hard..."
Hard stomped a hoof down. "Don't you go looking at me like a disappointed father, I have enough of those, thanks. Look, he's lying to you, getting your hopes up." He started to move around Work, but not towards me. "Whatever, you'll see. If you have the bits in hoof, come talk. Otherwise, stay gone."
"Are you alright?" Work came towards me with a concerned look. "I'm so sorry, Sir."
"It wasn't your fault, but I'm going to start moving towards my clothes." Going commando sounded better than being entirely naked.
Cold and wet slapped across my face. Pulling it free revealed my boxers. Easy was smirking at me from behind them. "You dropped those? Good thing they floated up. Work, nice to see you. Thanks for the assist. I would have gotten here eventually."
Work dipped his head towards Easy. "Miss, good to see you as well. I'm certain you would have been far more rough with him, but I don't want my team being... more hurt than they already are. Sir, please tell me this project start soon. Nothing short of its actual start will convince them that there is hope to be had."
I was soon clad in wet boxers, a mild improvement. I decided the phone was the next priority, still free of the water, thankfully. "We've run into possibilities that may make this easier, potentially. We need to find the actual source of this water."
"If I can help?" Work inclined an ear. "The sooner we can begin, the better."
Easy threw an arm over Work suddenly. "Hey, if you're looking to get hired, you have to go through the manager." |
The Lightning Bringer | 34 - The Water of Canterlot | We collected the water in a jug, fresh from the spring. "Tell me, any idea how safe ponies consider this source?"
Easy shrugged and looked to Work. Work considered the mostly clear water. "We drink from here quite often. Ponies do not typically bathe in it, sir."
"What do they bathe in?" Considering the scents around the city... "Or do they just not unless they are both rich and feeling it?"
"That is the right of it." He reached for the jug, tapping at its watery contents from the side. "What did you need water for, sir? You're staying at the castle. Surely they could have gotten no limit of water for you."
Easy floated the big jug up. "You can't make Pure Water out of magic water; learned that earlier." She turned to me. "Alright, so what's the trick?"
"Step one, we need to get a good metal pot. Think they'll lend us one at the castle?" I was dressed and good to go, looking towards the castle. "Imagine they have some."
Work nodded. "Without doubt." His horn began to glow as he joined his arcane grip with Easy's, sharing the load. "I'll help."
We made our way back to the castle. At my side, Work Pants were permitted inside without much todo. A quick inquiry pointed us towards the kitchen where everything I needed resided. There were pots, and flames. Perfect.
I grabbed a pot that looked big enough to hold all the water we had collected and set it on a free burner.
"Excuse me?" came a male voice. A peek over my shoulder revealed a pony in a chef's attire. "Can I help you? If you want something prepared, you just need to ask."
"Sorry for intruding." I patted the stovetop. "I just need to use this for a little bit and I'll be right out of the way as soon as possible."
Without prompting, Easy hefted the jug in her magic and poured it out into the pot.
The chef seemed befuddled. "Why are you bringing your own water? We have a spout just there." He pointed to a spigot attached to the wall. "Clear water on demand."
Magic water, I safely assumed. "No, thanks. Do you have a lid for this pot? That'd be great. The better the fit, the better." I was looking around for one, but there were a lot of tools to choose from.
A lid floated over in the chef's magic, popping right over the pot. "What are you preparing, exactly?"
Work reached out to turn on the flames under the pot. "Pure Water, I'm told, sir."
The chef only looked more confused. "You're performing alchemy, in my kitchen?"
I had to smile at that. "It's a kitchen. You've been doing alchemy in here from the start."
The chef frowned a moment before a little smile emerged from it. "You may have a point there, sir. Will this create any foul odors I should be concerned of?"
"Just boiling water," I assured. "Nothing should be hurt. We'll be gone after it's done, promise."
"Now I'm a little curious." He did have other things to do, being a royal chef. He went back to cooking, but kept looking over, keeping an idle eye on what we were doing.
Turns out? Watching water boil is still not terribly interesting. The water heated to a roiling boil which is when I set a timer for ten minutes on my phone and the waiting resumed. Some of the water escaped as steam, unavoidable, but the lid kept most of it in place.
My phone began chiming its alert. The boiling was complete. I reached for the knob and realized it was really made for a hoof to press against and twist, rather than human fingers to grasp. Thankfully Easy spotted my confusion and twisted it with her magic. "All done?"
"All done," I agreed. "Excuse me, is it alright if we keep this pot for a little while?"
The chef tilted his head, looking befuddled. "I suppose that shouldn't hurt too much. We have more pots. Please do bring it back when you're done." He leaned in towards the pot. "Is it pure now?"
"Pure enough." Sure, any solid material was still in there, but the creepy crawlies were removed. Minerally fortified! That was a bonus, right? I felt certain enough that the town wasn't suffering lead poisoning or similar. Of all the problems they had, that wasn't one of them. "Let's get this back to the room."
With a spot of teamwork, the metal pot was floated back to our room and set aside to cool, its lid fastened securely. Work smiled with a satisfaction of a job well done. "If that's all, I should stop loitering around here. A pleasure to assist, Sir."
Easy was suddenly at his side. "Don't be so fast. Pretty sure Boss wants to do more today."
I did. "Good eye. We have to hike up the mountain and find the real source of the water."
Work turned for the door. "It's quite a climb to the top of the mountain, Sir, Miss. If we want to do it, we'd best get started."
I patted him once on the back on the way past. "Have I mentioned I love your work ethic?"
"Comes with the name," he said in a pleased tone. We all marched out of the castle and turned out eyes to the cool purple-blue stones of the mountain and the sparse trees that dotted it.
Nothing to do but climb it... We left the city once more, aiming to climb up in the direction that the underwater river seemed to be coming from. Now, pony bodies were pretty good at some things, but human hands were still #1 for climbing. I thanked my simian ancestors for their climbing habits as I scaled from perch to perch, building up a sweat in the chilly air that had me alternately feeling hot and cold.
Easy dragged herself up to a platform and flopped onto it, heaving. "How... do you... climb so fast?" She sat up, huffing for breath. "Another one of your magics?"
Work collapsed beside her, just making it to the same ledge. "I normally enjoy my form, Miss, but his hands do seem quite suited to this task. Are we almost there?"
"I honestly couldn't say." I craned my neck to look up the mountain, but there wasn't much to see from that angle. "I'm hoping we'll see it when we get there. Until then, we keep climbing until there's nothing left to climb."
The sun progressed, noting the hours in its silent way. It was becoming evening by the time we found something worth mentioning. There it was! A pool of dark water. The rocks beneath it were the source of the darkness, the water clear and still. I reached into the water and could feel it flowing subtly, likely working its way back down the mountain to the pond we had started at. "Fantastic."
More than fantastic. I burst into relieved laughter.
"Eh, Boss, what's so funny?" Easy was peering at me with exhaustion and confusion. "I mean, we found water, hirrah and all that, but it's so far away... How is this better?"
Work shook his head slowly. "I have to agree with Miss Breeze. How does this improve the situation?"
"Having water higher up means we have gravity on our side, instead of fighting against it. Our options for getting the water through the city just went up." I was sitting next to the water, pony-legs folded under me. "Work, this is where the pipe has to start, big and strong, working down the mountain and into the city, to carry fresh water to everypony there."
Work rubbed at his cheek with the flat of a hoof. "I see... This will certainly be a significant task, but not impossible. Do you have the bits, Sir?" There was a desperate hope in his polite eyes. He was trying to hold back that desperation.
"Let's get back to the castle and find out if we do." I pulled out my phone and set a waypoint on the map of where the spring was. No reason to be unsure about that again in the future. "Ready to climb down?"
"No!" wailed Easy, flopping to the side, her hooves kicking out lamely. "Isn't there an easy way?"
Work trotted for the edge overlooking the city and suddenly sat down. "The view is quite... amazing."
We joined him and saw what he was looking at. There was Canterlot spreading out under us, lit with the darkening sun. It wasn't as bright as, say, a modern city, but it was quite nice as sights went. Easy sat next to Work and soon I joined them. Enjoying the sight seemed to ease some of our fatigue.
"Let's get down before it gets completely dark." I started down first, cheating with clever fingers that could find purchase where hooves could not.
Easy moaned in predicted effort, but she began to descend with Work and I. We were soon back where we had begun. Relatively soon. The moon was rising in the sky and it was becoming quite dark as we wove through towards the castle. We were all quite tired, but... "Today was a good day. We got a lot done."
And it wasn't quite over. With the water cooled in our absence, I hurried it over to our magician friend. "Here you are, Pure Water."
He tapped the pot softly. "Hmm... A cooking pot? A curious choice of tools. I should warn, if you did not properly purify the water, the filter could create contaminated water whose foul odors will sicken all that suffer it without further purification." He tilted his head. "Making it into wine, for instance."
Germ theory could not come fast enough... "It's clean and ready. I'll have the exact pipe to you as soon as possible. Can you start without that?"
"In part, but not in earnest until I have that measurement, or a sample of the pipe it will be affixed to." His horn glowed as the pot lifted and moved to the side. "I look forward to that."
Which left another pony to see. Soft. Fortunately for me, he was with Water, in my room. Both dipped their head towards me as I entered with Work and Easy. All of my...
I had friends. It was a silly realization, but I had built up a few friends in that new world, and it was kind of nice. They were more than casual employees or contractors. I liked them, and I think they liked me back. "Good to have everyone together. Soft, do you have good news for us?"
Soft smiled a satisfied smile. "I am pleased to announce that we have been given official leave to begin spending Canterlot's funds. We may begin as soon as possible. I have been given the details." His horn glowed as a paper floated into view. "Which I now give to you. This is all you need to give to any given pony for them to be able to retrieve the money from the vaults, provided you sign the promissory note. They said that you are authorized to spend 100,000 bits, to be reviewed and possibly renewed after 3 moons.
A choke of a sound brought my eyes to Work. Tears were escaping him, but he was trying so hard to compose himself. "It's real..."
I set a hand on his withers. "Go home, get some sleep, then gather your crew. How much do you need to have to pay their wages for a week?"
He stuttered a quick number, working it out as he said it, his hooves moving as if to help him do the calculations. "This is... too much. Today has been so very full, Sir..."
Easy set a hoof on him beside my hand. "Hey, take it easy. We're in this. We're gonna build something great!"
"Exactly." I scribbled the amount, but paused just as my quill reached the paper. "Does that include your pay, Work, as the crew's leader?"
The number hopped up a little, Work blushing at having forgot to pay himself. Soon he had the check, or the equivalent. He had bits, precious bits. Work could start. |
The Lightning Bringer | 35 - Building Initiated | The crew had complained about climbing up to where the work would begin, but the bits did the talking, as did Work Pants. "Come on, we're being paid, you've already got your first week under your belts. Let's show Canterlot that we can build something to last!"
I watched them climb up past me, taking note of who was there and not. Most of the ponies I had spotted before, that had attacked me, were there, but the one that had spoken to me directly was absent, perhaps still sulking? "Hey." He waved at one of the ones I recognized before he could get to climbing. "No hard feelings. No one was hurt. Let's get to work. Tell that to anyone that thinks I'm nursing a grudge."
The worker lifted an ear towards me, peering at me without looking directly, as ponies could do if they wanted. "We were ready to hurt you, Sir..."
"Water under the bridge. We have a job to do, together." I hadn't been hurt in any serious way, and grudges would only bite me right on my newly-fuzzied bottom in time. "All I want is my bits' worth of quality work. This is for Canterlot. We can make the city better though hard effort and careful planning."
"Right, Sir." He moved forward and started climbing up the wall, joining the others in the slow ascent towards the peak where the pool was they had to work with was.
I joined the ascending party, and eventually we were up at the top without anyone falling off the side, which was a thing I had worried about a bit on the way up. "We really need to make an easier way to get up here. Maybe that should be where we start?"
Work circled the pond, taking measure of it. "Mmm... Mmmm... So you want a great pipe that the water flows through and down the side?" He came over to the edge, not directly facing the city. "We'll need to dig, here, make a channel for the water to flow through and start going down hill. If we put the pipe in here, the water won't go anywhere."
Other ponies nodded in agreement, chatter rising up with how to get it done. None of them answered my question. They were on the job, and Work was their leader once more. I was their boss' boss, which made my words his problem more than theirs.
Easy sat down next to me. "Huh, they're eager to get started... Good! This is great, we can finally get somewhere." She clapped her hooves loudly. "Don't get me wrong, we got a lot done, but not, you know, what we wanted."
A shout came from below. Other workers had arrived with materials. Ponies from atop and the bottom worked together and lift them from spot to spot up the mountainside. It was a good time to be a unicorn at that specific moment, but I noticed the few earth ponies really carried their own as soon as things didn't need to float. They were doing it.
It was really happening. I wasn't even sure how to feel about it. Good, ultimately. I was getting something done.
With the arrival of the tools, they got to energetic work, digging out a tunnel for the water to flow through, starting from the dry end and working towards the water. Others were busy working on organizing what they had into neat piles to be used quickly on demand. They had been out of work for so long, but were getting right back into it as if they had never stopped.
The ground suddenly heaved. A started yelp was the first before other panicked noises, the shaking growing worse. The mountainside did not appreciate our digging and showed its displeasure in a sudden collapse. Water gushed free out the collapsed side and began to cascade down towards the city. I could only watch with set teeth, wondering if the good will I'd earned would be washed away with the city, but it didn't strike the city.
It came down in great splashes, creating uneven rivers and waterfalls down the mountain's side until it hit the city's level and snaked forcefully, digging out a river from the soft mud there and flowing out from there, spilling down the side of the mountain.
I blinked softly at the sight. "Is... everyone alright?"
"Role call!" bellowed Work Pants. Other ponies began calling out their names, taking stock of who was there. Work turned to me with a scowl. "Two missing, Sir. Day Job! Hard Hat! Tell me you're out there!"
Other ponies had been caught in that initial collapse, and they were covered in mud and dirt, but were flopped on the ground, breathing heavily but seemingly intact.
Easy drew a sharp hiss. "On it, Boss." She suddenly vanished.
I thought she couldn't teleport? Though, come to think, she had said she preferred not to, due to the risks involved. Where was she going? I went to the edge, carefully, lest it collapse again. I heard something, a soft groan. I fell to all fours and crawled forward across the unsure ground to get towards it. "Is someone out there?"
The sound did not repeat, but I pushed forward. Behind me, other ponies were gathering, but they seemed just as nervous about the ground giving out, so they let me go alone, rather than test it with more weight. Probably for the best, I decided. Over the lip and looking down, I could see one of the workers. He was on dry land, mostly. The ground was stained red around him, implying a severe injury. "Oh shit."
I wasn't thinking, exactly. I started climbing down towards the pony. "He's hurt, bad," I screamed as I went, scrambling down the mountainside at an entirely unhealthy rate that could have had me joining him with broken bones. Destiny, as the ponies liked to call such things, smiled on me, and I didn't break myself in my hurry.
I was at his side as soon as I could be, but I didn't rush to try to pick him up. For one, ponies were heavier than they looked. For two, this was a big stallion on top of that. For three, I was pretty sure just casually yanking someone up with broken bones was a good way to make a bad situation worse. "I'm here," I assured instead. "We're going to help."
He mumbled something. Maybe a thank you? Maybe a pony curse. It was hard to tell, the pain clearly making it hard for him to get much out.
I dug out my phone and hammered up an article on what to do in that kind of situation, because heck if I knew off the top of my head. First step, stop bleeding. Alright, alright, sure, yeah...
He was breathing and awake, that was good. Could have already been worse there. "Stay with me." I started inspecting him for where the blood was coming from, which was hard, with how messed up he was. Blood liked to move, oh there it was. He had a big gash right across his cutie mark. With a sharp hiss I reached for it. "This will hurt, but I want you alive and hurting rather than dead." It wasn't time to be squeamish, or so I urgently tried to convince myself.
I pulled the two sides of the injury close together, ham-fistedly closing the wound, then applying pressure, holding it tight. He howled, and my heart quaked. That had to hurt, so bad... but there wasn't anything else I could do. Well, that wasn't true. Holding it as best as I could with one hand, I grabbed at my shirt with a bloody hand and half-tore it off, yanking at it roughly until it came free of me in the awkward position I was in.
His leg was tense and shuddered as I moved it as gently as I could to get the shirt around it a few times, tying it tight to cover the entire gash. The shirt was soaking in blood, but it was coming out slower, I thought, or so I hoped. I had my hands back on it, keeping up the pressure, trying to give his body time to close the wound more permanently. "You're not fading on us now. We just got back to work."
I heard calls and shouts. Other ponies were working towards us from another angle. Help was coming. "With me?"
He didn't answer. I looked up and saw his eyes were closed. Crap. I abandoned his leg for a moment to check for breath. Still breathing. I thanked every god I could think of and got back to holding his leg. I didn't know CPR, and wasn't even sure it'd even... work with a human on a pony. Our mouths would have a hard time making that, you know, seal, lips to lips. I mean I knew that kind of personally. My girlfriend liked giving kisses, and we never quite matched up, as fun as it could be at times.
That wasn't the time to be worrying about sloppy horse kisses. "We're over here!" I called out, desperate to not be alone with the critically injured pony. Was he still bleeding? How could I tell. Crap, he could get infected and die that way. What medicine did they have with their complete lack of germ theory? It wasn't like I was helping with my complete lack of soap or sanitary conditions. "Crap crap crap." The poor pony could still end up dying even if I did everything right, which I couldn't be sure I was doing.
I slid up around him and moved him, slowly, gently. I set his head just a little lower than the rest of him, to get the blood flowing in that direction. If it slowed the movement towards his injured leg, bonus.
Hooves on stone. I looked up to see several other worker ponies hurrying around the bend towards us. "Hard Hat," one of them called out, hurrying ahead of the others. "Damn idiot, look at you." He closed the distance with us, but found me getting in the way.
"Easy there, let's not move him more than we have to until we can do it right."
The pony casually shoved his head to the side, carrying me with it and sending me sprawling to the rocks, which were pointy I will remind. That hurt, but not nearly as much as Hard Hat had suffered. "Get out of my way! I don't care if you're paying. Hard Hat..." He put his arms around the unconscious pony. "You can't die on me..."
Work offered a hoof towards me. "That was brave work, Sir. Is he still with us?"
I pulled myself back to my hooves with his help. "Yeah, still breathing. Bleeding bad, but I tried to bandage it as best I could. Tell me there's a hospital." He looked at me blankly. "Where you bring hurt ponies?"
"Oh, yes." Work turned for the city. "Lift him up, carefully, as if he were made of very thin glass, and let's get him to a physician. We can't do much for him right here." He took charge of his ponies, guiding them away.
Which left me behind, wondering... "Where is Easy?" And beside her, where was that other pony?
I climbed down after them all, getting the injured pony down with careful passes from one pony to the next until he was down on even land. When I reached there, I waved down a wagon. "Get them to the closest physician," I bade, to which the pony peered at me.
Right, money. I fished out some bits and got it up to him and he tipped a hat. "With pleasure, Sir. Please don't make a mess in there." Several ponies climbed aboard with the injured worker among them. They would get him help, but there wasn't much more I could... oh... I quickly scaled on board. I could keep them from making it worse. Nopony would be applying leeches to 'cure humors' on my workers. |
The Lightning Bringer | 36 - Succor and Saviors | We arrived at a small building that lacked in frills. There was a picture beside the door of a pony with their forehooves pressed together in perhaps a prayer of a pose? I didn't study it very hard, following the others as they carried Hard Hat inside.
I did notice the carriage driver taking the time to see what stains we might have left behind. The friendly Equestria could not come fast enough, or so I thought.
Inside smelled softly of some kind of incense, though none I had smelled before, but I could see them burning in two little piles that gave off smoke across the room. A mare looked up from where she sat with crossed legs when we came in. "I sense a disturbance." She fluidly rose to her hooves. "Place the seeker here." She gestured in a smooth wave to an empty cot.
As they worked to get Hard Hat settled, I approached the mare. "He took a nasty fall. The most obvious injury is a big cut right on his cutie mark." I traced on myself where it would be as I went. "I bandaged it as well as I could, but he could have broken bones to add to it."
"Mmm, yes, that aligns with what I felt." She approached his sprawled form, the others backing away to make room for her. "You did well. His life force feels frail, but it may have gone out entirely had you not acted." Was this a doctor or a psychic? I was feeling like I was dealing with more of the latter. "Let us ensure that his essence is not further lost."
Well at least she wasn't talking about the benefits of lost blood, that was a positive... "You have better bandages than bits of my clothes, I hope?"
"So much better." She looked towards me. "I can feel your doubt, but I was educated in the ways of Healer Meadowbrook, and her healing is without reproach." She reached a hoof, but it was her glowing horn that brought a jar across the room towards herself. "The power of plants will seal the wound and give the body time to heal."
Oh, herbalism. That... was a relief. Equestrian plants, so far I'd seen, were pretty darn magical. Heck, they'd prevented me from going full pony, but also had been the thing that made half of me go pony at all. Plants could do things. "Great. If I can help?"
"Your friend is in good hooves," she assured gently, popping the top of the jar free and reaching a hoof inside, coming out with a smear of green-brown gunk. "If you would, carefully, remove the bandage you lovingly made?"
Right... Hopefully he had scabbed a bit and wouldn't start gushing the moment I touched that. I slipped past the concerned ponies that had formed a wide ring and began working the bandage off as gently as I could. Blood got all over my fingers, but I got it off and away.
Her hoof came in the very instant the bandage wasn't in the way, pressing firmly against the wound. "How terrible. A great fall, with a sharp welcome." The stuff on her hooves seemed eager to suck up the blood it touched, drying the immediate area as she spread it along the cut. "The next portion will appear painful, but your friend sleeps and will not know this."
She, far too casually, took hold of his leg in her magic and with a quick snap forced it into the correct position and began to form a splint around it, but was not satisfied with a simple splint. More and more gunk joined the two bits of wood that formed the base and she was fabricating a cast before our eyes to hold the leg firmly in place. "When the bone is renewed, it can be removed. Bring him here at least once a week until then. He will complain, but that just means he has strength to do so, and you should be happy."
Work Pants dipped his head towards her. "We're already grateful for your work. What do we... owe?"
The mare inclined an ear. "Owe? Oh, no no no." She waved a hoof at him. "I took an oath when I learned from Meadowbrook, I would never accept a single bit for healing. If you are feeling kind, volunteer to help, or to help repair the building. I will accept gifts, and only gifts, of food, for myself or patients." She stood up, circling Hard Hat, eyes on him. "His life remains delicate, but I think he will recover. It is good you got him here as quickly as you did."
I could cry. There was a pony, an ideal example of all that I could hope a pony could be. "Thank you." A thing occured to me. "You do most of your healing through herbs, right?"
"This is correct." She sat down beside Hard Hat, still eyeing him, but apparently not finding other things in need of attention. "Why do you ask?"
"I have a friend, she loves working with herbs. If she wanted to, would you have time to compare notes with her?"
She turned towards me with a smile. "Oh, how lovely. I would not have predicted that question. Curious pony, I would be delighted to speak with your friend. Is she of... similar build?"
A few ponies chuckled softly. Had they heard of my girlfriend? "No, she's a full pony, unicorn, like you. She's a maid up at the castle." I hiked a thumb towards it through the wall. "I'll tell her about you though. I think she'd really love to learn."
"And I would be delighted to teach, but she will have to accept the same oath. Meadowbrook's techniques are never to be used for material gain." She nodded softly and placidly. "She can still work for bits, just not being paid for healing work."
"She isn't paid for the small healing she can already do." I felt my tail give a twitch without being asked. "Thank you, again. I take it we should leave him here for now?"
"That would be good." She reached out and gently ran a hoof over his shoulder. "I will tend his flame while it is weakest."
Soft thanks were offered, and the work ponies began to wander away. Work Pants did not, looking towards me. "I must apologize, Sir. This was not how I intended the first day to go. As their forepony, this falls on my head." He dipped that head, ears splaying out to the left and right. "And now we've gone and diverted the flow of water."
"We'll need to go check that out, but, right now, where is Easy?"
"Easy?" He stood up and looked around as if she could just be standing in the room, which she was not. "I don't know, Sir. Did she fall? I should hope not!"
"No, no... She teleported away and never came back."
Work frowned sharply. "Teleportation is heavy magic, Sir. I hope she was knowledgeable enough to use it safely."
But I had no way to know, or track her. There was only one thing really to do... "We'll have to trust her for now. Do you want to inspect what that collapse did to the path of water?"
"I would be honored, Sir, if you still wish to work with me?"
I brought down a hand on his fuzzy head, mussing him between the ears in a gross violation of space. "Work, you're great. I'm not firing you because of an accident. I hope he pulls through, but, you know, it happens."
Work ducked away with a soft huff. "I'm relieved to hear that, Sir. Let's be off then. Ma'am, please see to him."
"I will do what I can," she assured with a gentle smile. "You have an affectionate boss."
"This I have noticed." He began to trot for the door at a steady pace. "Are we walking, Sir?"
"We've wasted enough resources today." And so we did walk. Well, I walked, he trotted. Same difference in the end. But we were not allowed to casually leave the city.
There were four guards peering at the new river that hadn't been there before, cut right in front of their city and spilling off the side of the mountain. One of them noticed us coming and turned towards us. "No one's going this way," he barked. "There's a river in the way!"
Had I changed the future? I pulled out my phone and did a quick search, but there was Canterlot, with a river. It just had a little cute drawbridge over it, in the future... "Think of it as an opportunity."
The guards all turned towards me, looking confused.
"Look, if you're attacked, you have a moat. All you need is a bridge across it that you can pull up when you want to, and maybe a gate house here that'll make it easy to monitor traffic coming and going. It'll siphon everyone through one point, which means you can keep an eye on them much more easily." I gestured to the river and up at the theoretical wall that could be built there for the drawbridge to attach to. "It'll look nice and have a use."
Two of them spoke softly to one another as a third rubbed his chin with a hoof. "That would be nice, but someone would have to approve that kind of project, and then others would have to build it."
As it turned out... "I know who to contract. I'll draw up something and bring it to court."
Their faces lit up with joy. "You'd do that?" asked one. "After all that?"
Well, sure, the guards weren't always the best to me, still, if it meant Canterlot looked a bit more like it should... "I'd be delighted. Besides, a river is hard to make move." We'll just ignore that I had just moved it earlier that day. "Better to work with it."
Work Pants shook his head. "We'll have our hooves busy with your other project, Sir."
"I know, but Miss Mason has other work teams, I should imagine. There's work enough for another team, and that's alright."
"I suppose that's true." He gave one firm nod. "Too right. No need to be greedy. Sirs, may we pass?"
"Be careful," advised the guard as he gestured forward. "There's no bridge yet, but, since you bring it up..." He trotted off and came back a moment later dragging a huge log. The other guards hurried over to help and they all lifted it up with glowing horns, setting it down across the river to make a crude bridge. "There we are, at least ponies can walk across."
It was a crude solution, and yet, a solution. We went across it slowly and hopped down the other side, safely across the river. The guards clopped their hooves, likely happy with their own work. I doubted the logs would serve as a long term fix. Still...
We circled around to get a good view of the mountain and its new water system. The original river was still there, but diminished. Ponies would not be able to use it as easily, but there was a river right outside the gate, which was even more convenient. A net positive, right?
In the end, looking at the cascading waterfalls that brought the water down to make the new river, we had what we needed. Falling water could be trapped and used. We could get water down into the homes of the city, to make it cleaner, safer, and better. "We can work with this... It'll change the placement of the pipes a little, but not too much. The end goal's unchanged. We'll get the water moving."
"Good to hear, Sir." He drew out a kerchief with his magic, wiping his brow. "I will confess I was worried the project was beyond salvaging." |
The Lightning Bringer | 37 - Unexpected Boons | "Interesting words reach our ears."
I had been brought to a small room. In it, the reigning council sat around a desk, their eyes trained on me.
The speaker was a stallion. "Imagine our surprise when we went to see; a new river, from nowhere."
Celestia nodded softly. "This does bring water closer to us, but we hope this is not how you intended it, and yet, if it was not, we fear what it means."
Easy was still nowhere to be seen. I was only growing more worried about her. "It wasn't exactly how we planned it." I rolled a hand through the air as I sat up. "But this does work favorably. The project will continue with time saved, and with it, bits saved. The city will have flowing water, and not just the river being closer by."
A female that was not Celestia nodded softly. "We were hoping you'd say as much. You have proven resourceful. Another project, before the first is complete? We were flabbergasted."
Celestia raised a hoof, her eyes set on me. "And yet, what choice is there? The river must be passed, and so we would be fools to not authorize the fixing of this sudden problem... that you caused."
I hadn't meant to! God dang it... "In time, people will look on that drawbridge as a part of the city, a favorable part."
Celestia's expression softened subtly. "I feel that this is true, but it remains a short term pain." She looked to the others. "Shall we?"
They each raised a hoof in agreement and a new paper floated over to the table. "See that this is fixed." It was another writ that authorized funds. "Without further complications."
I accepted the paper and folded it carefully. "Without further complications," I repeated. It wasn't as if I wanted there to be a single further one. "Thank you, for the trust. I'll make good on it. Permission to get to work?"
The stallion waved me away. "On with it then. Don't make Celestia look foolish for her trust."
She was risking her political capital on me. I had to get it right. "Got it." I was on my fee--hooves and off.
"Sir." Water Lily was bowing towards me in the hallway. "Easy Breeze has returned, but she looks quite tired. I thought perhaps you'd want to--"
"--Thank you for telling me," I gushed, relief flowing thick. "Where is she?!"
"In your room, Sir." She turned and began leading the way, as if I didn't know it. "She was fatigued to the point of exhaustion, but seemed unharmed."
"Glad to hear she's alright at least." I went quiet until we reached my room, where I rushed ahead to get the door open and charge inside. There was Easy sprawled across her bed, snoring loudly and very asleep. "G-good," I stammered, unsure how else to react to someone I feared might be dead instead just fast asleep. "Can you keep an eye on her?"
"Of course, Sir." Water dipped her head softly. "Do be back by sixth bell. I would like to see that physician you recommended."
Ah yes, a smile touched my lips at the thought of it. "Of course. I should get to it. If she wakes up, tell her I'm glad she's alright, and I really want to know what happened."
"She said something about 'him being alright'?" Water tilted her head then. "Might you know about that?"
Oh, the good news kept coming. "Great... for now, I'll let her sleep. Please, tell her, and I should go." I had too much dang work to do. I left Water and Easy behind, meeting up instead with Work Pants. I gave him the basic plans to get to work on, and his boys went to it eagerly.
"It's a relief to have everyone accounted for," he sighed out, apparently knowing one of his ponies accounted for before I even told him. "We're on the case, Sir. No more accidents."
"No more," I echoed, and I left him to work. There wasn't a lot I could do than I had already done, the plans in his hooves to get his workers to enact. I had other things to do. I hurried back across the makeshift bridge to find an important pony. Her guild showed a horseshoe with a hammer protruding on either side of it. A place for builders, surely.
The secretary inside, a stallion, spotted me the instant I was through the door. "Ah, a valued client. How can we make your day a little better?" He pressed his hooves together as I had seem the guild leader do before. "I trust you are satisfied with your workers? We can replace them if needed."
So quick to throw Work Pants under the bus... "No, he and his ponies are doing good work, but I have more of it. I need them to focus on the task I have them on and get a new crew."
The secretary's ears went up, but he was not the only one. I could feel eyes turning on me from around the busy room. He smiled gently. "I'm glad to hear that. We're always ready to build! What sort of project do you have in mind? Did you need a fountain done for when you have the water piped in?"
That wasn't an awful idea... But, "No. You know the river?" I hiked a thumb towards it. "The one cutting right in front of the city."
The secretary's sunny expression dimmed a little. "That is slowing down shipments. What a mess. I hope the court does something about it--"
I put down the bill of payment. "--They did something about it. That's why I'm here."
His horn glowed, taking the paper up to where he could read it easily, one hoof adjusting his monocle. "Mmm, yes, mmm. We can work within this budget. Do you have any specifications on how the bridge or watch tower should be built?"
Actually... I dug out my phone and quickly pulled up the image, zooming in on just the bridge and supporting structure. "Like this." I turned it for him to see.
"What a lovely picture, though it's drawn by someone who hasn't actually seen a building before." He floated a quill over and started to rapidly sketch his own take on things. "We can have it done."
"Get it done right, but don't max out the account," I counseled as I put the phone away. "Impress them and more business could come."
"As if we needed to be told that." He laughed it off, waving a hoof. "You are quite the client, Sir. I will inform Miss Mason you were by. I feel certain she will want to thank you for thinking of us before the rest."
That they had competition seemed obvious in hindsight, but I hadn't really considered it. Too late to yank out at that point, and they were doing the work, so why bother, I supposed... "Thank you. I look forward to that congestion problem being out of the way."
"We'll build a better tomorrow," he cheerfully said as if he was quoting something. "Have a great day, Sir. Thank you again."
Only about half a block away, a pony emerged from a side street directly in front of me. I recognized him, one of the ones that had attacked me. He must have seen me tense, and he snorted softly. "I messed up," he grunted. "Figured you were all bark and no bite; that you wouldn't get anything done." He turned to me fully. "And here you are, walking right back into the guild. I heard them cheering when you left. What did you even promise them?"
I shrugged at that. "Got a second job moving."
"A second job..." He sank to his belly miserably. "I doubted you'd get a first and you're already on your second? Well, hang me out to dry then."
"You know, Work Pants would take you on in an instant."
He squinted at me. "But you wouldn't. Why would you? I got one talent, and that's being strong, and there are others that can do that, that haven't roughed you up any."
"Try me." I offered a hand. "I have plenty of work that needs doing, and if ponies are willing to do it, I don't care much about what you're worried about. You want to make it up to me? Get in there and take up the slack Hard Hat's making by being hurt."
"Hard Hat's hurt!" He was up on his hooves in a flash. "What happened?! Is he alright?!"
I put up both hands, glancing at other ponies who were watching us as they walked by. "He's fine, in good hooves. He took a fall, got hurt. He'll come back, but you can keep his spot warm, and us on schedule. Hopefully you have better balance?"
"Me mum said I was part goat," he gloated with a grin. "Ain't never fall from nothin' I didn't mean to fall from."
I hiked a thumb towards the gate and the work that awaited beyond it. "Fantastic. Go find Work Pants and join the crew."
He looked ready to do just that, turning, but stopping. "Paid, right?"
"I'm not looking for volunteers," I dryly replied. "Work Pants is your boss though, so go bother him for your pay, just do the work to earn it, all I ask."
He reached for his hat, but his glowing horn took it off and held it to his chest. "Thank you, for being a big pony about this. I'll do Work Pants proud." He rushed off into the crowd, lost to sight quickly.
Things were looking up. Canterlot was taking steps towards becoming what I had come to see it become...
"Hello there," spoke a female voice. I looked over to see a high-class Mare smiling at me, her long lashes fluttering. She was on the back of a carriage, looking down at me, but my high-stance put us fairly close. "You look tired. Care for a ride?"
I wasn't sure what to make of that. A random noble mare offering a ride? "I should get to work, miss. Thanks."
"Of course," she purred, her horn glowing as the door to her carriage opened towards me. "I'll take you there. You've done so much for us. It's the least I can offer."
A fan? I was running out of reasonable ways to turn her down without being rude. "It's not that far." I pointed the way, but she didn't seem to be impressed. Alright... "Just to the river. I imagine this carriage doesn't want to tread water, and the bridge isn't built yet."
"We're getting a bridge built? How lovely." She closed the door as soon as I was inside. The inside of the carriage smelled of floral perfume and a faint... musky odor. I would have been entirely ignorant of what it could have even been trying to be if not for recent relations.
It was the smell of a ready female pony. Water Lily had taught it to me without trying. The scent wasn't coming from the noble mare. It was more as if someone had made a scent of it and spritzed the air. I wondered how well it worked on stallions, but I wasn't one of those.
The awkwardness of when I sat said otherwise. The lower half of my body agreed with the subtle ploy to my other appetites, but I had a girlfriend that I had no intention of--
She casually reached over and pulled a string with the end of her hoof, closing the blinds on the carriage. Her magic went right for sensitive places, rubbing me right through my clothing. "When you first appeared, I was such a fan. To see you go so far, so fast... I admit, I'm simply smitten." She licked over her lips, eyes on mine. "You're everything I could have ever wanted." |
The Lightning Bringer | 38 - Strong Proposals | "Woah!" I said with the utmost of grace, brushing aside her magic, or at least going through the motion, not that her magic was actually moved even an inch by my hand's dismissal. I could feel her on me, casually stroking me as if I'd asked for that at all. The worst part was that some part of me like it. Shit. I was being raped, an awkward situation for a male, let me casually point out. "Stop that! Right now."
"Don't be like that," she cooed, her eyes locked on me as she smiled gently and her horn glowed with her work. "Such a clever stud deserves more... attention, and I have so many other things to offer you."
"Like an open door?" I grabbed for the exit, but the handle jiggled at my grasping, locked as I feared it might be. "This is not how you make friends."
She lifted an ear. "An unwed stallion, so hesitant?" She sat up, her magic ceasing its maddening teasing. "Am I not your type? Do you prefer them younger, older?" Her eyes darted up and down from my midsection to my face. "Fingered?"
"I prefer them to not be creepy stalkers that lock me in a wagon." That seemed like a small request, right? "And I'm not married, but I have a girlfriend, thank you."
Color drained from her face, which you wouldn't think is a thing you could do with a fur coat. "You have a paramour?!" she squeaked, a loud click coming from the door. "I had no idea... I must look the fool... Who is it? Who beat me before I even took the first move?"
"She isn't secret." Not exactly? "I just haven't shouted it from the rooftops."
The mare patted the long bench beside herself. "Tell me of her."
Really, just like that? "May I remind you were just grabbing me?"
"Old mistakes." She waved it away as if it had been nothing at all. "I simply must know. I won't touch you again, unless you want it?"
"I do not," I flatly replied to that, but I didn't immediately flee. Who was this mare? "Who are you and why did you attack me?"
"Attack you?" She fanned her face with a hoof, looking scandalized at the idea. "I may have been a little... forward... but no harm has been done." She cracked a little smile. "Your turn."
"Who I like is literally none of your business." I crossed my arms over my chest, but I still hadn't fled yet. Perhaps I should have? The thought was dancing in my mind.
"Come now, telling me I must not for her sake, but not saying who she is?" She leaned towards me, fluttering her long lashes. "You are not about town that often... Is it that manager of yours? You two are inseparable."
I blanched at the thought of it, but she saw it another way. "It is her! How delightful! How indecent! A stallion making his mare work for her instead of the other way around. Marvelous!" She clopped her forehooves together. "And such a free-spirited common waif. Is that the sort you prefer?"
Did I correct that? It wasn't my job to make sure she better understood my sex life. "I prefer them honest and straight with me." Far better than the scheming energy I felt from this noble(?) mare. "Now, I have to get to work, it's what I'm being paid for, not be entertained--" As if I was very entertained. "--by the local nobility."
"Such a hard worker," she purred. "Yes yes, go on then." She gestured for the door. "But if ever you need a little... distraction... know that the door will be open for you."
"Look!" I suddenly snapped. "I'm trying to be nice but only an idiot would take that offer." I grabbed for the door handle, but her magic was on it, contesting my attempt to open it.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked in a firmer tone of voice. "I've been nothing but welcoming. I know others have not treated you so kindly. Do you mistake me for them?"
Ugh, I should have fled when the chance was there. "You are an unknown player. You want my favor, or to extort. There aren't a lot of other options there."
She suddenly stood up. "What if I actually like what I see, you cad!" She turned up her nose. "Of course I want your favor. What mare does not seek the favor of her chosen stallion?"
"Does that always involve grabbing him between the legs after trapping him nice and close?"
She inclined her head at that. "I was trying to be romantic... You are a strange thing, from a curious place. Are my overtures that bewildering to you?" She suddenly threw open the door with her magic. "Off with you then. We're both hot and bothered. We can meet another day, when our heads have cooled."
I was fairly certain she would have been entirely alright with hot and bothered of a different variety. I would be loyal to Water Lily, however. She was a good working girl and deserved to not be cheated on by the strange man she had faith in. I wouldn't do that to her; certainly not for what seemed to be a bored noble mare looking for a fun new relationship. "Good day. The work's never quite done." With the door open, I threw myself out onto my hooves, striking loose dirt? We were just outside the gate, beside the river.
In the end, she actually had brought me towards my work. I had to credit her that. The wagon driver, and puller, nodded towards me as they were the same pony. "Have a good day, Sir."
"I'll do my best. Thanks for the ride." I nodded towards him and headed for the first project. There was water to move.
Easy waved a hoof tiredly from her bed, not bothering to rise. "Oh! There you are... I was wondering when you'd get back."
"I told her you were working," explained Water with a soft nod. "She's been quite eager to speak to you."
"I can say that on my own," Easy complained, closing her eyes and putting one arm over her face. "That was... just stupid, but it worked out. I had to hop way out to catch that poor worker before he hit the ground. Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch a moving object with a teleport? Any?!"
"Not even the start of a clue," I admitted as I sat down on the edge of her bed. "Are you alright?"
"No." She breathed softly a moment, her talking pausing. "Tired... Anyway, so I catch him, have him in my hooves, and now we're both falling, so what can you do? Again! I never jumped so far and fast, but I have to do it again, or we both smash into the ground and make a mess."
Water hissed softly, shaking her head. "You poor thing. Even one can be so dangerous and difficult if you are not quite well trained. I've heard even then it can be taxing..."
"You're a hero," I offered in a different explanation. "You brought him back in one piece, right?"
"Yeah... So, one more jump, we slam into the ground, but not hard enough to break everything we have." She flopped over, facing me. "And then I fall asleep, right there. He was a polite stallion at least, he took care of me until I woke up, and we joined a caravan heading back up here. Funny thing though, after two jumps like that, must have shook the fear of it off me... When I felt strong enough, I put a hoof on him and jumped the rest of the way on my own."
"And went right back into dead tired," I finished it, imagining the situation in my mind.
"Exactly." She buried her face beneath a pillow. "Can I have a day or two off, Boss?"
"Yes," I blurted without delay. "Of course. Work Pants will be overjoyed, and I already am. You did good." I looked to Soft. "Let's take care of her until she's back on her hooves."
"As if I needed to be told," she said in the gentlest chastising tone. "Any guest in my castle will be treated as a Lady. Now, tea's just beside you." She pointed to a small table where wafting tea did reside. "I'll have dinner ready at the usual time." She looked to me. "Now why do you smell... curiously?"
I thought that had long since faded! "Some crazy noble mare decided to casually try to get into my pants, except she cheated."
Water blinked softly. "I don't know that saying but its possible implications are worrying to say the least. She may have cheated... but did you?"
"No! No... I talked her down, then got away. Her wagon stank of perfume."
"And something else." She raised a brow at me. "You swear nothing happened?"
"Other than me getting angry?" I reached for her shoulder and she didn't shy away. "I told her I was taken, but didn't mention your name, as if she deserved to know it."
Her cautious expression brightened into a little smile. "Good, good... I... know you are of higher station than me. If... ever you did tire of us, I will understand."
I squeezed the shoulder I had a grip on. "I hope that day never comes. Water, I like you just the way you are. I like being with you. Jesus-- I'd want you to do more than timidly accept anything I did that hurt you. You're just as important as me."
"That's a lie, Sir... But a nice one." She leaned in, touching her nose to mine, fur on flesh. "You are a kind pony. Now, I feel certain Easy does not wish us to become romantic as she tries to rest."
"Nah, go on. I could use a distraction." She was watching us with a little smirk. "Don't let me hold you back."
Water's cheeks warmed swiftly. "Easy! I do not know how or why you tolerate... our indiscretions. Do you... enjoy it?" She glanced about nervously. "Listen to me prattle on. How fares your projects?" She turned back to me with that question.
"Well, now we have two, but both are moving where they need to. Ah, ran into one of the ponies that roughed me up before."
Easy's ear lifted at that. "Did you punch him?"
"No! No. Is that how ponies normally behave?" I didn't want to think about ponies randomly slugging one another to get over spats. "He's on the job, back to working. He was afraid I wouldn't want him around."
"And you shouldn't," casually agreed Easy. "But you think ponies are cute little foals that deserve forgiveness even when they hurt you. You're a funny thing, Boss. Never--" She paused to yawn widely, entire body rocking from the explosive noise. "--change." She mostly closed her eyes, going still.
Water raised a hoof to my cheek. "If it helps, I think you are an adorable thing as well, my little furless treasure. She didn't touch you... here did she?" She rubbed softly across my exposed skin, gazing perhaps a bit possessively.
"Her attention was down where the fur was," I noted truthfully. "I didn't actually know a unicorn could grab through things."
Her horn glowed and a recently familiar sensation was felt as she curled her grip around Little Ian. "If we know where it is and nothing too thick is in the way. Your pants do not qualify for that." She leaned in, touching her nose to mine. "But I hope my touch is not unwelcome."
"And if it was?" I asked in a teasing tone.
"Then I would accept what punishment you had in store for me." She half, turned, showing her back end towards me. "We can't have naughty staff working in this castle."
Of the two mares that had grabbed me that day, one of them I didn't mind. |
The Lightning Bringer | 39 - Pipedream | Easy recovered and was practically bouncing in place. "As much as I enjoy watching you work without me, enough of that. It's time to get my dad involved."
"Your father? He works with pipes, if I recall?" I was watching the ponies construct the large pipes and get them into position to siphon a considerable amount of the falling water for our purposes. "Smaller pipes?"
"Yes, much smaller than those." She threw her head at the big pipes being worked on above us. "He'll help us get started under the city. You want pipes everywhere, he can help with that, I know it." She thrust a hoof at me. "Permission to go grab him?"
"Are you sure he even wants to come here and work on this?"
Her eyes rolled dramatically. "Oh, hey dad, want to join in a huge project and get tons of bits doing a dream job? No? Alright then." She shrugged softly. "If he says no, I'll disown the lazy bastard. Seriously... He won't say no to this."
I doubted Easy would throw off her dad that easily, but I could imagine her dragging him along by the ear if she got it in her head to do so. "He can do this? This is a big project."
"Not alone, obviously, but he can help plan it and help with the delicate parts. Get him on the team and we'll put the pipes and tunnels in the right place, and get our first fountain spraying fresh water a lot faster." She stomped a hoof down. "Can I go or not?"
"Go on then. How lo--" She vanished before I could finish my thought. Great, she was a teleporter. From what I could remember from Twilight's journey into teleporting, it got easier with practice. Easy would be popping everywhere if I let her keep doing it. That was her choice far more than mine, I decided. She hadn't killed herself doing it the first time, or the second, or the third.
She was likely fine. Insead I waved up at where Work Pants was. He started to come down as I went up. Scaffolding made it easier and safer for us to do, no longer scaling naked cliffs to reach the work and back. "Work, it looks like things are going well with getting the water from this end, but I want to get started on getting it under the city." I pointed out across the metropolis we were to serve. "We'll need it to flow into reserves, water towers, that will help keep the water pressure going and also hold onto water, just in case."
He nodded as he sat down, looking in the same direction I had pointed. "You are full of ambition, Sir. How do you plan to get the water to go up into towers?" He raised a brow at the concept. "Magic?"
Well, that was an option... "I'll explore that idea..." I drew out my phone and got to clicking, checking something right quick. Right... Pumps. Water towers needed pumps usually, and the tech level for that wasn't quite there for optimal water tower usage. Magic?
"I'll go ask about that. Step one is getting the water flowing through the city, think big pipes to get it to all big sections of it, smaller sections to come after. Do we have the means to dig those tunnels?"
"No."
No? I couldn't help but look at him with some shock. "What do you mean?"
"We could be digging for the foreseeable future attempting it, Sir. We may want to look for exterior assistance." He gave the smallest nod, turning away from the city. "We're not on friendly terms with them, but, in my dealings, I hear they have a love for gems, which we have an abundance of."
I slapped one hand on the other. "Diamond Dogs!"
"Y-yes, Sir. You've heard of them?" It was his turn to look surprised. "They're not common."
"But they exist, and if we could get some of them on the team, yeah. That'll speed things up quite a bit." I rubbed both hands together, imagining a team of diamond dogs rapidly digging those tunnels. "How do we get them on board?"
"I couldn't rightly say." He rubbed his hat lightly with a thoughtful look on his face. "I usually only have to keep them in mind as an unlikely but not impossible menace to building projects." He turned then pointing at the castle. "But you have contacts, do you not? It may be time to call on them."
"I'll do that... But first, size. I pointed up at the big water pipe. "That's enough to bring in water, and adding to the water coming in isn't nearly as hard. When we get to waste flow inside the city, the bigger the better. The city will grow, and making the tunnels grow under it? Not so easy. That waste also has to flow away without contaminating anything or ending up where it could poison ponies." I slipped my phone away. "But that's not your problem right now. Your problem right now is finding a good spot for us to start digging. The water has to get into the city, or what's the point?"
"Too right, Sir." He turned towards the work. "Watch yourself!" he called up at a worker. "I swear they're taking turns seeing who can retire first the unfortunate way... I'm on it, Sir. See what you can do." He strode away without a goodbye, for there was much work to be done.
The left me with things to do. I climbed back down to the bottom of the work and wandered off, checking on how other major sewers had been built. A lot of it involved just plain manual labor, having people dig out trenches to be later reinforced into proper tunnels and routes for water and waste to flow through.
The best part was how vague some of it was. I could give ideas, but I would not be saying where to put each pipe, just painting with large strokes and encouraging others onwards. It'd have to be enough, right? It'd have to be... I stuffed my information source away and made firm strides back to the castle.
It was only then that I noticed something.
It didn't stink.
I mean, it did stink. But it didn't stink as much. The streets were clearer. The city was recovering from war time. I could see some ponies actually cleaning their stuff and it made the streets more open. Traffic was flowing better. We hadn't even got on the sewage and already things were looking up.
With a little pep in my step, I bounced up the stairs towards the castle. Maybe we weren't fighting an impossible battle. "Is the head enchanter available?"
The guard nodded softly. "They're in their office, Sir. I can't assure they'll accept a visitor."
But he hadn't forbidden me from trying, so I nodded on the way past and clip-clopped through the hallways with a purpose.
"Sir." Water was striding alongside me, matching my pace perfectly. "You're back early."
"Not retiring for the day." I held up a hand towards her as I continued. "I want to talk with the enchanter, see what he can do about a little problem you don't have the technology for."
"You keep doing that," she sighed out. "Speaking of works that do not exist as if you have them, or had them. I hope you trust me some day enough to share tales of whatever wonder world you came from." She glanced away and began to veer off. "I will be by later." And she vanished into a room, likely doing things only a maid could do.
I had a door to deal with. I rapped on it with the back of a few knuckles.
"Who is it?" came a familiar voice. "No, I can discern. Mister Langerman, is that you?"
"You are correct." I reached for the handle. "May I come in?"
"You may." When I opened the door, he was looking towards me fixedly. "One of your workers came by with the pipe measurements. The enchanted ring will be ready by the end of the week. Your water will run pure and clean for any that have need of it."
"Fantastic." Not what I had come for, but still good news! I clapped my hands, alien as they were to the unicorn. "I actually came about something else. How hard would it be to make a pump? Something that makes water move."
"Straight forward." He nodded softly. "How much water? How fast? Is this something you would want to last for a short while, or...?"
I couldn't help but smile a little. Magic enchanters were the engineers of pony kind. They still needed actual engineers, of course, but until the industrial revolution took over... "I want something that'll be here long after we're both a distant memory. Is that possible?"
His brows went up together. "Something to last, I see... Do you want the flow to be constant, cyclical, or controlled?"
A great question. "Can it depend on how much water is at the source? Once it goes beneath a certain amount, it stops drawing and lets the water flow out?" I gestured with my hands as I spoke, trying to emphasize what I had in mind. I could see his eyes following the fingers, but I couldn't know if he got anything from it.
"I see... Yes, this is... possible." His horn glowed and a scroll popped free from among many, rolling out to show a drawing of a pool. "Like this."
"A... pool?"
"It is that, but it does what you want." He tapped at the picture lightly. "Whenever the water is high, it circulates it. When the water is low, it allows more water to flow in. It is entirely self-managing. We constructed this model at the behest of the Fleur family, and it has served them well. A larger industrial model is likely what you have in mind, built to outlast anyone involved in its creation."
"Yes! Yes, exactly that." I walked to the window and threw it open. "Imagine, if you will, a tower of water in the city. When there's sufficient water, it should be constantly filling itself to the brim. Whenever the water pressure it's attached to falls below a certain point, it lets the water back out at a steady rate to get it back up to that pressure until it evens itself out or runs out of water, then refills when there's enough water to do so, repeating the cycle."
The enchanter stroked a hoof over his beard slowly. "I... see... You know, I didn't favor you when first I laid eyes on you." His glowing horn casually closed the window. "A foul little upstart, I thought, here to cause trouble, and that you certainly have... But you have such wonderful little ideas, and you trust me to see them through. I can't help but warm to your disturbances. A holder of water that helps water flow past it? How delightful. It makes such sense, now that you've brought it up. I think I've read of ponies doing something similar to that before... Yes... I can design that."
He brought his hooves together in a sharp clap. "It will not be cheap, of course."
"Of course. We are both servants of the nation." I dipped my head towards him. "They'll see we're both paid."
"A call to patriotism?" One of his brows fell, the other remained high. "If I were not already aware you had access to the royal coffers, I might be insulted." He pressed his hooves to the desktop, sitting up tall. "I love our kingdom, do not misunderstand me, but the actions of the council can be slow and if I had to wait on their leave before being paid, I would also wait on my work, for I am no fool. Fortunately, you understand this and will pay promptly, yes?" |
The Lightning Bringer | 40 - Diplomatic Entreaties | "You called for me?" Celestia walked across the clean tiles as if she belonged there.
There was the bathing room I was in the middle of using! "I didn't call you here," I noted, turning towards her, most of me under the water. "But--"
"--Here I am," she finished with a coy little smile. "This is how we met, if you recall. One more shared bath will harm neither of us, unless you would rather not?" She had stopped, watching me.
If I sent her away, I figured, I might have to wait a while before she had time. Sneaking my meeting into her bath time was just dovetailing on her part. "No, come in. The water's fine."
"Speaking of that." Her magic began divesting herself of her ornaments. "I hear you've been quite busy. 'The Water Pony', that's what they've started to call you when you're not around." She smirked faintly at my expression. "Don't look like that. It's a good thing. It means they've accepted you." She popped each horseshoe free with a little sigh. "They're calling you a pony."
There was that... "I'll take what I get there. I was hoping to talk about another race entirely though."
"Another race?" She started to step into the pool gently. "Another tribe of ponies, or further afield?"
"Diamond Dogs," I cut right to the thick of things. "You know them?"
Celestia sank into the pool, the water sloshing up and spilling over before a new equilibrium was found. "I have spoken to their king before. A curious people, with curious ways. What of them?"
Well that was convenient. I grabbed the brush that I hadn't been using on myself and casually turned it around to start getting Celestia's broad barrel. She quirked a brow but didn't tell me to stop, so I continued. "I want to hire them, a force to help with the sub-city tunnels. They can do it faster than ponies can by far, get this done now, rather than later."
She wriggled her sun-kissed bottom beneath the water, her magic grabbing a bottle from across the room. "I see. They are talented with such things. Well, you have your budget. If you wish to hire them, I will not stop you."
"But you know how to reach them, and I do not." I softly stroked along her spine a moment, working down the other side. She was a relatively clean pony to start, the water not clouding with my efforts. "I need more than permission."
"Something you cannot do on your own?" she almost sang out in a teasing tone. "I had started to think you were convinced you could do anything you set your mind to."
"I still plan to, which sometimes involves getting someone in the right position to act." I started working around towards her under section, dutifully cleaning her. With a wet noise, she squeezed out some goopy stuff and began to work it into her mane with a smile. "You can clean yourself, but I can see and reach, so why not have me do it?"
"It is nicer, and faster," she easily agreed with a soft nod. "Just watch where you move that brush. We are not that familiar, and you will break her heart."
Wait. "You know ab--"
"--It is my job to know, Mister Langerman. I think it's charming, and will not stop your little romance, but I will take great umbrage if you mistreat her. She is a good mare, and deserves to be treated fairly." She lifted an ear. "If she is not to your liking, set her down gently, that she does not collect too many cracks when hitting the floor."
Jesus... "I like her just fine."
She turned towards me, just her head swiveling, ears on me. "You think her perfect?"
"Perfect is a strong word... Nopony is--"
She held up a hoof suddenly. "What word was that?"
"Perfect?"
"No, no. Nopony." She quirked a little smile. "I like it."
Crap, did I just invent that word? That was not on my list of things to do that day... "Um, right, as I was saying, she's not perfect, but who is? I like her just as she is."
"Should I be planning a wedding?" She brought her forehooves together in a wet clopping splash. "How delightful that would be. I would gladly release her into your care."
This was all moving in a direction I had not planned. "Let's refocus. Can you talk to the diamond dogs? It will be a paid position, of course."
"But what will you pay them?" She suddenly dipped her head into the water, her magic working the soap free of her mane in a spreading puddle of bubbles before she came back up with a gasp for air. "They have little interest in our bits. A practical people, really."
Practical was not the word I would have chosen, but these were early diamond dogs, and early ponies. I was living in the past, a thing I had to remind myself once in a while. Wait... "What if... the ones that help us could get some land to themselves?"
Celestia quirked an ear at that. "Land, here in Equestria? How bold... Though... it could help secure the ties between our kingdoms, a symbol of peace and cooperation. Yes... that would be nice..." She stood up, water running free of her form in great sheets. "You have the most fascinating ideas."
That would make two ponies who thought that in short order. A bad habit of mine perhaps? "Do you think it can work?"
"A little plot..." She tapped a hoof to her chin before starting to climb from the tub. "I think we can arrange this. I will see about this. While that is happening, I suggest you continue as best you can."
That brought up questions in my mind of the other races I knew. "What other kingdoms do you have relations with? You doing alright with the hippogriffs?"
Magic wrapped around me and half-dragged me from the pool. "Who told you of them?" Her tone was suddenly cold, her eyes narrowed at me.
Crap. How did I explain that? "There are stories of them, where I'm from."
"Stories?" She released me, letting me flop nakedly back into the pool. "Stories? They've... only just become a thing, a secret thing at that, and already stories?" She leaned in close, her equine face inches from mine. "And yet you speak plainly, with an edge. You know more than you admit. Is this part of that bright future you have seen?"
Well... "Yes, actually. I don't want to go into details."
"Yes, yes, musn't ruin that vision." She glanced away and back at me. "I am no stranger to visions of futures that may be. A delicate walk, that line, to see them through without ruining them. Tell me this alone... will there still be hippogriffs, in this happy future?"
Hippogriffs were new?! "They will have hard times, but they will have happy times, with good endings. They will..." I trailed off, unsure of what more would be prudent to say. "They'll be fine."
"Fine..." She turned away, her magic picking up her jewelry to re-adorn herself quietly for a moment. "They'll be alright... Do you know their true story?"
True story? "I didn't know there was a 'true' story to know."
"That answer speaks clearly." She stepped into each shoe one at a time, her magic working them perfectly into place. "In your happy future, perhaps this start was forgotten. Good... It serves us little to linger on it... The griffons." She tossed her head, perhaps in the direction of the griffons. "We have fought with them, long and hard. Bitter exchanges... Sometimes they capture a pony or two and instead of devouring them, make use of them for... other means."
She shook her head slowly as she moved for the door. "The result of those unhappinesses are the hippogriffs, a people that could be the bridge between our people, but instead stand alone and abused. I do what I can, which was very little... With our war abated, perhaps that can improve. They need a home, and so much more. They are not comfortable among the ponies of their mothers, nor among the griffons of their fathers."
"Shit..." I pulled myself free of the tub, suddenly lacking any desire to soak in its waters. "I thought they weren't related to either, to be honest." I mean, sure, myth had them related, but the show certainly had ignored that.
"Not related?" She turned back towards me with a powerful equine snort. "With the forebody of a griffon and the posterior of a pony, how can they not be? True, they lack our cutie marks... Another facet that drives a wedge, as if the violence of their creation separated them from destiny itself."
This was going downhill. "They don't think about that, in the future. I think, eventually, maybe it's just you that remembers?"
Celestia's lips turned upwards in a bitter smile. "A burden I would gladly bear, if it means none other need to. Yes, perhaps their children's children's children will forget this, if we can find them a safe place to live in peace. Tell me, are we still at war with the griffons?"
Crap... "Not sure I should answer that?" I pulled up some boxers and went for my shirt next, covering up. "It may change nothing, or not. I probably shouldn't be having this conversation at all."
"I thank you for doing so." She dipped her head a few inches before standing straight. "I will see about the diamond dogs. Perhaps, when times are less hectic, we can talk, speak of this bright future of yours. I would like to hear more tales of it, if you would."
She soon left me there, just getting on the last of my clothes. Was I supposed to tell her about things? Maybe my loose lips created the world I was trying to make. Maybe I was just one more prophetic voice in her head, guiding her towards that bright possibility. I wouldn't be the first, from the sound of it, and not the last. I knew not the last. Maybe she deserved to know...
"There you are!" Just as I came out of the bathroom, there was Easy, another unicorn just beside her, male, older. Her father? "Look who I brought with me."
"Not so loud," cautioned the male, a hoof to his lips. "We're in the royal palace! And you're shouting in it as if you own it. They'll throw us out... Or into jail. Maybe both?"
"Nice to meet you, Mister..." I offered a hand towards the stallion.
He suddenly reared up and thrust a hoof right into my palm, making a shaking motion as if he'd done it before. "Nice to meet you, Sir Langerman. That is your name, yes? My daughter's been gushing about you the entire way."
"I have not!" hotly defended Easy, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, this is my father, Tight Fit."
Tight nodded. "That's the name. I hear you're working with pipes?"
A few improper jokes danced into and out of my mind, shoved aside forcefully. Tight fit, what a name... "Nice to have you aboard. My goal is to provide fresh water to all of the city, and to carry waste away from the city. Two networks, water and waste. The two need to not contaminate one another."
His face scrunched up. "Oh, ick, no. I wouldn't want a little sip of someone's dropping, no sir." He fell back to all fours, head still shaking. "We can't have that. Now, I don't do... big pipes."
"He knows that, Dad." Easy thudded against his side with her own. "But there are plenty of smaller pipes that could use your touch."
"Now you're talking! Oh, little pipes to connect the entire city? That will be a maze... Looks like you'll need a..." I could see him waiting for the right moment, such a smug grin on his face. "--Tight Fit. Consider me hired, assuming you'll be paying, which my little girl assured."
I had a plumber! The day was looking good. |
The Lightning Bringer | 41 - Diggy Diggy | We had reached a milestone. A great pipe rested at the base of the mountain, its end closed off, but filled with water. I swept my eyes along its length back up into the mountain where not a single drop of water was leaking. "You are a fast worker..."
Work Pants dipped his head faintly. "It is the name, Sir. We have the water coming down from the peak reliably now, but this project is now at an impasse. Do you want us to begin the tunnel work? Not our specialty, I won't try to hide, but we're ready to continue."
"Take the rest of the day off, paid." I turned back towards the castle. "Time to see if things are moving the way I hope they will."
"As you say. Thank you." Work trotted off to tell his work crew the good news.
With a sudden pop, Easy appeared a few feet away and quickly turned towards me. "There you are! The council's looking for you."
What? "All of them?"
"All of them," she sang. "I think it's good news before you get too upset. Shall we go?" She offered a hoof towards me.
"The castle is where I planned to go, so this works out." I took her hoof in a hand. "You getting better at teleporting?"
"You tell me." The world stopped existing a moment before we appeared within the castle, in our room. "Ta da."
I wasn't sizzling or smoking. It hadn't hurt, and it was fairly instantly. "You are getting better," I assured with a smile. "Do you remember you used to be scared of the idea?"
"The first time is always the scariest." She waved it away. "There are so many things that could go wrong, but once you get a feel for it, it's not too bad. Now, let's go visit some council ponies." She strode past me for the hallway with a determined look.
"Where is your father?" I asked as I caught up with and walked beside her, my strange humanish gait throwing off the clip-clop of her equine trot in noise with my clops mixing with hers. "Keeping busy while we get ready for his part?"
"He never admitted it, but he really wants to see the city, so he's taking the opportunity."
I hadn't paid him yet, so... "Did you slip him a few bits?"
"How could I not?" She smiled gently, glancing aside at me. "He's my dad, and he looked so eager... He's really enjoying himself, and I'm not going to stop that, really..."
"No, that's good of you. I hope he's finding some interesting things." Who knows, he could even learn something relevant to the task, but that wasn't the goal.
We settled to companionable silence as we approached a room I had been to before. The guards standing by the door nodded towards me, neither gleaming with the bright gold I would know all of Celestia's guards to eventually wear, but they weren't hers, not yet. "They are waiting for you," noted one. "Please enter."
Inside they sat, not facing us, instead each other. They were discussing a sheet of parchment that rest between them. Celestia was nodding to something a councilmare was saying, "--going just fine. With the return of the armed forces, law enforcement is building back up to where it used to be."
The councilstallion let out a dramatic sigh. "It's good to be able to breathe again. The city felt like the nation as a whole, choking on itself. Its recov... Oh, our guest is here."
Their eyes all looked up towards us then. Celestia inclined her head towards two available cushions. "Please, join us. I have good news for you."
The mare nodded softly. "Imagine our surprise; really, the Diamond Dogs? Giving them land in Equestria..."
"If they can see this project through." The stallion shrugged softly. "But this is beside the point, we already gave approval."
With a glowing horn, Celestia set down a new scroll. "And this is their response. Shall we read it together?"
I sat cross-legged on the cushion, my hooves pressing against my legs in a way that my old feet wouldn't have. Ah, the wonders of an altered body. "I am guessing you already have?"
Celestia ran a hoof gently along the scroll, trailing a wax seal. "Actually not. You must proceed one way or the other, and we determined we would discuss this, no matter what the reply may be."
Easy thrust her right forehoof at it. "Well open that up and let's see what we're working with."
I had no argument for that. "Hopefully good news."
The councilmare took it in her magic and popped the seal open with ease, unfurling the scroll. She read the words aloud, her eyes slowly passing left and right.
Good Day, Ponies
We not expect letter. So nice. Want diggers? We have diggers. Give diggers home? Is good. You treat well, yes? On the way.
Nice letter, will send more,
Mittens, Queen of Dimondia
Celestia inclined her head faintly. "I couldn't have asked for a more positive reply."
The councilstallion rolled a hoof at the floating scroll. "So uncouth in their writing. Is this the sort of citizen we desire if this is as well as their own queen can manage?"
I shrugged at that. "We're not hiring them for their eloquence. They know how to dig."
"And that's what they'll do," chimed Easy in agreement. "What land are they getting though?"
Eyes looked from face to face, settling on Celestia, who inclined a wing. "There is a fine plot of land that is currently seeing very little use at all. Not far west from here, in the lowlands, where we were considering farming opportunities."
The councilmare perked an ear. "Are they taking that land then?"
The councilstallion snorted softly. "They prefer underground, don't they? If they stay there, we can farm over their heads and be done with it."
I shrugged softly at that, having some idea of how it'd play out, but it wasn't my place to change the world I was making. The diamond dogs had a part to play in future events. "That sounds quite reasonable. When should they arrive?"
Celestia's magic wrapped around the letter, taking it from the councilmare and rolling it back up. "This could not be said with certainty, but I feel confident that wheel is in motion. Speaking of that, the gate guards speak with awe at the tremendous pipe you have running down the mountainside, and we had a few... concerns."
The stallion stood suddenly. "Is that temporary? Will you be hiding it eventually? It's quite ungainly to see, as impressive as it is."
I hadn't put a lot of thought into that, but it was true. The future Canterlot had no huge visible pipe connecting it to the mountain. "I'll make that the next project, to have them conceal it without making it inaccessible; work it into the natural face of the mountain."
The councilmare nodded softly. "That is all that we ask. You have the masons on the case, we're certain they can do something about it." Her gaze went to Easy. "We are told your father has joined the effort."
"Tight fit," she agreed with a nod. "He'll be handling the smaller piping in and out of homes to connect with the big pipes, right?" She looked to me for confirmation.
Which I gave, "Exactly correct. He isn't on the case yet, or being paid. We need the tunnels started under the city before he can get to connecting them to individual houses."
Celestia swept a hoof slowly through the air. "Speaking of that, I would like the castle to enjoy this water. Fresh water not born of magic sounds lovely."
The councilstallion blinked softly. "It wouldn't be clean."
The councilmare shook her head. "You haven't been paying attention. Mister Langerman?"
"We will be using magic filters," I gestured in the vague direction where that enchanter worked. "The water will be entirely natural in origin, but we'll clean it thoroughly before it reaches any tongues, or cooking pots or tubs. Since we're on the topic of this project, we've done a survey of the city as best we could, but if you have a more detailed map of the buildings we'll be working with?"
Celestia's horn glowed as she grabbed a book from a shelf. "I thought you may ask that. Take this." She set it in front of me. "This has a full map of the castle and all adjoining buildings. Please do not allow the book to leave your sight. It has... privileged information."
The councilmare sighed gently. "Such trust... Mister Langerman, I have a request."
"Hmm?"
"Will you formally swear fealty to the nation?" She tipped head head towards me. "You have stated your intentions clearly enough. Think of it as a formality, if you would prefer."
The councilstallion raised a hoof. "We would welcome you as a full and proper citizen."
Was I not that already? Things had gone from glacial to feeling at times uncomfortably fast. "Of course I will. I am here to help Equestria, and it is my home." Not like I knew how to go back, or was really in a hurry to. I was enjoying my new role in a new world.
Celestia gently brought her forehooves together. "I suggest this not be a simple declaration of intent. We have heard it, and so have they. You have a much more convincing show of faith at your disposal." The two councilponies looked to her curiously. "I think you know what I mean, Mister Langerman. I will not force that of you. But if you find favor in her..."
The councilmare suddenly had a wicked smile. "A paramour? How have I not heard of this...?"
Easy clopped a hoof on the table. "We're not here to chat about how the boss makes a mare happy." Eyes were turning on her. "W-what? It's not me! Sheesh, some professional etiquette and all that. He's my boss, not my boyfriend."
Celestia, I noticed, had looked towards her, though I was pretty sure she knew exactly who was being hinted at. All the better to play dumb. I set my hands down on the table more calmly than Easy had. "I'll talk with her. This isn't a choice for me to make on my own."
"I accept."
Like that? "This is a permanent thing, just to remind."
"You have shown me nothing that would make me shy away from that." She set down a duster she had been holding in her magic and turned to face me entirely. "I wanted you all to myself since before today. You asking just makes that easier. Do you agree to be mine? To be pampered and brushed and lavishly oiled to keep your skin delightfully soft and supple?"
Once in a while, I forgot her skin fetish, then she would just remind me... "Am I more than a patch of skin without fur?"
She frowned sharply. "I'm not a filly. We've been through quite a bit already, and I expect there will be more ahead of us. You'll make your oath to Equestria as a whole, my promise is to you." She reared up onto two legs. "I will support and love you, as I expect the same in return. I will learn to think as you do, as you learn of my ways. In the end we will both be changed, but for the better I think."
"He beat you to the punch there." Easy was gesturing at my lower half. "Can't really argue about becoming more pony with that going on."
"Easy... Is there a reason you are always here, even when we're discussing private things, or doing private things?"
She sat up tall. "We're family. Sure, I'm not going to start smooching either of you, but we are family, like brothers and sisters. I'm here to make sure you two don't do anything too stupid. Now thank Big Sister Easy properly, or she may find something better to do."
At least I had friends. |
The Lightning Bringer | 42 - Reinforcements Have Arrived | I had quill to paper. Let me tell you, that wasn't my usual style. Give me a keyboard and a screen and I could jam out words well enough, but the only keyboard or screen for an entire world was my phone, and whatever I made in there wouldn't be available to be read by much anyone but myself. What I wrote wasn't for myself.
I was transcribing knowledge. Dutifully copying human technology out in pony understandable ways, or so I hoped. The pipe was being hidden. The dogs were on the way. Water Lily seemed quite intent on planning the wedding. "A mare's job," she had insisted and then spoke nothing more to me.
That left me with time. And I decided to spend it giving back to Equestria. As much as I didn't want to think about it, there would be a day when I wasn't there. Even if I did defeat age through some magic or another, I certainly couldn't be everywhere at once. Ponies needed their own engineers solving their own problems and hopefully coming up with unique pony solutions to things even when I wasn't there.
I was penning the workings of a water ram jet, allowing water to propel itself uphill with sufficient amounts of water. We may even have need for such a design within the city, depending on where the water has to go. Sure, I paid the enchanter to handle it for the water towers, but we weren't made of money, and going to him for every time the water had to go uphill anywhere in Equestria, or even the city, would be unfeasible.
It sure would be nice to have electricity...
That would require them knowing what it really was first. Or would it? I was slowly copying a diagram off my phone as I pondered that. I could give them the hows without the whys, but that felt like cheating, and it could turn up poorly later. If they were going to be told about electricity, the magic of man, they should have some idea of what it was.
But what did they already know? Unicorns could make it, but they had no use for it. It was an attack, a deadly energy, or something to amuse others with when used properly. In no way was it a revolutionary power to change the world.
But were humans any different? Electricity used to be a curiosity too, unknown and unknowable. It took time and study and mostly time, multipled by many man-hours of study, to start figuring it out. I needed something small and easy they could hold in their hooves and see electricity working.
A little motor. A small thing that did nothing but spin around. Surely that would be enough to at least show it could be made to do work. First, the ramjet. I dutifully finished the notes there, keeping my burning sidetrack pushed where it belonged, to the side.
A knock had my head turning. "Who is it?"
"Sir?" came a female voice. "I was asked by Water Lily to ensure you paused your efforts about now. I have a snack."
I grabbed my phone and took a peek at the time. It was turning to evening. I had spent the entire day working on that one article. Still, it was basically done, something to be proud of. "Sure, thank you." The door opened as I began to put things away. "How is Water doing? She's basically hiding from me."
"She's not hiding, Sir." The maid trotted in, tray floating beside her. She placed it on my desk in the space I had just made available. "She's preparing. You are unusually aggressive, for a stallion, Sir. She has to prove she can handle a mare's business. Her pride is on the line."
Aggressive? "I wouldn't hurt a hair on her."
"Not violent, Sir, no... I would... protect her if I thought you were that." The maid smiled awkwardly up at me. "Aggressive... Mares are supposed to propose. You went and did it instead. She's... delighted, Sir, please know that. It's just made her eager to do her part."
The tray she had put down had a few butter cookies and a small cup of tea. I could smell the butter. Those cookies were as brand new as they could be if I didn't shove my hand into the stove to fetch them myself. Ponies knew how to cook and serve food, I can never deny. "Thank you... but since you're here, what do you think of me?"
She inclined her head faintly. "You're not my sort, Sir."
"Not like that," I laughed out, taking a cookie and giving it a soft bite. It almost melted on contact with my tongue. Very nice. "When you look at me, what do you see?"
"I see a half pony." Her eyes flicked between my top and bottom. "With fingers, missing fur, no snout to speak of... How do you breathe?"
"Pardon?"
"Breathe, Sir... Such a small nose, it must be terrible difficult, I would think..." She sat down, regarding me more fully. "No wonder you always wear clothes. I'd be cold too. How do you survive the winter? Oh dear, that's coming soon. Are you going to hide inside? Poor thing..."
That was going in directions I hadn't planned. "I more meant as a person."
"Oh! Oh... pardon." With blushing cheeks, she looked away a brief moment. "You're the talk of things lately. You're taking one of us away, but she seems... very happy about it, so I'm not angry at you, Sir. You just better treat her right." She thrust a hoof at me. "And I hope she invites me to the ceremony. Oh! Sir, do you have family? Will they be there?"
Any family I had was a world, possibly a universe, away... "None that could make it here on time."
"Oh... I'm so sorry, Sir. I've asked a bad question." Had I made an expression? She was acting like it. "Forget I even asked. You're marrying into family. Assuming you two continue getting along as well as you do, I'll gladly accept you as part of mine." She set a hoof on her chest. "And I imagine many other maids feel the same. We're all one big family."
A family I was being invited into. I hadn't planned on joining a family circle of maids, which made me curious. "I'm not a mare, as you know."
"We are all aware of that... Ian. May I call you Ian? If you're family, first name would be proper, rather than 'Sir sir sir.'" She was smiling easily, as if she were talking to a friend rather than anyone that could censure her for her behavior. "True, the maids are mares, but Lily isn't the first to find love, and the boyfriends and husbands of maids are just as much a part of this family. If they can't manage that... Usually a good sign they aren't a good fit."
Well, no pressure... "I will do my best. Now, before I go assuming, are pets allowed?"
She squinted at me. "Like a cat or a dog? They create more work, but well-mannered ones are a delight to have around."
"N-no. I mean..." I hovered a hand over her head.
"Sir! Ian, no..." She scurried back a few rapid steps. "Touching another mare like that. I will have to tell Water Lily, Ian. This isn't something we can keep a secret."
"Go ahead." I felt sure she would more likely laugh at my awkwardness. "I didn't mean anything untoward by it. It's a thing we humans do to adorable furry things."
She looked all the more perplexed. "Ian... I am a hardworking mare. While I appreciate you think I'm cute, I'm not a foal in need of headpats, and it sends confusing signals. You aren't my elder, or my lover, so I will gently rebuke that wish, and suggest you not try it with the other maids, please?"
I would be getting no maid petting done outside of Water Lily. A shame, but not the end of the world by far. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. That was my mistake. I owe you one."
She pointed to the tray. "Well, alright then. You get to bring that to the kitchen yourself, you naughty boyfriend, you." She turned on one hoof, swiveling away without moving from the spot. "Because I'm not taking it, so there." She trotted off, looking so confident in her terrible revenge.
That left me with cookies, tea, and a tray that all had to go away. There were worse fates. I had other things to do. I brought them all to the kitchen to be properly dealt with, much to their surprise, but they didn't ask why I was the one bringing them.
With that handled, I left the castle with one of my parchments. Not the ramjet, that had no business outside just yet. I made my way to a smith, the steady pounding of a hammer on metal the clear sign that the smith was around and working. When I opened the door to head inside, a bell rang out clearly. Had he, or she, made that? Good work by how clearly it had jingled.
"One moment," called a female from the back, the hammering pausing a moment. "One moment." A heavy-set mare came trotting into view. She was not fat, oh no. She was muscled, large and powerful, but also smiling. "Well, hello there. Aren't you a strange one. Strange with bits?"
"Strange with bits," I agreed, setting the paper down on the counter that separated us. "I need some metal pounded into some specific shapes. Can you help?"
"That happens to be my job." She leaned over the counter, peering at the drawing. She reached out a hoof and twirled the paper around to face herself. "You've made the metal all long and thin here. Is that for decoration?" Metal pounded like that won't be good for much else."
Not much else, except conducting electricity. "Do you have copper? I need that part to be made of copper."
"Copper, sure." She tossed her head towards some shiny brown pieces. "Work with that plenty. Steel too, but that costs more. Is it all copper?"
I got out that quill, dipped it and quickly put a big C next to the copper wires and and S on some of the others. "There you go. Can you do it?"
"Can I do it?" She pulled the diagram closer. "Of course I can. Just don't go hanging anything off those thin copper lengths. You knock the strength right out of them when you get them that thin."
"I understand that." I considered explaining what they were actually for, but that felt like a waste. She worked metal, that's what she did. "Thank you, miss...?"
"Smith. Miss Smith." She nodded once firmly. "And you're the langer man, ain't ya?"
"Ian," I corrected. "Ian Langerman."
"Close." She pulled the diagram off the counter. "Word has it you have a hoof in the council's coin purse, so I'll expect prompt payment when this is ready. You staying up at the castle?"
"I am." Having a reputation was a double-edged sword. I noticed she wasn't sweating the details. She knew she'd be paid. "Send word and I'll be back to collect, and pay."
"Glad you remembered that part." She inclined her head towards where the diagram had gone. "Rush job?"
"No." It wasn't an emergency by any means. "Moderate priority, just let me know when it's all ready."
"You got it," she said with some mild disappointment. I imagined she had been hoping she could charge extra to bump it to the top of her queue. "I'll have this hammered out soon enough. Think of me the next time you need some metal pounded into shape." She turned and left, apparently goodbyes said enough in her eyes.
Knowing a local smith wasn't a bad idea, really... Miss Smith was an easy name to remember. |
The Lightning Bringer | 43 - Magnetic Personalities | I had a bunch of parts. I knew how they had to be arranged, but first... First... Naked copper wasn't going to do it. Still, Miss Smith had done a great job. I just needed that copper insulated and I'd be there... One search turned up a surprising answer. Paper. They had paper. Paper insulated just fine so long as it wasn't running that hot or too much electricity, which I wasn't planning.
I brought Easy over. "I could do this myself, but I'd actually like as much of this to be done by pony hands as we can."
"Yeah?" She glanced between me and the random assortment of parts. "What are you doing, exactly?"
"Science!" I gently picked up the coil of copper wire. "But right now, we're going to cheat with a little magic. Can you wrap this wire in paper?"
"Wrap it in... paper?" She hiked a brow high. "You have strange ways of thinking, Boss. You'll need to get me a bunch of paper first, then some kinda wrapping spell. For some reason, I didn't really thing that'd be needed."
I was about to be disheartened, but a thought hit me. "Ask your dad. I bet he uses something to wrap pipes, keep them watertight and insulated. He'd know for sure."
Her ears perked in a little dance. "Oh, good idea. That sounds like something he'd know. Alright, I'll go ask him. You get the paper." She trotted off without another word.
The paper was a straight forward thing. I went to the library where they keep writing tools, which included a nice stack of writing paper. "Can I have some of this?" I asked the librarian mare that sat behind a counter.
She leaned over the counter to see what I was pointing at. "If you're writing something for the council, certainly." She nodded with self-satisfaction. "It's what it's there for. You're Langerman, aren't you? Ponies are talking about you." Her eyes wandered over me. "Up to interesting things. Go on, have some parchment."
Wait, was parchment the same as paper? "What is this made of?"
She frowned at me then. "We have books on parchment, made of parchment." She snorted then, looking amused at her own joke as she pointed the way. "If you're that interested. A little learning's good for a pony."
While tempting, I had things to do. I could check that later. I thanked her and hurried back to my room with several sheets of parchment. A quick search said parchment was leather, and leather insulated. Great! I wouldn't want to use it for a house power line, or much anything larger than the little motor I had in mind, but for that, it would be 'good enough', and sometimes that just had to do.
The door opened and more than one pony entered. You get used to their gait, and two sets of hooves did not sound like one. "Where is this?" asked a familiar male voice. Tight Fit was with Easy, approaching quickly. "Ah, Mister Langerman, nice to see you. Daughter here says you need something sealed?"
"That wasn't exactly what I asked." I picked up the copper wire. "I need this coated in something that can insulate against electricity. I got some parchment for the job. Can you do that?"
"Parchment." He looked at the small stack of paper. "Well, sure, you could do that, but parchment breaks. What you want is wax!" His horn glowed as several bottles emerged in a line. "I have a special blend I use on little pipes I need to be nice and snug. No water in, no water out. Except the ends, of course."
I was ready to argue, but that was a pony solution. If it was made of things they could easily get, that was even better. "Do you know if it resists electricity?"
"I never tested that," he admitted with a shrug. "Put out one of your hands."
Oh that could go in so many directions. "I trust this won't do anything I'll regret?"
"What are you talkin' about? You're my meal ticket and a chance for a huge project. I won't hurt a hair on your body." He waved it off like it was nothing. "Getting wax off a pony isn't so tough, and you have less fur to get in the way, so you're perfect."
Nothing for it. I presented my left hand. His horn flared brightly as the bottles shook in place. Suddenly my hand was coated in hot wax. Just as the pain of that was starting to appear, it was already cooled down. My hand was perfectly encased in some kind of wax-mixture. "There you are. Now, Easy, my girl, if you would?"
Easy stepped up, her horn crackling. "How much electricity do you need? Big zap? Fill the room zap?"
Actually... "Just keep your horn crackling. No zaps." I brought my hand over and brushed against her still sparking horn. I was not jolted, even with the direct contact. "Wow, pretty good mixture you have there. Do you have a recipe for it?"
He inclined his head softly. "Only in my head. I don't need other ponies taking my secrets, Sir."
That attitude had to change... But how? "You should still pen it down. If you trust me with it, I'll pay you for it, to start, and keep it secure."
"Well, paying for it is a different story." He waved a hoof and his magic banished the wax, making it crack and part, falling free of my hand. "You plan to have other unicorns sealing the pipes? Eh... it is a big job. I suppose a helping horn or two might be a good idea..." He tapped at his chin softly. "Alright... but I expect to be paid for all the time I'm saving you."
It meant a bit of pony ingenuity would be saved instead of fading when the pony that had it passed away. It was a step in the right direction. How many other little technological steps burst into being just to fade back into the swamp they emerged from, the world none the wiser for what it had lost? "It's a deal. For now, please, coat this." I gestured at the wire. "I need the length coated, not all of it. I should still be able to move each bit of the wire."
"Well, then first..." His magic unwound the coil and stretched it wide. It went around the room once. "We need it nice and straight as can be. Then..." Tight made a grand sweep of a hoof, his bottles jiggling as they dipped in volume each, drained to coat that wire all along with the waxy residue. He drew a sudden sharp breath and what seemed to be dripping pulled in tight, hugging firmly to the metal. "And... there we go." He began coiling the wire back up carefully in his magic, still covered in that insulator.
I had insulated copper! "Fantastic. Now I need a magnet."
Easy inclined her head. "Magnet. How big?" She held up her hooves. "This? This?" She spread them further apart. "The bigger, the more expensive, of course."
Magnets were on the market? "They sell them?"
Easy shrugged softly. "I've used lodestone in acts before. They make compasses out of them, and you can do funny things with them. How big?"
"Great!" I held out a flat hand. "About as big as my hand?"
"Huh, alright." She turned but vanished rather than walking away, a soft pop of magic.
Tight shook his head. "That's my girl... lately. She didn't used to do that. Now, you, Sir. What is it you're making?" He was eyeing the collection of parts. "It looks delightfully intricate. I must know more."
"It's more electric than water," I warned.
"I am capable of enjoying all kinds-a complicated things. Don't you go judgin' me, Sir." He sat down in front of the bed, his eyes wandering over the pieces as his mouth moved in subvocalizations. "With a magnet... and the coated wire," he said a bit more loudly. "I don't get it. What are you making?"
"It will show that electricity can do more than look pretty, or zap ponies." I sat on the bed and started assembling it as it needed to be, which mostly involved coiling that wire. Around and around and around... I'd be there a while, but the tighter the coil, the better, so I kept at it.
He was watching my fingers as I worked the coated wire around and around. "You're going to zap that wire, and you don't want the wire to zap the wire." He tapped at his chin. "I still don't understand why."
"I don't even know how you got that far." That was an impressive leap of logic. "But I am amazed. That's exactly what the wax is for, to stop electricity in the wire from jumping to the next part of the wire, which it would do if it was easier than just moving along the wire."
"Electricity is... lazy, Sir?" He raised a brow. "I didn't know electricity had thoughts."
"It doesn't, exactly." The coiling continued. I was making good progress, but it took time. "But water won't flow uphill if downhill is an option. Electricity takes the easy way too. Most things in nature prefer the easy way if at all possible."
"That makes sense," he said as if it actually did click with him. "But you haven't said what this does."
"You'll see when I get it all put together. Since you helped, you can be the first one, besides maybe me, to see it in action." Around and around went the wire. I'd be there for--
His magic suddenly appeared on the wire, coiling it quickly. "Well, I want to see this, whatever it is." As great as human fingers were, unicorn magic was just cheating, and he soon had it nice and tightly coiled. Oh, the look on his face as I undid the last few coils. "What did you do that for? I thought you wanted it all bound up like that."
"Most of it. I need the ends free to get the electricity in and out." Mmm. "You have something to keep this all firmly in place?"
Pop, wax slathered over the mixture, glueing it down to the metal beneath. "Huh, that stuff has a lot of uses."
"It isn't the strongest glue, but for little delicate things, it can work." He lifted his shoulders in a soft shrug. "Alright, so what's next?"
I hadn't expected to get assistance of that sort, but it was good, I decided. Ponies needed to be involved. The more closely, the better. I began to explain what needed to be where and we worked together to fashion the motor-to-be. For a plumber, he was a handy pony. He had it mounted on a slab of wood without difficulty. We mounted another bit of metal to the other metal. I won't bore you with the specifics, but we had it together well enough that we didn't technically need the magnet... if we had alternating current electricity.
I wasn't sure if unicorn-created electricity was AC, DC, both? Maybe they could do it if they tried either way. I didn't know. There was one way to find out...
"I'm back!" sang Easy. "And I brought company."
Just behind her, Water Lily came trotting in. "Hello, betrothed. Easy says you..." She trailed off, eyes on the strange little contraption we had on my bed. "What manner of... What is that?"
Easy clopped her hooves with a smile. "You built it while I was gone! Dad, were you helping?"
Tight nodded with a smug look of confidence. "We did it together, with a little practiced hornwork. Now, I still got no clue what it does."
"We're about to find out... Right away if you can do alternating current electricity. In a bit if you brought that magnet."
Easy blinked at me as if I had just spoken a foreign language, which I suppose I might have just done. |
The Lightning Bringer | 44 - The Power of Science! | With a soft noise of metal sliding against metal, it turned. Easy had the wires going up to her horn. The fact that she could figure out negative and positive after a little trying was a pleasant surprise. Sure, she had no idea which part of her horn was which, but they were separated out, allowing the power to flow through the wire and create motion in the crude little example of human innovation.
Tight had his forehooves together as he leaned in, his head thrust over those hooves, gawking at the motion. "It isn't glowing," he noted as if that was the most important part of the entire thing. "It isn't glowing, not even a little."
He wasn't wrong. It wasn't glowing at all. No unicorn magic was operating on it, not directly at least. "We could make this turn without even her borrowed spark, but it'd be a lot slower. Electricity isn't magic, and that is what is powering this."
"Imagine if you did this with the wheels of a cart!" Tight blurted, eyes starry with visions of the future.
"That is skipping a few steps." Though valid, I silently admitted. "More immediately, imagine it attached to pumps and bellows. Imagine it lighting the darkness."
His cheer dimmed. "I just finished sayin' it wasn't glowing and there you go bringing glowing right back into it." His hooves came apart to point at me accusingly. "Are you tugging at hoof?"
It slowed to a stop, Easy huffing softly. "That isn't as easy as I make it look. Cute as it is, what was the point of that?"
"What was the point?" thundered Tight, hopping to his hooves. "We just saw the future and you ask what the point is?! But there are so many questions behind it..." He fixed his eyes on me squarely. "You obviously know about this. How do you get electricity without a unicorn working at it? If you need that, ain't much different than magic in the end."
Easy rolled a hoof with a smirk. "A great question. I'm your manager, not your sparky pony."
Water leaned against me from where she was laying just beside me. "I will handle making sparks."
I was at least 80% certain that was innuendo. "There are as many ways to make electricity as there are things that move or burn. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." I carefully picked up the little motor that could and set it on a small bed-side desk. "This will work as a demonstration. We have water to handle."
"Water moves." Tight nodded softly, looking quite self-pleased. "Can it make electricity?"
Well... "Sure. But you'll slow the water down doing it, so I don't want to put a generator on the pipe we're making for the city. Unless you think the water pressure's too high as it is?"
Tight shook his head quickly at that. "No! No... It's good, but there's other water flowing. We could tap that, right? Make electricity for the town. That'd surprise everyone! They think we're bringing water, and we will, but bam something new!"
I was about to shoot him down, but it hit me. This was a pony getting not only invested but legitimately excited about science and its practical uses. That wasn't something to discourage. He was exactly what I wanted to make happen. "Tight Fit."
"Yeah?" He cocked an ear towards me before turning. "'Bout to tell me why that won't work?"
"No. This obviously interests you. Do you want to know how it works? Knowing how it works will let you work with it, and use it."
He smiled so hard and so fast, a soft squeak escaped his cheeks in an adorable little exclamation of his joy. "You'll share your secrets? I figured you'd want to hold that tight."
Paf, my hand came down on his head, his horn going up between my pointer and middle finger as I began to pet him without thinking about it. "I would be delighted to take you on as a student. You'll be the first pony to understand the concept of electromagnetism."
"I'm honored." He scooched back, removing his mane and head from the petting. "But there's only one mare fer me, even if her time ran out. Ah'm a loyal stallion."
Easy applied a hoof to her face. "Dad! He just... does that. He thinks all ponies like being pet for some reason, no dirtiness behind it."
That left me with a new bit of sad information. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to bring up a sore point."
"That was a long while ago." He looked away, turning instead to the motor. "I made peace, but don't plan to replace her none. 'sides, got a daughter to keep an eye on. No matter how large she gets, she finds new things to get all involved in."
Easy set her hooves on her hips, standing up to do so. "The same thing you're throwing yourself into!"
Tight stuck out his tongue, though he wasn't facing her. "I didn't say it was a bad habit. Now, pardon me, but I need some sleep. This is fascinating, but my late night days are behind me." He started for the door, his tail wagging cheerfully with his steps. It was a subtle difference, but I was starting to learn their little body cues.
"One thing," I called to his retreating form. "You're the first, but you won't be the only pony. This will do no one any good if we keep it too close. We want all of Equestria to have this."
His steps faltered. "All... You dream big, Mister Langerman." A soft smile spread on his lips. "But I like those dreams." And off he went, closing the door behind himself with a faint glow of magic.
Easy hopped up onto his bed. "He brought it up first, but it isn't a bad idea. Good night! Have fun if you're doing that."
Water had the good manners to blush with me, but she didn't argue it either. We all settled for bed, confident that the day had been well spent.
"Where dig?" The head of the diamond dogs was there, arms crossed. It was an unusual pleasure to be dealing with a fellow biped. "Ready."
"About that." I turned my gaze to Tight who was there with Easy. "Alright, the goal is to get the water in and all through the city. Water likes flowing downhill. Any time we try to force it uphill, it's going to slow down, and eventually stop. We don't want it to stop before it's already in someone's home."
"Right, I've been thinking about that." His horn glowed, producing a rather large sheet of paper that he unfurled between us all. On it was a great map of the city, little lines darting all over it. "Here's what I have. I can't dig the larger holes, that's where you come in." He pointed at the canine leader. "Never saw somethin' like you before, but the Boss says you dig good."
"Best diggers," he agreed, leaning in to study all the marks on the paper. "Hmmm... How big?" He held his hands up apart.
"Depends on the color." He pointed to a black line. "Black's the widest. This big." He spread his hooves out wide, then frowned. "Bigger then I can reach..." He turned to the side. "Two of me wide."
"Big," agreed the diamond dog foreman. "Okay. We dig. We dig good. Start big, ask when done." He turned to look at the city, then looked over his shoulder at the plans and back at the city. "Yes. We--"
"One more thing." He ran a hoof along some hatchetlines. "This shows how high it is. See how it gets thicker as it gets away from the start? That's how it goes down. Flat here, see? Can you do that?"
"Mmm?" He dropped into a squat facing the paper, examining the subtle hatches. "Hmm... What deepest?" He thrust a finger at where the hatches seemed to be the most dense.
"That should come right out the bottom of the far side of the city." He pointed the way. "That's the deepest, where everything should lead. Note that system is separate. We don't want clean water and sewage water touching. Talk about nasty tasting."
"Bad water," he agreed. "Not want. Keep apart." He nodded once firmly. "Got it. Come on, let's go!" The others began to bark and cheer, looking ready to go. I was expecting more talk among them, but the one in charge began to bark out orders and the others dove into the earth and stone, vanishing from sight, but only briefly. What started as a lump rapidly began to grow into a proper hole, then expand far more rapidly than I imagine anything short of a fully mechanized digger could manage. The tunnels were officially underway. We'd have our water system and sewage system.
"You look happy," noted Easy with a smirk. "Watching them with that dopey smile on your face."
Had I been? I gently tamped down that expression. I had an image to uphold! "It's good to see such solid progress. The end feels like it's a lot closer than it was even a day ago." To think the far descendants of those dogs would lose this will to perform great deeds, sinking to depravity and greed. Could I change that trajectory? Should I? My self-appointed job was to safeguard the future of Equestria, which meant not changing bits of it to my taste, even the unfortunate parts.
There would be consequences to every action, magnified over and over as a millenia passed by. Saving the children's children's children's and so on of these dogs could cause something new to go horribly awry, and how would I even predict where that would happen? At the very least, it would change what happens in the future. Rarity would never be pony-napped and showcase her unique problem solving, which could affect other things.
"Tight?"
"Yesir?"
I gestured at the growing hole. "Do you need to monitor that, or are they good to go for now?"
"Don't reckon I could monitor this in any real way besides watchin' and waitin'." He shrugged softly. "Why?"
"Shall we continue our lessons?"
That got his attention, tail wagging. "Sounds like a fine idea. Now what was that about magicetic fields?"
"Magnetic fields," I corrected as I lead him away towards a place more conducive to study.
"I'll keep an eye," shouted Easy behind us. "Kind of my job." It was good to have a manager. I raised a hand in a wave as I went, thankful to have her around.
A glowing sponge worked over my body. Water was smiling as she performed her duty of cleansing, obviously enjoying working on my furless parts. It was a habit we'd gotten into, since technically it was one of her many duties, and it let us be together at the same time.
The door opened without a knock. Both of our eyes went towards it. Water was on her hooves instantly. "The bath is in use," she called in her gentle but firm way.
"I am certain he will not object too strongly to my presence." In came Celestia, the door closing behind her. "You can be a difficult creature to get alone without formal invitation."
We both tensed at the sudden intrusion, not that she seemed very worked up about it. She casually worked off her horseshoes and took off her jewelry. "But I do need to speak with you, ask a few questions. I see the diamond dogs have arrived and have begun their work. Are they to your satisfaction?"
"More than that." I gestured to the portion of the tub I wasn't in. There was room enough for us both, we'd tested that before. "Their work should shorten the time this takes considerably."
"Excellent." She stepped down into the tub one hoof at a time, the water raising rapidly with her great bulk. "Now, tell me what else you have been working on." |
The Lightning Bringer | 45 - You're Soaking in It | "I was demonstrating something to a pony I didn't ex--" I paused as Celestia leaned forward, her snout inches from my face. "Expect... to be as interested as they were."
Her ears went erect. "I confess, matters of state occupy most of my waking time, but you think I have no interest at all in what strange things you bring to our kingdom?" She inclined her head, which seemed somehow a cue for the sponge that began to run over her large barrel. "I know a good deal about magic and its working, but you bring a sort I know so little about."
Water Lily sank to her belly beside the tub, her glowing horn diligently seeing to the cleaning of the two ponies before her. "You could have asked me, instead of storming his bath, Your Highness."
Without even looking towards Water, her eyes instead on me, Celestia replied, "I would have his word. Besides, I think he enjoys these little times we share. Now... This magic, electricity is it not?"
"Electricity is one of the cornerstones of my people's power," I provided. "Mastery of it opens many other doors. It is not an easy beast of burden. You have to put in as much effort into controlling and producing it."
"You speak as if it is alive... But I can understand that." She adjusted her position, rump going down and head going up as she sat down. "I've spoken of magic in similar ways many times. It, too, is a wild beast if used incorrectly. But let's set the metaphors aside. I would hear the plain truths."
I wasn't sure she could handle the 'plain truth'. "I'll do my best. What's your question then?"
Her expression softened subtly. "Good... Speaking in broad terms, what is the good this magic can bring?"
Well, shoot. "Imagine a world where the sun setting was only a suggestion to retire, because light is a right of every pony in your kingdom at any time. Imagine a world where, without unicorn involvement, or clever pegasus flying, water could be drawn where it was needed and out of where it isn't wanted. Imagine a world where delicate machines eventually learn to do your whim, powered by this same force. Imagine--"
She put a hoof to my lips, much as I had silenced a pony or two before. "Some of that seems far fetched, and perhaps it is, right now."
"One more," I insisted, backing from her hoof. "Imagine stores of food kept from spoiling in cold produced without ice and without burying it."
Her ears danced. "There are enchantments that could do that... but it is prohibitively expensive for most of my people. Precious few are skilled enough to produce such works. Enough. You have made it plain some of the good aspects of this power. Now, tell me, and be just as plain; What awaits us if we tame this beast? What are the risks, and what are the prices?"
Water's eyes darted between the two of us, clearly interested, but not asking anything. Nope, she was just a pony-shaped cleaning utensil at that moment. How much of my demonstrations had she brought to Celestia, I wondered. Should I have been angry?
"To make electricity requires one of two things in the end. Heat, or movement. Take the heat or take the movement and you can make electricity. A pony galloping, a stream flowing, or a burning pile of coal could all serve to make this power. But burning things makes smoke. Smoke is messy. When my people first really discovered this power, they made a lot of smoke, and kept right on making it for years, centuries... Our world became a smokey place."
Celestia snorted at the mental image conjured. "Then we will outdo your people, for a change." A little smile spread on her face. "Long have you had the mien of a kindly elder, here to lead children away from harm, but I will not accept this mantle of youthful innocence so easily. We will take your power, and we will do it better than your people did. Without the smoke." She inclined her head faintly. "You said any movement will do?"
"Movement and heat," I emphasized. "You know how a water wheel works?"
She raised a brow at that. "That is a simple thing. What of it?"
"That simple thing can make electricity, with the right extra parts." I rose in the water, standing in the tub. "A facility designed to do that specifically stops all the flow but what you allow to flow past your water wheels to produce the power you want."
Her ears danced at that, perhaps considering it. "That would be most unkind to what life dwelled in the river you stopped. The earth ponies would revolt to see us treating the creatures of nature so dismissively."
That was a little reminder that Fluttershy was an aberration as far as pegasi went. She didn't like flying quickly, and she hung out with animals. She was an earth pony in a pegasus' body. "There are ways to get around that, but this is all jumping ahead without the first steps."
"Verily," she agreed, surprising me. "I would see an example of this." She raised a hoof from the water. "You." She was pointing the hoof at me. "You are not of this world."
Water squeaked, perking up with wide eyes. "Ma'am?!"
"Deny it, if you wish."
Well... crap...
Even as I considered it, her magic snagged my phone and brought it floating over. "This is not a device of any nation of this world." I can't really emphasize how much I cringed to see the phone floating over the water. I wasn't ready to test its waterproofing rating. "You are not a creature of any nation of this world. I checked... Oh how I plumbed that well. You have similarities to some creatures, but you... are something else."
"Is this a polite way of saying I'm under arrest?" I held up my hands free of the water. Resisting Celestia seemed like a foolish idea. I was pretty sure she could physically overpower me, but she had magic too just to make that more clear.
She smiled, that soft kind smile. "Arrest? You are a citizen of this nation, whatever you are." She floated the phone back towards my folded pants, setting it down atop it. "You have broken no laws of the kingdom, though perhaps some of the world? Those are enforced by other agents, and they have not spoken up, so it would seem you are fine, for now... I had my suspicions, but you made it quite clear. 'our world,' mmm? I would know of a nation overtaken by smoke."
Celestia rose, standing as I had, causing the water to sink considerably beneath her. "Did you come from a mirror?"
"A mirror?" dared ask Water.
Celestia glanced at her as if just remembering she were there. "Water, beloved servant. I will require your complete silence on this conversation. Never shall a single word of it escape your lips."
Water's head began to firmly bob and she went silent.
"I did not come from a mirror," I confidently replied. I would have remembered that. "I think I came from further away than most mirrors go."
She leaned forward at that. "Further away? They are all a world apart. How does one... come from further than that?"
I took a slow breath. "Alright, imagine if every choice changed things subtly. Did you come to my bath today, or tomorrow? Different worlds, right?"
Surprisingly, she nodded. "Yes."
"But those worlds are very close together." I brought up two fingers touching. "The differences small, mostly the same. Even if you followed them on and on." I trailed a finger with my other hand. "That choice will not change the fundamental nature of that world. The planet will still be there in both. The sun will be there in both. All the big things haven't moved. It's mostly the same place. The further out you pull back, the harder it is to see the difference one day of visit made. With me?"
Celestia frowned faintly before a slow nod came. "I... see. Then as many threads make a rope, my mirrors allow me to see the other strands in the bundle, but you... come from another rope entirely, whose world is not the same. Whose sun is not the same. Whose stars are not the same."
How the hell did she put that theory together so damn well?! She must have seen my surprise and her smile turned cocky. "As wise as you claim to be, I feel confident I am your elder." She softly pushed me back into the water, sitting. "Show me some respect. Then you are a stranger, a true stranger. From further than ever have I seen..."
Water whimpered softly, her ears folded back. "I will carry this secret to the end, Your Highness, but it stirs in me powerful feelings of helplessness. What creature has claimed my heart? Is he even a creature? I'm scared, Your Highness..."
"I'm still me," I quickly blurt. "Ian Langerman, and you are my lovely mare." I reached from the water and she shied back a moment before allowing her round cheek to rest in my palm. She let out a shuddering breath and relaxed against my bare skin, her eyes closing. For the moment, her panic ebbed.
Celestia rose a hoof and began to climb free of the bath. "This has been a very productive discussion. We both have work to do, Mister Langerman. Bring my ponies water, but bring me electricity. Without smoke. I want this castle to glow in the dark, as a beacon for my people. Show it can be done, safely. My world will not be made into smoke." With a powerful flick of her tail that sent water flying, she approached her horseshoes.
That woke up Water. She scrambled to her hooves and soon towels were drying Celestia from all angles, helping her get dressed and ready to move. Celestia was soon trotting out of the room as dignified as when she had entered. Water crashed beside the tub with a weary sigh.
"Are you alright?" I asked even as I began to climb out myself. She did not bounce up for me, but I wasn't a princess. I began to dry myself. "Water?"
"No." She opened one eye towards me. "I am not... This is a strange thing... and it makes me wonder... if... If... Tell me of your world. Were there ponies there? You seemed to know us. You seemed to... like us. I thought your country, not a world, had ponies, so you were used to us..."
I began to get dressed, pulling pants and shoes and shirt. "We know of ponies, but there are no ponies there." The sight of an Equestrian pony would have caused quite the stir back home. "We have a story about you, this world."
She sat up at that, blinking. "We are a myth?! We are a story? Does it have a happy ending?"
Well... "Yes. It is, in the end, a happy tale." I was dressed and ready to move, but I didn't leave. I sat beside Water instead. "A charming tale of ponies that had won against many forces of evil, and internal confusions, much like the one you are feeling right now."
She allowed her head to tilt one way and the other before a renewed smile erupted on her face. "We are more alike than I would have known. You came chasing the story of a furry creature, and I hoped for the myth of a furless creature. It is like providence..." She touched her nose to my bare hand. "And when we meet, we fulfill the other's desire perfectly. Fur against flesh, two worlds made whole in our union. That is a romantic thought." She rose smoothly to her hooves, looking better. "I should return to my duties." |
The Lightning Bringer | 46 - The Lightning Bringer | Well, I was in a spot.
"Sir?" Tight Fit was watching me with a concerned look on his fuzzy face. "Sir?"
"Sorry." I sat up, one arm resting on the table next to us. "Celestia gave me a project and it has my head spinning."
Tight squinted at that. "A project that confounds even you? I admit I have a hard time imaginin' it. You seem to know everything. What did she ask for?"
I gave the electric motor that had started it a little twirl, watching its blade spin around. "She wants the power of electricity brought to this castle, and I'm not sure I'm up for that."
"You are the one teaching me of this magic." He raised his hooves just to gently press them together. "Who else would be better qualified? Why, you made that. You know how it works. What stands in the way?"
I flicked the blade with my finger, keeping it spinning. "This is the easy part. Taking electricity and turning it into basic movement. Going the other way, especially reliably, especially distributed, especially over the long term, now there's a trickier part."
He crossed his arms, hooves dangling. "Well, what is it you want to do?"
"You understand how this works?" I gestured at the motor. "We need to do it backwards. We need to make the motion of magnets cause electricity to flow, but we need to do it at an even level, so the electricity is always flowing at the same strength. At about the same speed and depth, to describe it like a river."
His eyes narrowed at the magnet. I could almost seem him tossing the problem around. "When you spin the motor like that..." He reached and batted the blade with the end of his hoof as I had with my finger. "Does that make electricity?"
"Yes, but--"
"Not a lot," he cut in. "What goes in, comes out."
Why were ponies so quick on these things? "Basically, yes. If you attached this motor to another motor and turned this one around and around, the other would move slower than this one."
"Something is lost during the exchanges," mumbled Tight, looking so thoughtful. "It's like water."
"Like... water?" Water was his thing, but... "How is this like water?"
"Water flows down." He pointed down. "But you can use water to push water back up." He pivoted his hoof. "But never as far as it came down." It turned around again. "Something is lost. Something is always lost. Same thing."
That middle-aged father of a pony! He deserved a medal. "Yes! Yes, exactly that. Write that down. You deserve credit for being the first pony to really put that thought together." Conservation of energy, as proposed through liquid dynamics. Why the heck not?!
"Credit?" He inclined his head softly. "Who would be giving me credit? I mean, besides you, Sir Langerman. I do appreciate your kind words."
"Right..." I took a slow breath as I stood up on my hooves. "That needs fixing more than Celestia needs her lights."
"Pardon?" His left ear went up. "Nothing I need... quite gets in front of Princess Celestia's direct orders, barring the council standing against her. I do appreciate your sentiment, but I don't want you gettin' into any trouble fer me."
"This is still what she wants, but she doesn't realize it yet." I pointed right at the center of his head, through his horn. "The light she wants is in there."
His eyes crossed at my finger as he blinked rapidly. "I can glow if ya want, sir. I don't think--"
"Not literally," I cut him off, waving a hand. "You have ideas. Good ideas. I think a lot of ponies could have good ideas, but there's no infrastructure for these ideas to come together at all. A pony has good ideas, dies, and the good ideas go with them until some other pony has a similar idea, and we repeat."
"You've brought that up before." He began walking towards the door. "Don't rightly understand it, not really. Ah get yer goin' fer somethin'. Maybe somethin' big... It just ain't... sittin' right."
I took one step after him. "Hold on a moment, Tight. Imagine, please, it's long in the future. You're dead. I'm dead, we're all gone."
"Not a happy start," he grumped, turning back towards me. "What then?"
"A classroom, a group of foals crowded around a teacher who's telling them about a little fact. Energy can't be destroyed or created, only changed, and always at a loss. She tells them a bright pony called Tight Fit came up with the idea, and published it so other ponies could know it, and refine the idea."
He sank to his haunches, one of his forehooves dancing as if he were counting something. "I wouldn't know none of these foals, right?"
"Not a one." I lifted my shoulders. "But they'd know you."
"They'd know... me..." He licked over his lips, turning and raising in one motion. "I need to think about this. I ain't sayin' no, Sir. Just give a stallion a moment to figure through this." I didn't stop him as he left. Pressing just then felt like a good way to make him more mad than receptive, so the door closed behind him.
Not that I didn't have other things to do.
I walked down a corridor of stone and earth, glowing crystals embedded in the walls casting back the worst of the darkness and allowing us to see where we, Easy and I, were going. Ahead of us strode a large diamond dog, their leader. "We dig good," he explained as they walked. A sheet came up, held over his shoulder. "Look."
I took the sheet. It was the plan Tight had made of the major pipes of the city. Some were blue, some were red. "What are the colors for?"
"Blue mean dug. Red mean dig. Dig Red. Blue dug. Good dig." He nodded firmly, arms crossed over his chest. "Happy?"
Easy suddenly popped up between me and the paper, her head shoving up against my belly so she could peer at it. "Hey, most of this is blue! That means it's dug already, right?"
"Yes," agreed the dog, reaching back without looking to grab the paper. "Almost done. Time small dig. We do job."
"You've done a great job." I didn't resist losing the paper. He had more need of it than I did by far. "Let's have a tour."
"Yes, we look." And he accelerated, eager to show us all their work. As we went, I could see they had put in obvious care into their digging. Each tunnel ran smoothly into the next, with clear trenches for the water to flow, but also raised platforms for future ponies to come through if upkeep was required, which it would be.
There wasn't any such thing as a sewer that was entirely self-reliant forever. There wasn't any such thing at all, sewer or not, on second thought. If you want something to keep working, you have to work too. Ah, the blessed law of entropy. Still, that appeared to be a really good start. Light suddenly spilled down on me as I walked and I stopped.
Craning my head back I could see the tunnel lead up towards light in the distance. "Where does this go?"
The dog turned and stalked back. "Road. Dig for air. No air, no work. Dead dogs. You want dead dogs?"
"No! Of course not... But..."
"But?" He leaned in, his acrid breath washing over me.
"Could you..." I worked my fingers as if walking up one another hand to hand. "Put in some ladders? Some big heavy metal rungs, so ponies could climb down these holes later?"
The dog shoved me right out of the way and looked up the hole that reached for the sky so distant above. "Huh... You give metal, we use metal." And off he stalked, apparently satisfied with that answer.
Easy dashed into the available spot and peeked up as well. "Say, that is clever, Boss. Then ponies can come down here if we ever need to, in case something gets clogged or whatever."
"It's not a new idea, for me. I won't take clever points there." I felt, in fact, a bit stupid not considering it ahead of time. But it was something we could fix. "Easy, do you feel confident ordering the rungs for them to install for a pony to climb up and down?"
"Yeah sure." She bobbed her head softly. "Should I use the blacksmith you went to last time? She knows you."
And she knew I'd pay. "Yes, good idea. I'm sure she'll like the business too."
"I would, if I was a smith." Easy shrugged softly. "But I'm a manager. You are my business, not the rungs I order. Want me to get right on that or keep with you for this inspection?"
"I think we're almost done." I hurried to catch up with the foredog. "I'm really liking what I'm seeing. You all did fantastic work." Part of me wondered again if I should try harder to turn diamond dogs to a productive force. Surely they could be such a great tool for civilization in general, enriching both pony society and themselves instead of the sad place they'd end up if I remained quiet.
But that wasn't my place, right? "I'll be sure to include your cooperation in the report."
"Good. We get land after this. Yes?"
Easy suddenly saluted. "That was the promise. We ponies keep our promises! Usually." She inclined her head. "They'd better or I'll get really mad."
"I will stand at your side until you get your land." Even if I wasn't able to redirect their course, I could at least get them what we promised. They had to go there anyway. "I'm not seeing a single thing out of place. How long do you think it'll be to finish?"
He looked over his shoulders, still moving forward without pause. "Longer. Need make stairs. Day, seven day. Two." He held up seven fingers, closed them, then two fingers, then nodded firmly as if that was clear english. "Hey!" A bunch of dogs poked their heads out from around corners and in holes. "They say good job!"
A rough cheer erupted through them, and more shouts echoed the news away, causing more cheers from further away. All the dogs would soon have that news.
He waved back at me. "Work. Get metal." And he moved to leave me behind. I had seen all that I really needed to see, so I let him go and instead turned to Easy.
Her horn glowed softly. "Want a lift to the surface?"
"You've really grown fond of teleporting." Was she somewhere in Twilight's past? Starlight? Sunset? Maybe she was just a random talented spellcaster. Equestria certainly had more than its share of those and they didn't all have to have genetic ties to future talented spellcasters. "Go on."
She squeaked with joy and leaned against me before we both promptly ceased to exist. We were standing on a street in Canterlot, not at the castle. One thing that jumped out at me was how... cleaner it was than when I had first arrived. "And I haven't gotten the water flowing yet." The air was much cleaner. The city was transformed.
Easy waved it off. "The war's over, so guards are back to actually managing a city instead of trying to keep failing at finishing that war." She began to trot in a weaving path towards the castle only to pause. "Right. I'll go order those rungs. You heading to the castle?"
I made a note to check how, say, London handled its policing force over the years. "I'll head back and talk to your father some more. It'll be time for him to get his hooves dirty. Without his step, we won't get water anywhere but major fountains."
While that'd be nice, it would be a pale shadow compared to what I had set out to do. |
The Lightning Bringer | 47 - Little Dig | Tight Fit lived up to his name, wriggling into small places to get in equally small pipes. He had selected a random tavern as the test case and had his men and the diamond dogs work together to get water flowing close to it, underground, where he connected to the pipes with his smaller ones and worked it the rest of the way away from the main tunnels and slowly upwards.
The ponies who owned the tavern gawked at him as he installed a sink, but the promise of eternal effortless water was not one they said no to. He told me after the fact that it took a good portion of a day, but that he learned a lot doing it. It'd take a lot less time the next time, he assured. Once he had the sink ready, he attached the last of the pipes, then reached up with a dramatic smile and holding his hoof over the lever.
"And this--" He pushed down and the water began to flow down into the sink, filling it. "--is your indoor well."
I had noted we planned to do a sewer line to take away the waste water, but we weren't quite ready for that.
He had taken it as a challenge. Even as the ponies cheered at their new indoor well, he was working on attaching the outgoing pipe. The water would flow all the way through if he had anything to say about it.
He had come home exhausted, but so satisfied. Perhaps just as importantly, talk began to spread through town like wildfire. We hadn't made it a secret that other ponies would get their own indoor wells and excitement was growing as it was proven we could actually do it, and we weren't even charging them for it.
Well, we were, if you think about it. This was all coming out of their tax money. Still, not quite how the average person thought. Even a human would be hard pressed to really understand tax money was their money, so it was free.
That was when I let him see the phone. Specifically, I showed him the article on flush toilets. "Does this make sense?" He was uncertain at first, but I assured, "Go ahead, take it and study it. Just be careful with it."
His magic glowed around the phone as he took it from my grasp gently and set it on the table beside himself, peering at the little letters and pictures. "How do it... turn the page?"
So I showed him how to click and drag. Turned out unicorn magic was picked up by the phone, which struck me as strange, but good. "Go ahead, read, study, and consider what a version made for a pony would look like."
"Huh... Hmm..." He tapped at his chin as he scrolled down, then back up sharply, slowly back down. "Hmm... Sir, why couldn't you come a few dozen moons ago? This is all terribly exciting, I find myself wishing I had my youth back to tackle it with."
"Then your daughter wouldn't have been here to meet me," I noted with a little smile as I began to wax poetic. "Which means I wouldn't have learned about you, and we never would have worked together in the first place."
"Hmm." He tapped the screen with a hoof. "Sewer gas?"
Had I lost him that quickly? I pivoted topics and we talked about sewers and why the gas from one would be something worth avoiding.
"I have a present." Water Lily coiled partially in on herself, her glowing horn taking out a little glass bottle from her pocket. "It took quite a bit of study, but I have it."
She had been studying? "What do you have?" I crouched down to be more even with her.
She advanced suddenly, knocking me right over onto my back. "Stay," she firmly ordered as her magic grabbed at my pants and began working them free. Tight had wandered off, thankfully. "I'm going to restore that wonderful smooth skin of yours."
"You found a cure for Poison Joke?" My surprise was as naked as my bottom half. "That's great!" But if she had it, how had it been a secret years later? A forgotten discovery?
"It's quite difficult to test, so you'll be serving that role. I'm fairly certain." The cork of the bottle popped out with a loud suction noise before she brought it closer to me. "Let's focus on your feet. I know those hooves are not what you're used to, so..." She began to dab cool cream just where the hard surface of my hoof met with living flesh. "My wonderful furless marvel, let's restore you."
There was a soft tingling echoing through what my ankle and downwards. Something was surely happening, but I couldn't see it with her basically sitting on me, facing away. She was watching it in my place. I just got to admire her clothed back end, as lovely as it was. I raised a hand to gently pet her along her side and down over her rump.
She flicked her tail. "We can play after this," she gently admonished. "Right now I am your physician." She leaned forward, laying across me as she brought her head closer to my changing foot. "There we are... Wonderful furless skin."
That was when she licked me, right on the bottom of my foot. I couldn't help but laugh and squirm a bit and her hooves came in to hold the foot still. "Hold on there. I need to do the other one. You don't want to be half-hooved, do you? That would be the worst of all options, I imagine."
I got myself under control as I felt her starting to apply the goop to my other, er, only hoof at that point. Right where tough hoof met skin, the tingles coming back with it. "Thank you, for this. How long have you been working on this?"
"Since this happened to you." She flicked her tail right in my face. I doubted it was an accident. "I still loved you, and still do, but I knew I had to help you, and who else would do it? You are a brave creature, walking along so deformed from your birth form without making a fuss. If I suddenly had your legs, I would be beside myself with panic." She turned an ear. "Maybe a little turned on at having such bare skin, but mostly panicked."
I took gentle hold of her tail, brushing along it with my fingers. "You could be just as smooth, if you wanted, but you don't do that."
"I do not," she admitted. "You enjoy the feel of my fur, but you were not rushing to grow out your hair. You take great pride in controlling what little hair you do have. Why is that?"
Was it the same thing? "I suppose the body I have looks better with managed hair."
"And my body looks better with soft fur." She peeked over her shoulder. "I am glad we can share our bodies with each other." She stood up, stepping off of me and revealing my two human feet at the end of pony legs. "Closer to normal."
That... promised to maybe be bad. I pushed up to my regained feet and rapidly confirmed that my stance was off. Pony legs wanted to stand one way, human feet preferred another, leaving me in an awkward between. "Can you do the rest?"
She was eyeing me, looking over my hips and down across the furry part of my anatomy. "There is one thing." She held up a hoof. "Just one... I wish to be your partner... Forever, and would like children."
The stallion part of me began to react to her plain request for foals. "I have no... particular objection to that."
"You clearly have more than 'no objection,'", she noted, watching the reaction. "Which is why that one part I want to keep. It will give us our children. I need to figure out a way to get everything that isn't that back to normal... Will you suffer a little longer, for us?"
I leaned from one foot to the other, practicing my footing. "It's better than hooves, I think. I'll just need to practice, again. Water, thank you."
"No objection?" She lifted an ear. "That is... a very sensitive and personal part of your body. I would object to mine... not being mine." She leaned forward faintly, tail lashing. "Is that love?"
What if I was alright with my strange inhuman equipment? The way it worked on Water was a delightful additional bonus. "It is part of love." I reached for her, the one pony that didn't object to my touches, and began petting her soft ears and head gently. "Figure out how to get my legs back though. I don't need pony legs."
"No you do not," she flatly agreed, suddenly turning away. "I will return your human ones as quickly as possible." Without further word, she trotted off, leaving me in quite a state.
At least I had hands.
A sudden laugh broke that thought. Easy's head was peeking out from under her blanket. "She just did that... Cruel mare. Poor stallion. Don't look at me though. You won't get any pity hornjobs out of me."
"Jesus!" I grabbed for my clothes, scrambling to get decent again. "I thought you were out."
"I was taking a nap," she corrected with a leer. "You don't have to rush. I've already seen that, even mid-use." She sat up, blanket rolling off of her. "Besides, if I touched you, Water would murder me, then cry herself to sleep. We wouldn't want that."
On the positive, her presence and attitude had done a nice job of acting as a dousing of cold water. I was entirely unaroused, and soon dressed. I could fit into my old shoes again, that was nice. "No, we would not. Did you get the ladders?"
"Days ago," she corrected, rolling her eyes. "Didn't I mention it? The dogs are busy pounding them into the stone. I even tried one, climbed right down into the waterways and back up again without a problem. There's a lot more holes to get laddered though."
"Your dad's doing great work. That tavern's thrilled with the outcome, and it's priming everyone else."
"You don't need to tell me." She hopped down, her glowing horn pulling a bundle of paper free of a drawer. "I have a long list of ponies and businesses that want to be next. Everyone's that anyone wants water on demand."
Possibility. "We don't have infinite budget." I pointed at Easy. "Why don't you schmooze with these ponies a little, drop a hint that contributions towards the project will bump them up the priority."
"Will it actually?"
That was a plain question, but with a plain answer. "Yes. Everyone will get one eventually, but we can start with those who are paying for the work themselves. Meanwhile, have your dad work on getting a public fountain going. I want something nice and central, where ponies will rejoice to only have to go there instead of all the way outside the city."
"Ooo, yeah, that'll get tongues flapping." She clopped her fore hooves and got into a lively trot. "I'm right on that, Boss."
"One thing! There should be very clear signs that the fountain is not for splashing, entering, or making dirty. We want to be hygienic."
"What?"
"Healthy." Language was a funny thing at time. "No one wants to drink another pony's sweat, right?"
Her face screwed up with distaste. "Yuck, no. Alright, that makes sense. It's not a river. I'll let him know." And off she went to deliver the news.
She really had turned out to be a good manager.
Of course, I had other things to do. |
The Lightning Bringer | 48 - The Water Must Flow | The burbling water was difficult to see for many. Quite the crowd of curious ponies had gathered to watch the fountain be installed. More had shown up after that when the water began to come. As I had instructed, little plaques were installed informing ponies to help keep it clean for everyone to enjoy.
A mare wandered up out of the crowd, approaching Tight Fit. "Can I get some?" A bucket floated just to the side of her. "I was going to head to the river, but this is just as good?"
"Even better," assured Tight with a proud grin. "It's got a filter on it to make sure there's nothing in there but the crispest, cleanest water. It's like the water nobles enjoy, but for everyone."
"For everyone," she repeated, sounding stunned at the idea. But she wasn't stopped, so she brought the bucket down and easily filled it with water. Floating over, she sniffed it lightly, and probably smelled water and the wood of her bucket. "It's lovely! Thank you!"
"Aw shucks. 'twere Mister Langerman's project. I'm just happy to play a part." That was when he waved at the strange mutant, I mean me. Ponies weren't entirely sure in their reaction, but the clops came, and soon others approached to get their share.
Easy appeared from the crowd just as Tight was coming towards me, causing a three-way meeting. "Here we are." A roll of parchment emerged from her into view. "A list of 'kind' contributors in order of donation. I'll tell you, Boss, I thought you were giving me a rough assignment, but this hasn't turned out bad at all."
I didn't reach for the list, letting Tight Fit lay claim. "Have they been trying to butter you up?"
"That's a new saying? They want me to be impressed, so they go out of their way for me." She licked over her lips. "Got to taste drinks and try fancy foods I never did before. I never made time for opera, but there I was, sitting with some fancy pony watching them sing."
About that. "You don't count that, I hope?"
"What? No." She shook her head quickly. "They can be nice all they want, but the bits are what I ordered by, not the gifts on the side." An ornate monocle floated into view and perched on her face over one of her eyes. "Even if I do like some of the gifts. You can't pay for this work with a monocle anyway."
"You're doing great." I looked towards Tight. "And you, stallion of the hour." He beamed. "You're bringing this the last mile, and it's looking great." I could see the crowd moving up, about four lines created, orderly queues where people would get some water and move aside for the next. Spirits seemed high. "Ah, Easy?"
"Yeah, Boss?"
"How are we looking on incoming and outgoing pipes?"
She slapped her hooves together with a loud clop. "The dogs are doin' great! Almost done." She pointed to the fountain. "That one's doing the whole trip, and it makes a nice waterfall out of the city. I saw it, looks great."
Another pony nearby perked their ears. "There's a new waterfall?" Just like that, word spread rapidly. The wastewater would become another sight to see. I couldn't help but imagine that would fade as the water darkened with the various filth that a city could produce. Or maybe it wouldn't? It was a magical world. That wasn't high on my list of things to worry about.
"Sir." Tight inclined his head, moving past me. I followed him, Easy trailing along with. "I've been studyin' your magic book." It floated into view and approached my hand. I took it back easily. "I think I have a version worked out. Somethin' a pony could hop onto, sit down, and do what they have to do, nice and clean."
A step forward, a good step forward, from a lot of other options. "Great. Instead of lunging ahead and installing that in a random pony's house, why don't we make it a show for our benefactors?" I pointed up at the castle we were living in. "I'll get permission for you to have run of one of the bathing rooms and you can install it in there for them to see and gawk at."
Tight blinked with obvious surprise. "You want me to put the indoor outhouse next to where you bathe? I thought you were trying to make it cleaner." He rubbed the side of his head with the flat of a hoof. "How does that make sense?"
I had defaulted to how I saw them back in the human world. "It doesn't have to be there. A little private room's fine. I'll see if we can't get some space for one of those, along with a sink to wash yourself afterwards."
"No stinky hooves," suddenly blurted Easy. "Sounds swanky." She glanced over to the fountain where the crowd was beginning to peter off. "Looks like most ponies got their water. A success I'd say." Suddenly she hopped in place, looking back to us. "Hey, I get it!"
Tight smiled gently at his daughter. "What do you get?"
"Why you'd put them together." She sat and brought up her hooves to put them together. "All those pipes. You don't want to have to bring them all through a house, especially a small one. So you have one room, the water room! That's where all the water is, so you have your indoor outhouse and your bath and your sink all in one place. Ha, good thinking."
I... hadn't even put that together myself and my little manager had put the pieces together without any prompting from me. I allowed a laugh free. "That's exactly the idea. For the castle, not a big deal. They have a lot of room. For individual pony houses..."
"I see..." Tight turned to look at the closest dwelling. "That could be a problem, tryin' to get pipes all over, but if they all go to one place... The water room. Very good. I understand now." He clopped a hoof on the ground and started forward. "I have plans to mildly work on. Tell me when I get to--"
The paper that floated with him changed in color as Easy grabbed it in her magic. "Your work is right here," she reminded. "Start from the top."
"Oh! Yes, of course." He tucked the paper away. "Silly me. Thank you." And off he went in a slightly different direction.
"So, how am I doing?" She was beaming up at me, her tail swaying back and forth. "Best manager you ever had, right?"
Only manager I ever had, but I let that part slide. "You are doing an exceptionally great job. Your father will work on round one, but don't let up. Make it clear you're working on round two, so if they want to be on the top of that list..."
"They should contribute," she finished with a firm nod. "And I get to enjoy the high life a little longer. The most generous ponies already gave it up, so I'll have to go for new angles, or hope other ponies getting it inspires them to not want to be left behind." She raised a hoof. "Now, I love my father, don't get me wrong, but since we have a little more money, maybe we should get another pipe pony or two? Waiting on dad to pipe the entire town may be a long time."
"An excellent point." With the donations coming in, my budget had expanded, and we had a process... "Would your father get upset teaching others how to do as he's done so far, assuming they know how to work with pipes?"
"He'll complain a lot." Her shoulders lifted. "But he'll also get over it if it's his job. So, my suggestion--"
"--Take a break from schmoozing to recruit some talent," I cut in. I couldn't have her coming up with all the ideas. "Let's speed this process along, but no cutting corners. Quality craftsponies."
"Only the best," she agreed before she vanished without even a goodbye, just some sparkles that faded quickly.
She enjoyed her teleporting way too much. I had other business.
"You stole it!" I was being suddenly pushed against a castle wall by a realy irate looking, scraggly-maned, stallion. "You took it from me!"
"What'd I take?" Despite being pressed, I actually felt more sorry for the stallion than angry. He looked like he was really worn down. "Want to talk about it?"
"There is nothing to discuss." He shoved, but there was nowhere to go, so it was more like he was giving the most aggressive nuzzles possible. It was almost adorable. "I was gonna make that fountain! Me!"
Wait... "You're a plumber then?"
"What's that?" The nuzzle-attack faded. "I make things, with water." He waved a hoof wildly, ignoring the looks of ponies passing by at the fuming he was doing. "I was gonna make a fountain, for all th' ponies! It was gonna be... so good." He sank then, tears streaming down his face.
Had this been a pony that would have done it, had I not come along and changed things? Well, damn. "Hey, calm down. You're exactly the kind of pony I was about to start looking for."
He looked up at that, ears askew in different directions. "You were? What for? To laugh at how you did it first?"
Let me restate; ponies are adorable. Sad ponies were adorable in all the wrong ways. I sank to my altered knees and gently brushed away some of the tears on his soggy face. "Not that. We have so much more work to do, and we need talented water workers. You know how to pipe?"
"Know how?" He suddenly puffed his chest out, striking a proud pose despite his teary state. "It's what I do! The rich ponies don't understand the value in movin' water instead of making it with magic." He sat and brought up his hooves to wiggle them as if to emulate magic auras. "Don't get me wrong, love mah magic." He pointed up at his horn.
"I was just setting up the way for you. There's so much work to do, and you sound like somepony that could do it."
"Somepony?" His tongue ran over his lips. "Huh, funny... I like it. Yeah, I'm somepony that can do it! I love fountains. The one you made, I can do better."
Could he? "We have water coming into and leaving the city now. If you work with me, you can attach a new fountain to that, get all the water you need."
"You're lyin'!" He thumped me right on the chest with the flat of a hoof. Horses have hard hooves, ponies included. "The dogs are digging the tunnels, and ponies set the pipes. You ain't none of those."
"Who do you think told them to do it, and has permission from the council to have it done in the first place?" I stood up, partially to avoid being chest-thumped again. "Where are you staying? I'll send my manager over to speak with you. If she likes what she sees, we have so much work for you. Fountains are just the start."
My aggressive recruiting seemed to be defusing his anger, fidgeting instead. "Oh well... in the castle here... I was gonna go in front of the council to... argue mah case." He reached up behind his head, rubbing his scraggly mane. "But... if yer bein' honest, maybe I don't need that... Just tell them to look for Pipe Dream. I won't be far." And he turned away before looking back at me. "Tell me and be honest. You aren't playing a joke on a stallion, are you?"
"Is this pony bothering you?" A guard had arrived, looking at Pipe with obvious disdain. "I can have him removed at your word."
"No! No..." Having my talent tossed on the street would be counterproductive. "I think he'll be with me shortly." |
The Lightning Bringer | 49 - Status Report | "I'm glad you could make the time to see me," the stallion speaking those words was seated in a large comfortable chair behind an equally ornate chest. He wore a set of glasses, itself a status symbol for how expensive they were. "I hear you've been quite busy."
I was seated across from him, in a smaller chair, a reminder that he was the ruler of that little office. "In all the right ways. Things are proceeding even better than I could have hoped for. This--"
He held up a hoof for quiet. "That is why we are here. I am the financier." He inclined his head towards a bag of bits there on the table. "While the council can approve the start of a project, it is by my word alone that they continue to receive funding. I am here to audit what, exactly, the kingdom's bits have been spent on, and what you plan to spend them on next."
I hadn't met that pony before. He gave off the impression of wanting facts, nice and orderly. Very well. I dug out my phone and soon had a document open. I flipped it around and nudged it towards him. "Here is a copy of my latest budget. It goes over each thing bits were spent on."
"I say..." He picked up the phone in his magic, eyes narrowing at it. "What manner of... no matter. It seems to only have part of the report, where is the rest?"
"Alright if I come around?" He floated the phone back to the middle of the desk where I could reach it. "That also works." I reached and showed him how to scroll up and down and left and right and soon he was looking around intently.
A floating quill began to write busily, copying down the budget line by line, I could see upside down. "Mmm... What are these negative numbers? You're receiving money?"
"My manager is approaching the upper crust and prioritizing them based on the contributions they make," I explained, gesturing in the air. "And we're--"
"--Accepting bribes?" One brow went up. "Hardly seemly behavior."
"The money is going directly back into the project." I pointed at the floating phone. "As you can see, every bit is accounted for. Their money isn't for me, not a single bit. Their contributions mean we can get this done faster and ensure everyone has flowing water."
"I can see what you've recorded, but how can I be sure every bit has been recorded?" He set the phone down in reach, so I took it back. "It's not an entirely new idea, to attempt to rally the nobles behind a project, but typically this is done without material rewards."
"Is it a reward?" I sat up in the chair, even if it was sized for a pony's haunches. "When we are done, everyone will have the same pipes, the same sinks, and the same everything else leading to their home. The only difference is who gets it first."
"I should imagine some will look fancier than others." A faint smile touched his lips. "But you can hardly stop them from redecorating. Yes..." His quill worked busily as he reached for a binder and flipped it open. "You've only used 47% of your budget. At this time, you were scheduled to be coming up on 65-80% of it, which is why I scheduled this meeting." He leaned forward, quill still dancing. "I scheduled this meeting months ago."
Had it been months? Time flew when I was getting things done. "The influx of funds through our prioritizing has lowered the pressure on the financing. We are having new plumbers joint the workforce. We're up to three, with two more getting up to speed. They will take more bits, but will get the project done far more quickly than the original plan of only having one."
"One pony, for such a large task? I'm glad that's been put to rest." The quill scratched at the paper. "Still, with such efficiency, do you require ongoing funding?"
Ah, the bane of governmental spending. If you were good with your money, well, did you actually need money? "The project is only going to increase in speed. We are also keeping some set aside for repairs, upkeep, and accidents. Though we've managed to avoid it so far, somepony will invariably break a pipe somewhere, and we'll be called on to repair it until a full guild of plumbers is established."
His glasses fell a few inches down his snout. "You are forming a guild? Of what was that? Plums? What do plums have to do with it?"
"I will not be." As if I knew much about guilds, or the work a plumber actually did. "I will be encouraging a pony to do so." What did plumber mean, as a word? I'd have to look that up later. "He's good with pipes, and I'll nudge him towards organizing with the others."
"Tight Fit?" he asked, eyes falling to his sheet. "Your first 'plumber'?"
"Actually, no." I had other, larger, plans for that clever pony. "Pipe Dream, one of our newer ones."
He muttered as he worked down the paper until the name came up. "Ah, here he is. More leadership skills?"
"More focused skills," I corrected with a little smile. "He only wants to work with pipes, so I say he should be in charge of it. Tight Fit has wider dreams."
"Dreams, yes." Another scribble. "Well, I doubt he can compare to you, Sir. Your dreams seem without capacity. There were many awaiting your dismal failure." He set his quill down in its ink vial. "You've won me no few bits by what I am about to announce."
That was either good or bad. "Which is?"
"I approve the continuation of this project, at the same continuing budget level. I expect another meeting with you to review your numbers. Continue to keep track meticulously of every bit given or spent. If you continue to run low, I will wish some of it back. The city, and the kingdom as a whole, does not lack for projects in need of coin. There is little reason for you to hold onto more than you need."
He suddenly leaned forward. "I will be reviewing those expenditures. Do not purchase what need not be purchased. I know when books have been altered for my benefit."
There was a pony that took his job seriously, but he seemed a straight shot. I offered a hand. "A pleasure meeting with you. We'll catch up in another few months then?"
He looked at my hand suspiciously a moment before he imitated the gesture, offering a hoof towards me. Oh how he jumped when I took hold of his hoof in my fingers, but we managed a shake, mostly of my own initiative. He reclaimed his hoof and sat up with a little throat clear. "Yes, well, I have many other projects to review. That will be all."
That was a dismissal if ever I heard one. I rose, gave a little nod, and went off to pursue other work.
"Something's bothering me." There was Easy, her hooves hanging off the edge of her bed, her tail swaying behind her. "You have everything accounted for. I help with that." She turned one hoof towards herself with pride. "But there's at least one person not getting paid a bit for all the work they're doing."
I quickly ran through the list I could think of. "There's Tight, he has a set wage. Pipe, Quarter?"
She shook her head slowly. "You are a creature of perfect innocence, or just an idiot, and I lean towards the latter." She thrust the same hoof at me as had been pointing at herself. "You, ninny. You're not getting paid! You add all your expenditures as project expenses, but that's dumb and you're dumb for doing it. You're doing a lot of work like everyone else getting bits."
I hadn't even really thought about it. There I was, a crazy space alien, there to give them hints for a better tomorrow. Did I deserve any money on top of that? I had gotten what I could have hoped for. A romantic partner that adored me, a group of friends. I had respect and was valued.
And almost none of it was specifically my work. I was borrowing it all from people long since dead, stolen and spirited away to another world without their leave and without giving them an ounce of credit, however that would have worked if even I had tried.
Which I hadn't.
"You look like you forgot where you put something." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Or you realized I'm right and you're fishing for a snappy retort."
"No, you aren't wrong," I assured. "It's complicated."
"Try me?" She sat up, her blanket flowing off of her. "I may be your 'subordinate', but I'm a friend too, right? Lay it on me. Unless this is business, in which case why do I have to tell you to tell me?"
I smirked at that, sinking on my own bed. "Look, just about every idea I've come up with isn't my idea."
"Uh huh?" She inclined her head faintly. "They were... from wherever you're from, right? Really common there?"
"Very," I agreed with one big roll of a hand. "None of this is my innovation."
"So?" Her magic thwipped my nose. "They're not here, making it happen, and you are. Even if we just called you the 'director' of it all, that deserves bits. You are a diplomat, a lobbyist, and the overseer of this enormous project. Even if we assumed you were working with other people's books, that deserves bits!" She huffed as she sat up. "Besides, I know that isn't all you've been doing."
"What else have I been doing then?" Had I lost track of it somewhere?
"My dad can't stop gushing about it." Oh how her eyes rolled. "You've given him a new lease on life, sparked a raging inferno between his ears that will not shut up, and neither will he! And he talks about you, all the time. 'He wants to share it all, so ponies who never meet us can use our work and know our name', he said, and he's all shaking." She leaned forward, her hooves withdrawing to support her weight on her folded legs. "You're doing a lot."
I... was doing a lot. I worked every day. Maybe I was just being stupid. "Well, alright... but how much should that pay?"
"You were just talking to the financier, right?" When I nodded, she smiled. "Then you have someone to ask. He did warn you about unneeded expenditures, so you have all the excuses to--"
"--ask him what is a fair and proper amount." I clapped my hands. "You're right. I'll see about getting a moment with him a bit earlier than he planned."
"Do I hear celebration?" The door opened, revealing Water Lily entering with a tray atop her back, covered in a metal dome. "That is one of your cute little things. When you are happy, you enjoy striking your naked flesh against naked flesh. It makes a sound a pony cannot."
Easy took that as a challenge, raising her hooves and imitating the motion, but her hooves made loud clopping noises no matter what angle she tried. A clap was not something her anatomy could make easily. "Huh..."
Water trotted up to me and turned to the side. "I have brought refreshments. I hear you had a meeting today with a pony that has reduced others to tears and open wailing, but instead you are cheering. It went well?"
I reached for the dome, grabbing its handle and lifting it. Underneath were a variety of finger sandwiches, which they did not call that, and a smattering of nuts and fruits. There was also a flask of some unidentified fluid. A little lunch, as promised. "I am surrounded by wonderful people."
So I told her how it went, and enjoyed what she had brought, which I shared with her and Easy, of course. Water brought more than enough for me and I doubt it was by accident. |
The Lightning Bringer | 50 - A Small Design | Tight Fit's horn glowed softly, a lever glowing the same color. "Thank you all for coming. This is the culmination of about half a year of thinkin' and plannin'. I hope... one day... a pony I never meet will enjoy this. They may know my name, or not, but they will feel my hoof on their withers, makin' their day a little brighter."
Soft clopping rippled through the gathered crowd. I was the odd one out with my clapping.
"Now, let's show what I've done." The lever came down. A rod lowered into the running stream and began to rotate, propelled by the motion of the river itself, like a drill that faced towards the current of the water and spun around and around by the grooves in its surface.
A small red light moodily flickered. It was barely a light at all, but Tight Fit was already grinning like a fool. "Yes! I'll just..." He hurried around his generator and soon everyone could hear him tinkering with it. The gloomy red light became brighter, filling with the glow that inspired a new wave of clops.
There was a noise like a pop, and the light faded instantly. Tight poked his head around to see it. "Oh... the light didn't handle that very well... Still a work in progress, but you saw it! Electricity, controlled!" He gestured widely at the machine, but it had little left to show for its effort.
Some ponies began to rise and wander off. Celestia was not one of them, striding towards Tight Fit. He saw her and looked a little nervous. "I just need to revise the lamp, you see. It'll take a little more time. I hope you aren't--"
She placed a hoof on his nose, silencing him. "Does this device create smoke?"
Tight blinked softly, clearly surprised by the question. "No, Ma'am."
"Did he tell you how to make this?" She didn't point at me, but I think Tight and I both knew who she meant.
"I borrowed his library, but I made it myself." Some of his pride was returning. "This is a new thing. The Tight Generator!"
"Then I would see you continue." Her hoof lowered to the ground. "He trusts you with his library?"
Tight Fit's ears danced. "He... wanted to see what I do with it, Ma'am. He's encouraged me to build and try new things." He put a hoof behind his head. "It's all new, but he hasn't told me what to do with it, just set me on it like a foal given wooden building blocks. I right feel like a foal again." He suddenly pointed to the dead bulb. "I'll fix that!"
"I want pony solutions to pony problems," I added, joining the conversation. "As much as I enjoy being here, and being part, I am not a pony. One day I may not be here, and if all the solutions are made for me, where will you be?"
Celestia glanced towards me, a flicker of her eyes, but her attention was on Tight. "I would see you continue this, to master electricity." She leaned in closer, their noses almost touching. "I ask only that you avoid smoke. Can you do that?"
I don't think Tight Fit was used to Celestia taking such a direct interest in him. He was glancing about nervously. "I... planned to, Your Highness. I prefer fluids. I was the first pipe worker Sir Langerman had, so it just made sense, to me, to go to my old friend, water, to make electricity."
Celestia nodded as she turned away, apparently satisfied with her words. "Ian." She was closing with me. I wasn't that far away, a few steps and it was over. "You seem to be fixated on the long game. Has no one informed you, that is my profession?" A little smile touched her lips. "I would hear your plans to create pony solutions. Send me a missive." And off she went, trotting back towards what other business she had.
Easy threw a leg over her father suddenly, hugging him by the neck with one arm. "It worked! Mostly. Pity about the light going out."
"That was poorly timed," he agreed. "I read how the humans got around that, but I can't do that... I'm trying to make a pony bulb, with what we have." He returned the gesture, hugging her close. "Thanks for coming to see it."
"As if I would miss my dad showing off!" She pushed away with a big smile. "You looked so proud! It'll only get better, I'm sure of it."
"You did good." I clapped him on the shoulder. "You did what you actually set out to do. Making light bulbs isn't your specialty."
"No... reckon it isn't." He turned to look at the generator. "But it isn't doing much without somethin' to... do."
It was true, a generator not connected to something was just a noise maker without a purpose. Then an idea hit me. "What if we used this to make up for the sudden river?"
"Hm?"
Easy gestured at her dad. "What he said. What are you talking about?"
I pointed to where a basic covering had been made to allow traffic past. "What if your engine could raise and lower that as needed, and the gate behind it?"
Tight frowned as he fidgeted from hoof to hoof. "Well... mmm... We'd need a motor, like the one you built... wrap the chains up in it... turns... carries... Yeah... Yeah!" And he galloped off, apparently overtaken with an idea. I didn't stop him.
Easy was sighing with a smirk. "And he'll be busy for a little while. Why'd you go and do that?"
"Because he has to succeed." I gestured at the still humming water power generator. "This works, but doesn't do anything, and I think that's bothering him, a lot. It needs to get something done, then he can say he did something."
"Speaking of that." Her magic flipped the switch back to the off position. "No reason to have that going right now."
"This is only a stopgap..." There had to be more ponies than Tight Fit, working in other fields. They had to make a foundation that built on itself. Progress, for ponies. "For now, let's go."
"The project's done, Sir." Work Pants nodded softly. "Water's flowing right. Not much more to be done. The rest is out of our hooves. I hear the dogs are about done too, but not much we can do to help them finish up."
I thrust a hand out and it was met with a hoof. "It was a pleasure having you on the team."
"Likewise, Sir." He inclined his head. "If you have further need of us, send word to the guild."
Guild? "They've taken you back then, besides my work?"
"How could they not?" He smiled a serene smile. "We have a reputation now, a good one. We're the ones working to bring water to the city, and we did a good job, didn't we, Sir?"
"Without a doubt." I gave a thumbs up, even if he likely didn't see that gesture often. "Great! I was worried a moment you'd be going right back to being hungry after me."
"The fear had been there, Sir... But it seems it was unfounded. I'll continue leading my ponies and we'll have other things to build." He reached up for his hat, tilting it towards me. "Take care, Sir. Maybe we'll work together again."
I didn't feel sad when he left. I knew, someday, his descendant would be rich and well off, but also a good pony. I had handled that correctly.
Speaking of the things he had built...
Water was flowing just a foot away. "Clean water." The dog pointed. "Dirty water." He walked down a narrow tunnel to show me water with unfavorable smells. The two were separated by stone, and a big metal door. "Dirty water get bigger." He dropped to a knee and reached down to put a hand just over where the water rushed. "Half big before."
"We're getting more and more of the city connected," I explained. "More ponies using the water, more dirty water."
"More dirty water," he agreed, rising back to his feet. "Who clean?"
"The water flows out, doesn't it?" I pointed where I thought the outgoing spigot was.
"Dirt." He suddenly grabbed me and pulled me over, his other hand thrust down into the murky water. "Look."
There, at the bottom, it was small, but it would grow. The sewers needed cleaning and upkeep. Of course they would... "That will be up to the ponies."
The dog scoffed at that, thrusting me back suddenly so hard I almost fell over. "Pony not know tunnels. Give job." He thrust a thumb at himself. "We clean, get paid."
That really wasn't how that was supposed to go. "What about the land you were promised? If you're doing this, you're not using the land."
The head dog shrugged. "Take it. Some go. Some stay, work." He thumped his chest. "Go talk ponies. Tell them. Give job."
Another dog gave a bark from across the dirty waterway. "They not listen. Not want us around. We take land, go."
"That's not true. They let me stay around." I mean, really, I was pretty not-pony. "I'll talk to them."
"You talk, we go." The other dog stormed off, apparently set on their path. They would become the diamond dogs of Ponyville. But maybe they didn't all need to be that?
"I'll do what I can."
"Good." He clapped me on the shoulder. It was about as bad as being shoved. They were strong! "You smart, listen. See problem, fix. We fix, get paid." He nodded, confident in his logic. "We wait."
There was one thing... "If you want to make a good impression, you need to look the part."
He scowled at that. "Not pony."
"Not pony," I agreed. "Doesn't mean a diamond dog can't look good. Come with me." It was my turn to put a hand on his shoulder and start guiding him. For all the shoving he had done, he seemed alright with me doing it back. "I'm going to get you a new set of clothes. They need to see you're worth respecting."
He made a little canine noise that I think roughly translated to 'what?', but he came with me. We emerged into town and I got to use my new discretionary funds to get him into something smart looking. "Now, these clothes aren't for work."
"What point of clothes not to protect?" He pulled lightly at his new vest, turning left and right as he regarded himself in a mirror.
"They do protect, but not from work. They make you look good. They make ponies see a creature worth treating decently." I ran a hand along my own shirt. "The fancier the clothes, the more they think you have money and manners, and the more they want to work with you."
"Protect from stupid ponies." He grinned a little, uneven canine teeth on display. "Get it. Look fancy. Get job."
"Get job," I agreed, offering a hand. Unlike the ponies, he knew the gesture and met the hand with one of his, making a proper shake of it. "You don't want to call ponies stupid. They'll be paying you."
"Oh... yeah. Good thought." He nodded at me as if I had just shared a secret with him. "Not call boss stupid to face, bad idea. Used to you boss. You not boss?"
"Once the sewer is built, I'm not the boss," I assured. "So you need a new boss, the ponies. They can hire you for this."
"New boss... Yes. Make boss smile, get job." He dusted his new clothes lightly, not that they needed it. "Ready."
"Almost." And off we went. I had to set appointments, and get him before the council without making himself look bad. Surely that'd be easy, right?
The future would still look familiar, I hoped. |
The Lightning Bringer | 51 - Pony Solutions | "Langerman!" A loud clopping came from the door. "Please be in there, Sir." Tight Fit's muffled voice was coming from the other side.
"I'm right here." I pulled open the door. "I was just--"
He bowled in past me, a huge grin on his face. "It happened!"
"What, exactly, happened?" I fussed at my formal attire.
"A pony heard of my generator, the whole story, even the part where it broke." He raised his forehooves, gesturing wildly. "And they found me. They'd been working on things of their own, ya see, and... Sir?" He inclined his head at me. "Why are you dressed so fancily?"
"I was about to head to the council to--"
"--oh! Here I am, gettin' in the way. I'll come back later." He turned to go.
But my hand went in the way. "So another pony approached you?"
He hesitated a moment before nodding. "She had been working on somethin' of her own that she wasn't making no progress with, but she was tryin', so hard. When she heard what I had, she about lost it and had to come see me. What she had wasn't the same size as mine, but that weren't no real problem. She had a bulb with no steady electricity. I had electricity with no bulb! We were each other's solution."
Easy poked her head in from outside. "And suddenly I had a new stepmom. Thanks, Boss. I'm blaming you for this."
I had to blink. "Seriously?"
Oh, how he started to blush. "We, uh, got to talking... I showed her all the things I was working on, and she... mighta fell in love. She showed me what she had done and I was might impressed! She didn't have no library to work with neither. She did it herself... I was... Well... Here we are. I'll introduce you to her later. Um, that's aside the point. We got light!"
"Congratulations." I patted his shoulder as I edged around towards the door. "I look forward to meeting her. For now, I should get to the council."
"Without me?" snorted out Easy. "Nothin' doing." With a glowing horn, she was suddenly dudded up for the situation. "Let's go."
Schedule already slipping, I didn't argue with her, focusing on getting past her into the hallway and starting a firm stride towards the council room. "I won't be speaking," I noted as I went. "This is about the diamond dogs."
Easy perked an ear as she easily kept up at a trot. "What about them? Were they not paid?"
"The ones that wanted the land have already moved to it." I flatly waved a hand at that. "But some want to stay and do good work for good pay."
"Huh," was all she said.
Soon we had found seats. There was my canine friend, former employee. "Glad you come." He thumped my shoulder. Did I mention they're strong critters? "Ready. They hire, get all dogs job." He pulled at his shirt, fussing with it. "Look good?"
Easy inclined her head. "Lookin' sharp! You clean up good."
I agreed with that. "The suit's working. The rest is up to you. We should stop talking until it's your turn to go up though. Being rude outside that time, or during that time, hurts your chances."
"Make boss happy, get job," he grunted as if it were obvious logic. "Got it." And so the conversation faded.
Celestia and the council came and sat. They said their starting words and it was off to the races. Petty squabbles, genuine concerns, and other matters came and went one by one.
"The fountain has created more traffic in front of my store," complained one mare.
Celestia inclined her head. "That sounds like fortunate news."
"Then you didn't hear correctly." She clopped down a hoof. "They make a racket all day long! Always coming, always going. Who wants to get a mane styling with all that noise? I may as well be working in the middle of the road with all the fuss."
I hadn't expected secondary effects of my work to come up. My mind was buzzing with ideas. Did they have sound dampening magic? That was certainly a thing that should exist.
A hoof raised in the crowd and one of the council ponies pointed to them. Another mare rose to her hooves. "I will gladly exchange locations. Mine has a gorgeous view, but not enough traffic. I'd much rather have your spot."
And it was solved, without magic, or technology. The two mares went off to discuss what locations they were speaking of more specifically, and the council went on to the next case. "Next on the docket, Max Goodboy. Please rise."
Max hopped up to his feet and folded an arm in front of himself, bowing properly. "Good morning." Clearing his throat, perhaps to mask his nervousness? He continued. "We finished the sewers." His speech was slower, purposeful, and a bit more precise. He was trying really hard to impress, I figured. "But the sewers never done."
Celestia frowned at that. "If you finished them, how are they not done?"
"Always need work." He raised a finger. "Ponies make dirt, put in the water and it builds slowly." He made a flowing motion with his right hand, going right to left. "Needs to be cleaned. Always cleaned. We can do the cleaning. Hire us. We know the tunnels."
Murmurs spread across the courtroom, eyes locking on the huge and very un-pony shape of the one petitioning the court. A stallion suddenly stood up. "That sounds like work ponies could be doing!" he blurted, not called upon to speak. Others echoed the thought, heads starting to bob.
"Ha," barked out Max, a noise dogs were particularly good at making. "Pony can climb, but dogs climb better. We know the tunnels. We built them. We will do it better and faster." He hiked a thumb at his chest. "We here and ready. Where pony team?"
One of the council members rose to his hooves. "Is there an alternate team competing for this bid?" There was much murmuring, but none stood to claim that. "You may proceed, Sir Goodboy."
Max grinned. I think he liked being addressed that way. He quoted his price. A considerable sum, but-- "That for whole sewer. Not per dog."
Celestia smiled faintly. "Not always dog, I assume? If a pony shows themselves useful to you, you would hire them and share that money with them, yes?"
Max seemed caught off guard by that, considering it. "Huh... yes, if a pony wants to join team, brings use, yes. Pay is for all sewers, shared with all workers.
Celestia raised a hoof. "I motion a tentative agreement, pending a review by the financier. I trust the sewers are not in immediate peril?"
Max shook his head. "We build good tunnels. We can wait a little, not long." He held up one finger. "Have answer in one week?"
Murmurs spread. The dog was giving terms to Celestia?!
But she wasn't ruffled. "That is reasonable. We just got them, it would be quite the shame to let them go to disrepair so swiftly. One week it is. If the financier has not produced a final report, I motion we go with the numbers provided until that report is complete, backdated to today. If the council agrees, Max Goodboy and his team are hired."
"Agreement."
"Agreement."
"Agreement."
"Neigh."
"We have consensus." Celestia tipped her head forward. "You are hired. We look forward to your work."
Max thrust a clenched handpaw into the air. "Yes!" He was being stared at from all sides. "Um, yes. We thank you for time." And down he plopped into his chair, tail wagging wildly behind him.
The next case started. I reached over and patted Max on the arm. "You did good," I whispered. "Congratulations!"
I had planned to talk with him after the session, but, much as I had been that first time I showed up, there were many ponies that wanted a piece of the new player on the field. He was crowded by them, all introducing themselves and asking questions.
The more surprising part was that he didn't seem that bothered by it. He was making friends. I decided to let him go right on as he was. It was better, I thought, that he become a known figure rather than a reclusive manager in the sewers.
Thump. What was it with ponies and thinking their hooves were not hard and heavy? A pony had thrust a hoof against my belly as I was making good my escape. "Quarter?"
"That's my name, Sir." He inclined an ear at me. "What's this about getting the dogs a job before even thinking about your loyal pipe team?!"
"I thought a guild of pipe workers was being made?" Even as I answered, Easy was moving between us, preventing future thumps. "What happened to that?"
"That doesn't happen overnight, Langerman." Quarter shook his head, tail lashing. "We were gonna get a job working on the city's pipes and you just gave that away."
"The sewers are not the pipes," I flatly denied. "The dogs will be keeping the sewers going clean, but they don't know about the smaller pipes that go into homes and businesses. You two need each other, not as competition."
Easy raised her shoulders. "Even I can see that. The dogs are gonna watch the big tunnels at the bottom, keeping them going. You--" She pointed at Quarter. "--want to work on the smaller pipes, like the ones my dad put in. You two are partners."
"Your fath--oh, yes! Tight Fit. Um... tell him I say hi." He put a hoof behind his head with a little awkward laugh. "I hear he isn't working pipes anymore?"
Easy frowned at that. "Whoever said that was a liar. He's just working with different pipes. Zappy pipes!" She threw her hooves wide with a grin. "Instead of drinky pipes. You should see them. Some of them are so small you can't even see the hole in them."
That confused Quarter instantly. "Then how does the water get through?"
Easy thumped him. Fortunately, ponies seemed able to receive the thumps they delivered. "That's because the water that goes through those pipes are zaps, not drinks. Still pipes. He has to fuss over their flow for days to get it just right. I've seen it! You should see it, really."
"That... sounds a might peculiar, Miss, but I'll take your word for it." His eyes went back to me. "You have a point, Sir... I'll go talk." He fled, perhaps embarrassed to make a scene.
I took a little breath. "Well, that's that, for now."
"Next step." Easy turned towards me. "I believe Celestia wants a letter from you? I never saw you write it."
Well, dang it. "I better get on that." I moved pointedly back for my room.
Easy was trotting alongside me, looking smugly satisfied. "Aren't you glad you have a manager to keep these things in line? Where would you be without me?"
It hit me. "I'm not firing you."
"But you have no project." She wobbled a hoof. "You going to pay me out of your money?"
"If I have to." I reached for her and stopped. I was about to pat her head. Why were ponies so pettable? "I want you to stay, if you're up for it."
She thumped the entire side of her body against me. "As if you even had to ask. I never thought I'd become a manager, but I'm used to it now, and I don't want to stop. So I'm focusing on managing you instead of the whole big sewer project thing."
"I'm just as bad as any sewer," I joked with a little smirk. "Besides, we'll find another project worth throwing our talent at. I think I know of one that's very worth the time."
"Gonna share?" She swiveled an ear at me. "I'm good at secrets."
"I'll show you the letter before I send it to Celestia."
But first, I had to write it. |
The Lightning Bringer | 52 - I Am Not Your Answer | Dear Princess Celestia,
Oh, wow. Had I actually started a letter that way? It was accurate, however silly it made me feel. By the way, writing with a quill is not as simple as just treating it as a pen. I continued, trying to shake off such thoughts.
It was a pleasure getting as much done as I have. I hope this helps to make ponies both happier and healthier. But I'm not writing you to gloat about the sewers. You have great
It took some effort to widen those letters, making it properly bold.
citizens. They are brimming with the desire to make the world better. I brought nothing entirely new to your worldcountry, I just organized it ahead of time.
Side note, there was no backspace, and writing took too much effort. So I soldiered right on.
I know you've been interested in my 'library', but you have ponies already reaching for what it hints at with their own hooves. I am not here to replace them. What I propose, instead, is to help them. Do you remember Tight Fit's demonstration? His generator was making electricity quite well, but the light bulb failed. He wasn't trying to make a light bulb.
Another pony was. She heard and came running. They're together now, able to make electricity and light and both are tremendously happy about it. I want to make more stories like that. Also, I want future ponies to always have access to what they make. When Tight Fit is gone, will we forget his generator? We shouldn't. The progress of technology
I paused there, frowning at my words. Was I getting off track?
requires a base of what has been done.
My proposal, a library. In it, nothing but the works of the talented ponies who create new devices and new methods. You found a way to make trees grow better? Great, come here, show us clearly how it works, and it will be written down with your name. For a period of time (I suggest 30 years), anyone else who wishes to use the idea or device must go through you. After that, the idea is public. Anyone can use it. Anyone can improve it.
Your work becomes Equestria's. You are officially part of history. Think of that.
Ponies will not be paid, or charged, for this at first. You may wish to add a fee over time to cover administration costs involved in making sure the ideas and inventions are actual things and for filing and keeping track of it all. Make having a patent
Crap, I just used a new word. I'd better explain it...
a prestigious thing.
A patent is the held proof that you have registered your idea or device. It is proof that it belongs to you and should clearly define when it was registered and when it expires. Businesses that have need of things may visit that library, browsing the list of patents for something that does what they want.
If they find it, they will know right away if it's still valid or not. If it's valid, they seek out the owner for permission to use it. If not, they can copy the patent right there at the library and use it.
To be fair, I should warn. You will need a judicial system to watch for bad faith actors. Those who would copy another pony's idea or device when it was still protected. There will be some who see an active patent and not wish to deal with the pony. They should not be tolerated. Inventors get their 30 years (Please don't give into temptation to keep expanding the time period).
"How's it going?" Easy was perched upon her bed, watching me. "I can hear all those scratches. You going to bowl her over with some amazing new project?" She inclined her head. "Oh! I know! You want to make a big, uh, generthingie and connect it to lights all through the city so it's never dark!" She swept her hoof dramatically. "That'd be a sight."
"Generator." I dipped my quill carefully. "And it would be, but it isn't what I'm writing about. I'm trying to help more ponies make better ideas."
"You'll let them borrow that thing of yours?" She was learning forward, half-dangling off the bed. "Dad really liked his chance with it, but he said he doesn't want it now. Not sure I get why. Did he finish reading it?"
"I doubt that." The writing continued.
As their caretaker, you should foster in them a building pride. Each inventor will stand on the shoulders of great ponies before them who also made progress. They are all in this, together. It will be a great honor both to be the one who stands atop that great pyramid, and to one day have another pony scale right up on you. Perhaps, one day, you can teach foals about pivotal inventors, but I ask that you never forget to tell them that creation is always a collaborative effort.
It struck me...
I've been using the word 'pony' a lot. This should apply to any person of any race. If I were to invent something, I would submit it to the same library and follow the same rules. Creators from other kingdoms should be welcomed to add to this body of knowledge, knowing their work will be protected and held.
Similarly, you should respect similar efforts from other kingdoms. If you hear of one, consider coordinating with them. This is more of a long term thing. I doubt it will come up soon. First step, library, and the process of adding to it. Your people are full of great ideas, and they deserve to have them remembered.
I apologize if this isn't what you had in mind. I feel certain you were hoping for another vast engineering plan, but this is more important than any such thing. This is an engineering plan that will build a better Equestria, and that's a project that's worth undertaking, is it not?
I felt fur against my cheek. Easy had reared up and was peering over my shoulder. "What's that word?" She was pointing at engineering. "Wasn't that someone who makes like war stuff?"
Crap, she wasn't wrong... "It's time to evolve that word." I glanced over shoulder at her, almost bumping into her. "Engineers do make Equestria more prepared for a war, but we aren't aiming for that. Your father is an engineer. He saw a problem and made the solution. He mastered electricity."
"Zappy tubes!" She sang, falling off me to the floor and trotting away a few steps. "That was really impressive. Think you could fight with that, though? It's kind of big and heavy. You'd have to really work to get something to get close enough to zap."
"I hope we never fight like that." Attempting to electrocute your enemies? Equestria was better than that... "But we could keep a dark city lit. We could move water and raise and lower gates with it. There's so much more you can do with electricity that doesn't hurt anyone, but makes you more prepared."
"Maybe." She turned back towards me, her head pointed to a small window. "Are you done? You said I could read it afterwards."
"Didn't seem to stop you just a moment ago." I considered the words on the page. Was there more to write? I may have said too much, really... No, it was fine.
Eagerly Awaiting Your Reply,
Ian Langerman
I stood up and grabbed a vial of sand. Popping the cork, I gently sprinkled it over the page. "Once it's dried, you can take a peek."
"Or, I can cheat." She closed quickly, her horn glowing. The dust blew away without wind, leaving a dry page. She was soon in the seat I had vacated and was reading eagerly. Her brows raised, then lowered, scrunching. "That's a tough sale, boss..."
"In what way?" It was my turn to sit on my bed.
A knocking interrupted us. "Sir?" came Water Lily's voice. "May I come in?"
I reached over, stretching to grab it from where I had started and pulling the door open. "Come on in."
She trotted in, her magic closing the door behind herself. "Sir, ma'am." She dipped her head at each of us.
"Are you on duty?" I asked, Easy still frowning at the paper.
She reached up and casually booped her hat off, just to catch it in her magic. "Now I am not." She closed with me and hopped up beside me on the bed. "I am almost ready to finish restoring your lovely skin. I do hope you are not cross at how long it has taken."
It struck me. If Celestia went ahead with this, why would Twilight not have a cure for poison joke when it, too, would be patented? Of course, while she was an eager reader, it seemed unlikely she'd browse every patent ever made for the last 800 years or so. It was just as likely such a solution did exist ahead of time. She wasn't an herbalist. Those two facts did not a contradiction make. I wasn't making the Equestria I knew impossible.
"You look heavy in thought." She leaned in, pressing her lips to my cheek with a little peck. "Is it the sort you want me to distract you from, or should I give room?"
Easy tapped at the paper on the desk in front of her. "He just wrote a letter and I'm criticizing it, like the good manager I am. Now, as I was saying, why would anyone want to give their ideas?" She tilted her head. "If they just don't share it, they get to keep it forever. They could pass it on to their foals, family secret for as long as they want."
Water quirked an ear. "I apologize, but what are you talking about?"
I leaned back, hands going back to support myself in my slumped state. "I am proposing a library of ideas for new devices and methods. Anyone that put their idea or device in there would have legally protected ownership of that thing for 30 years. During that time, anyone else who wanted to use it would have to go through them, likely paying them for the pleasure. After that, the idea's open for anyone to use."
Water inclined her head left and right before she sat up, expression brightening. "So I could put my solution to poison joke in it?"
Easy snorted. "Why would you want to? You could get more money if you sold it yourself."
"I am not a merchant," huffed Water. "If I could put it there and let merchants buy it from me to make their own, that would make me much happier. And eventually everyone would have the cure, and that's good too. I don't want people to be sick with poison joke..."
My adoration for Water was swelling. I grabbed her suddenly by the sides and she squealed as we both fell over onto the bed where I could hug her properly. "You are such a good mare I can't even believe at times that I managed to get your attention."
Her cheeks warmed and she giggled, snuggling in against me. "You are too kind, but I like this idea. Besides, if I kept it a secret and someone else copied it, or figured it out, I would be just as out of luck. This way I have at least two hooves to stand on."
Easy suddenly groaned loudly. "Let me guess, you'll fill it with every idea you and dad had to go through to make the sewers."
"Of course." I didn't sit up, I was too busy snuggling my equine partner. "I have zero interest in making water system engineering my lifelong ambition. Let someone else see the patents and I'll gladly sell use to them."
Easy pointed at where my phone lay on my desk. "Will you patent their ideas?" |
The Lightning Bringer | 53 - On the Shoulders of Giants | A letter slipped under the door, sliding around and around until Easy's magic snatched it up and broke the seal without even looking to see who it was addressed to. "From Celestia," she announced as she read. "She wants to talk to you. Bet it's about the letter."
"Not a bet I'd wager against." I watched her eyes sweep back and forth over it. "When and where?"
"'At your earliest convenience,' and, 'Water will take you there.'" Easy shrugged softly. "Wait staff gets to know all the secrets sometimes. I don't get to come along for this, I assume?"
Having a friend there would be nice, but... "I'll have Water from the sound of it, and I bet she'd rather have some privacy." And she could dismiss Water whenever she wanted, while Easy would be more stubborn. "No reason to put this off."
I was soon striding through the hallways like I had somewhere to be, even though I wasn't sure where that somewhere was. Fortunately, Water found me not long afterwards, striding in an easy trot from the side to match my pace. "There you are. Are you wanting to meet her now?"
"If we can? No reason to delay this." Was I repeating myself? I hadn't said it to Water. "Did she seem happy?"
"She can be difficult to read. This way." Water began leading the way at a proper walk. She was on duty, so no touches or brushes were offered, just a maid leading the way towards her mistress. "She awaits you."
We were soon at a door too small to easily imagine Celestia fitting through it. Water knocked twice, then backed away. The door glowed golden and swung open. "Please, enter," bade the gentle tone of Celestia from within.
I stepped inside to see her not alone. Though the door had been small, the room was large enough to fit three ponies seated at the end of a table. She gestured to a spot at the opposite end of it. "Join us." The other two looked... like scholars, if I had to guess, which I did.
The male had a long beard and a heavy book in front of him. The female had big spectacles on her face that she was adjusting as I moved towards my position. "This is her idea?" she asked, pointing towards me.
"He," corrected the princess. "Sir Langerman is indeed the source of the missive I sent." She smiled at me as I sank onto my cushioned chair. "These are two clever ponies, as you would call them. They have ideas, though their talents are far more literary than that of practical problem solving."
The male sat up at that. "There are very practical problems to book writing and book archiving."
The female nodded in solidarity. "I could spend all day going over the things I wish we had, and the methods by which we could improve."
I supposed, to pony eyes, my clothed body gave few hints to my gender. "Nice to meet you both. As Celestia mentioned, I'm Langerman, Ian Langerman. Are you here to discuss the library idea?"
Both perked at that. The male spoke first, "You're authorizing the library project?!"
"How delightful," gushed the female, clopping her fore hooves and bobbing a bit, her glasses almost falling free. "I can not wait to begin. Why are we here instead of getting to it?"
"Still yourself," gently commanded Celestia. "We are here to discuss the idea." She pointed to Ian. "He will serve as an advisor, if you accept him. He has proven valuable with tips and insight alien to Equestria." Her smile deepened faintly. "With the humility to step aside and allow ponies to bring wonders to life. He has but one request."
Both sets of ears pricked at that. The male rolled a hoof for Celestia to continue.
"He would like a wing of the library to be dedicated to the storage of pony ideas. Both physical things, devices and the like, but also methods." She looked thoughtful a moment. "For instance... If someone were to dream up an improved way to get something done; till a field, harvest rocks, smelt metal, or even heal or treat a disease, it would be written down and stored in this library."
She leaned forward then. "Which means this library needs to be indexed in such a way that it is practical to search it by others looking for answers. It also needs to record when and by whom the 'patents' are registered with. For a time, any thing placed there cannot be used without permission of the one who put it there. After that, it becomes everyone's." She spread her hooves. "You two have come to me with many ideas, countless many."
She looked to the male. "Central Thesis, did you not have to spend so long recreating your master's technique for book binding?"
Thesis sank at that, sighing. "Years, lost. He was a genius, but he carried his wisdom to the grave and left me to walk his path behind him, blind and lost."
Celestia looked to the female. "Short Sight, didn't you have a trick of your own you wanted to share?"
Short was smiling, grinning even. "And it'll help with this project! My method of categorization would fit perfectly." Her clopping resumed, filled with eager energy. "No pony will suffer wandering the aisles in prayer of finding the right tome."
I decided to hop in, looking towards Short. "With this, you can write down the idea of your categories and release it to the world. While others can hold onto their ideas for a time, charging others, or simply denying them, you could lay it out for all to take advantage of from the start."
"Do you think they'd want it?" she asked almost instantly. "That would be so exciting..."
Central shook his head. "The book binding took too many years to simply give away. I will not be availing myself of that option."
Celestia nodded firmly. "And you would not be forced to, but, in that future day, when you have gone on, others will have that technique. No fresh student will have to re-learn it again. Doesn't that appeal?"
His fore hooves came together, not in a clop, but in a silent meeting. "I see the wisdom of it, Princess. Sir Langerman, it would be a pleasure to begin this project. Canterlot is in need of a truly magnificent library."
"And a category for 'patents', that's what you called it, is it not?" Short Sight looked to Celestia to get a nod, then continued, "A patent section would be just fine. I'll have to add that to my categories." She was already humming, likely imagining how it'd all fit together.
"Very well." Celestia's horn glowed as a paper appeared and writing began to adorn it from a floating quill. "I will give an initial budget, to be modified by the financier. It will be modest, as you do not have the full support of the council, but it means you can begin straight away."
I raised a hand, their eyes turning towards me. "Do you want me to come to the council to argue it?"
"Neigh." Celestia tapped the table. "I will bring it up. It will be done, but it takes time. I want to begin." She slid the finished paper over towards Thesis. "Here you are. I am naming you the head pony of this project, with Short Sight as your assistant and Ian Langerman serving as your advisor. I trust this is acceptable to you all?"
Short Sight adjusted her glasses back into position. "I am ready to begin. We should get an architect to plan things out. Neither of us are experts on that."
"An excellent idea," easily agreed Central Thesis. He stood up, sliding off the chair. "Thank you, Princess. We will not disappoint." He began to trot from the room, pausing. "Sir Langerman, are you coming with us?"
Celestia held up a hoof. "I need him for a moment longer. I will send him after you when I'm done with him."
The other two advanced past me, leaving out the door I had come in. When the door closed, I was alone with Celestia. "So, what's up?" I started. "You like the patent idea, I gather?"
"I trust this, too, is something present in your kingdom." She inclined her head at me. "Your warning, it struck similar to your dire warnings of smoke. Was that, too, something your people failed in?"
"The goal is to help spread information." I spread my hands. "An idea is at its most valuable when it's new anyway. Letting people hold onto ideas, be it methods, inventions, or even characters and stories, for too long can have a stifling effect on new things that would build on the old."
Celestia's ears raised. "Characters and stories? You did not mention either--"
"--We won't be doing that," I cut in. "That is a different, but related, thing. I wanted to do things one step at a time, not just try to do it all at once."
"Perhaps wise..." Her glowing horn brought a cookie over from a plate that had been ignored up until then, offering it towards me. "Will you fill this library with ideas? Surely you have more than I would dare to attempt to count..."
There it was. "About that, there is a related thing I wanted to talk to you about." I accepted the cookie but didn't bite into it just yet. "There exists knowledge that needs to be held, but just as strongly needs to not be available. Things for emergencies, for when all other answers do not work."
Celestia's brow raised slowly. "You would have me build a forbidden library?"
"A secretive wing of the library," I corrected. "Where only those you trust could enter." Where spells would end up in time for a Twilight Sparkle to run into and play time traveler. "Guarded and secure, for you and few others."
Celestia raised a hoof to her chin. "But if you were to put your ideas there, than how would a pony read it?"
"They wouldn't," came my blunt reply, crunching the cookie in half. "I will continue working as I am, giving little ideas, trying to help, but Equestria should pull itself forward. Its geniuses should be celebrated, not my people's."
"A secret... only turned to in the direst of situations?" When I nodded, she sighed. "You are asking me to lock away what I sought, to be the hooves that push away this incalculably valuable treasure of my own volition. You understand this, do you not?"
With a glowing horn, she conjured a sword of glowing golden light. "I could take it from you."
"But you will not," I stated as confidently as I could. She wouldn't... right?
"I could make you give it to me." She gazed into my eyes. "I could make you want to give it to me, to then retire to family life with your betrothed."
"But you wouldn't do that either." I hoped! She was making me really nervous.
"You are already one hoof into our world." She gently tipped a hoof. "A little nudge, you could become another of my ponies, beloved and cared for. You would want for nothing." She set her hooves on the table. "But that would break the heart of your beloved, who works even now to pull you back from that edge." She let out a slow sigh. "No, I would do none of those things. I will not steal from you, Sir Langerman."
"Allow me this question." She inclined her head, looking at me with one eye only, but quite piercingly. "Who are you to decide what we are worthy of?"
"I will not." I set my hands flat on the table. "That is why it will be recorded and sealed. You, or whoever is in charge, will make that decision, if there is a reason dire enough." |
The Lightning Bringer | 54 - Horrify Me | "There are things..." She tapped down her hoof in slow clops, her eyes locked on mine. "Things best locked away. We have some of those. The ritual to move the sun and moon, any unicorn could take part, not just me. But the taxing nature of it leaves them diminished, just a little. Every dawn and dusk, a little shred is stolen. Eventually, the pony is a husk, their magic completely shredded. You are left with a unicorn with no magic... and what sort of unicorn is that?"
"But not you." I recalled faint bits of outside-show canon about that. "It empowers you."
Her wings flared wide before slowly folding back, trying to control herself. "You know too much. Were you more ambitious, you could do so much harm, but you do not... You could be shaping our kingdom in your vision." She frowned, shaking her head softly a moment. "But there is more I would yet know."
"And that would be?" She was drilling, seeking. She didn't seem to be trying to sneak human knowledge from me, directly. That was something of a relief. "For however many tricks I share, you're still the ruler, and I'm just a guest."
Her hoof stretched towards me. "I do wish you'd stop saying that... You don't plan on leaving. You have accepted a paramour and promised loyalty. Back to the topic at hoof." She turned that hoof around, flatside up. "Frighten me."
"Pardon?" I struggled to think of what she meant by that.
"You instilled on me some shred of fear of smoke. You told me how bad that could be. Terrify me. Scare me." She lowered the hoof to point at me. "Tell me what awful things your people have made, that we must not even know of, that is worth locking this book of treasures away. Whisper to me the darkest secrets of your people, that I know to imitate them entirely is such folly I will never again consider it lightly."
Well, shit. There was a heavy question. Did I just jump to our greatest weapon? No, there were many beneath it that were just as horrifying. "Do you remember how the war began, the one we just resolved? A lone soldier hurling a weapon a considerable distance, impossibly far, by their standards."
"I do remember this." She nodded softly. "But that was a pony weapon, wielded in a pony way. What does that have to do with your people?"
"Imagine that power being in the hooves of even the youngest little filly. She would not even know what she was doing, but the result would be just as lethal. Many of the people in my kingdom have that power, to dispense death from afar, without need of strength, without the training a soldier would ever receive." I brought up one hand and held two fingers, pointer and thumb, close together. "Death comes in tiny packages, little rocks. They destroy your insides, tearing you open as it often hits so hard, it explodes out the other side of you, leaving you to bleed and suffer."
Her ears skewed at different angles. "What madness would drive a people to want such a thing? Are they victims of monstrous assault?"
"The only monster they see is in the mirror." I leaned forward, gazing back into her eyes. "With weapons meticulously built, they murdered any other species that could claim the title. They made a safe world, then turned on each other. If that alarms you, it gets worse from there."
She frowned at my tale. "My ponies would never..."
"With Celestia there to guide them, perhaps not." I hadn't meant to say that out loud. Too late. "But there are grander weapons. Weapons are one of our favorite things. The ability to fly faster than any pegasus, to drop heavy things from above, but they would not crush, they explode." I spread my hands in a pantomime of the fiery release. "Fire enough to make a dragon happy, leveling buildings and extinguishing lives."
"Does your ruler control this?" She inclined her head. "A grand weapon to protect their kingdom?"
"In a matter of speaking." I set my hands flat on the table. "What I described, there are hundreds of those, thousands of those. An entire field, ready to fly." Then it hit me. "What is the population of Canterlot?"
"Population? What a curious question. The last time we counted, there were many thousands." She tapped her chin, thinking on it. "Several tens of them. 6? Somewhere around there. Why?"
"Then we have more of this specific weapon than you have ponies in this city." I drilled the table with a finger. "We could erase Canterlot off the side of the mountain, reducing it to a smoking mess like the end of... a torch that's been used."
"Ian Langerman!" She suddenly shouted at me. "Why would such a violent people come to deliver us water? Why would such a violent people find love in a people so very alien to themselves? Can the same mind that dreams of such things then see beauty in the eyes of a creature so far removed from themselves? Enough." She brought up a teacup with her magic, taking a long sip. "Enough of that. I need to know more. What you describe is terrible, but I could simply not construct those. They do not sound simple. Could a lone pony even dream of making one? Could a lone human?"
"A person, or even a small group of people, would be hard pressed to make a jet," I easily agreed. "Let's move on to something that doesn't take as many people to do. Explosions, we like them. We like them a lot. For some holidays, we fire explosions in the sky just to watch the pretty colors they make. But when we are angry, we have mastered them."
"You already mentioned those." She shook her head slowly. "I am not any further scared."
"I didn't get to the best, worst, bomb." I pulled out my phone and quickly browsed to the right page. I twirled the phone and pushed it towards her, the video already playing.
She inclined her head and leaned in. "A desert. Seems..." Then the screen went white a moment. Her pupils contracted. She saw the heatwave. She saw the mushroom cloud climbing high into the sky. She saw heavy things bowled aside, the dummies of people incinerated.
"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," I spoke softly in veneration. "It would take only one of those, just one, to make Canterlot a barren wasteland, the rest of it likely sent sliding down the mountain in pieces. We can use the same source to power entire cities much larger than Canterlot. We had enough of these bombs to make a good attempt to remove all life of the world."
She sagged in place, the cup approaching for another sip, but it shook in her grip. That had rattled her. "I... see... And this... This is the penultimate?"
"We improved on that design." I reached for my phone. "That was the very first we detonated. We built bigger. We built better. A single pony could make less-refined versions, if they knew how, and had the power supply, a rare mineral. It would not level things as well, but would make any area it exploded in unlivable, where anycreature caught in it would get sick and die."
"And this is a fate you would see us avoid. Tell me. Tell me and be truthful." She raised her eyes to mine, resuming the contact. "What do you see, when you look at us?"
"In you, specifically?"
"We can start there." She smiled gently. "We have met and talked before, though you seemed to know me before I knew you. What do you see?"
That wasn't a simple question. "I see an archetypal caring mother. I see someone that cares enough for her people, her ponies, she would remain on her throne for over a thousand years, not out of some want for power, but because she was afraid no one else could protect them as well as herself."
"Over a thousand years," she breathed, licking her lips. "Do you speak literally?"
"I won't answer that."
She frowned then. "Wicked thing." Her magic flickered into being around a cookie and she hurled it at me, bouncing off my chest. "Insufferable tease. Do... Did I look just as young, in that future?"
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose... not." She smiled faintly. "Allow a mare a moment of vanity. If I must rule as a wrinkled old mare, I will do my best to be dignified."
"You are ever a youthful vision," I allowed with a little smile of my own. "Some had theorized you are entirely unaging, immortal."
"Some?" She inclined her head. "Are we a famous thing, in your kingdom? How absurd to consider; that a people so unthinkably violent would wish to know of us..."
"There are subtler threats." I saw her perk. "Ideas can be the most dangerous thing."
"More dangerous than your bombs and the means to deliver them swiftly wherever you wish?" She sat up. "This I doubt, but do go on. Terrify me."
"Your people stand on the edge of many potential changes. If I rushed to offer it, your people would have more food than ever before. With it, you would have more ponies than ever before. Seeking opportunities they couldn't find on farmland far too productive to need them, they will flow into cities unequipped to handle them. Society will change. It must. It will be painful. Ponies will die and suffer."
"But you also hold the answer, do you not?" She brought her forehooves together. "Your people have already passed this point, I can see it in your eyes."
"The answer is a new world." I spread my hands. "And our answers... are not yours. The Equestria I know did not accept human answers to human problems. You emerged from this time in ways I don't know. You still had bustling farm communities connected to grand cities, some more advanced than others, each standing so proudly. I don't know how you reached that point."
Celestia sank back. "But you offered us water, and now offer a way to hold knowledge. You continue to offer. If you do not know how to reach the desired place, this vision, why do you meddle? What are you trying to do?"
"That... is evolving." She peered at me skeptically. "I'm being honest. When I first came, I thought I would just sprinkle ideas, change the world... The more I worked at it, the more I realized your world, your people, were more complicated than I gave them credit for. Just throwing ideas around wildly would, at best, see to their surface problems."
"We have many of those." She slid to her hooves, standing and approaching, the teacup setting itself down on the table. "Why not fix those?"
"Because your people deserve to stand on their own fe--hooves." I stood up as well, not feeling comfortable with her rising over me with the distance shrinking. "There are ponies that want to fix those problems. If I can open the way for them, that feels like a better answer."
"And so you turn away from providing answers." She was close enough for me to smell her gentle breath. "You are something of a mother yourself."
I had to consider that. "Uh..."
"Father, if you prefer." She inclined her head. "You would see your children grow. And we are your children, it would seem. You set your hooves on us with the utmost of care, trying to encourage us to make our own motions. Violent human, even the most fierce of beast can know peace, for their offspring, and you have decided we are that."
Not the way I would have put it. "You're cute!" I admitted with a frown.
"Look at you pout." I wasn't pouting! "Like a doting father, called on their pride. What father does not consider their children in such a way? Their fillies are the cutest things to ever walk. Their colts, the most handsome. Yes... Ian Langerman, I think I understand you now." She turned away, starting to stride for her part of the table.
"We will copy and seal your knowledge. We will reach only for it when all else is lost, when ponies simply cannot find their own way. But, I believe you hope, that will never happen." She looked over her shoulder. "Still, it will be a comfort, to know it is there."
She sat down, and so did I. She made a sweeping motion and the sweets floated to the side and down to the floor, leaving a single cake behind. She cut into it and divided it into two healthy wedges she put on crystal plates, one before herself, the other towards me. "Ian Langerman, water bringer, lightning bringer, and knowledge bringer. I accept you. Long may our relationship thrive."
She raised a glowing fork with all the ritual a royal pony could muster. "To the future."
"To the future," I echoed, a smile spreading. The future looked bright ahead of us.
And we ate cake. |
A Magic Turn of Events | pre | Realized that her slippers did not fit her hooves. She also realized that she was lacking two more slippers.
Luna glanced at her, standing by a bookshelf and an outdated model of the solar system with the sun at the center. Her "hair", if it could be called that, waved like a fleeting night sky. "Cold sweat is upon your face. That is a bad omen."
Celestia gulped, wanting to spill the beans, but-- "I...I...."
Hugged Luna tight, squeezing her neck and giving her dear sister some breathing difficulties.
Then, Luna pat her on the back, fighting through the pain. "Wh-What is going on? What is this torment thou hast dreamed of?"
"Forever," Celestia said in a guttural voice, releasing her grip and looking at Luna with wild eyes.
Luna took a step closer, seeing her plight but reluctant to speak.
"W-We're going to live for thousands of years," Celestia continued, voice shaky, "and we're the only ones who'll stay t-together," as her vision shifted from Luna's elegant visage to the floor's sober drabness.
The Princess of the Night looked down on the floor, too. She sighed. "That is indeed a solemn future."
"Solemn?!" Celestia shouted, catching her sister by surprise. Flailing her golden-shoed hooves about, "How are we going to live with everypony dying around us?! I...no, we have so many friends, and to see them die while we live on...we're cheating! Cheating death!"
Was left exhausted, breathing slowly with her shoulders hunched.
Luna looked away, at a loss for words and at an abundance of tears about to flow. For her, too, the thought of immortality--or, at least, of living for a very long time--was a terrifying thought. Mental photographs of forever etched in memory, seeing budding faces swept away by time while hers remaining youthful beyond belief.
She tightened her lips, returning to what she came here for, and managed to say, "Sister, we came here to inform you of th-thy meeting with Princess Celestia."
Celestia's eyes widened, that meeting dawning upon her again. Her schedule dawned with it.
"Perhaps you can find solace in her words of wisdom," Luna encouraged, though, inside, she continued to feel eclipsed by the reality of being long-lived.
It was now Celestia who sighed. She took in a big breath, and put on a firm face, blocking out all the tears wishing to get out. "I hope so, Luna."
Then, the Princess of the Day trotted out of her bedroom.
But not before she could hear Luna say, "Oh, and do not forget to raise the sun!"
Celestia stopped and turned around. "Thank you for reminding me!"
Then, the Princess of the Day really trotted out of her bedroom.
Principal Celestia began her journey to Canterlot High from her house. While on her way there, she was met with much reverence and respect, more than half the ponies bowing down to her or saluting her or both. All talk was silenced before the alicorn's presence, all eyes were on her to show high courtesy to the diarch, and everything stopped with a hint of fear.
After all, it would be unwise to abuse the patience of the sun.
At one point, she found Sunny Flare trembling before her by the sidewalk. Celestia halted and made a mellow smile, one that would surely melt any idea of dread from the student's mind. "You don't have to do that, Sunny--"
"Spare me!" she yelled, covering her head with both forehooves on her mulberry mane.
Celestia took a step back, surprised at the jittery mare. "Spare you from what?"
"Your anger!"
That got the principal out of her element. Celestia, angry? "But I'm not angry," she assured, sounding as calm as she could ever be.
"Please have mercy!" Sunny shouted, regarding the diarch's calm as a thin mask. "I know we're from rival schools, but please have mercy on me!"
Celestia placed a hoof to her chin, a fear of her own materializing in her head. She had known that absolute control over the sun meant absolute control over the world as she saw fit--or at least the temptation of it. Seeing a myriad of ponies and other creatures kneeling before her to do the bidding of her and Luna--that silenced her, made her heart pace.
Utter power. Everything she ever wanted. No more obstructions.
Celestia swallowed a lump and looked back upon Sunny Flare, re-wearing that smile. "What made you think I was a tyrant? I'm getting used to this whole world-ruler thing myself. Being angry at everypony won't help me out."
Sunny Flare didn't believe that, if her trembling said anything about it.
That led the principal to her last resort: "But if you really want me to say it: Mercy given."
"Thank you!"
Felt a strong grip on her hoof as it shook up and down thanks to Sunny, and the Shadowbolt galloped off, not out of joy but out of barely avoiding death.
A death which Celestia wasn't willing to give, anyhow.
When she arrived at the school, she found the swirling portal still there in the statue's place, patrolled by a squadron of royal guards. She also found two familiar faces, namely Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer by the front doors.
She did a double take when she saw Twilight wasn't wearing her glasses. Turned out she was Princess Twilight from Equestria.
Sparkle and Sunset noticed Celestia and waved at her.
Celestia waved back with a nervous smile, her moving mane twinkling under the shining day. "Um...hello?"
Sparkle flew over and landed right in front of her. "Don't you worry, Principal Celestia!" and swung a hoof across the air.
"The Princess is just as nice so you don't need to be afraid!"
Sunset chuckled, catching up to the go-getter part-pegasus. "Says 'I don't wanna fail the test!' Twilight Sparkle."
"That was a hiccup!" Sparkle lashed out in good fun. Then, putting on a grin for the principal, she asked, "So, how're you doing? You know, with the whole sun business?"
Not wanting to talk about the whole sun business, she lowered her head as a painful sign. "Not so great. Everyone is looking up to me and my sister. Being in charge over a nation and the entire world isn't doing wonders for me."
Sparkle's smile disappeared, trying to be sympathetic. "Well, if you ever need help, you always have our Celestia and our support." Floating a little overhead and flying close to her ear, "I wish you good luck."
The principal hung her head lower and aired a mournful sigh. "Can you wish me enough luck for a thousand years?"
Sparkle and Sunset gasped together both screaming, "Oh, no!"
Celestia raised her head, though out of resignation than of bravery. "It's true."
Then, the sorrowful royal trotted up the stairs and disappeared into the school's main hall.
With panic on her face, Sparkle faced Sunset to yell, "How could I forget?! Of course, the principals would get everything their alicorn versions have including their lifespans!"
Sunset shuddered, thinking of being outlived by two principals a couple decades older than her. "That...that's not going to end well."
The school library had remained unscathed except for the glass dome. Some if its panes had been broken during the lead-up to the magic mishap. They had been replaced with some back-ups.
Principal Celestia trotted through the hallways, turned to the right, and entered the library.
There, she found Princess Celestia, her mane and her tail also flowing about in their sky-bright colors. The hair twinkled, gleaming under the sun's light through the dome.
Her face lighted up. "Principal Celestia!" the Princess said, trotting to her and ushering her other self inside with cordial greetings.
The principal nodded, feeling strange having to trot beside somepony who looked, sounded, moved, and acted just like her. "Yes, it's me."
The princess chuckled. "It will be awkward to talk to 'me' but not 'me', if you know what I mean, me."
"...what?"
"Exactly," she replied with another playful chuckle. "So, I've decided to split our names in two: Celie and Tia. You choose which one."
The principal gulped, challenged by the decision to choose which part of her name to use. The fact that it was her thousand-year old princess self from a land where magic and talking ponies were never questions only made it more challenging.
After half a minute of serious thought, she resolved the nomenclature issue. "I'll take 'Tia'."
"So I'll take 'Celie'," said the princess.
Now Celie and Tia trotted to the center of the library, passing by the grand array of books still in their shelves. They approached the computer stations, then Celie levitated a chair out of its place. She offered it to Tia. "Do you want to sit down?"
Tia shook her head. "No, thank you."
"So we'll have it standing up?" Celie asked, putting the chair away.
Tia froze, still in unbelief over how she was talking to another self of hers. "Y-Yes."
Celie fixed her stance on the floor. "Well," looking up at the dome, "it seems you've already mastered the art of raising and maintaining the sun."
Subjecting herself to further unbelief on how she'd done it, Tia nodded. "Y-Yes, Princess."
Celie made a little chuckle again. "You do realize I'm not your boss, don't you? I'm only here to guide you, to offer some tips. I'm not going to remove points or whatever--besides, you've been doing a great job so far."
Being told by someone more than twenty times older that she was only there as a guide didn't sit well in Tia. However, she took it at face value and breathed out, trying to relax. "Certainly. I'm quite alright, really."
Then, Celie squinted her eyes at her. "No, you are not."
Struck by the princess's straight-forwardness, Tia let her hoof slip and she stumbled. "Wh-What?! How do you know?"
Celie's horn glowed, levitating a cup of tea before her. "A millennium of diplomacy has opened my eyes to a lot of things. One of them is detecting someone's numerous ticks and tells."
There's that word hanging from the beginning. Millennium. A thousand years. A period of time threatening to disturb Tia for eons to come.
Which will surpass a millennium.
"What is it, Tia?" Celie asked, slowly walking up to her other self gripped by fear. She put one hoof on Tia's shoulder.
Crumpling under the weight of Celie's compassion, Tia choked.
Burst into tears, flailed on Celie's shoulders, wrapped her in forehooves, desperate for someone to latch on to.
"How can I live thousands of years alone?!" she screamed, tears splattering the floor, loneliness prevailing. "I'll leave my loved ones behind! They'll be jealous of me, that I was able to live one more year--no, hundreds of years after they're gone! I'll see their foals die, their grandfoals die, their grandfoals and--" with words failing her, mere words failing to impart her grief in whole, she caved to the ground, a limp and sobbing mass of tear-soddened agony.
A deafening scream broke out, millennia rushing to her head in droves. Today became a long time ago in her eye, seeing none but her sister in a future where magic and technology had fused, but that didn't matter. Spaceships, planetary colonization, laser guns, hyperlanes--all used by faces she didn't recognize, by creatures unidentifiable from her first century. Luna remained as the constant that tethered her to sanity, but deranged histories of Nightmare Moon emerged. What if she was banished farther than the moon? Then the once-upon-a-time principal would truly be alone, a relic of an ended epoch, yellow remembrances of home the only way ba--
"Tia."
And Tia looked up, her eyes reddened as she looked upon Celie's face.
A face she recognized. A face that cared.
She felt a hoof wrapping hers, pulling her up from that horrible condition.
Celie let out a long-drawn sigh, avoiding Tia's fatal gaze that asked questions without a word. Gears were turning in that principal's mind--she was sure of it.
There was silence as the princess thought about what to say. Here was Tia who, less than a week ago, was just a high school principal in her forties. Probably never expected to go any farther than that. Probably wanted to live out the rest of her life as a helpful counselor, settled down in Canterlot as a wise old woman enjoying her final years on Earth.
Of course, plans rarely went according to, well, plan. A forty-something year old suddenly gaining thousands of years to look forward to, if not more--that was a change no one would be prepared for in this world.
Two facts then came to Celie's mind.
One: Humans lived shorter lives than ponies. There was Granny Smith who's pretty much guaranteed to enter her second century in less than two decades, and she's one of the younger seniors in Equestria--and that's not counting species like the dragons who can easily make it to their one thousandth birthdays by sheer patience. However, last time the princess checked the stats, the average human lifespan was somewhere at seventy.
Two: Mortality was talked about more openly here than in Equestria. It only made sense; when you've got over a hundred years to live out, why worry? During her short stay here, the princess noticed an abundance of insurance advertisements--oh, and wasn't there some story about a thirty-year old man already writing out his last will and testament?
Such led her mind back to Tia's plight, to her long life.
Celie sighed, pulling Tia in a little bit by the shoulder. "Living for such a long time is hard to grasp."
Silence, Tia yielding her ears to her much older self.
"When I was young, I was often told that I'll outlive my friends, that the colts and fillies I've played with will see me grow up but never grow old. I didn't pay much attention to it as I reached my fifties, my seventies, my nineties...yet even then, I noticed the ravages of time. The elders I've looked up to slowly died off. I was beginning to attend more funerals than I wanted to. I was hearing too much news about my friends' plenty great-grandfoals."
A pause. A hollow, thunderous pause. Their manes waved under the sparkling sun, thoughts turning towards ever-toiling time.
"Then, my first friend died." She looked up to the sky. "Oh, I remember her appearance, her sweet personality, an undying soul to the end--yes, Good Doer she was. A cutie mark of pumpkin pie...always made the most delicious of pumpkin pies--even her death was sweet and peaceful, and I missed it...."
Tia noticed Celie's eyes growing wet, noticed vulnerabilities showing in the noble mask.
"After that, I made a vow to myself that I'd never leave any of my old friends behind until they're truly dead. I trotted with them outside, I stayed with them bedside. When they died, I arranged the funerals myself. It's to give them a final send-off in loving memories."
Tia was on the verge of crying, too, seeing the suffering within her princess self. Tia wasn't looking forward to a thousand years of life, Celie already experienced them with all its lows.
"The last one standing was Crystal Analog. He was an hourglass maker. In fact, for most of his life, he was the town's go-to pony for anything related to hourglasses--even helped me with my appointments for a few years.
"I was a hundred and thirty, sinking deeper into isolation. Equestria needed me more than it ever did before--Luna was still on the moon, and those thousand years would prove to be quite lonely at times." She looked to the side, tears for her sister welling up. She wiped them away, though her nose was already running. "Anyway--" sniffled "--Analog had to come down sooner or later, and he came down by the flu. It was so bad, he couldn't maintain his role as my assistant and not even as an hourglass maker. He died rather quickly--went from healthy to dead in four days."
Silence, Tia looking to the floor.
"What made me uncomfortable was the peace he always carried even on his deathbed. He never cried, he never complained, and he spoke with the dignity he's always had. When the doctors told him that he's incurable, he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. I thought the flu was cracking his mind. Turns out it wasn't.
"Hours before he died, he saw me sobbing. I was crying for him, but also for myself. With him gone, I'd be the only one left of us old friends. I'd be left with their children who were already beginning to wear down--and, besides, they had their own lives, their own families, their own friends...."
She coughed, a little sore from remembering what happened next.
"Analog heard me crying. He stared at me with nothing to say, but I was willing to wait--I knew he wanted to say something; he just didn't know how to say it yet. He then asked: 'Why are you crying?'"
Stopped and raised a hoof.
"'Why wouldn't I cry? I'd be left alone, seeing ponies come and go! All the friendships I've made would end up cut short, with them dead and me alive!'"
After mimicking the outburst in a much milder manner, Celie tilted her head to the side. "Do you know what he said?"
Tia leaned closer, hoping for anything that would heal her sadness, that would remedy her misery.
"'Celestia...'"
Putting her hoof on Tia's shoulder.
"...you are lucky.'"
Let the words linger, let the words stir and churn in Tia's mind.
"'I've only lived a meager hundred or so years, but there's so much more to explore after I'm gone. Progress is coming, history is being made, but many disregard that because, in the present, it's all done day-by-day, not page-by-page. I don't know exactly what the future holds, but I know it holds great things in store. It's a shame I won't see what they are, but you will.
"'There are so many things to do long after they bury me. So many stories to be written and so many adventures to be had. I don't know the half of it, and I guess you don't, too--but, in due time, you will. You'll see how much more exciting this world can be if you give it time.
"'I know most dearly that I'm the last vestige of your old life still going, and not for long. Yet, I will live on in your memories, in all those cherished times we've spent together--and so will the many others who were fortunate to be friends with a kind pony like you. I know you won't forget us, the first friends you've made in your life.'"
Tia then looked up. Friends. There was the word that made her twitch, made her shudder within the thought of thousands of years.
Celie smiled. "'...but we're only the first.'"
Tia opened her mouth, confounded by the turn of words.
"'In the years to come, there will be many more amazing personalities of unique characters, occupations, interests, histories, desires...with that much time on your hooves, you'll certainly find many ponies better than some old timekeeper stuck in his own house.
"'And, well, you're a good pony. You're a force of harmony in this world. Under your rule, Equestria has only prospered and grown. You are willing to do what's right no matter the cost, and, honestly, I'm not sure if there'll be somepony like you if you ever have to kick the bucket.'
"Then, he picked up his most prized possession: The first hourglass he ever made. It was cracked, half-full with aged cider.
"'Funny, isn't it? Some things you only understand when death's near. I've made time for time, but not enough time for...others. With that, I became like this useless thing,'" Celie holding the would-be hourglass with her hoof. "'A wasted being.
"'But, you...you have time left. So much time left. I'd rather you spend your years looking forward to the sunrise tomorrow instead of moping over graves forever. Give us a minute of your mind's day and no more. I'll be happy knowing you've made a better use of your time than I did. I know you will.'"
Celie closed her mouth.
It was over.
Tia's lips trembling, thoughts in frantic recollecting.
Nothing left to do but to hug Celie.
Both Celestias hugged each other.
Silence. Loving silence.
"Thank you," Tia whispered, choked by tears. "Thank you."
Heartfelt, Celie smiled, feeling the tears on her forelegs. "You'll always have someone else, Tia...and if you need help, you can always ask me and my sister."
It took several seconds for her to nod at that, for her to take it in.
The hug ended, each releasing their grip.
"That reminds me!" Tia said, half-turning towards the library doors. "I have to tell Luna about this! Thank you, thank you!"
And Celie kept smiling, having set her other self up for an exciting journey to last a lifetime.
Nine months later came two interesting celebrations that happened on the same day.
The first celebration was the birth of the Cakes' twins. While Celestia did visit a few foals in their birth days before, seeing two humble baker Earth ponies caress their foals made her remember how amiable their friendships had been before the catastrophe--and after the catastrophe, too....though it had been strange to see the couple throw away all their old how-to-raise-a-baby resources in exchange for those from Equestria.
As the principal saw the two foals sleeping in their cribs, a thought crossed her mind. She would see them enter school, become teenagers, graduate from college, get a job, have families, retire from said jobs, and die, all without aging herself. They'd have their own foals and the cycle would repeat, seeing those foals enter school--and she knew the rest.
While the thought of losing these future friends terrified her for a bit, she loosened up, remembering that Pound and Pumpkin would be like no other before or after them. Might as well enjoy their friendship when they come of age.
The second celebration was Sandbar's birthday. Celestia had heard of how the pony was able to return to Canterlot with his friends now turned griffon, yak, and hippogriff--plus his dog-turned-dragon. It had involved a pick-up truck, a ream of paper, and the first ever phone argument between a pony and a changeling. Nevertheless, here they were, partying in his house with his family and more of his friends along with a surprise guest in the form of not one but two Pinkie Pies.
And another Sandbar.
While the party went on in the living room, Celestia helped herself to a cup of tea at the hall, reflecting upon the nice grassy landscape through the window. She looked up and saw the beautiful sun in the sky.
Her sun in the sky.
She heard steps and turned around.
Saw Smolder the Dragon, the Used-to-be-a-dog. With a wave, she made a sheepish smile. "Hey!"
Celestia smiled back. "Hey."
Smolder jerked a thumb towards the living room. "They're gonna play the 'pin the tail on the pony' thing. Thought you might wanna join in, 'cause you know...cutesy pony stuff."
With no hesitation, she placed a hoof on the dragon's scaly head. "A round or two wouldn't hurt."
Smolder rolled her eyes. "Even the princess who raises the sun can't resist party games, huh?"
That princess chuckled. "Well, why shouldn't I enjoy them?"
Then, she trotted back to the living room, already garnering stomps and claps of applause from inside. |
A Magic Turn of Events | When Clouds Broaden Horizons | Was it bragging if it's true?
Rainbow Dash had a lot going for her. Being the leader of every sports team in Canterlot High, playing as the lead guitarist in a band whose name was inspired by hers, on friendly terms with a unicorn-turned-human, having traveled to the dimension where magic originated from, considered one of this world's protectors against Equestrian evils, having a superfan in Scootaloo, able to run around at the speed of sound, capable of boundless flight with her new wings in her new pony form, and had rainbow-colored hair.
Her credentials? Numerous. Her feats? Abundant. Her coolness? Undeniable. No one could possibly be like her.
Except, of course, for that Rainbow Dash back in Equestria.
As the weeks progressed and as the initial shock of the catastrophe tapered off, former human Dash had a growing problem with always-a-pony Rainbow. Rainbow may not have been part of a band nor was she the leader of any sports team, but she could sing as well as her counterpart, was part of an elite aerial stunts organization called the Wonderbolts, and had helped save Equestria from half a dozen world-ending disasters.
Whenever Rainbow stopped by Earth once in a while to help out the local pegasi with their flying abilities, Dash did her best to not let it get into her head. In most cases, she succeeded. They got to know each other over small sandwich breaks, with the former giving her "super secret" flying tips to the latter over munches and mugs of cider. Dash would then follow through, giving Rainbow a bit of excitement over teaching her counterpart how to fly better. She even saw Dash arrange some clouds in the sky, taking the first step in weather control.
However, in the back of her mind, Dash envied Rainbow. Here this pony was, strutting her stuff. Off-hoof quips about herself slipped through for Dash's ear to catch. Was she just like that, or was she telling Dash something? I'm better than you, perhaps? You think you're cool 'cause you're part of a band and you know every sport? I was born an awesome pegasus! Don't forget--you call your band the Rainbooms? I make the rainbooms!
Another thing to add to Rainbow's list of credentials: Sonic rainbooms. It only made Dash seethe with jealousy.
But, maybe, there was a way out of this dilemma, a way so that Dash could come out on top and beat her other self to it. Sure, it's another Rainbow Dash so that might cause a few complications--and she was her friend, so it wasn't like there's actual vengeance involved--but, in Dash's mind, there's only one pegasus above them all.
She wanted to be that pegasus, seriously or not.
Two and a half months after the catastrophe, Rainbow crossed the portal to help new pegasi once more. She carried a few first aid kits on her back, flying slow enough so that they wouldn't fling into oblivion if she suddenly stopped.
She hovered above the sidewalks, above the front yards. Looking down from the morning sky, she saw the slow reconstruction of daily life--a group of Earth ponies wondering what to do with their seeds, a pegasus and a unicorn talking about how to deliver hay from the farm to the cafe in less than one minute--
She came across Derpy, holding a box with her hooves.
"I see you're easing in!" Dash said, pointing at her. "I mean, you're the Derpy from this world, right? Didn't check my papers."
"Mm-hmm!" as Derpy nodded, blushing at the compliment. "Thank you!"
She flew away, carrying the box to whoever the recipient was.
Ten minutes later in downtown, Dash reached the mall's parking lot, the Sweet Snacks Cafe just across the pavement.
There was a notable lack of cars even at an early hour, doubtless because driving automobiles with four hooves was not a particularly simple undertaking. Despite whatever obstacles lay there, a truck made it to the lot, though that was mostly for the restaurant's supplies.
"So, this is the cafe thing, huh?" she said to herself, drinking in the cafe's exterior. Figures inside could be discerned, a dozen or so shifting about behind the windows. "I can see why this is a pretty chill place."
Rainbow then flew inside.
The cafe had much of its style intact. The floor was still a checkerboard, conditioned air still permeated the place, and good food was still being served. Because many customers were now unable to digest beef or pork, though, the food now had meat off the menu save for the griffons and changelings who were visiting the diner. They gathered short glances of envy from a few ponies, green-eyed against those who could still savor tempting, delectable, luscious, exquisite, melt-in-your-mouth flavorful--
"Eh," and Rainbow shrugged her shoulders while hovering farther inside.
Her simple Eh made the whole diner look her way. Food stayed in the air via hooves, wings, or levitation. Even the waiters, two Earth ponies who had fitting dresses and fitting rollerskates, looked her way, slowing diner operations to a freeze. All attention was directed at the one and only Rainbow Dash.
Flash Sentry, a fellow peagsus seated in front of some hayburgers, raised his hoof. "Uh, which Rainbow Dash are you again?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned. "Equestria's." Then, relaxing a bit and hovering towards the rest of the pegasi huddled by the corner, "Alright, ponies! Who's ready to make it rain? Literally?!"
This elicited some "Ooh!"'s and "'Aah!"'s from this batch of pupils.
The winged celebrity approached them, then hyped up how awesome it is to control the weather on her own, how Canterlot would just be the start of some sort of weather movement in the world....
What she didn't know was that Dash had quietly entered the diner, wearing a big-brimmed hat that shadowed her face from recognition plus a jacket to cover her rainbow tail and her cutie mark. She made an order of hayburgers in a gruff and gravely voice, completing the disguise.
From her spot, Dash observed the enemy from across the cafe.
Unnoticed.
"Attention!"
Everypony stood still, hooves planted on nothing but air as they floated in the sky, steadily flapping to do so. Following sound advice, they did not look at the ground that often no matter how welcoming a pillow would be right now; it was mostly out of focus and not out of fear. Besides that, they felt the full warmth of the sun, though Flash was still irked out about how the expression "Celestia's sun" fully applied here.
Because having the sun owned and moved around by your principal wasn't ordinary.
Rainbow hovered before the line, inspecting Canterlot weather team prospects as the wind flapped her mane. "You think you have what it takes to control the weather in your hometown? And before you say it, watching the videos won't help you!"
Zephyr Breeze and Sour Sweet clung to each other in fear...before shrieking at the sight of the obnoxious ponies they'd clung to.
Rainbow crossed her forehooves. "If you don't know, I'm the leader of the Ponyville weather team. What I'm about to tell you is tried, tested, true. No exceptions."
Flash raised his hoof nervously, getting some looks from his weather mates. "Does that mean--"
Rainbow zoomed up, brought a cloud over, and put it back down for all of them to see. "See this cloud?"
All the pegasi were seeing that cloud, though they nodded just to be absolutely extra sure.
It was a white and fluffy cloud. Quite nondescript. Not much else to say.
"We're going to have a rainy day today," Rainbow declared. "This time, however, it'll be the first rainy day exclusively made by you," and pointed at them all, hearing a few gulps of suspense from the audience. "Not a single one of us will help you out. I want this to be done all by you to show how far you've grown...and also because--ahem!--it'd be great to see how good of a teacher am I--ahem! Ha-ha-ha--ahem!"
Silence from the line. A cough.
A frown took over Rainbow's face. "Seriously?" Then, rolling her eyes again, "OK, first off: let's see if this cloud still has some zap."
She turned around and bucked the cloud.
Kraw!
"Agh!"
Zapped by it, her mane and tail now fried and smoking.
The new pegasi screamed, gathering together in a tight circle of wings and hooves banding them together under their safety.
Then, they peeked.
Saw Rainbow's electrocuted self.
Rainbow rubbed her hair and brushed it back to normal with her hooves, grumbling through it. She punched her forehooves together, gawking at them with fuming eyes and ears. "Alright, who told you I was a prankster?!"
"Me!" the cloud shouted.
Everypony gasped at the shouting cloud.
Then, Dash floated out of the cloud, wearing a smug smile on her face as the shocked gasps resurfaced. She touched Rainbow's nose with a playful hoof, tried to hold back a giggle, and then: "Gotcha'!"
With a shake of her head to knock the confusion out of herself, Rainbow shouted back, "What is the meaning of this?! You're n-not supposed to be here!"
"Well, I am here!" Dash yelled, then pointing at her other self, "And I challenge you to a contest!"
And everypony else gasped again.
Dash nodded, holding the cloud high above her head. "Yeah! A contest! You heard me right!"
Rainbow pursed her lips, trying to think of what to do next. "Cut to the chase here. What's the contest about? Speed? Agility? Aerobatics? Daring Do speed reading?"
"Oh, it's much better than all of them!" Dash said with a crazed laugh. "Even better than speed reading!"
For the fourth time in a row, everypony else gasped, though Flash was now sneezing instead. As expected, a few beside him moved away from the possibly-sick stallion.
Meanwhile, Rainbow was glancing to the left and to the right. "Did you say...pranking?"
"Don't act dumb!" Dash blew her long colorful bangs away from her face. "I know you're just trying to buy time...but I also know you're good. Maybe you thought this up. Maybe you already knew I was trying to prank you." Pointing to the batch of pegasi, "Maybe they're in on it and they're not telling me! They promised to keep it hidden from me, didn't they?!"
"That's not true!" Soarin testified.
Betrayal perched on Dash's head as her ears retracted. "You're not helping!"
Soarin then slapped a grin on his face, resorted to happy thoughts, and made sure his smiling facade didn't falter. Another slip, and then....
Anyway--Dash rubbed her forehooves, ready to meet her match as she flew closer to her opponent. "Let me tell you something! You know I know you know, but I know you know I know you know...you know."
Rainbow raised her brow and leaned an ear forward. "Come again?"
"I knew you were going to prank me before I even arrived!" Dash flicked her tail, hoping to get a reaction from Rainbow but didn't. Pressing further, "I knew it because I was there!"
"You were where?" Rainbow asked, looking puzzled.
"Trying to play the long con with playing dumb, huh?" Dash smiled, dismissing the strategy as worthless. "That won't work on me! You know where! Sweet Snacks Cafe!" Hovering around her, "I was watching you, taking note of your every move, analyzing them so I could create the perfect prank for you!" and lunged at her, stopping mere inches from her face.
Rainbow crossed her forehooves again. "You're really bad at keeping pranks a secret, aren't you?"
Dash flipped her mane about, letting her hair whip in the air. "How do you know I'm not just stalling for time?"
"Aren't we supposed to make it rain?" Soarin asked with a raised hoof of his own, trying to curb the escalating prank tension.
"Pfft!" and Dash stuck her tongue out. "You can have your rain later, Soar!" then glared at Rainbow... "right after I show her who's boss!"
Rainbow made a deep, bold laugh. "Yeah?"
Then, knowing that the time had come, Dash took out her secret weapon.
A plate of pie.
Soarin's eyes widened at that, his stomach rumbling in spite of a hearty meal less than an hour ago. "I-Is that...?"
Rainbow gulped, lifting a shaky hoof to weakly point at the harmless pastry. "Wh-What is that?"
"OK, now I know you're playing dumb." Dash held the pie up in the air. She threw it high, only to catch it with the plate. No crumbs. "I mean, didn't you see the mysterious pony ordering huge stacks of pie from the cafe?"
"...isn't that what the bakery's for?" Rainbow asked, cocking her head to the side.
"It's not the only place to buy pie here, you know."
Sweat poured down Rainbow's face, eyeing the pie at hoof.
"This is cream pie," Dash explained. "One whole cream pie. One delicious, mouth-watering, breath-taking heapful serving of cream pie."
She licked her lips.
Rainbow shuddered, slowly backing away from the pie--surely a nefarious device of evil. "B-But, a-aren't you m-me? Y-You're not supposed to like pie! I'm n-not supposed to like pie!"
"Good thing we're different!" Dash said.
She sharpened her brows, narrowed her eyes, gazed upon that frightened expression with shrunken eyes and sweaty forehead.
"'Cause you know what?"
Lurched her pie-holding forehoof back, ready to deliver.
"I love pies."
Threw it--splat! on Rainbow's face.
Covered in crust and white cream.
"Gotcha'!" Dash howled before performing a loop-de-loop in the air. She landed right before a dumbfound Rainbow whose face was buried in tasty cream. "Hah! How're ya' gonna top that?!"
"Hi, Dash!"
"Agh!" she screamed as she saw Pinkie floating beside her, a dozen balloons tied around the Earth pony's torso.
Everypony at the line gasped for the fifth time, wondering how Pinkie was able to drop in unnoticed at a hundred meters from the ground.
"Pinkie?!" Dash shouted, eyeing the balloons, astonished at the pink pony's silly way of flight. "What're you doing here?!"
"Just telling you Rainbow can't attend today," Pinkie said so matter-of-factly, undaunted by heights. "There's an emergency meeting at Wonderbolts HQ, and she needs to be there."
The weather team prospects were confused, scratching their heads as they looked at the pied Rainbow. Flash even yelled, "But she's here!"
Pinkie looked at Rainbow, breathed a sigh of relief. She cracked her wrists, stretched her forehooves out, and rested her head on them like a pillow. "Now I know why those two changelings were having a fight."
"Changelings?" everyone else asked.
Everyone else but Rainbow herself who grinned and giggled nervously before glowing.
When the glow faded, a soft-spoken changeling in green chitin had taken the pegasus's place. "Whoops?"
There was now buzzing behind the line of prospects.
They looked back, seeing two more changelings approaching--or, rather, a blue hat-wearing changeling dragging a yellow one by the ear.
"...and, really, Humerus?! You used pie to lure Alarm's wife away?"
"How else c-could I get her out?!" Humerus complained, raising his forehoo--"Ow! Nastic, you're pulling too hard!"
"It's bad enough that she's trying out this diet craze," he shouted gruffly, "but to prank Alarm like that? He's going to think she's been kidnapped!--yeah, Symphyla!" waving at her, making her look. "We're going back to Equestria!"
Symphyla nodded. "Yeah. Sorry!"
"Nah, it's not your fault," Nastic said, lightening up for her. "We all need sugar. Can't blame you--just remember that not everything in those health brochures are true." Inspecting her face, "You aren't hurt or anything?"
Symphyla shook her head, some of the cream and the crust falling from her face to the green grass below.
"Well, you're alive," Nastic said, finishing off with a tip of the hat to her. Turning to Humerus, however, he darkened his features, showing off his fangs. "As for you, no sweets until the day's done!"
"We're not even part of the same--"
"No sweets!"
"I'm a grown--"
"No sweets!"
And Humerus was towed away by a surly Nastic, Symphyla floating with them as she wiped her face clean from pie.
Leaving the pegasi and the only Earth pony there in the sky, their mouths open in shock.
Dash's lips were trembling, the envious mare seeing her chance at beating Rainbow slipping away. "B-B-B-But...my pr-pranking c-contest...." She grabbed a large nearby cloud and held it close. "I-I was...I was this close to showing her who's the boss and--" squeezed it in anger.
"Hey!" shouted the cloud
"Agh!" screamed Dash as she jumped away from the talking cloud.
Then, Rainbow floated out of the cloud, smiling a smug smile and crossing her forehooves.
And Dash and everyone else gasped.
Everyone except Pinkie. "Hah! Knew it'd work, RD!"
Rainbow flew over to Pinkie and bumped her hoof. "Yeah! Had to wing it when I saw two of myself, but I'm not complaining. Everyone's here, we enjoyed a crazy prank, and," ears folding back in awe, "actually, that Symphyla took the words out of my mouth."
She turned to the line of eager weather team wannabes who weren't sure if they wanna stay here any longer.
With a spread of her forehooves, "You're having your first Canterlot-made rainy day today, with the help of yours truly!" and bowed.
Dash looked on in shock as they clapped their hooves. Some laughed at how ridiculous the prank had gone but most applauded because the whole ordeal felt like the perfect prelude for a bombastic mare like Rainbow.
Felt a pat on her back, saw it was Pinkie who did it.
"Hey, don't take it seriously," Pinkie said, her upbeat going down a little, her gorgeous grin waning into a subtle smile. "I guess it's a bother to have another you doing all these awesome things. Yeah, she makes sunny days and neat moves for a living."
Then, Pinkie untied one of her balloons and hoofed it to Dash who was puzzled at the sudden gift.
"But, you can do awesome things that she doesn't do! I heard you can still ride those motorcycle thingies, be the leader of a band that can sing literally magic songs, and a professional in all those sports teams!"
Leaned in to whisper,
"And you saved the world a few times already!"
She floated away from the hovering pegasus still listening.
"Learning from each other, sharing talents and hobbies, and--what's most important of 'em all--having fun!" Poking her on the shoulder and smirking, "Anyway, I admire you taking the high road and going for a prank-off."
Dash smiled. "Yeah. I guess that's better." Turning to Rainbow who was ordering her weather novices instructions and positions, she looked on.
Flew to her and tapped the mare on the shoulder.
Rainbow jolted at the tap, then smiled when she saw who it was. "Oh, uh, sorry for what happened. We're good?"
"We're always good!" shouted Dash. "Even if it meant some bumps on the road."
Making Pinkie smile, Rainbow and Dash laughed together, their identical voices blending in. "So, what is it? You want a real prank contest tonight? I got nothing better to do."
"I have a better idea," Dash replied, gesturing towards all the pegasi in line. "What about I help out with your rainy day?"
Rainbow slapped her on the back and tugged her in a half-embrace. "Why not? And, hey, since you got my 'super secret' tips, I'll have you lead the pack and I'll supervise from afar. Deal?"
"Count me in!"
And everyone cheered as both Rainbow Dashes soared to the sky. They left behind parallel rainbow trails as they began gathering scattered clouds for the rain later on. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Eat Your Pizza Crust; the World Just Ended | In the dining room, Ocellus looked at herself in the mirror.
It wasn't an illusion, nor a dream. She had tried pinching herself, but that didn't work because she no longer had any fingers to pinch with. She had then asked Gallus to pinch her, though having sharp talons do the job resulted in a shriek.
The burning pain, though, had been more than enough to say that it's real.
The mirror did not lie.
She saw her face, the face of a changeling. Gone were her old eyes, replaced with a pair quite compound though she could still see normally. Fragile wings like that of an insect were on her back; she flapped them and they buzzed. There was also a horn on her head, and she knew it had something to do with magic.
The pamphlet on her free hoof had given her a head start on what a changeling's like and how a typical changeling day would go. However, it had contributed more questions than answers: Would she starve if she didn't eat love for a long time? What if there was no one to share love with? Should she tell her friends about her literal hunger for love?
But they knew. They'd read others' pamphlets, too. They must had known something about her weird emotion-dependent biology. If that's so, why didn't they say anything about it? They couldn't possibly accept having their love taken and digested somehow to keep her alive and strong.
Maybe they were being polite.
Question upon question. How would their friendships go now that one of them would have health problems if no one shared love with her, if she didn't have anyone to share love with? What if they rejected her for their safety?--despite the pamphlet's own words: Sharing love is a give-and-take process! When you share love, all benefit including you! Don't go thinking that your loved ones will run from you now that you're a changeling, and even if they do, show them this helpful leaflet!
Yet the rational changeling was letting something else overwhelm her.
Complicating her condition was that strange craving for insects. Beetles, ants, caterpillars--she wasn't a good cook, but now she'd been thinking of recipes on fried wasps with a side of roasted termites and crunchy crickets. The sheer ugliness of it all was the only thing separating these bugs from her mouth, but the craving remained.
Of course, since she's a changeling, she could also change. The instructions were there on the tiny piece of paper. Step 1: Imagine who or what you want to be. Step 2: Focus your magic energy into your horn. Step 3: Change!
The last step might have been very vague, but she thought she could feel her way through.
So, she imagined someone.
She closed her eyes.
Felt a weird glow surrounding her.
She opened her eyes.
In the mirror, her normal self. Her former self. A human wearing some casual clothes.
This was her.
She stared at her self.
Like boats falling down a waterfall, recalls and disjointed flashbacks sped by until they reached her new friends. They had traveled everywhere together, living out life's ups and downs, the highs and lows. Squabbles and arguments had cropped up from time to time, but they'd be solved within days. Smiles and laughter would reign in the end.
Then, she sighed.
She stared at her self.
This wasn't her. Not anymore, that was.
Ocellus closed her eyes.
Felt the weird glow surrounding her.
Opened her eyes to see a blue changeling. A half-horse, half-bug creature that fed on love and could shapeshift.
She crawled up on the floor and cried.
Alone.
One week after the mishap and six days after she had confined herself in the bedroom, Ocellus felt the thing she'd most feared since the change. It was a rumbling in her stomach, a dwindling down.
Hunger. Love hunger.
She knew her family had become changelings, too. She'd seen a photo of them on her MyStable feed, captioned with a message from her father saying Dearie, we're coming home straight away.
Problem was, they were in Dallaps. The additional load of homework had come upon Ocellus at the most inconvenient time, making her the only one to stay behind. Coupled with her sharpened insecurity out of being a love-feeding horsebug, staying inside wasn't doing her any good.
The homework no longer needed to be passed, though. Her school had announced that there'd be no more classes in the foreseeable future. Perhaps having hooves instead of hands while coping with tons of magic factored into that.
In the meantime, Ocellus was sitting on her bed, all four hooves on the mattress as she reflected upon her future. Dreams of enjoying the rest of her twenties with a wonderful group of friends weren't exactly dashed--more like entangled into Gordian knots. She was now friends with a griffon, a yak, a hippogriff, a pony and his dog who'd become a fire-breathing dragon because why not? Her family--what would become of them? They'd have the same problems as her, experiencing the same love hunger, having the same shapeshifting abilities, craving for the same strange branch of cuisine.
Then, of course, there was the world. There was....
But, nevermind. She looked down at her hooves, mind reeling as possibilities accumulated. Maybe they'd be afraid of her, especially by the ponies of Equestria. It was the changelings who attacked their Canterlot during the royal wedding. Maybe she'd be ostracized by the love-brimming ponies of Earth's Canterlot. They were already saddled with new bodies, new magic, new everything. Maybe--
Knock! Knock!
Ocellus looked up, wiping her dry eyes. "Wh-Who's there?"
"It's us," came Sandbar's voice.
The changeling let out a loud sigh, though she smiled, wanted to smile and wanted them to see her smile. Choked with more tears, these the tears of joy, of seeing these friends.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and Ocellus's friends entered one by one. First was Sandbar himself, an Earth pony the color of spring buds with some sea turtles as his cutie mark. Next flew in Gallus, a blue griffon who flapped his wings slowly to make sure Ocellus wouldn't be more surprised. After him came in Silverstream and Yona together, pink hippogriff and brown yak walking side-by-side as they wore gloom on their faces. Last but not the least was Smolder who jumped her way into the room, neglecting her scaly wings.
The dragon closed the door.
All were together in Ocellus's bedroom, looking at their changeling friend as she slowly got out of bed, trotted to them, looked to the side.
Grabbed Sandbar, held his neck tight, hugged him.
No words. No words as everyone else joined in the group hug.
In their welcome embrace, she closed her eyes and wept. Nothing but tears turning her cheeks into a sea marked with loss, an ocean branded with woe, yet all of that was to be forgotten in the company of these friends.
"I l-love you guys!" Ocellus yelled amidst her tears and sniffles. "B-But I u-understand if you won't love me! Even if I wanted to, I'll j-just suck your love, and, a-a-and--"
"We don't care," Gallus said, tapping her on the head with his talon. "I mean, look at us! We're a lot different now, but we're still together...right?"
"B-But--"
"You feed on love!" Silverstream added with a hint of happiness, holding her own foretalons together. "You must be such a lovable creature!"
"But I--"
"Yona stick by you thick and thin!" Yona declared, putting a hoof on the ground although she was careful not to smash the floor with it.
Smolder got out of the hug and flew over her. "I'm still getting used to this whole thinking-for-yourself thing, so...yeah, I love you, too."
"And we'll be here just like old times!" Sandbar said, now the one pulling Ocellus in. "Even though they're not really that old, but...whatever, guys! Group hug for Ocellus!"
They hugged tighter, their changeling friend feeling a bit of pain. That didn't matter since she felt the warmest hug in her life. Because of them, she no longer felt weak, she no longer felt drained. She no longer felt hungry.
She was hungry no longer.
After that loving hug, solidifying Ocellus's acceptance in spite of her new forms (or everyone's new forms, for that matter), they decided to celebrate by going to Pepperoni Box. Though it was mostly back in business, there were considerably less customers here than usual. Then again, having to learn how to walk with four hooves and a wing would make constant back-and-forth travel a hard thing to keep up without stubbing their limbs.
The six secured a table by the counter where they got front row seats to the magic of pizza-making while inhaling the scrumptious scent of good food. Dough rolled flat, doused with tomato sauce and packed with cheese, topped with vegetables and fruits, inserted into a brick fire oven--all done by ponies which made everything slower as they tried to not drop anything. It was unbelievable how nothing was spilled to the floor.
"Hello!" greeted an Earth pony waiter, menu on one hoof and eye on the exotic set of customers. "I didn't expect to see different kinds of creatures at the same table!" Pointed the menu at them. "You're best friends, aren't you?"
"Who else could we be, anyway?" asked Silverstream, lifting her foreclaws into the air like she was throwing confetti. "We're not potatoes!"
The waiter glanced around, hoping that there'd be somepony to explain it for her. "Uh...potatoes?"
And Silverstream yanked Yona the yak into a hug like a yummy yarn. Yona moaned under those tender claws, but she put up a smile anyway.
Gallus chuckled. "Yeah, she's wacky but she's...sunbeamy. Got a problem with that?"
All it took was a look at the griffon's sharp talons and his fiercesome lion tail--all it took was that for the waiter to hide half of her face with the menu. "Um, n-no! I was just...surprised to h-have six different species at one table, 'cause most of Canterlot's ponies now." Then, raising a brow at Gallus, "Does that mean you're from Griffonstone?"
"The one and only," he replied, pointing at himself with a wide smirk.
"I'm from Aris!" Silverstream proclaimed.
"And I'm from Cambling!" Ocellus added.
"Yakyakistan!" Yona yelled with pride.
"And I'm Sandbar's dog," Smolder finished off, raising her claw. "I feel weird being equals with Master and--"
"You don't have to call me that anymore," Sandbar cut in, ruffling the dragon's non-existent fur on her head.
Smolder sighed, the good feeling out of a headrub having vanished. Trying to not dwell on it, she turned to the waiter. "What kind of pizza's here?"
The waiter grinned, finally able to hype up her wares. "Oh, I'd usually start off with our Meat Attack...but, well, we ponies can't eat meat, so there's that. Heh-heh," though that laugh weakened to a doleful murmur.
"But we can!" Silverstream shrieked, gathering up everyone at the table in a huge hug while hovering over the table.
The waiter gestured towards Sandbar. "He's a pony."
Sandbar slipped away from Silverstream's hug, his frown growing. "I'm gonna miss out on this one, amn't I?"
"Well, wasn't Fluttershy a vegetarian this whole time?" replied the waiter. "I'd say you go talk to her one of these days. She must be taking this pretty well."
Meanwhile, in her house, Fluttershy was dining at the family table with Zephyr sulking on his chair.
"Come on, Zephyr," Fluttershy said, holding up a hoof over her plate of salad and beans. "Can't you let it go?"
"There's a reason why I bought like half the meat section!" Zephyr yelled, rubbing his ears. "Rainbow Dash may be oblivious to my never-ending pleas to be with her, but she's gotta notice when I'm weightlifting barbells of canned beef!" Took a pause to gulp in breath. "She loves beef!"
"Loved beef," Fluttershy corrected. "She's now accepted that she can't eat meat anymore."
About to give up, Zephyr looked down on his paltry fare of leaves, hay, and chocolate milk. "It's just...."
Then, his eyes widened. A smile crept up on his face as he clasped his forehooves.
"Another one of those brilliant ideas of yours?" Fluttershy asked deadpan, her kind voice gone for a moment.
Zephyr spread his wings, making his salad drift into the air. "Sorry, sis', but the breeze is gonna get his guarantees!" and flew out of the house.
Fluttershy sped to the open door, seeing the vast darkness of the night compared to her bright home. "Zephyr! Where're you--"
"The only place Dash would be right now!" Zephyr shouted as he zoomed to the sky.
Before his wings froze up. He screamed falling down.
Ten minutes later, the pizzas were done and served. Ocellus and company inhaled the wafting steam of cheesy deliciousness as fresh piping hot pizzas floated to their table.
On the left was a massive fifty-inch pizza divided up to stacks of triangular slices to fit the surface. It was of the Meat Attack variety, so all kinds of meat made their home here: beef, pork, chicken, tuna, mutton, duck, shrimp, and scallops--all inhabiting their expanse of cheese.
On the right was a normal-sized vegetarian pizza reserved for Sandbar. It had tomato slices, bell peppers, black olives, and mushrooms.
"Bone capitate!" squawked Silverstream before stuffing her mouth with a juicy slice.
Gallus, Ocellus, and Silverstream, hastily catching their own slices as they feasted on their scrumptious order. Yona, on account of still being full, contented herself with drinking half a dozen cups of coffee tea.
That left Smolder and Sandbar beside each other, looking down on the healthier pizza.
The pony sighed. "I haven't thought much about this, huh? I thought it'll go away, but it's like my body will hate it forever."
Smolder fidgeted with her thumbs, seeing her former master riled up. "Don't they have vegetarian meat out there? That's a thing, isn't it?"
"Except whoever's researching that are...well, ponies," and Sandbar twirled his hoof about. "They'd wanna get the whole pony thing down before moving on to their projects."
"Ouch." Smolder scratched the back of her scaly head. "I can see why that's bad."
Bells rang and the front door opened to reveal Dash and a yellow changeling trotting in together.
Silverstream swallowed her second slice to squish her cheeks. "Rainbow Dash!"
Dash nodded. "Who else but me? Hah! Isn't it nice to still be famous while being a pony?"
While everyone else fawned over the heroine from afar, Ocellus raised her hoof and caught her attention. "Who's that?" as she pointed at the other changeling.
The yellow changeling took out a pizza box. He spun it around with his hoof and laughed at himself.
"He's a changeling from the hive," Dash said, resting a hoof on his back. "When he realized there were new changelings here like you here, he wanted to help in his own way."
"...by serving up the local grub!" Humerus ended as he flew over to the table and opened his pizza box.
The stinky blue cheese was rotten with larvae squirming all over it. Grubs and pupae were the main staple toppings, garnished with sprinklings of deep-fried ants.
"Bleh!
"Eww!"
"Is that real?!"
Everyone save for Ocellus had pinched their noses and stuck their tongues out. However, the changeling herself licked her lips at the delicacy.
"There's more where that came from!" Humerus said, putting the box down before her. "But I gotta make some more deliveries! Whole communities will see how tasty and nutritious good bugs are!"
Ocellus's eyes watered. "Why, thank you!"
"Pleasure but squares!" quipped Humerus and flew ou--
Bumped into a glass window and fell to the floor.
Dash propped him back up, hearing the changeling groan in pain. "Now, watch where you're going!"
"I'll watch it like those weird TV screens!" Humerus said with a wink and a salute. Hovering towards the front door, "So, let's--"
Bumped into the closed front door.
All was silent as they looked upon the helpless changeling.
"Yak should help," Yona said as she moved out of the way and trotted towards Humerus.
"N-No!" he said, holding out a hoof to stop the yak. "I'm really going now!" before opening the do--
Bumped by an exasperated Zephyr who was bruised and scarred, bunned mane undone as he held up a pizza of his own. "There! This is a pizza I made for you, my beautiful Rainbow Dash!"
With one last breath, he collapsed to the floor, unconscious before a knocked out Humerus and a fallen pizza box.
It opened, revealing a message made with pepperonis. They spelled out: I love you, Dash!
Now, everyone was looking down at the mysterious pizza.
Dash giggled and closed the pizza box with her tail. "Too bad I can't eat meat, right?"
And everyone laughed before those six friends continued their banquet. Dash then dragged both unconscious creatures out of the place, though she took the token of cheesy love with her.
Ocellus held the box of changeling-made pizza before her. She didn't recoil from it. There was no disgust in her mind. Not even a gag reflex. Rather, she felt pulled into it, caught her hoof about to get a slice without her thinking.
Then, she looked up, saw her friends laughing over some joke she didn't get.
She didn't care. This night together was turning out to be like their other nights, perhaps even better than them. Being friends with such a diverse set of magic creatures while being one of them herself?
Why worry about getting love hungry? She was already getting tons of love from her best friends alone.
To celebrate that, she picked up a slice of her bug pizza and ate it. |
A Magic Turn of Events | A Confidence Trick Worth Two of That | In her band's apartment, Trixie placed her forehooves on the window frame. She looked outside.
There, unprecedented chaos. Cars and trees overturned by stampeding Earth ponies, windows and walls smashed by uncareful pegasi, light posts and mailboxes uprooted by unicorns unwary of their power--all accompanied with snaps and pow!'s. Rainbow Dash and...OK, another Rainbow Dash were there to round up these nerve-lost ponies, but panic reigned, and destruction followed in its wake.
Trixie had a horrified face under her snout, eyes shaky as they witnesses helpless former humans just like her. She watched civilization fragment before her, with these rainbow-maned ponies and their friends its last resort.
She saw the mess.
And smiled.
"The moment the Great and Powerful Trixie has waited for...it has arrived!" She raised a hoof to the air. She laughed, her roar reaching the sky. "Was it not enough to be the world's only unicorn? Yet, now, Trixie can feel the magic everywhere! Limitless magic everywhere! Yes, the rule of Trixie as the Greatest and Most Powerful begins now!"
She hopped up to the window and stood on it, raising her forehooves and laughing at her triumph.
Due to safety reasons, however, no one noticed her showboating. They were quite busy with losing it.
"Have you lost your mind, Trixie?!" Fuchsia yelled at her the next morning, having found the magician proudly levitating seven stacks of cards all at once. The front door was still open.
"Quite the opposite!" Trixie proclaimed, putting on her hat and cape while still floating so many cards flawlessly. "Trixie has gained enlightenment! She sees life in a completely different way thanks to her new physiology and her, ahem, real magic!"
Fuchsia looked horrified, stepping back and hitting the wall. "Tr-Trixie, something's off with you. Are you OK?"
Trixie raised a skeptical brow, lifting her hat with her glowing horn. "What makes you think otherwise?"
Her bandmate gulped. "I don't know...like, how you're taking this all too well?"
"Why wouldn't I be taking it too well?" the happy magician asked back, smirking as she levitated the cards neatly to the dining table. That only left her wizard's hat floating above her head. "Trixie has turned into a unicorn, a being infinitely more capable of magic than my mere human shell!"
Fuchsia's mouth dropped. Mere human shell? Did she just hear those words come straight from Trixie's mouth? "You're kidding me, right? You've got to be kidding me. There's no way you were just waiting to become a pony!"
"Trixie wasn't waiting for it," she admitted, inspecting her hooves like she was checking her fingern--no, her hoofnails. "But, after it came upon her, she wishes that she could've waited for it! To anticipate such a great destiny bestowed upon the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
Fuchsia was getting overwhelmed by Trixie's uneasy joy. She looked at everything in the room, trying to find some answer to counter it, but not even the vase said anything to her. Turning to the merry magician: "You have n-no regrets over losing your old self? D-Did you even like being human?"
"She did." Trixie then put down her hat, re-completing the wizard's look on her. "Until she felt the pure magic of the unicorn!"
Like Wallflower, Fuchsia blushed, though out of anger this time. "You're taking this too far!" Hit her own chest. "You know what I and Lavender suffered? We had to restart everything! We had to learn how to walk again, how to hold things again, how to do...everything again!" She screamed, kicked the table and breaking the fragile vase with a crack! "Are you telling me you just flew through it?!"
"Trixie did have a head start," she said, then bobbed both her brows.
Fuchsia slammed herself on the face, understanding the brow signal. "Right. When you jumped through the portal to magic pony land to get some lessons from your pony self, wasn't it?"
Trixie bowed down, hat lowered. "Trixie is always prepared!"
Fuchsia rolled her eyes then grabbed her proud friend by the neck. "Nevermind. It looks like I can't convince you, so let's just get to music magic with these..." held up her hooves, "things."
She gulped.
"Twi said that music has some inherent magic or something. We can sing to defend ourselves...?" and sighed, smacking herself on the face again. "I sound ridiculous! Everything's magic now, even music! What's next? Magic books?"
As if on cue, Trixie levitated several books and made them float around her.
Fuchsia yanked her friend on the head, causing her to drop the books with a few thud!'s. "We're going!"
Trixie smiled, half-closing her eyes. "Going to impress the world with my magic, my faithful assistant?"
"In the band!"
Early in the evening, standing outside school, Sunset and Sci-Twi were helping a bunch of new unicorns come to terms with their magic. Having gotten past basic levitation and telekinesis--as could be evidenced by all of their pupils levitating whatever they got, from flowers to boxes--the two divided the workload and went through each pony in quick succession, asking them about their talent.
"Sunny Flare," Twi said when she came up to her, the former Shadowbolt a little nervous at her old classmate. "Your cutie mark's the sun, so--"
"I still have no idea!" Sunny yelled, stomping the grass with her hoof. "What am I? A light bulb?"
Twi grinned, annoyed at confronting an abstract cutie mark. "Maybe your magic is related to light?"
"What do you think I am?!" yelled Sunny as she pushed her snout to Twi's. "A night guard? I didn't go to Crystal Prep to be a night guard!"
Boom!
Everypony looked up.
Fireworks the shape of Trixie's face, glittering in the sky until they fizzled into nothing.
"So that's what's she been up to," Sunset quipped with a chuckle and a shake of her head.
At someone's front yard, Trixie bowed on the grass, receiving tons of applause from a modest pile of ponies. A few bouquets of flowers tumbled to the grass, Trixie picking them up with her magic as she made them glow magenta.
"Thank you! Thank you!" She faced the audience and blew a flying kiss to them, these new ponies clamoring with shouts and screams. Basking in the praise, she flipped her mane. "Was there any doubt?"
It seemed that the cheering would never end that night.
"Trixie."
Nothing.
"Hey, Trixie."
Nothing.
"Trixie!"
"Wuh!"
And the Great and Powerful Trixie fell down in a great and powerful way, cracking the living room's floor with her horn and getting stuck in it.
The sunken magician glared at Fuchsia, vision upside-down. "What is the meaning of this? Is this a mutiny you are staging?!"
"You're daydreaming again," Fuchsia said, placid despite the unfounded threats against her and the damage to their apartment's property. "Ever since that first performance of yours, your head's been stuck in the clouds!"
"At least the Great and Powerful Trixie can manipulate objects with her mind!" Trixie said, pointing at her head and her stuck horn.
Fuchsia grunted. "I'm not your babysitter!"
"No, you are my assistant!"
Desiring peace instead of war, Fuchsia kept quiet and tried to pull Trixie out of the hole.
Only to fall over and get her horn stuck in the floor, too.
Trixie made a sarcastic smile. "Great. Now we've got to wait for my other, more charades-addicted assistant to come home."
It was an eventful week for Trixie and her bandmates/assistants. On Wednesday, they've been asked to be the opening act for the new look Sirens. It was...jarring, to say the least, seeing a band worthy of tomato splats followed up by one of the best singing sensations known to ponykind. After an argument, the band decided to go hang their instruments for a while and resort to being assistants in Trixie's rejuvenated magic show for the meantime. These attracted modest crowds, though not quite like that first outing at night.
Monday found Trixie pacing on paved paths, waiting at the park. She tapped her hoof around whenever she stood still, looking here and there, seeing not many ponies.
She was the only one. That should count as "not many".
Then, a rustle from a tree.
Trixie gasped, spun her head to see the tree rock and roil. "Who's there?!"
Smoke popped up, shrouding the tree in its ethereal grip. The smoke then cleared, revealing another Trixie leaning on the tree's trunk.
Trixie yelped. "Tr-Trixie?!"
"You did ask Princess Twilight to bring the Great and Powerful Trixie over," Trixie replied. She rolled her eyes, then, speaking fast, "She also told me to give you a nickname, so the 'Great and Powerful Trix' it is for you."
Surprised by being appropriated with a clearly inferior name, Trix groaned and trotted up to her counterpart. "I am the Great and Powerful Trixie and you are just Trix!"
Trixie crossed her forehooves together and laughed. "Which one of us came first? You or me?"
"Well, I'm--"
And Trix's mouth hung open.
"That's the thing about your world," Trixie said, smiling. "The Great and Powerful Trixie may not be the most competent expert in multi-dimensions and what not--that's Starlight's realm--but you...you are younger than Trixie." Her smile widened. "You are the one who is new to this magic business. I've been perfecting the art form longer than you've been in high school! If there should be any basis for me calling you 'Trix', then that is it, and you should accept it, for I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!" and bowed.
Trix, however, did not want to give up without a fight. "Yeah? What can you do?"
Trixie answered with a haughty scoff. "What can the Great and Powerful Trixie do?" She began counting on her hoof. "I can do all the little tricks you can do and more. I can throw myself into a manticore's mouth and survive, I can turn an apple into a teacup right before your very eyes, I can teleport a whole box of plates into your house if you give me a map and a ton of photos, and I can levitate--wait for it...."
Her horn glowed. Her whole body glowed. She floated above the grass and spread her forehooves in arrogance.
"Myself!"
Floated down to the ground, leaving Trix's eyes twitching and blinking.
"That's not even the half of it!" Trixie said with a turn of her head. "Of course, since you asked kindly for me--and because I'm feeling particularly nice--I've decided to accept your offer for...well, being a substitute assistant back in Equestria."
Trix then pumped her chest, overjoyed at having that offer accepted. "Whatever it takes to master the various fields of magic. Trixie's all in!"
Trixie clapped her hooves. "Perfect! Pack your stuff, because we'll be on tour!"
Trix then smiled and shook hooves with her other self, which was an awkward idea in and of itself, but she didn't mind. Two Trixies shaking hooves was a little ambition to her.
What she didn't show, what she didn't say back then, was how terrified she was at touring in an unfamiliar land.
Trix's long time in Equestria ironically left no time for her to sightsee. She was there to learn about magic, after all. Meeting the eerily familiar inhabitants of Ponyville made her hair stand up. It made their hair stand up, too, though it's more out of having two Trixies in the same town. The magic show had usually been enough to offset one insufferable ego, but it might not be enough to offset two insufferable egos.
The Trixies then journeyed around in Trixie's wagon. When Trixie was the one outside pulling the vehicle, Trix was left to examine the nigh-infinite amount of trinkets, devices, and knick-knacks inside. There were the typical wands, hankerchiefs, cards, smoke bombs, and so on. However, she also found books on magic with long titles and authors she's never heard of. She opened them up, saw strange words and complex illustrations, noticing concepts, principles, properties--
This wasn't the kind of magic she signed up for.
When she wasn't poring over every single item in the caravan, she looked out the window to discover Equestrian landscapes. They were picturesque: rolling greens punctuated by fresh, crisp rivers and lush, bountiful trees. Sure, it looked an awful lot like the countryside back home, but that illusion was broken whenever she saw another party of ponies and their wagon traveling on the same road as her. A lone pegasus would sometimes move a cloud or two in the sky, and Trix would be fast enough to catch that. That's not to mention the creatures that she didn't recognize: cute parasprites, tiny breezies, even a chimera which she promptly screamed at.
As expected, the Trixies had to take turns in pulling the wagon, so Trix sometimes pulled the wagon herself. It didn't feel exactly heavy thanks to sturdy wheels, but she could still sense the weight she was hauling. What appalled her, though, was being up-front about living as a pony. Being harnessed to a wagon like that brought down humiliation and shame upon her. She's the Great and Powerful Trixie--she shouldn't be treated like a workhorse! Yet, she was a horse going to work, no, already working by pulling the wagon, letting her other self lounge on her hammock or practice her lines for the next stop.
Speaking of stops, there were plenty of them and, therefore, plenty of shows. At first, they were solo acts with Trix merely the unlucky volunteer that just so happened to be traveling alongside her. "Sawn" into half, nearly hit by knives on a spinning wheel, her head and her hooves "separated"--that kind of magic. In between shows and during travel, when they were pulling the wagon together, Trixie would explain to Trix her, well, tricks. Over time, she was allowed to do more things like handling the actual volunteers from the crowd and then casting a minute spell into this or that act. Trix got better, becoming more prominent in the shows.
Then, she got to the good stuff. Not only was she a true assistant, performing two-pony acts with her counterpart, but she was doing tricks of her own. Sure, they weren't headliners; otherwise, Trixie would've stopped the show since she wouldn't be hogging much of the attention. However, they were cool card tricks, fooling the whole audience that this card wasn't really this card, that a ten of diamonds wasn't a ten of diamonds. It also helped that having two of the same pony perform magic tricks was a nice way to distinguish themselves from the competition.
Applause, flowers, and bits rained upon the Trixies.
The final stop was Canterlot, finishing the tour's home run. The schedule after that was a day's rest in the capital, and then a victorious return to Ponyville.
A month and a half had passed since Trix entered Equestria yet, in the night before showtime, inside the caravan--not a fancy hotel because Trixie had remained stubbornly loyal to her wagon--Trix lied down on her hammock, looking up at the cluttered ceiling, lost in thought.
Only a candle lit up her surroundings, casting everything in its orange glow.
A sigh escaped her lips as crickets chirped in the night.
Trix turned her head and her forehooves to the floor, grabbed her bag. Fumbled her hoof around the foodstuff, papers, and precious flowers with letters of thanks.
Then, she felt a hard, rectangular object.
Her blood pressure rose, eyes dilating. "Good!" she whispered to herself, beads of sweat running down her face. "She hasn't taken it yet."
She took the object out.
It was her cellphone.
Trixie reeled her head back, turned the screen on.
First thing she saw was her photos app. There were tons of pictures, the most recent ones being hidden shots of Equestrian crowds and audiences. With a hoof struggle, she scrolled up and saw older and older photos.
Then, she came across familiar creatures in them.
Humans. What she used to be.
There, she saw a video with a preview on it. The preview image was one of herself removing the tomatoes from her face, still wearing her magician's costume.
She played the video.
Back at the backstage of Canterlot High, the human Trixie was ridding herself of the tomatoes from her face, wiping them off with two clean towels. The phone on the table rested on a trunk, recording her all this time.
"Trixie!" she heard someone shout. "We should just stick with the Illusions!"
"Never!" yelled a defiant Trixie, shaking her fist at an off-screen Fuchsia. "Get out of my sight! The Great and Powerful Trixie is unwilling to entertain naysayers!"
And Fuchsia was out, furious footsteps echoing across the gym.
Then, Trixie sighed, face still blotched in red.
She stared at her phone.
The only one standing by her side, the only one left.
"A-Am I a failure?" she whispered.
Leaned to the phone to hold it.
"All this practice, all this time...all for nothing? I-Is this what I-I'm w-working for? More than a hundred shows and this is what I get?"
Left with a whimpering Trixie, moaning as she finished cleaning herself from those tomatoes, those signs of disgust and disapproval.
Those tomatoes of emptiness....
"Trix?"
"Agh!"
And Trix the unicorn hid the phone under her pillow and waved the candle at the Trixie by the door, trying to distract her.
"What's going on?" Trixie asked, face frowning not at the sorry face but at the candle about to burn the hammock. She remained polite, though, and kept a straight face. "You don't sound so good."
"There is nothing to be afraid of!" Trix lied, making it obvious by her phoned-in accent. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has--"
Phone levitated out from under the pillow under Trixie's glow.
Trix yelped. "Tr-Trixie c-can explain!"
"Trixie needs no explanation," Trixie replied, phone still floating by her. "She heard everything."
Trix shuddered in place, holding the pillow like it was her armor. "Wh-Wha--"
"What is it?" Trixie asked, closing the door and locking it with her magic. She placed the phone down on the night table, trotted straight to her side. "You can be honest with Trixie. You can be honest with me."
To stave off incoming disgrace, Trix laughed. "G-Getting help from myself? What more can I ask for?"
"I know, right?" Then, Trixie dropped the smug attitude. "Seriously, though. What's wrong?"
Trix sighed. "Trix...no, I had tomatoes."
A groan from Trixie. "Are you complaining about Canterlot--"
"You know what I mean," Trix said in a deeper tone. "You know what tomatoes mean in the magic business."
Trixie caught the meaning of it. Her ears retreated. "Oh. Y-You...you weren't so lucky? B-But I h-had my time of failure, too!"
"At least you started out right," Trix continued, turning away from her more successful self. "And you bounced back, to boot."
She pointed at herself, wearing and showing an aggravated, unstable frown. "Fr-From the moment I began pursuing my dream as the Great and Powerful Trixie...it was all downs and barely any ups. Almost no one came to see my tricks. Only the bored bothered to make time for me.
"Then, people started talking behind my back. I was gathering a following so I was supposed to be feeling better, but the voices of dissent were noisier even when I wasn't listening. It was all, 'Ooh, magical Trixie! Magician Trixie!' Which, yes, gave me publicity, but...negative publicity didn't feel right."
"You and me both," Trixie said, looking down.
Trix looked out the window, seeing the rushing waterfall just outside Canterlot, the constant crashing of water coming back to her senses. "I...I was getting lonely. I had to be more pompous, more grand, yet they seemed to be coming just for the show a-and not for me." Pointed at herself again. "It got easier when Sunset was reformed and when our Twilight arrived, but, really, we're not the best of friends. Besides, being friends with them is taking the easy way out. They're friends with everyone. It's like they're not even trying."
She drifted off, wanting to throw away the tangent. "When I got the hang of things during the tour...I-I finally realized what it meant to have true fans, to have ponies look up to me as a role model, to not just have friends but to realize that there are ponies out there who appreciate your work, your talent, your love."
Trixie snickered at being a role model.
Trix ignored that, still a fickle pony. "I-I was pl-planning to tell you after the tour...that I'm staying in Equestria for g-good."
Trixie's eyes widened. She stepped back, only to bump into a box of bowties and be surrounded in them. She fixed it all up with her magic, then continued with, "What?! Y-You can't stay here for the rest of your life! Don't you have other ponies in your world?"
"Exactly," Trix said, swaying around on her hammock. "Thinking of them...how they would miss me. They'd start asking questions, start asking for me. I'd be r-robbing them of...myself and...."
Trixie lifted Trix's chin up and lifted a wand. "Don't you worry! You've improved, right? All under my guidance? Now, one last lesson is to follow the Great and Powerful Example of Trixie!"
"What would that be?"
Trixie raised her forehooves, holding two wands in the air. "Rubbing on other ponies' faces 'till they give up!"
Trix grinned then shook her hoof. They hugged each other, each enjoying the company of a Trixie.
"Let's give Canterlot the best night of our lives?!" Trixie screamed.
"Let's go!" Trix shouted.
And the two Trixies burst out of the caravan.
A week after the tour ended and after Trix returned to her home world, Trixie was in the Castle of Friendship's kitchen, reading the local newspaper as Starlight whipped up a batch of cookies heating in the oven.
Then, the door blasted open, revealing Sparkle levitating a poster. "Trixie, you gotta see this!"
Trixie clapped her hooves in delight. "I knew she'd succeed!"
Starlight looked confused, removing her focus from the oven. "Who'd succeed?"
Twilight tapped the poster with her hoof. "The other Trixie!"
The art deco poster showed a stylized Trix in her magician's garb, framed with wands, hats, scarves, coins, and smoke. There was a sticky note on it with the words: Theater's sold out! Treat you out tonight?
"Ha-ha!" Trixie reared and whinnied. "Hooray for me and me!"
Sparkle rolled her eyes, still getting used to Trixie's arrogance after such a long time.
Starlight sniffed the air. "Wait...the cookies are burning!"
Trixie grabbed the poster from Sparkle's magic, hugging it while leaving Starlight to save the cookies from being overcooked charcoal. |
A Magic Turn of Events | The Provocation of Creatures | For decades, Manehattan was dubbed The City That's Always Awake, and with good reason. It had been the heart of the country's nightlife for generations, offering food, shops, entertainment, and public transportation day in and day out, night in and night out. Even past midnight, the streets and sidewalks would still be filled to the brim with people. Of course, there were other reasons, too, like the never-ending supply of caffeine in so many coffee bars that stayed open 24/7.
Not to mention being on fire would also keep the city awake.
Staggering from the catastrophe, Manehattan was still under the smelly fire of chaos and unrest--in some cases, it was actual fire, since a few of those enormous skyscrapers were on fire as dogs-turned-dragons breathed out fire on accident. Most of the buildings remained sound, though glass shards were aplenty and crashed cars turned up often. Notwithstanding the lack of panicking creatures running or flying around in confusion, there were some who trudged around, trying to help others by giving them a shoulder to lean on or by traveling with them to the local hospital.
At the edge of the island metropolis lay a tall glassy high-rise. It looked like a book whose cover was made of glass rectangles. Flapping on its grassy facade were dozens of flags representing and symbolizing many nations from around the world.
This was the Headquarters of the Convocation of Countries. Protected by several pony guards borrowed from Equestria, the building had upped its defense. Cameras were everywhere, both of the security and of the journalistic type as reporters of all different species tried to hold their equipment in their own way. Abyssinians and griffons had better luck than Earth ponies who dropped their equipment too often, sometimes putting them out of commission.
Looks like some news channels would fall back on texts and audio bites for this one.
Everyone rubbernecked towards the front doors of this grand complex. Instead of fancy cars, there were carriages parked by the entrance--over there were two carriages that looked quite identical, bearing the symbol of the sun.
"Sorry, I'm late!" shouted a hippogriff who flew into view, grabbing the attention of the citizens crowded outside. "D-Did we start yet? What about the Celestias?"
"They went out," a pegasus answered. "She's giving a pep talk to herself, I think."
The hippogriff raised his brow. "Which Celestia? They both got schools, right?"
Inside, a few floors up, was the parlor where delegates would gather around to talk casually among themselves. Today, however, there was no discussion on stable geopolitics, veiled threats, and acts misconstrued as those of aggression. Instead, the Griffonstone delegate, President Gestal, was perched on a chair, taking in the familiar room with new eyes.
It was a carpeted, cozy room with tones of yellow and white, presumably to foster creativity and open forums. It did its job, for it didn't make the furniture and the shelves look drab. Even with half the lights on, the room already looked bright. That was topped off by the citrus scent wafting through the air, refreshing to anyone's senses.
Then, the double doors gently opened with a creak, showing two guards wearing full armor and escorting a tiny floating creature that looked like a pony with dragonfly-like wings.
Gestal got up from his chair. "Ah, President Seabreeze, I presume?"
"Are you demeaning me?!" Seabreeze shouted, pointing his tiny hoof at him. "Just because I'm the smallest head of state in the world, huh?!"
Gestal couldn't help but chuckle. Being threatened by an insect called for a chuckle.
Even the guards couldn't help it, betraying some snickers.
"And you, sirs!" Seabreeze yelled, turning his mad glare to his entourage. "You may be a million times bigger than me, but I am the leader of Gaothlub! One more laugh from you, and you'll be persona non grata in my turf!"
The guards then folded their ears back, trotted outside.
Out of respect, they closed the door gently.
"I must apologize for my teasing attitude," Gestal said right after, looking down on the floor in remorse. He adjusted his glasses. "I tried not to laugh at your appearance, but truly seeing you in real life...I just--"
Seabreeze raised a hoof, then glided his way to the top of another chair, standing on its back. "I get it. You're a griffon, Thunderhooves is a buffalo, Celestia and Luna control everything, and here I am, the laughingstock of the news with my puny self! 'Seabreeze turned into a pathetic breezie!' 'Seabreeze can't even lift his own weight!' 'Seabreeze can be squashed by your old shoes!'"
Gestal placed a claw on his glasses. "I see what you're getting at."
"Oh, you see now?" Seabreeze said, ready to drip with sarcasm. "You're a smart fellow! You should know I've lost whatever respect I've had here! Everyone teases me except my own constituents--and they're mad that I can't even literally stand up to anyone else!"
The griffon placed a claw on his sighing head. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Seabreeze crossed his forehooves. "You wish!"
Then, the doors opened again, revealing a nervous Thorax with shaky hooves in the hallway.
"Ah, and you, too, Thorax!" Gestal said, beckoning him inside with a claw. "Why don't you come in?"
Thorax gulped, trotting inside and closing the doors behind him. "W-Wow. You look...different in person," staring at the griffon.
"Surely, you've read the profiles Celestia's sent via e-mail, haven't you?"
The changeling trembled. "...yes?"
"What about me?!" Seabreeze yelled, pointing at himself and making Thorax look. "I exist!"
"Oh, s-s-sorry!" Thorax stepped forward, trying to be a buddy to him. "I mean, uh, yeah...sorry!"
Seabreeze huffed, sitting on the back of the chair, swaying his hindhoof about.
"So, how is your changeling form?" Gestal asked.
Thorax quickly shook his head. "Not so good. When everyone's these weird shapeshifting bugs, it makes everything a hundred times harder. Crime's gotten up because no one can be sure! They can turn into anyone and no one would know!" This left Thorax biting his hoofnails.
"I've heard your brother and his 'brother' have swooped in to police everyone," Gestal noted, claw on his chin.
"That's just two changelings against all of Cambling!" Thorax countered, stretching a forehoof to emphasize that. "I don't know how--"
The doors opened, letting two deer stride in. "Does anyone have a manual on forests?" asked the bigger one, white and brown with long antlers. "Pamphlets aren't enough."
Thorax looked at him in shock. "Prime Minister A-Aspen?"
"King Aspen," the deer corrected, "or so they tell me. I, too, am afraid of suddenly being a king over the entire nation, so it is merely a title."
"And I agree with him," said Blackthorn, the shorter but armored deer beside him. "It's hard enough as it is to keep nature from going rampant. We have our people...well, our deer running around and making potions!"
Gestal raised his claw, running late on Aspen's manual quip. "Hold on! They brought the imported books here already, yes?" and flapped his wings and flew, creating a gust of wind.
Which threw Seabreeze screaming out of his chair.
Thorax yelped and caught the helpless head of state with his hoof. Then, he gently put him down on a nearby table.
"What did I tell you?!" Seabreeze shouted, pointing at the disappearing griffon. "Have you learned anything?!"
Aspen trotted up to him, pitying the breezie. "You poor creature!"
"I am not poor!" Seabreeze shrieked, throwing an air punch at him. "I have the wealth and power of an entire country behind my back!"
Blackthorn giggled, trotting up to him as well. "A country of tiny--"
"Say one more word!" dared Seabreeze. "Say one more word, or else!"
Before Blackthorn could reply with "Or else what?", the doors opened again, presenting a huge buffalo almost taking up the room's height.
"Fitting through the hallways was difficult," Thunderhooves said in booming baritone, getting inside with the doors pulled at maximum.
Aspen placed Seabreeze on a nearby table as the buffalo closed the doors. The deer turned around and said, "I guess we should gather at the meeting table," pointing at it in the center of the room with its projector.
Everyone else nodded, even Seabreeze though with a sour face.
Swiftly becoming an old joke, the doors opened once more, featuring two hippogriffs in the hallway: Novo and Skystar, the latter barely containing her excitement if her claws over her grin said anything about it.
"We flew all the way here from down South," Novo said with a bit of irritation in her delivery. "However, these are extreme times. We may have to loosen up from our limited isolation, as cherished as it is now."
They then flew inside.
Causing Seabreeze to tumble out of the table, screaming again with his life in peril.
Caught by Thorax again.
"Are you trying to play a trick on me?!" Seabreeze yelled at the hippogriffs as he was gently put down a second time on the table.
Skystar waved her foreclaws about. "N-No! It was an accident! Sorry, Mr. Seabreeze!"
Thunderhooves looked at them awkwardly, having just stood there and watched the conversation unfold the whole time. "I'll just take my seat." That short statement said, the buffalo went to his seat at the table.
Except it was too small for him. With a groan, he made use of the wall and leaned on it.
"I'll take one, too," Blackthorn said, trotting his way to the table and sitting down.
Thorax put Seabreeze back on top of the chair. "You stay there, OK?"
"You're not my Mom!" Seabreeze shouted in teenage-like rebellion.
Aspen frowned. Nudging Thorax to the side, he confided, "Being turned into a breezie isn't doing well on him."
"At least you don't have wings to worry about," Novo said, having overheard the not-so-confidential whisper. "Or the fact that we're technically two species."
"Like this!" and, smiling, Skystar pressed her pearl necklace, glowing into a seapony before their very eyes, fins and tail and all.
Both deer and changeling dropped their mouths at the transformation, now knowing what the term dual-species truly meant.
Then, Thorax tilted his head, confused. "But there's no water here."
"Yup! Pretty crazy that seaponies don't need that much water to breathe!" Skystar pressed her pearl again and turned back into a hippogriff. "But it works!"
Aspen smiled, inspecting the hippogriffs' necklaces from afar. "Fascinating! Now if only magic was always helpful in running a country...." and rubbed his eyes.
Tiring their welcome, the doors opened once more an--
"This is meeting room, yes?!" bellowed Prince Rutherford, the yak charging into the room with giant steps that weren't for mankind but for yaks.
Thorax placed hooves around Seabreeze, shielding him from the wind of the yak's shout.
Skystar smiled, extending a claw. "A talking yak?!"
Rutherford laughed, accepting the hoofsh--no, clawsh--no...limbshake. "Good to see recognizable names here! Has meeting started yet?"
"Uh, no!" Thorax said, trembling in waves of nervousness, hoping to not get the prince mad enough to smash him. "B-But you can hang out with everyone else at the t-table!"
The yak scratched his scruffy hair, then looked at Seabreeze who had escaped Thorax's hoof cage. "Yak apologize for upset! Promise to be quiet when breezie's around!" Satisfied with the formal apology, he trotted to the table to take a seat.
Except it was too small for him, too. Taking up Thunderhooves's example, he leaned beside the buffalo on the wall.
Aspen turned his head towards everyone else not at their seats.
Seabreeze was sitting on the table, pouting at his rather small reputation and thinking of the endless indignities against him because he's a flimsy and insignificant breezie up against creatures a lot larger than him.
The hippogriff mother-and-daughter duo were talking to each other in tender volumes, Novo telling Skystar that she loves her and will do her best to protect her and help her during these times.
Thorax was mumbling to himself, trying to remember every topic to bring up at the meeting as news of Cambling in rapid descent trickled into a river of worry and anxiety, pushing him closer to a panic attack.
Aspen then turned towards those at the table.
Thunderhooves and Rutherford discussed about their own plights, being big beings ruling over other big beings like them. The buffalo, with rising distress, shared his concerns over his nation turning into one of nomad stampeders if their Equestrian counterparts were of any indication--scared of abandoning the many scientific breakthroughs they themselves have made over the past years. The yak, taking part in said distress, expressed his fears of Yakyakistan being ridiculed as a land of dummies and don't-know-it-all's that speak in broken English and smash everything.
Blackthorn, Aspen's second-in-command, sat at the table, not doing anything much but fiddling around on the table with his hooves. Yet, the king-in-name remembered his assistant's deeds right after they changed into deer: how Blackthorn rallied most of the terrified rioters outside the vine-infested House of the Prime Minister to calm down, how he disseminated proclamations from Princess Celestia and that other King Aspen on the subject of deer magic, and how he made sure all of Skogur's political parties would not implode out of anarchy.
Thinking about that reminded Aspen of the manual he had requested for. "By the way, where's Gestal?"
Only for the doors to open, breaking the monotony and turning everyone's attention to the newcomers.
Or, rather, returnees in the form of two Celestias.
Everyone else froze, gawking at them with wide eyes and puckered lips and beaks. Silence had to be maintained; no one would possibly dare rend courtesy apart in front of these--
"Here you go, Aspen!" Gestal said, coming back from his foray into the book aisles, handing--no, clawing over a book entitled Deer, Forests, and You!
Aspen nudged him on the shoulder, whispering with a stiff smile, "This is not the time to talk!"
"What do you--" and looked at the Celestias by the doors. "Oh. Your Highnesses."
Everyone bowed down before the two alicorns.
Celie took a step forward, trying to be dear to them. "You don't have to do that, really. We're here to help."
Tia pursed her lips, temporarily forgetting what to say to these foreign leaders. Probably thought they were nervous, too, unsure of everything now in a world of magic.
"As you know," Celie continued, gesturing towards her other self, "this is Principal Celestia of Canterlot. I have given her as much political training as I could in the space of a few days. Even then, I will advise her on what to do in the immediate future."
Then, she nodded to Tia, prompting her on what to say next.
Tia took a deep breath, closed her eyes.
"I may be new to the political stage," she began, hoof on her chest, "but, having gained absolute power over the sun, I must step up to help our world during this crisis. I will be no warmonger, nor will I subvert your countries with threats of burning your citizens, so don't be afraid of me."
What she got was silence. Frightened silence as all these powerful leaders--including Seabreeze--quivered on their legs, kneeling before a school principal.
A school principal that controlled the sun, yes, but a school principal nonetheless.
"Really, don't," Tia said, noticing that fear still lingered. "I'm just as scared as you are, maybe even more so. The lives of an entire planet rest on me and my sister, after all."
Even so, the thought of her power didn't go away from their heads. Being executed via the sun was not on their mental list of wishes.
Taking the floor, Tia tapped on the floor, her golden horseshoes making knocks that all could hear. In an earnest voice: "Everyone, to the meeting table. Time is of the essence; we must act now to ensure everycreature's safety. I notice that we are not yet complete, but we must bring latecomers if they do come. We need to save everyone."
With that, everyone nodded and got up from their knees or their equivalents thereof.
Celie nodded, then whispered to her ear, "I see you're doing quite well, considering the circumstances."
Tia chuckled. "Thank you, me."
Suppressing a chuckle of her own, Celie nodded once more.
And everyone went to the meeting table. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Stand Out a Country Mile a Minute | The first Tuesday morning after the change found Applejack one introspective pony. Not only did was it started by her principal raising the sun for the first time, it was the first full day where the rest of the world had to survive being whatever creature they'd become--though some of the changelings got a bargain on that one.
For Applejack, that meant her and the rest of the Apple family taking their first step as ponies, with whatever it entailed.
What she hadn't expected, even among the unexpected she somehow expected, was three new members to the Apple family.
Cookie, Oakley, and Cinnamon had given her a pretty surprising greeting when she arrived home the day before, squeezing her with a hug. Her mind almost broke at not only hearing them speak to her but also listening to them speak in a very intelligent manner.
As that Monday drew on, she'd grown conflicted feelings. On one hoof, she'd loved them very much. Days gone by, days of riding on them as a stubborn kid growing up, days of feeding them and taking care of them in the vast green backyard, days of sitting by the campfire and sharing stories to the family with those horses by her side--these should never be forgotten, she'd vowed. On the other hoof, they weren't "family family". They had been bought off of someone else's farm, and if she simply brought them into her family, then what really was family?
As if on cue, Pinkie Pie had appeared right beside her, making her scream in shock.
After the greetings were over in the backyard under an orange sunset sky, Pinkie made a grin, hoping that the farmpony would grin with her. "What's wrong, Applejack?"
AJ raised her hat, letting Pinkie see her full face. "I don't know. I-I thought you'd be with yer' family."
Pinkie giggled and snorted. "Aww, you got me confused with your Pinkie!"
That made AJ scoot back. "Wait, yer' that other Pinkie?"
"Yuppity-yup!" She combed her mane with a licked hoof. "My Pinkie Sense told me to go across the portal and visit you because you have a problem!"
"A friendship problem?" AJ asked, still baffled by the concept of being sent across the land to solve someone's personal problems.
Pinkie kept brushing her mane, this time with a toothbrush. "More like a family problem, but yeah, let's roll with that!"
The farmpony winced. "You think ya' can handle this...uh, delicate subject?"
Pinkie slapped her on the back, oblivious to AJ biting her tongue at the pain. "'Course I can! I mean, I think I can!" She poured some toothpaste on her toothbrush and kept brushing her mane with it. "You know, I'm qualified for this! Remember when we went on a road trip to check if I'm part-Apple?"
AJ scratched her head. "We never had that."
Pinkie looked confused, then laughed at herself. "Silly me! That's the other Applejack!" Wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Phew! Now, what is it that's bothering your brother? Or what's seizing your sister? Or what's grounding your granny?"
"It's not any one of them," AJ said before sighing. A long pause as she thought about them. Then, she lifted her head. "It's about our horses."
"Ponies!" Pinkie corrected with a raised hoof holding her toothbrush. "Then again, all of us are horses, so it kind of sort of does not maybe matter."
That gag done, she put the toothbrush on the ground.
She dropped the smile.
"It's about those three horses, isn't it?" Pinkie asked, much more somber now. "The Cinnamon Cookie Oak trio, right?"
AJ sighed. "Eeyup."
Anticipating a heart-to-heart coming on, Pinkie sat beside her on the grass.
They were sitting together on the grass, beholding the sunset sky with its armies of colossal clouds. These were being pushed and pulled around by some gallant volunteers from the Ponyville weather team. Over them all shone the sleepy sun with its piercing rays.
A minute later, the sun slowly dipped into the horizon, plunging this part of the world into darkness. Breezes flew by, stars twinkled into view, and the moon rose up with its soft silvery glow.
AJ stared at the sky, having seen the sudden transition from day to night. Then, turning to Pinkie. "Anything...?"
"About your now-sapient horses?" Pinkie asked.
The farmpony placed her hat on the ground, letting loose her yellow mane. "They're...they're good ponies. I kn-know they are. But, I just don't know what to do with them!"
"Why don't you just let them in?" said Pinkie with a hoof on her puffy mane. "No harm done!"
AJ scratched her freckled cheeks. "That'd be great, but--"
"They're practically a part of your family, right?" Pinkie prodded. "You and Apple Bloom basically grew up with them!"
AJ made a glimmer of a smile, those ended years surviving in another time, another world. "There's no denyin' that."
"Then what's holding you back, Applejack?" Pinkie asked, inching closer. She brushed off the fact that she made a rhyme, keeping up the sympathetic frown. "You got an infectious disease? A bad hiccup? A case of the stomach butterflies you need to burp out?"
"Actually, that last one's not so far from the truth."
Pinkie then drew out a stethoscope. "Then open your mouth and say 'Blech!' for Doctor Pinkie!"
AJ yanked the stethoscope away. "I don't mean that!"
"Then what do you mean?" Pinkie's ears folded back as the mare herself was coming up short. "Was it because they used to not be sapient? Is that it?"
A grumble from AJ. She stood up, got her hat. "Nevermind, Pinkie."
She trotted away.
Pinkie sighed, finding herself alone in the Apple family fields. "Don't make yourself bothersome," she said to herself. "Stay cool and let her be."
She hopped away in the other direction, brushing her teeth with her toothpaste-stained hair.
Before the Tuesday sun appeared to grace millions of inhabitants, Applejack had already gotten out of bed and opened the window.
A pink sky about to break into a dawn. Faint light was cast upon her bedroom, tinting all in a filter of periwinkle.
Maybe it wasn't going to be sudden this time. Maybe it was all just a dream. One of the craziest and longest dreams, to be sure, but a dream she desperately hoped it was, so she raised her hand into view.
No, it was a hoof.
Applejack bit her lip, dawning on her that this was reality.
She turned her head to the door.
Out of curiosity, she pursed her lips and then snorted like a horse.
No, as a horse.
AJ closed her eyes and bent her head down. "Just like them." She sighed. "This'll take so much time to get used to."
The dining table didn't have much other than a huge bushel of apples. There were a couple more chairs crammed at the table, just enough to fit the Apple family plus their three horses which weren't really theirs anymore. The only ones not present were Applejack and Granny Smith.
"Hey!" Cookie yelled, throwing her brown mane about. "Apple Bloom!"
The bow-wearing filly looked up, trying to hold back something. "What is it?"
"Remember when we took you and Applejack up the river?" Cookie said, grinning at cheerful memories. "Those were fun times we should have again! Except, you know, let's trot beside each other this time!"
Cinnamon tapped her on the shoulder. "You should be more sensitive. Her whole life's been turned upside-down," then pointed at Apple Bloom's eyes which were tearing up.
Big Mac noticed and pulled her into a hug.
Oakley leaned in to Cinnamon's ear. "Did we just lose?"
"Lose what?" Cinnamon mouthed, perplexed by the cryptic request.
Then, two ponies trotted into the dining area: Applejack supporting Granny on her four frail legs. "There, there. You keep 'em steady now."
The elderly mare kept 'em steady. Kept herself silent, too.
"Oh, hi, there!" Cookie yelled, galloping out of her chair with a buck that shot it at Oakley's face--"Ow!"--and hugged Applejack, squishing her cheeks and making her hat fall off. "It's so good to see you wide awake to watch the first ever magic sunrise! By your principal, no less! We're going to sit on a hill, build white picket fences, and sing songs until we pass out! We got glasses, telescopes, even smores!"
With a groan that implied having practiced it before, Cinnamon levitated some pre-packed smores from under the table.
"You likey?" Cookie asked with a rapidly nodding head.
Applejack bit both her lip and her tongue. It all felt ridiculous. She couldn't change back to a human, her whole family had turned into ponies, and her horses had gained wills so free, they could sprout wings any moment and take off to the sky...and all she got was a glorified sunrise show.
Which all made her say in disappointment, "Really?"
Everyone else gasped, surprised at such impoliteness.
Cookie frowned, her own eyes watering up and her lips shaking. "Wh-What's wrong, Applejack?"
Now the spotlight was on the hatted suspect, biting her lip even more. "I...I-I-I--"
And before the farmpony knew it, it was nighttime. Having had bucking lessons from her other self was a tad weird, but if that's how it's done as a pony, then she should get with it.
At least Equestrian Applejack didn't catch wind of anything out of the ordinary.
By the end of the day, half of the trees in Applejack's farm had been de-appled, so to speak. Her hind legs were sore, but she had been assured that it was only normal for those just learning the move.
But now, she was just sitting inside their barn-like garage, helping herself to a mug of cider, feeling the fizz and that little oomph.
Tables of bucket flowers. Haystacks and stables draped with apple-design cloth. Burnt candles past their prime. Remnants of a couple hoedowns before, sticking around in a changed world.
Alone in the dark garage, she was whiling the night away.
Then, hoofsteps.
She looked up, putting down the mug and wiping her mouth.
Saw those three horses.
"What're you doin' here?" AJ asked, a bit shocked.
Cinnamon glowed her horn and flicked the light switch from far away, turning on the lights.
They trotted inside and closed the huge doors with a slam!
Cookie turned her head to Applejack sitting at a table, wearing a sorry frown. "We were getting very worried about you! You were working all day not talking to anyone at all except that clone of yours!"
"She's not a clone," Cinnamon corrected.
For the first time in her life, Cookie blushed. "Whoops! She's that twin of yours!"
The unicorn smacked herself on the head, astonished by such ignorance.
"Just kidding!" Cookie said, backtracking from her blunder. Then, her frown returned, focusing on the miserable farmpony. "We're just wondering...what happened? Was it something we said?"
"'Cause if you're not happy," Oakley continued, putting a hoof to his chest and flapping his wings, "then we're not happy, too. It makes us sad to see you sad."
"And know that we're concerned for you," Cinnamon finished. "Apple Bloom did say you were such a workaholic, especially when you're stressed."
"Wh-What did she say?!" Applejack blurted out, almost knocking over her mug of cider.
Drops spilled to the table.
"We didn't need her to tell us anyway," Oakley said, hovering to her side and causing Applejack to look at him fearful. "We were there when you tended to the apple stand past midnight."
"And when you tasked yourself with delivering apple pies to everyone during the parade last year," Cinnamon added.
"And when you sharpened a hundred pencils for the kids!" Cookie yelled. "I was there! Like, really there! Brought me along--"
"We don't need your life story," Cinnamon cut in, holding her hyper friend off with a hoof to the cheek. Then, trotting with her to Applejack's table, "What's going on? In your head?"
The floodgates were being pried open in Applejack's mind. There was the need, the want to let these horses into the family. They meant no harm, and they were lifelong friends of every single one of them. Laughter by the river, letting those horses drink and just having a good time as a family. Now, they were sapient, able to be on their level of thought and interaction. They'd be more than horses now. If that didn't get them in, then what did?
But Applejack turned her head, avoiding their painful stares. Her heart trembled. She was right, stubbornly right even...but what if she was wrong? What if, somehow, letting them in was the wrong choice? One doesn't just waltz into Apple family membership. Would it be too crowded? Would there be too little food to bring around? Nah, there'd be enough food, she thought; all she needed was a bigger table.
It could be that letting them would prove awkward for all. Even though they were friendly horses, they had been just horses up to now. Words echoed by, about how they can work an' eat an' love and that's all there is to it for 'em. A twist of destiny, then, for her to come back to Earth and find that her horses had transcended that description. They were now equals, Applejack and these three. She met them on four hooves, they met her with uplifted minds, complex desires, and all other kinds of quirks she'd never thought of before.
"Uh, are you OK?" Cookie asked, crashing her train of thought.
Applejack raised her forehooves to the air. "Who am I kiddin'? Ya' know it! I'm scared!"
"Scared?!" the trio shouted together, looking at each other with startled expressions.
Applejack nodded and took off her hat again. "I know it sounds foolish, but hear me out. You've been with us Apples all this time. We fed you, took care o' you, and in return, ya' gave us lots of good times, forging friendships unlike any other. But, to be honest--" and winced at that, ears wilting "--it just doesn't feel right to hear you talkin' back, to listen to you want to go to this or that place because you'd wanna see how it's gonna work out. To see you with real personalities...and I mean really real...I, uh, I--"
Oakley hugged her.
She was caught by surprise.
As Cookie and Cinnamon hugged her, too.
Didn't question it but closed her eyes.
"It still feels weird for us, too," Cookie said, snuggling her. "But why let it hold us back? Now that we can talk to each other like this, we can be even closer!"
"For the rest of our lives!" Oakley yelled, raising a hoof to the air and spreading his wings again.
Cinnamon merely giggled. "Better than being an ordinary horse!"
Taking in their words, Applejack hugged them tighter, letting the tears fl--
Barn doors opened.
"So, uh, I was told that I'd find you here!" the other Applejack said, picking up her lasso and putting it on her back. "Howdy again! I hope yer' ready for your rodeo...lessons?" with ears standing up.
As she looked upon an Applejack she could not see beyond the three ponies hugging her.
Then, they gasped. "Rodeo lessons?!"
And let go of their Applejack, their AJ.
"Yes siree!" Applejack swung her hoof. "After I taught her bucking earlier, she was mighty interested in how to lasso, how to stack hay bales, how to steeplechase, how to hurdle jump--"
As she listed off the things to do in a rodeo, the three horses looked at AJ with snickering faces. The farmpony herself was now embarrassed, putting on a wide open smile that only showed off how anxious she was at being exposed.
"Looks like we got a guilty pleasure on our hooves!" Cinnamon announced, rubbing her forehooves in half-hearted evil. "Thinking being a pony's all weird...look at you! You're going to do rodeo stuff as a pony!" She then laughed, imagining her former owner weaving around barrels or lassoing dogs.
"Come on!" AJ yelled with a hint of shame, partially hiding her face from scrutiny. "I was tryin' to get it out of my head!"
Applejack cocked her head to the side, skeptical about her self. "That's nice, but we better get goin', sugarcube. I'm wakin' up bright and early tomorrow so time to make this quick in a lickety-split!"
AJ got up from her chair and adjusted her hat, putting it straight. "Then I'm all set!"
And one farmpony trotted to another farmpony's side, the both of them headed outside.
"C-Can we watch you?" Cookie asked, galloping up to her.
"We promise we won't bother you!" Oakley added, swooping in to AJ's side as well.
Cinnamon brisked her way to the Applejacks. "And I'll make sure these two will stay calm."
AJ slapped the unicorn on the back. "Sure! Why not? I guess I got much of the shame out o' my system now."
All cheered as they ventured outside.
A month later, Sunset and Applejack were trotting down a sidewalk in downtown, the latter holding a lasso.
It hadn't been a memorable day for her. In the morning, it was chores as usual--which she enjoyed, yes, but she still hadn't quite mastered the art of holding a broom with hooves. Only after dusting and cleaning was done did she deem herself worthy for a champion's breakfast which meant a hefty bowl of salad, a plateful of eggs and bread, and a tall glass of apple juice.
Not orange juice. Even though she was orange.
The rest of the day dragged on, although it was lightened up by her family. Big Mac had helped Apple Bloom kick trees until they gave up all their apples, Granny Smith had written down a new recipe for apple pie, and the Cinnamon Cookie Oak trio had taken their fortieth trip to the city to see the sights and meet the peo--ponies. Winona had been sent to Fluttershy since the dog was sick and the ordinary family remedies weren't doing their magic, not that Applejack cared much for fantastical magic in the first place.
That left Applejack on a grocery trip, buying a couple of vegetables to add to their salad supply. She remembered meeting a rather generous Filthy Rich hoofing out equine versions of kitchen tools and appliances, fit for hooves and wings and horns and mouths. Not sure if it was the Filthy Rich she knew or the Filthy Rich from Equestria, though.
To present matters on the sidewalk:
"...so it's a thing you're really serious about?" Sunset asked. "This rodeo thing?"
Applejack nodded, tipping her hat. "It sure was a blast doin' all those tricks an' turns! Got me excited like a rat on a cheesecake-birthday!" She paused to hold in that excitement. "I've been meanin' to join rodeo competitions, but I always had work at the farm...but now? Since I got these good friends o' mine," stretching out her hindlegs, "I've been finishin' off these apples in half the time! That means we could have more apple trees and still have days to hang out wit' all of ya'!"
Narrowed her eyebrows.
"And the rodeo, too."
Sunset's ears flayed as a car honked in the distance. "But how did I not know? I've seen the other Applejack visit a lot before, but she's never told me about these rodeo lessons."
"That's because I wanted to keep it a secret," the farmpony replied.
"You? Keeping secrets from us?" It was Sunset's turn to narrow her eyebrows. "That's not the Element of Honesty I know!"
Applejack tipped her hat again, this time a bit mischievous. "It's for a surprise."
"What surprise?"
Applejack inched closer to Sunset's ear. "Ya' see, I'm gonna invite everypony to the park this Friday night. It'll be an Apple family-hosted event. 'sposed to have ev'ryone soften up with bein' a magic pony...but then, when everyone's havin' a good time, I'll go to the pond's edge and start my lasso tricks. Heh-heh!" She rolled her head back. "Whaddya' think?"
Sunset didn't notice that her mouth hung open. "Wow. To think that you weren't all in on being a pony a while ago! You've turned a one-eighty!"
"Oh, I sure have!" Applejack said, stopping to cross her forehooves. "My time with the family--including our newest siblings--showed me that, when push comes to shove, we're still us. I told my other self about it, and she told me, 'Sugarcube, why don't you give it a shot?' so I gave it a shot an' here I am!"
"Aww!" was what Sunset could say at that. Then, the secret came back to her. "Does anyone else know about the party's, um, real purpose?"
"Jus' you and the family," Applejack said, overlooking some noisy but familiar rambling not so far out. Pushing her on the shoulder, "Though it's your time to not share a secret."
They laughed together as they trotted into the jewelry store to find two Rarities arguing over the last diamond in the collection.
Sure enough, come Friday night, the park was abuzz with bright and shining lanterns, food-laden-and-scented tables, and an open spot for mild west dances where, to the tune of fiddle-full country music, ponies showed off their horrible dancing skills.
Save, of course, for the ponies with cutie marks in dancing. They did fine, as they should be.
A good number of ponies had attended, contributing to noise pollution, but no one was sleeping nearby anyway. Twilight and Fluttershy danced, to floundering effect and a few mum mouths. Dash and Rarity drank a couple mugs of cider and ate some apple fritters, talking nothing about the weird world they were living in but about good ol' casual topics--how Dash had spoiled the rest of the Daring Do series to herself via their Equestrian volumes, and how Rarity had a nice time learning how to sew pony clothes by her self. As for this dimension's Pinkie, she was happily greeting newcomers despite not being an Apple, plopping party hats on each visitor.
Sunset, meanwhile, was sitting at an outlying table all to herself, enjoying the cider and the apple pie.
The questions she'd waited for came up:
"Where's Applejack?"
"Hey guys, have you seen Applejack?"
"Is AJ missing?"
The party's mood went downhill as the farmpony was nowhere to be seen no matter how loudly ponies talked. Amateur detectives rose to the call, but they soon rejected it when every nook and cranny had been inspected and not a trace of her was found.
"Yee-haw!"
Everypony turned to the pond.
And saw Applejack spinning two lassos with one set of teeth, spinning them in blurring circles while making swish sounds every millisecond.
Their mouths dropped.
Only Sunset kept calm, rubbing her forehooves at that sweet knowledge of secrets.
Applejack threw an apple into the air, caught it with one lasso, tossed it towards the pond, saved both rope and apple with the second lasso at the last second, deftly let the second one slip from the apple as the fruit flew straight into the audience--
Into Pinkie, knocking her down to the grass.
All gasped.
They looked at Pinkie.
Who had caught the apple by the mouth and was now munching on it. "Mm-mmm! Delicious!"
They looked at Applejack who had crossed her forehooves. "That's how it's done 'ere, folks."
Silence.
Then, everypony cheered at their new rodeopony. Confetti was thrown, friends trotted to her asking her how she did it, and, to further make Wallflower jealous, Applejack herself blushed.
"That's the Applejack we know and love!" Cookie yelled, leading Oakley and Cinnamon to their former owner.
Their friend.
Sunset clapped with her hooves, happy to see the farmpony fully come to terms with her equinity.
Was tapped on the shoulder.
She turned around and saw the other Applejack with lassos on her back.
"She's good," said this Applejack, looking at her with an envious eye.
She balled up one of her hooves.
"Uh, Applejack?" Sunset blathered, sensing some hostility.
"Don't worry about me," she said with a chuckle. "It's gonna be in good fun."
She took out a lasso and galloped into the party.
Sunset groaned, putting her head on the table. "Let the inter-dimensional rivalries begin, I guess." |
A Magic Turn of Events | A Little Bit of Bread? Cheesy Love | There was something sensible in being the Princess of the Day or the Princess of the Night. They oversaw something tangible, something that could be seen and manipulated physically--OK, magically, but the magic was physical in a sort of way; it interacted with the sun and the moon plus the stars, things that were definitely tangible. As for the magic itself, one could see its glow, one could hear its twinkling, one could sense its warmth. It didn't have a taste nor a smell--then again, some spells emanated such, whether for good or bad.
But being the Alicorn of Love? That was an enigma Principal Cadance had to wrap her mind around. It sounded so cheesy, it's a title only to be heard in cheap fairy tales and lullabies.
Then again, her whole world had turned into a cheap fairy tale. She herself was a pink alicorn with a heart as her cutie mark--that reeked of cheesiness.
However, it didn't matter if it was cheesy. This was reality and she had to deal with it, cheesiness and all.
In the days following the disaster, Cadance made few appearances outside, spending most of her time with the Canterlot High principals and their princess counterparts--including her own. It was weird talking to herself and hearing her own voice directed at her, not able to predict what that all-too familiar accent was going to say next, but it had been a rather profitable affair. Celestia and Luna had gotten some bearing over their magic and their new responsibilities--she was reminded of Luna's first trip into the dream world. As for the one and not-so-only Cadance, she was thankful she didn't have to rule over an empire of Crystal ponies.
Until she realized she did have to rule over an empire of Crystal ponies.
Reports had come from outside of Canterlot of a considerable number of ponies from the country's northern regions, that they were translucent and looked like they were made of diamonds.
In the meeting, Cadance gulped and held on to her throat. "I've got to rule over an empire?" she blurted out with a groan.
The pink princess's reply was a nod. "Your cutie mark refers to the Crystal Heart, which is central to the survival of the Crystal Empire and their ponies. I do not know if you have a Crystal Heart here, but...."
The one-to-one meeting turned sour from there on, Cadance phasing out the information flooded into her head. All of a sudden, the lives of tens of thousands of Crystal ponies she'd never known before were under her rule, a rule she'd never thought would be hers nor had she wanted it to be hers.
The princess then accompanied her in flight to those northern regions, surprised at her other self's early knowledge about flight. Once there, Principal Cadance first noticed that it was a lot colder than she'd thought it would be. Item number two on the list was the population of Crystal ponies, seeing them right there and talking to her. They weren't bowing down to her like how many others had bowed down to Celestia and Luna, but they changed their tone whenever the principal and the princess were within earshot.
What irked her the most, though, were the clean streets. Too clean, in fact, to be made of asphalt. A harder tap on the street made her doubts go away; these streets were made of crystal, too. A smoother, more malleable crystal to handle so many walking ponies and rolling carriages all the same.
"This really is Earth's Crystal Empire," the princess declared with a solemn note.
But the principal refused, closing her eyes and trotting backwards. "N-No! I don't even know these ponies! I-I--"
History lessons came rushing back, making her silent before their testimony. She remembered that some villain named King Sombra had taken over Equestria's Crystal Empire a long time ago. On this planet? A dictator with the same name had taken up the mantle of "King" and had tried to separate it from the country in a play for power. He'd lasted only one week, but that one week had been brutal to all who'd suffered under his reign.
This place? This was the Crystal Empire on Earth, bright and thriving with so many confused but learning Crystal ponies.
It didn't help that a Crystal Heart appeared out of nowhere in front of the two Cadances while they were trotting down the street.
"Really?!" the principal asked, incredulous.
"Really, Cady." Cadance then levitated the heart towards the Cady to let her inspect it. "The magic inside this heart is connected to you."
Cady nodded, not wanting to make the connection between her cutie mark and the very similar-looking Crystal Heart.
"It needs you," Cadance said. "Without you, the Crystal Empire will lose its magic and...well, I don't know exactly what'll happen, but it won't be good."
Cady took a step back, looking at her counterpart from top to bottom in skeptical scrutiny. "Is that a threat?"
"I...no. It's not." Cadance tugged at her long, curled mane. "But, that's how it is. Without you, untold suffering will come upon these ponies." Held her close, seeing Cady's distressed face. "I know that you didn't ask for it. Well, I'll let you know that I didn't, too."
Cadance didn't look her way. Instead, she looked down and saw her picture perfect reflection as an alicorn, as the Alicorn of Love.
No matter how cheesy that sounded.
Back in Crystal Prep, Cadance sat in her office. It was a luxurious place, spruced up in pink and blue since Cinch's unceremonious departure. Musty bookshelves lined up the walls; at the back rested countless trophies and medals, telling the prestigious records of the academy.
They didn't help her sleep at night, not now with a sigh at the table and a look upon the huge door.
In that empty room of floral scents and smells.
She'd seen no one in the hallways save for that one faithful janitor who mopped the floor despite being a pegasus. At least he could now mop the ceiling as well, though that did lead to some leakage problems and some wet heads.
Anyway: Cadance glanced at the papers and photos on her desk, these documents about the Crystal Empire in both worlds. Among them were letters written by her princess self concerning the peculiar nature of Crystal ponies. Their coats reflected light like crystals, their eyes shone in sides and not in ovals, and their appearances depended on their state of mind: if they were joyous, they would shine and probably blind someone; if they were gloomy, they looked just like any ordinary pony, possibly worse since they adopted duller shades.
Of course, one thing that kept bothering the principal was her title: The Alicorn of Love. The inexplicable make-ups by couples, finishing heated arguments in seconds--now it made sense to her. It was her magic at work...maybe too much work since she wasn't thinking about it, not even conscious about it. Sure, she was somewhat prepared for it--her job as principal made her read a couple of relationship books. However, she hadn't expected to read up on and practice love as a field of magic.
Magical love, huh? The thought of it made her want to shake her head and smile at how silly it sounded. Yet again, reality prevailed, and she reminded herself that she was this world's Alicorn of Love.
"What am I gonna do?" Cadance said to herself, hooves rubbing her temples. "Not only do I have to help Crystal Prep and the Crystal Empire, I also have to keep my love magic in check! Not that maintaining marriages and engagements is bad, but--"
Knock! Knock!
Cadance lifted her head. "Strange. Isn't it a Sunday today?" Then, she rolled her eyes, remembering that there'd be no classes this week. Or next week. Or the week after that.
Knock! "It's me, Cady!"
Cadance galloped from her chair. Not taking the trouble to use her horn, she used her hooves to open the door.
Letting a white unicorn come in.
"Hiya'!" Shining said, grinning with a hoofwave and a hug. "Decided to drop by and see how you're doing!"
He got his answer, alright, when he saw the forlorn face on his fiance, blemished with downward lips and reflective eyes.
Shining let go of her. "What's wrong? Did something happen during your trip to the Crystal Empire?"
Cadance nodded, rubbing her foreleg. "Yeah. Pretty much."
Tilting his head, Shining wasn't stumped. "Let me guess. Principal and princess duties on your mind?"
Cadance nodded a second time, this time with heaviness in her movements.
Shining scratched his blue mane. "Being a love princess or something like that, too."
The alicorn rocked her head back, moaning at the mountain of responsibilities on her desk. "She talked to me about it. Renewing relationships, counseling the married and the unmarried, checking up on certain ponies once in a while to see how they're doing--that's what it is. Plus the cool actiony stuff like magic force fields powered by love..." and laughed, imagining the two of them fighting monsters by kissing each other on the cheeks.
Shining chimed in with his laughter. "We live in a wacky world these days!"
Cadance looked down on the floor, half-expecting to see her reflection again. "Too wacky for my taste."
That's when he trotted up to her.
Cadance knew.
She hugged him first.
Shining's ears folded, looking surprised. "Oh."
Cadance snuggled him. "Thank you for dropping by, Shining."
The unicorn flashed a smile, satisfied to hear those words. "I mean, if you need me, just give me a ca--" and backtracked, remembering that he couldn't even turn on his phone with his big hooves.
Remembering her failures with her phone, too, Cadance rubbed her forehead, careful to not hurt her horn. "Yeah. About that...."
Then, Shining perked up, a sudden thought attacking him. "Are we supposed to be married yet?"
Cadance's eyes went wide and she snatched herself away. "What?"
Shining's cheeks flared red. "Their version of us...they have a baby already."
The princess did her best to not react negatively--not with a punch and a kick, that is. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Just because their Cadance and Shining got married and have a baby doesn't mean that we're getting married and having a baby."
"But it implies that we're getting married and having a baby!" Shining retorted, trying to make his case airtight.
Embarrassed by her desperate paramour, she snorted, busying herself by ruffling some of the papers. "Come on, Shiny!"
But this cavalier would not budge. "Well, it raises the possibility of marriage, knowing that we get together in another world, right?"
The sweetheart teased him by batting her eyelashes, then turned her head away. "Eh, let me think about it."
"You should totally think about it!" shouted Twilight.
"What?!" Cadance yelled, seeing Twilight enter the room with a happy smile on her face.
Twilight bounced around in joy, about to have hearts in her eyes while somehow balancing those glasses on her snout. "You two are the perfect match-up! Shining: my big brother best friend forever and a Crystal Prep alumnus and a nerd like me! Cadance: my babysitter and a principal and a love alicorn!"
Shining gulped, keeping his mane combed with his hoof. "Why're you here?!"
"Oh, um, nothing!" The little sister scratched the back of her head with a hoof, now smiling out of her own embarrassment.
Cadance giggled, looking at a shiny smiling Shining as she trotted to him. "Ha-ha! This escalated quickly. The unusual visit, the talk about our other selves' marriage and foal. Next thing I know, you're going to give me an engagement ring right here."
Shining's eyes shrunk. His face sunk in sweat. His teeth and jaw clenched. His hoof reached for his mane.
Twilight opened her mouth agape, shocked.
Cadance gasped. "Wait! You're really going to engage to me? Now?!"
Shining had a dumb grin on his face. He then took a ring out of his mane, this one a ring made out of crystals.
On a rollercoaster of emotions, Cadance covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
Twilight, meanwhile, was hopping around in the room, laughing to herself at how her dreams were coming true.
Thus, Shining bended knees, ring on lifted hoof. His voice stood out and alone in this chamber as he began: "Cadance...."
News of the proposal spread like wildfire. While some questioned such a move in disaster's immediate aftermath, many viewed it as a ray of hope, that life would indeed go on as normal with its proposals, its engagements, and its weddings.
Speaking of weddings, many mares talked up the couple's upcoming marriage. They imagined standard wedding stuff: flowers, gowns, suits, ballrooms, carpets, food, and kisses. "I now pronounce you husband and wife" couldn't come sooner for these folks, never mind the lack of any announcements.
Or the fact that a changeling queen had tried to take over the other Cadance's wedding.
In the meantime, this world's Cadance decided to put her rising popularity to good use. She did that by establishing herself as Canterlot's premier love counselor, stationed at Crystal Prep while classes were out of session.
Most of the sessions ended well thanks to the princess's tips and writings of her own experience as a counselor. It was awkward to have Night Light and Twilight Velvet over, considering that they were the parents of her spouse-to-be, but their honest admission that their love's gone dry over the past year spurned Cadance to help them.
Her office wasn't open to only married couples, though.
One day, Big Mac and Sugar Belle entered the principal's--no, the love counselor's office.
A dozen heart balloons, a hundred perfumed flowers decorated the chamber, and one red carpet greeted the two inside
Cadance was seated at the table, horseshoed-forehooves clasped on the desk which had some flower vases on it.
The couple gulped as a couple, nervous together in harmony.
Breaking the ice, Cadance gestured to the two seats in front of her desk. "You're free to sit down!"
So the couple sat down, slowly.
They looked at each other, blushing at the other's sight handsome or beautiful visage, symbols of the perfect pony surely right before their eyes--so they thought.
Cadance stuck her tongue out as she rubbed her hooves together, preparing herself for half an hour's worth of counseling. "OK, where do we start? Is there a problem or do you want some tips?"
Big Mac raised his--
"Actually," Sugar Belle started, levitating a picture, "I'd like to know if gifting each other drawers is a bad sign."
Sure enough, the picture showed two drawers side-by-side.
Cadance blushed despite her cheeks already being pink. "Aww! It's not a bad sign at all! Just the opposite!" She paused, leaning her head to the side in cute thought. "Did you gift them at the same time?"
"With the same gift wrapping!" Sugar said, nodding her head and shaking her curly mane.
Cadance felt a fuzzy feeling in her heart. "If that's so--"
The doors opened.
Showing a couple mover ponies bringing in a heavy full-length mirror into the room.
Cadance held up a hoof towards the couple. "Sorry, but hold on. This will take a minute."
She hovered to the mirror, lifted it up with her magic as it glowed blue, then placed it beside a bookshelf, neatly tucked away from plain sight.
"Here's your book," said one of the movers, hoofing her a book which had her cutie mark etched on it. "The Crystal Empire side is ready."
"Thank you," and Cadance placed the book by the retractable platform protruding from the mirror, then blasted it with a blue beam of magic.
Blinding light enveloping all sight.
When it subsided, she was faced with a swirling mirror, hearing the fermenting whirl of the twirl.
The mover ponies wiped their foreheads collectively, glad they didn't disappoint a princess this time.
"You've done a good job today," Cadance said, closing her eyes in a cheery smile. "Have a nice lunch break!"
After the movers left, Cadance closed the doors, cast a spell upon it, and listened to the knobs lock with a crack!
The couple, having seen this principal perform unheard of magic feats, placed a hoof on each other's shoulders, bracing whatever was next.
Cadance waved a hoof about. "Oh, don't be afraid! I'm only locking this up because this portal's very important. If it lands in the wrong hooves, we're doomed."
Both her recipients were unwilling to ask at first. Then, Sugar Belle taking center stage once again, "Where does the portal lead to?"
"Our Crystal Empire," Cadance replied. "I can't abandon my responsibility over it, but I also can't leave my post as principal, at least not without a trained successor. For now, I can use this portal to go back and forth between these two places."
Big Mac just smiled, approving of the idea in his head.
Cadance sighed, went into relax mood with a rotating stretch of her neck, then settled down on her seat. "So, back to your love li--"
A flash from the mirror and a Crystal pony appeared, panting and gasping for air. "Princess! The Crystal Heart has a blemish on it and we're getting snow for no reason!"
Cadance jumped out of her chair. "We need to bring Sunburst--no, both Sunbursts!"
Big Mac and Sugar Belle stood up from their chairs, yearning for the door.
The alicorn noticed that. "Well, if you want, you can, uh, come over...? When we're done with this problem, you can spend a date there and we'll continue from where we left of."
The Crystal pony half-closed his eyes, wondering why Cadance was so calm.
Sugar hemmed and haw--
"Eeyup!" Big Mac said.
Cadance smiled. "And you, Sugar Belle?"
"We don't have much time!" yelled the Crystal pony. "You made it sound like it's no good!"
"Then enjoy your honeymoon!" Cadance blurted out, becoming confused.
Then, she giggled to herself, knowing how cheesy that line sounded--and how cheesy she would end up sounding as she looked forward to the many budding relationships in the future.
All four ponies rushed into the portal.
Leaving the love counselor's office empty with a magically swirling mirror.
Outside the office, sitting on the benches beside the door, were two yellow pegasi in armor, watchful over such a royal and crystally hallway.
"Tell me why again?" one Flash Sentry asked.
The other shrugged his shoulders. "Extra job." |
A Magic Turn of Events | Where There's Smolder, There's Fire | "Wait, my dog's glowing? Why?!"
"Everyone, stand back!"
And the glow disappeared.
As an orange dragon stood up on her two legs, head throbbing at the pain as she scratched it with her claws. "Ugh. Did I m-miss anything?"
She rubbed her eyes then opened them, re-seeing the motel room they were in. She saw, in that room, the friends of her master all turned into a variety of creatures: Silverstream the hippogriff, staring at her with a mouth as wide as a couple apples; Yona the yak, shivering at being before a real life dragon; Gallus the griffon, keeping his distance by backing away.
Sandbar, the pony closest to her, put up his defenses by laughing nervously before shouting, "D-Did you just talk?!"
Smolder the dragon furrowed her brows. "What?"
Silverstream gasped, putting a claw to her beak. "She did it again!"
"Did what?" Smolder asked.
Then, she gasped, too, realizing what she just did.
"What?! What's happened to me?" She looked around, frenzied in swinging her head around. "What's going on?!"
"You became a talking dragon," Gallus said matter-of-factly though now backing up to the wall.
"T-Talking?! Dr-Dragon?!" Smolder put her claws on her face and then rushed over on four le--no, two legs and two claws to Sandbar. "Don't you worry, Master! I'll still keep you safe until we all turn back to normal!"
Sandbar bared his teeth, puzzled by such an obedient dragon. "Uh...OK?"
Then, Smolder yelped, feeling the pain in her head. "Agh?! Wh-What's--"
And Sandbar wrapped a hoof around her, not knowing what to do. "Are you alright, Smolder?! Are you OK?!"
As the rest inched towards her, taking quiet steps to not disturb the dragon nor to break the vases and the lamp.
Smolder then nodded, a cool and minty sensation coming down on her head. "Y-Yeah...?"
Gallus sighed, glancing at the clock on the desk. "OK, we have to drive to Canterlot now. Staying out in the open's no good."
"But what if Canterlot is burning?!" Silverstream yelled, thinking about an entire city up in flames.
"Canterlot is n-not burning," Yona spoke up, voice shaky against her broken grammar. "Canterlot has m-magic ponies. Ponies keep c-c-city safe."
Sandbar then proceeded to bite his hoofnails.
Gallus raised a brow. "Alright, but do we still have to pay for room service?"
"I'll pay!" Sandbar yelled, rushing to the door and yanking it open, almost breaking the knob. "Smolder, everyone! Let's go!"
So everyone rushed out of the room, leaving it unkempt and messy.
The trip back home was a long one, lasting the rest of the afternoon and running well into the evening--it was during this trip that they've received the news about their world staying the strange way it is, with no way to turn back to their old human selves (and dog self for Smolder). When they reached Canterlot at night, they found Yona to be right for the most part. A few fires raged on, but a couple of pony firefighters from Equestria had come to the rescue, spraying the blazes with their hoses from their fire wagon.
After agreeing to spend the night at their respective houses to take care and be taken care of, they parted ways, all wondering about Ocellus's whereabouts. Perhaps she was staying at her house, too.
Sandbar and Smolder said nothing on the last stretch home. They saw a couple of their friends in new forms, mostly pony ones, struggling to walk, fly, use magic....
Spitfire almost crashed into them, veering back up with her wings. She screamed an echoing "Sorry!" at her would-be victims.
A doorbell later, Sandbar was back in the embrace of his family, all of them having turned into Earth ponies. He was overwhelmed with an unending string of questions--"Are you alright?", "Are your friends safe and sound?", "Is that thing Smolder?!"
"Yes, Mom," Sandbar said, pointing at the dragon who waved at them.
All Smolder could muster was, "Uh, hi?"
That was enough to make the mare faint.
The father could not help but chuckle at his wife's predicament. "She gets turned into a pony, figures out her magic tricks, but it's a talking dragon that does her in. Like she doesn't even remember when we watched The End of Dragons II!"
Sandbar made his nervous laugh once again, wondering how his Dad was taking this all so easily.
He looked at his baby sister, now a foal trotting around and looking at him with those cute eyes.
The father looked her way, too, as he pondered on what she might be thinking now. After that bout of thought, he looked back at Sandbar and placed a firm hoof on his shoulder. "Well! It looks like you've gotten over the pony blues hours ago. In case you're hungry, there's some canned carrots and corn in the fridge." He then noticed his son's hooves. "You know how to open fridges with those, right?"
Sandbar took a step to the side. "Practice makes perfect!"
"Good, good," as the father smiled. "Always looking at the bright side." Then, turning to Smolder. "As for you...I really don't know!" His smile turned into one of desperately looking for advice to share. "We now have a pet dragon, and it doesn't feel right to have you as a pet since, uh, we're now animals and other creatures."
The tone of that statement made Smolder shudder. "A-Are you...are y-you're releasing me?"
Sandbar gulped, too, staying by her side and giving her half a hug.
"It's your choice," said the father, putting a firm hoof on Smolder, too--weirded out by having to give a pep talk to a former dog. "You can go out on your own, or you can stay with us as part of the family. Either way, you can talk, and it turns out you're quite smart. In fact, all the dragons we've met were quite smart." The father laughed nervously, proving that the nervously laughing apple hadn't fallen far from the tree. "You can live your own life, th-that's what I mean."
And those words stuck in Smolder's mind as Sandbar led her to the dining table, mindlessly walking her way there and sitting down on the wooden chair.
As for dinner, it ended with Smolder eating canned salad sprinkled with Mom's earrings, much to the pony's surprise after she woke up later that night.
Past five A.M. Tuesday. The day after the disaster.
Sandbar groaned, tired despite having a full night's rest. He untangled himself from his blanket and got out of bed, trying to use his legs to reach the floor.
Reminded he was a pony when his hindlegs were too short, making him fall with a thud!
"Agh!" and rubbed his hurting hoof. "Ouch! That's not good!"
"Let me help you!"
Sandbar arched and gripped the claw. "Thank y--Smolder? What're you doing up so early?"
In the darkness, Smolder was holding up a lit matchstick, casting a glow around her. This light revealed her pensive frown. "I've been thinking."
Sandbar still rubbed his sore hoof, easing the twinge. "Thinking about what?"
Smolder sat down on the floor, keeping the match aflame with a little fire wheeze--making Sandbar muffle a scream with his pillow. "That's the thing. I'm thinking."
Knowing where this line of thought was headed, Sandbar sat down--or, well, tried to, bending his four hooves but hurting a joint or just looking awkward. Smolder watched him try to sit down, until, finally, he got into a comfortable enough position, his hindlegs scrunched and his forelegs rested.
Only then did he simply ask, "What's bad about it?"
Smolder tipped the match to the side with her thumb, trouble clouding her judgment. "Everything's bad about it."
"Why?" asked a bewildered Sandbar, raising both forehooves to his cheek. "Don't you like thinking? I mean, you and me, doing stuff together like true pals! If you can think like me, you can imagine all sorts of cool stuff!"
"Yeah," Smolder said with a listless tone, rubbing her scaly orange elbow. "I can do that and it's pretty cool, but," throwing her claws down and opening her wings, "it's a lot to think about. I-I can't just run around like the dog I used to be, obeying your every order."
She stood up, looking him down with that faint match in her claw. She noticed the flame flickering, so she kept it alive by blowing another breath of fire onto it.
Looked into his eyes with hers, her razor dragon eyes mirroring the burning brightness before her fanged mouth.
"I need your orders, Sandbar," her voice rising. "Doing my master's bidding is what I've been raised up for, and if you just let me go--" threw her claws limp in the air "--what's the use?"
Having finished her short speech, she sat back down, holding on to her match.
Sandbar looked down at the wooden floor, ignoring the little fire. He wasn't worried about his former pet burning his house down. Instead: "But don't you like being free? Being able to do whatever you want?"
"Yeah...that freedom scares me!" Smolder trembled, hugging herself in fear. "So many questions, so many choices, so many responsibilities--it's like a sand box but made of quicksand! Wh-What if I make a choice that makes you angry or upsets you?"
Sandbar raised his hoof to pat her on the head, but he refrained. That wouldn't help his point. "You don't have to think about me all the time, Smolder. You can think for yourself and that's fine by me!"
"But what if thinking for myself isn't all it's cracked up to be?" Smolder proposed, passing her match from left to right. "Like I said, what if I anger you or upset you? I don't want to see my master disappointed in me...I-I don't know if my heart will survive seeing you sad because of me."
That's when it hit Sandbar.
The time when he bought her from the pet shop over half a year ago. When he introduced the fiercesome canine to the family. When he took her out for her first walk in the city. When she did everything he told her--to sit, to roll over, to play dead, whether to see her loyalty or just for fun.
He remembered her as his best friend, just as any dog should live up to the title of man's best friend.
Then again, the best could be made better....
"Actually?" Sandbar began, standing up, "I'm so happy to see you grow like this!"
He hugged her.
Caught by surprise, Smolder gasped, then cut the gasp short to avoid singing his mane. She slowly pat him on the back in that awkward embrace.
"You were great as a dog," Sandbar continued in his laid-back accent, yet sounding bolder than before. "But there was always something missing. You didn't understand me a lot, I certainly didn't understand your barks and ruffs. I couldn't bring you to no-pet zones, you couldn't really enjoy parties because it was just me and my friends, and there's tons of other stuff we couldn't really do when you were a dog.
"But now?" He pulled himself a little away, just enough to see Smolder's quivering face, trying to form a semblance of a smile. "Only time will tell how awesome we're gonna be together!"
Smolder choked, gripped her throat, trying to stop the tears.
She pinched the match, snuffing the flame.
In the darkness they hugged as she cried.
Sandbar the master, no more. In his place left Sandbar the friend.
As the light slowly turned on, the curtains no match for the rising sun.
The days after were fun ones. The family of ponies was spiced up with the new yet not-so-new dragon, their former dog now able to participate in dinner chat. She even chimed in with her own albeit naive opinions on whatever was the headline at the moment.
Where did they get their headlines? The television, though most channels were decommissioned for the time being; also, the ponies had to practice using a remote with no fingers--they were a little envious of Smolder who could use, flip, and spin the remote with ease. When that pony difficulty was gotten over with, they could watch what was left of the networks which were the news and the emergency messages channels, the latter being automated instructions via robotic-sounding voices. As for the former, they proved to be a comedy show as reporters, cameracreatures, whoever's on the street--all these fumbled and bumbled on screen. In particular, the whole family laughed at a couple of arguing changelings completely ignoring their jobs as reporters. The debacle ended when their boss, a deer, trotted in and told them all to be quiet.
Outside, as Canterlot was recovering from the catastrophe, Sandbar and Smolder often walked side-by-side. They met many of his other friends, most of whom had turned into ponies like him. Among them was Twi who was busy instructing new unicorns in the art of casting spells--oh, and there was Sunset, too. The prospect of meeting this pony as her old pony self was intriguing since it led to an enlightening discussion on how ponies lived.
They also met Equestrian natives who had arrived on Earth through the portal. One of them was Princess Twilight Sparkle who was on break, cooling off at a coffeehouse. The encounter was an amiable one even if short.
"Hey there!" Twilight greeted as Sandbar and Smolder entered the establishment, a steaming cup of coffee at hoof.
The place was, first and foremost, a cozy and homely coffeehouse. Courteous baristas despite their new pony bodies, paintings and tumblers despite many of them being out of hoof's reach, comfy furniture despite the chairs not suited for quadrupeds--all this were surrounded by the strong pervading aroma of freshly brewed coffee. An energizing scent she's rediscovered, Smolder's eyes dilated at the smell of it. She rushed over to the open bags of coffee beans by the counter, cupping the seeds in her claws and inhaling their enticing scent.
Sparkle giggled, seeing the tag-along pony go to her side. "You're Sandbar and Smolder, huh?"
Both pony and dragon gulped at hearing their names. "How'd you know?" they asked together.
The alicorn rolled her eyes in a smile, nudging her coffee away as she spun around on her swivel chair. "You know how there's two of me? You have your Twilight, student at Canterlot High, and then you have me, Princess of Friendship." She glanced to the side. "Wow, that sounded arrogant!" Then, turning back to them, "Our world has a Sandbar and a Smolder, too!"
Sandbar stepped forward, eager to hear more about his other self. "Do you know them?"
"Know them? Pfft!" and Sparkle twirled a hoof around. "I teach them!"
"...teach?!" pony and dragon yelled in unison.
Garnering suspicious looks from the other customers there.
Twilight rolled her eyes again, now at the casual disturbance. "I'm here to help your world out, not to self-advertise. However, I also run the School of Friendship and your Equestrian selves study there."
Smolder raised a finger to get her attention. "I was born a dragon there, right?"
Twilight nodded. "That's right!"
Smolder made a fist out of her claw, inspired. "That would be so cool! Meeting a real real dragon! C-Can we go?"
Sandbar let out a long "Ugh..." in order to prompt her away from that idea.
To give herself time to think, Sparkle took a sip of her coffee. She put the cup down, wiped her mouth with her wing, then said, "I'd love to, but every country here's already having a hard time with, um, change." Sweetening the mood like the sugar in her beverage, "But I promise you, I'll do my best to ensure convenient portal travel within the year...or something like it. That a deal?"
Sandbar and Smolder nodded, silently agreeing.
Then, the entrance opened, ushering in a familiar cast of characters for the Earth pony.
Sandbar turned his head and stopped breathing for a second. "Guys!"
Gallus, Yona, Silverstream, and Ocellus waved their forelimbs at him, Yona being more than polite enough to close the door.
"There you are!" Silverstream screamed, swooping in to attack Sandbar with a hug.
Gallus flew over to the enthusiastic hippogriff. "Slow down! We wouldn't want you to hospitalize him, too."
"It was an accident!" Silverstream argued, smiling with confidence in her version of events. "Besides, he wasn't hospitalized! He was put inside an ambulance!
"...to be hospitalized," Gallus cut in.
Ocellus flew over to Sandbar and yanked him out of the hug, leaving Gallus and Silverstream to quarrel for a while. "After this, you want to go and volunteer with Sunset? I'm gonna go assist the changelings here and the others will help out their own species!"
"Sure! Why not?" Sandbar moved past Ocellus, towards the counter. "Just let me bring Smolder."
The dragon, meanwhile, had watched everything from afar. Seeing Sandbar suddenly hugged somehow didn't stir up the passion to defend him. In fact, she felt...happy?
"Eh-heh, uh, Sandbar?" asked Sparkle from her chair. "Is it OK if I talk with Smolder for a while? You know, dragon things?"
"Yeah!"was Sandbar's quick reply before being carried by his friends, swinging onto a table in noisy chatter. "But come back when you're done, Smolder! You'll be missing a lot!"
With the alicorn and the dragon to themselves, Sparkle tapped the empty swivel chair to her right. "Sit here."
Smolder did so with a flap of her wings.
Twilight blinked at the former dog's flight ability. "Righty! Looks like you've gotten used to your new appendages."
Smolder spread them out again, showing those scaly wings off. "Cool, no? They're kinda' neat. Flying around...it's much better than staying on the ground!"
"Good!" Twilight looked up wishfully, flapping her wings at that. Maintaining that cordial face, "Anything else you've noticed about dragons?"
"Like what?" Smolder asked, tapping her fingers around on the table. Boredom was settling in already. "I already know they can breathe fire."
Twilight had the discipline to not look irritated. "That's very obvious. I mean," gazing upon a chatty Sandbar at the table, mingling with his diverse friends, "anything else?"
Smolder caught that glance and looked Sandbar's way. "That we can still eat meat but ponies can't? That's why he didn't eat any meat pizza last night."
"Um...correct?" Twilight mumbled to herself something unintelligible, then: "But it's not the answer I'm looking for."
Smolder scratched her chin, frustrated at being quizzed so soon. If only she had homework to eat--but she didn't need it anyway because she then said, "Dragons live longer than dogs!"
Sparkle's ears folded, heart pounding. "A-Almost there."
"Why live for just ten years when you can live a hundred with Sandbar?" Smolder even brought Sparkle into a hug of her own, excited at being with her best friend for a lifetime. "That's an extra ninety years of aliveness! We'll be friends 'till the day we die!"
Sparkle then nudged the cup away from sight before escaping the dragon's tightening grip. "OK, uh, let's put it this way."
She cleared her throat and coughed, took a sip from her coffee a dozen times, wiped her mouth with both wing and tissue paper, combed her mane with a brush, and scribbled something on a notepad.
Trying to stall for time.
But an impatient Smolder was what she got, seeing the dragon with crossed arms and bobbing legs, aching to get out of the chair.
Thus, the alicorn gave in. "The truth is: You'll be friends with Sandbar 'till the day he dies."
Smolder raised a limp finger. "What?"
Sparkle pursed her lips, tempted to stay quiet by drinking more coffee. "Dragons live longer than dogs...and ponies. He will live longer than the average human, but he'll peter out before three hundred--if he stays ridiculously healthy. Dragons themselves?" She rubbed her forehead, pained in thought. "They have lifespans reaching to the thousands of years."
She pointed a wing at the group of friends, sitting by the table with their own coffee and their own food.
"Out of them? Your best bet is Ocellus. With a consistent source of love, changelings are projected to last just as long as dragons. The rest of them have about the same odds as Sandbar."
Smolder bit her claw, submerged in mental agony. "So...h-he'll go first?"
The princess found nothing else to say. She thought of reasons and explanations, of sweet and sugary words to soothe her, but she settled for four words: "That's how it is."
Saw Smolder droop down, her back bending to a hump. The dragon looked down at the counter with aimless eyes.
"I have to tell you now," Twilight said, trying to sound in control--she knew she was losing it. "You seem so close to Sandbar that I thought you either didn't know it or you've accepted it. I know you'd figure out in the next few weeks, but...the earlier, the better." Looking off towards Sandbar. "The better, the readier."
Smolder looked off his way, too.
"I know you're quite loyal to Sandbar, but you'll have to learn how to move on." She rubbed the counter with her hoof, flustered that there was nothing else to do in this clumsy conversation. "You wouldn't spend millennia crying over your master, would you?"
Smolder rubbed her arm, seeing some reason. "Yeah, I guess so, but it's just so...deep, you know? I don't wanna think about things like death."
Sparkle smiled at the dragon's innocence. "You can talk about it with Sandbar when the time's right. You got a whole different kind of friendship now," and, once more, pointed at Sandbar and his laughing friends--all caffeinated.
Thunk!
"Here's some coffee," Sparkle announced, levitating an extra cup to her.
Smolder held the hot beverage with her claws. "Aww, thanks! A gift from a princess! Woo-hoo!"
"Be careful! You may not like the taste of--"
"Hey guys!" Smolder declared, flying towards Sandbar and pointing at the cup. "Look what Princess Twilight gave me! Free coffee!"
And the whole coffeehouse was abuzz at this act of generosity. Surely, the Princess of Friendship would do such a thing, being a paragon of harmony.
This paragon, however, gulped and turned away, hiding her face from the crowd and contenting herself with her cup of coffee. She was last heard muttering, "I just want my coffee!" |
A Magic Turn of Events | Put Your Best Hoof Forward in One Camp | Camp Everfree had been saved thanks to the magic feats of a couple high school teenagers. The sibling-team of Timber Spruce and Gloriosa Daisy had been pretty thankful, even hosting a party to celebrate the save. On those days, the future seemed bright, so bright that both brother and sister constantly took selfies of themselves wearing sunglasses. Their posts on social media exuded gratitude, sometimes that of the plucky kind. Then again, when a family heritage was given a new lease on life, what else could they do but look cool and be thankful?
As time went on, though, they'd realized that fundraising activities might not be enough to secure their place long-term. It didn't help that being distant and secluded meant being off the radar of trade, missing out wads of much-needed cash.
However, with the help of both Canterlot High and Cadance-led Crystal Prep, the camp had received a consistent flow of money. Coupled with the occasional trips given to out-of-town schools and tourists, it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.
Well, no one expected being turned into ponies so, technically, nothing went wrong.
The dense forest was lush and beautiful under a chirping of symphony of birds perched on pine trees galore. Clouds drifted above, a few adventurous pegasi pulling them about to perfect the sunny weather. The lake, with its clear and crisp fresh water, rippled by the rolling wind. Far-away mountains vied for attention, completing the vivid landscape of peace, tranquility, and serenity.
Three months after the disaster led to Timber, a brown Earth pony, watching her sister, another Earth pony, manipulate vines and stems merely by touching them. They bent and curved at her will, grooming a newly-painted Welcome to Camp Everfree! sign by the road.
"You're sure you got the poison joke under control?" Timber asked, bushy eyebrows furrowed and narrowed. "I saw some blue flowers floating by the pond."
"Don't you worry!" said Gloriosa, turning her head to his. She fixed the daisy garland on her head. "I got this, remember?"
"Uh...maybe?" Timber didn't want to remember the other times she said that catchphrase of hers. Those other times were memorable for her trapping a class inside the forest.
Gloriosa hummed a gentle tune, magically grafting a few tulips and some roses onto the vines and the sign itself. No saws, no parafilm, no knives. All she needed was her hoof and her magic. The result was the plant connecting itself to whatever plant or surface she directed it to.
Then, whirring up yonder.
The siblings looked at the road, seeing a bus come along in the distance.
It was a vibrantly colored bus. Sky blue color, rainbows painted on, a variety of familiar symbols like diamonds and sparkles and butterflies, some purple window tint and four golden rims....
It screeched to a halt right beside the two.
Gloriosa screamed and jumped into Timber's forehooves, the brother carrying her sister with ease.
The door opened, revealing Sunset Shimmer at the wheel.
Gloriosa smiled anxiously. She jumped off her brother and landed on the grass, not noticing the grass slightly bending towards her. "Oh, it's you! I didn't know we had a concert today!"
Sunset hopped off the driver's seat, trotted down the little stairs, and met them on the ground. "Nah. We won't be able to play for at least one more week. Rainbow and I still need to get our guitar skills back." She spun her hoof around in circles. "It's hard to strum chords with no fingers."
Gloriosa wiped the sweat off of her forehead, also wiping the garland off of her ears. "Goodie!" as Timber put them back on her. "I thought we had you booked a day earlier. I was about to tell you we weren't prepared at all!"
Timber placed a hoof on his tense sister. In an attempt to get her mind off of bigger matters, he asked Sunset, "What brings you here? Camp doesn't start until tomorrow." He craned his neck to see the bus's empty inside. "Why aren't you with your friends?"
"They're still busy with getting everypony up to speed," Sunset began, closing the door. "Twi's in Equestria, borrowing some magic literature for the new unicorns. Pinkie and her Equestrian self are doing a baking drive for the ponies who still can't cook. Fluttershy is talking with the dragons who used to be dogs. Rarity is helping Starlight Glimmer distribute hoof-friendly items to make everyone's lives easier. That leaves Dash with sustaining good weather."
"Wow!" Gloriosa exclaimed, eyes wide open in a happiness that looked fake. "So productive!"
Timber laughed that off. Then, half-whispering to Sunset, "She's in the middle of decorating the camp, if that explains anything."
Sunset then looked at the welcome sign with its vines, its stems, and its pretty flowers. "Woah. I knew you had some nature powers but not like that!"
"It's like Gaea Everfree!" Gloriosa said so innocently.
Timber and Sunset stared at her with confused heads.
"Come on, guys!" she said before breaking into a long bout of laughter.
They still stared at her, now bearing her troublesome howling.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hah? Hey, can't you take a joke?"
Sunset then broke a smile for her, trying to lighten up the mood. "At least you can talk about that...incident so casually."
Timber rolled with Sunset's plan. "Yeah! That's, uh, very good! Nice to see you...improve!"
"Don't pretend!" and Gloriosa nudged him on the shoulder. "I know I'm doing my best not to stress out. It's still a problem, but I'm trying!"
Sunset nodded, pleased to hear about the improvement from Daisy's mouth. "That's good, considering you probably turned into a pony with no context."
"It turned out very well!" Gloriosa said with a nonchalant hurl of a hoof. "Timber was the first who screamed like a girl."
The stallion in question turned his face away, hiding the blush on his cheeks. "You're the one who's had some experience with magic, not me!"
Gloriosa giggled. "That's no excuse, Spruce." Leaving Timber be, she continued with Sunset: "In his defense, he can make lots of cool stuff if you give him an axe, a saw, and a knife. Plus enough logs. He's even made a wooden sculpture of himself back at camp!"
Sunset shot a knowing glance at Timber who planted his forehooves on the ground, making his stand there with the grass. "Real subtle."
"She's the older one!" Timber said, playing the blame game now. "Therefore, I compensated!"
Always-been-a-pony Sunset relaxed her shoulders, taking in such good news from them (aside from Timber's sculpture). "I'm glad you two didn't have a hard time. I'm surprised you're still excited about the whole magic thing."
Gloriosa took off her garland for a moment, now a couple trees' branches swaying her way. "I hope I still stay excited over it, Sunset. Some students might be scared that I'm using Gaea-like magic, but it's just me, your friendly camp and nature guide! This time, I can guide both camp and nature!"
The three laughed at the pun.
When the humor faded, Timber rubbed his chin, peering at Sunset. "You didn't answer why you're here, though."
Sunset briefly glanced back at the colorful bus. "Just checking up on you. Maybe chill for an hour, chill away from Canterlot and all the stress of handling two dimensions."
Gloriosa then put her garland of daisies on Sunset's head. "We're not so different today."
Wanting to see how she looked, Sunset trotted to the bus's side view mirror. She saw those little daisies adorning her head, making her face gleam with a brighter shade of yellow.
"Thanks, Gloriosa!"
"My pleasure!"
With that, the three of them entered the bus and drove off to the camp.
The camp itself looked much like it was since the Gaea incident. The dock had been fixed for the fourth time and it stayed that way. The lodges and the watchtower remained, the nature walks were still nature walks--it was tough to ruin those anyway--and the rock climbing wall was still in tip-top shape.
Sunset took in the fresh forest air, breathing in with a loud snort. "Just as good as ever! How'd you do it?"
Timber ruffled up Gloriosa's mane, only to have his face poked by her hooves. "Alright, alright!" Turning to Sunset now as they stopped at the main clearing, "She's done much of the work after we both found ourselves ponies. Took us a while, but--" clicked at Sunset and pointing a hoof at her, striking a snazzy pose with a shiny grin "--your videos helped a ton!"
Sunset wanted to tell him how incompetent he was looking. However, in an ambitious effort to be polite under such trying circumstances, she just said, "I only did what I had to do. Princess Twilight would've done it if I didn't."
Gloriosa nodded, agreeing that her ambitious effort had ousted Timber from the sphere of relevance for the time being...but back to the conversation: "After we got the basics down, I slowly realized that I had a connection to plants...a magical connection." She paused for dramatic effect, looking down to see the grass slightly bending towards her. "Plants were gravitating to somepony, and that somepony was me! Timber just screamed more when he saw me grow some onions in just ten minutes."
Desperate to save face, Timber did save it for later. As in, he turned it away again to hide his embarrassment.
"It went up from there on," she said while using her hoof to turn him back to the talk. "I could make plants grow fast if I concentrate hard enough, make vines and roots appear in an instant, and tell you almost every detail about any flower just by sight and touch. Not that I needed the last one, but who knows?"
Sunset laughed at that one, thinking of Gloriosa the Walking Botany Encyclopedia. She then turned to Timber. "And you?"
Timber scratched his head, unaware that he was rubbing his beanie. "It has to do with trees."
Sunset crossed her forehooves, lowering her eyebrows. "So, it isn't that impressive?"
"Hey!" Timber halted, pawing the ground with his hoof. "My sister has flamboyant magic. I have deep magic!"
Sunset made a toothy grin. "Because trees have deep roots?"
"OK, fine!" Timber said, throwing his hooves up in surrender. "They're not the best, but I can use trees to my advantage. I can make all kinds of stuff out of timber. Heh." He took off his beanie. "You might as well just stamp my name on 'em all! They don't call me 'Timber the Dreamer" for nothing!"
"That's because they don't call you that at all," replied Gloriosa.
And the two mares laughed at his expense.
"Can you give me a break, girls?" he moaned as they trotted to the lakeside lodge.
After a good hour or so, Sunset left the camp with high spirits and a smile on her face. They saw her drive off into the, well, sunset.
A sunset that was obscured by the tall pine trees, the overcast sky, and the mountains far away, but it was still a sunset nonetheless. At least the world had taken on a dull orange tint.
When evening came, the siblings were helping each other array the camp in yet more beauty. Timber had his knife, his axe, his saw, and his Earth pony magic to fashion logs of wood into many objects: fences, chairs, tables, boats, miniature houses, and another sculpture of himself to satisfy his ego. Gloriosa decorated these with plentiful additions--or, as she said it, "plantiful additions"--of vines and flowers to give it a more mature and aged feel. They shared loud laughs, corny jokes, and dear memories from when the world still had humans.
When the work was done, they trotted to the dock. There, they could hear the swishing of the lake, the breeze of the water's wind as the ripples sailed with no sail. At the end lay an idle fishing rod and a bucket of bait, a note written on it saying, Thanks for the fish! - Your friendly siren, Sonata Dusk
They turned around, seeing the lush and wonderful camp of warm lodges, wooden tables, dedicated gifts, wooden sculptures, simple tents, open grass, and beautiful woodlands stretched out for miles and miles; there seemed to be no end for these glades of fresh air permeating the camp.
Their camp.
They sat down on the docks, their hindlegs hanging off above the calm water.
"So...tomorrow's the big day," Timber began, breaking into the symphony of hundreds of crickets nearby. "How do you feel?"
Gloriosa took off her garland a second time, putting it on the dock's planks. "Nervous. Very nervous."
Timber looked off to the mountains across the lake, their peaks reaching high. "Me, too. First day of operations as ponies. At least they're those nice CHS students."
"But you know it's optional," Gloriosa said. "No one's obliged to come." She looked down at the water, seeing her reflection--that freckled pink pony face. "At best, we'll have the Rainbooms and the principals, and I-I'm not even sure if those two will come over. They have their diplomacy, their meetings, their..." pointed at the moon, "this!"
"At least we have someone coming," Timber said, trying to reassure his distraught sister. "I don't think camping trips are high on anyone's priority list right now."
Getting the unsaid reason why, Gloriosa kept her head low. "Yeah."
Silence, listening to the rise and fall of tiny rippling waves.
"Whoever's coming," Timber said, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder, "let's make it the best day of their lives."
She lifted her head up, looked at the caring eyes of her brother, still so familiar despite the change.
Timber pointed a hoof at her, still trying to look so cool. "You got this, right?"
Gloriosa wanted to laugh at her goofy brother. Instead, she copied the pose and pointed a hoof at him. "Yeah. I've got this."
And they looked up, seeing the twinkling little stars.
The next day was a Saturday, the perfect time to go on a camping trip.
Against all odds, Gloriosa and Timber waited at the camp's entrance, standing by the dirt road. They waited, staying alert for any sound that an automobile could possibly make. Timber debated about just watching out for hoofsteps since it'd be hard to drive with hooves. However, Gloriosa pointed out that Sunset was able to drive a bus with no problem, not to mention that Sunset wasn't born a human anyway.
They waited some more.
Gloriosa was bored so she caused a few roots to form and create a bush. She snapped off an outlying branch and hoofed it to Timber. "You do something with that."
Timber received it, now holding his namesake once again. "You're quite thoughtful today, sis'."
"Are you saying I wasn't thoughtful yesterday?" Gloriosa asked in a menacing tone, darkening her features as roots came out of the ground.
"Uh, n-n-no!" Timber shouted, yielding to her older sister.
Gloriosa bit her lip, holding off an incoming burst of laughter as the roots went back underground. "Loosen up! I was just joking!"
Timber said, "Yeah! Gr-Great way to let o-off some steam!" though, inside, he feared the day when Gloriosa would snap and rage.
They waited some more, the brother making a muffin out of wood and the sister inspecting the flowers she'd picked off the path.
Finally, they heard noise.
Humming, whirring noise.
They looked up from their work.
Two buses were approaching. Canterlot High's school bus rolled in its typical yellow paint. Trailing behind was the Rainbooms' flashy vehicle.
Timber raised a brow, taking a step back and being a little scared. "OK, I wasn't expecting a full house!"
Gloriosa clapped her forehooves, not noticing a daisy sprouting out of the ground beside her in joy.
The buses screeched and stopped.
Doors flung open.
Passengers streamed out of the buses, bringing with them a dozen saddle bags and a lot of chatter, gathering on the road.
The siblings bumped each others' hooves, speaking silent "Yes!"'s at a mission accomplished.
Then, two ponies galloped to them.
It was Sunset and Twilight.
"Surprise!" yelled the both of them, raising their forehooves together.
Gloriosa and Timber just stood there, the latter blushing and the former about to shed a tear with a choke.
"We wanted to bring all of Canterlot High here," Sunset said, "so we did!" Scratching her hear,"I guess we need a redo of camp since, you know, we weren't ponies the last time...anyway, you'll be surprised at what ponies can do to a forest!" and pushed Twilight forward.
After swallowing a gulp, Twi continued: "But it's not just CHS!" She jerked a hoof behind her, hinting at five ponies unfamiliar to the siblings. "I convinced some of my old classmates from Crystal Prep to come along!"
"You're still gonna regret this!" shouted Indigo in the distance.
Only for her to be shushed by her classmates.
Gloriosa gave up and allowed a tear to fall to her cheek. "Thank you, all of you!" Pulling Timber in for a hug, she squished his face in it, showing her love for him even though he was getting crushed that way.
Twilight then looked down at Gloriosa's hooves and saw two daisies sprouting up. "Agh! Gloriosa! There's--"
"Chill, Twilight," Sunset said. "Didn't I tell you about her talent?"
Twilight pursed her lips. "Oh."
Then, Sunset remembered her brilliant idea. Talking to Gloriosa now, "Hey! Have you heard of Wallflower Blush?"
"...who?" Gloriosa asked, releasing Timber from her grip and dropping him to the ground.
Crushing those daisies, but that's alright since another pair grew beside them.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Sunset said, mentally berating herself for forgetting to mention Wallflower yesterday. "She's an Earth pony like you. What's cool is her knack for the more, hm, exotic specimens of nature."
"What do you mean?" she asked, growing excited at meeting a like-minded pony. "Does she cultivate heliconias and calatheas?"
Twilight turned around and saw Wallflower approaching with her saddle bags. "Not exactly."
Wallflower Blush trotted her way to Gloriosa. As is tradition, she blushed. "Uh, hi! You must be Gloriosa Daisy, right?" while looking awkwardly at the bending grass and the swaying tree branches.
"Right-o!" Looking at the saddle bags and trying to hide hidden jealousy in her smile, "I guess you have a sample of those exotic plants Sunset's talked about."
Wallflower smiled, too, though unnerved by the moving plant life around Gloriosa. "Uh-huh!" and she opened one of the bags and took out a line of potted plants and jarred produce.
And so, with bubbling enthusiasm, Wallflower went on a rambling speech about each of them: This fiery red rose was a Phoenix Rose; once burned, it will spark back to life. This rainbow-colored apple was a Zap Apple, a very rare and a very delicious variety of the popular fruit (though she'd never tried one yet). This yellow and glowing ten-leaf clover not only lights up dark places, it also makes anything it touches glow for ten days. This one, too....
Gloriosa frowned. Seeing these exotic magic plants dimmed her mind. Sure, this forest wasn't anything like those found in the tropics, but it was still hers. What if Wallflower was going to start owning it at least metaphorically, if not literally? Her plants would be the talk of the town, and then--
"Agh!"
And Gloriosa snapped out of it, noticing roots taking hold of Wallflower's mane.
All the chatter stopped.
Wallflower screamed, flailing her hooves about.
Knocking a pot of lavender flowers to the ground.
"I'm sorry!" Gloriosa yelled, retracting the roots and putting them back into the ground. "I'm--"
And the flower popped open with a poof!
Purple smoke and powder wafted out and spread to their noses.
Gloriosa and Wallflower fell to the ground and slept, snoring.
Everyone stared at the sleeping mares awkwardly, silence reigning over them.
"What a good morning it is, everypony!" Timber shouted as he jumped in front of them, hiding the dozing ponies from sight. "Welcome back to Camp Everfree and, please, let me escort you inside...inside the outdoors! Follow me and keep your eyes on your cool and awesome substitute camp guide!"
With that, mutters rose as everyone else did follow and kept their eyes on their guide.
Leaving the Rainbooms to deal with two knocked out Earth ponies.
Fluttershy was the first to reach them. She then asked, "So, uh, what do we say to them when they wake up?"
Twilight clattered her teeth. "That i-it was a big misunderstanding?"
Sunset sighed. "We'll see. We have to get them to the cabin."
"Without getting seen by tons of ponies?" Applejack asked.
"It's doable."
Settled on the matter, they tip-hoofed their way into camp, carrying sleeping Gloriosa and Wallflower with them. |
A Magic Turn of Events | A.K. Yearling and the Derring-Do | If someone's careless enough, they're bound to leave something behind: a wallet at a restaurant, a phone at a school, an airplane ticket under the mattress.
What about when humanity leaves something behind all at once?
Two weeks after the magical disaster, Princess Twilight Sparkle had brought Starlight Glimmer along to meet a changed Professor Fossil, all visiting a museum.
The Canterlot National History Museum was heralded in silence for the most part, letting the artifacts and the sculptures and the trinkets speak for themselves. Dinosaur fossils, miniature reconstructions, millennia-old pots and vases, black-and-white photos, aging acrylic paintings--the list went on. These were accompanied with the usual warning plates: Don't touch and Don't take pictures. Tending to these precious relics were pony guards in armor standing at strategic locations in the museum; several pegasi were flying their patrol routes.
The visitors sat at the only table in the section as a pair of pegasus guards flew by. It all smelled a mixture of fragrances, jazzing up the luxurious silence observed here under dim lights.
"...and you and your team's tasked with preserving human history here?" Sparkle said. She had eyed the Renaissance-era paintings on the wall, seeing realistic vistas of rivers, mountains, and oceans under a blue sky. "I'm impressed! You must be honored to have such a distinction."
Fossil, a gray Earth pony growing lean out of age, adjusted her glasses. In a posh voice that sounded like it belonged to a museum, she replied, "It's not much work. We already have places like this and the libraries, too." Putting a hoof to her hollow cheekbone, "I would like to take pride in it, but we are only continuing our job as we should be." Her ears folding back, "It's overrated now. "
"I don't think it's overrated," Starlight countered, as if she had a bold conviction, making a rousing speech. "You're safeguarding the human era. Without ponies like you, everyone would just forget their past," gesturing towards the preserved instruments section filled with violins and guitars saved from extinction. "It'll be like they've been ponies all along!"
Fossil nodded, taking in that devoted sentiment. "Yes, yes." Scratching her green mane, "Still, archaeology has grown passive since all our fine equipment has been rendered unusable for at least a month." A pause, sharpening her eyebrows in jealousy, glancing a little to the side. "I envy the unicorns and the pegasi among us. They aren't limited by these fingerless dead ends," as she whirled her forehoof around.
"Did you watch Sunset's video on it?" asked Sparkle, levitating one of her backup phones from her bag on the table.
"A million times." Then, the professor signaled her to stop taking the phone and put it back inside. "I can hold items like cups and boxes, but it's not enough to perform delicate operations. It'd be hard to use measuring tape or brush off dust without breaking the object."
Starlight aimed her eyes up, thinking through what the professor had said. "Good point."
Sparkle cleared her throat, bringing both pairs of eyes back on her. "Have you tried asking our Professor Fossil for an extra archaeological kit?" the princess offered. "She's pretty kind!"
Fossil groaned. "I have to talk to myself in order to get by, hm?"
"Eh!" Sparkle raised one shoulder with no stress. "It won't hurt!"
Then, wingflaps as Derpy hovered inside, a bag of mail slung around her torso as she approached the table.
Everyone watched her as Derpy reached them, took out a letter from her bag, and whispered to the princess's ear, "For you, Your Highness!"
"Why, thanks!" Sparkle said with a smile, taking the letter with her hoof and ripping the envelope open.
Derpy waved as she flew out. "See ya' soon!"
And she was out of sight.
Fossil and Starlight were quiet as the princess read the letter.
Sparkle mumbled the words, eyes straining a bit under the museum's dark lights. In her mind, she was locked a bitter fight against doctors, choosing to block out their advice to read under good lighting.
The fight didn't last long before she forced the letter back into the envelope, and chanted "It's her! It's her!" while yanking Starlight along as she zoomed away with the paper.
"Wait!" Fossil cried out, galloping out of her chair. "What about--"
It was too late. She was alone in the museum.
Not really since there were some guards, but she felt alone.
She smacked herself on the head. "You silly ponies!"
Fossil even shook a balled up hoof at her absent enemies.
At the Castle of Friendship, Twilight was pacing around on the floor, Starlight sitting on a chair.
The interrogation room was austere in its appearance and atmosphere. One table, a couple of chairs, and a fridge full of bottled water and snacks, all under one light glowing from inside a translucent crystal--hese gave off a drab feeling, though a small portrait of the Princess Sisters softened the mood.
Or made it worse, if the interrogated was a criminal.
"What about you spill the beans, Twilight?" Starlight asked, ears flaying at those constant shuffling hoofsteps. "Who's coming?"
Sparkle spun around to face her with a, ahem, sparkly smile. "You know how excited I am!"
Starlight tilted her head a bit, both surprised and confused. "I...don't?"
The eager princess bit her lip, froze her hooves on the ground, and dropped herself on another chair, sipping in some water to gargle before swallowing. "I know I'm not supposed to be so excited because she's a victim of the change, and it's not exactly the same pony, but...eee! It's--"
The door eee'd open in a creak.
Sparkle and Starlight turned to see their much-anticipated guest.
A cowled, shrouded figure. Head lowered to hide her face in shadow.
Sparkle clapped her hooves in rapid succession, jumping like a giddy filly. "Eee!"
Had her ear pulled by Starlight who shouted in a whisper, "Keep it together!"
So Twilight giggled, cleared her throat, turned to the figure and closed her eyes so as to effect a regal air. "You have come to the right place, A.K. Yearling!"
The stranger heaved a sigh of relief and closed the door with her hindleg. She then lifted the cowl from her head, revealing her coat of light gold and her mane of grayscale rainbow. She had some glasses on along with her pith helmet and thin scavenger's shirt.
"I have to admit," Starlight began, placing a hoof on her chin and examining her looks, "you're a dead ringer for our A.K. Yearling."
The visitor shook her head, taking off her hat. "That's because I am A.K. Yearling!"
Sparkle then moved to the side, doing damage control already. "Well, why don't you take a seat?"
"Thanks, but I've already slept," Yearling said, rubbing her eyes behind her glasses.
The princess looked at her odd. "But I didn't ask if you wanted to use a bed."
"I've been sleeping on things worse than chairs lately," Yearling said. "I consider them a second-rate bed nowadays."
"OK..." and Sparkle kept looking at her.
Awkwardness settling in, each pony looking at another.
It was Sparkle who broke the silence: "So, what's the reason for this super-duper important and super-duper secret meeting?"
"It's not supposed to be 'super-duper' secret," Yearling said, her voice getting gruffer. "The truth will come out no matter what I do," and, despite her words seconds ago, she slumped down on a chair, resting a forehoof on the table. "Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm..." suffering, struggling to push the words out of her throat.
And changed course, showing a smile. "But first, what if I told you that I'd just returned to civilization?"
Both Equestrians yelped, "What?!" almost falling off their chairs.
The writer's smile turned crooked, clasping her forehooves like an evil mastermind. "Exactly. Now I got you hooked." She placed a hoof behind the back of her chair, straightening up her posture. "Always start with an arresting first sentence."
Yearling was right. The princess and her former student took up chairs and gathered around her, ignoring the poor table left alone.
"Let me confess something upfront," and Yearling pulled her chair up, closer and closer to them.
They were now huddled up in a tight circle. The door was locked, there were no windows, and the crystal walls were thick, but her parnoia didn't abate.
"I'm not just an author...and before you two say anything about it" eyeing the both of them with a glare, forehoof arched on a knee, "I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking I actually do unexplainable exploits, avoiding death traps and stealing treasure from magical temples."
"Because you have Ogres & Oubliettes for that?" Starlight asked, smirking.
Yearling chuckled. She pointed at that smug unicorn. "I like your attitude! What's your name again?"
"Starlight Glimmer," she disclosed, narrowing her eyes down. "You can come visit anytime and we can hold a game night of O&O. Oh, and we can invite both Twilights just to make your mind spin!"
Sparkle merely giggled, checking herself from gushing out in joy. Instead, she maintained that regal air and said, "If our schedules make it easy, that is!"
"Yeah," Yearling sitting up on her seat. "A game night some time, yes...now, where was I?"
Getting back to where she left off: Oh, right. My secret." She put her hat back on, indifferent towards the heat she'd brought upon herself. "It isn't much. I'm...."
Both ponies leaned in, unwilling to let any word slip away from their ears.
"...an archaeologist."
Yearling spread her forehooves, the secret now out. "There. That's it."
Both listeners blinked, astonished by how mundane the mystery was.
"Uh, why is that a bad thing?" Starlight then asked, shaking off the above astonishment.
"I could say the same thing myself," Yearling said, briefly scolding herself. "There's a part of me that's embarrassed to admit it. Maybe I liked seeing ponies think of me as some writer with a couple archaeologists as fact-checkers. I was also teased back in middle school for liking 'dead stuff'," and snorted like a horse, "so you have that."
"Which means your stories are based off your archaeological digs?" Sparkle asked right after, leaning her head ever mroe forward to listen better.
"Yes," was the blunt reply. "They're embellished to become gripping adventures. Take away the traps and the villains, change the names of the characters, tweak the treasures--viola! You have a barebones narration of my latest archaeological finding." Took a pause to breathe, not minding curious Sparkle as the princess rubbed her forehooves in waiting. "The real 'stories' get published to an historical institute for the record books. The artifacts go to different museums under their real names. I publish the novels, people gobble them up for its complexity and relatability. Everyone's happy--the end."
Yearling sat there self-satisfied, taking her hat off again.
"That still doesn't explain returning to civilization and what not," Starlight pointed out.
Yearling shook her head, her smile only growing. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Then again, look who's talking." She pointed hooves at the both of them. "You better believe me."
Sparkle and Starlight gulped and fixed their posture on their chairs to have the most efficient story-listening experience.
Yearling tapped her pony ears. "It was a Monday, right? That afternoon, I was riding an airplane over the Samhach Ocean, headed to Puerto Caballo for my next dig and my next book. Then, all of us glowed white. Next thing I knew, I was a pony with wings and everyone else were all sorts of different fairy tale creatures!" She shuddered. "I thought it was some nightmare until someone accidentally opened the emergency exit. My wings got caught in the wind and out I flew, spiraling away until I fainted."
Sparkle gasped. She was biting her hoofnails until Starlight tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Keep it together, Twi. She's still alive."
After making sure that Sparkle was assured of her being alive--turned out it was just how she'd narrated it--Yearling continued: "When I first awoke, I was in pain but, surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. No serious scars, no immediate need for medical attention. Took me a good minute to get my eyesight clear.
"First thing I saw was a sign telling me I was back on the continent, but...it was all different to me. Flowers moving on their own, crocodiles made of rocks, bats colored and shaped like fruits." She blinked fast. "I-I believed I'd been transported to some magical dimension!"
"You're not wrong, though," Starlight said with crossed forehooves.
When Yearling caught what the unicorn was really saying, she smirked back. "I should have the O&O session with you sometime."
Starlight shot a smile at Sparkle. "Pretty much guaranteed. You have me to thank for."
Sparkle blushed, tilting her head and making a cute smiling face. "You don't have to do that!"
"May I?" Yearling snapped, glaring at both giddy Equestrians. "I've already had more than enough time here."
Once given her peace, Yearling coughed. She rotated her helmet around, trying to get back to the swing of things: "How long did I stay in the jungle? Ten days."
A pause.
"They were the worst ten days of my life. Not only was I a talking flying pony, I had to survive some sort of sentient jungle with weird plants and freakish wildlife. The only thing I had was a knife...didn't even risk holding it with my teeth." Glanced at the side. "No cellphone, no flares, no flashlight--those were in my emergency kit that fell into the ocean."
As she recollected her thoughts, she remembered her adventure more. The close calls on rickety bridges, high cliffs, and falling trees caused by timberwolves..."What if I stayed this way? What if I'm stuck like this forever? And that's if I got out of this jungle alive. No one would know about my fate if I died right there." Then, whirling her hoof around in a circle, her voice rose: "But despite all that, I held on to hope. Maybe--just maybe--if I got out, there'd be someone who'd turn me back to normal.
"So I pushed on. Fought beasts and monsters best described as fantastic. Three-headed chimeras, spiders that could fly, manticores exactly like the ones my Aunt used to tell me at night. It was crazy stuff. Can't believe I really fought them," and gave herself a complementing chuckle.
She unfurled her wings, spreading them out for the Equestrians to see. "I also kept telling myself that I had these. Might as well use them just in case, right? So I practiced." Pointed at a spot where a few feathers were missing. "Got some minor wounds from crashing all over the place, but I got better when I started to really fly." She winked at the princess. "You could tell that Sunset mare that I was self-taught."
Sparkle nodded. "I'm sure she'd like to hear it straight from you! Pegasi like you learning on their own is kinda' rare."
Yearling folded her wings. "Well, I'm just glad I came through in one piece."
Raising her head to command some attention, the writer continued: "Uh, let's see...right, right: After ten days, I encountered a clearing. Then, a road." Her smile widened, the sheer joy of being one step closer to safety coming back. "All I had to do was follow that road and I'd bump into someone or, better yet, a town! But, then...."
She groaned, taking off her glasses to let her hooves cover her face in shame.
Bruised and wearied after a long time in the jungle, A.K. Yearling kept following the road all the way to the closest sign of permanent, settled civilization:
Mareami. The City of Charms, home to the baseball-playing Mareami Unicorns.
Fitting, wasn't it? Considering that, now, the market's charms were actually magical and the entire baseball team being made up of unicorns....
But Yearling didn't care for Mareami's lush plants nor its crisp waters nor its warm climate nor its sandy beaches. The first thing she did was fly around in the neighborhoods, asking what was going on and why there were no humans in sight.
All it took was one shout and a thrown newspaper for her to catch up on everything. As it turned out, it wasn't just her and the people in the airplane and the residents of Mareami. It was everyone in the world who'd transformed into these magic creatures. The worst part? There was no way to fix it.
Yearling responded to the news by sitting on the grass of someone's front yard, putting on a stare that looked off to a thousand miles, and left her mouth hanging open in utter dismay. She clutched the paper, gripped it as hard as she could, holding on to it as if for dear life. Haunted by the thought of being a flying horse for the rest of--
"Daring Do?!"
Yearling swung her head to the left, seeing a galloping brown stallion wearing the same shirt as hers. Even got the mane's colors right.
"Wait...A.K. Yearling?!" shouted this mysterious pony as he came up to her, crossing the street. "I-Is that you?!"
The writer's ears perked up, recognizing the not-so-ratty voice. "Wh-Who are you again?"
"Qui-Quibble. Quibble Pants!" He raised both of his forehooves up. "You know...your self-proclaimed Number One Fan?"
Yearling blinked and her surprise was gone. "Oh. You."
Quibble took a step back, still in awe of seeing his idol as a pony just like him. "But, no...it's n-not possible, but it is you! You even got wings!" and looked at his torso, lacking such appendages.
"What do you mean it is me?" Yearling said, perplexed by such a happy attitude. Then, pointing at him and barely calming down, she raised the newspaper and yelled, "OK, c-can you tell me anything else about this magic, this change--whatever?!"
Yet Quibble wasn't paying much attention to her words. Instead, he was inspecting her up and down. "B-But...those clothes, and the bruises, and--"
"Yeah, I went to a jungle and fought monsters, thank you very much!" Yearling lashed out without a second thought, kicking up some dirt with her hindleg.
It was Quibble's mouth that hung open now. "Did you just...?
Yearling flicked her tail, annoyed. "What?"
"A-Are you telling me..." gulped, "you're Yearling and Daring Do?!"
"What're you tal--"
"Are those stories real?!" Quibble said, stepping back farther, now on the road. "I mean, minus the soft fantasy stuff...but still?!"
Yearling threw her pith helmet. "Look, I c-can explain!"
"You didn't deny it!" Quibble shouted, jumping to certainly the only plausible conclusion. "I went to ponyland to get acquainted with myself, saw who their A.K. Yearling was, read a bit of their Daring Do books, so I know what she looks like as a pony!" Mouth agape, now opening and closing like a goldfish, "A-Are you also...Daring Do?!"
"Not exactly, but--"
"...and here I am," Yearling said, hooves on her head. "To be mobbed by those who recognize me, and that's without thinking of my other fans in this world." She slouched on her chair. "No peace. Wish I hadn't kept it a secret."
With the whole story told, Twilight and Starlight looked at each other, speaking to each other by just raising and lowering their brows.
Starlight then nodded.
Giving Sparkle the green light to say, "I'll see what I can do, Miss Yearling. I can use my authority to clear the air once and for all, even if it means having to use their online video services."
Yearling sighed and smiled. "Thank you."
She stood up to leave, heading for the door.
And then she was gone, too.
"She's...less reclusive than our Yearling," Sparkle observed with a hesitant tone. "I mean, before we got to her and helped save the day that one time."
Starlight then levitated a game box of Ogres & Oubliettes. "Let's do a practice one-on-one session. I want to experience what makes it so great for Discord."
Sparkle gave in, albeit wondering why Starlight mentioned DIscord of all creatures.
A.K. Yearling would go on to attend press conferences, no matter how disorganized they were with all the not-so-usable equipment for these new ponies. Their old reliance on hands became apparent when an argument broke out right before the writer's eyes: a hippogriff finally got tired of being patronized "just because I got fingers and you don't!" and lunged at the first pony she saw.
Barring that, Yearling maintained a stiff upper lip, letting slip not a single flaw on her features as confused reporters asked about her "secret identity" as Daring Do. To that, she replied along the lines of, "No. It's just my archaeologist nickname. That's all."
When the buzz over her was done, her free-flowing mind rolled to potential outlines for the next novel. None of them weren't fleshed out yet, so she thought of going to the next available dig site which was scheduled to be in the town of Somnambula.
It was currently infested with a case of parasprites.
While she was assured that Sunset and her friends were gathering instruments to combat this enemy swarm, Yearling didn't feel so easy about the rest of the world. What if they had faced similar problems or worse?
And then her secretary came over to her house. Some movie deal was in the works.
"...I get that you're a creative guy, Canter Zoom," Yearling said over the table, "but don't you think you're going overboard?"
She sat in Sweet Snacks Cafe, seated near the corner so as not to be heard. A look around saw most of the pony customers eating hay burgers, their delectable scent drifting to her nose.
Canter Zoom, a light brown Earth pony, sat on the other side. Gesticulating a lot with his forehooves, "It may sound way out there, but these changelings would like to be involved in our next movie!"
Yearling's reply was a stressful rub of her forehead, doo-wop music blaring from the old-time jukebox. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Rule the New School of Thought (and Magic) | The pitter-patter of hard rain smacked against the windows of the Twilight manor. Waterdrops splattered on the panes, only to be washed away by their successors that'd only last for a few seconds. The wind was howling, the plants were bending, yet several spunky pegasi stayed outside, directing the currents elsewhere.
Twilight herself sat on a comfy chair inside, levitating a glass of water. Open before her was today's issue of The Canterlot Daily. The big headline news, printed in big bold letters, was SCHOOL BOARD: EQUESTRIAN SCHOOLS AS TEMP SOLUTION. Under it was a composite picture of two schools, the first being Canterlot High with its recognizable walls and its glaring lack of a statue. The other was less familiar to her, taking on a medieval-esque architecture; this one was Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
She looked up from the newspaper and turned to the calendar on the wall.
Instead of days crossed out, it was one continuous line cutting through the weeks. While there were notes about get-togethers and trips with friends every so often, there was one big phrase at the bottom of the entire thing:
No classes until...?
With a waste of breath, she returned to the article.
...."I'm amazed by Earth's speedy recovery," Princess Celestia said. "However, we're willing to open our hooves to those willing to continue their education as soon as possible.
"There are many schools in Equestria, some of them woefully under-attended. I've spoken with several teachers on the subject and they're more than happy to help Earth during this crisis."
The Equestrian Exchange Program, so called by the princess, was--
Interrupted by a Knock! Knock! at the front door.
"Huh?" and then Twilight got up from her chair, gently putting the glass down. "Who's that?"
"It's me! Sunset!"
"Wait, what?!"
She galloped to the front doors, almost slipping thanks to her briefly forgetting how to gallop. Veering back up, she glowed her horn and opened the door without a hoof touching the handle.
The storm blaring with its crashing showers, Sunset stood under her floating umbrella which was glowing red. She did not have a jacket on her; it wouldn't be long enough to keep her tail dry anyway.
"Come inside!" Twilight coaxed, stepping aside and giving way to the not-that-wet pony.
Sunset closed the door behind her with her magic. She closed her umbrella put it inside a cover, and hung it on a rack. Before Twilight could get the towel, Sunset levitated it to her, drying her tail and cleaning the slippery floor.
"Decided to come over here," she said, snapping her tail to draw out the last vestiges of water in her hair. "Was in Equestria for a while, talking with the princess about the program."
That prompted Twilight's ears to stand up. "What program?"
"The Equestrian Exchange Program," Sunset replied, taking a few steps forward to be by her side. "It's a working title."
Twilight gasped. "I was just reading about that!"
"You were, huh?" with Sunset cocking her head to the side, intrigued by the coincidence.
The pleasantries over, the two unicorns trotted to the living room where Twilight had left her newspaper and water. It was a cozy place, housing a couple bookshelves for brain food, a piano and a television for entertainment (though all the DVDs were documentaries about astronomy), and dozens of framed pictures showing Twilight and her friends having good times together.
As humans.
"Where's everypony else?" Sunset asked, noting the manor's eerie silence against the backdrop of pouring rain.
"Mom and Dad are visiting their cousins in Neighbraska."
"Isn't traveling still a little dangerous?" Sunset asked, irises shrinking at the thought of their parents confronting whatever magical beast came their way.
A chuckle escaped Twilight's mouth. "You see, they know it isn't exactly safe, so--get this--they invited my other self's Mom to accompany them!" She ended up laughing and slapping Sunset on the back which made her spit out the water she was drinking from her water bottle.
After Sunset wiped her mouth and made sure Twilight wasn't going insane, she shrugged. "Does she think Earth is a death world?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "If 'death world' means bungee jumping, canyoning, and paragliding, then she's right at home here!"
Prompting the both of them to laugh.
Sunset put her water bottle down by the DVDs. "I'm wondering why you didn't go with your parents."
"Simple." Without seeing the newspaper at all, she folded it up nicely via magic. "They wanted us to join, but I opted to stay so they'll spend less money during the trip. They invited Shining, too, but he's still sleeping upstairs," pointing at the ceiling.
Sunset made a mischievous smile with pursed lips. "Reading all about the Power Ponies, huh?"
"All thanks to the other Spike," Twilight said, turning her head towards the window with its distorted view of the outside. Then, just to be sure, she shouted, "Spike, where are you?"
"Over here!" came his voice as he ran to the room with a bowl of Equestrian gems drenched in chocolate sauce. Under his shoulder was a folded comic book. "What is it, Twi?"
"Oh, nothing!" Twilight said with a shake of her hoof. "Just wanted to see if you've gotten sick or not."
"Nah!" Spike yelled, shaking his head and putting his claws on his hips, confident in his health. "I'm gonna be fine, but thanks for asking!" and ran back to the kitchen, holding bowl and comic in both claws.
Once the footfalls vanished, Sunset looked out the window, too, not able to see much.
"I still can't believe those gems are quite cheap," said Twilight, trotting to her side. "To think they're imported from Ponyville's caves! I'll be getting a sweet bargain with the gems right here!"
A funny scenario came to Sunset's mind. "I can see it now." She raised both forehooves to the sky. In a loud and exaggerated accent, "The fall of the diamond industry! Replaced by feeding dragons!"
And both ponies laughed at that absurd picture, seeing rich ponies throwing their necklaces and brooches to hungry dragons in some arid wasteland.
When mulling over that sketch was done, Sunset and Twilight sat on the floor, resting their four hooves and sitting like horses as the weather intensified. It threatened to trap them indoors, but then more pegasi appeared. Above the squall of rain came shouts and orders.
"So," Twilight began, looking worried at the growing gust, "any insider knowledge about the student exchange program? You did say you talked to a princess," smiling at her connection-riddled friend.
"Princess Celestia," Sunset clarified, a twinge of a grin twinkling at the thought of her former mentor. "She told me she's willing to have her first batch of exchange students from Canterlot High."
"As to be expected," Twilight said right after, nodding her head. "It only makes sense. We have the first portal, among other factors."
Sunset nodded, too. Then, focusing on Twilight only, she said, "So, are you willing to go?"
And Twilight blushed, putting a shy hoof on her chest. "Wh-What? Me, go there?"
"You've voiced your interest in magic before." She pointed at her horn, then glanced outside. "It doesn't look like Canterlot High's going to be in operation anytime soon thanks to our bureaucratic board."
"Bureaucratic?" Twilight repeated.
Sunset made a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I got that from a couple of Celestia's lessons." She looked away, embarrassed at remembering such a memory. Then, banishing her past's darkness, she looked back at Twilight. "What I'm saying is, why go to a disorganized CHS when there are plenty of Equestrian schools in tip-top shape? All you have to do is sign the paperwork, pass the entrance exam--which I'm sure you will", and winked at her, so certain of it "--and...who knows? You may land yourself in the best unicorn school ever."
"For unicorns only?" Sparkle rubbed her temples, doing her best to recall whatever that--"Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?!" she yelled.
Sunset's mane was now all windy and unkempt from the yell. "That's the one!" floating a comb and brushing her hair straight. "The very same school the other Twilight graduated from. Prestigious."
Twilight scrunched up her snout. "Wouldn't it be awkward to have another Twilight Sparkle in school, especially when the first one's finished with a degree?" So she imagined it, seeing the announcer yell, "Twilight Sparkle!" as ponies in the audience turned their heads and wondered if it's deja vu.
Sunset took another sip from her water bottle, twisting the cap with her magic. "If the ponies of Equestria are fine with our own Celestia, I'm sure they'll be fine with another Twilight."
After hearing those words of empathy, Twilight's mind turned to other things to worry about. "Even so, I wouldn't be a CHS alumnus, most of my other friends aren't allowed because they're not unicorns, I'm not sure if Rarity or you are going--"
"I don't think so," Sunset said, backing away a few inches. "I and Celestia are more than fine, but I don't have the courage to go back there. Besides," Sunset lightening up from her fearful pout, "I'm OK with being a year late if CHS can't start up by fall."
Twilight's eyes were on the way to watering. "A-Are you sure?"
The reply was a slow nod from the mare.
Instead of being consoled, Twi looked out the window, deeply steeped in a flood of doubt and second thoughts.
"Why not give it a go?" Sunset asked, floating a brochure for Celestia's school by that window. "If you pass, you pass. If you fail, no harm done--at least you tried. Plus, whether you're in or not, studying for it gives you the best magic workout in your life!" and gave her another wink.
With no choice but to consider it, Twilight levitated the brochure to her glasses.
It was a splashy advertisement. Photos of smiling students and teachers filled much of the space--unicorns levitating several apples, experimenting with potions, reading scrolls of spells, attending a lecture held by none other than Princess Celestia herself. The blurbs highlighted the numerous pros of this esteemed institution, citing the highest of standards as one of its distinguishing traits. However, encircled, emboldened, and underlined were the words Forge lifelong friendships here! You won't regret it!
The brochure was levitated away, going back to Sunset. The glow surrounding it switched from pink to blue.
"I'll think about it," Twilight said in a hushed voice. "I'll get back to you on that soon."
Sunset's excited smile gave way to an anxious frown, her ears drooping. "Something's up?"
The unicorn put down her glasses. Without them, she looked an awful lot like her princess self.
"It's our friends, isn't it, Twilight?"
The mare pleaded guilty with a sigh and a forlorn, mindless look at the floor she was sitting on with all her four hooves. "Yes, it is. Princess Celestia might give me some leeway, but she doesn't have the time to be my personal tutor."
Sunset almost mentioned Celestia's former tutorship of the other Twilight Sparkle, but she thought it wasn't prudent.
"If I have to go to class like everyone else, I'm gonna go back and forth between dimensions. I won't have enough time for them, they won't have enough time for me, and I--"
Stopped right there, scorning to speak further.
Sunset shifted her eyes. "Well, Celestia is extremely kind and accommodating. Maybe you can go there once a month for special lessons or something."
But Twilight remained despondent, staring at the floor through those transparent glasses.
"I don't want you to go there Monday to Friday every week," Sunset said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "For all that, you have a great mind, a beautiful mind, Twilight. I'm not asking you to put your studies above your friends--I'm the last pony to tell you that," and Sunset softened her stern features. "I'm just asking you to sleep on it. If you can push through with that once-a-month deal, it'll be just like a vacation's trip." Paused. "OK?"
Twilight looked to the side, avoiding the golden, caring face of her friend.
A few seconds turned into ten. Twenty.
The storm continued to come down in buckets.
"I'll give it some thought," conceded Twilight.
Sunset didn't smile. That neutral face remained. "Alrighty, then. I guess I'll be--"
Krzow!
"Yah!"
They clung to each other, shivering as lightning flashed through the sky with its sharp edges, with its jagged strokes.
The pitter-patter of rain returned to their ears.
And the two realized they were holding on to each other, scared and terrified.
Twilight and Sunset laughed at their mutual fear before standing to clean up after themselves.
Twilight did give some thought to the School for Gifted Unicorns. So much thought that she rolled around on her bed at night. It wasn't a question of qualifying. It was a question of whether she'd actually go there.
She griped over not asking Sunset for more details. If she enrolled, would that mean her CHS days were over? Could she live on Earth and just travel back and forth?
Maybe a compromise could be made. Princess Celestia stood over the school; she must be a sympathetic pony. Visiting twice a month for classes wasn't a far-fetched idea.
Days passed. As Twilight attended her informal teaching sessions over a hoofful of unicorns, telling them how to better use their magic--as she kept them up, she mulled over Sunset's proposal. Her "students" were learning something, that's for sure. She even got reluctant Sunny Flare to overcome her avoidance of magic; the Shadowbolt was now happily strumming a guitar with nothing but magic.
The music wasn't great, but it was something for a creature with no fingers.
If Twilight could teach unicorns who've never been one for much of their lives, then surely she could find some ground in that school.
Of course, she couldn't forget her friends. They were always in her head. Even if Rarity and Sunset would somehow join her, that meant leaving out the other four unless they all moved to Equestria together. Maybe Pinkie Pie could make the move because of her unpredictability, but Fluttershy still had her animal shelter, Dash still had her weather duties, and Applejack still had her apple farm.
A month later, she was back on her bed, rolling around. Books of magic were stacked neatly on her desk alongside a couple of ballpoint pens and paper pads.
Final sign-ups for the special Equestrian Exchange entrance exam was tomorrow.
Another month later had those magnificent seven (minus Twilight) roaming around in Canterlot.
Canterlot, Equestria.
The buildings looked as if they're ripped out of a kingdom from a fable; adorned in white and purple and gold, they towered over these impressed newcomers. The city's stone roads gave off that medieval feeling as dozens of decorated ponies in suits and dresses trotted about on the sidewalks. Royal guards patrolled here and there, watching everypony's step as carriages rolled by, ponies carrying other ponies in their carriages.
"Ooh!" Rarity said, whirling her head around in splendor. "A-And, i-is that one of her boutiques?!" squishing her cheeks at the sight of a fancy, quaint fashion store.
They all looked that way, seeing the window displays. The dresses there enticed them to come inside, take a look, and spend some bits on a garment sewn and designed from a selfless heart.
If that wasn't enough, there were no price tags at all. No placards proclaiming For Sale! either.
"I think it is," Sunset said, seeing Rarity excited on all four hooves tapping the sidewalk in mirth.
"Then I shall see what I have wrought!" Rarity declared as she soared up the stairs to the do--
Smack!
Fell back down to the sidewalk's hard pavement.
"Ugh..." and shook her head, trying to shake off the ache while some kind of flowery perfume drifted to her snout. Then, seeing the figure before her, she cried out, "You better watch where you're going!"
The figure made a fanciful, familiar laugh. "I think we should both watch where we're going!"
Rarity opened her eyes to see who she'd bumped into. "Rarity?!"
Equestrian Rarity nodded, dusting herself off and helping her other self back up on her hooves. "Yes, darling, it's me! Finally visiting fair Canterlot, I see."
Everypony else nodded, coming closer to get a better ear on what she had to say.
"I presume you're waiting for Twilight to be done with her entrance exam," Rarity said, turning her head to the right. "Let me assure you that--"
"Rarity!" came in Sassy Saddle's voice from inside. "We're running out of gold sequins!"
"Ooh!" She frowned at her CHS self, held her on the shoulder. "I'd like to stay and chat, darling, but we're in business hours." Smiling anyway, "Perhaps you'd like to tour the place? That way, we could still chat...and, well," muffled a giggle, "have you try out one of my dresses!"
The other Rarity furrowed her brows, rolling her tongue in her cheeks. "Since we both have something to do with generosity, what about you give me a discount of...I don't know, one hundred percent?"
Sunset rolled her eyes as everyone else went in with a laugh, trying to pass the time for Twilight.
Waiting for Rarity to be done with dressing up Rarity was cut short by the arrival of a guard and the letter under his wing.
It was from Princess Celestia.
"You're requested to be at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns this instant," the guard said, not even bothering to wait for anyone to read the letter. "I shall escort you there."
After the sudden goodbyes and farewells, they followed the guard as he passed buildings, fountains, statues, parks--he himself was giving these ponies a tour of his own, although with everyone galloping or flying, it was difficult to drink in what Equestria's capital had to offer.
Minutes later, they reached the school which was taller than they'd expected. The roof was painted with depictions of stars and sparkles, the golden circle logo above the huge columned front doors shone under the sun, and the windows were tall and stately as they emanated a dignified ambience.
It was a castle outfitted for educational purposes.
They stepped inside, sped through the halls under the guidance of the guard. They lightened their hooffalls, quieting their gallop so as to not disturb the students in those halls of le--
"Shh!"
And they all stopped as they turned a corner, seeing Princess Celestia standing by one of the double doors. Her unexpected appearance made them shiver a bit except for the guard who'd preserved his stoic face throughout the whole trip.
"Class is in session," Celestia said in such a friendly voice, putting a hoof on her mouth.
Confronted with her former teacher but not plagued by past misdeeds, Sunset looked up to her. "What do you mean?"
The princess first looked at the guard. "Fence Lock, do you want to see what's happening inside?"
Fence Lock turned around to see those close friends. Then, turning back to face his superior: "I'll ruin the moment just by being there. I'll return to my station."
Celestia nodded. "So you may."
And so the guard flew away.
The hallway left to themselves, Celestia noted the carpet she was standing on. It spanned the corridor with its heartwarming heart designs stitched on it. That bit of introspection over, she lifted her head. "I'd like to say congratulations."
Everypon--
"But let's save the partying until after Twilight's done," Celestia said.
That threw the mares off on a curveball, their surprised looks exemplifying it.
"She's not done?" Dash asked, stretching her forelegs out in protest.
"Oh, she's done with the exam," Celestia answered, closing her eyes in another wide smile.
Her horn glowed yellow as the knobs glowed, too. They squeaked, speaking of their antiquity, before the doors would open.
Celestia trotted a few meters backwards. "I'll let you see for yourselves what she's doing now."
That statement wasn't meant to be ominous. However, they peeked inside with a hint of dread in their hearts...hopefully, it was happy dread.
Inside was a small classroom that could hold up to ten students. Conventional classroom stuff were accounted for: bookshelves, maps, chairs, teacher's desk, and chalkboard.
In lieu of studying with books and quills, however, the pupils in attendance were all teleporting apples and oranges around, those things popping up here and there across the room in pow!'s and spow!'s.
Observing this successful teleportation session was the teacher standing by the chalkboard, looking pleased at the progress of her pupils.
She was a purple unicorn wearing a pair of glasses.
"Twilight?!" all her friends yelled in shock, enough shock for Pinkie to fall over and faint. This made Rarity panic and faint, too, secretly jealous that her title as drama queen was put into question.
And the students stopped teleporting, partly at seeing the friends of her teacher, partly at the unconsciousness of two ponies there.
Celestia went over to Pinkie and Rarity, lowered her head, and whispered to their ears, "I know you're faking it, girls!"
Which made Pinkie jump up, yanking Rarity along by the mane.
Only for the both of them to crash land.
When the chaos there was over, with the students asking if they were alright, Twilight trotted over to her friends, nodding to her students that they should rest for a while.
Sunset's mouth twitched at her approach. "D-D-D-Did you just what?!"
Twilight scratched the back of her head, avoiding her glance. "Uh-huh!"
"You got these unicorns to teleport stuff?!" Applejack shouted, taking in each of their faces.
"Uh-huh!"
"Did you pass the exam?" Fluttershy asked, worried.
"With flying colors, surprisingly!"
"Then you better teach me!" Rarity demanded in half a jest, stomping the checkerboard floor.
"...what?"
Dash hovered down to the ground. Tipping her head to the side in mild appreciation, she eked out, "Uh...good job?" Regaining confidence, she nodded her head, flapped her wings, took Twilight's hoof and made a hoofshake on the spot. "Yeah, good job! Awesome job! Passing the exam and helping native Equestrians how to teleport? That's our Twilight Sparkle!"
Sunset stepped forward, passing by Dash and taking up Twilight's focus. "So, have you ever considered teaching magic in an official capacity?"
Twilight rubbed her foreleg, nervous about that possibility. "I mean, I wouldn't mind teaching on a part-time basis, but, if my time here has shown me anything...it's fun!" and whinnied. "It's very fun to not just teach magic but to learn it all together!"
In support of their first-time teacher, her students clapped their hooves, one shouting, "Yeah! Go second Twilight!"
Taking that as an encouragement to hug her friends, Twilight did just that, embracing and being embraced by those faithful companions.
Celestia watched them hug, watched the students trotting to them as they prepared to formally meet the rest of the visitors from Earth.
She levitated a note and re-read it:
Dear Princess Celestia, while I do accept your generous offer to accept me into the school, I politely decline. I believe I simply don't have the time to do anything meaningful as a student here; I'm already one in another school. However, that's not stopping me from visiting once in a while, to borrow a book or to sit in at the occasional lecture. I hope that you understand.
From,
Twilight Sparkle
"Because you already have your friends," Celestia whispered out of earshot, the hug still ongoing. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Appreciating a Gift Horse or a Herd of Them | Milkshakes.
That's what Cinnamon, Cookie, and Oakley were drinking at the Sweet Snacks Cafe. On their table were plates of crispy hayburgers and crunchy horseshoe-shaped fries coupled with bottles of cold, refreshing soda.
Outside their table, the diner was full of diverse customers. Now, it wasn't just ponies though they were the slim majority. Griffons and hippogriffs were munching on their so-called "Classic Burgers" with the return of beef to the menu. However, they had to be discreet about it when in front of other ponies; those horses slightly recoiled at the smell of cooked, delicious meat.
Aside from the griffons and hippogriffs, a couple dragons and changelings were present. The dragons had their helping of anything from the menu since they were quite omnivorous: vegetables, meat, grain, gems, and bugs, though all of them shied away from that last one. This made the changelings quite delighted, having enough food ready to satisfy their unusual palate.
All of this was held together by the pony waitresses and chefs, two of which were Pinkie Pie and Pinkie Pie. The latter Pinkie had come over from Equestria to try out being a waitress, and, now, they were laughing at high speeds, gliding across the floor on roller skates. The Pinkie pair served customers in record time as trays landed on to tables, as food and drink almost tipped over but never did. This kind of high stakes dining caught more than a few patrons off guard, though, as the adage went, they didn't question Pinkie.
Back to the table: Cookie plopped her half-full milkshake down with a clonk! She licked her lips clean of any milk mustaches. Seeing both of her pony friends, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"
Oakley shrugged and flapped his wings in indifference. "Uh, anything." He turned to Cinnamon who was nibbling on her floating, glowing fries. "Cinnamon, what do you want to do?"
Cinnamon sighed, turning off her magic and letting the fries fall to the plate. "What? You think you've run out of options?" She tapped the window, directing their attention to the budding nightlife outside as ponies trotted about on the darkening sidewalks, passing by the parking lot of unused cars and burgeoning wagons. "I know Canterlot isn't the biggest city in the world, but it's still big! We've only covered ten percent of it!"
Cookie rubbed her cheeks in pure, concentrated joy. "It's been a dozen million weeks and we've only covered ten percent?"
"We'd be very old if it was a dozen million," Cinnamon replied deadpan.
Cookie raised her hoof. "I have an idea!"
"The mall?" Oakley guessed, resting his head on his hoof.
She hit him on the snout, turning his nose red. "Stop reading my mind! You're scaring me!"
Despite Oakley being more scared, tending to his pained nose by holding it as he moaned with eyes closed.
"You wanted to go to the mall yesterday," Cinnamon said. "And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that." She ended it with a groan and a glance away from the Earth pony, busying herself with a levitating burger.
"But I'm serious this time!" Cookie whined. "I'm not a scaredy-cat anymore!"
Oakley mumbled something to himself before drinking some milkshake, holding his snout with one hoof while downing the beverage with his wing.
Cookie's ears perked up at the mumble and the slurping. She got up on the table, stared Oakley down with an innocent smile, and said, "Uh, what was that?"
The unicorn among them winced at her. Putting away her hayburger, Cinnamon said, "Get down, Cookie!" She then saw the other customers gawking at the pony on a food-only-on-this-surface table.
This unruly pony, even stomping once on the table, making the milkshakes tremble. "Nah! I'd like to know what our lovely Oakley had to say!"
"OK, I give up!" Oakley yelled, bringing more attention on himself. He raised his forehoovs and spread his wings. Then, he stared back at her, knowing this merry mare.
The next thing he said was:
"Boo."
"Aaaahhh!" and Cookie jumped up, hit herself on the ceiling now cracked, fell down to the table and crashed it, spoiling all the food and spilling all the drinks.
Now everyone was standing up, all dinners halted to see if Cookie was alright past the dust. The Pinkies sped their way to the scene as well as the rest of the waitresses.
When the dust settled, Cookie's eyes were in a daze, spinning around. She shook her head, steadied herself, and looked at her two pony friends looking down at her stained face. "Y-Yeah! I-I meant to do that!"
Cinnamon eyed Oakley with a dirty look.
The pegasus opened his wings again. "Eh-heh...whoops?"
Cinnamon wasn't amused. "You're not pranking her like that again."
These three ponies had gotten their freedom and no one was going to stop them from enjoying it. Uplifted from that dumb state of being simple animal, they'd gained intelligence, consciousness, and sapience in a matter of moments. Life had risen from the monotonous cycle of eat, sleep, and serve. It had opened up to endless possibilities. They could become whoever they wanted to be with all the little complex details that came with it.
So, of course, the first thing they did that night was go to a comic store and buy a couple comics. The owner had gotten some series from Equestria, stuff like the Power Ponies or Flashfire. Cookie bought a dozen issues, draining the collective wallet to three quarters of its original size. This bothered Cinnamon who wanted her to be thrifty and it bothered Oakley who wanted to spend those bits to buy enough ice cream to make his ice cream cloud.
Since they could also appreciate music now, they then went to a music store. Contrary to the rumors that'd floated about, Vinyl Scratch stayed there--if that wasn't enough, she'd proven her loyalty to the store by remaining at her post despite being a unicorn. Like before, she was blasting beats through her headphones, although that didn't hinder her from accommodating these beginners in life.
After ten minutes of drowning out the conversations, the arguments, and the hoof-fight that almost happened and that could've broken a few discs--after that, she let them buy a couple of her namesakes.
"Good thing we have a vinyl recorder!" Cookie proclaimed as she lifted the basket of records onto her back.
"It's 'vinyl player'," Cinnamon corrected, mentally rebuking her for such naivete.
What came next was the local florist which was Lily Valley with her signature blossom on her pony ear. Now, the peculiar thing about selling pretty flowers to horses is that these flowers were both pretty and elegantly sumptuous, tasting like flavorful tea to the equine tongue.
So, Cinnamon, being a mare of taste, bought bouquets teeming with lavenders. She shared them with her friends to munch on these purple plants together.
As for the flavor, lavender tasted like a minty pinecone.
As they wandered about aimlessly, taking in the lamp posts and the other trotting ponies just like them, Cookie bounced around, breathing in the fresh air that never felt so fresh before, even going as far as hugging the occasional sidewalk tree and feeling something fuzzy in her heart. Oakley hovered over the sidewalk, enjoying the weightlessness of being a winged creature, free from gravity's shackles. Cinnamon had her horn glowing magenta while she levitated the lavender bouquets, those fragrant bunches floating before her magically.
"OK, now can we go to the mall?!" Cookie pleaded in a sing-song voice, pointing at the huge shopping complex just across the street. "Can we, can we?!"
"Slow down!" Oakley replied, flying in front of her to have a closer look. "Wow, you gotta eat less candy and chocolate!"
"She hasn't had any of that for the past thirty minutes," Cinnamon noted.
The pegasus now had a dilemma before him. Solving the problem of a hyperactive pony by reducing her non-existent sugar intake. "What would be the opposite of eating sugar?" he then proposed.
Cinnamon flicked her tail, giving him a glare. "Licking salt."
As she turned to the left and crossed the street.
"Wait!" Oakley yelled, going after her. "Where're you going?"
"I know where she's going!" Cookie shouted, pushing the pegasus to the side as she leaped over to the other side.
Approaching the mall.
The Canterlot Mall was, like many other malls, a hub for shopping and entertainment. It was the ideal venue for buying groceries, purchasing luxuries, eating meals, meeting up, watching movies, playing games, parking cars....
Although they'd long known what a mall was and what it contained, that knowledge didn't prepare them for the experience. For one, its bright colors and brighter lights wowed the ponies, even no-nonsense Cinnamon. For another, they went up and down the escalators, amazed at being moved without moving themselves; Cookie and Oakley waved at the creatures hanging around, making them weirded out by these over-enthusiastic horses. For a third, they tried pulling Cookie away from the TV shop, saving her from a horrible future of staring at a dozen screens to watch endless rolling greens.
After half an hour of strolling around, they ended up in the cafeteria. A couple stalls were still closed; the many that were up had creatures from both worlds working together, taking orders, and cooking up all kinds of food.
Five minutes later, they'd settled on a table with a strange an assortment of dinners. Daisy sandwiches with grilled hay on the side, deep dish pineapple pizza garnished with parsley, and ten milkshakes--yes, that perennial drink for dessert, that favorite of Cookie since she kept smearing her mouth with its whipped cream. Meanwhile, Cinnamon helped herself to that mighty big and tall pizza, and Oakley got the simplest option with his sandwiches and hay, making the pegasus the winner of the health race.
Except there wasn't any. As far as he knew, there was no guilt or shame on the two mares.
It was after Cookie downed her third milkshake that she started speaking: "Hey, you know there's more than the three of us, right?"
Cinnamon put down her knife and fork, unwilling to stain her hooves with such an oily crust. "If you're talking about horses like us, yes."
"Then how come we haven't met any of them yet?" Cookie asked, grabbing her fourth glass. "Where are the horses from the huge ranches?"
"We're not exactly in the countryside, Miss Chocolate Chip," Oakley said, joking a little there with the nickname.
"What about Cotton?" Cookie went on, losing her liveliness. "Or Domino and Dale? Or Barkley, Marquis, and everypony else from ol' Rough Stock's place?"
"I doubt anypony from the old farm would travel this far," Oakley answered with a sigh, folding his wings. He was poking the hay with his hoof.
"But there must be some city-hoppers somewhere!" Cookie complained, pouting and putting her head on the table. "It's great talking to ex-humans, but I want to talk my kind! I wanna talk to the horses that were always horses!"
Cinnamon halted her piece of pizza from entering her mouth. "Are you saying we should go on a road trip?"
Cookie jerked her head up and giggled, snorting at that. "Driving cars shouldn't be that hard!"
Oakley scoffed at the idea of pressing pedals and steering wheels. "Why drive when we can pull wagons?"
Cinnamon quickly gulped her sweet and savory bite to join this devolving talk. "That's not how it--"
"You want wagons?!" a haughty voice came from the table behind them.
They looked that way.
Saw a suave and lanky unicorn standing by the table. He wore a striped shirt, a bowtie, a boater hat, and a cool smile.
"'Cause I got a couple wagons by the parking lot!" he said, trotting up to them and extending a hoof for a shake. "The name's Flim! My brother, Flam, can't go because he his hooves are tied with maintaining the vehicles in question!" Flim rubbed his forehooves and produced an eleventh milkshake from his hat. "But, I'm sure we can all come out of this very satisfied!"
Cookie gasped at this new milkshake. Without even saying "Thank you", she yanked the glass and chugged the beverage down.
Cinnamon shot a suspicious glare at him. "Aren't you the guy who tried to scam Applejack out of a thousand dollars?"
"A thousand dollars, huh?" He rubbed his chin and thought that term over. "Well...I bet you that we've clearly moved on from that unprofitable business!" he shouted. "We've expanded to other more lucrative, more legal ventures!"
"...like?" Cinnamon grilled, Oakley and Cookie looking to her for something to say.
Not really an answer.
"Like selling wagons!" Flim replied with a tip of his hat.
Buying into it, Oakley nodded and smiled at this kind fellow. "OK, we'll give you another shot!"
"I don't think we ever met him before," Cookie whispered to his ear.
Oakley's eyes went wide. "Wait, we haven't?"
Flim snuck up to them, wrapping forehooves around those two while secretly stealing some hay. "That's quite understandable! There are only two of us brothers--" then glared to the side "--OK, four with that whole multiple dimensions debacle--but, adding two more to the pot won't be much trouble for your comprehending minds, hm?"
Cracking her neck, Cinnamon rolled up her imaginary sleeves, got out of the chair, and placed a hoof on his snout. "Listen up, Flimmy! We may be new to this life business, but Applejack's told me a lot of bad things between you and your brother!"
"And what did this Applejack say about it?" he said, keeping up that smug smile in the face of an angry unicorn.
"That you're cons!" Cinnamon yelled, her horn glowing purple.
Flim smirked, noticing the magic she was about to unleash and willing to defuse it. "What about I show you the magical artifacts inside the wagon?"
And Cinnamon's glow wavered. "Wait, huh?"
"That's the spirit!" Flim said, wrapping a hoof around her neck and already leading her away from the table in a fast trot. Looking back, "Come on, mare and gentlestallion! I and my brother Flam shall show you rare magic items straight from the land of Equestria!"
Cookie's eyes glowed and sparkled under the cafeteria's dazzling lights. "Ooh! I wanna go!"
Oakley, the only one left unfazed, stuck out his tongue. "How can we be su--"
"We are absolutely-tootely sure!" Flim cut in, hoofing out a little ball and throwing it to the ground.
Smoke surrounded them.
And all he heard was coughs as he dragged them out of the cafeteria with both hooves and magic.
Outside, they reached the parking lot, seeing Sweet Snacks Cafe to their left. Parked there under the post lights was a yellow and red wagon, big enough to fit about five ponies with all their belonging.
"No time to waste!" Flim said at the hurrying ponies. Then, turning to the wagon, he shouted with a cupped mouth, "Flam! Is everything ready for the presentation?"
The door was yanked open. Flam, with his bushy red mustache, appeared and dropped a full box onto the pavement. "There you go, dear brother!" and, waving at the three ponies there, "Why, hello! Ready for a song?"
"...song?" said Cinnamon, Cookie, and Oakley all at the same time.
Flim and Flam jumped straight to the wagon's front, inhaled a lot of breath, and--
"You!"
The dear brothers looked at the sidewalk and saw Starlight Glimmer and Trixie who was fully equipped with hat and cape.
"It was you two who stole Trixie's smoke bombs and hid them on Earth!" Trixie yelled, pointing at them. "Give them to her and return to Equestria with us...or else!"
And Starlight's horn glowed, staring daggers at them as if her eyes alone could petrify them like a cockatrice.
Flim and Flam dearly gulped together, their own eyes shrinking at the sight of these vengeful unicorns. "Shall we leave, brother?" Flim asked.
"Most certainly so!" Flam replied.
Thus commenced a chase, Starlight and Trixie galloping after Flim and Flam.
"You forgot your wagon!" Cookie cried out after them although they were already gone, their hoofsteps fading away.
A few seconds of silence as they processed what had just happened before them: Two conponies tried to swindle them out of their money but were then saved by the timely arrival of two other ponies--and all four of them were from Equestria.
"Let's get back," Oakley then said, derailing their trains of thought. "The food's getting cold."
"I agree," Cinnamon said, turning her body towards the doors. With drooping ears, "Sorry for getting swayed by that Flim pony. I...I didn't know he was a little persuasive."
"Good thing I ordered cold milkshakes!" Cookie said before jumping.
Cinnamon flicked her tail and clucked her tongue at this milkshake-passionate pony. "Were you even lis--"
"Howdy!" greeted a familiar country voice.
"What is it now?!" Cinnamon yelled at the intruder.
Which turned out to be Applejack harnessed to a wagon.
"A-AJ?!" they all yelled together.
"Oh, no!" she replied rather modestly. "It ain't just me!"
They heard a door creak open and saw several ponies come out of the wagon and approach the three of them.
Cookie gasped, faintly recognizing these ponies. She placed her hooves on her head, jumped again, and shouted,"We were just talking about you like ten minutes ago!"
Both Apple horses and Rough Stock horses went in for a group hug, exchanging greetings in words and in mumbling tears at this impromptu reunion.
Cookie wiggled out of a unicorn's nuzzling forehooves. "I thought we'd never see each other again!"
Dale turned his face away and sneezed, parting the bangs from his face. Hoping Cookie wasn't infected with whatever germs he had leaked, he said, "I don't know about that. You could just walk, you know!"
"You serious joker you!" as the group hug dispersed and everypony else talked with Cinnamon and Oakley. "So, what brings you here?"
Dale rocked his head back, mentally rehearsing the story. "Applejack texted us with one of those cellphone thingies, said something about meeting you again. We had a GPS-ajig and a map. We got here, met up with AJ and ta-da!" and spread his forehooves.
Once she politely nodded at the short story, she gazed upon the mass of ponies around her under the lights against the dark night. They continued talking to each other in upbeat tones with some glancing at her. "Dale, where's Rough Stock?"
"Oh, he changed into a unicorn just like me and Cotton!" he replied. "After he re-met all of us as a pony, he retired and let us be free to go wherever and do whatever. We stayed, of course," pausing to look up and smile, thinking of the warm hug they themselves had given to their former owner, "but he's not here because he thought he'd ruin the moment."
"Aww, he should've come!" Cookie stretched her lips into a ridiculous frown. Then, licking them clean, she got back to being cheerful and bubbly. "But, hey, you're here! You're all here!"
"Yeah, we are!"
They hugged again as everyone else kept talking.
Applejack gave herself a tip of the hat, staying by the wagon and seeing those horses as a whole once more, bonding together at the mall's parking lot. "Family's worth the trouble, ain't it?" |
A Magic Turn of Events | A Duet with Yourself | Vignette Valencia had a problem.
She was a pony now. At least she didn't have pesky wings or magic horns to deal with, but she was still a pony.
Vignette Valencia then had another problem.
Equestria Land was in chaos. Everyone was running or flying in panic at their new forms. No one knew any better as they ripped and crashed here and there. A rollercoaster almost broke into two thanks to a pegasus flying way too fast, and she worried it might fall on unsuspecting people.
Or creatures. For a second, she debated about whether the word people applied to her and them anymore.
She paid a passing thought to her account on SnapGab, then realized social media as a whole would slow down for a while. Using phones without fingers would be quite the challenge. At least computers were marginally easier: they relied a lot on buttons, not those admittedly fancy swipe-and-touch screens. It almost felt like magic, now that she thought about it.
Heh. Magic.
But, she had no time to think about those things. A griffon was plummeting her way, and she was surprised she managed to gallop from the threat.
One obstacle down, a hundred more to go. Getting used to four legs, falling debris, and unanticipated magic beams and strange creatures.
She got out with a scratch.
When all was said and done, though, no one knew what to do. Equestria Land was partially in ruins, and half the attractions just weren't the same without people--or, rather, humans, because she'd thought people might apply to them in some senses.
In the aftermath, she got word from her buffalo boss that Equestria Land would be closed for the mean time and that she had the responsibility to announce it.
So, she announced via SnapGab that Equestria Land would be temporarily out of commission thanks to the global magic disaster. It was a painstaking experience for her, not only because she'd invested much of herself into the place, but also because she had a very difficult time typing it out with her flat hooves...but, of course, it also made her sad that Equestria Land would close.
Not that anyone cared that much. They had bigger problems than not going to the local amusement park.
It was a welcome change of pace, not being asked a dozen times over by random strangers to take a selfie with her. That whole fiasco with the Rainbooms and the light parade had proven more than enough on that front.
She sat at Sweet Snacks Cafe, contemplating on what to do next. In this strange new world where magic was the norm and humanity just disappeared out of thin air, Vignette appreciated drinking her milkshake in peace. While she was sometimes acknowledged by the occasional passer-by, they'd leave her alone, as they had to get used to their new body and their new abilities first.
She checked her phone sitting beside the milkshake and her bowl of stress salad. The SnapGab notifications were piling up, but she deemed it a straining task to tend to all of them with her phone-unready hooves.
The phone had her note app open. It had some notes, but not because of the virtual keyboard. She managed to use her voice-to-text feature on the app. Ironic she'd relegated it to her useless things on my phone category before.
She'd recorded some notes and items for Equestria Land's re-opening. It had to be a soft one, and everything had to be done on the fly. Things like market research would be nigh impossible to do when no one's of the same species anymore.
Then, the doorbell rang.
Vignette looked that way, heard a few gasps and whispers but nothing more.
It was Countess Coloratura, smiling sheepishly as she trotted about. She kept her eyes straight ahead, unwilling to entertain anyone else's shocked expressions.
She'd seen pictures of the singer before, but seeing Coloratura as a pony up close and personal gave off that same feeling of familiar awkwardness or awkward familiarity: This pony was definitely Coloratura, with matching coat and mane, but her pony form made her appearance very uncanny.
Everyone looked uncanny, really, but then again, she didn't grow up in a world of magical talking ponies.
Then, Coloratura strode to Vignette's table, expectant eyes now on that other celebrity.
"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to be this early!" Vignette blurted out, lifting her head up.
"Well, it's these," and Coloratura raised a hoof for her to see more clearly. "Still getting used to them. Almost tripped up a couple times thanks to sidewalk cracks."
"It's been weeks!" exclaimed Vignette, putting a hoof to her mouth in confusion. "You should've gotten used to it by now, F-Y-I!"
Coloratura laughed it off. "Really? Get used to this? I'm trying, but that's a tall order for me. I'm surprised you adapted so quickly."
In response, Vignette also laughed it off, or she tried to. She knew it was a good way of relieving pent-up stress alongside eating healthy. That's what the salad was for, after all.
Then, when the giggling was done, Vignette asked her, "So, what exactly do you want to talk about? I-M-H-O, I assume it must be about that concert you were supposed to have in the park."
Coloratura nodded, looking outside through the window. She saw everyone walking down the streets, but saw no humans there. It's just confirmation, repetition of reality to her. "Yeah. Well, I've had a lot of changes since the disaster...other than being a pony, of course," to which she added another sheepish smile. Almost blushed, too.
Vignette rubbed her hooves; no stranger to gossip she was."What would they be, exactly?"
Coloratura gulped. "I met myself--" eyes still looking further outside "--m-my other self."
Valencia kicked back her head in thought. "Oh. That's been a thing I've been hearing a lot lately, I-I-R-C." Twirling her hoof about in exaggerated gesture, "Having versions of ourselves in the other world, the other universe...whatevs you call the other place. Haven't seen me there, though." Frowned at that. "I even T-M-T over there, and she wasn't even there in the time I took! I'm worried about myself and...myself."
Coloratura chuckled at how narcissistic that sounded. "Maybe she's not as popular as you."
Vignette stared down at her salad in reflection.
"I-I'm sorry if I sounded bad," continued Coloratura, going to apology mode... "it's just...you know how, say, Rari--I mean, Twilight here is a high school student but Twilight there is some big royal princess everyone knows about."
Vignette leaned in, listening with a bent pony ear, yet her mind had already wandered off. Maybe she was the opposite of Twilight in that sense: that she was this famous personality in this world but some average nobody in the other. Probably farming oranges with a bit of flair.
"So...we talked," Coloratura went on, perking Vignette's ears back to full listening levels. "It was a weird talk, hearing ourselves speak to...ourselves." here, her blush fully bloomed. "But, I found out she fired her old boss who turned out to be her Svengallop. He'd been using her as his meal ticket, his way to get everything he wants just by being her manager."
She was scratching her mane now. "I...I began having suspicions, a-and, after we parted ways, I decided to find out on my own about my Svengallop."
Vignette lowered a brow, inching her head closer at this juicy tale. "So, was it true?"
"It was true to some extent," the singer answered, more solemn this time. "Turns out, he was using me as a meal ticket, too."
That's when the sniffling began.
It hit Vignette to see this renowned performer show the cracks, the chinks, in her armor. The facade hadn't been thick at all: a sheen of sincerity had emanated from Coloratura ever since her rise to fame. Even then, Vignette herself was a celebrity; she knew a thing or two about keeping up faces here and there. Still, it was both haunting and comforting to see her open up.
Not fully, though. She swallowed and gulped, closing her eyes tight to wash the tears back into her system.
Then took a swig of Vignette's milkshake.
The pony who bought the milkshake felt annoyed at this rudeness, but she just placed a hoof on her own cheek. She didn't want to think about her wasted bits. So, moving back to the subject: "That sounds like you're jumping to conclusions."
Coloratura hid a wry smirk, also assuming that Vignette, too, had jumped to many conclusions before. How else would it explain Vignette's excess of confidence in her awful singing? Then again--she wiped her mouth, taking away her milk mustache with it. "Yeah, I...I admit I did. I had him forced out of the troupe, and it was the right thing to do...but, it doesn't feel right," shaking her head, "to just tell him that and let everything come apart for him l-like that."
Vignette sighed, turning her glass around. "Yeah. How do you feel about that?"
The singer put more of her head's weight on her hoof. "It feels like cheating, except you're not sure it's the right answer because it's another world's version of you and your boss."
"So, that complicates things," Vignette quickly replied. "You at least have a temporary boss? Or are you your own mare?"
"Not yet," she said, silently noting the usage of mare over woman. Coloratura didn't want to bring that up in front of her; not now. "No one here wants to take the job because the changes messed up everything. No one there wants to either because they're still assessing Earth."
Vignette bit her hoof. "Ow. I can't believe we've gone this deep. Our P.O.V.'s have gotten so deep!"
"Everyone's gone deep," Coloratura said, tapping her hoof on the table. "I think it's the only way we can cope with this, though." Her eyes took on wistful appearances as they glittered under both sunlight and dinerlights. "Humanity's done, and we have to survive as whoever we are now."
"True, true," Vignette absently blathered in her posh valley girl accent before she sipped on her milkshake, careful not to give herself a milk mustache.
Then, Pinkie Pie, in full pony waiter uniform, rolled her way to them and dropped glasses of orange juice onto the table. "On the house, my little ponies!" she yelled cheerfully before rolling away to the adjacent table.
Coloratura let out a long sigh as she wrapped her hoof around the chilly drink. "Well, at least some of us are taking it better than me."
Vignette nodded, silently agreeing with her there. She then took a difficult bite of her salad, holding her fork with both hooves to accomplish this feat. She didn't mind Coloratura watching her like that; she rationalized to herself that Coloratura was an Earth pony just like her, so she had no wings or horn to help her.
The next thing Vignette said was, "So...B-T-T: What do you want to do with the concert? Any updates?"
Coloratura lowered a brow, ready to tell. "I-I managed to talk to my other self again. Turns out she crosses the barrier once in a while to help everyone out, volunteering to assist us ponies." Putting a hoof on her cheek, "It's unusual to receive your own kindness...know what I mean?"
Tapping her chin, Vignette said, "And, what did she offer you? A duet or what?"
The singer gulped, eyes shrinking at that last part. "Um...yeah. She offered to duet with me."
That finally got Miss Valencia to burst out laughing, causing heads to turn at her elegant yet out-of-place cackling. It's warming to see such an elevated figure laugh like the rest of them.
Coloratura blushed even more, embarrassed about the concept of singing a duet with herself except that self wasn't exactly herself.
"Really?!" Vignette huffed as her bout of laughter died down. "That's...that's gold! M-M-W, that petit somme of yours...no, the both of yours--"
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Coloratura said, raising both of her hooves to catch her attention.
So, she calmed down by flapping her hooves in front of the face to fan her into a more tranquil, more humble train of thought.
With that, everyone went back to their meals and their own conversations. The noise of utensils and plates clanging returned, too.
Vignette sighed, rubbing her eyes clear of joyful tears. "So...sorry, but...that sounds like a desperate move on your part! S-C-N-R...really couldn't resist!"
"It's OK," Coloratura said, doing her best to not hold any ill will against her. "What we're all doing is strange, anyway."
Vignette nodded. "Yes, yes--that 'neighsayers gonna neigh' saying is going to be a lot more literal." Now her turn to put her hoof on her cheek, "So, what do you want? You want me to relate this self-duet to my manager? I mean, if you can, we can make that concert the opening act of our re-opening!"
"Uh...."
"Go and T-Y-T, Coli-turi!" Vignette said. Then, smiling that photogenic smile she's always had, "Getting what I want is what I do best, and when I want you to have a smooth time performing with your other self, you will have it."
Coloratura matched Valencia with a smile of her own. "Well, let's see...."
One sunset months later, Equestria Land found itself with its gates about to re-open.
The lines were long, but not for the park itself. Truth be told, an amusement park looked less fun when magic's real. Why go on a rollercoaster when one could fly? Why observe a rodeo when everyone could participate themselves? Why square up against fake wizards when real ones could do despite how bad of an idea that was?
Posters were everywhere touting this marquee performance of two Coloraturas singing together. It's advertised as A duet that's out of this world! That was no exaggeration; that was a fact.
Among those packed in line were Sunset, Twilight, and Juniper, the latter two wearing Daring Do hats and holding copies of Daring Do books. Since the books' labels on the back conveyed that they'd been printed in Canterlot, Equestria, one thing could be concluded from these two fans:
They were very impatient fans. Why wait for one's Yearling to write the next book when the other Yearling was at least five books ahead of her?
Among other creatures were the Canterlot Movie Club super excited to see Coloratura: they were craning their heads around to see if there was a break in the line, if the gates were still open, if one of the Coloraturas was in sight.
Octavia and Vinyl Scratch were in front of them, the cellist wearing a hopeful smile for the night; indeed, inspiration was one way of getting her cello-playing confidence back on track. If Coloratura could play the piano with those hooves, then anypony could use any instrument. It also helped her that she'd heard of her Equestrian self being part of the concert's ensemble.
The Shadowbolts, too, were waiting in full force. Lemon Zest appeared quite joyful to attend this performance if her mouthing the lyrics to Coloratura songs through her headphones wasn't any indication, much to the irritation of the other four.
Twilight Velvet had also joined in the fray, all jumpy and jittery to ride the Neighagara Falls Barrel Flume. The only ones keeping her sane and not whining over the incredibly long line were Night Light and Shining Armor who were holding this wife and mother on the ground.
It took a few more minutes of waiting and patience as the ticket booth ponies did their final checks and setup.
Then, the gates opened.
The crowd of ponies and more swarmed in unorderly fashion into the park, entering into the loud array of rings and bells and other noises and bright lights and colorful fast things everywhere--for such was the nature of a typical amusement park.
A loud voice blared through the speakers. It was Vignette, who was greeting all visitors: "Welcome to the grand re-opening of Equestria Land! We hope you enjoy your stay here in this literally magique place, and don't forget tonight's main event: The Coloratura-Coloratura concert! Or, as I'd like to call it, The Col-Col Duo! #Coloratura, everypony--and don't you forget that hashtag!"
So, with the concert in mind, most everyone went up to the big stage at the end of the road, that save pavement where the Rainbooms' light parade had taken place. Instead of a band playing songs on a moving float, though, there'd be something more manageable. Now, no one expected the stage to wheel around; it'd be grating to the neck to turn here and there just to get a proper angle on the stars.
Beside the stage, however, was a peculiar sight: colts, fillies, and other young creatures were lined up, the queue leading to the back of the stage.
There, behind the stage and away from the spotlight of hundreds if not thousands, were two Coloraturas meeting with the schoolponies, schoolgriffons, schoolchangelings, and other schoolcreatures. The pop stars entertained the children in various ways, from asking them simple questions to accepting short singing requests. It did confuse the schoolcreatures at first, seeing two ponies with the same voice and the same name, but that's why Equestria's Coloratura, Rara, wore her simple long curls on her mane while this world's Coloratura, just Coloratura, had short pigtails hanging from behind and then below her ears.
In the hubbub of star-studded excitement, a smaller Apple Bloom came over, stringing along Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Hi, agi'n!"
Rara smiled, trotting closer to the fillies. "Aww! The Cutie Mark Crusaders! So good to see you!" She ruffled Apple Bloom's hair, careful not to undo the Apple pony's big bow. "How've you been?"
Meanwhile, Coloratura witnessed this exchange, confusingly amused at how she saw herself (but not exactly herself) talk to her own fans (which weren't really hers, and it still made her feel strange).
"We're doin' fine!" Apple Bloom yelled. "This is our firs' time crossin' the portal, and wowee!" She raised a hoof over her head like she was putting up a rainbow. "It's a different kind o' world out here!"
"It's not really that different now," Sweetie Belle remarked, her smile having given way to a smug expression.
"It's still different!" Apple Bloom countered. She then nudged Scootaloo on the shoulder. "Right, Scootaloo?"
She was getting no response.
"Uh...right, Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo wasn't paying attention to her or Sweetie Belle. Instead, she was paying attention to herself.
Her other, older, taller teenager self along with her other, older, taller teenager friends in Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, all three of them having just trotted into the area.
The Canterlot Movie Club and the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other in bewilderment.
Everyone stopped talking. A sense of foreboding came over all these observers, all these spectators of an inter-dimensional meeting no one was quite sure about.
The two CMC's had their mouths hanging open, staring at each other in awe. Three looked down at their younger grade school Equestrian selves, three looked up at their older high school CHS selves.
"A-Are you...?" stammered all six in unison, pointing at their counterparts on the other side of this standoff.
The two Coloraturas were worried about the outcome. They whispered to each other's ears, and Rara related how rambunctious the Cutie Mark Crusaders were as troublemakers even after getting their cutie marks.
Coloratura only hoped they wouldn't start a contest or something like that.
. Since the CMC's fell to the ground laughing at and with each other, Coloratura breathed a sigh of relief. Confused relief, but relief nonetheless.
Everyone else ended up laughing, too. Laughter was the best medicine, and it's good to share it around.
"Out of the way!" came the disgruntled voice of Applejack as she rushed to the stage's back, Rarity and Dash galloping behind her. "I need to know where our sisters went to and--"
Everyone stopped again, now with this sudden arrival of those three mares.
They looked at their sisters (or pseudo-sister in Dash's case), and then their Equestrian counterparts.
Silent blinks were swapped in this short while.
"Okie-dokie, then," said Applejack, scratching her baffled head. "This is gonna be mighty awkward."
"I don't think it'll be so awkward, AJ," Rara said with that hint of familiarity, only to realize this wasn't the Applejack she'd spent at camp all those years ago. Clearing her throat: "I think they should get to know each other and enjoy the concert together. Now, isn't that a good idea, Coloratura?"
Coloratura nodded, receiving her other self's glance. "It certainly is, Rara."
Applejack smiled a sheepish smile, unnerved by this somewhat same-sided interaction. "O...K?"
And everyone laughed at that, too. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Arrive on the Mise-En-Scené | "I know you must've been busy with your uncle-niece bonding time today," Twilight said as she, Dash, and Juniper Montage trotted by the Canterlot roads at night, "but have you heard what they just did an hour ago?"
"About opening up the portals for public use?" Juniper asked, smiling at such a momentous occasion being done.
The city of Canterlot was awash in lights this evening, showing that many had slowly recovered from the magic disaster. In a way, lights did mean some sort of the usual city activity: office lights showed ponies hard at work at their cubicles and desks, store lights displayed winged creatures easily perusing the products on the top shelves, and park lights cast long shadows over changelings performing a stage play.
There was a pool of overly-competent actors available for hiring and signing, that's for sure.
Under the whooshes of pegasi like her flying above the sky, Dash smiled, too. "Yeah. I'm not so used to the idea of portals being so normal like cars, but...eh, I've read enough Daring Do to get used to it anyway."
Twilight chuckled at that. "You mean being able to fly, experiencing magic, going to Equestria, and becoming a pony didn't help you get used to portals?"
The three mares shared a laugh at that, even Dash with her participating in a sip of self-depreciation.
Honk!
And their laughter turned to screaming at the car's noise.
They turned to the source of the nuisance and saw a pink car. Inside was Pinkie at the driver's seat, waving at them while she somehow operated the steering wheel with her hooves before accelerating out of sight at the next turn.
That left them silent for a while.
Then, they continued trotting through the city as if that didn't happen, Dash shrugging off Pinkie's inexplicable weirdness.
"So, are you planning any trips to Equestria?" Twilight asked the movie buff. "I mean, we've been there, but that's a complicated thing to talk about, really, and--"
"Of course!" Juniper yelled, surprising the studious pony and almost causing her to drop her glasses.
Twilight saved them with a glow of her horn, though, and floated them back to her face.
Dash nudged Juniper on the back of her head. "Huh! It's like you've been waiting for that to happen all along!."
Juniper grinned in half embarrassment, half anxiety. "Not really, but...I've heard Equestria has lots of sprawling landscapes, all kinds of new people, um, creatures...who're also people--and it'd be nice to do a short film there and hang out with everypony there!"
"Earth has sprawling landscapes," Twilight countered, miffed about how Juniper was brushing off miles and miles of local landscapes just like that.
"Yeah," Juniper conceded, but she leaned her head in closer and said, "though they're not magical landscapes!"
"Ugh."
They laughed at that, too, as they continued their little journey through Canterlot. It finally ended in a bookstore in which the owner had gotten clearance to sell books from Equestria.
So, they got the whole collection of Daring Do books from both A.K. Yearlings. It was a fun sleepover for the three rabid fans at Twilight's.
Getting clearance to go through the portal wasn't too easy, though. It might've not been as nerve-wracking as going through airport security with all its well-meaning hurdles and barriers, but Juniper still had to sign a waiver and be at the portal on time lest she forfeit her opportunity to cross dimensions.
By that time, the vortex in front of CHS had been contained and concentrated into a manageable framed portal the size of the old horse statue, housed inside a small but tall two-floor station. There'd been talks to relocate the portal elsewhere because it then looked like the school had a random huge building out of nowhere.
So, they did.
Now, the portal stood by the bridge entrance to Canterlot, decorating the landscape with its lavish presence and the sign by it that simply said, Portal to Equestria Right Here. Soothed by the rush of the river nearby, several pony guards were posted at the station, all wearing thick armor and armed with spears that had their tips constantly glowing with magic.
In the small crowd before the station (but not too large to spill over to the road), Juniper gulped and tightened her grip on her saddle bag. There, inside that tiny building and across the portal, would be a whole other dimension where all the magic happened and had happened from time immemorial. It gave her the feeling of visiting ancestral lands: magic was everywhere here, but Equestria was where it came from, after all.
Other creatures waited around in the crowd, causing cacophonous stirring as excited talk and chatter filled the air.
It didn't help that, on the side, a little tunnel labeled Arrival ushered, well, arrivals from the other side to this world. Most of them were through-and-through Equestrians, amazed at how utterly different and at how utterly similar Earth was to their home dimension. Curious eyes looked their way, with some yearning to ask what'd they think of the experience here.
Although the experience was not even ten seconds long, so no answer would be sufficient for that request just yet.
"Juniper Montage?" a deep and booming voice called out.
The pony in question stretched the limits of her face by smiling really big as she trotted right in front of the station. There, she met the guard standing in front of the door, the one who'd called her out.
He scrutinized the mare's face, squinting his eyes to see if this Juniper was really who she claimed to be. The guard then silently gestured at his unicorn buddy in arms to levitate the mare's saddle bags, rummaging through the items there to see if there was anything suspicious.
"We got your waiver," said the first guard. "All we need to know is if you don't have any dangerous objects in your possession."
That made Juniper all the more nervous, making her bite her lips as she watched her bag being inspected and investigated by a serious-looking unicorn clad in no-nonsense armor. She didn't read the list of forbidden items twice or thrice even though it wasn't that long. No weapons, no explosives, no radioactive material, and that was it.
Then, a camera was lifted out, coupled with some microphones. The unicorn raised his brow at her. "Explain yourself, ma'am."
"Ah!" and Juniper bit her lip again, stopping her teeth from nervously clattering. "I-I'm gonna record footage in Equestria! I film stuff, and I like to act, too, and--"
That second guard rolled her eyes, returning the camera to the bag and closing all zippers and pockets there. "OK, we get it. Just make sure you don't record any sensitive information with that, especially if it's imbued with magical properties. Who knows if it might unleash some monster trapped in a can for a thousand years?"
Juniper nodded, unfazed by the concern that her camera might deliver destruction to both worlds. It sounded like a funny thing to think of. Nothing could possibly go wrong with a camera and some microphones, right?
Could, but it wouldn't.
The guards mellowed to a smile as they opened the door to the station. "Move fast so you won't slow anyone behind you down...and have a wonderful time in Equestria, ma'am."
This final obstacle struck down, Juniper gave them a good farewell and entered the portal station.
Door was closed shut behind her.
She didn't notice that, though.
What she noticed, with her full attention given to it, was a big glowing portal. All the room's light came from it, creating a bleak atmosphere of contrast in this place: the bright white light against the fleeing darkness. It certainly turned the portal into something much more mystical, mysterious, and magical than before.
The threshold to another world, to another dimension, lay before her hooves. Just twenty steps and she'd be in that other dimension, that other world, that other land full of that magic wonder that'd existed long before it spilled over to Earth. Having seven magical amulets and some sparks of stray magic drift around was nothing compared to this.
She felt her heart pumping.
No backing out now.
Juniper trotted through.
Kept trotting with her eyes closed and--
"Yah!"
Fell to the ground with a resounding thud! Felt the rough patch of grass and dirt on her snout, and so she spat it out, hating the taste of dirt but still surprised at the savoriness of fresh and crisp grass.
"Oh, howdy there!"
Still didn't see anything, but she heard that all-too-familiar twangy voice. "Wha--"
Felt something grasp her hoof, felt it trying to pull her up.
"Argh! Come on, missy! Ya' gotta get up, now."
Heeding such a call, Juniper got on her four hooves, relying just as much on the other pony's strength as she did on her own. Then, rubbing her eyes, vision clearing up though not fully: "Wha...who...A-Applejack?"
She'd turned to her right and had seen Applejack there, complete with her trusty hat along with her ponytailed mane and ponytailed pony tail.
"Not the Applejack you know of!" the farmpony exclaimed as she picked up Juniper's glasses.
She put her spectacles on her face, having gotten over using them with her hooves some time ago already. What she did next was beam at Applejack. "Wow! Th-thank you...I--"
And was distracted by the world around her.
She looked away from Applejack to take in the view.
Away from the scrambling haste of city life back in the Canterlot she knew, Juniper beheld the rolling rural hills adorned with lush green, the breathtaking clear skies expertly controlled by cloud-moving pegasi, the faraway mountain city of Canterlot looming in the distance, the railroad winding down to the quaint and dainty village of Ponyville with its old-style thatched cottages, the towering Castle of Friendship and the School of Friendship straddling by the town's limits, that pristine river that flowed across town from the waterfall over there....
That was just her surroundings. She observed the ponies trotting around in town. Excepting those who'd stopped to glance at her--their new arrival in this dimension--they'd moved around at a peaceful, slower paced than did the inhabitants of the city. It could be pinned down to how everything felt dated here: the old-style cottages, the old-style roads, the old-style architecture and appearance in general; not an electric pole in sight nor a cell tower--not even a phone or a computer or an airplane, too.
To her, ponies here were just slower. Taking their time or just being sluggish with the times, though?
Juniper turned around to see the portal station on this side of things. Set somewhere close to the center of town, it was exactly the same as the one on Earth, with the sign saying Portal to Earth Right Here instead. Guards were posted there, too, as a little crowd of tourists looked at this Montage pony, wondering who this might be and what her purpose was in visiting their world.
She looked away from them to save herself from a dose of humiliation and beheld the view in front of her once again. Banishing the potentiality of stumbling her way to teasing in her first steps here, she found some solace, some peace and quiet in that view. All she could say was: "W-Wow! And...a-and--"
"Oh, you forgot this, too," Applejack said before picking up her saddle bag by the mouth.
"Ah! Right. Sorry!" and Juniper took it with her mouth before slinging it around her torso, feeling the weight of her camera and other filming equipment inside.
"That's just mighty fine!" Applejack blurted out, shaking her hoof. Then, cracking her own neck and then tipping her hat, "I was supposed to tell ya' earlier that I'm your guide."
Juniper shook her head. Now she was getting a freebie, too? "Wha...? But, I didn't ask--"
"No need to ask," Applejack interrupted, holding up a hoof and cutting her off. "Your Twilight told us how excited you were about comin' here." Let out a laugh that sounded a bit like a scoff to the side. "I mean, sure, it's nice, but since both our worlds are magic ones with talkin' horses an' what not...I personally don't get why some ponies visit us--" then, back-tracking with a snap back to a smile before she could shame Juniper for her actions, "--but, that's OK, Miss Montage! I'll be as hospitable as I could be...show you the sights an' stuff!"
Juniper's hooves rattled about on the ground, expressing pure joy that way. Although anything could happen to mess this trip up, she decided not to worry about it. In worry's place was a breath of fresh air, and a hoof shooting across the air. "Alright! Let's get to it!"
Applejack nodded, already trotting off on the path.
Juniper followed, giddy over with her camera there. Here was a picturesque world to explore, its beauty ripe for recording--then, a thought crossed her mind: Why not make a fantasy movie here? With the prevalence of magic, supposedly unusual creatures, and deep locations of lore, Equestria was the perfect setting for such a movie.
She then laughed at herself for that bit of absurdity. Why film a fantasy movie when both worlds were pretty much fantasy movies--no, beyond fantasy movies?
Baby steps. A short and reticent five-minute documentary first, she thought.
Did the film pony ever think lugging a camera and its equipment around Ponyville was a cumbersome ordeal? She probably didn't since she wasn't exhausted with angling her camera with a hoof or setting it down on a tripod. With the camera's red light on, it recorded a variety of serene scenes: trees bending in the wind, open blue skies untouched by clouds, and butterflies flitting over bushes.
Since Applejack was her tour guide, the first stop made a lot of sense: Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack introduced her to the Apple family, which all looked familiar to Juniper although she had to remind herself they weren't the same family from Earth. That didn't make the resemblances any less uncanny.
Aside from the Apple ponies themselves, the vast farmscapes caught Juniper's attention. More serene scenes to record with swaying apple trees and livestock running around without paying much mind to this strange pony with her strange contraptions. Her tour guide tried to let her in on some farm history and more information--definitely not opinion--about how apples were the best fruit ever, but Juniper was too busy with her mini-movie.
After a trot by the technical borders of Ponyville, the two reached their next stop: the Castle of Friendship. Juniper took a couple snapshots of that glittery jagged structure, amazed by its image: a castle resting on the laurels of a crystal tree, topped with a banner and a spire that displayed the cutie mark of the Princess of Friendship herself.
The stark disparity between the Twilight Sparkle she knew and Equestria's Twilight Sparkle came to mind once again. This royal of the land lived here in this splendid castle, doing whatever Princess of Friendship stuff she was doing in there. Juniper kept telling herself that she wasn't that formal, but the pompous castle kept telling her otherwise; besides, she didn't particularly like the idea of knocking those humongous doors just to strike up a chat with this Twilight.
To the right was the School of Friendship, boasting to the castle that, what it lacked in size, it made up for in style. "I teach there some o' the time," Applejack added with a nudge on Juniper's shoulder, hoping to get this pony out of her camera funk.
Over there, hanging out by one of the school's ponds, was a large group of twelve creatures that looked like clones of each other. Enjoying the sound of a rushing waterfall were the Student Six, as they'd become known around these parts, along with their other selves back on Earth. They were busy playing an expanded edition of the board game One Pony Business, and the excitement of having twelve players on this large board was getting to their heads. It didn't matter if they had their counterparts right across the irregular circle or even beside themselves; there was no awkwardness to it today:
Earth's Sandbar was learning about Griffonstone culture from Equestria's Gallus, Earth's Gallus was arguing with Equestria's Ocellus about how unfair the game's rules were, and Earth's Ocellus was busy making a trade of properties with Equestria's Yona who then asked Earth's Smolder if's actually a good move...and, to that, she deferred the question to the other Smolder who just shook her head and said, "Don't know, don't care."
Silverstream did scream when she got those extravagant dark blue properties, but Juniper couldn't tell which Silverstream was which.
An eyeroll from Applejack later, Juniper was guided back into Ponyville proper again.
The tour went on as expected, with Applejack talking up a blurb about each landmark while Juniper engaged herself in the art of cinema.
They visited town hall with the mayor too occupied to entertain their presence, going overtime with her stacks of papers for inter-world relations in Ponyville.
Sugarcube Corner had Pinkie Pie working up a batch of fragrant cakepies for a "special delivery for this special pony who's especially coming here with an especial purpose!" Applejack couldn't argue with that since Pinkie was Pinkie, so their time there was short-lived.
The marketplace was brimming with stalls and tons of ponies trotting by, carrying all sorts of bags to do their daily groceries. Juniper saw Rose--a different Rose, to be sure--hawking flowers with Lily Valley and Daisy, though they were a bit appalled at seeing Juniper herself, as if they just knew she wasn't from this world. The latter did her best to ignore that thought, but it still lingered in her head.
So, they went on: Rich's Barnyard Bargains, Carousel Boutique, Ponyville Day Spa, Ponyville Hospital, even the local party store.
There were times when Juniper wasn't listening to Applejack ramble on about the history of Ponyville and how her family helped build it up, and it wasn't because she believed the apple pony had too much braggadocio. In fact, Juniper was quite busy with recording this and that, even taking videos of seemingly random items like balloons and checkerboard floors.
So far, Applejack didn't seem to mind, at least on the face of things. At the party store, she mumbled to herself, "If you're enjoyin' yourself here, I ain't complainin'."
Applejack did her best to not complain, too. It was hard not to complain, however, when her guest didn't so much as even pretend to know she was there.
Thus went the rest of the tour.
Juniper had grander ambitions than Ponyville, though.
Once the tour had run its course and Juniper had gotten used to this new world, she told Applejack that she wanted to go to Canterlot and pay that a visit.
"Ya' sure about that?" she asked, putting on an uneasy frown. "Canterlot's full of sophisticated ponies. Sure, they're accommodatin' and they'll be kind to you, but they ain't used yet to...um," gulped, "new ponies like you."
"I'll be OK," Juniper replied, brushing her mane off with her hoof. "I can handle myself from here on out."
With Applejack's rather hesitant approval, they walked to the train station. There, the two ponies parted ways and exchanged farewells, Applejack saying that she would go and bake some apple pies for the weekend dinner.
As for Juniper: she observed her surroundings.
She had gone to a few countryside villages before in her life, but, from what she saw so far, Equestria was a world still wide open for exploration and numerous possibilities. It was true that there were wide open spaces and fields back on Earth, but one glance at a map of this world, and everything seemed a whole lot more enormous. They hadn't even mapped the entire world yet! Juniper had been unsettled by enormous swathes of territory left undiscovered, but she brushed it off as the cost of having a magic world--maybe not enough research on satellites.
Her mind then strayed back to why she was here. She wanted to go to Canterlot, the capital of the pony nation. Filming there would be fun, and she'd heard there were plenty of luscious parks out in Canterlot, and who would decline the chance to video the breathtaking views of a city hanging on a mountain?
Then, she heard the whistle of an incoming train.
Looked to the left, and there it was: that approaching steam train with its puffs of smoke coming out of its chimney. She'd never seen one save for the fake ones they had on set for that one movie where a wizard boy went to a wizard school...or was it the one where four teenagers had gone through a cabinet to save a kingdom?
Anyway, here it came, slowing down to a halt, giving Juniper time to appreciate this vintage beauty of bygone transportation.
It stopped.
The doors opened, and various ponies and other creatures came out, exiting in droves.
Juniper trotted in, trying not to bump into anyone, trying to blend in with the environment, trying to act as normal as she could, trying not to give off the feeling that she'd only been a pony for a few months.
She failed since too many eyes were on her. She overheard whispers of "the other one", all with mysterious or scared glances at her.
Juniper's ears flayed as the doors closed, the pony herself rushing to a seat. Without looking, she sat beside a random pony and wiped the sweat off of her face.
"Next stop, Canterlot!" yelled the conductor.
The whistle blew, and the train slowly chugged its way back to speed, the jangling of rails diminishing into an imperceptible hum.
"Phew!" and Juniper wiped her face again. Then, in order so that she'd not come off as any more weird, she tried to be friendly by offering a hoofshake to the stranger on her left. In a cheery tone: "Um, hi! I'm Juniper Montage!"
The other pony, however, looked just like her. Had the same coat color, the same glasses, the same cutie mark of a juniper leaf, and when she turned to look at Juniper--
"Aaaahhh!" screamed the both of them as they pointed at each other, proving that they also had the same voice.
With these unpleasant pleasantries done and said, the two ponies stared at each other in shock as, meanwhile, the scenery and the sky slowly turned orange, signaling the imminent sunset.
All Juniper could stammer out was, "I-I-I-I--"
"Um," and the other pony, with a shaky hoof, said, "a-Are you...wh-who I think you are?"
Juniper nodded, dread forcing her to giggle nervously to let out the rising panic. "Y-Yes...the n-name's J-Juniper Montage...a-at your service? Wait, no!" and smacked her forehead, berating herself that way. "Wh-What was I supposed to say to myself, and--" began hyperventilating, inhaling and exhaling at full tilt.
The other Juniper placed a hoof to her own chest, slightly less nervous than her and somewhat irked by her other self's behavior. "Y-Yeah, I'm a-also terrified at yourself--ah, myself...?" Now offering her a hoofshake, "I-I'm also Juniper Montage."
Closed her eyes, fixed her glasses, not minding the train bumping a rocky bit along the way.
"Let me guess. Are you the--"
"--niece to famous movie director Canter Zoom?" yelled Juniper in sudden fascination with herself...or her?
Montage nodded, glad to cool down from that supremely awkward moment. "Well, my uncle is kind of a movie director, but he isn't exactly famous. He operates way over West in Applewood."
She scratched her head, bringing to Juniper's attention that their manestyles were different. This one had her mane all curled and tied up in a bun against Juniper's twin bunches.
"You know," Montage went on, "movies aren't exactly hot here in Equestria, at least not the high-definition ones I'm sure you're used to. You only see them in the western metros and Manehattan on the opposite side of the kingdom." Paused to organize her thoughts. "The average city in Equestria is stuck with reels and stocks, while I heard you have digital cameras...like, you can store those videos in tiny cards. "
Juniper nodded, giving her Equestrian self first-hoof confirmation of the technology. Still, that got Juniper wondering: In a world where film was still a budding innovation, what exactly was Montage's passion? How different was it from her own?
So, Juniper decided to break the ice on that front: "Um, about videos and cameras and movies...is your life story about all that?", ending with a very big and very strained grin that tested her cheek muscles.
Montage giggled, raising a hoof to her face like a prim and proper mare. "I've never had me ask myself about my own background." Her smile gave way to a frown of absolute confusion, looking down at the floor and the aisle. "Wow. That's beyond weird."
Juniper leaned closer to her, wearing a smug smile just to rub the weirdness in her face. "I know, right?"
The once-confused pony shrugged her off in jest, preferring to look out the window over baffling herself in two-universe contemplation.
Out there rested a sunset-tinted vista, with the hills and mountains and plains and rivers all under that light filter of orange. A pegasus or two could be espied in the sky, traveling to Canterlot and perhaps deeming the train too slow for their liking.
"Grew up in Applewood, actually," Montage blabbed out of the blue, bringing the conversation back on the life story strack, and making Juniper look back at her. "Even before I got my cutie mark," pointing at the juniper leaf cutie mark there, "I've always had the desire to make timeless movies and plays set in forests, jungles--as long as it was a green and tranquil place to be." Pulled her head back, letting it recline on the seat's soft headrest. "You know, because juniper's an evergreen, right?"
Juniper chuckled at that thought, now thinking about her own name. "Yeah. Partially named after a tree."
"You and I both," Montage said, rubbing her hooves as the train got a tad colder. "And, since I like evergreen stuff, I've never liked dead trees, autumn plants, things like that. Actually," rubbed her hooves again for some warmth, "I never liked winter...like, at all. We rarely got snow in hot Applewood anyway." She then stuck out a tongue with a bleh! "Snow's too cold for my taste!"
Juniper arched a brow, intrigued by yet another similarity across dimensions. "Me, too, really. I don't like winter, too. When it does snow in Canterlot, I just stay indoors and turn the heater all the way up to eleven."
The both of them shared some laughter on that one, imagining the ludicrous picture of Juniper holed up in her home, covered in a dozen sweaters by both the heater and the fireplace, surrounded by a myriad of green juniper trees indoors.
Then, Juniper and Montage looked out the window once again, settling their minds in reality and away from ridiculous hypothetical exaggerations like that.
Not much changed outside. The sun was a bit lower, a bit more orange or a bit more red. The lone pegasi were gone now. A few clouds had inched in while they werne't looking, but that was all in this slow-moving view.
"What about you?" Montage then said, turning to face Juniper. "How did you grow up and, um, like movies?"
The pronouns were starting to stand out like a sore thumb--no, a sore hoof to Juniper. You, me, myself, yourself. She knew she and Montage were completely different personalities, completely individual individuals, but the fact that they were, in too many ways, the same pony was freaking her out internally.
Still, she acquiesced and satisfied Montage's fancy after a cough: "So...I grew up in Knacker City, some no-name town so it doesn't matter where it was. By then, Uncle was a rising star in the industry. Also," taking care to raise her hoof in the air, "my mother did some acting on the side while my Dad did costume design for sci-fis back in the day. I...I guess it was destiny I'd be so into movies."
She scratched her head, unsure if she'd done it before. She mentally blamed it on seeing her other self do it. Then, Juniper continued: "We decided to move to Canterlot when I was seven, so we could keep in touch with Uncle." Smiling wide, "I did lots of things around in the sets--perks of being a gofer!" and closed her eyes in that smile, remembering the times she ran around to deliver snacks, coffee, papers, and other things actors and staff needed...and then, that's when the memory of a peculiar incident involving a Daring Do film and missing props cropped up.
Montage cocked her head, seeing the growing glumness on her counterpart's face. "What's wrong? Was it something I said?", despite having not said anything for the past forty seconds or so.
Resigning herself to relate that fateful day, Juniper slumped her shoulders. The undetectable jittering of the train, she could sense in that thick silence between her and herself.
Then, with one long sigh, she asked:
"Have you sabotaged a movie, framed a famous actress, gotten shown up by some guests, forced to work as a popcorn girl at the cinema, had your mirror get cursed by magic, and gotten crazy with so much magic power that you rampaged through the mall and thought everyone cheered you for the movie star you thought you were?"
Montage simply blinked, her face blank at first. "That's...a lot to take in. And...n-no, I d-don't think so." Slowly nodding, "I do want to be a movie star someday, though...but, ow, what happened there?"
Juniper sighed, rubbing her seat as her lips trembled to retell the tale. "Well, that happened." It was hard to continue, but she'd already broached the subject. "I grew so envious of that Chestnut Magnifico...and then Sunset and her friends saved the movie from me...and, during the premiere at the mall--th-that's when I...I turned into a monster," and looked at her hooves in self-contemplation. She didn't want to give this thought a moment, but the deed had been done.
The train rolled on, now busy climbing up the steep slope to Canterlot. What'd come ahead was a few bridges, some tunnels, and the home stretch to that famed and fashionable city.
Painful silence rolled on, too. While Juniper tried to engross her mind with the good that had come after that terrible event at the mall, Montage rubbed her cheeks uncertainly.
She hadn't particularly been a bad pony per se. She'd been a rebellious teenager with attitude, sure, but she'd never gone power mad and endangered the lives of dozen. That's why it rubbed her the wrong way, this turning into a monster and all the business that came with such a predicament.
Montage, however, found it disturbing that Juniper wasn't too bothered by it. What should've been a tearful grimace was instead a plaintive smile, one that was forged out of that past suffering and reparation.
Juniper made another sigh and cast her eyes upon the passing outside once more, seeing that they were getting higher, farther away from flat ground level down below.
"I wasn't really mad at them all...OK, I was, but there was a why. The magic apparently corrupted my mind, so I went overboard some of the time...but," closed and squeezed her eyes shut before speaking out, "I wanted to be a movie star, and I thought they just took the dream away from me!"
She loosened her forelegs and let her hooves truly rest on the seat. Laid her head back on the seat, gazing at the ceiling with the lights surely about to turn on. The day was nearing its end, and everything was gradually becoming darker. The sunset's orange tint intensified, reaching into their carriage.
"And to think I trapped them in that mirror forever...all because they did what was right and exposed me." Rested a hoof on her head, as calming plans to hang out with her ex-hostages vaguely formed in that resting head. "Maybe...maybe I'll try that club Rainbow Dash has on Fridays."
Montage smiled at the idea, but then wore a pensive look. A bead of sweat pouring down her forehead, "Well, I...um...uh--"
Juniper arched a brow. "What's wrong? Was it something I said?", though hearing the same words come from her own mouth made for an outlandish episode.
Scratching her neck, Montage gulped. "So...they forgave you, right?"
Juniper nodded, not sure where this was going. "Uh-huh."
"And you're friends with them, right?", pointing at her other self.
"Uh-huh...well, some more than others." Counting them off on her hoof despite the lack of digits, "Twilight and Rainbow Dash are huge Daring Do fans, so I fan with them a lot, and Rarity has some surprising insight on what looks good for certain movie characters...but, Applejack's--"
"Uh, I mean--" and she whimpered, glancing away to recollect what to say next. Turning back: "You wanna know why I brought that up? I mean, your friends?"
Juniper blinked, becoming apprehensive about where this conversational thread might end up. "Why?"
Montage's teeth clattered, tempted to bite her hoofnails. With one more gulp: "I-I'm shy. Very shy with other ponies unless it's another film buff like me."
Juniper was merely surprised at this revelation. "Oh? You don't sound shy to me. Then again, I'm not exactly an extrovert, either."
"Yeah--" quietly laughing nervously "--but, that's because you're...me but not me."
Although that was fun to know, this was getting too odd to not call out. "Alright, you don't have to mince words with me...uh, me. What do you want to say?"
Montage's smile wobbled. Here was her opportunity, and she took it to say: "I...I was wondering if we could...oh, wow, this will be weird...."
"What?"
Cleared her throat, coughed whatever imaginary obstructions were stuck in that throat. Finally, she said, "If...I-I was wondering if we could be...friends?"
If they could be friends.
Juniper's eye twitched at the possibility.
As the train rolled on, having finished its climb.
Back on Earth, Dash's Official Daring Do Fan Club, so it was called, usually held meetings in the namesake's house.
No, not Daring Do's house since she's certainly, definitely, and undeniably not a real pony.
Situated near the border of the city of Canterlot was Dash's house.
Her parents had been very supportive of her ever in this adventurous endeavor ever since she was introduced to the series by Twilight. Their support persisted through bad hair days, extreme enthusiasm expressed through screaming, and the fact that their daughter was now a magic pegasus--and that they, too, were magic pegasi.
This Friday, Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistle whipped up quite a feast for what was supposedly a hoofful of snacks: biscuits and crackers topped with mushroom lasagna and stuffed potatoes, all steaming hot with the tangy smell of tomato sauce wafting through the house.
Dash and Twilight waited at the dining table, giddy with not just books but also the DVDs of the Daring Do movie, the merch in the form of plushies and hats and shirts and flags, and notebooks--especially for Twilight. Where could she store all her ideas and outlines for her Daring Do fan fiction, after all?
"Any moment now," Rainbow said, tapping the table with her hooves and making an impromptu beat with it. Using a wing to hold her fork, "But...how are we going to tell the difference between the two?"
"We call ours Juniper, and the other Montage," Twilight replied in a perky voice, unable to hold her excess enthusiasm. "Got it?"
"Uh...what else again?" Dash said, giving up with a twirl of her hoof and a close of her wings. Almost dropped the fork, but picked it up with her mouth.
"The mane," Twilight said, pointing at her own bunned mane and bringing to mind the other Twilight's straight one. "It's always the mane, Rainbow."
Vbrt! Vbrt!, as the alarming door bell rang through the whole house.
"It's open!" Dash yelled, barely holding her own excess enthusiasm, too, as her tapping hooves became a rapid drumroll so fierce, only Twilight's magic kept the food from falling into pieces.
The door opened, and, over there against the night, were Juniper and Montage, grinning widely and carrying bags of Daring Do books and wearing the merch.
"We're ready!" Juniper yelled, holding up her first edition copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone.
"And is that mushroom I smell?" Montage remarked, sniffing the delicious permeating scent.
Twilight clasped her forehooves and hoped her look would convince them to come in immediately.
"OK!" Rainbow shouted, beckoning them in with her hoof. "The first native Equestrian in our club! Come on in!"
So, both visitors came inside.
Before the door even closed, all four fans couldn't help but jump around at having such a full club for this session. They were surely going to have a great time geeking out over Daring Do together. |
A Magic Turn of Events | Magic | Eight years later.
On a day close to wrapping up eight years later: as the sunset streaked across the sky with its rays of orange, Sunset Shimmer trotted through a cool and breezy Canterlot on the way home. She still lived in that somewhat dingy apartment despite having had a couple offers made to her regarding "proper houses". The pony had turned all of them down, unwilling to part with her first dwelling on Earth.
Although her abode hadn't changed, Canterlot had and it'd changed in strides. Most of the buildings had retained their old modern appearances, but what--or who--they had was something else entirely: various creatures of all kinds mingling in the lobbies, in the aisles, in the lounges...everywhere, and outside, too, on the sidewalk. Not even the sky itself was devoid of these creatures as a pegasus and a griffon bumped each other's hoof and claw in mid-flight.
The stores and supermarkets still sold the usual stuff, although that stuff had been modified to fit Equestrian needs. Keyboards for ponies, to take an example, had been reduced to two keys and a space bar, with the keys acting more like pressable spinning tops than just buttons. Medicine, too, had taken on a more fantastical route, with homemade brews having gained traction with bottles and pills sporting weird-sounding ingredients on the labels like Zap apple, foal's breath, lazililies, Phoenix Flora. Cameras had been given the adaptation treatment as well, getting neck pads that could bring the camera up to the pony's eyes for easy picture-taking.
That's without mentioning the outright magical like potions, spells, and one-use rainclouds which, if the sticker by the racks were to be believed, were great if you want to have control over your weather!
On the road, the majority had moved on to carts and carriages, with more than a few ponies willing to pull and haul other ponies and creatures around for money--it was like a taxi anyway. However, ex-humanity still had the technology they'd developed, so a couple early bird innovators created cars specifically tailored for hooves and paws, with the accelerator angled higher so their hindlimbs could reach it, for instance.
What gave Sunset a bite of peace, though, was how it wasn't all burning down in flames, or that it hadn't been reduced to rubble or even just abandoned. Instead, Canterlot--and, really, all the world over--continued on their merry way. Everything had been rocky during the first year or so, but now, it was quite alright.
The house lay only a few dozen steps away.
Sunset was now, of course, eight years older. But, not much about her appearance changed. Her wavy mane became slightly wavier, but that was all.
As she approached her home, Sunset noticed Lemon Zest was putting up a poster on her wall, taping the notice on her wall.
"Uh, Zest?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the poster. "What's that for?"
The Earth pony took off her bluetooth earphones, her head still bobbing to the rhythm. "I'm participating in the Crystal Prep Cornhole Tournament! Wanna watch?"
Sunset rolled her eyes. Despite having moved on from Crystal Prep and education in general, Lemon Zest had stayed faithful and loyal to her alma mater, and it showed. She was wearing a baseball cap with the Shadowbolts' insignia on it.
Onto the poster: there was depicted various silhouettes throwing bean bags into the board. It screamed, Crystal Prep Academy, one of the finest educational institutions in the world, is hosting its 50th Cornhole Tournament this month!
Sunset chuckled, thinking kindly of Lemon Zest winning the championship. "Have fun, then!"
"You, too, Sunset!" Lemon said back.
Both waved hooves at each other as Sunset glowed her horn, turned the knob around with her magic, and entered.
Not much had changed in Sunset's house either. Her computer and her video game console did, although it was mostly to get horse editions and they had big components and parts suited for hooves, wings, and plain magic.
Still, she slept in the same bed, ate at the same table, looked out the same window, and heated food at the same microwave. The floor was the same, the wall was the same, the ceiling was the same.
A lot of things were the same here.
Sunset looked at the clock hanging and ticking above her front door.
Five o' clock sharp.
"One more hour," she mumbled, agitated. "What am I gonna do for one more hour?"
So, out of boredom, she decided to do a sneak peek of spring cleaning even though it was already autumn. Sunset trotted to a nearby drawer, and found a couple of trinkets. Inside hid a couple of broken phones, many horseshoes, a few late and unusable coupons, her old journal, some salt shakers--
"Huh?"
That red glow came over the journal. She floated it out of the rubble and blew the thin sheet of dust out of it.
When it'd settled with a rather pungent smell, the pony beheld the book: the journal, that magic journal with its abstract interpretation of the sun on the cover.
She placed a hoof on it. Still felt smooth like it'd always been, although she could feel its aging wrinkles.
Levitating the book in the air, she opened it and slowly flipped through the pages, careful not to accidentally rip or tear a leaf or two.
She saw the cherished correspondence between her and Princess Twilight. It hadn't gone all the way back to their first letters about the Sirens and the Battle of the Bands--this wasn't that other journal. Despite that, going through the pages gave made her nostalgic: telling Twilight how the Daring Do movie premiere went with Juniper, Twilight gushing over how cute it was to have a gecko as a pet, the princess congratulating her for passing the driving test, Sunset relating the story of how the fall play went....
This warmed her heart. This also warmed her eyes, as a tear ran down her cheek, although she moved the book forward so that the tear would not stain this precious thing.
Then, she flipped to the last page with words on them.
Written in a hurried scrawl, these last words:
...I think I'm close to becoming a pony. Write what thou may, but know that we may not respond any further.
Please help.
The nostalgia gave way to those doom-filled days. Memories of that whole magical incident flooded her mind: the direful rush to find the solution in the library, the confrontation with Midnight Sparkle back on Earth, and then those moments after the portal had been overloaded--those moments when she realized, to her horror, that the world had gone magical. That no humans were left, that these strange and weird creatures she'd been familiar with had taken their place.
All of their places.
Sunset closed her eyes, thoughtful over this string of events, over how her world was now. Yesterday, she hadn't given a single span of attention to the world of before, to humanity of old and how magic used to be this wild novel element being introduced and opened to Earth. Actually, the other day, she hadn't done given a span of attention to that, too. And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that....
She noticed something else in the drawer's messy pile.
It was another notebook.
Sunset levitated it up, hanging it in the air for her to see clearly.
It was an ordinary notebook. The cover was made of plastic, and there weren't too many pages nor too few. It was an ordinary, average notebook.
She turned around and set it against the sun's setting light. The unicorn flipped it around and saw a sticky note on it. It simply read:
Notebook for notebooking.
It wasn't the words that mattered, though. She recognized her hoofwriting there. Or, well, her handwriting from back then when she still had hands.
Sunset then noticed that she'd been absent-mindedly levitating a ballpen from the desk.
She decided to take her own hint.
Put the journal back into the drawer, dragged the notebook through the air as it glowed red, and sat at dining table, dropping it there and levitated her ballpen to the page.
Her lighting? The rays of the setting sun.
Sunset was in her element today.
So, with the notebook open on the first and blank page, she began:
Dear Princess Twillight Sparkle.
"...wait a minute."
Sunset dropped the ballpen to the page and re-read what she'd just written.
She chuckled at herself, scratching her head in self-embarrassment. "Silly me! This isn't a magic journal!"
So, she crossed that out.
Then, she began again:
It's been such a long time since I've written anything like this. Where does the time fly these days?
I noticed my last words on my journal was almost a decade ago. Since I last touched the journal, I graduated from Canterlot High, finished college, served as Principal Celestia's sometime assistant, and racked up a serious tenure at the local sushi bar.
Heh. That doesn't sound much, but I've really come a long way. (I also can't believe I still work there, but it's a fun job!)
Earth has come a long way, too. Ever since that Monday afternoon, the world's changed. Not all for the better, not all for the worse. Sometimes, I wonder what we missed because of that, if we'd all lived out normal lives. As normal as magic geode-wearing friends could be, but that still counts as normal compared to being in Equestria 2.0.
Anyway, I told you what I've done, which, frankly, isn't that much. Yeah, I also helped around town, did some odd jobs here and there to satisfy my fancy like that one time I helped Applejack stomp apples.
Speaking of Applejack: Not much had changed with her and her family. After all she's been through, she still helps out at home with farm work. She did get some new family members thanks to their old horses suddenly getting minds just like ours, but, let's face it. They've been with her for so long, so does it really matter?
If you ask me about her whole situation, though, she's fine. Applejack is right where she wants to be.
Earlier in the day, in the early morning, Sunset was treated to a traditional Apple family breakfast. Their hospitality was a mainstay, after all, and one of the more delectable forms that hospitality came in is food. Lots of delicious, mouth-watering, savory-and-sweet-to-the-nose-and-mouth food: apple pie, apple cake, apple cobbler, apple turnover...and all of that and more, topped with apple juice, apple shake, and apple ice cream.
"It's mighty nice you came over to chow down with us!" Applejack said from the seat beside her, rubbing her own forehooves in anticipation. "We've had a great harvest this season, but before we get in'o all the Thanksgiving festivities, we're doin' a test run, so they say!" Then, she patted Apple Bloom's mane. "And this couldn't have been possible without my dear sis'!"
Sunset looked there and saw Apple Bloom gulping down her apple juice from her seat, which wasn't a polite way of introducing herself but that was OK. She'd grown up to be a talented baker, what with the apron around her neck. After all this time, however, she still wore that bow on her hair, now accompanied by another like it.
Big McIntosh was happily chowing down on his three slices of pie, slurping this and that as Cinnamon shot a glare at him, implying that he should have some manners on the table. Oakley ribbed on Cinnamon by lightly nudging her chest, only for the pegasus to be attacked by another glare, and so he shuddered. The unicorn distracted thus, Big Mac resumed his sloppy yet passionate dining.
Granny Smith rolled her eyes, looking at Sunset and Applejack in particular. "Just get on wit' it!" she murmured under her breath before opening her mouth wide to eat some pure apples.
At the dining table, therefore, was a simple family having a nice breakfast. The sunlight through the window cast a happy warm glow upon their table, upon their happy faces.
As for Fluttershy, she's done well for herself. Staying a pony helped her relate to her animals even more now that they see her as an equal (or first among equals, but I shouldn't tell her that). Like Applejack, she's right where she wants to be: Helping out animals at the animal shelter and, somewhere down the line, helping out everypony, too.
Although, in a world with magic, she has learned of new animals to take care of.
The animal shelter had not seen any renovations at all.
OK, it had its walls proofed with steel and anti-magic material, but that was merely for protection, the manager had posited. Even then, he'd gone on, pets needed to roam around on the grass once in a while; should the grass be renovated, too, with the world's changes? That'd seemed like paranoia to him.
Today, it was merely another Tuesday for the shelter as a jackalope fair was held just outside, and, really, what was so mesmerizing or amazing about rabbits with antlers on their heads?
Yet, that's what the non-pet lover would think.
Several ponies and other creatures had traveled from far and wide to this shelter to see these jackalopes hop, skip, and jump freely. To them, they were adorable critters, and some were already voicing their desires to take one home.
Sunset levitated a couple carrots to a bunch of jackalopes, which they nibbled on with gusto. Several joyful squeaks could be heard from between their whiskers.
"Thank you for the carrot delivery, Sunset!" Fluttershy said, announcing her presence by landing on the ground as she carried a bottle of carrot juice on her back. She closed her wings and looked back, checking if there were any scratches or anything stuck on her feathers and on her mane which'd lengthened over time.
Sunset smiled and wrapped a hoof around her friend's neck. "My pleasure! Besides," looking off to the husk of jackalopes gobbling up their food, "they're kind of cute. Never had the chance to see these things back in my day."
Fluttershy smiled, closing her eyes cutely and tilting her head to the side. "Well, they're quite nice--"
"Run!"
And ponies came screaming out of the shelter, scrambling away from the two-headed orthos barking twice as loud and twice as fast, causing the ground to shake and tremble.
The visitors panicked, yelped, ran, jumped--anywhere. The jackalopes hopped away to the back of the shelter, away from the raging dog/s as it rabidly bared its two sets of teeth to whoever was the nearest which, now, was a poor mare hiding in the bushes, hoping the adage of "You don't see me, I don't see you" would come true that moment.
Sunset gulped, backing away and biting her lip in fear. "F-Flutters? Since when did you get--"
"Oh!" and Fluttershy flew over to the dog and immediately rubbed its head. Both of their heads.
As quickly as it'd burst out in senseless anger, it'd calmed down, now sagging its tongue and wagging its tail. Those vengeful eyes had become delightful puppy eyes, and those barks had softened into mewling bleats.
Then, as fast as they'd dispersed, everyone came slinking back, relieved that the threat had been neutralized, that the orthos was now just like any ordinary pet dog.
An ordinary pet dog with two heads, sure, but those are trifling details.
"Aww, don't you worry!" Fluttershy said in a dainty whisper to it...or them. "I know needles are scary, but you have to be brave for your sake because they will help you against sickness. Be brave not for me but for yourself, you little doggies!"
The doggy/ies then rolled on the floor, rolling in bliss at Fluttershy's call and beck.
Sunset, meanwhile, had her jaw hanging open at this feat of pet mastery.
Rainbow Dash was pretty sad when the Rainbooms had to break up at the end of high school. It's great everyone's stayed in Canterlot all this time, but with everyone having to go their separate ways career-wise, it was inevitable.
So, it surprised me when I found out she was going on a solo act, help set up the country's buckball league complete with TV networks and sponsors, and get viral on the internet by hanging out with A.K. Yearling twice a year. I'm still not sure if she knows Yearling's secret, though.
(Note to self: Rip the last sentence out if Rainbow comes knocking.)
She managed to do all three and much more. Rainbow's a sports hero, a part-time one-mare-band, and one of the most famous Daring Do fans in all of history, all while leading Canterlot's weather team and staying good with her co-workers at the Rodeo Sports branch.
She may've grown a bit cranky and out of focus, but I gotta say: she's such an accomplished mare.
"You think?!" Dash said, yelling at Sunset with a snicker as she held the microphone close to her mouth and her shades-covered eyes.
Both ponies were standing inside the studio room that'd been installed in her house some years back. Furnished with soundproof walls, expensive recording equipment, a many-buttoned-slidered mixer, and a personal fridge and television set to keep her company--all these lay in the room as it smelled of fresh buttered popcorn.
Unlike Applejack and Fluttershy who'd gone through minimal changes, Rainbow went radical ever since she started wearing shades and sunglasses all the time, even indoors. Part of it had been due to her singer personality, part of it had been due to the simple hunger for being cool no matter what.
"You think I can't sing a song about fried chicken?!" Dash yelled once again, only to end in hearty laughter as she slapped the wall with her hoof.
"Not really," Sunset replied, then, turning her head to the side, "but, why? Why fried chicken of all things?"
"Easy." Dash knocked her forehooves together with a slam! "Everypony sings about love. Everypony."
"That's a stereotype and you know it," Sunset said in deadpan.
"Bah!" and the pegasus flared her wings open in disgust. "Whatever. Point is, everypony thinks fried chicken's too funny to talk about. Well, guess what, world?" and stomped a hoof on the floor with a determined stance in her voice. "I will sing about fried chicken and nopony's going to stop me!"
"You can't even digest fried chi--"
"That's why I order veggie fried chicken," and, as if waiting for that moment, Rainbow grabbed a leg of veggie fried chicken from her bowl of popcorn and chewed on it. She made a point to eat as loudly as possible, opening her mouth wide so that Sunset could see her teeth get dirtied by the food all while listening to her aggravating om-nom-nom-nom's.
She then got distracted by the game going on via TV. Dash lowered her shades and exclaimed, "Oh! Really?"
"Really what?" Sunset said, glancing over there and looking at the screen. Then, she gasped and smacked a hoof on her cheek. "What?! Canterlot Cavalries tie it up at seven?!"
Rainbow quickly grabbed a Daring Do plushie and held it close to her chest, staring at the screen as the final minute of the game began.
"My ponies better make it in!" Rainbow shouted. Shaking her balled up hoof at the screen, "You hear me, Stratusburg? You're going down! Call yourself the Halters, eh? More like the Falters, am I right?!" and budged Sunset out of the way, causing her to almost trip.
All the while, Sunset made a mellow smile through it all. Rainbow was indeed enjoying life...except when her home team's on the cusp of missing the playoffs she herself had designed.
Rarity consulted with her Equestrian self even before she left high school. It's rather unfortunate the old owner of Carousel Boutique just left off because Prim Hemline wanted to move out, and Rarity's done her best to bring her back. But, when she wholeheartedly gave her full control and trust over the shop, Rarity got ecstatic. I've never seen a pony so happy over owning a fashion store before.
With the help of the other Rarity, Rarity started fashioning her fashion empire (hah!). She made sure it was always the clients who came to her, not the other way around. She made sure that she was the one setting the trends, not the trends setting her. As she'd told me before, "If they're in fashion right now, then they're practically already out." Or was it the other Rarity? I guess I'm still not used to this other-selves thing after so long.
Rarity also has a side job of playing the piano--a "proper" one this time--for special occasions like weddings and formal parties. She hangs out with Octavia that way, who's also gotten over her funk. (Actually, she's a better cellist as a pony than when she was a human. Don't believe me? Ask her yourself, book.)
Now, Rarity's the fun fashion magnate who you can always talk to. She's never forgotten her roots here; even insisted on staying here most of the time and letting her entourage do the rest. It's great, really, that she still spends lots of time with us.
"No," said Rarity, inspecting Sunset who she'd donned up in jacket and hat, not unlike a certain detective. "That makes you look mysterious, to be sure, but you need to be both mysterious and beautiful. And a touch of the present."
In the Carousel Boutique, ponies trotted around, checking the dress and suit displays and then checking themselves in front of the mirror. Assistants adorned in dazzling clothes of ties and hats complimented their clientele's looks, approving of their choice or suggesting a better alternative based on their mane, eye color, coat, and a host of other details.
As for the grand fashionista herself, Rarity's looks hadn't changed one bit. Or at least on the surface they hadn't. Sunset had suspected that she'd been using more make-up than usual today, but she decided to not talk about it, especially after hearing the pony whine about how magic make-up from Zecora was doing her wonders.
Sunset did her best to stay still on the platform as Rarity removed the jacket and replaced it with a dark cyan one, one that complemented her eye color.
Rarity smiled and lightly clapped her forehooves before turning Sunset to the mirror. "There! Or, almost there, as it were."
"Uh--"
Rarity swapped the hat for a cyan one, too, matching the shade and hue of the jacket.
"That's better!" she shouted, eyes fluttering. "Would you like some eyeglasses to add to that look of mystery?"
"Uh, no--"
"Or, how about a monocle," Rarity added, tapping her chin. Then, with a shake of her head, "No, not that. That'd make you anachronistically tacky!"
Sunset sighed, hoping to take this as a sign to get out. "Thank you for that, anyway, Rarity."
"Well," Rarity began, "we need you prepared for the Hearth's Warming party coming up next month, and I'm trying to form a theme for it. Mystery detectives is what I'm going for, and we're sticking with it!"
Sunset rolled her eyes at this posh stubbornness. "Sure, Rarity," she said casually. "Whatever floats your boat."
The truth of it, though? Sunset just wanted to get out now. There'd always be time for costumes down the line, right?
Pinkie Pie was the only one among us who didn't go to college. She wanted to be a drummer and a party planner, and while there are music degrees out there, I don't think one could get a Ph. D in parties.
So, she gets paid to plan parties and play the drums there. It's a weird combination, but it's Pinkie being Pinkie. We expected that kind of thing to happen.
What we never expected was that she'd be the first to fall in love.
Not long after she got out of high school, Pinkie met a dreamy stallion from Manehattan: Cheese Sandwich. Turns out he's a party planner, too! Just like that, it was love at first sight. They go along like pie and cheese...cheese pie. (That sounds delicious. I can't believe I've never tried it before.) Now, she's married to him and has foals of her own. They're a happy, bubbly family.
Though don't visit their house if I were you, unless you can handle four explosive fireworks of puns and laughter going off non-stop. Trust me on this.
Overall, Pinkie Pie is still the Pinkie Pie we all know and love.
It was Derpy's birthday, and she was celebrating it at one of the parks there. Balloons hung from the trees' branches as long tables of sweets and nothing but sweets extended far into the park's borders. All kinds of creatures enjoyed the festivities: griffons and pegasi and other winged beings used the trees as beds on which to socialize and much on their food; unicorns did their best playing pin the tail on the pony while blindfolded and dizzy; and a couple deer showed some interested kirin their decorated plants.
As expected, the one having the most fun on her birthday is Derpy herself, wearing a party hat and dancing to the beat of some old-time song about magic.
Sitting on a bench not far away from the esteemed celebrant, Sunset levitated a brownie to herself, enjoying her time here as she partook in that sugary crumble only well-baked brownies could give. The chatter of the crowd blended in her ears, and all she focused on was Derpy dancing on the grass, oblivious to the world around her except that it was her birthday and that she should have fun.
Then, a tap on her shoulder, something covering her eyes, and then no vision.
"Guess who?!" yelled an all-too-familiar voice.
"Pinkie!" said Sunset in a merry tone, turning around and removing the pink hooves from her eyes. "I know it's you!"
Pinkie rubbed her chin with a nail file, all on her upside-down face. "Really, now? I find that very suspicious. Don't tell me you're a spy of a secret organization only you know of!"
Sunset smiled and crossed her forehooves, unfazed by the baseless accusation. "Come on, Pinkie."
Pinkie let go of the branch her tail was hanging from and landed on Sunset's bench without damaging it...somehow. She then grabbed a whole cake from the table and chomped it down in one bite, her gulp as big as a dozen golf balls.
Sunset raised her hooves up to her face to shield herself from the cakey mess.
When it was over, she found Pinkie bobbing her head to the song's beat, looking at Sunset with those blue eyes.
"So, what's up, Shimmering Sunset?" Pinkie said, wrapping a hoof around her neck and making her bob to the beat.
Sunset smiled, now becoming a little dizzy herself. "I'm f-fine. I just forgot it's Derpy's birthday today."
Pinkie gasped and retracted her bobbing grip from Sunset. She wiped her whole face with a tissue, a napkin, and a piece of bread for good measure. "You didn't receive my invitation!"
"Wait, you sent out invitations?"
"Silly Sunset, of course!" Pinkie said in sing-song fashion. "Yours must've gotten stuck somewhere...but, hey, it's not like you couldn't ask Derpy when her birthday is and schedule that on your calendar app, right?"
Sunset blinked, guilt overcoming her for a few seconds before common sense told her that she couldn't have possibly thought of that...if she could, she would've.
The unicorn coughed, more than happy to change the topic so the spotlight wouldn't be on her. With an anxious smile--for one never knew what Pinkie's next move would be--she asked, "So, how's Cheese and the kids? Are they here, too?"
Pinkie then pushed Sunset's head down, pointing over there and saying, "Look! They're with Derpy!"
Considering the circumstances against her head, Sunset should be commended for turning her head around and looking over there.
There, beside Derpy, were Cheese Sandwich and two foals who were dancing with the birthday pony in harmony, enjoying their time with her and making her enjoy her time with them. The smile on Derpy's face grew wide as it dawned on her: that these ponies could match her moves so well on her special day.
"So," Sunset began, turning to Pinkie, "does that--"
Saw Pinkie was gone. Suddenly the weight on her head was gone, too.
Turned back to Derpy.
There, Pinkie was dancing with her family, now wearing a chicken suit and doing the chicken dance.
Sunset chuckled at that one. At the very least, Pinkie was fulfilling her job as this world's Element of Laughter.
Finally, there's Twilight Sparkle.
If you'd asked her back when she was in Crystal Prep and still a human that she'd become one of the world's leading wizards with real magic (complete with wearing the whole wizard get-up), she would've thought you're crazy. She'd be the first one to tell you that magic couldn't possibly exist and that it only exists in fairytales and fantasy novels.
Oh, Twilight, how naive you were.
She's gone from that to...well, one of the world's leading wizards if not the world's greatest wizard. Twilight's made many strides in the field of magic, and she's showing her magic prowess by authoring books and papers on magic, inventing new spells no one's ever heard of, and making tons of experiments at her lab back home. She's famous for inventing the first magic-run computer, which can, for example, use the law of contagion to facilitate instant communication between opposite sides of the globe without electricity or bluetooth technology.
It's gotten to point that she received a letter from Everton to make her the President of their Magic Department and--get this-- help them open up to a more friendship-based learning system. She turned the former down but helped them with the latter. How the tables have turned (in a good way!)
Now, Twilight's a part-time magic researcher of all kinds of magic, part-time teacher in both Canterlot High and the School for Gifted Unicorns, and full-time mage on an unprecedented level.
Of course, friendship is magic, so she always invites us to go with her on her trips, and she always makes time for us when we go out for our trips.
Sunset trotted through the familiar halls of Canterlot High. Being an alumnus of the school provided her with some privileges like prestige, recognition, and unlimited access to the library even past school hours.
She passed by several ponies, most of them students talking about this and that subject, holding or levitating books and laptops and phones and such. Here, a zebra and a pegasus were showing off cool trinkets to each other from their lockets.
A few Sunset passed by were teachers, mostly because they had formal clothes, wore glasses, or had their mane or hair all bunched up. In fact, she recognized Cheerilee ordering from the vending machine over there, getting for herself carbonated coffee for the last stretch of classes this afternoon.
Sunset then turned a corner.
By the nearest door, there was Twilight Sparkle busy talking to a couple students just outside the classroom. She was wearing her glasses along with a pointed witch's hat and a long flowing robe, making her look like a nerdy witch.
Sunset decided to wait it out by the corner, taking care not to be noticed by any of the parties involved.
"...alright, that's OK?" Twilight said, rounding off the discussion with a smile. After receiving a collective nod from her pupils, "OK, I'm glad we got that resolved quickly. Now, have a good day and don't cause any trouble!"
The students trotted away, chatting among themselves as they headed for the cafeteria for their afterlunch break.
"Twilight?" Sunset said.
Twilight's ears perked up, then turned to the unicorn by the hallway's corner. "Oh, Sunset!"
Sunset nodded. "I told everyone about dinner at the cafe tonight. You're going?"
Twilight tapped her hooves in anxiety, levitating a planner to her lenses as she used her magic to skim through the pages. "Let me see...ah! Yes!" Showing Sunset her schedule for the day on the book, "I'm completely free for the rest of the night except eight to nine P.M. which is reserved for my third session of weekly long-distance teleportation experiments!"
Sunset chuckled, leaning on the wall for that intimidation factor."Still not over your brief visit to Prance?"
A moaning Twilight was the question's result. "We're not talking about my airplane ride back here."
Sunset dialed her evil smile down a notch. Then, looking over her shoulder at where the students had been last seen, "So, what was that about, Twi? Troublemaker in your hooves?"
Twilight looked behind her, then caught wind of Sunset's meaning. "Oh, you mean Bronc Stock? He got lost halfway through the lesson on magical energy in magic-light plants. I managed to clear it up with some of his friends who also wanted some clarification on the subject."
Sunset nodded, letting some seconds pass by before saying, "So, you're doing OK?"
"Doing pretty well today," Twilight replied, rubbing her forehoof in slight concern. "Woke up to Spike burping fire into my face for the hundredth time. You never know when he'll strike!"
Then, she checked the clock on the wall.
Five minutes to four.
"Uh, sorry about it, Sunset," Twilight said, already trotting away and taking on a nervous accent, "but I have to go! One last class!"
And so, they shared their farewells there and then before Twilight disappeared from sight.
That visit done, Sunset journeyed through the hallways again and then exited the school.
Outside, it was a pretty normal day. Some pegasi tended to the clouds above, some Earth ponies were busy gardening on school grounds, and some unicorns were busking on the sidewalk with all guitars.
Two more hours until six, until that dinner with friends at Sweet Snacks Cafe.
We've been pretty good so far, and we're still pretty good today. We may be more busy with other things than before, but we still find the time for each other. We still have each other to lean on.
Yes, it's been a hectic ride over the past eight years. It wasn't a walk in the park to get Earth back up and running, especially when everyone's suddenly imbued with magic in a new body, but I think we did a good job considering how Earth isn't destroyed yet.
Well, I've spent too long writing this thing. It's about half an hour until dinnertime, and I don't want to be late, not even fashionably late as Rarity would have it.
I wish I could write to you now about what everyone else experienced. I could tell you about how Sunny Flare's Shadowbolts are still together, how our principals are slowly easing in to their lifespans and their roles as sun-and-moon movers, how Timber's in a losing fight to get Twilight's attention for the past five months, how Sandalwood's revitalizing the green industry, how the Canterlot Movie Club's joined forces with Juniper and are making their first professional movie together--oh, and how Abacus Cinch made appeared out of nowhere as a unicorn just to make a public apology for her actions.
And I still have stories about Cadance and Shining Armor's family, how the Filthy Riches of both worlds made a partnership, Micro Chips making magic microchips....
Wish I could tell you all, but I gotta move. Don't wanna be late.
But, hey. This is just the first entry. I'll tell you something tomorrow night, OK?
- Sunset Shimmer
Sweet Snacks Cafe was abuzz with activity tonight, the sun having just set.
Inside, customers ate and talked in that cool conditioned air. The appetizing scents of hayburgers, garlic, and onions wafted from the kitchen as the jukebox continued playing doo-wop on the side. Black-and-white pictures of more than half a century ago had new friends now, those with color and magic creatures: over there, for example, was a photo of Princess Luna standing beside the diner's Earth pony owner.
The customers themselves were quite diverse in species: ponies, griffons, zebras, hippogriffs, dragons, changelings, yaks, deer, kirin...all eating the same food and drinking the same drink, all saying something and sometimes laughing at a joke or two.
By the windowside sat six Canterlot High graduates munching over plates of fries, onion rings, hayburgers, hash, pancakes, waffles, and carrot dogs.
This included Fluttershy who could eat just about anything on the menu now that it had to accommodate pony and other non-meat tastes. Then again, technology had marched on; anything could be made with vegetables these days, and Fluttershy helped herself to a veggie burger anyway.
It was an interesting sight to see all these different ponies hanging out like they were old buddies, but that's because they were old buddies. Rainbow Dash and Applejack still showed some rivalry, struggling in a round of hoof-wrestling on the table. Rarity had put aside her phone so she could chat with Pinkie Pie about her costume for the Hearth's Warming party, which the latter had chosen to be that of a clown because "detectives need cheering up, silly!" Fluttershy was busy with her food, although she was hoping to talk to Pinkie about that birthday party she missed. Finally, Twilight Sparkle checked her pocket watch from her witch's robe pockets.
"It's almost six," Twilight muttered, looking out the window and then glancing at the unattended plate of food at the end of the table. "Sunset should be here right about--"
Ring!
The door opened, ringing the bell, to reveal a frazzled and wet Sunset quickly drying her hooves on the welcome mat. She discreetly galloped past rollerskating waiters and traveling clients, murmuring Sorry!'s whenever she almost bumped into someone.
Then, she took a seat at her friends' tabl--
"Wait!" Twilight shouted, before glowing her horn and then shooting a beam at Sunset.
In an instant, Sunset was dry. No drop of water on her. Her mane was back to its curly self again, and Sunset herself felt fresh as well.
"There!" remarked Twilight, rubbing her forehooves at a job well done. "Much better."
Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Twi."
"Finally," Rainbow said tiredly, putting her shades up on her mane to get a brighter view on everything. "Ready to celebrate the Cavalries' win?"
"I thought this was a simple meal between friends," Rarity said, somewhat annoyed at this sudden turn of events.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Pinkie replied before smacking a box of cakepie on the table.
"Pinkie!" yelled Sunny Sugarsocks, that old waiter friend of hers as she stopped by on her shoewheels. "No outside food, remember?"
Pinkie grinned and nicely hid the cakepie in her mane. "My sincerest apologies, Socks!"
Sugarsocks rolled her eyes and groaned before moving on to the next table, already carrying a tray on her back.
Sunset cleared her throat, grabbing her friends' attention. "So...I see I have my food ready. Should I start already?"
"By all means!" Applejack answered, raising a hoof to resemble a thumbs up.
Fluttershy simply smiled at that, as if her eating of her burger would inspire Sunset to just eat already.
Then, Twilight spoke up: "Hey, uh, girls? I just realized something."
That way, everypony else had their eyes on her.
"What is it?" Pinkie asked, almost her whole body precariously hanging over the not-so-organized collection of food on the table.
It was Twilight's turn to clear her throat, adjusting her pointy hat along the way. Raising her head: "Did you know how this all started? This whole magic Earth thing?"
Then, Sunset smiled, crossing her forehooves on the table. "Right here, when we were all having some innocent snacks together."
At first, the memories came up slow. Then, they surfaced: Sunset telling them about her trip to Equestria for some kite-flying competition, Rarity daydreaming about Equestrian royalty, and Twilight inquiring about how non-unicorn ponies held kites.
Everyone else nodded, saying their slow and quiet Yeah!'s and Oh, I remember that!'s.
Then, Twilight spread her forehooves. "Well, I admit I've made some very terrible mistakes along the way. I shouldn't have nagged Sunset about it, shouldn't have obsessed over it all that time...but, when you think about what's happened, things didn't go too bad.
"Yeah, there's all the panic from week one of the catastrophe. That was really bad...but, after those first few days, I suddenly found myself crying on the bed for the umpteenth time, and I asked myself, 'Why are you hard on yourself? It wasn't your fault the world went haywire.'
A pause to catch her breath. "I've probably done some dumb things in the past that helped boost the disaster, but, when all's said and done, what can I do? Go back in time and do it the right way? That'll just make things worse." A sigh, and then: "This is the world we live in, and while I'm sure none of us had asked for it back then, it's crystal clear we've not only survived, but thrived in it--and most everyone's doing that, too."
Then, she removed her hat, putting it down and letting down her striped mane.
She rubbed her forehooves again and licked her lips. "So, let's remember the world of before, and feast to the world of today! Let's dig in!"
And so, everypony digged in, enjoying the big and bold taste and texture of fast comfort food at this enduring cafe. Everypony ate, everypony talked, and everypony laughed on that night.
It would be a good night for them on this Earth, on this strange yet familiar Earth. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | pre | Caramel's ears wilted, as he gave her an apologetic grin. "Yeah, sorry. She's been a bit gassy today, and she has a bit of the runs."
"Well that's okay, it's really not all that bad." Dawn replied. Lowering her head, she nuzzled Cinnamon for a moment before she looked back up at him. "I'm sorry that I'm not taking your offer from yesterday. But I want to thank you for giving it to me though, you have no idea how good it was to have that option, at that moment."
Caramel shook his head. "It's okay. I'm very happy that you have some family that will take you in. And I'll come by occasionally to visit, and we can always write to each other. I don't want to loose you as a friend."
"You won't, I promise." She gave him a warm smile before she bent her head down to look down at Stellar. "He's looking rather full. He tends to overeat." Sure enough, when Caramel looked at Stellar he saw that his belly was large and rounded, a sure sign that he was stuffed. "Would you please take him off the teat, before he busts himself open." She asked.
Caramel's eyes widened at the unexpected request. Was she doing this to him on purpose? "Ah, okay." Caramel awkwardly moved closer to the little colt, and nervously lifted him, but stopped when the colt remained firmly clamped to her teat. "Umm, he won't let go, what should I do?" Caramel asked, as he nervously held the little colt aloft, while he remained tethered to his mother.
"You'll need to break his suction. Place the edge of your hoof next to his mouth and press in against my teat and the edge of his mouth. That will break the suction, and he'll come loose." Dawn instructed, a slight grin hidden to the side of her mouth as she watched.
Caramel swallowed anxiously. He lowering the colt down to free up his hoof, and hesitantly reached forward, nervous about touching her in such a private area.
"Stop being a ninny, and just do it already. I really don't mind." Dawn assured him.
Caramel took a breath, and set the edge of his hoof to the side of the colts mouth, against Dawn's nipple. Gently he pressed down, and instantly her nipple popped out of Stellar's mouth, who let out a plaintive cry as he nosed around for her nipple again.
"Oh no, you've had quiet enough for now, little guy." Caramel said as he lifted the colt up. Shifting him around, Caramel laid him onto his shoulder and he began to pat his back.
"Umm, Caramel..." Dawn said, as she watched him patting Stellar's back, an alarmed look on her face. "You might want to..."
"...Blurp...!!"
"...Use a burp towel." Dawn finished with a amused grimace, as Caramel's ears drooped down, completely mortified at what had just happened.
Why do I always forget to use the burp towel!? Caramel internally groaned. He let out his signature sigh as he lowed Stellar down from his wet shoulder. Taking the burp towel that Dawn was holding out to him, he wiped Stellar's mouth, before he gingerly set the colt down alongside Cinnamon. Lifting the towel, he reached over and began to wipe up the mess on his back and shoulder.
"I'm really sorry about that, Stellar tends to spit up when he eats too much." Dawn said apologetically, while she snickered behind her raised hoof.
Caramel paused while wiping the impressive amount of spit up that was soaked into his coat. "It's alright, I'm getting used to it" There was a small bathroom attached to the room, so Caramel went into it to give his shoulder and back a better wash.
Once he returned, he found both Cinnamon and Stellar both sound asleep side by side, as they were both tucked up against a clearly happy Dawn. Pausing next to the bed, Caramel smiled down at the sight. "So, how are you liking motherhood?" He asked softly while seating himself in the chair.
Dawn thought for a moment. "Well before, I was terrified at the thought of becoming a mother, but now that I am, I find that I am feeling contentment and at times I am filled with uncontrollable happiness, that I feel like I'm going to explode. I mean I have never felt this much love for another pony before, its truly wondrous." When Dawn finished speaking, she lowered her head and nuzzled her son affectionately, before she lightly kissed him.
Caramel watched as Dawn tenderly caressed her son. "They do tend to put things into perspective, don't they?" Caramel agreed.
"They do indeed." Dawn let out a contented sigh. Looking back up, she met his gaze. "I have a request I would like to make to you."
Curious, Caramel cocked his head at her. "Oh? What would that be?"
"I would like for you to be Stellar's godfather."
Caramel's ears shot up in surprise. To say that he was flattered would be an understatement. "I don't know what to say." Caramel confessed, breathlessly.
"Just say yes, you dope." Dawn said with a grin.
Before he replied, Caramel's gaze fell down to the two foals that were slumbering up against Dawn, and a idea came to him, causing him to let out a sly smile. "I will agree to be Stellar's godfather, if you agree to be Cinnamon's godmother."
This time it was Dawn's turn to be surprised, as her jaw dropped. It took a moment for her to answer his returned condition. "I... I except."
"Then you have yourself a godfather for little Stellar." Caramel said grinning. "Little Sis."
"And you have yourself a godmother for little Cinnamon, big bro." Dawn replied back while returning a grin. "Now, if you don't mind, would you collect these two, so that I can go to the bathroom? I really need to go."
With some careful handling, Caramel was soon seated with both sleeping foals tucked up with him. As he sat there listening to the soft rhythmic breaths from the two, he soon found his eyes beginning to droop, and it wasn't long before he drifted off and joined the two foals in slumbering bliss.
He didn't know how long he slept, but it was something warm and soft pressing to his lips that suddenly roused him. Blinking his eyes open, Caramel looked around and saw Dawn as she was settling herself into her bed. His lips were tingling as he lightly licked them, and found that they tasted like... Did she just?
"You look troubled. You okay?" Dawn asked as she rested her chin down onto a pillow, looking completely innocent of any mischievous activities.
"I ah... thought that..." Caramel was still feeling a little groggy from the little nap, and wasn't sure that what he thought had happened had only just been a dream.
"Thought what?" Dawn asked sweetly.
She was laying there, looking at him with her eyebrow raised questioningly, and Caramel looked at her hopelessly, there was no way he could ask if she had just kissed him while he was asleep. "Ah... nothing. Um, how long was I asleep?"
"Not long, only about ten minutes or so, when I came out of the bathroom I found you sound asleep with the foals all cuddled up with you, I just didn't have the heart to wake you."
Caramel let out a yawn and looked down and checked on the two foals he held. Both of their faces had such a peaceful look to them as they slept. "That's okay, I needed a bit of shut eye." He looked back up at Dawn. "So, when are you being discharged."
"As soon as my aunt gets here, we will be leaving." Dawn answered, a note of sadness in her voice.
Caramel glanced at her, sensing her feelings. Biting his lip, he thought about what to do, he had been planing to say goodbye to her right here at the hospital, but as the time grew close, he suddenly had second thoughts about it. Caramel still had a few things to do before he was to leave for Ponyville, and it didn't feel right to let her leave without a proper goodbye, and it was evident that she still wanted to spend more time with him, and he found that he felt very much the same. He let out a sigh Oh well, what's one more day going hurt. "How would you like it if I tagged along with you to the train station, and see you off there?" Caramel offered.
Dawn's eyes lit up. "Ohhh, that would be wonderful!" She said excitedly. "We can even stop for some lunch first, would you like that? And maybe even do some shopping, I know that Stellar is going to need some things. " She said while clapping her hooves together. "Ohh, this is going to be fun! Caramel, your the best."
What did I get myself into? Caramel thought to himself while smiling, Dawn was practically bouncing in her bed, from her excitement.
Dawn was still happily making plans when Nurse Soft Touch stopped by, and the nurse nearly dawww'ed herself to death when she saw Caramel with the two sleeping foals cuddled up to himself. She immediately dashed off, quickly returning with a camera, and started snapping pictures. It was at this point that Dawn's aunt, Morning Glow then entered along with little Meadow Mist.
"Oh my! Now isn't this a fine sight." Morning Glow said, eyeing Caramel.
Dawn let out a giggle and rushed over and hugged her aunt. "I know, right?"
"I see my adorable nephew, but who is his precious little filly friend?" Morning Glow asked as she crossed over to Caramel to get a closer look at the foals.
"Oh, she's Caramel's little filly, Cinnamon, my goddaughter." Dawn said happily, stepping up next to her aunt. "And Caramel just agreed to be Stellar's godfather."
Morning Glow blinked, giving them both a surprised look. "Well, that's some wonderful news!" She looked down at Caramel. "You've been quite a surprising addition to Dawn's life, so tell me. Are you by chance sweet on her?" She suddenly asked hopefully.
"Aunt Morning!" Dawn gasped out, absolutely mortified by her aunts question.
Caramel was also in quite a state. The shock of the question made his ears stand straight up, as he felt his face heat up like a furnace. He gaped up at Morning Glow, unsure how to answer. Dawn was a sweet filly, and he liked her a lot, but he didn't see her in that way.
"Dawn is indeed very special to me, but I'm afraid I'm not sweet on her in the way you are meaning." Caramel glanced over at Dawn, noticing her ears droop a little at what he said. "I'm sorry if that may have hurt you."
Dawn quickly smiled at him. "Don't be, I understand, and I agree. Your special to me too, but I don't want to complicate my life anymore then it is right now." As she said this, Caramel noticed that her smile seemed a bit forced.
Morning Glow glanced between the two. "Well, perhaps things will change in a few years when Dawn is older." She said before she looked over at Dawn and motioned her head towards Caramel. "But if you ask me, it seems a pity to let him go."
"Aunt Morning, please!" Dawn snapped, giving Caramel an apologetic look.
Caramel did indeed feel a bit embarrassed by Morning Glows bluntness, but he also felt a bit flattered that she liked him that much. A light touch at his arm caught his attention. Looking over he saw Meadow Mist, as she stood reared up against the arm his his chair. She was leaning over and looking down at Cinnamon.
"Hello." Caramel greeted her, surprised she had gotten this close without his noticing.
"Is she yours?" Meadow Mist asked.
Caramel smiled at her, as he adjusted himself so that she could get a better view of Cinnamon. "Yes she is."
"How old is she?"
"Today she is three day's old." Caramel answered.
"That would make her..." Meadow Mist scrunched up her face in thought. "Two day's older then my cousin, right?"
Caramel gave a nod. "That's right."
"Where's her mamma?" Her question was given innocently, but it still took him by surprise. The wound in his heart was still fresh, and to be suddenly reminded of Fudge's passing caused him to flinch. "Are you okay? You look sad now?" She asked.
Caramel forced himself to smile, as he looked down into Meadow Mists large grey eyes. "I'm all right, I'm just a bit sad, because Cinnamon's mamma was hurt really bad in an accident, and can no longer be there for Cinnamon." Caramel felt his throat tighten as he spoke. He thought he had his grief under control, but he just found that it was still there just under the surface, ready to rear back up under the right conditions. And seeing the filly looking up at him with her large eyes while he explained this, seemed to fit the criteria.
Meadow Mist dropped her gaze down at Cinnamon. "So she doesn't have a mamma?" She asked sorrowfully.
"No, I'm afraid she doesn't." Caramel said sadly, before looking up and seeing the sympathy in both of Dawn's and her aunt's eyes as they stood watching his exchange with Meadow Mist. Caramel suddenly felt Meadow Mist wrap her leg around his arm and around Cinnamon as she gave them both a gentle hug. Nurse Soft Touch, who had been silently standing to the side, quickly lifted her camera and snapped a shot of the tender moment.
"I'm sorry you lost your mamma." Meadow Mist said to Cinnamon as she pulled back from her hug.
Caramel felt his eyes misting up, he couldn't handle much more of this. "Thank you Meadow, your very kind." Dawn appeared next to him while levitating some tissue's to him to help dry his eyes.
Morning Glow went over to nurse Soft Touch and spoke quietly with her for a moment, before she turned back to them. "Okay, lets go and get Dawn discharged, so we can go get some lunch, shall we?" She turned a curious eye to Caramel. "Caramel, will you joining us?"
"Yes, of course he's coming." Dawn answered for him, as she lifted Stellar from his grasp with her magic so that he could get up. "Aunt Morning, do you think there is time to do some shopping as well?"
Morning Glow let out gasp and spun about, placing her hoof to her chest, with a comically shocked look on her face. "Honey! There's always time to do a little shopping."
They had lunch in a small mom and pop diner, where Caramel found himself crammed into a both with Dawn, who was happily scrunched in next to him. With Cinnamon settled comfortably in his lap, Caramel enjoyed his meal of boiled potato wedges with cooked peas, covered in a thick country gravy. As he ate his meal he became increasingly aware of the dirty looks that the waitress was giving him whenever she passed their table.
At one point, the waitress had stopped at their table to refill their water, but somehow missed his. Caramel was about to ask her to fill his cup, when she abruptly turned and moved away, totally ignoring him.
Dawn noticed Caramel's abortive request of the waitress, and glanced at him curiously. "What's wrong? You look troubled"
"I don't know, its just..." Caramel continued to watch the waitress as she moved around the other customer's tables. She was quick to flash bright smiles at the other customers, but when her eyes wandered to him, her smile would drop abruptly. "That waitress doesn't seem to like me." Caramel said, voicing his observation.
Dawn glanced across the room at the indicated waitress. "What makes you think that?" She asked curiously.
Caramel looked around the table and saw that they were all now looking at him, waiting for him to explain. "Well ah... ever since we've been here, she's been giving me some rather dark looks and a decidedly cold shoulder.
Dawn leaned her head over to look at him. "Perhaps you said something rude to her. I know that's how I act when a colt is disrespectful with me."
Caramel shrugged, and shook his head. "That's just it, I've not said a single word to her since we got here, it was another waitress that took our orders."
"Perhaps you met her at another time," Morning Glow proposed.
"No, not that I know." Caramel shook his head. He had moved out of Fillydelphia years ago, back when he wasn't much older then Dawn. He didn't stay in contact with any of his friends from school, and he was sure that he would remember a mare like the waitress.
"He's right, I just saw her do it." Dawn suddenly said looking out at the waitress. "She just gave Caramel a scowl when she looked over here." Dawn suddenly turned and passed Stellar over to a surprised Caramel. "Here, hold him, I'm going to find out what's got her in such a twist." Sliding out of the booth, she stormed off towards the waitress, who was currently wiping down a table.
"Hmmm, this doesn't look good. Caramel you'd best pass me the foals, and go after her, and see to it that she doesn't do anything rash." Morning Glow said as her horn lit up with magic, and lifted the foals up from Caramel. "Dawn's sweet most of the time, but she does have a bit of a temper."
Caramel began to slip out of the booth when he suddenly heard Dawn's voice shout out in outrage. "How dare you!" Suddenly a nearby customers plate of spaghetti lifted up in Dawn's magical grasp, and she hurled it onto the hapless waitress, covering her in the messy meal. "I'll have you know that Caramel is the sweetest, kindest, and most considerate stallion I have ever met, I will not allow you to besmirch his good name with these lies!" She was shouting so loudly, that it was likely ponies could hear her from outside the diner.
Caramel quickly rushed over, and placed himself between the two. "Dawn! That's enough! This is no way for you to act." Caramel was amazed by the fire he saw in Dawn's eyes as she glared around him at the fuming waitress. "Apologize to her!"
Dawn's eyes snapped to him. "But you don't understand! She thinks that you... did things... with me!" Dawn's eyes were now brimming with tears, as she looked at him.
"What is going on here!?" A new voice said, and a charcoal brown pegasus stallion, wearing a greasy apron rushed up to the waitress, and upon seeing the state she was in, whirled about. "Who did this!?" Anger and shock were evident in his voice, as he demanded to know the culprit.
Dawn was now breaking down and weeping, and Caramel quickly turned around to face what appeared to be the cook. "I did it, and I'm sorry. We'll pay our bill and leave." Caramel said, taking the blame from Dawn.
The stallion glared at Caramel. "Oh no your not! This is clearly an assault. I'm getting the constables!"
The waitress shoved herself forward. "Good! Going to jail is what you deserve! Its where all fillyfondler's should go!"
Fillyfondler!? The waitress thought that he was one of those pervert stallions who force themselves on young filly's! Caramel heart sank to the pit of his stomach. The shock of the accusation rocked him to the core, and it took him a moment to reply. "I am no fillyfondler!" He managed to shout back in denial.
"Please." The waitress said in disdain. "How can you say that, when she still carries her pregnancy weight and stretch marks! How brazen must you be to parade around the results of you illicit and shameful relations with a filly much to young for you! Your nothing but a dirty rapist!" She spat out the last word. A word that struck deeply into Caramel's mind, as the shock of it sent him reeling.
His heart began racing in his chest, as he suddenly found it very hard to breath. No, not now! It felt like a vice was clamping down onto his chest, as he staggered back. Memory's started to come, memory's that he had tried to bury and forget for many years now. Dark memory's from his past.
His jaw hurt as he looked up at her, the taste of blood thick in his mouth. "Please, no more."
A searing pain flashed across his back, as she struck him. "Did I say you could talk, slave?" She snapped angrily. "I will have obedience!"
"No, I'm sorry! Please." He pleaded as he felt another searing pain slash across his back, followed by another. "Please no... please nooo..."
Caramel found himself slumped to the floor, with Dawn holding his head, with a look of deep concern on her face. "Caramel! Are you okay? Talk to me!" She asked as she used the back of her leg to wipe the froth from his mouth, her voice seemed to come from far off, as Caramel tried to get his mouth to cooperate, and to say something back, to help calm her fears.
His head felt like a swarm of bees were buzzing around in it, and his heart was still trying to beat its way out of his chest, as his panic attack ebbed. He cursed himself for his weakness, as he slowly regained his senses. "I'm... okay." He managed to mumble out to Dawn, who let out a relieved breath, and hugged his head to herself.
"Excuse me, but I've heard quite enough of this." Morning Glow said as she stepped up next to Caramel and Dawn. Cinnamon and Stellar were suspended next to her, held in a aura of magic. "I think a little introductions may be in order. My name is Morning Glow, and this fine filly you see helping the stallion, is Dawn Sparks, my niece." She levitated Stellar up before her. "And this little prince is her son, born just yesterday, Stellar Prize, isn't he just the cutest?" She asked sweetly before her friendly smile suddenly hardened. "Now, did I just hear you insult little Stellar's godfather?"
The waitress blinked at her, taken aback by the older mare's calm intrusion. "Godfather?" She said in confusion.
"Why yes, you see just this morning, Caramel, who is the stallion with whom you've been insulting with your baseless accusations, just agreed to become Stellar's godfather. And in turn, my niece Dawn has also agreed to become his little filly's godmother." The waitress's sneer began to fade as her eyes flicked between Caramel and Morning Glow. "I am speaking of course of this little princess." Morning Glow said as Cinnamon floated up next to Stellar. "Her name is Cinnamon. She was orphaned the day she was born when Caramel's sister died tragically a few days ago. Caramel is taking her in and will be raising her as his own, which is truly a wonderful thing for him to do, don't you think?"
The waitress's eyes were wide, with growing a look of horror. She fell back a step and shook her head in denial, but Morning Glow wasn't done yet. Morning Glow stomped a hoof down forcefully, causing the waitress to flinch. "How dare you judge him with your flawed reasoning! You jumped to an conclusion and treated him like dirt! You should be ashamed!" Morning Glow's held her head high, as she snorted in rage. "Caramel is a very sweet and kind stallion, and you spat on him." Morning Glow turned and gestured to huddled form of Caramel, as Dawn continued to console him. "Just look at what your actions have wrought! Look at what you have done to him!"
The waitress had backed up a few more steps and was shaking her head, he eyes had gone wild at the realization of what she had done. "I...I...thought..." She never finished as she suddenly she turned and fled, disappearing though a door to the back.
The cook watched dumbfounded as the waitress bolted into the back, quickly turned to them. "I am so sorry for her actions, I swear that Acacia has never done anything like this before!" He suddenly looked around the room, and upon seeing the many customers staring at the scene he raised his voice. "My apologies for the disruption, it was only a misunderstanding." He quickly approached Caramel, as Dawn helped him stand. "I'm so very sorry for this, please, accept the meal as a gift, free of charge, and if you wait a moment, I will get you a pie, any pie you want. Cherry? Apple?" Without waiting for an answer he rushed off to the kitchen.
Once Caramel was on his hooves, he gave both Dawn and Morning an appreciative smile and nod, before they helped usher him back to their table. Once he was seated, he reached for his cup, but seeing that it was still empty, then grabbed Dawn's and drained it down. "Please, I would like to hold Cinnamon." He said, and was surprised when both foals were dropped into his lap. Without complaint he wrapped his hooves around them he let out a sigh from the comfort he got, as he held them close. Dawn slid herself in next to him until she was pressed to his side.
"What happened to you? It looked like you had some kind of attack." Dawn asked. Concern written all over her face.
"It... happens occasionally. It's a type of panic attack." Caramel explained, staring down at the tabletop.
"Do you take any anti anxiety medicine?" Morning Glow asked, seating herself across from him.
Caramel shook his head. "My panic attacks isn't caused by stress or anything general like that. It happens when... I'm reminded of a terrible experience from my past." He looked up and gave a weak smile. "You can chalk it up to a bad memory."
"Bad memory? What kind of bad memory does something like that?" Dawn asked.
Morning Glow was looking at him seriously, while deep in thought. It seemed like she understood that there was something, that he kept to himself. Looking over at Dawn she suddenly broke in. "Dawn, I think its best, not to pry. Whatever it is, it causing him pain, so just leave him be."
Dawn looked at her aunt like she wanted to argue, but then after looking back at Caramel she relented and nodded. "Okay aunt Morning, I won't pry."
Caramel sat in silence, comforted by the feel of the two foals in his lap. They were so young and innocent, not scared by a horrible past that would leave them trembling with the mere thought of it. He wanted Cinnamon to grow up, free from such things, the mere thought of anypony hurting her made his blood boil, and he was sure he would do anything to protect her, from such things.
It wasn't long before the cook reappeared next to their table again, with a new waitress with him. "Hi, I didn't hear what pie you would like so I brought them all." Soon their table was covered in pies, way too many for them to eat. There was an apple pie, cherry pie, peach cobbler, lemon meringue pie, and a blackberry pie. Caramel and the others stared down at all the pies in surprised shock. "Please enjoy, and whatever you don't eat you can take with you, we have to-go boxes, whenever you need them."
As the cook turned to leave, Caramel had a thought. The waitress. She had been so convinced that he was the monster she believed him to be. Why would she have jumped to such a conclusion? Perhaps... "Excuse me." Caramel called out to the cook before he could leave. "The waitress, Acacia I believe you called her. Is she still around? I would like to talk to her."
The cook hesitated. "I'm not sure that is such a good idea."
"Please." Caramel pleaded, as he leaned forward. "I'm not mad at her, in fact... I think I can help her... at least a little."
The cook looked at him for a moment considering it, before he let out a sigh, "She hiding herself in the break room at the moment, I was going to look in on her latter when she calmed down."
"Dawn let me out. Morning Glow take the foals please." The foals lifted up out of his lap, held aloft in Morning Glow's magic as they drifted over to her. Dawn scooted out of the way, leaving him free to slip out of the booth.
"Caramel, what are you doing?" Dawn asked as he moved past her.
"I think that there is more going on than her merely jumping to a conclusion." Caramel said to Dawn before he turned to the cook. "Where's the break room?"
The cook unfurled a wing and pointed to a door with it. "Go though there and it will be the second door on the left."
Caramel passed thought the door and stepped down the hall, before pausing at the second door. Lifting his hoof to the door handle, he pressed down and opened the door. Stepping in, he found Acacia sitting at a table with her back turned away, with her head buried in her hooves. From the way her back was hitching, he could tell that she was crying. Lifting his hoof, Caramel lightly rapped on the open door.
"Basil, I want to be left alone." Acacia muttered out, not even bothering looking back at him.
"I'm sorry for intruding." Caramel said softly.
Acacia let out a gasp and whirled around. Her face was a wreck, her eyes were red and swollen, with her cheeks soaked from her tears.
"What?... what are you doing here?" Acacia asked, obviously shocked at his appearance.
Seeing a box of tissues on a back counter, Caramel crossed over and picked them up, and took them to Acacia. Holding them out to her. "I wanted to speak to you, and let you know that I'm not angry with you."
Acacia gaped at him, before she took the tissues. "But why not? I said some horrible things to you. You have every right to be angry with me."
Caramel moved over and sat across from her at the table. "It's true that you said some really hurtful things, but I can't bring myself to blame you for them."
"But why?" She truly seemed lost as she tried to fathom his reasons.
Caramel took a moment to think his response though. "Because... you were a victim yourself, weren't you?" The look of total shock and surprise on her face practically confirmed his hunch.
"How!?...how did you...?" She quickly looked around, checking that they were alone, and that nopony had overheard him.
"It was the vehemence that you showed. It only made sense if you were drawing from a past experience of your own." Caramel explained leaning forward.
Acacia visibly was struggling with her emotions as she listened to him. "I never told anypony." She stared down at her hooves as they rested on the table.
Caramel reached forward and set his hooves on her, the moment his hooves touched hers, she gave a little jump, and tensed up, and for a moment it appears like she was about to jerk her hooves away, but then she let out a sigh and relaxed as she allowed the contact.
"I think that needs to change. Your carrying a wound that is obviously hurting, and I think you need to talk to somepony about it. You need to heal, or this will just get worse."
"I don't know if I can. I've been living with this shame for so long. I don't know anything else." Fresh tears came to her eyes, as she started to shiver.
Caramel knew that she needed closure, for what she had gone though was eating her up, and if nothing was done, then it would most likely destroy any possibility of a happy life for her. She needed to open up, and she needed somepony she trusted to open up to.
"Acacia?" A voice said from the door. A soft green earth pony stallion stood there looking in on the two. "Basil told me that something happened, and I wanted to see if your okay." He paused as he looked at the two, and at the way they were sitting together. "Did...I come at a bad time?"
By the way that Acacia tensed up, and her cheeks reddened, it was obvious that she liked this stallion as she stared down at her hooves. Caramel looked at the two and smiled. This is perfect. "No, you came at a perfect time, come in and have a seat. I think Acacia is in need of you."
The stallion hesitated a moment before crossing over and sitting next to Acacia. "What's going on? I heard that there was some sort of trouble."
Caramel released her hoof and stood up. "Acacia will explain it to you, and hopefully she will share some other things with you too." Stepping around the table, Caramel paused next to the stallion. "Just be there for her, no matter what. She needs somepony to be strong for her."
The stallion looked at him uncertainly, but after a moment gave a nod. "I'll do my best."
"Good! I'll just leave you two alone now, so that you can talk things out." Caramel started for the door.
"Caramel?" Acacia suddenly called out. Pausing Caramel looked back. Acacia had turned and was looking at him. "Thank you."
Caramel gave her a smile, before he turned and left, closing the door behind him. As he walked back to the table, he hoped things will work out for her. She had been holding something inside for so long, that exposing it to others was likely to be a painful and overwhelming experience. If only I had that kind of bravery, maybe then I can find some healing of my own. Caramel mused to himself.
Approaching the table, he found that Meadow Mist had switched to the other side so that she was next to Dawn. A foal blanket had been draped over Dawn midsection, and from the powder blue hoof poking out from under the blanket, Caramel guessed that she was nursing Stellar.
"How did it go?" Dawn asked as Caramel sat across from her next to Morning Glow.
"It went well. I have hope for her." Caramel answered. Looking around he found somepony missing from the group. "Where's Cinnamon?"
"She was hungry." Dawn said, before she took a bite out of a rather large piece of lemon meringue pie.
It took a moment for Caramel to puzzle out her response. Leaning down, he spied a pair of little white hooves poking out from the under the blanket on the other side of Dawn. "Are you nursing her?" Caramel asked in surprise.
Dawn gave him a funny look as she swallowed her mouthful. "I'm her godmother, of course I am. She was hungry and I have an extra teat."
Morning Glow looked over at him. "You know that mare's milk is best for little foals. Formula is so processed that many foals develop digestive problems with it. Mare's milk is easy on their little tummies, and full of beneficial things you won't find in store bought formulas. Take Meadow here, I exclusively nursed Meadow until she graduated to solid foods, and she was a delightfully healthy foal, who never suffered a bout of colic."
Caramel glanced over at the mentioned filly and grinned. "As well as a taste for pie, I see." Meadow let out a giggle, lifting her head up from a half eaten cherry pie, which Caramel noticed she was eating strait from the pie tray.
Morning Glow let out an exacerbated sigh at the sight of her daughter. "Yes, well. She gets that from her fathers side."
Caramel reached over and slid the peach cobbler closer to lift out a slice for himself.
After three slices of pie, Caramel was stuffed. Walking stiffly out of the diner's doors, Caramel couldn't help but let out a groan. Never again will I ever eat this much pie. Caramel promised himself. Dawn let out little groans herself as she followed behind Caramel.
"I think I should have stopped at four." Dawn grumbled, rubbing her distended belly.
Caramel glanced back and smirked. "You kind of look pregnant again."
Dawn let out a gasp and swatted Caramel. "Don't even joke about that!" She paused and looked at her reflection in a shop window. "But your right, I do look a little pregnant."
Both of them came to a stop to glare at Meadow as she happily trotted by them, oblivious to their discomfort. "I can't believe you ate that entire pie all by yourself." Dawn said to Meadow as she passed them, showing no signs of discomfort.
"She's a growing filly." Morning Glow answered simply as she followed behind.
Their train was due to leave in an hour, so they only had time to stop at one store to do any shopping, much to Caramel relief, as he felt he was in no condition to be dragged around from store to store.
Stepping carefully through the isles, Caramel meticulously examined the shelves. Wanting to be a good godfather, Caramel was hunting for the perfect gift for his godson. Occasionally he would spot Dawn and her aunt as they huddled around something while giggling together. Meadow Mist had shot off to the stuffed animals, and was happily sorting through them, while commenting to herself on how each one was adorable then the last.
Stepping around to a new isle, Caramel paused as he took a sniff. That's weird. Lowering his head down, he sniffed at Cinnamon, as she dangled under his neck. "Cinnamon honey, your not gassy anymore." Caramel announced to the filly, who just burbled at him and attempted to grasp his head in her hooves. Lifting his head up, he gazed back over his shoulder at Dawn and her aunt. "She's right. There's nothing quite like a mare's milk to sooth a filly's tummy."
He had almost lost hope for finding a gift, when he turned the the last corner. Pausing he blinked at what he saw. Shelves full of little wooden boxes, some brightly painted, others were stained and polished so that their wood would shine. "Music boxes! This would be perfect." Scanning through the music boxes, he saw that each one had a little paper placard titling the song each one played. He passed by many due to how garish they looked or because he didn't like the song that it played. Finally he came to a box that caught his eye, the wood was stained dark, almost black, and its trim was painted a nighttime blue. Along the sides were carved images of the night sky, culminating with a strong crescent moon on its lid. Reaching out, he lifted its lid and gave its key a few twists to listen to its song, the moment he released the key a gentle but powerful lullaby started to play out. It's melody rose and fell in a pleasing manner, that invited the listener to loose themselves in the song.
Looking down at the placard he read the title of the song. Children of the Night. "This is perfect." Scooping it off the shelf, Caramel glanced around to see if Dawn could see him. He spotted her across the room, helping to restock the stuffed animals back onto their shelves from the havoc that Meadow had caused, who seemed to be sitting in a chair in a time out.
Seeing the coast was clear, Caramel quickly hurried over to the payment counter. Once he finished there, Caramel sat himself in a plush chair near the front door of the store to wait, his purchase already tucked safely into the diaper bag. Setting Cinnamon in his lap, he positioned her so that she was on her back looking up at him. She laid there quietly, as she focused on Caramel face. Her sight had gotten better and she was able to see in greater detail now, so Caramel played with this as he watched her. Wiggling his ears, Cinnamon's eyes darted up to watch them move, then he lifted and lowered his eyebrows, and her lavender eyes darted down to look there, he couldn't help but smile at her, as he continued to move different facial features to make her gaze wander about.
"You seem pretty happy now, I guess your feeling better." Caramel eventually said, lowering his head down and giving Cinnamon an affectionate nuzzle. It wasn't much longer before the others finally finished their shopping and joined him. The departure time of their train was aproching, so they needed to head down to the train station.
As they approached the station, Caramel was glad he had decided to see them off here rather then at the hospital. The time they spent together had been a soothing salve, that eased Caramel's pain. The stallion that he had saw in Dawn's hospital room was waiting on the platform, a trolley of luggage sitting next to him.
"Burning Star went to your home this morning and packed up some of your stuff." Morning Glow said to Dawn as they approached him. "Did you give that lout of a worthless stepfather a piece of your mind?" Morning Glow asked her husband as she gave him a quick kiss as she greeted him.
Burning Star lifted his hoof and held it up as he flexed his fetlock. "That, and a bit more. He'll be chewing soft food for a bit."
Morning Glow gave her husband an approving look. "Somepony's going to get a reward tonight." She murmured to him.
Upon hearing what Burning Star had done, Caramel quickly approached Burning Star and threw his hoof out to him. Burning Star looked at Caramel for a moment, meeting his gaze, before he reached out and hooked his fetlock around Caramel's as the two shook. Caramel was glad that Dawn's stepfather had received his comeuppance, for what he done to her. And as they shook hooves, Caramel gave Burning Star an appreciative nod for a job well done, while Burning Star took note of it, and returned a nod back, acknowledging the sentiment.
Caramel was about to turn and leave when their hooves broke apart but then he suddenly found himself encased in a hug by Morning Glow, after a moment he awkwardly returned it. "Take care Caramel, and don't be a stranger. Visit whenever you want, you will always be welcome in our home."
"Thank you Morning Glow." Caramel replied giving her a smile.
"And make sure you take care of Cinnamon, If I hear that your neglecting her in any way, I'm going to have Burning Star come and motivate you to do so." Morning Glow said seriously, before she flashed a smile and turned. Caramel was unsure if she was serious or just joking.
Before he could puzzle it out, Meadow Mist tapped him on his leg. Looking down at her he was surprised when she lightly kissed him on his cheek. With his cheeks suddenly burning, he watched Meadow, as she dash off, joining her mother by the trolley.
"Well, I guess that leaves the best for last." Dawn said as she stepped up to him. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. "Promise me you will write."
"I assure you, that in this case, a promise is completely unnecessary." Bending around, Caramel reached into his diaper bag and lifted out the music box. Turning back he held it up for her.
Dawn let out a gasp as she lifted the music box up in her magic. "Its beautiful, thank you." She then opened a flap on her bag with her magic and lifted something out, it drifted forwards until she set it down onto Caramel uplifted hoof. It was a brand new family photo album. Before he could say anything, she opened the cover. There sitting on the first page was a lock of Dawn's dark blue mane, tied neatly with a purple ribbon, next to it was a smaller lock of Stellar's maroon colored mane tied with a light blue ribbon. "So you can have a piece of us with you."
Caramel felt his throat tighten, as he struggled to control his feelings. Her gift was just so personal and intimate, unlike anything he might have expected. "Dawn this is so... Thank you, I will treasure it."
Dawn lifted the album from him and stored it into his bag for him, before she wrapped a hoof around his neck and hugged him, careful not to smoosh the two foals together. Lifting his hoof, Caramel returned the hug. They stayed like this for a slightly longer period time than would be considered appropriate, before her grip loosened and she began to pull back. He felt her cheek rub against his for a moment as they passed, as her hot breath teased his neck, and just as they pulled apart, she suddenly reversed and quickly planted her lips to his. It wasn't a long kiss, in fact, it was rather quick one, but it still sent a shock from his lips down his body all the way to the end of his tail.
Once the kiss ended, Dawn pulled back quickly, blinking her eyes. She was flushed all the way to the tips of her ears. "I'll miss you." She said in a rush, before she hurried over to her family.
Caramel was left in a state of shock, frozen in place. The unexpected kiss had thrown him for a loop, and his mind was trying to deal with it. Suddenly he became aware of something, as he curiously licked his lips. That taste... Caramel couldn't help but grin as he looked at the retreating form of Dawn. That cheeky little minx, she really did steal a kiss when I was asleep.
Caramel stayed until their train left the station, watching Dawn and Meadow waving from the window. Once the train disappeared from sight, Caramel, let out a sigh. Looking down at Cinnamon, as she dozed in her carrier. "Come on, lets go home." |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 05 | Caramel had a busy morning. He had gotten up early and hired a moving company to come and pack up Fudge's apartment, and send her stuff down to Ponyville. He also talked with the landlord and explained what had happened with Fudge, and made arrangements to cancel Fudge's lease. After that, he made a quick visit to the hospital to finish the paperwork with Whirl Void. All in all, it was a productive morning
Caramel had pulled out his sisters luggage bag from her closet and was busy packing all the things he wanted to take with them for their trip back to Ponyville. Cinnamon was in her crib, sleeping peacefully, at least for now. Her diarrhea had returned, worse than before, and Caramel had to stop at the store, on his way back, to buy some cream to soothe her burning and inflamed pucker. Now that she had a clean and dry bottom, along with a healthy application of the soothing cream, she had finally quieted down and drifted of to sleep, much to Caramel's relief.
Lifting up the container of formula he had been using, Caramel crossed the room and dropped it into the trash. "One less thing to worry about." Stepping back to the table he pulled out the new formula he had bought along with the cream. Holding it up, he looked over the list of ingredients it had listed on its back. "Whey protein concentrate, Enzymatically Hydrolyzed... reduced minerals?... I have no idea what this all this means?" Caramel shook his head, he couldn't make heads or tails of what he was reading, and the only reason he got it was because an employee he had talked to, had told him that this formula came highly recommended by the Medical Nutritional Society.
Sighing, Caramel continued packing. Picking up the photo album that Dawn had given him, Caramel opened it for a moment and looked at the two clippings that still rested on the front page. It was only yesterday that Dawn and Stellar had left for their new home, and Caramel wondered how they were doing settling in. Closing the album, he packed it into the luggage. It suddenly occurred to him that he was missing something. Looking around, he wondered where his sister had put it.
It took him a bit of searching but he finally found what he was looking for in a chest that Fudge kept in her bedroom. Lifting out his prize, Caramel took it to the table and set it down. It had been years since he had last seen it. His old family photo album. It looked thicker than he remembered, Fudge must have been adding to it.
Flipping it open to a random page, Caramel found a picture of himself at a very young age, taking a bath with his sister. Caramel couldn't help but smile at it, remembering how Fudge loved taking bath's with him, when he was younger. Flipping a few pages forward brought up a picture of himself, wearing a very stupid party hat, while blowing out candle's on a cake. Turning to the next page, Caramel suddenly paused.
The picture showed Caramel, and a filly with their hooves mutually linked around each others shoulders, as they looked up at the camera giving their biggest smiles while covered from head to their hooves in mud. Caramel remembered when the picture had been taken, it was just before he started school. His parents had traveled to Prance to work under some famous chef there, to learn Prance cuisine. His sister was older, and had been allowed to go with them, but Caramel was too young, so Lilly and Chisel had taken him in for six months, while his parents were away.
Caramel thought about when he had first met that filly. He had been playing in Lilly's office when the door opened and Lilly walked in, with a nervous looking filly following behind her. Her father had brought her in, but then found he couldn't watch her while he was doing business in the warehouse, so Lilly had offered to watch her.
The filly told Caramel that her name was Golden Harvest, but everypony at school called her Carrot Top due to the color of her mane and tail, but she admitted to Caramel that she didn't really like being called that, so she told him to just call her Goldie. Their fist day together lasted only an hour before she had to go, but the next day, Goldie and her father, Taproot, returned. He claimed that Goldie had relentlessly badgered him to bring her back to visit with Caramel. So after he talked it out with Lilly, it was agreed to let Goldie stay over for the rest of the day. This arrangement soon expanded to pretty much every day, as the two became the best of friends.
For the next six month's, they got into all sorts of trouble. Like having a tea party, that nearly caused Lilly to faint, when she discovered them using her good tea set, and then there was the time they played hide and seek up in the attic, kicking up all sorts of dust, and tracking it all over the house.
And then there was this day, the day the picture had been taken. They had gone exploring in the back yard just after a rainstorm, and found a large puddle. For a time they raced boats made out of twigs and leaves across the watery expanse, until Goldie stuck up behind him and pushed him in. It of course meant war, and by the time Lilly called them in for lunch, they were a complete wreck. At first Lilly looked like she was going to be furious, but then she suddenly broke out laughing, and as soon as she could, she grabbed her camera and snapped the picture that Caramel was now looking at.
A week latter, Caramel returned to Fillydelphia, and the next time he met Goldie was years latter, when he moved to Ponyville. Caramel had just started working for Chisel and Lilly, at the Farmers Supply store, when she came in one day with her father. At first, Caramel could only gawk at her stupidly, as he suddenly saw his filly friend suddenly grown into a beautiful young mare. After he got his tongue unglued enough to make coherent speech, he was able to at least to hold a friendly conversation. At least until Golden's father, Taproot, noticed and made sure they were hardly ever alone together. A few times Taproot would draw Caramel aside, and tell him odd stories about what some farmer friend of his did, when that farmer had discovered a colt messing around with one of his daughters. His stories were always rich in detail and oftentimes colorful with humor, until the end, where the colt always had some kind of bad end. He never understood why Taproot was so protective of his daughter, until now. Cinnamon had given him much insight in what it meant and felt like to be a father, and the desire to protect that which is dear to you.
Flipping the album shut, Caramel stored it away in the luggage, along with the other. Reaching over he lifted up a quilt and looked it over again. It had been hoof stitched by his sister for Cinnamon, and it was covered in colorfully stitched ponies. She always was good at stitching, Caramel thought before he carefully folded the quilt and placed it into the luggage. Glancing at the time, he realized he would need to hurry the packing if he was to make the train.
Golden Harvest stepped onto her train. With her ticket held in her mouth, she moved forward to find a seat. A young stallion lewdly nickered at her as she passed, prompting her to lower her ears in irritation as she staunchly ignored him. Taking a empty seat, Golden sat down and tucked her ticket into her bag before she slipped it under her seat.
Fillydelphia was not her favorite city to visit, but her latest trip had been quite fruitful. Her father will be happy with the deal she was able to make for his Equestrian Gold line with one of the local restaurants, that had been growing increasingly displeased with their current produce farmer for the last few years, when they had been failing to meet their quota, by delivering pour quality vegetables in ever decreasing amounts.
Her father, Taproot, never was very good at sales. Preferring to just stay at home and work the fields, leaving what he called the boring job to his wife, May Flower. In recent times, Golden had been making the sales trips herself, finding that she had quite a knack for it, but her father wasn't so happy about her making these long trips all by herself. At first, he had her brother Oregon Trail, tag along to keep an eye on her, but that quickly grew to be a problem as he was needed at home to help with the fields. Reluctantly, her father gave in, and allowed her to travel alone, but only if she promised to be careful, and to stay as far away from strange stallions as she could.
As Golden gazed out the window, she could see the clock on the platform, and saw it was going to be another five minutes before the train was scheduled to leave. Sighing, she idly looked around at the passengers as they moved about the platform. She saw an old mare holding up the line at the ticket counter, and many of the ponies stuck in line behind her were grumbling and complaining, as they waited their turn. Moving off, she found her cheeks suddenly blushing, when her gaze focused on a young stallion and mare, who were kissing each other passionately. It looked like the young stallion was leaving to join the guard and the mare was showing him how much he was going to be missed. Golden gazed at them wistfully for a time, feeling envious of the couple, before she forced herself to look elsewhere.
A light amber colored stallion passing by her window suddenly caught her attention, and Golden's ears shot up strait in surprise when she suddenly realized that she recognized him! She rubbed her eyes and did a double take, but there was no mistaking the three blue horseshoe's cutie mark on the stallions flank, it was Caramel! What was he doing in Fillydelphia? And why is he carrying a...FILLY!? She couldn't believe her eyes, Caramel had just passed by her window carrying a filly. Quickly Golden plastered her face against the window to look down the side of the train. Is he boarding the train!? She couldn't tell when she lost sight of him, but it did look like he might board the train further up. What was he doing with a filly? Could she be his? Caramel wasn't the kind who would loosely play around with mares, so for him to have an accident like this, just seemed ridiculous.
Golden fondly remembered the time when she had forced her father to take her into town so she could play with Caramel. During that time they were as think as thieves, getting into all kinds of trouble, and Golden took it hard when it came time for him to finally leave, to go back home. She had locked herself in her room for the rest of the day, and wept uncontrollably into her pillow. When he returned many years latter, she was ecstatic to see him again, but was saddened to see some of the changes in him. He had a shadow about him at times, and was now distant and withdrawn. Obviously he was hurting over something, and Golden was disappointed when he never opened up and confided to her. She missed the old playful Caramel. The one with the zest for life, who would poke at spiderwebs for fun. She missed her best friend.
"Hay there pretty thing, what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" A voice said from beside her, interrupting her private thoughts. Golden let out a sigh that fogged the glass she was pressed against, and turned. Unwanted stallion advances, was one of the unfortunate side effects of traveling alone, and what she saw now was a prime example. Leaning against her seat with a leering smile was that same young stallion she had passed a few moments ago, when she was looking for a seat.
Pressing her ears back, Golden gave him a flat irritated look, hoping to impress her feelings to him. "I would like to be left alone, and I don't want to be disturbed." It was surprising how often this response worked, but then there were always the occasionally stubborn or stupid stallion that failed to listen.
The suave grayish green colored stallion appeared, much to Golden's annoyance, to be the kind who listened only to himself, as he ignored her as he sat down. Flashing her a smile with his overly white teeth, he idly brushed his long dirty straw colored mane back. "A pretty filly like you shouldn't be sitting all alone, not when there is a stallion like myself who can keep you company."
Alarmed at the stallion's boldness and apparent lack of tact, Golden moved herself further away until she was pressing herself to the window. This stallion was obviously full of himself, and Golden was loosing her patience with him, not to mention he was creeping her out. "A filly like myself shouldn't also be harassed by passing stallions ether."
The stallion slid himself closer, and Golden felt her skin crawl. She was feeling decisively trapped as he loomed over her. "Oh come now, I'm not harassing you, I'm just offering some friendly companionship for the long trip." She could smell his husky breath as he spoke. Lifting his hoof, he lightly slid it down her shoulder, causing shivers to run down her spine. "I have a private car we can retire to, where we can enjoy some champagne, that I'll have dinning car bring over just for us. Then, we can relax and enjoy ourselves in privacy." Golden rolled her shoulder in an attempt to brush off his petting hoof, but much to her disgust, she only succeeded in shifting his touch to her whithers. "What do you say to a little fun, huh? Maybe get to know each other a little better?"
Golden pressed her hoof to his chest and pushed him back, but only as far as her hoof would reach. She could feel him pressing back into her hoof, ready to move back in, if she pulled her hoof away. "I'm sorry Mr... whoever you are, I will not be spending any time with you, so please go."
The earth stallion was undaunted, as he lifted his hoof and slid sensually along the leg she was using to hold him back with. "Oh! How rude of me. I neglected to introduce myself, my name is Bitternut Dandy." He leaned in harder against her restraining hoof as his eyes roamed openly over her body, causing Golden feel her skin crawl at his openly salacious gaze. "What might your name be?"
Golden's ears were pressed tightly against the back of her head, as her lip lifted in distaste. Never before, had she seen a stallion ever be this persistent, or this lewd. Distantly she heard the train engine blast out a horn blast as a warning that the train was about to leave the station. With her patience at a end, Golden decided to act. "I just want to be left alone!" Lifting her other hoof, she shoved him back with both her hooves. Momentarily free, she quickly jumped out of her seat and pulled her bag out. "If you will excuse me, I have somewhere else to be!"
As she moved past him, the train suddenly lurched as it started to move. The sudden movement caused Golden to loose her balance and much to her absolute mortification, she flopped her rump down, right into Bitternut Dandy's lap.
"Oh my! How very eager of you, I like that in a mare." Bitternut Dandy said salaciously, very much pleased with the situation. Golden felt his groping hoof grasp her around her flanks, as he rubbed her over her three carrots with greens cutie marks.
Golden's face heated up bright red in mortified outrage, at the feeling of his lewdly grasping hooves. Leaping up as fast as she could, she whirled about, and before she knew what she was doing, she lashed out with her hoof, and punched the perverted stallion square into his face. The shock of her hoof meeting his cheek, sent feeling of satisfaction though Golden as she watched Bitternut Dandy fall back off the seat.
Golden stared in surprise at what she had just done. She had never punched somepony before, and as the realization of what she had just done hit her, she felt immensely pleased with herself at having put the crude stallion down. A quick glance at him confirmed that her punch had cleanly knocked him out, as he lay drooling on the floor with his tongue hanging out.
Picking up her bag, Golden quickly left the car, heading forward towards where she had last seen Caramel going, in the hopes of finding him.
Caramel had chosen to sit in the most forward passenger car, so that he could distance himself from the other passengers who usually preferred to sit closer to the dinning car in the back. His plan worked as he had the car all to himself. With his sisters quilt spread over the seat, he had Cinnamon laid out between his forelegs as he lounged on his belly. Cinnamon was now able to roll over, and crawl around a bit, so Caramel worried that she might fall off the seat.
Set out at the end of his outstretched hooves, Caramel had his old family album opened, as he slowly flipped though the pages. A sad sense of nostalgia had settled over him as he turned the pages. So many happy times lost to the past. Pictures of his parents came to an abrupt end, as he reached the point where they had died. Pausing, Caramel looked at a picture with a sense of sadness. The picture showed a young Caramel wearing a dark suit standing next to his sister Fudge, as she wore a muted black dress. They were standing forlornly before two coffins that their parents rested in, prier to their burial.
Sad tears, slowly fell from his eyes, as he viewed the image of his parents funeral. Soon, there will be another picture added to this book, the one from Fudge's funeral. Tired of the depressing images, Caramel let out a sigh, and flipped it back to a random point in the book, before he pushed it away.
Lowering his head, Caramel set it down alongside Cinnamon. He smiled when he felt Cinnamon sleepily roll over and cuddle herself up to the side of his face. Drowsily he shut his eyes, and with the comforting feeling of Cinnamon's hot breath against his cheek, Caramel drifted off to asleep.
Golden moved through several of the train's cars, but failed to find Caramel. She was beginning to wonder if he even got on in the first place. Maybe he was there at the train station to pick up somepony, perhaps that filly's mother. Her hope that he was here began to fade as she passed though a completely empty car. As she opened the door to the last passenger car, her heart sank at first when she didn't see anypony there, but then she noticed a form laying on one of the seats, midway though the car.
Golden paused nervously for a moment, wondering if she should approach him. After wrestling with her feeling for a bit, Golden took a breath and let it out, as she made up her mind. Silently she stepped closer. She could see that Caramel was laid out on his belly with his head resting between his forelegs. As she drew closer, Golden suddenly had to bite her lip, to keep herself from letting out a daww, at the adorable sight of the foal snuggled up to the side of Caramel's sleeping face.
Once she drew close and was standing just over him, she noticed the photo album sitting at the edge of his seat, its page was open to a series of photo's that Golden couldn't help but recognize. With a smile on her face she leaned her head over, so she could more closely looked them over. They all showed images of herself and Caramel, during their summer together.
Carefully, she lifted up the album and sat down in the seat behind Caramel's. With a smile on her face, she looked though the pictures of their time together as foalhood friends. Golden soon realized, that Lilly liked to take lot of pictures, as she flipped though the pages. She nearly laughed out loud when she came to one where they were covered in mud. The next one made her blush furiously as she saw that Lilly had put them in a bath together. I forgot about that.
A soft mewling sound made Golden's ears perk up. Looking over she saw that the foal was awake and was rolling over. As Golden watched, the foal struggled to the crest of Caramel's leg, and with her diapered rump pressed up against Caramel's cheek, she paused as she lifted her head up and stared at Golden curiously. Golden thought all foals were adorable, but this one was even more so. White, was a rare color for earth ponies, and as Golden looked the filly over, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the foal's mane and tail, as they looked like they were dipped in liquid caramel. What a fitting color, she thought.
Setting the photo album to the side, Golden stood and leaned down close to the filly. Taking in the filly's scent, Golden's nose suddenly touched the filly's nose as the filly sniffed her back. Golden felt a warmth spread throughout her body as her heart quickened. An almost uncontrollable need to hold, and snuggle the filly came over her. With a quick glace to make sure Caramel was still asleep, she brought up her hooves and carefully lifted the filly up.
Sitting herself back down, Golden held the filly to herself as she slowly rocked her body. It had been a while since she last held a foal. The last time being when her two sisters where little, and her mother needed her help, to care for them. Golden found that things seemed different now. She was now a full grown mare, and the feeling of the filly against her body just felt right, as a pleasant contented feeling settled over her.
Humming an old melody she knew, Golden looked to Caramel, and watched as he slept. She wondered what his story was, and how he came to have a foal. Caramel's scent was all over the filly, so Golden figured he'd been caring for her, and judging by the clean white coat and well groomed and cared for mane and tail, he was doing a fine job of it as well.
Golden glanced to the side, and eyed the photo album. Why was he also traveling with the photo album? Reaching out her free hoof Golden began flipping through the pages, soon she came to a stop, when she started to find pictures of Caramel with a older light brown filly. Golden remembered Caramel sister, having met her when they returned to pick up Caramel. Gazing at the pictures of Caramel's sister, Golden then looked down at the snoozing filly she held. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance. The pieces started to come together. The filly must be Caramel niece, not his daughter. Golden surmised.
Golden was confused as to why she suddenly felt relieved that Caramel wasn't the filly's father, but then a thought came to her, a thought that made her cold in the pit of her stomach. If Caramel is traveling with his niece, and he has the family album, something bad must have happened. Something so bad that it required Caramel to take his niece. Looking over at Caramel's sleeping form, Golden felt her eyes tear up. Oh Caramel, please let me be wrong about this.
Caramel slowly came awake. The first thing he became aware of was the feel of the train as it moved down the tracks. Reaching up, Caramel scratched his chin, as he blinked his eyes open. Lifting his head up, he let out a long yawn, before he looked down. For a moment, Caramel stared down blankly at where Cinnamon should have been. It took a moment for the realization that she was missing to sink in. Panic seized his chest, and with a cry, Caramel scrambled to the edge of the seat and looked down, terrified that she had fallen down, and had gotten hurt. Leaning over the edge Caramel scoured the floor, looking under his seat and all around, only for his searching gaze to suddenly fall on a pare of legs dangling down from the seat behind his.
"Huh?" Caramel's eyes roamed up, and he found himself staring at a smiling... "Goldie?" Shock and disbelief ran though his mind as he gazed at her. Goldie smiled at him while holding Cinnamon in the crux of her leg, while she fed her a bottle of formula, Caramel had prepared earlier.
"Hello." Golden said cheerfully. "Look at what I found!" She said happily, nodding her head down to Cinnamon.
Caramel was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact the Golden was here, and that she had stolen Cinnamon right out from under him. His position was rather precarious, as he was still leaning over the edge of his seat, as he stared at her dumbfounded. His hoof was situated right at the edge of his seat, and it suddenly chose this moment to slip out from under him. With a cry, Caramel crumpled, face first to the floor.
With a grunt of pain, Caramel opened his eyes. His jaw hurt where he landed on it, and with a groan, Caramel flopped his body over, so it was no longer resting on his face. Staring strait up, Caramel looked up at Golden, as she leaning over and looked down at him, with a look of concern and amusement on her face. "Caramel? You okay? That was quite a spill."
Caramel blinked, as he cleared his vision. "Goldie?"
Golden cocked her head to the side, as she considered him. "Caramel, if you keep repeating that, I'm going to start believing that you somehow broke your brain."
Caramel quickly scrambled up and looked Golden over. She blinked at his close scrutiny, as she leaned herself back slightly. Reaching his hoof forward, he lightly jabbed Golden in her shoulder.
"Hay! The last stallion who got too touchy, I ended up punching him in the face!" Golden snapped, as she knocked his hoof away.
Caramel flopped his rump down to the floor. "Goldie? What are you doing here?" Reaching his hoof up, he scratched the back of his head in confusion.
Goldie resumed feeding Cinnamon her bottle. "I was in Fillydelphia talking to a restaurant about buying produce from our farm, and as I was leaving I saw you boarding the train at the station, when looked around for you, I managed to find you here." Golden explained simply, before she looked back at him seriously. "Okay your turn. Why do you have your niece, and what happened to your sister."
Caramel froze as he stared at her dumbfounded. "How did you...?"
Golden shrugged, giving him a sheepish grin. "I like to read mystery novels." But when she saw that he was expecting more, she let out a sigh, and continued. "First, your traveling with your family album, most ponies don't travel around with those, which means your taking it back home with you. And second, the filly resembles your sister quite strongly, and since the filly is with you, instead of with her. I can't help but worry that something has gone terribly wrong." Golden met his eyes. "Please tell me that its all part of my wild imaginings, and that there is a reasonably happy explanation to explain all this."
Caramel's ears drooped down, as he looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, something has happen." Caramel said slowly. "My sister... died in an accident a few days ago." Caramel nodded towards the filly. "Cinnamon is mine now, I'm all she's got."
Golden remained silent for a moment, before she looked down at the filly. "So her name is Cinnamon." She murmured softly. "Such a beautiful name, for a beautiful filly." She let out a sad sigh before looking up. "Caramel, will you please sit next to me."
Caramel eyed her curiously, as he stood. Moving around next to her, he sat down, making sure that he kept a respectable distance. Once he was seated, Golden suddenly scooted closer and laid her head against his shoulder. The moment her head pressed into his shoulder, Caramel's ears shot up, as all of his muscles locked up tight. Thoughts about what her father would do to him suddenly flashed through his mind.
She stayed like this for a time, as Caramel felt himself sweating nervously, as he worried about what he should do. "I'm sorry about your sister." Golden suddenly said, breaking the solemn silence. "She was nice to me when I met her that one time. I had come over like usual to play, but you were busy with your parents inside, so Fudge made me some tea. We sat out on Lilly's porch, and had a proper tea party, while I told her about all the fun things we did, and she in turn told me about her time in Prance."
Caramel felt himself relax as she spoke, smiling as he saw the images play out in his mind. He had never heard of any of this, and was grateful that she was sharing it with him.
"As we talked, your mother came out, and brought us cookies, she ended up joining our tea party, and listened as I told them both about our little adventures together." Golden paused for a moment, losing herself in her memory. "Your mother was very beautiful and had the most wonderful laugh."
Caramel nodded in agreement as he lightly rested his cheek atop Golden's head. "Yes, she was very beautiful, and I very much miss hearing her laughter. I bet she laughed a whole bunch, when you told her about all the antics we managed to get into."
Golden let out a giggle. "You'd win that bet. She particularly loved the story of how we caught that toad, and brought it into the house to show Lilly."
Caramel smiled and let out a chuckle. "I never expected that with a name like Lilly Pad, that she would end up having such a huge fear of toads."
Golden shifted herself, and Caramel felt disappointed when she suddenly pulled herself away. He had been enjoying the feeling of her, as she was pressed up against him. Looking over at her, he saw Golden lean over and set the now empty bottle she had been using to feed Cinnamon down.
"Would you please bring me a burp towel?" Golden asked, as she adjusted Cinnamon around in her lap. Quickly, Caramel moved over to the diaper bag, and pulled one out. Giving it to her, Caramel sat in the seat across from her, and watched as Golden burped Cinnamon. He was amazed at the practiced ease in which she was able to performed it.
"Your really good at that." Caramel said, as he admired her technique.
"Come on, I know you have one more in there." Golden said to Cinnamon as she patted her back. "I helped out with my younger sisters when they were little foals." She explained, before Cinnamon suddenly let out a particularly loud burp. Smiling at Cinnamon, Golden lowered her down from her shoulder. "Ohhh, your such a good filly, you didn't even spit up! What a proper young filly you are!" Golden praised Cinnamon as she settled her back down in her lap.
As Golden slowly rubbed Cinnamon's belly, she looked back up at Caramel with an amused sparkle in her eyes. "You know, during that tea party I ah... kind of told your mother that I was going to marry you."
Caramel's heart jumped in his chest, as his head shot up. With his ears quivering, he looked over at Golden. "You... told my mom that we were going to get married!" Caramel felt a warm flush rush up his spine, right up to the tip of his ears, where he was now sure that they had just caught fire. "What!?... what did she say." Caramel found he was having trouble controlling his voice for some reason.
"Well, she told me that I was going to haft to chase you down first, and once I caught you, I was to hold on to you really tight, and to never let you go." Golden smiled at the memory. "She wished me luck, and told me that I'd make an excellent wife for you."
Caramel thought back to that day, his eyes going wide when he realized something. "Wait a minute! Is that why you chased me around the yard for like an hour while my mom was cheering you on?"
Golden was trying hard not to laugh. "As I recall, I caught you in the end."
Caramel's ears wilted as it all started to make sense. "I remember, you sat on me."
Golden giggled as she scratched the back of her head with her free hoof. "Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of got overly excited. But in my defense, it was all your moms fault. She thought it was hilarious."
Caramel grinned and began to chuckle. "She lifted you onto her back, and happily paraded you about shouting that you got your stallion."
Golden laughed, thinking of those fun times, but then her smile wilted as she considered Caramel. Ever since he had come back to Ponyville, he had been different. More reserved and withdrawn. She had tried on numerous occasions to get him to spend time with her, and have some fun, but he always got a funny look on his face before he would tell her that he wasn't feeling up to it. She had been holding it in for a while but now she just needed to know. "Caramel?" She said, calling his attention to her. "Why don't you want to be my friend anymore?"
Caramel was caught by surprise by the question, as his eye's suddenly went wide. "What?... Where did you get a funny idea like that? I'm not trying to stop being your friend." Caramel tried to control his voice, but it still came out shaky.
Golden's expression darkened, as a look of disappointment settled on her. "I never thought I would hear you lie to me." Golden sat for a moment looking Caramel over, as he wilted under her gaze and stared at the floor. "When you came back, I was excited to see my old friend again, but you were subdued and rather cold to me, keeping me at a distance." Golden's eyes hardened as she looked at Caramel, who continued staring down at the floor. "It hurt me, you know that? I want to know why your pushing me away? What is it that is making you do this to me?"
Caramel's body was now shuddering, as he struggled to control himself. Refusing to look up at Golden and risk meeting her gaze, Caramel began to panic. She was asking questions of him that he never wanted her to know the answers to. He had been so careful, hiding that part of himself from her, as he dreaded the look of revulsion she was sure to have for him should she learn what had happened to him. Swallowing, Caramel opened his mouth as he attempted to respond. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to hurt you." Caramel's lungs burned as he took a breath, as it felt like he wasn't getting enough air. "I... I was happy to see you too, but... there were things... I just couldn't let you see..." Caramel suddenly stopped when it seemed he said too much.
"See what?... Caramel, what didn't you want me to see?" Golden leaned forward. "Please talk to me. What didn't you want me to see?"
It was a long while before Caramel answered, his hoof was visibly shaking. "I... I can't.... I can't... I can't." Caramel was shaking his head. "I just can't." He lifted a hooves and covered his head, in an attempt to hide himself from her.
"Caramel, you were once my best friend, we shared everything with each other. We had no secrets with each other." Golden pleaded, as tears started to come to her eyes. "Why are you driving me away!? Why can't I have my best friend back!? What is it that's making you destroy what we had together!?"
Caramel was still clutching his hooves around his head, as he hid his face. "I can't!" He exclaimed as he shook his head. "Don't you understand, I CAN'T LET YOU KNOW!"
His refusal was another blow that hurt Golden as she felt her heart breaking. She could see that Caramel was hiding something, and it was eating him up, but he was refusing to face it, and let it out. He was letting their friendship die, to keep it hidden. She wanted to be there for him, but if he refused to trust her, then there was very little she saw she could do.
Leaning further forward, Golden reached her hoof out. "Caramel, please. Why can't you tell me?" The moment her hoof touched his, Caramel suddenly jumped and slapped her hoof away as he recoiled from her.
Golden let her uplifted hoof drop down. She felt defeated. There seemed to be nothing she could do to reach her old friend. He was refusing her help, and rejecting her friendship.
With tears falling from her eyes, Golden adjusted Cinnamon in her grasp as she stood up. Using a blanket, Golden made a nest between the diaper bags before she carefully lowered the sleeping filly into it. Lifting her pack up, she turned to leave. "I'm sorry Caramel... I'm so sorry. I wanted to save our friendship, but as long as you don't trust me, and continue to push me away, I don't see how that is possible." She said softly. "I'm... going to go now, and... I won't be bothering you ever again. Goodbye Caramel."
Golden's heart was wrenching in her chest as she walked towards the door. With every step she took, she hoped and prayed that he would call out to her, but with each step all she heard was silence, as she approached the door. Golden despaired, Caramel was choosing to let her go, effectively throwing away their friendship, and with tears openly flowing down her cheeks, she reached for the handle. No pony had ever told her that the end of a friendship was such a painful experience. It felt like her heart was being torn out of her chest.
..."Wait."...
Golden's hoof froze on the handle at the sound of Caramel's voice calling out.
"Please..."
His voice was almost a whisper, but to Golden, it was practically a shout.
Hope bound up in Golden as she wiped the back of her hoof across her eyes. Caramel had called out to her, and in that one feeble effort, he had shown a glimmer of desire to save their friendship. Lowering her hoof, Golden turned and walked back to her seat. "I'm here Caramel, and I promise you, that no matter what you tell me, I will continue to be here for you. You can trust me." She assured him.
Caramel remained silent for a long while, but then he took a deep breath and let out a shuddering exhale. "I've been a jerk, and a idiot, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for how I have acted. It wasn't fair to you." Caramel sat hunched over as he spoke, his gaze locked onto the floor. "I... hid a part of myself from you, because... I didn't want you to see,... how damaged I was inside." Caramel's shoulders shook, as he let out a whimper. "I didn't... want you to see my shame."
Golden couldn't see his eyes, but she could see the tears that slowly dripped off the end of his nose. "Caramel, I would never think any less of you."
"You don't understand!" Caramel suddenly snapped. "She used me! She polluted my very being, and left me wanting to die! If you knew the things she did to me, you would never be able to look at me without disgust in your eyes ever again!"
"That's not true! I would never do that to you!" Golden slashed her hoof to the side in denial.
Caramel ignored her as he stared down at the floor, with no indication that he had even heard her. When he spoke, his voice came out hollow, and devoid of life. "She lured me into her home. We were to work on a class project together, but she had something else on her mind, and nothing was going to stop her from getting what she wanted."
As Golden listened to Caramel as he spoke, a sudden sense of dread started to twist her gut around.
"I couldn't do anything. Her magic was too strong, and I was powerless to stop her from using me. That monster hurt me so much, just for the fun of it, she took pleasure from my pain, and in the end she made my body betray me. She used my body as her plaything and she took from me... something precious, something that I will never get back again. Once she was finished with me, she left me dirtied and fouled inside." Caramel's shoulders were hitching, as he strained to speak. "I didn't want you to see that! Our friendship was clean and pure, and one of the most precious things that I cherish, and I didn't want to dirty it with that filth!"
Golden couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had her hoof pressed to her mouth in abject horror, as she listened. "Caramel." She said softly, struggling to form the words. "Were you...?" She paused, when her voice caught in her throat. "Were you... raped?"
Caramel wrapped his hooves around himself, as he let out a wailing cry as he suddenly wept. Golden didn't need to hear his answer to know the truth of her question. Quickly she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around him, and held him as tightly as she could, desperate to make him feel like he wasn't alone. "Oh Goldie! It hurts so much inside! I can't stand it!" Caramel's agonized wails cut into Golden heart, as she felt his body shudder under her, driving her to hold him all the harder.
"Caramel, it wasn't your fault." Golden desperately said, feeling Caramel's head nestled under hers as she spoke. "What happened to you was terrible, but I know your strong, and you can overcome it. Your not alone, I'm here for you, and you must understand that what you just told me is not going to change that! Your still that sweet wild maned colt I used to know, and love, and that is not going to change! You hear me?."
Caramel had been holding it in for so long. All that pain and self loathing, bottled up, and slowly eating him alive. Now that he had shared it with her, he suddenly felt a great release. The feeling of Golden as she held him was a great comfort, as he felt a closer connection with her now that she knew things about him, he had never told any other pony, including his sister. Golden's acceptance of of his shame and degradation showed Caramel a strength that was truly wondrous.
For a long time they quietly held each other, as the landscape rolled past outside the window. The coldness that Carmel had felt inside was replaced by a searing fire from Golden's friendship and love, that she gave to him freely, and completely, as she held nothing back.
"I... don't want to loose our friendship." Caramel suddenly confessed, breaking the long silence.
Golden reached up and brushed his mane back, from his eyes. "Good, I don't want to loose it ether." She said softly into his ear.
After that, things became easier as they talked. At first they talked about little things, but after a time Caramel opened up and began telling Golden about what he had been doing in Fillydelphia since he arrived. He told her what it was like holding Cinnamon for the very first time, and all he had to do to learn how to care for her. Golden was particularly interested in hearing about his time with Dawn Sparks, and his involvement in helping with her delivery of Stellar Prize.
"I can't believe you helped deliver a foal!" Golden said, laughing.
Caramel grinned and thumped himself in the chest. "Hay, this stallion ain't just for decorations, I can be useful sometimes."
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to demean you, its just that its so amazing that you did that for a filly you just met." Golden slid herself closer to him. "For doing something so sweet, I believe you deserve a reward." Golden quickly leaned over and planted a kiss to his cheek. The feeling of her lips pressing against his cheek, sent a shock though his body, and left him feeling like he was floating. Leaning back from her kiss, Golden smacked her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm, that reminds me of the time you stole my first kiss."
Still feeling a bit lightheaded from her unexpected kiss, Caramel looked over at Golden with a dubious look, lifting one of his eyebrows. "As I recall, it was you who stole that kiss from me."
Golden wobbled her head back and forth, as she thought about it. "I'd say that it was more of a mutual kiss."
Caramel let out a sigh, he clearly remembered that it was Golden, who snuck up on him and tackled him, and once she had him pinned to the ground, she then planted her lips onto his, in a rather wet and slobbery kiss. Caramel found himself smiling, as he thought about it. Glancing over at Golden, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she now was, compared to that gawky filly she used to be. "Yeah, I guess it was mutual." He admitted, feeling his cheeks blush.
Caramel's stomach grumble, reminding him how long it had been since he last ate. "Are you hungry? How about I go back to the dinning car and get us some sandwiches." Caramel offered, glancing at Golden.
"That's a good idea, I am pretty hungry." Lifting her hoof, she gestured over to Cinnamon. "Here, how about you give me Cinnamon. I'll watch her while your getting the food."
Once Cinnamon was in Golden's possession, Caramel rummaged though his bag for his bits to buy their meal. Suddenly the train car gave a lurch, followed by another. Regaining his balance, Caramel looked over in concern at Golden, as she clutched Cinnamon protectively to herself. Suddenly the breaks slammed on, and Golden let out a terrified scream as she was flung forward. Caramel reacted instantly, leaping forward, he wrapped himself protectively around both Golden and Cinnamon.
With a grunt of pain, Caramel slammed into the next seat up. Taking the impact from Golden and Cinnamon, as they were cushioned by his body. Holding the pair tightly, as he braced himself in place, Caramel felt the train shudder, as the breaks screeched and howled, as they attempted to slow the train down. For a panicky moment, Caramel worried that the train might derail and crash. But his worries faded as the violent shuddering lessened until the train finally came to a stop.
"Are you okay? Is Cinnamon hurt!?" Caramel asked, with an edge of panic in his voice, as he looked them over.
Golden lifted herself up, and quickly checked on Cinnamon who was wailing her lungs out. "We're both fine, thanks you to. Cinnamon's only scared." Golden went to the diaper bag and looked though it until she found a pacifier, and stuck it into Cinnamon mouth, who quickly quieted down, as she suckled her pacifier.
Caramel groaned as he picked himself up, the side of his back felt bruised from the edge of the seat he had fallen against. "What happened? Why did we stop?" Caramel asked out loud, voicing the same questions that Golden was thinking.
Golden went to the window and looked out. All she saw was rolling grasslands, with a few scattered oak trees for miles. It was a rather beautiful landscape she thought. Pressing her face to the glass she looked forward and saw that the train was on a curve when it had stopped, so she was able to see the side of the train engine, and what she saw was rather alarming. Great white plumes of steam was pouring out of many places around the boiler. "Wow, look at that."
Caramel, rolled his shoulder painfully, and joined her at the window. "Looks like the boiler on the engine has split open, that's not good." Caramel said, as he looked at the engine.
The sound of the forward door opening caught their attention. A conductor stepped though and paused when he saw them. "I'm sorry folks, but the engine has broken down. We are asking all passengers to move to the dinning car for instructions for what to do. Please make your way there as soon as you can." The conductor then quickly walked through their car, as he made his way to the next.
Quickly, Caramel and Golden gathered up their belongings and made their way to the dinning car, where they joined a great many other ponies who were already waiting. Since the car was rather full already, Caramel and Golden had to squeeze themselves in near the door.
Suddenly there was a commotion, as somepony shoved their way forward. "You!"
Golden let out a groan, and draped her hoof over her face in consternation. "Oh great... not him again."
Leaning in close. "And who would that be?" Caramel whispered.
"Bitternut Dandy." Golden answered with a groan.
"You!" Shoving his way forward, the grayish green colored stallion stopped before Golden, shoving his face close to hers. "You cow! You punched me!"
Golden let out a sigh, as she leveled her gaze at the stallion. "Well you deserved it! You were groping me all over my cutie mark!"
The stallion shook his hoof at her. "You wanted me to, you tease! You sat in my lap, and begged me to touch you."
Golden lowered her ears and snorted in irritation. "The train started to move, and I fell into your lap. That does not give you an excuse to feel me up!"
Bitternut threw back his head and scoffed. "No self respecting stallion like myself would ever lower my standards so much, as to feel up a ugly cow like yourself . Admit it! You dropped your fat tushy into my lap on purpose, to get a good feel out of me!" The stallion sneered down at Golden.
Caramel felt his blood boiling. This gruff and perverted stallion had molested Golden, and the mere thought of what he had done to Golden, made Caramel absolutely livid with rage. He didn't realize that he was moving until he found himself shoving his way between Golden and the stallion. Bitternut Dandy flinched when he met Caramel's enraged gaze, as it fixed on him, causing him to shy back a few steps.
"Who is this? Your coltfriend or something? What'd you do? Sit in his lap too, and he fell madly in love with you?"
Caramel felt his muscles quiver with the need to strike his hoof across the pompous stallions sneering face.
The stallions eyes fell down on Cinnamon, who was slung off of Caramel neck in her foal carrier. "Oh! What is this? Going after stallions with baggage! Oh, how desperate a cow like you must be!"
Caramel let out an angry snort, he had heard enough! Lifting his hoof, he drew it back. Golden saw this and quickly lunged forward and wrapped both her hooves around his, and held him back.
"No!" Golden cried out, straining to hold back his attack. "Caramel! Don't do it!" She begged, hoping her words would reach his enraged mind. "He's not worth it! Think about Cinnamon, she might get hurt!"
The stallion's sneering smile dropped as he looked at Caramel with sudden alarm. He retreated a few steps back, as he worried that Golden wouldn't be able to hold the enraged Caramel back. Unwisely he decided to push his luck. "You'd better listen to your cow. You wouldn't want to do something foolish that might hurt the little one, would you?"
Caramel released another snort, before he relaxed and lowered his uplifted hoof. Golden let out a relieved sigh, as she leaned up against his side.
"Excuse me everypony! May I have your attention please!" The same conductor that spoke to them earlier said, as he stepped to the center of the dinning car. "I am here to inform you that the engine has broken down, and cannot be fixed until its brought back to the rail yard."
"What's going to happen to us then!?" A pony in the crowd suddenly asked. Others around the car also voiced their concern, while a few shouted out angrily, or just complained.
The conductor waved his hoof for silence, and once everypony had settled down enough for him to be heard he continued. "Unfortunately, the breakdown has occurred while we were traveling on a less used line off of the main line. But luckily, there is a town only a few miles down the line, so for those of you who don't mind a bit of a walk, you can make your way there, where you can wait for a new train to arrive, tickets will of course be comped by the railroad. For those of you unable to make the trip to the town, a wagon will be sent back to pick you up. Now, please before anypony leaves, I'll need to have your names, so come and see me as soon as you can."
An hour latter, Caramel stepped off the train, packed up and ready to go. He had Cinnamon's diaper bags on, with his luggage sitting between them on the center of his back. Cinnamon was in her customary place, slung from around his neck in her foal carrier, happy now that she had her diaper freshly changed.
Looking around, he saw Golden trotting over to him. Trying to not be to obvious about it, Caramel admired Golden's elegant figure as she moved with a smooth grace, that made Caramel's heart quicken.
"Your staring." Golden said, smirking as she drew close.
Caramel blinked, as he realized that he had just been caught. "No I wasn't."
Sitting her rump down, Golden cocked her head with an amused grin. "Oh? Then what where you doing then?" She asked curiously.
Caramel chuckled and scratched his head. "I ah... was just watching you, while practicing not blinking." Caramel explained while nodding his head. "See, I told you I wasn't staring."
Golden lifted one of her eyebrows as she considered him, looking like she wasn't buying it at all. Caramel cleared his throat and looked about awkwardly for a moment before he let out a sigh and hung his head down. "Fine, you win, I was staring." Caramel confessed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
Golden flashed a happy smile, as her ears perked up. "Really!? Well I must admit that I too, couldn't help myself." She said before she leaned in close and whispered to Caramel. "I've been sneaking looks at you too."
Caramel's ears started twitching uncontrollably, as he suddenly felt much too warm. He figured she was just teasing him, but that still didn't stop him from reacting to it. He just couldn't help himself. "So ah... Where you ah.. able to find anything?"
Nodding her head, Golden gestured back to her pack. "I got some water, and I managed to find some bread, cheese, a couple of apples, and a surprise treat."
"A surprise treat?" Caramel asked curiously.
Golden lifted her hoof and cocked it back and forth a few times. "Ah ah ahhh. It's a surprise. Now, before we leave, there is one last thing to do."
"Oh? What is that?"
Golden leveled her hoof, pointing it at his chest, right where Cinnamon was resting against it. "The filly, pass her over."
Caramel lifted his hoof, and set it protectively over Cinnamon. "That's okay, I can carry her."
Golden's expression became stern. "Caramel, if our relationship is going to work, then you are going to haft to learn how to share. Now gimme." She gestured impatiently for him to give her Cinnamon.
Caramel thought about it for a moment, but then he noticed the frown she was throwing at him, and quickly decided that this was a fight he was not going to win. Giving Cinnamon to Golden took only a few moments, and now Golden was happily humming to herself, as her tail happily swished back and forth.
"Okay, lets get a move on. What was the name of that town?" Caramel looked out at the rolling hills of waving grass.
Golden stepped up next to Caramel. "It's called Galloping Springs."
Glancing at Golden, Caramel grinned at her. "Well Golden, you feel like going on a walk with me?"
Meeting his gaze, Golden smiled back. "The weather is perfect, and the landscape is beautiful. With a adorable filly in my possession and a handsome stallion by my side, nothing would please me more."
"Well then, lets be off." Together, they moved away from the train, and began walking north. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 06 | They traveled north. There was supposed to be a road about a half mile away, that would lead to Galloping Springs, but they had yet to see it. The land they were walking though was beautiful, with it's long flowing grass that bent and rolled like waves on the sea, as the occasional breeze blew through. And scattered about, like islands on a vast rolling sea of grass, were large oak trees, that loomed wide with their gnarled and bent branches that were filled with intricate and lobed leaves that cast their cooling shade for any traveler that wished to rest under its green canopy.
Caramel glanced over at Golden Harvest and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. She had been stopping periodically to pick flowers to tuck them into Cinnamon's mane, during their walk. And now the filly looked like she had sprouted an entire flower garden out of her mane.
Goldie noticed Caramel's mirth as he looked over at her. "What?" She said defensively. "I think she looks pretty. The yellow ones go nicely with her eyes."
Still smiling, Caramel reached his head down and picked a flower at his hooves. Goldie eyed him curiously as he walked up to her, and tucked it into her mane, just behind her ear. Standing back, he looked her over with approval. "I think you look pretty with the blue ones."
She blinked at him, as she suddenly blushed. "You really think so?"
Stepping away, Caramel looked over his shoulder at her. "Of course I do. I would never joke about something like that." He said before he flicked his tail at her. "Come on, the road shouldn't be far now."
Goldie smiled as she hurried her steps to fall in beside Caramel. Her heart felt like it was soaring as she saw the changes that had come over Caramel. He seemed more like his old self. He now smiled more easily, as he showed a coltish side to himself, that Goldie just loved, and adored.
"Ah, found it!" Caramel said as they stepped out of the long grass onto the road.
Looking around, Goldie gave Caramel a nudge, and pointed to a nearby oak tree. "Lets rest under there, and enjoy some of the provisions I managed to procure."
Caramel nodded as they started over to it. "That's a good idea. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and I think its now closer to dinner than lunch."
Goldie was about to lay down in the soft grass, when Caramel suddenly held his hoof out to stop her. She looked at him curiously as he pulled his luggage off his back and rifled though it for a moment before he pulled out a colorful quilt. Throwing it open, he laid it out for them to lay on.
"Why thank you fine sir." Goldie said with a curtsy.
Caramel swept his hoof to his chest and bowed his head. "You are quite welcome, Your Grace. May I help you with your bags?"
"Ohh, I can get used to this." Goldie said pleased, as Caramel lifted her saddlebags off her back, and set them down at the edge of the quilt. With a sigh of pleasure, Goldie laid herself down onto the quilt. Lifting Cinnamon out of her carrier, she set her down between her forehooves, where the filly happily cooed to herself, as she drooled, and batted at Goldie's face with her hooves.
Looking down at the filly, Goldie felt a pleasant warmth spread through her chest, as she found the foal pulling at her heartstrings. "Oh! You are just too adorable!" Lowering her head, Goldie blew a zerbert into Cinnamon's belly, causing the filly to flail her hooves around as she chortled and squealed uproariously. "Oh my goodness! What a laugh you've got! I want to hear some more!" Placing her mouth to the foals soft belly, she blew again. The air once again filled with the peals unbridled laughter of a foal being tortured.
Caramel laughed as he watched Goldie working the filly over. He marveled at how good Goldie was with Cinnamon, it was like she knew just what to do to make Cinnamon happy. Laying himself down, Caramel found his gaze focusing onto Goldie as he admired her. She was perhaps the most beautiful mare he knew, and whenever she smiled, Caramel's heart would flutter in his breast like a butterfly trapped in a cage. He was finding his old feeling for her had been renewed and rejuvenated, as it seemed the intermittent years just melted away like a dream.
As Goldie playfully nibbled on the sensitive frog's of Cinnamon's hooves, she noticed Caramel watching her. "Your staring again." She said looking up at him
"I'm just admiring the view."
Goldie blushed as she blinked at him. "That's twice now."
Caramel lifted his eyebrow at her curiously. "What's, twice now?"
"That is for me to know." Goldie said cryptically, as she smiled at him. Turning she pulled her saddlebag closer. "Okay, lets eat."
She took out a small loaf of bread, and a wedge of cheese and broke them both in half. Next she pulled out two small apples and a bottle of water.
"I was only able to get one bottle of water, so we're going to haft to share."
Gazing at Goldie, Caramel found he didn't mind sharing at all. He couldn't think of another mare he'd rather share food or a drink with, then with her. "We'll need to leave a bit to make a bottle for Cinnamon, she'll be hungry soon." Caramel added, as he took a bite out of his bit of cheese.
Their meal was rather meager, but it helped to make their bellies feel better. Cinnamon had rolled over and was curiously watching as a ladybug crawled over the quilt. She let out a happy squeal when the ladybug quite suddenly opened its wings and flew off.
"And this is our surprise treat." Goldie said as she lifted a slice of cheese cake, out of her saddlebag, with a happy smile. "Now open up, you get the first bite." She said as she held the slice up to Caramel's mouth.
He felt a little awkward being fed by Goldie, but once he took a bite, he was rewarded by the cake's deliciously smooth rich flavor, that pleasantly worked its way through his mouth. Goldie then took a bite and hummed in pleasure as she chewed. After a few moment she fed him another bite, before she took her turn again. This continued, until Goldie finished off the last bite.
Taking the bottle of water, Caramel used a portion of it to make a bottle for Cinnamon, before picking her up, and giving it to her. As he fed her, Goldie lounged out on the quilt next to him, as she relaxed, and enjoyed the cool breeze, that rustled the leaves on the oak tree above them.
"This is an interesting quilt." Goldie commented. Looking down at all the colorful ponies that were stitched all about on its surface.
"Fudge made it for Cinnamon." Caramel said, as he also looked down at it. "You see that pony just in front of you?" Caramel said gesturing with his head. "That one is me."
Bending her head close, Goldie smiled. "Yeah, your right. It does look like you. And that one here looks like Fudge." Golden pointed to a light brown pony near the center. "Oh my gosh! Those two near the edge must be your parents!" She pointed to a pair that indeed did look like his parents. Goldie turned her head and looked all about. "Are all these ponies representatives of your family?"
Caramel shook his head. "Not all of them. If you look just behind you, you'll see Chisel and Lilly, and I have no idea who any of those ponies are over there are, except that lemon colored one right there. She was Fudge's best friend when we were growing up. Last I heard of her was that she moved to Las Pegasus to work as a bartender. I'm not sure how she is able to do that, considering that she's deaf."
Goldie ears perked up and she looked at Caramel. "She was deaf? I guess that means that Fudge knew sign language then, if her best friend was deaf."
Caramel nodded. "Fudge was a lot better at it than I was."
Goldie blinked at him in surprise. "You know sign language too?"
"I haven't used it in years, so I'm really rusty now." Caramel said with a shrug. "I suppose I could still hold a basic conversation if I really had to."
"That's actually quite amazing." Goldie said in admiration. "I wish I knew something amazing like that."
"Hello!" A voice called out to them, cutting into their conversation.
Looking back, they saw two ponies aproching them on the road. A unicorn stallion, and a earth pony mare.
Golden sat up and waved her hoof at them. "Hello." She warmly greeted them back.
The couple stepped off the road and approached them. "A beautiful day for a picnic." The stallion said.
"It certainly is." Caramel agreed pleasantly. "My name is Caramel, and this is Golden Harvest." Caramel said as he gave introductions.
"I'm Star Watcher, and this is Honey Clover." The stallion gestured to the mare standing next to him. It was obvious the two were a couple, with how closely they stood next to each other, and the affectionate looks they would exchange. "We're sorry to bother you on your family outing, but we're on our way to Galloping Springs, and we're wondering if we're getting close."
"We're on our way there ourselves." Goldie answered. "It's only a few miles down the road."
The two let out a relieved sigh as they looked at each other. "Oh good. Then we're not to late then." Honey Clover said in relief.
"Oh? Not too late for what?" Goldie asked curiously.
"For the festival of course." Star Watcher answered. "Aren't you going there for the Spring Festival too?"
Caramel shook his head. "Our train broke down not too far from here, and we're on our way there to book another train back home."
"Oh, so you don't know about the festival then?" Star Watcher asked, looking at Caramel and Goldie, seeing the two shake their heads, he then explained. "It's a Spring Festival that's held in Galloping Springs during the first full moon after the start of spring. There is the normal games, food, and dancing, throughout the day and late into the night. Spring means the start of new things, and in the spirit of that, many young couples come to this festival to get married, as it's considered good luck."
Honey Clover stepped closer to Star Watcher, and nuzzled him affectionately. "That's why we're going there. We're eloping." She said, giving Star Watcher a loving look.
Goldie suddenly clapped her hooves together excitedly. "Oh! That's so romantic!"
Caramel noticed that Cinnamon had finisher her bottle. Setting the empty bottle aside, he placed a burp towel onto his shoulder before he lifted Cinnamon up, and started patting her back.
"You two have a beautiful filly." Honey Clover said with admiration, as she watched Caramel, as he cared for Cinnamon. "We're looking forward to starting our own family as well." Honey Clover gave Star Watcher a look that caused him to suddenly started blushing furiously.
Caramel exchanged amused looks with Goldie. "It's a little complicated, but Goldie and I aren't married, and little Cinnamon here, is actually my niece."
Honey Clover looked startled for a moment as she glanced between Goldie and Caramel. "Oh, I'm sorry. It just, you two looked so much like a family, that I just assumed."
Goldie smiled and waved her hoof. "Don't worry about it. I would have thought the same thing." She said before she looked over at Caramel as he patted Cinnamon's back. "It's kind of flattering, actually." When she had heard Honey Clover call them a family, she felt a sense of happiness that left her feeling giddy. "Are you ready to go?" She asked Caramel, as he lowered Cinnamon down from his shoulder, having finished burping her.
"Yeah, just give me a moment to get everything packed up." Handing Cinnamon over to Goldie, Caramel began folding the quilt back up.
"Here, I'll help." Star Watcher offered, stepping forward. His horn lighting up with magic.
Honey Clover stepped up next to Goldie and giggled as she tickled Cinnamon's chin, while the two stallion quickly folded and packed everything away. A few moments latter, they were back on the road.
"You see, my mother had my marriage all arranged." Star Watcher explained as they walked down the road. "She had what she called a proper unicorn mare, lined up to be my wife." He snorted in disdain as he stomped his hoof on the hard packed road. "I had no say in the matter. My parents had already paid the the dowry, and the date had been set. But I was in love with Honey Clover, who my mother so affectionately called a mud pony. A few day's before the wedding was to take place, I snuck out and ran away with Honey Clover."
"Oh! This is just too romantic!" Goldie gushed, as she gazed at the couple with wide eyes.
Honey Clover giggled at Goldie's continuous dreamy looks she kept giving them. "My parents were against my love of Star Watcher. They called all unicorns stuck up snobs, who didn't know the value of a hard day's work." Honey Clover rubbed her cheek against Star Watchers neck affectionately. "They don't know Star like I do. He's sweet, and kind. Eager to jump in and lend a hoof whenever the chances arise. When he came to me and told me he wanted to run away with me, I just had to do it. I remembered reading about Galloping Springs, and its Spring Festival in a magazine once. I read that if you got married during the festival, you can't ever have your marriage dissolved or annulled. So after we are wed, our parents will haft to accept it."
Goldie was hoping excitedly. "Oh wow!" She reached over and clutched her hoof over Caramel neck, and sagged down so he was bearing her weight. "Carry me! I'm about to swoon!"
Caramel rolled his eyes, as he grinned back at Goldie and her silly antics. He couldn't fault her her over dramatization of the situation, the story the couple were telling was a true romance that pulled at the heart and imagination. He tried picturing himself in such a situation. Goldie locked away in her farmhouse by her overbearing monstrous parents. Caramel, hearing of her desperate plight, bravely frees her, and together they flee through the cold night while being chased by her colossally sized fire breathing father. And just when hope was about to be lost and the young lover's would soon be driven apart forever, they decide to risk it all by bravely swimming across a swollen storm tossed river. With their strength spent, the two lovers climb up to safety on the far bank, where they embrace and bring their lips together in a passionate kiss.
"Caramel?"...
"Caramel?"
Caramel felt something poke him in his side. Blinking, he looked over and saw Goldie giving him another jab.
"Ah.. Yeah, what is it?" Caramel asked, as he tried to figure out why they were all staring at him.
Goldie moved her head close to his, as she looked at him with a funny looking smile. "You were staring off with the most stupid grin on your face." Goldie moved her head even closer as she lifted her eyebrow up. "What were you thinking of, huh?"
Caramel swallowed, as he panicked. He needed to think fast. "I ah... was ah.. thinking about... ah... rivers." Nailed it.
Goldie ears splayed down to the side as she gave him a flat stare. Beside her Star Watcher and Honey Clover looked at each other, as they exchanged bemused looks.
"You were thinking about, rivers." Goldie said as she pursed her lips as she considered him. Caramel grinned sheepishly as he held his breath. There was no way he was going to tell her what he had been just thinking about. The embarrassment would just be too much.
"But that's so boring!" Goldie suddenly exclaimed in disappointment. Lifting her hoof, she whacked him across his shoulder. "Stop being boring!"
Star Watcher and Honey Clover both broke out laughing, as Caramel let out a relieved sigh, felling he had just dodged a bolder.
As they topped the next rise. The town of Galloping Springs sat before them. It wasn't as large as Ponyville, but it was close. From where they stood they could see a small stream that must have given the town its name, crossed though the middle of the town, where it pass by a large town square that was festooned with many colorful decorations. Ponies were everywhere, as they laughed with each other, sang songs, danced and played games at many of the booths that had been set up.
The music and fun activates grew louder as they entered the town, and that is where they parted with their new friends. Star Watcher and Honey Clover were eager to hurry off and find were they could get married, while Caramel and Goldie had to check in at the local train depot, to secure their tickets for the next train. Goldie was all for hugs as she said her goodbye's, but Caramel was happy just shaking their hooves, before they left.
Working their way through town, they saw many ponies wearing goofy hats and colorful coats and dresses. Foals ran around with painted faces as they chased each other with balloon swords. Caramel and Goldie grinned about them as they watched the celebrations. Arriving at the depot, they talked to a pony who was working the depot all alone.
The list of names had already arrived and the employee had assured them that a train would be in by late tomorrow afternoon on the morrow to take them home. In the meantime, the railroad had secured them rooms in a local bed and breakfast to stay at for the night. The employee passed them an address to the B&B as he wished them a fun stay.
After a quick stop at the telegraph office to send word back home that they were going to be late getting back. They followed the directions and came to a nice two story home, with a sign out front reading The Sleepy Traveler. Ascending up the front steps, Caramel knocked on the large double doors. After a short wait, a portly mare opened the door.
"Yes? Can I help you?" She asked with a friendly smile.
"We were told that there are rooms here for us." Caramel said.
"Ah, you must be some of the marooned passengers I was told about. Please come in." Entering the house, Caramel and Goldie were led to a small office just off of the main entryway. "My name is Swan Song, and I run this Bed and Breakfast. May I please have your name's?"
"My name is Caramel, and this is Golden Harvest." Caramel answered for the both of them.
Swan Song looked at a sheet for a moment. "Ah yes, here you are." She looked up at them. "Will you be staying together?"
Both Caramel and Goldie jumped at the question and looked at each other, as they both blushed.
"Separate rooms please." Caramel quickly answered.
"Oh yes, of course. My apologies. I thought you were a couple." Swan Song said apologetically. After she made some notations in her registry book, she then looked back up. "You my dear will get the yellow room, and you sir will get the green room. Please follow me."
Swan Song lead them up a large curved staircase. "Will you be needing a crib set up in your room, Miss?" She asked Goldie.
"Oh, Cinnamon's not mine." Goldie said quickly, giving her head a shake.
"The filly is actually mine. Goldie is just carrying her for me" Caramel explained. "And yes please. I would like a crib set up in my room."
"Oh! Of course. My apologies again. I'll have my husband set one up in your room before tonight." Swan Song stopped before a door with yellow trim. "This room is yours, Miss Harvest."
Opening the door, Goldie looked in and found a cheery, yellow themed room, with sunflowers paintings and yellow floral printed bed. Entering, Goldie pulled her saddlebag off and set it down on the foot of her bed. "This is a lovely room, thank you."
"Dinner is served at six, and breakfast will be ready by seven thirty in the AM. The bathroom is at the end of the hall, if you need it." Swan Song then turned to Caramel. "Your room is the next one down." She lead him to a door with green trim.
Opening the door, Caramel found his room to have a lively green theme. Entering, Caramel let out a sigh as he removed his luggage from his back, and pulled off the diaper bags. Goldie wandered in and sat down in a chair by the door, holding Cinnamon in her lap.
"If you feel up to it, I urge you two to go and enjoy our town Spring Festival. There is plenty of good food and fun to be had out there. After the sun sets, couples will gather in the town square for lots of romantic dancing, culminating with the last dace of the night, the Midnight Dance, which of course is just for the unmarried couples ." Swan Song said from the open door. "And if you ask me, I believe that Miss Harvest here would like to be twirled around the dance floor a bit."
"Thank you, we'll certainly make sure to check out the Spring Festival." Caramel said to Swan Song.
As she turned to leave, she suddenly looked back as she thought of something. "Oh, there is a friend of mine who is doing a bit of foalcare in her home. If you want, I can ask her to watch your little one for tonight. Her prices are quite reasonable."
Caramel looked over at Cinnamon as Goldie held her in her lap, and thought it over. It would be nice to enjoy some free time and have some fun, especially if he was with Goldie. But the last half week had been very hectic, and any sleep he managed to get had been very sporadic. The nap he had on the train had been helpful, but he was starting to feel rundown again. Looking at Goldie, he saw her green eyes looking at him hopefully as she waited for him to answer. He could tell she wanted him to take her to the festival, for she was practically dancing in her chair with excitement.
He couldn't do it. Caramel let out a sigh. He couldn't bring himself to disappoint Goldie. No matter how much he wanted to collapse onto the soft bed and catch a few hours of sleep, Goldie was more important. "Mrs. Swan, that sounds like a great idea. Go ahead and let your friend know that I am interested in her services." Goldie suddenly smiled excitedly as he spoke, and as he saw her eyes gazing at him gleefully, he knew he had made the right choice. "Oh! I almost forgot. May I also use the kitchen for a bit? I have some dirty bottles, I need to clean."
"Oh! No need to worry about that, I'll do that for you." Swan Song said, as she hurried back in to retrieve the dirtied bottles. Once she was gone, and the door was shut. Caramel let out a long sigh as he flopped face down onto the bed.
"Tired?" Goldie asked, looking over at him from her seat.
"A bit, but don't worry, I'm still feeling up to taking you out to the festival." Caramel assured her, while stifling a yawn.
"Hmm, I have an idea that I think will make you feel better."
Caramel cracked his eyes open and watched as Goldie crossed the room to his bed. Setting Cinnamon down among the pillows at the head of the bed, Goldie then walked around to the other end. "Goldie? What are you doing?" Caramel asked as he felt her climb onto the bed and straddle his hind legs that he had stretched out.
"Shhh, just relax and enjoy." Goldie said, as he felt her hooves push in on his back. Caramel couldn't help but let out a groan of pleasure as she kneaded his back and shoulders. "Hmm, so stiff. Have you been feeling stressed?"
"A bit, but its getting better." Her touch was gentle and firm. Starting up at his shoulders, she would slowly work her way down, unit she reached his hip, before she worked her way back up. "Goldie...oohhh, if you, aaaahh... keep doing that, ggaaawww... I'm liable to fall asleep, oooooowwwww...
Goldie leaned down close to his head, and whispered. "That's okay, go ahead and sleep. An hour will do you wonders." Her hooves resumed their pleasing ministrations.
Caramel drifted. The feeling of her hooves sent him into deeper levels of bliss, as he felt himself sinking into a much needed slumber.
Caramel pushed the door open, as he rushed back outside. His little hooves clopped loudly as he dashed across the porch and down its stairs to the backyard. Uncle Chisel's hat lay perched precariously on his head, as Caramel had to constantly push it back up to keep it out of his eyes.
"I'm back!" He called out as he approached a makeshift table made from an overturned produce bin. Set around the table were several dolls and plushy's, that were arranged to look like they were sitting down to a meal. A filly with a light pale coat and golden orange mane, that she had drawn back into a ponytail, stood at the head of the table and smiled at his approach.
"Daddy's home!" Goldie said excitedly to the dolls and plushy's, that sat around the table. Strapped atop of her head sat one of aunt Lilly's bonnets, that they had found among the other things, up in the attic. "Welcome home honey, how was work." Goldie greeted him, with a large smile.
Caramel tipped back his hat and swiped at his forehead. "Oh! It was really hard today, I had to fire everyone, and do all their work myself."
"Aww, that's too bad. That must have been so hard" Goldie said in sympathy, as she set out a plate for him on the table
"Oh, it was. How have things been going here at home?" Caramel asked, looking around at his and Goldie's foal's.
"Not so good." Goldie said sadly. "Button Nose is sick, and Floppy Ears is being naughty and she won't eat her broccoli."
"Hmm, then I think she needs a spanking." Caramel said as he stepped around the table, to administer punishment to his daughter.
"No!" Goldie cried out as she rushed over and snatched up the bunny plushy. "You never spank a filly." She said in admonishment. Stepping up to the side of the nearby shed, she set Floppy Ears down on an overturned bucket, so that she was facing the wall. "She gets a time out."
As she came back to the table, Goldie suddenly realized that she had missed something. "Oh! I forgot to give you your welcome home kiss!"
Caramel shied back. "Yuck! Kissing is gross!"
"But I'm your wife. I need to kiss you!"
Caramel was panicking. Golden was closing fast, and he needed to stop her. "Oh no! Button Nose is really sick! We need to take him to the doctor!"
Goldie paused, as she looked over at Button Nose with uncertainty. "Your right, we should get him to the doctor." She said with a nod.
Caramel let out a relieved sigh, as he moved towards Button Nose to pick him up. Suddenly he felt a weight slam into his side, that knocked him down. Caught by surprise, he suddenly found himself pinned down under Goldie's body, as she held him down. He froze as her face came very close to his.
"But first, I need to give you your kiss." She said, as she suddenly mashed her lips to his.
At first he struggled, but then he began to relax as he suddenly found the feeling of her soft wet lips pressed against his, was quite pleasant, as well as the taste of her, was so very sweet. His mind went blank and before he knew it, he found he was kissing her back. And as suddenly as the kiss had started, it came to an end. Their lips broke apart, and Goldie lifted her head up, where their eyes locked together. He never realized how pretty her green eyes were, as he lost himself in their depths. A new feeling for her blossomed in his young heart. A feeling that both confused him and made him deliriously happy. Was this love? He wondered
"Caramel, time to wake up."
Caramel suddenly came awake. Images of Goldie's green eyes still fresh in his mind as he blinked his eyes open. Goldie was leaning in close as she smiled down at him. Her green eyes were still mesmerizing, as he gazed into them. "You have the most beautiful eyes." Caramel said as he admired them.
Goldie suddenly blushed as she leaned back from him. "You... you say the silliest things." She said awkwardly as she looked about.
"I'm serious. They are like jewel's in a forest, that draw you in until you are lost in them, with no hope of ever escaping them." His dream of their first kiss had awakened something in Caramel. Something he had forgotten, but had now regained. Goldie was more then just his friend, she had been his first love.
Goldie was blushing to the tips of her ears, as she blinked her eyes at him, completely lost for words. She suddenly lifted her hooves and smacked them to her cheeks a couple of times, before she shook her head, like she was trying to regain her senses. "Shut up... just, shut up." She stepped back and paced around. "Your such a dork sometimes, you know that?" She said, as she suddenly turned and plopped her rump down to the floor, and waving her hoof to her face to cool herself off.
Caramel was amazed at how cute she was, when she was flustered. Opening his mouth he let out a large yawn as he stretched himself out. Smacking his mouth, Caramel looked around and found Cinnamon missing. "Where's Cinnamon at?"
Goldie gestured towards her room. "I have her sleeping in my room. Mrs. Swan stopped by earlier and dropped off the washed bottles, and she let me know that she talked with her friend and that its all been arranged." Standing, she moved to the door and opened it. "So, whenever your ready we can go." She said as she stepped out to get Cinnamon.
Getting up, Caramel went to his bag, and pulled out his bit purse. Reaching back he clipped under his mane just under his crest, so that it was out of sight. Looking at himself in a mirror, he ran his hoof through his forelock to settle some errant strands before he trotted out the door.
Following the directions that Mrs. Swan had given them, they soon arrived at the home of Tranquil Morning, a middle aged pegasus mare that had a warm kind smile. As Caramel was giving an unnecessarily long and detailed instructions on how Cinnamon needed to be cared for, Goldie let out a sigh of irritation and suddenly started shoving him out the door.
"I'm sure she knows how to care for a foal, you don't need to give her instructions on everything." Goldie explained as she pushed him outside. Turning she waved to Tranquil Morning who stood at the door with Cinnamon held in her hoof. "Don't mind him, he's just a new dad. You know how they worry and nitpick about their little fillies. Thanks for the hard work, we'll be back latter tonight to pick her up."
"All right, all right. I'm going. You can stop shoving me know." Caramel complained, as Goldie gave him one last good shove.
Stepping up next to him she looked over at him, upon seeing his worried look, she smiled and nuzzled him in his neck. "Don't worry so much, she'll be fine." She assured him. It was cute how worried he was.
Caramel gave her a reassuring smile. "I know, I know. I just can't help it." He said with one last look over his shoulder. Letting out a sigh he looked back to Goldie. "So, what do you want to do first?"
The sun was low on the horizon, as Goldie tapped her chin in thought. "I'm hungry, lets get something sweet to eat."
Stopping at a booth, Caramel bought Goldie some sweet rolls. Having one himself, Caramel marveled as he watched Goldie scarf down the rest in very short order. He felt a tingle run down his spine, as he observed Goldie lick the frosting from her lips, with a look of satisfaction.
Next they played some of the games. With Goldie urging him on, Caramel hefted his last ball, and considered his options. He had missed his first two throws at the cerberus, and now, in order to win a prize, he would need to hit the small hydra in the back. Narrowing his eyes he watched his target. The hydra was set in the back row, and it moved back and forth on a track as it randomly changed directions. With his face screwed up in concentration, he drew his leg back and threw the last ball.
The moment the ball left his hoof, he knew he had missed. It was going to pass by just behind the hydra, but then suddenly the hydra stopped and reversed itself. Caramel held his breath as his ball stuck the hydra dead on and knocked it down.
"We have a winner!" The pony running the game shouted out.
Goldie let out a squeal and flung her hooves around his neck as she hopped around, hugging him, while pressing her cheek to his.
"Here you go sir, your prize." The pony said as he gave Caramel a plushy. It was a pink bunny with long droopy ears. As Caramel turned to give it to Goldie, he caught sight of a filly who was sitting by the next booth crying by herself. It appeared that she failed to get her rings to land on any of the little toy ships that were floating around in a tub.
With a glance at Goldie, Caramel walked over to the filly and held out the plushy he had just won. "Here you go. You can have it." Caramel said. When the filly saw what he was giving her, her eyes lit up and she happily took it and hugged it to herself. "Her name is Floppy Ears. Be good to her, and she'll be good to you."
"Thank you, Mister." The filly said in gratitude, before she dashed off, to show her friends what she got.
Goldie stepped up next to him, while she watched the filly rush away. "That was the most precious thing ever." She said as she as she flung her hooves around his neck, and gave him a tight squeeze.
Caramel scratched the back of his head, as he have her a goofy grin.
Goldie suddenly hooked her leg around his an pulled him along. "Come here! I know what I want to do next!"
Caramel was pulled along until Goldie finally released him, as she rushed forward to talk to a pony that was renting swan boats. Looking at her curiously, Caramel trotted over and joined her. Goldie had already paid for a boat and was waiting for him by the time he arrived.
"You want to go for a boat ride?" Caramel asked, as he looked over the swan shaped boat. It was just big enough to hold the two of them.
"You bet I do. Now, will you be so kind as to help a lavishly beautiful mare aboard?" Goldie asked sweetly holding her hoof up.
The swan boat sat next to the shore, and was an easy step to board it. Stepping forward he held his hoof out, and Goldie set hers atop of his as she stepped out onto the swan boat, and seated herself on a little bench between the up swept wings. Stepping on himself, Caramel took his seat next to her. It was slightly cramped, and he found himself pressed up to Goldie's side as she suddenly hooked her foreleg around his, and leaned into him. They felt the swan boat get gently pushed out onto the stream, were they slowly drifted with the slow current.
Goldie laid her head down onto his shoulder as she let out a sigh. Before them the sun was just setting, and as they watched, the sun slowly sank down below the horizon, leaving the sky free for the stars to come out and paint the sky with their sparkling brilliance. With the sun now gone, and the night quickly coming, the air grew chilly. Goldie pressed herself all the harder into his side, as he felt her warmth soak into him. With a slight hesitation, Caramel lifted his hoof, and he wrapped it around Goldie and held her to his side, as he shared his warmth with her.
Behind them the moon rose, casting it's soft light across the town. But Caramel and Goldie didn't take notice, as they enjoyed each others company. Around them, Ponies lit paper lanterns and hung them from the bridges and lines strung between buildings. The night was soon taken over by light and color. And as he held Goldie, Caramel became aware that he could feel her heartbeat though his body, and as he closed his eyes and relaxed into her, he discovered that his heartbeat harmonize with hers.
Suddenly, something wet swiped across his cheek, leaving behind a moist slick trail. Snapping his eyes open, Caramel looked down at Goldie and found her grinning up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Did you just... lick me?" Caramel asked, dumbfounded as he looked down at Goldie.
Still grinning, she quickly shook her head. "Nooo, I would never do something like that. Don't be silly."
Caramel could tell she was lying. That glint was still in her eyes. With his hoof around her shoulder, Caramel tightened his grip, as he worked moisture into his mouth.
Goldie noticed this, and her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!" But as she watched him, he gave her his most evil grin as he slowly leaned in towards her. "Oh no! No, no! Aahhh!" She let out a laugh as she struggled to get away, but the wing of the swan boat trapped her in her seat. She was his. Opening his mouth, he let his tongue drape out.
As it seem like all hope was lost, Goldie suddenly reached up and grabbed the sides of Caramel's head, and she lunged forward and planted her mouth onto his. Caramel was caught by surprise, as his tongue was now trapped against her lip. With a quick tug, he slid his tongue back into it's proper place. Goldie ignored this as she adjusted herself until their lips meshed perfectly. Caramel felt his mind go blank as he reached up and wrapped his hooves around her and held her close, while Goldie's hooves slipped in behind his neck.
Their lips made loud wet smacking sounds, as they kissed, and ever so slightly, Caramel felt Goldie's tongue brush up against his. His heart was hammering in his chest, and from what he could feel though were their body's were pressed together, so was hers. He wanted the kiss to go on forever, but alas, there came a point where they broke apart with a slight pop.
With their lips separated by a mere hair's breadth, they both gazed into each others eyes. Their heavy breath's washed over each other, as their hearts continued to beat in harmony.
"Wow..." Was all that Caramel could say.
"Yeah, wow..." Goldie agreed breathlessly.
They turned and cuddled up next to each other, suddenly not feeling the chill of the night air.
"Promise you will visit me." Caramel asked suddenly.
"What do you mean? Goldie glanced up at Caramel.
"I mean, will you visit my grave after your father kills me." His tone sounded mournful.
Goldie shot Caramel a look. "My father's not going to kill you." She said with a scowl.
"Will you bring tulips? I like tulips." He said ignoring her.
Goldie let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'll bring you tulips."
A few minutes latter, a pole swung out from shore and hooked the swan boat, and pulled it to a small dock. "I hope you enjoyed your ride. Please watch your step when you disembark." A pony said as he held the swan boat steady against the dock.
Stepping out of the boat, Caramel turned and helped Goldie, as she stepped off. Together they climbed a short flight of steps to the top of the retention wall that ran along the stream. Reaching the top, they found themselves right at the town square. Paper lanterns where everywhere, as they cast their colorful light to all the corners of the square. Music was playing and many couples were already dancing throughout the square.
Caramel gazed about in wonder. Streamers and flags fluttered and moved with the occasional breeze, and along the sides of the square, tables were set out with lit candles to cast their warm glow on any couple that chose to rest and dine at them.
"Did you know that the swan boats would take us here?" Caramel asked as he looked about.
Goldie was smiling, as she hoped in place, eager to join the fun. "Of course I did. Now shut up and dance with me."
Before Caramel knew it he was pulled out onto the dance floor. He only knew a few dances, and as he looked about he had no idea what to do. The music was upbeat with a fast tempo, and the dancers around them were all moving to their own steps.
"Come on! Dance!" Goldie cried out, as she moved and danced in front of him. Her hips wiggling from side to side, as she side stepped and hopped about. He knew how to square dance and the more wild barn dance, so he picked a few moves from them and started moving. Goldie laughed and hopped up to swing around on his neck. " That's it! Move those hooves!" She shouted as she bumped her hips to his.
Quickly he got into the swing of it, and soon felt brave and even twirled Goldie about a few time. They were both laughing and having the time of their lives. For the first time he wasn't absently worried about how Cinnamon was doing, as he found himself only thinking of Goldie as he danced with her.
After a long while of switching from fast wild dancing to the slower traditional dances, they eventually found they needed to take a break. Stepping over to one of the open tables, Caramel pulled back a chair for Goldie, and offered it to her. She smiled at him as she sat.
"Thank you kind sir."
"I'll get us something to drink." Caramel said as he started to move away.
"Oh, can you also find a little something for us to eat too?" Goldie asked.
Caramel turned and swung his hoof across his chest as he bowed his head down. "As Your Grace wishes, so she shall receive. I will return shortly with a cornucopia of many fine delicacies for your Graces fine palate to sample to your hearts content." Peeking his eyes open Caramel glanced up to see Goldie holding her nose up in a fine act of snootiness, as she gazed down at him.
"That will be most grand, be sure to hurry though, for I am feeling most peckish." She said haughtily, and just as Caramel was about to turn away. "Tut tut tut." Goldie said in admonishment. "Did something slip you mind?" With a dainty bend, she held her hoof up for him.
With a smile, Caramel stepped closer. "Apologies, Your Grace. It shan't happen again." Lifting his hoof, he gently supported her delicately held hoof, as he lowered his head and kissed her pastern.
"Thank you for taking me to the festival, It's been great spending time with you." Goldie said as Caramel raised his head and gave her a wink and a cheeky grin.
"Now off with you knave, or I will haft to think of the best way to punish you." Goldie flicked here hoof at him as she dismissed him.
"At once, Your Grace." Caramel moved off, heading to the buffet table.
Goldie watched him leave, with a smile on her face. He was adorable when he was being silly, and she just loved that. Her face darkened when she thought about the mare that had almost destroyed Caramel's sweetness. With his sharing of his tragic past, Caramel had essentially ripped a scab off a old wound, that had been festering. Goldie knew he needed to heal, and she was determined to be there and see to it that his wound closed, and healed properly. Someday, she was going to get her hooves around that mare's neck, and she was going to teach her what happens when you hurt those she loved.
"Oh, that is a lovely dress. Is that what your going to wear to the Midnight Dance?" A pink mare said nearby, as she greeted a lime colored mare, who was wearing a yellow dress with white trim.
"You don't think it looks too simple?" The lime colored mare asked as she twirled herself about.
"Of course not, you wouldn't want your dress to be to flashy. What does Highstep think?" The first mare responded.
"I haven't shown him yet. I hope he likes it." The lime colored mare looked herself over uncertainly.
"Knowing him, you could be wearing rags and he would still only have eye's for you. Have you two signed the papers for the dance yet? You don't want to do it too late and miss out." The first mare said as they started to move away.
"As soon as I find Highstep, we'll go and do that." The lime colored mare answered as they turned the corner and disappeared.
The Midnight Dance. Mrs. Swan had mentioned it earlier. She said it was only for unmarred couples, and that is was some sort of highlight of the night. Lifting her hoof she tapped her chin in thought. She was going to need a dress.
Caramel returned, with several plates of food balanced on his back, along with two glassed of punch. The meal was simple but delicious, and Goldie was surprised that Caramel had found her a slice of cheese cake to bring back with the meal. Looking up from her plate she eyed Caramel thoughtfully, as he ate some chocolate covered strawberry's.
"Caramel? What would you say that when we get back home, you come over and have dinner with my family." Goldie asked, out of the blue.
Caramel froze mid chew, as his ears shot up and quivered. Swallowing his mouthful, Caramel looked up and met her eyes, and the moment their eyes met he knew that what she was asking of him, was very important to her. And that this was more then just a mere dinner to her. This was her offering to bring him into her life. Caramel thought about what he wanted to say, as he struggled to put his feelings into words.
"I'm tired." Caramel said. Goldie's ears lowered down. "I'm tired of hiding from my feelings, and the constant need to push others away. I hate how my fear has held me back from being close to others. Your father is one of the biggest ponies I know, and he guards his fillies with the ferocity of a grizzly bear. And I know that In all his scariness, he is but a simple father that loves his children. Since you are dear to my heart, just as you are to his heart. I should not fear him, but instead I should join him, and guard those that are precious to us. So in answer to your question, yes I will have dinner with your family."
Goldie felt her eyes tear up. "That makes it the forth time."
Caramel blinked as he tried to make sense of her comment, but before he could ask, Goldie shut her eyes and shook her head as she wiped at her eyes. "Never mind, I'll tell you latter. I need to find the little mare's room, excuse me." Goldie got up and hurried away.
What he said was very profound to her. He was the first stallion to understand her father, and he had expressed his desire to be included in her life. She knew that Caramel had a big heart, and that he was learning quickly to open up and accept others into it, despite the pain that it may cause him. Goldie would be there for him, and use everything in her being to make sure to protect the heart of the colt she fell in love with all those years ago. She knew the moment when she gazed into his eyes after they had kissed for the first time, that she loved him. And earlier that night, after they kissed on the swan ride, when they gazed once again into each others eyes. She knew that after all this time, she still loved him.
Goldie needed to hurry. She had lied when she said she was going to the little mare's room. Rushing down the street, she neared her destination. Turning the last corner, she galloped down the street and right up the front steps, into The Sleepy Traveler. Rushing up the stairs she went into her room, and opened her saddlebag. Inside, folded neatly on the bottom was what she had come for. She had packed a simple dress to use when she had the meeting with the owners of the restaurant in Fillydelphia.
She quickly slipped her dress on, and looked at herself in a nearby vanity mirror. Her dress was a simple white dress with green highlights and borders. At the neck of her dress a small yellow bow hung down. Pulling out a brush, she quickly brushed out her mane. Finishing that, she pulled out a small bottle of perfume and spritz herself.
She was done, but now she worried what to do about Caramel. Stepping out into the hall, she noticed Caramel's door was open, and she could hear, somepony inside. Moving over to his door she looked inside. A older Stallion was over by the wall, putting together a crib.
"Excuse me, but are you Mrs. Swan's husband?" Goldie asked, as she took a few steps into the room.
The stallion looked up from his work, and his eyes widened as he looked at her, obviously taken in by her beauty. "Why yes I am. The name's Bentleaf. Is there something I can do for you?"
Goldie felt a little awkward asking him for this, but she couldn't think of anywhere else to get one. "Yes, um... I hope you don't mind, but may I be able to borrow something from you?"
A little while latter Goldie happily trotted down the street with her prize draped over her back. Bentleaf was such a kind stallion to let her borrow one of his suits, and now she needed to get back to Caramel. Arriving back at town square, she found him right were she left him, though it looked like he had gotten a bit bored and was using olives and crackers to reenact some battle, on the table.
"So who's winning?" Goldie asked as she stepped up behind him.
"The olives at first, but then the crackers managed to assassinate their king, and now the olives are fractured and fighting among themselves for the crown. Right now, the black olives have a secret alliance with the crackers, but they are unaware that the crackers are selling the green olives arms under the table, playing both sides against each other. But secretly hiding behind the scene and pulling the strings is an unknown power, and soon the cheese balls will be ready to strike, and finally get the long awaited revenge that they have been seeking, since the murder of their kings beloved wife and daughter."
"Hmm, and who are the grapes?" Goldie asked, as she noticed a disorganized cluster of grapes hiding behind his punch glass.
"The grapes are a mercenary group that were hired by the crackers king's older brother, the evil duke of cheddar, to raid the crackers lands and sow chaos so that he can make a move on his brother the king, and steal the throne for himself."
"So ah... what's going to happen in the end?" Goldie asked curiously.
"I have no idea. I'm just a spectator in all of this, and I'm just as curious as you." Caramel said as he looked around the table.
Goldie smiled and shook her head. While she was away, Caramel had somehow regressed to the age of a toddler. "Well, I'm sad to say we can't stay to see the outcome."
"Oh, that's too bad, I was looking forward to seeing..." Caramel turned and his eyes fell on Goldie and her dress. "Whoa!..." His eyes widened, as his ears shot strait. Quickly Caramel stood and turned to her. "Goldie! You look so.... so... wow."
Goldie gave him a smile as she swept her mane back. "You really think so?"
Caramel gazed at her for a moment before he suddenly stepped closer and lifted her hoof with his. Bending down, he planted a kiss to her pastern. "Your Grace, I am but a humble knave to your beauty."
"Well, lets do something about that then." Goldie said as she took Bentleaf's suit off her back and presented it to Caramel. "Here, put this on."
"What's this?" Caramel asked as he took the suit.
"Well, if your going to dance with me at the Midnight Dance, then you are going to need to look presentable." Goldie explained, as she urged Caramel to follow her to a secluded part of a nearby shop.
The suit was a simple grey suit and tie. Caramel struggled with the tie until Goldie tisk at him and stepped in and tied it for him. Once they were done, Goldie moved around and admired him.
"You look really handsome." Goldie complemented him, as he strutted about puffing out his chest. Reaching out, she hooked her leg with his and tugged him along. "Now we need to find where to sign up."
As they walked together, Goldie couldn't help pressing herself against Caramel's side. He was just so adorable looking in his suit.
"So what is this Midnight Dance thing? I think I remember Mrs. Swan mentioning something like that." Caramel asked.
Goldie stopped rubbing her cheek against Caramel's neck for a moment to answer. "Apparently its a special dance that happens at midnight, and only unmarried couples are allowed to do it. It just sounds so romantic, I just need to do it." Goldie said excitedly.
Caramel smiled at her exuberance. "Well, if it means that much to you, then it means that much to me. You mentioned that we needed to sign in, where do we do that?"
"I'm not sure, hold on I'll ask." Goldie moved off and asked a nearby mare. Returning, Goldie pointed. "She said that it's just in front of Town Hall over that way."
They walked together until they arrived at Town Hall. In front of it, a table had been set up, and about a dozen couples were waiting in a line, to sign in. They joined the line and waited their turn. Midnight was aproching and they didn't have a lot of time, the full moon would soon reach its zenith. As the line shortened and their turn approached, Goldie noticed that whenever a couple finished and moved off, they were giving a long red ribbon.
Midnight was only a few minutes away when they finally stepped up to the table.
"Ahh, our final pair!" The mare behind the table said as she slid a sheet to them. "Here, sign your full names on the bottom."
Taking the quill that sat in a nearby inkwell, Goldie signed her name. Passing the quill to Caramel, Goldie watched as he signed. Finishing, Caramel put the quill back into the inkwell.
The mare took the sheet and passed over a long red ribbon, just like all the other red ribbon they saw the other couples get. "There you go. The dance area is just over there. You'll see that its been roped off. When you walk out onto the floor, find a spot you like, and then tie his left leg to your right leg. Make sure you tie it securely, because you don't want it coming undone during the dance. Once your ready, move close to each other and when the music starts, then go ahead and dance together. Oh! Its about to start, you'd better hurry or you'll miss it!" The mare said, as she shooed at them.
Grabbing the ribbon in her mouth, Goldie and Caramel trotted to the dance area. There was a large crowd that had formed around a roped off area, and inside was filled with close to what looked like about thirty couples, most of which already had their legs bound together. Hurrying in, Goldie and Caramel found a spot, and began tying the ribbon round their legs. It was a little awkward, and it required that both of them work together, and in short order they managed to finish in time.
Now that they had bound themselves together, Goldie looked into Caramel's eyes. Feeling herself flush, Goldie pressed herself up close to Caramel so that their chest were joined together. Wrapping their necks around one another, they both rested their cheeks on their partners withers. Around them, many of the other couples had taken the same positions.
"You smell really nice." Caramel complemented her as he took in her scent.
Caramel wasn't wearing any perfumes or colones, so when Goldie breathed in, she smelled the musky scent of a stallion. She found it rather exciting, as her body started to respond to his strong masculine scent. She felt an urge to drag him off somewhere private, where they could... Goldie had to force her thoughts back to the situation, before she embarrassed herself by lifting her tail and flagging.
Suddenly, the orchestra started playing. Closing her eyes, she let Caramel take the lead, as she felt him move his free leg to the right. She followed with him, and when he moved their bound legs, she was ready and moved with him flawlessly. She could feel his heartbeat through her body, and she knew he could feel hers. His warm breath on her withers sent a thrill through her body, as she snuggled her cheek against him.
Goldie was suddenly surprised when Caramel suddenly stepped back and swung his rear to the side, but Goldie was quick to move with him, as she stayed in sync. Distantly, she heard a mare cry out, followed by the sound of ponies falling to the ground. The gathered crowd let out a collective sound of disappointment, but she took no notice of it, as she remained totally focused on Caramel, for at that moment he was her world, and together they moved through the heavens, as the stars witnessed their union.
There came more sounds of ponies stumbling and falling, followed by moans from the crowd. Caramel's dancing was growing more elaborate as time passed. He would side step and spin around, followed by a sudden reversal. Goldie followed him every step of the way, never faltering or hesitating. They were one. Time meant nothing to them now, the only thing in that moment that mattered, was each other.
A searing fire moved up from their bound legs, and permeated their bodies, leaving them feeling tingling all over. Caramel suddenly felt his entire being laid bare to Goldie. All his pain and failures open for her to see with nothing hidden or held back. All that he was, was now hers. And with a tenderness of a lover, she embraced him and accepted all that he was. In return she shared all she was with him, filling him with the warmth and comfort of her love. Everything faded from around them, and they found themselves alone, in their own world. Their body's melted away, and their hearts joined together as their spirits soared and danced through the night sky. Their lives now forever joined, as their fates became one.
Slowly, their awareness returned, and their body's felt like they were on fire. Their steps slowed until they came to a stop, just as the music ended. All around them was dead silence. Opening their eyes they looked around and found that many of the couples around them were now kissing, and many in the crowd were starting to cheer. Unsure what to do, Caramel stepped apart and met Goldie's eyes. Her eyes once again drew him in, and he found himself moving forward. Their eyes slipped shut, as their lips joined together. Their bodies became one, and Caramel felt the fire inside him become a furnace, that threatened to burn him to ashes. Her soft lips felt divine, as he felt her free hoof wrapped around his neck as she pulled him in tighter for a long moment, before she relaxed and with a wet pop, their lips broke apart.
Around them the crowd was now hooting and hollering as they cheered. Many of the couples had already untied themselves, as they moved away.
"Wow, that was amazing." Caramel said meeting Goldie's eyes.
"Yes, it certainly was." Goldie breathlessly agreed, as she felt like her body was overheating.
Together they both reached down and slipped the knot that bound them together. Strangely, after the ribbon came off, Caramel could still feel it. Like it was still there, binding him to Goldie.
"Caramel! Golden!" A voice called out.
Star Watcher and Honey Clover rushed over to them, smiling. Honey Clover had a red ribbon hanging down from around her neck.
"What are you doing here? Did you just do the Midnight Dance together?" Star Watcher asked as they both come to a stop before them.
Caramel and Goldie looked at one another. "Well yeah, we did. We got in at the last moment." Goldie answered.
Honey Clover was suddenly dancing in place. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I am so happy for you two!" She suddenly rushed forward and hugged Goldie. "I knew you two were meant for each other!"
Star Watcher held out his hoof to Caramel. Confused, Caramel hooked his fetlock with his as they shook. "Congratulations." Star Watcher said.
"For what?" Caramel asked, feeling puzzled.
"For getting married of course!" Star Watcher said, slapping Caramel on the shoulder. "The Midnight Dance is a marriage ceremony! You just got married!"
Caramel felt a ringing in his head like somepony just rang a giant bell, and suddenly everything felt far away, as it all faded to blackness. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 07 | Caramel became aware that his head was resting on something soft as he came to. Opening his eyes he found that he was laid out on a bench, with his head resting in Goldie's lap. Above him he could hear her humming as she brushed her hoof through his mane. He found It was rather pleasant and he was tempted to remain like this for a while, but he was curious about how he ended up here.
"Goldie?"
"Hmm?" Goldie's humming paused, as she continued to brush her hoof through his mane.
"What happened?"
"You fainted." She answered, resting her hoof onto his shoulder.
And now for the burning question, suddenly felt hesitate to ask. Taking a breath he steeled himself. "Did we just... get married?"
"Yes, apparently we did." Goldie answered, her voice seemed calm but he could tell that there was strain to it she was trying to hide.
Caramel sat up and looked over at her. "What are we going to do?" He asked, feeling lost and overwhelmed. His life had already changed so much during the last week, that this latest change just seem like it was too much. How could this have happened? It was supposed to be just a dance.
Goldie shook her head as she shrugged, also totally at a loss. "I don't know. From what I heard, I'm not sure anything can be done." Her gaze dropped down to the cobblestones. "I wasn't expecting this."
Caramel suddenly noticed that she was shivering. He wasn't sure if her shivering was caused by her being chilled by the night air, or because she was frightened by what had just happened to them, but in ether case, Caramel reacted without hesitation and put his hoof around her. For a moment Goldie sat there as he held her, but then she suddenly moved over and buried herself into his side as she took comfort from him.
Tightening his hold around her, he felt her shivers lessen as they sat quietly together. Looking around he saw that many ponies had already left to go home, as the crowds started to thin out. "When we were dancing, I felt something strange happen." Caramel said as he thought back. "It was like... we exchanged a piece of ourselves with each other." Caramel struggled to make sense of it. "It's hard to explain."
"No, I know what you mean." Goldie murmured from this side. "I'm having trouble understanding it myself." She sat up higher but still stayed against his side. "I remember feeling a closeness, and a complete sense of intimacy with you. It was like I was missing a part of myself and then I felt you complete me. When it happened it felt good, really good, almost euphoric."
Caramel nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's what it was like with me too." He lifted his hoof and looked at where the ribbon had bound him to Goldie. It was strange, he could still feel it.
"Oh! There you two are!" A sage colored unicorn mare stepped up in front of them. "I'm glad I found you two. My name is Mayor Quill Stroke."
Goldie lifted her head from Caramel side, as she looked at the Mayor. "Mayor? You were looking for us? Is there something wrong?"
The Mayor smiled and shook her head. "No, nothings wrong, I just stopped by to give you this." She held out a scroll in her magic. "With all the excitement, I missed the chance to give it to you two."
Caramel took the scroll and unrolled it. It was a marriage certificate. Their names were signed at the bottom, and Caramel almost laughed. It was the same sheet they had signed in front of Town Hall. If they hadn't had been in such a rush and had just read what they were signing they would have found out what the Midnight Dance really was. At the very bottom just under where they had signed, the mayor's hoof print and signature sealed the document. It was official, they were married.
"Oh, what an amazing festival this year was. Thirty one couples started the Midnight Dance and sixteen were able to complete it successfully." The Mayor said excitedly.
Caramel's head shot up, suddenly interested. "Wait! What do you mean sixteen completed it successfully?"
The Mayor gave him a confused look. "Didn't you two know the conditions before you participated?"
Caramel cleared his throat awkwardly as he gave Goldie a glance. "Well ah... we were the last ones in line, and we were kind of rushed. So we kind of just signed and dashed." He awkwardly explained, not wanting to tell the Mayor that they had no idea what the dance had been really all about.
The Mayor gave a nod of understanding. "I see. Well the marriage dance is more complicated then just going in and dancing and boom! Your married. You see first there's the ribbon." The Mayor's horn lit up and the ribbon that had been laying on the bench next to Goldie lifted up. "The ribbon has a spell on it you see. When you bind two ponies together with it, it will then draw from the hearts of the two ponies to hold its knot in place."
To demonstrate the Mayor then set her hoof along side Caramel's and with her magic she quickly bound them together with the ribbon. "When the two ponies hearts aren't in sync, and there is little love, then the knot is weak and will quickly come undone." With a couple of tugs, the ribbon easily slipped loose and the Mayor's hoof came free of Caramel's.
"But when the two ponies hearts are strong for each other." The Mayor then bound Goldie's and Caramel's hooves together. "Then the knot will draw strength from those two hearts and hold tighter." The Mayor then tugged on their hooves, trying to pull them apart. The knot held fast and would not budge. And when the Mayor used her magic to try to slip the knot it stubbornly held fast. "Wow, this is quite unusual, I have never seen one hold his strong."
"It won't come loose?" Caramel asked, lifting their bound hooves, and looking at it curiously. "Are we going to haft to cut the ribbon off?"
"Caramel." Goldie said, calling his attention to her. She reached her mouth down and took one of the loose ends of the knot in her mouth. "Together we can do it, in harmony."
Caramel nodded his understanding as he took the second end in his mouth. Together they pulled, and the knot easily slipped apart.
The Mayor watched this, her eyes going wide. "Wow, that was quite interesting." She said in amazement, before she caught herself and continued with her explanation. "So ah, the second part is of course the dancing. Marriage needs cooperation and harmony. That is why we have the couples dance tied together. If you don't cooperate with your partner and harmonies with them you will stumble and fall." Goldie and Caramel remembered some of the couples around them having troubles moving and a many of them even falling, but they had been so focused on one another that it hardly came to their attention.
"The Midnight Dance tests the couples love for each other, and how well they harmonize with each other, so if at any point during the Midnight Dance, if any of the dancer's hearts aren't strong for one another and ribbon comes untied or if they fail to harmonize and they stumble and fall. Then that is it, it's all over, their certificate is ripped up and their marriage doesn't happen."
Caramel gaped at the Mayor, next to him he felt Goldie grip tighten on his foreleg. "Are you saying that, at any point if our love for each other was weak, or if we failed work in harmony, we would have failed and we wouldn't be married now?"
The Mayor nodded. "That is correct." She said simply. "But that would have never happen to you two. I watched you two while you danced and you two were amazing!" The Mayor beamed at the two with a excited smile plastered on her face. "I have never seen a pair so much in love, or so harmonized. Your moves were fluid and beautiful, and I have never seen anything like it before. Most couples only step back and forth, but you two moved about! You actually crossed the dance floor twice! And you didn't even bump into any of the other couples!" The Mayor twirled in place excitedly as she recalled their dance. "I bet that we could have had all four of your legs tied together and you sill would have been just wonderful!"
"We were really that good?" Goldie asked, sitting up with a flush coming to her cheeks, she glanced to Caramel only to see he was just as stunned as she.
"Honey, you two are perfect for each other." The Mayor said with a smile.
Caramel never realized they had moved around that much during the dance, in fact he had trouble remembering most of the details. It was like he had slipped into some kind of dream. "Um, there is something else that we would like to know. During our dance we started to feel a strange thing happen between us. It was like we were sharing our innermost selves with one another. Do you know what this was?"
The Mayor looked between the two with a knowing look. "That would be the main purpose of the ribbon. It ties two ponies together in more than one sense. If their love is strong for one another, then the ribbon will act as a conduit to share their feeling with one another. The stronger the feeling the stronger and deeper the bond will be. It's like two trees that have woven themselves together, and have become one. The ribbon did that for you, it opened the doors and allowed your feelings to be woven together, just like two trees." She pointed down at their hooves. "Look at where you had the ribbon tied, you should see a mark encircling your leg, that would be the marriage band."
Caramel and Goldie lifted their hooves and looked closely. A lighter band of fur encircled around both of their legs, right were they had the ribbon tied during their dance.
"Now, place your hooves together and think about your feelings for each other." The Mayor told them, as she gestured putting two hooves together.
Goldie and Caramel was hesitate at first but after they looked at each other, they decided to do as she said, and placed their hooves together. Almost immediately the two bands around their legs began to glow softly.
"Yes! I knew it would work! Most couples can only feel the bond. It's like they can feel the ribbon still tied around their leg. But you two are special! You can actually see the bond, and that has happened only a few times in the past!" The Mayor was dancing in place in her excitement. "Oh! You two are going to have such a happy life together!"
Goldie and Caramel stared in wonder. This was proof. They were bonded together, in paper, body and heart. There was no denying it, not when it was written on your own body.
"Isn't it dangerous to let these ribbons loose to the public? Shouldn't you be taking them all back once the dancing is over?" Caramel asked, slightly worried that something like these ribbons somehow being mishandled.
The Mayor shook her head. "The requirements to activate the spells are so exacting that it is pretty much impossible for just anypony to accidentally get it to work on them. Also the spells placed on the ribbons are only good for one night. When the moon sets, their power will fade and they will just be normal ribbons again."
Goldie was the first to lower her hoof. Once the connection broke, the marks faded until they were just a lighter band around their legs. "Thank you Mayor, for explaining this to us. Its late and we should be getting to bed." Goldie said as she started to get up.
"Oh! Of course. I wouldn't want to keep you two from any further personal celebrations!" The mayor said with a nod and wink. "Perhaps in eleven months you two will have something small, cute and cuddly delivered into your life, eh? Good luck!" The Mayor waved as she left.
Caramel stopped and stared at Goldie for a moment as she started walking. He was imagining what having something small, cute, and cuddly with her would be like.
Goldie paused and looked back. "What are you standing around for? We need to pick up Cinnamon."
Oh! Right, they already had something small, cute and cuddly, and she was waiting for them, Caramel quickly brought his thoughts to task. Snatching up the ribbon and certificate in his mouth, tucked them away into his suit, before he trotted after Goldie to catch up.
Tranquil Morning answered her door with a tired smile. After she retrieved Cinnamon from a crib which had two more foals still sleeping in it, she handed her over to Goldie, who was quick to give the sleepy filly a kiss.
As Caramel payed Tranquil Morning, she told him about how Cinnamon had been a bit fussy about eating and had a difficult time falling asleep, having only just gotten her asleep a short time before they arrived. Caramel wondered what could have been troubling Cinnamon as he payed Tranquil Morning a little extra to for her troubles, once he had Cinnamon's diaper bag settled onto his back, he rejoined Goldie and headed back to the B&B.
Goldie elected to hold Cinnamon rather then use the carrier, on their walk back to The Sleepy Traveler. She held the filly close as she hummed a tune, while Caramel following close by her side. They quietly entered the B&B and ascended the stairs to their rooms. Finding the crib was finished being set up in Caramel's room. He quickly set a blanket down inside as Goldie waited, and once he was done, they both gave the sleeping filly a kiss before Goldie carefully lower her into the crib.
The moment Cinnamon was set down, she roused slightly as she curled herself around and started to make some plaintive cries. Goldie quickly started rubbing her back, as she softly sang a lullaby. Caramel stood next to her, as he looked into the crib. He admired how much affection and care Goldie showed to Cinnamon, so much like a mother would. Caramel suddenly realized that now that they were married, Goldie was now as much a parent to Cinnamon as he was. The realization was quiet startling, as it meant that he now had a family.
After a bit, Cinnamon finally settled down, and Goldie and Caramel quietly stepped away from the crib. Goldie then moved past Caramel to the door, where she paused and turned back to Caramel. "I'm going to my room. I... have some things to figure out, and I need to think." Goldie explained.
Caramel nodded. "I understand, I feel the same way. So much has happened, that my head is just spinning."
Goldie hesitated for a moment, but then she moved closer to Caramel and gave him a quick kiss to his lips. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Goldie." Caramel answered, as Goldie turned and left.
Closing his door, Caramel let out a sigh, setting the ribbon and certificate down on the desk, he then removed Bentleaf's suit and hung it up in the closet. He would need to remember to thank Bentleaf for letting him use his suit. Turning off the light, Caramel slipped into bed.
Even though he was utterly exhausted, sleep eluded him. His thought whirled about in his head, as he tried to make sense of it. Goldie was his first and oldest friend, as well as his first and only love. And now they were married. In the darkness, Caramel lifted his left hoof and looked at where the band was around his leg.
He could still feel it encircling his leg, and he suspected he would feel it for the rest of his life. He was about to lower his leg when something about it caught his eye. He wasn't sure, but it looked like it had a slight glow. Curious, Caramel closed his eyes and thought about his feelings for Goldie. Powerful emotions suddenly whelmed up, and he suddenly had the feeling of missing her, even though she was in the next room, he wanted her close to him. A strong desire to touch Goldie and hold her raged through him like a storm, and he had to fight the urge to get up and go to her.
Opening his eyes he looked. It wasn't strong but it was definitely there, his marriage band glowed. Apparently their bond was so strong, that they didn't need to be in contact to make it react. With a sigh, he let his hoof drop down. He wondered if Goldie was having trouble sleeping too.
Caramel let out a groan and rolled over, burying his face into a pillow. Why can't life just be simple. He tossed and turn for quite some time, and he was starting to think that he was not going to get any sleep tonight.
A sudden cry came from the crib let Caramel know that Cinnamon was now awake and she wanted him. Caramel lifted his head and looked over at the crib, at least he had something to do besides just laying in bed. Getting up he crossed over to the crib and lifted Cinnamon out. She wiggled in his grasp as she wailed out. For some reason she seemed louder than usual.
Bouncing her, Caramel cooed to her and tried to shush her. Taking a pacifier, he shoved it into her mouth, as he bounced and rocked her. She spit it out, and continued wailing. Picking the pacifier back up with his lips, he again shoved it into her mouth, this time he held it and wiggled about, until she finally accepted it, and furiously suckled it. He checked her diaper and found it dry, so he figured she was just hungry.
Taking one of her empty bottles and the formula, he left his room and went down to the kitchen. Cinnamon continued to wiggle in his grasp as he prepared her bottle and would occasionally let out little cry's around her pacifier before she returned to suckling it furiously. Caramel looked down at her and wondered why she was acting so strangely. Once he had her bottle ready, he returned back to his room. Sitting down in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, he adjusted Cinnamon around so that he would be able to feed her. Lowering his mouth to her pacifier he took it out, and she immediately started wailing again.
Quickly he gave her her bottle, and she started to suckle it but then she rejected it, spitting out the milk, as she resumed crying. Wiping the mess she made with her spit up with a towel, Caramel tried putting the bottle into her mouth a few more time, but she rejected it every time. Setting the bottle aside, Caramel put her pacifier back in, only for her to spit it back out.
Caramel was at a loss. He began to bounce and rock her, as he cooed at her. He even tried singing a song to her, but nothing was having an effect. Caramel became worried that something might be wrong with her. Across the room heard his door open, and he looked up and saw Goldie was stepping in with a concerned look on her face.
"Is she okay?" Goldie asked, crossing the room to them.
Caramel shook his head uncertainly. "I don't know. She just keeps crying. Her diaper is dry, and when I try to feed her she won't take the bottle."
Goldie bent down and laid her ear against Cinnamon's belly and listened for several moments. Lifting her head up, she felt Cinnamon's belly. "Well, she's not bloated and I don't hear any gas. How does her stool look?"
"She had the runs for the last couple of day's so I switched her formula this morning. For a time her stool looked better, but then I noticed that it was becoming a bit firm and dry. I haven't changed her diaper since we dropped her off at Tranquil Morning's place." Caramel explained as Goldie opened Cinnamon's diaper and checked inside it.
Lifting her hoof, Goldie then palpated Cinnamon's belly by gently pushing into it. Cinnamon's wails turned into outright screams, and Goldie looked up at Caramel. "I think the new formula had bound her up, and she has an upset stomach."
"Shut that brat up!" An angry stallion shouted from the hallway, just outside Caramel's door.
"Sir, please don't shout." Mrs. Swan aproching voice said the the angry guest.
"Then go in there and tell them to silence that drooling brat, or to take it outside so I can get some sleep!" Came his angry reply.
Caramel gritted his teeth in anger. He had always prided himself on his easy going nature, but the obnoxious guest out in the hall had just pushed him to the edge of his patience.
"Sir! There is no need to be so rude! Now please go back into your room and I will see what is the matter." By Mrs. Swan tone, she seemed to be having trouble keeping her patience with the angry guest herself.
A moment latter there was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Swan stuck her head in. "Excuse me, is there a problem with the foal?"
Goldie looked up and nodded. "Yes there is." Goldie answered. "There is a few things we're going to need, if you don't mind."
Mrs. Swan eagerly nodded. "Of course, what is it you need?"
"First we need some hot water bottles, and second we need some tea. Do you have Peppermint or Ginger tea?" Goldie asked as she lifted Cinnamon out of Caramel's lap.
"I'll have my husband bring up the hot water bottles, and I have both Peppermint and Ginger tea. Which would you prefer?" Mrs. Swan asked anxiously as she eagerly wished to help.
"Peppermint please, but don't make it too hot, or too strong." She explained. "And we are going to need some honey too." Goldie added as she rocked Cinnamon back and forth.
The Caramel's door was suddenly shoved open, and a very familiar stallion stood looking in. "Why is that whelp still wailing?"
Caramel's eye's hardened as he looked at Bitternut Dandy. Out of all the places he could have been given a room, he just had to get one here.
Mrs. Swan made placating motions with her hoof. "Please sir, return back to your room. We are doing what we can."
Bitternut Dandy looked over Mrs. Swan and gave a sneer when he saw Goldie as she tried to comfort Cinnamon. "Oh, so its the cow again. What the whelp do? Look at your face." He gave a snickering laugh, as he enjoyed his own joke.
Caramel released an angry snort, and stormed across the room. There will be no stopping him this time. Bitternut Dandy was going to learn respect, Caramel was going to make sure of that. Passing Mrs. Swan, Caramel glared murder at Bitternut as stepped up to him and placed his hoof to the pompous stallions chest and shoved him back out into the hall.
"Hay! Watch those hooves, simpleton!" Bitternut Dandy snapped with a scowl, but Caramel ignored him as he shoved his face up close to Bitternut Dandy's
"I'll give you one chance to apologize for the insults you've made to my wife and our foal." Caramel growled, as he glared into Bitternut's eyes.
"You'd better back off. I'm not somepony to mess with!" Bitternut said with contempt. "If you so much as-"
That was as far as he got before Caramel's hoof cracked him across the side of his face, snapping his head back. With his eyes rolled up in his head, Bitternut collapsed bonelessly to the floor. The room across the hall with the blue trim had its door open, figuring it to be Bitternut's room, Caramel dragged the unconscious Bitternut through the door and shut it as he left, leaving Bitternut to sleep off his education.
"My apologies Mrs. Swan, but he needed to be taught respect." Caramel said as he passed her on his way back to his wife.
Mrs. Swan was looking at him wide eyed, as she suddenly shook her head. "No, don't be. You had every right to stand up for your... wait, did you say wife!?"
Caramel held up his left hoof as his marriage band started to glow softly. "As of a few hours ago."
Mrs. Swan started skipping in place excitedly. "That is just wonderful!" Then she seemed to catch herself as she realized why she was here in the first place. "Oh! The foal, I'll go get what you need. I'll be back in a moment!" Quickly she hurried off.
Goldie moved closer to Caramel and surprised him when she took his lips with hers, and kissed him deeply. Caramel was already coming down from anger fueled confrontation with Bitternut, but as Goldie kissed him, he suddenly started to feel like he was floating. Breaking the kiss, Goldie met his eyes. "I love you." She said. "Now, I have something for you to do. While Mrs. Swan and her husband is getting what we need, I want you to go to the linen closet, and get some hoof towels. Take them to the bathroom and soak one in hot water, then wring it out, and put it into the dry towel and bring it back here. We will use it as a makeshift heat pad until they bring the hot water bottles."
Caramel quickly left and did as she instructed. Returning he found Goldie sitting in the rocker chair in the corner, and was softly singing a lullaby to Cinnamon, who was no longer wailing at the top of her lungs but instead was letting out soft mewling cries and whimpers. "Here's the heated towels." Caramel said as he rushed up to her.
Goldie paused her lullaby as she glanced up. "Good, here let me see." She took the towel from his and felt it on her face, and frowned at how little warmth she got from it. "It'll haft to do for now." She placed the lukewarm towel onto Cinnamon's belly and held it there, as she started singing again.
Caramel sat down on his rump, and anxiously watched over them. After a few minutes, Goldie sent him off to warm up another towel. Returning a few moment latter, they exchanged the towels and Caramel sat back down and resumed his anxious vigil.
Bentleaf suddenly came in carrying the hot water bottles that they were waiting for. Goldie took them and set them along Cinnamon's belly, taking one of the dry towels and draped it over the bottles to hold in the warmth. Cinnamon kicked her legs and let out a complaintive cry, but Goldie was quick to coo and mummer to her until she settled down.
The wait for Mrs. Swan was short as she came in a few moments latter, carrying a wooden tray with a teapot and a jar of honey on her back.
"Good, please set it down on the desk." Goldie said before she turned to Caramel. "Take a sip and tell me how hot it is."
Caramel took up the teapot and pour some into a cup on the tray, and took a sip. "It's rather warm, but not too hot."
Goldie smiled. "Perfect. Now take a empty bottle and put in about a third of a teacup." Caramel quickly fetched a bottle and put the tea in. "Now once you have the nipple on the bottle, smear some of honey onto the nipple then bring it to me."
"Honey?" Caramel asked, wondering why she wanted him to put honey on the nipple.
"To sweeten it. It will help encourage Cinnamon to take the bottle." Goldie explained as she waited.
Once Caramel finished smearing the honey on the nipple , he hurried over and gave Goldie the bottle. Sitting back down he leaned over and watched as Goldie prodded the nipple into Cinnamon's mouth.
"Come on sweetie, be a good filly." Goldie murmured, as she urged Cinnamon to take the bottle. Finally, after a few more tries, Cinnamon closed her mouth around the nipple and began to suckle. "That's it. That's a good filly, take it all in." Goldie said softly, as she smiled.
Caramel let out a sigh as he sat back on his haunches, and watched her take in the tea. "Will this make her better?"
"Peppermint tea is very useful, it can help with numerous health issues from fevers, digestive, nausea, respiratory, and boosting the immune system. It can stimulate bile flow to help with digestion and bowel movements, as well as having a calming effects on the intestines and other parts of the digestive tract. So this should settle her stomach ache, and hopefully help her stool move. My mother taught me a bit about medicinal tea's." She held out the now empty bottle to Caramel who took it from her. "Do you have any other formula's besides the one you were using?" She asked.
Caramel shook his head. "I only have the one, I threw away the other stuff." He said regretfully.
"I have some in the kitchen." Mrs. Swan suddenly said. "I always carry some, for the times when a family with a foal stays here."
"Would you please make a bottle with it. When she's feeling better she'll need to eat." Goldie asked.
"I would be happy to." Mrs. Swan said as she took the empty bottle from Caramel. "Come along Bentleaf, lets give the young family some privacy. I'll be back shortly with the prepared bottle." They then left and shut the door.
Caramel continued watching over the two as he sat nearby, listening to Goldie as she hummed to Cinnamon while she rocked her in the rocking chair. Cinnamon appeared to be feeling better as she wasn't squirming around anymore, and her cries had diminished to the occasional whimper. Goldie was amazing, Caramel thought as he admired her. He had felt so lost and powerless to help Cinnamon, but Goldie knew just what to do. She had been so quick and decisive with her care and comfort for Cinnamon, that Caramel felt his love for her swell. Lifting his hoof, Caramel looked at his faintly glowing marriage band, and wondered if he even deserved a mare like her.
"You were wonderful." Goldie suddenly said, breaking him out of his contemplation.
Caramel looked up and met her gaze. "What are you talking about? I was hopeless. You were the one who knew what to do. It was you that was amazing. I was just bumbling around."
Goldie shook her head with a smile. "No you weren't. You were attentive to us, and quickly did everything that was needed. You stayed calm and reliant when I needed you most." Goldie's smile widened. "You also defended your family with the same ferocity as my father would have, I am so proud to have you as my husband." As she spoke, her marriage band lightly glowed.
Caramel's heart soared when she referred to him her husband. "You really feel that way?" It was strange how happy that made him feel.
Goldie nodded. "Without a doubt." She said meeting his eyes. "Earlier, I laid in bed thinking about us, and this colossal change that has happened to my life. I began to feel overwhelmed by it all because, how was I expected to become a wife and a mother in a instant? I didn't think I was ready for all of this and I was on a verge of succumbing to panic, but then my thoughts turned to you. My oldest friend, and my first and only love. We are together in this and I could think of no other pony I would rather be with." Ever since she had gone through the Midnight Dance, Goldie found her feelings for Caramel had gotten stronger and more clear, it was as if her feelings for him had been forged in a blacksmiths fire, and was given shape and purity. She loved him before but now it had been brought into focus and given a clarity that eliminated any doubt about her feelings. "We are both bound together with a force greater than all the winds, older than the mountains, deeper then the seas and vaster then the heavens in the sky."
Goldie reached out her hoof and caressed Caramel's cheek. "I love you, and I want to be your wife."
Caramel's heart was hammering in his chest as he heard her words. They resonated through him, and touched the deepest part of his soul. Since the Midnight Dance, he had been feeling that a missing part of himself had just snapped into place, and he was now whole. "When we first met, I found my best fiend in the world, and when we kissed, I found my true love. During our time apart I experienced the grief of loss and the deep wounds of terrible shame, and degradation. I almost lost a precious part of myself, but then you found me and soothed my wounds. You restored to me what I held most dear. My friendship and love for you. I too can think of no other pony I would rather be with. We are bound with a power brighter then the sun, hotter then any wildfire, stronger than the hardest diamond, and lighter than all the hope's and dreams of the world."
Lifting his hoof, he caressed Goldie's cheek, just as she did his. "I love you, and I want to be your husband."
Coming together, their lips met and they kissed. It was a tender kiss, filled with their feeling for each other, as their lips blended together like they were made to be one.
A light tap came to the door, and it cracked open. Mrs. Swan poked her head in, and when she saw them kissing, her eyes widened as she blushed. "Oh! My apologies. I brought you the bottle for your filly. I'll just leave it here on the chair. Goodnight you two." With a final look at the pair as she smiled, she closed the door.
Caramel and Goldie lips broke apart as they both gave a snickered laugh at the awkward scene they must have given Mrs. Swan. A light snuffle caught their attention, and they both looked down. Cinnamon had fallen asleep, with her head buried against Goldie. Her breath was slow and even, and her face was calm, as she no longer showed signs of distress or pain.
"Looks like she feeling better." Caramel murmured softly, smiling down.
"She must be so exhausted." Goldie gently brushed back Cinnamon forelock from her face. "I want to be a mother too." She murmured softly.
Caramel could see the look of affection in Goldie's eyes as she looked down at Cinnamon. "Even with all the bad stuff that goes with it?" Caramel asked.
"Even with all the bad stuff. I know its going to be hard and scary, and even though she has her daddy, I think she also needs a mommy, and I want that to be me." She removed the cooled water bottles from Cinnamon's belly and set them aside.
Caramel smiled as he watched Goldie. "I know you will be a great mother." Taking a blanket, he tucked it around Cinnamon so that only her nose and eyes were visible, then he used what remained of the blanket to cover Goldie, to keep her warm as well. Standing he retrieved the bottle that Mrs. Swan left on the chair by the door and brought it back and set it down on the nightstand next to Goldie.
Goldie smiled her appreciation. "And you are a great father." As Caramel was about to sit back down next to her, Goldie shook her head at him. "It's super late. Go ahead and get some sleep, I'll stay up with her for a bit."
"You sure?" Caramel asked, unsure if he should abandon his place by her side.
"Yeah, you've had a lot less sleep than me. Go on, I can handle this." Goldie said as she shooed at him.
Reluctantly Caramel gave in. Moving around the room he turned off the lights except the lamp on the desk, then he pulled back the blanket and slipped into bed. As he laid there, he listened as Goldie started to hum a lullaby. He smiled as he wondered if she was doing that for Cinnamon or for him, but whatever the case, he felt himself drift along with her melody, until sleep claimed him.
Goldie continued humming as she slowly rocked Cinnamon. Occasionally she would glance over to Caramel, and watch him as he slept. She wondered how she was going to break the news about their marriage to her family. Her sisters will be happy, while her brother will be shocked, but otherwise fine, mother would be overjoyed by the new, and would likely steal Cinnamon at her first first opportunity. Her father would of course kill Caramel, dice him up into small chunks and fertilize his fields. How was she going to keep her father from killing Caramel she wondered?
Cinnamon suddenly squirmed and let out a diminutive whine as she moved her head about. She was exhausted but also hungry. The tea helped sooth her but did little to sate her hunger. Taking the bottle, Goldie nursed the drowsy filly until she eventually drifted off with a full belly. Smiling, Goldie set the bottle aside and lifted Cinnamon up to her shoulder. Cinnamon came awake and let out a complaint, but Goldie ignored her as she settled her into place, with how delicate her stomach was she needed to be burped. Goldie patted her back until she got what she wanted, two little burps. Finished, Goldie walking over to the crib and lowered Cinnamon into it, covering her with the blanket, she watched as within moments the filly was sound asleep.
As she stepped away from the crib, Goldie paused as she looked at Caramel. She considered going to her room, but found she didn't really want to, she wanted to stay with Caramel. Turning off the light on the desk, she stepped up next to the bed, and carefully lifted the blanket. Caramel was laying on his side facing her, and there was room next to him for one more. Sliding into the bed, Goldie let out a pleased sigh, as she snuggled herself up to Caramel. She couldn't believe how warm he was as she felt his body pressed up against her back. Suddenly Caramel shifted and his hoof reached over her as he hugged her to himself. He murmured a bit as he readjusted himself into her, placing his head onto her neck.
Goldie blushed as she felt his hot breath tickle her ear. Closing her eyes, she let out a satisfied sigh. So this is what if felt like to have a stallion pressed up against her back. Biting her lip, she had to resist the urge to arch her back, and grind her croup against his sheath. Maybe climbing into bed with him was a mistake, she thought as she felt a itch form in her nethers. Raining in her lustfully errant thoughts, Goldie focused on the comforting feeling of Caramel as she relaxed into him, and drifted off to sleep.
A few hours latter, Goldie awoke. Cracking her eyes open she saw the first rays of the morning sun as it bathed the room through the windows. Caramel had moved from where he was when she fell asleep, his head was no longer on her neck having moved back onto his pillow, while his hoof had moved down to her side. Yawning, Goldie lifted up the blanket and looked under at what it was that was jabbing her in her back, causing her to wake.
What she saw made her gasp in surprise, quickly she let the blanket fall back down. That was the first time she ever saw one of those on a full grown stallion, having seen plenty of them on colts back when she was a foalsitter, she couldn't help but notice how much bigger they were on a stallion. Nibbling her lip, she debated looking again. With a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Caramel was still asleep, she lifted the blanket again and looked. Her eyes drifted down its shaft as her cheeks blushed. It's was a light cream color, with brown mottling down its length. She couldn't help but wonder as she looked at it what it would taste like, or even how it would feel to have it pushed into her.
Caramel let out a grunt, and Goldie quickly let the blanket drop down. With a snort, Caramel awoke, and blinked blearily at her. "What...?" He murmured as he rubbed at his eyes with his hoof. "What time is it?"
"It's still early. The sun just crested the horizon." Goldie answered, looking over her shoulder at him. "You can go back to sleep." She felt a little bad. It was because of her ogling his stallionhood that he had most likely woken up.
Caramel let out a yawn, and scratched at his neck. "So ah, you slept here then?"
Goldie laid her head back down onto her pillow. "Yep. And you were really nice to snuggle up to as well. So warm and soft."
"Oh really?" Caramel asked, sounding pleased. Goldie grinned as she felt his hoof slid over her, as he pulled himself into her. His stallionhood, which had just been happily poking her in her back, was suddenly shoved in harder, and Goldie's eyes widened as she felt it grind itself along her back.
Caramel, who had been oblivious to his flagging member, instantly realized what just happened, and quite overreacted by suddenly shoving himself back. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as he fell off the other side of the bed. With a thud, he hit the floor.
Shaking her head, Goldie rolled herself over and sat up to look over the edge of the bed at Caramel. The view was reminiscent of when he had fallen off his seat on the train, except that this time she had a nice view of his stallionhood as it poked up into the air. Gazing up at her, Caramel's eyes flickered down to his exposed self and his face turned beat red.
"Don't look!" He exclaimed as he shoved his hooves down and attempted to cover himself.
"Keep your voice down, or you will wake Cinnamon." Goldie whispered sternly, as she looked back to make sure that his antics hadn't already woken her. Seeing no signs that the filly was awake, Goldie looked back down. "And why shouldn't I look? Aren't I your wife? Shouldn't I enjoy the sight of my husbands body?"
Caramel blinked at her for a moment before he realized how stupid he was acting.
"Now stop being a little colt that just dropped his first boner in the middle of class, and get back into bed. There is something we need to talk about." Goldie admonished him.
Caramel uncovered himself, and climbed back into bed. Goldie snuggled up to him and laid her head down onto his shoulder. "Caramel, I want to be intimate with you but because of what happened to you, I don't want you to ever feel like your being forced by any advancement I might make. So if there ever comes a time when your uncomfortable with anything I'm doing, let me know at once." Goldie spoke softly into his chest, as she laid her hoof onto his barrel. "I don't want to hurt you or loose your trust."
Caramel stopped her, by caressing her cheek with his hoof. "I trust you completely. I know your not... her." His voice grew cold as he referenced his attacker, but then quickly warmed. "And I know with absolute certainty that you would never hurt me or violate my trust. I know this because we shared something with each other last night, something that was very deep and intimate between us, something that brought us more closer than I would have thought ever possible between two ponies, It's like our very souls embraced last night."
Goldie leaned her head back and looked up at Caramel. "That's so beautiful."
Caramel bent his head down, and kissed her. He could feel her body shiver against his as he tightened his hold on her. Goldie's hoof crept around his barrel as she pulled herself against him. Her lips pressed against his, as she let her needs be felt. With a pop, their lips broke apart, and Goldie set her head back down on his shoulder. She felt so happy.
"Goldie?" Caramel said, breaking Goldie out of her pleased reverie.
"Hmm?"
"I want to... to make love to you."
Goldie's heart leaped up. She quickly looked up and met his gaze. "I want that too. But, are you sure your ready?" She asked.
Caramel took a breath. "It's been five years since it happened. Five years to come to terms with it. You've helped me to open up and share it with another. It hurt but I was better for it, and now I want to put that experience into the past and make better loving memory's with you."
Caramel returned his lips to hers as he kissed her. Goldie moaned into the kiss as she felt his tongue move in and caress hers. Her body began to twitch in anticipation of what she hoped was about to happen. With a finale flick, Caramel retracted his tongue as he broke the kiss.
"Oh Caramel, I want this." Goldie pleaded breathlessly, as she felt her body aching for release.
Caramel rolled himself around until he was over her. Goldie let out a gasp, as she felt him nudge her legs apart. Bending down, he sought out her lips. The way that Caramel loomed over her, made Goldie feel like she was being dominated, and as she wrapped her hooves around his body, she found she like it. Goldie pressed her lip hard against Caramel's as her tongue explored his mouth.
Goldie's body was shivering with excitement, as she felt Caramel's hips brush against her inner thighs. Breaking from the kiss, Goldie threw her head back with a gasp at the sudden surge of arousal that shot though her body. Caramel took advantage of this and went for her throat. Giving her little nips and kisses, Goldie panted for breath as he nibbled and licked at her neck and throat.
Caramel could feel Goldie squirm and twitch under him, as he swirled his tongue through her fur, prompting her into letting out little whimpers and squeaks of enjoyment. Shifting his attention, Caramel began to nibble on her ear. Goldie clutched at him suddenly as he reached a certain spot near the base of her ear, she let out a very pleased moan as he bore down on it, Caramel had to fight from smiling as it appeared he had just found her sweet spot.
Goldie suddenly buried her face into his neck as she tightened her hold on him. Her nethers felt like they were on fire as she felt her fluids running down to soak into the sheets. "Please, my husband. I don't know how much more I can take." Goldie whimpered.
Caramel could hear the need in her voice. With a final suckle on her ear he released it and quickly found her waiting mouth. As he kissed her, she pressed against him so hard, it was almost painful. Adjusting his body, Caramel positioned himself to enter her. With a gentle poke, he felt his stallionhood press up against something wet, and incredibly hot.
Goldie broke from the kiss with a gasp, as her whole body shuddered with the sensation of Caramel's stallionhood pressing up against her private sanctum. Hugging Caramel tightly, Goldie pressed her cheek to his, as she waited for him to push in. After a few moments, Goldie became aware that she could feel Caramel shivering. Alarmed Goldie pulled her head back and looked into Caramel's face. His eyes were screwed shut, while his breath came in great heaves. Oh no! It was too soon, he wasn't ready!" She could see he was on the verge of panic.
"Caramel! Open your eyes, look at me! Look into my eyes." Goldie begged.
The moment his stallionhood touched her, memory's of what that monster from his past had done to him started to rush through his mind. The feeling of her shoving herself down onto his stallionhood, and the pain he felt, as his injured back ground into the bloodied mattress. No! I will not let this ruin my moment with my wife! Caramel fought it. He could hear Goldie calling to him, begging for him to look at her, to meet her eyes.
With an effort, Caramel opened his eyes and met Goldie's. For a moment they were yellow, just like that monster. But then he blinked and they were the soft green he so loved. The eyes of his wife. Goldie smiled up at him, as she caressed his cheek with her right hoof.
"It's okay Caramel. We can stop, I'm fine with how things are. I'm happy to just be with you." Goldie said as she held his cheek, relived to see reason return back to his eyes.
Caramel could hear the love and understanding in her voice, but he couldn't help but feel he was letting her down. Lifting his left hoof, he pressed it to the one she held to his cheek. The moment their marriage bands touched, they suddenly glowed brightly, and Caramel felt a flood of feelings flow into him. Tenderness, caring, intimacy, trust, adoration, and love. So much love flowed into him that it was overpowering, and it all came from Goldie. His panic vanished, and the dark terrible memory's that plagued him were suddenly cast back, leaving him finally free.
Caramel felt lightheaded, as he blinked down at Goldie, who equally felt just as dazed. The glow around their marriage bands dimmed down but remained softly glowing. Caramel wasn't sure what had just happened, but what he did know was that the memory's that had held him back, where no longer bothering him, and that the mare he loved was waiting for him. Dropped his head down he kissed Goldie, who kissed him back with equal fervor. Their frenzied kisses went on for a while, before Caramel broke away and looked down at Goldie.
"I love you." He said, meeting her gaze.
Goldie was flushed as her breath came in quick gasps. "I know. I felt it, just as you felt my love for you."
Bending back down, he kissed her again, but this time it was tender and soft. Their lips moved against each other with a warmth and affection that allowed them to savor each other to their fullest. Parting from her lips, Caramel lightly kissed Goldie down the side of her muzzle, then along her cheek, where he turned his attention upwards.
"Are you ready?" Caramel whispered into her ear, as he tenderly reached up to nibbled on the ear he missed earlier.
Goldie shuddered in pleasure at his light nips. "Oh yes." She managed to moan out.
Releasing her ear, Caramel shifted himself back, and again pressed his stallionhood to her sanctum. The moment he felt her wet fiery passage start to envelope his member, the sense of dread and panic that would normally rise up, was blessedly now absent. His thoughts were now only for his wife, and how much he loved her.
Goldie buried her face into the side of Caramel neck, as she gasped and squirmed at the feeling of being stretched out for the first time. Caramel was gentle as he took it slow. Goldie panted, as she hugged Caramel to herself as tightly as she could, while she felt Caramel sink further into her passage. It hurt but it also felt good at the same time. Suddenly she tensed up hard and let out a whimper of pain as she felt him press up against a barrier.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you." Caramel murmured into her ear.
Goldie nuzzled his cheek. "It's okay, I want you to. I love you and I give this to you, please take it."
His breath was heavy in her ears as he turned his head and kissed her behind her ear. "You ready?" He asked softly.
Goldie nodded her head, as she tightened her grip around Caramel as she prepared herself. Caramel pulled his hips back slightly for a moment then he plunged forward, ripping through her barrier. Goldie let out a painful whimper, when she felt her barrier tear as Caramel took her virginity. Buried deeply in her now, Caramel remained still as he gently kissed and nuzzled the top of Goldie's head, trying to comfort her, from what he had just done to her.
Goldie held onto Caramel tightly as she tried her best to cope with the pain of her lost virginity. The feeling of Caramel's kisses and caring ministrations, soon had her relaxing as her pain slowly faded.
"Okay, I... I think I'm ready to continue." Goldie murmured, softly nuzzling his lower neck. "Just go slow."
"Of course my love." Caramel whispered with a final kiss just behind her ear, before he pulled out his member, coated with her vaginal fluids and a bit of blood from her lost virginity, and thrust back in. Goldie felt the sting of pain, but not as strong as before, and it was soon replaced by a pleasant jolt. The next time when Caramel thrust in, a bit of the pain turned into pleasure, and more so on the third thrust.
The pain vanished, as Caramel buried his length into her for the forth time. Leaving her only the most wonderfully pleasurable of sensations as she moaned and gasped into Caramel's neck.
Goldie relaxed her hold on Caramel, so that she could lower herself enough to take Caramel's mouth with her own. As their lips and tongues worked on one another, Caramel continued to steadily thrust into her. Goldie had no idea how long this went on, minutes or hours, it didn't matter. She was with the pony she loved, and he was making her feel completely enraptured. Goldie ran a trail of kisses along the side of Caramel's muzzle, cheek, and all the way to his neck where she began to give him little love nips, that caused Caramel to nicker at her ministrations.
The smell of Caramel's musk, was driving her senses wild. Clenching her eyes shut, Goldie let out particularly long moan, when Caramel gave her an usually hard thrust. A tingling pressure was starting to build inside her as Caramel's thrusts grew faster and deeper. She could feel his scrotum slap against her hindquarters with each of his trusts forward. Goldie bit her lip to keep from crying out, as her body writhed in all the sensations she was feeling.
Caramel's thrusts were growing more frantic, as his breath came in great huffs. The pressure Goldie felt had grown to almost painful levels as she clutched at Caramel desperately as she suffered in torturous bliss. She moaned loudly as she suddenly felt Caramel's stallionhood flare wide inside her, with a finale powerful thrust Caramel groaned and buried himself as deep as he could.
The feeling his flare grinding against her passage as he shoved it right up against her cervix finally tipped her over the edge. With a cry of ecstasy, Goldie clamped down on him with a powerful orgasm. Waves and waves of agonizing pleasure rolled through her, as she felt a sudden burst of warmth blossom deep inside her as Caramel release his seed. Spurt after spurt, Caramel emptied himself, while Goldie's slick velvety walls clamped and rolled over his member as it tried to draw as much of his seed into her as it could.
Caramel bucked his hip a few more times with the last few spurts of his seed, pushing his flared head up against her cervix, forcing his seed further down into her womb. Finally Caramel collapsed down as he gasped for breath, both of their bodies were wet with sweat from their shared excursion. Goldie quickly sought out Caramel's lips, and kissed him while a euphoric sense of contentment settled over her.
Eventually Goldie's hunger for his lips was sated and she released Caramel from the kiss. Pulling himself out of her, Caramel rolled over and laid next to Goldie, who was quick to snuggle herself against his side. As she laid there basking in the warm glow of what they had just done, she idly wondered if in eleven months, there really will be something small, cute and cuddly delivered into their life, just as the Mayor had jested.
"Remember, you promised to put tulips on my grave." Caramel reminded her.
Goldie grinned and shook her head. "Oh, we are way beyond that. There will be no grave for you, my father is going to fertilize his fields with you." |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 08 | Their peaceful respite was short lived as their intimate moment together was suddenly broken when Cinnamon started crying from her crib.
"I'll get her." Goldie volunteered, as she slipped out of bed and stepped over to the crib. Lifting Cinnamon from her crib, Goldie sniffed and crinkled her nose in distaste. "Smell like she needs her diaper changed, that's a good sign that she no longer blocked up."
"Ah... Goldie. She's not the only one who needs to be cleaned up." Caramel gestured towards her rear. "Your leaking."
Goldie glanced back and noticed that various fluids were now running down her back legs. "Oh dear. I never heard of how messy love making was."
Caramel lifted up the blanket and looked under. "You could say that again, it looks like we destroyed the sheets."
Goldie gave a shudder. "Ewww, I did not need to know that." She paused for a moment, before looking over curiously. "Can I see?" Caramel gave her a funny look before shrugging and pulling the blanket aside to reveal the mess they made. "Wow, I didn't know I bled that much." Goldie commented in amazement.
Stepping around the bed, Caramel reached for Cinnamon. "How about you go down to the bathroom and take a bath and clean yourself up, while I'll go and change Cinnamon and take her down and make her a bottle."
"That's probably a good idea." Goldie said nodding, before she gave him a sly glance. "Hmm, if you finish quick enough you can also join me in the bath." Handing Cinnamon over to Caramel, Goldie then gave him a nip to flank as she passed him.
Caramel stared after her. "Really? You have my seed running down your legs, and your still in the mood?" In answer Goldie glanced back and flagged her tail up, giving him a good view of her messy mare bits. With a wink she slipped out the door.
Caramel let out a nicker as he staring at the closed door, giving his head a shake, he moved towards the diaper bags. "Settle down Caramel, filly first, sexy mare second. Come on sweetie, lets get you changed."
It was still really early, and Mrs. Swan had just started to make breakfast when Caramel entered the kitchen, yawning.
"Good morning, is your filly feeling better?" Mrs. Swan asked, looking up from mixing pancake batter. For a middle aged mare who only had a few hours of sleep, she seemed quite perky.
Caramel gave her a tired smile, holding Cinnamon up in his hoof as he held her bottle tucked up with her. "She certainly is. I came down to make her a bottle, can you tell me where you keep your formula?"
Mrs. Swan nodded. "Of course. It's in that cupboard over there." She answered, pointing her hoof.
Caramel passed Mrs. Swan as he went to the cupboard, the moment he passed Mrs. Swan, she suddenly sniffed the air and waved her hoof in front of her muzzle. "Wow, that is quiet the smell coming off of you. Reminds me of my wedding night."
Caramel froze as he suddenly started to blush, realizing what scent was wafting off of him. "I'm sorry. I ah, had to take care of Cinnamon while Goldie went to take a bath. I haven't had the chance yet too..."
Mrs. Swan smiled and held up her hoof to forestall Caramel. "I perfectly understand. You two are newlyweds, that kind of activity is to be expected. I take it the bedding is in quite the state?"
Caramels ears wilted as he had trouble meeting her eyes. This was so embarrassing, it never occurred to him while they were doing the act that Mrs. Swan was going to haft to deal with the bedding when they were done.
"Don't you worry about it, we have a laundry service that handles our bedding's, so they are the ones who are going to have all the fun washing them." Mrs. Swan waved her hoof dismissively, as she grinned at him. "Just toss the bedding down the laundry shoot."
Caramel let out a sigh of relief.
Setting Cinnamon and her bottle on the counter, he opening the cupboard and took down the formula. As he was about to open the formula, Mrs. Swan stepped up next to him and bumped him to the side.
"Why don't you go join your wife in the bath and scrub her back. Don't worry about your filly, I'll see to her until you two are finished." She said with sly wink at him as she started to measure out the formula into the bottle.
Caramel gaped at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure. Your smell is very distracting, I'm now in half a mind to hunt down my husband for a morning quicky, if I wasn't worried I'd put his back out again." She turned and shooed at him with her hoof. "Go on, I got this."
Not seeing any need to try arguing to stay, Caramel hurried upstairs. As he walked down the hall to the bathroom he passed by his room, when he did he heard a rather loud thump come from Bitternut Dandy's room across the hall. Pausing a moment Caramel wondered what it could have been, with a shrug Caramel figured it was probably just Bitternut falling out of bed or something, and continued to the bathroom.
Reaching up, Caramel lightly tapped on the bathroom door. "Goldie? Its me."
Listening, Caramel heard somepony step up to the door. The lock was turned and the door opened. A sodden looking Goldie who smelled of herbal shampoo leaned out and gave Caramel a kiss that left little thought to what she wanted. Once she finished, she pushed the door further open as a invitation, and sauntered her way back to the tub, swinging her hips with each step.
Grinning stupidly, Caramel stepped in and closed and locked the door behind him. "I thought you might want some help with scrubbing your back."
Goldie paused as she looked over her shoulder. "Oh, I have something that needs scrubbing that only a stallion can reach." She said flagging her tail up, giving him a good view of her winking mare parts before she stepped into the bath.
Unnoticed by Caramel, his stallionhood immediately dropped down at the sight of his mare, as she gave all the signs of wanting to be mated by her stallion.
"Oh good, you have just what I need. Come my stallion, your mare awaits." Goldie said with a sultry voice.
Caramel let out a nicker as he went to see to his mare's needs.
Latter, while sitting at the dinning room table Caramel let out a tired yawn as he set another pancake onto his plate.
"Another one? That makes it your seventh one." Mrs. Swan said while holding Cinnamon in her lap. "I suppose you'll need all that energy to keep up with a young wife like her" She said, then snickered when she saw the look of total embarrassment that Goldie now wore, from her seat beside Caramel. "Don't worry about it sweetie, I was the same way when I got married. Best years of my life."
"Years!" Caramel exclaimed, looking up at her.
"And just wait until she's with foal, then her appetite will be insatiable." Mrs. Swan said with a knowing nod. Goldie in the meantime was turning beet red.
"Don't let her talk scare you." Bentleaf said as he came in and sat down. "You'll enjoy every moment of it. Trust me." Reaching over he began to stack some pancakes onto his plate.
Just then a familiar pony walked in that made both Goldie and Caramel look at with open animosity. Bitternut Dandy stopped and looked at them. His eyes seemed frightened for a moment, but then he scowled, and picked up some toast before walking back out, ignoring the two.
"I really don't like him." Caramel growled.
Goldie reached over an patted him on his shoulder. "Easy there my stallion, we don't want you getting too worked up, or I may feel I need to see you in private again." She threatened.
Caramel's ears wilted, as he found a sudden interest in his plate of pancakes. Making love was nice and all, but it took a lot out of you.
"Mrs. Swan, is there a local doctor you can recomend?" Goldie asked, looking back to Mrs. Swan. "After what happened last night, I'm feeling a little concerned for Cinnamon and I'll feel better after she been examined by a doctor."
"Of course. I'll write it down for you." Mrs. Swan passed Cinnamon over to her husband, before she went off to get a pad and pencil. Bentleaf bent his head down to Cinnamon and started puffing out his cheeks, and bulging his eyes out to the filly, who seemed more interested in slobbering on her hoof, then enjoying his goofy expressions.
Caramel found the doctor's office smelled weird as he sat awkwardly in a uncomfortable chair, Goldie was sitting next to him in a more comfortable cushioned chair with Cinnamon held in her lap. A nurse had stopped by earlier to examine Cinnamon, taking her temperature, weighing her, measuring her length, checking her reflexes, and even drawing some blood. Cinnamon hated that last part, after it was done she cried for twenty minutes before Goldie finally managed to comfort her.
After the nurse left they waiting for a while before the door finally opened and a older spectacle wearing unicorn stallion stepped in with a chart levitated in his magic. "Good morning, how are we all feeling today?" He said as he greeted them.
"Well, we're all pretty tired." Caramel answered for them, adjusting himself in his seat yet again. He wondered if he should have brought up that his rump was now numb, why would they have such a horrid seat here?
"Perfectly understandable." The stallion answered, as he slid out a seat to sit in. "My name is Dr. House Call. I understand that Cinnamon here is having some trouble with her formula."
Caramel nodded. "Yes sir. At first I used the formula I got from the hospital when I picked her up, but she got some really bad diarrhea, and gas, so I then switched her to this stuff, and it bound her up." Caramel took the formula out of his pack and showed the doctor.
"Yep, that stuff will do that. Its been loaded with so much vitamins and minerals that the little foals tummies have trouble digesting it properly." Dr. House Call levitated the chart up to himself and began looking though it, he hummed to himself for a time before he nodded to himself. "From what I see here, it looks like little Cinnamon has a sensitivity to processed foods, otherwise known as a food intolerance." Dr. House Call explained as he looked though Cinnamon's chart.
"What does this mean for her, doctor?" Goldie asked.
Dr. House Call adjusted his glasses as he looked up at her. "Well it means that no matter what formula you use with her, she will have problems digesting it properly." Turning he opened a cabinet with his magic and levitated out a container of formula. "Now this is the most gentle formula I can recommend for Cinnamon, but there will still be issues with it, her stool will take on a strange color and smell really bad, she will also have bouts of gas at times, with the occasional, to the sometimes frequent colic issues, so regular checkups with your doctor would be recommended."
Goldie glanced down at Cinnamon with concern. It sounded like they were going to torture her. "Is that our best option? Is there nothing else we can do?" She asked as Caramel moved over and sat next to her on the floor, placing his hoof onto hers as he looked back at the doctor.
Dr. House Call considered them for a moment before he nodded. "Well, there is another option that you can consider, but it's a decision you will both have to make." He looked at Goldie. "Especially for you."
Goldie glanced at Caramel confused, while he returned the look. "Me? Why especially me?" Goldie asked.
"I believe the best option in this case, is to induce lactation in you so that you can nurse her yourself."
Goldie ears shot up strait. To say she was surprised would be an understate. "Induce lactation!? So I can nurse her?"
"Is that even possible?" Caramel wondered aloud.
Dr. House Call again adjusted his glasses. "Why yes indeed, it is possible. I have performed it many times over the years, and it almost has a one hundred percent chance of success, with almost no chance of serious complications." He leaned forward in his chair as he continued. "It's quite easy actually, I would cast a spell that would make your body think it's pregnant. Over the span of an hour, your body will think its gone through eleven mouths of pregnancy, your body will flood with hormones, like progesterone, and estrogen. Your udders will enlarge as it prepares itself to feed a foal, you will notice that they will become tender, as well as your teats will darken and become more sensitive. At the end of the hour, I will cast a second spell on you to make your body think it just gave birth, and that is going to make your progesterone, and estrogen levels to drop, and that will trigger milk production."
"This is the part where you are going to need to work at it. You will need to put Cinnamon to your teats as much as you can, because her suckling will be needed to stimulate your milk production. Your husband will be needed to help out with this as well."
Caramel jerked up suddenly. "Me!?" Surprised he had been included in this.
Dr. House Call gave him a serious look. "I'm not kidding with this. Your wife is going to need as much stimulation as possible, so she is going to need you to step in and help out. The more stimulation she gets the faster and better her milk production will be."
As she listened, Goldie was looking down at Cinnamon. She was so tiny and vulnerable, and with the loss of her mother, she lost a piece of herself that was so precious to a foal, the love and care of a mother. Sure, Caramel was there and he was doing his best, but there is nothing quite like a mothers loving care. Goldie remembered when her mother was nursing her two sisters, and how happy she was when she had the two fillies tucked up against her side.
"I want to do it." Goldie suddenly announced.
Dr. House Call paused while explaining all the various techniques for stimulating milk flow, and looked over to her. "Good! I'm glad you decided to do it." He said with a smile, turning back to Caramel. "Is this what you want as well?" He asked Caramel.
Caramel looked to Goldie, her eyes clearly told him that she had her mind made up, and he saw no reason to turn down this option, Goldie obviously wanted to do it, and the benefits to Cinnamon would be enormous. "Lets do it." He agreed.
Dr. House Call smiled and nodded. "Well then, lets begin, please give Cinnamon to your husband, and sit up here on the examination bed." Caramel took Cinnamon and watched as Goldie seated herself. She then looked to the doctor as she waited for him to begin.
"Okay, this will tingle at first and then you will feel a bit warm, but I assure you that it is perfectly safe." Dr. House Call explained as his horn lit up with magic. "Ready?"
Goldie nodded, then she gave a gasp as she was suddenly enveloped with his magic. A tingle ran all through her body, causing her to vigorously shiver as she felt his spell sink deep into her body The tingling grew to an almost painful level, then it suddenly faded, replaced by a warm feeling that made her feel flushed all over. Dr. House Call leaned back from her as he finished his spell, his magic faded from his horn.
"How do you feel?" He asked.
"Well, the tingling stopped, but I still feel really warm all over." Goldie answered as she looked down at herself, this was the first time she had magic used on her, and she found the experience to be rather interesting. Caramel moved closer as he looked at her curiously, with Cinnamon cooing as she drooled on Caramel's hoof as he held her up.
"That means its working as it should be. You will probably experience some mood swings, depression, happiness, and the mild annoyance at your husband for any and all apparent reasons, but this is all normal. I am going to have a nurse take you to a more comfortable room to wait, and she will give you some informative booklets about nursing for you to read."
As soon as Dr. House Call stepped out of the examination room, a nurse came and escorted them to a room that Caramel was happy to see had a comfortable looking couch and coffee table along the wall, hanging up all around the room where paintings and posters depicting mothers with their happy looking foals. Across the coffee table from the couch was a lounge chair that Goldie was quick to lay into while she waved her hoof to her face as she tried to cool herself from the warmth she still felt from the spell, meanwhile Caramel gratefully settled himself and Cinnamon onto the couch.
Goldie started reading the booklet that was given to her, The Mothers Guide to Nursing your Foal. It described the proper ways a foal should latch on to the teat, and various ways to position hers and the foals body to nurse. As she read, there came a nagging sense of needing something. At first she ignored it but it was quickly becoming a problem, finally she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Caramel, I need you." Goldie called out to him, as she put the booklet down.
Caramel was tucking the slumbering Cinnamon into a blanket on the couch when she called out to him, with a quick glance to make sure Cinnamon was settled in nicely, he quickly went to his wife to see what she wanted. "What can I get you?"
Goldie grabbed his head and pulled him to her lips, after a very through kissing, she pulled back and licked her lips with a needful look in her eyes. "I need you to rut me."
Caramel's eyes bulged as his ears quivered. "Now!? But we're in a waiting room, we can't do that here!" He couldn't believe she had asked him to do that.
Goldie leaned her head back and let out a groan. "You don't understand, I'm burning up with a need for a good rutting!"
Caramel realized he could smell her need, her scent was now thick in the air. Even with all the times they made love that morning, Caramel was still tempted. But there was no way he was going to rut her here in the doctor's waiting room. "Honey, your hormones are raging out of control right now. In a little while, things will settle down, and you'll feel much better." He said trying to rein in her desires.
"Don't give me, its the hormones talking!" Goldie suddenly snapped angrily at him, pushing him back suddenly. "I just want to be with my husband, is that so wrong!?"
Caramel was taken aback by her sudden anger at him. "No, its not wrong, its just not the right time, or place." He tried to put his hoof on hers, but she knocked his hoof away, as she crossed her hooves and pouted.
Caramel was at a loss, letting out a sigh he was about to go back and sit with Cinnamon again, when Goldie suddenly spoke up. "I want some pickles, would you please get me some pickles?" She asked sweetly, as she batted her eyes at him.
Caramel's brain did a back flip, Goldie's mood was changing so quickly it was hard to keep up. "Pickles? Ah... yeah sure, I'll find you some pickles, what type, dill or sweet?"
"Dill! Extra sour please." Goldie said flashed him a bright smile of thanks.
Nodding, Caramel went to the door and stepped out into the hall. "Excuse me nurse." Caramel said to a passing nurse, stopping her. "My wife wants some dill pickles, do you know where I can find some?"
"It must be the cravings kicking in. We have a break room down the hall, I'll see if we have any, hold on a moment." After a few minutes, she returned with a jar of dill pickles.
"Thank you so much nurse, I really appreciate this." Caramel said as he took the jar from her, hoping this would make her happy again.
The nurse smiled and shook her head. "This comes up more often than you think, just be grateful she didn't want hot peppers, they always regret that latter."
Taking the jar of pickles, Caramel went back into the room, only to find Goldie glaring at him. What did he do... or not do now?
"What took you so long!?" She growled at him.
Caramel flinched at her tone, finding he didn't like having her angry at him. "I was only gone a few minuets." He said as he submissively held his head low, hopeful to forestall any further anger directed at him.
"Never mind that." She snapped. "Give me the pickles."
Hurriedly, Caramel handed her the jar. Twisting the lid off, Goldie then stuck her mouth right into the brine and pulled out a pickle, and happily munched on it, smiling. "Thank you, sweetie." She said, stretching her head up, as she sought to kiss him.
Is this what pregnant mares are like? He thought to himself as he bent down and met her lips in a quick sour tasting kiss. Sitting his rump down to the floor, Caramel watched as Goldie ate every single pickle, when she was done, she then much to his utter surprise, drank all the brine from the jar.
Leaning back, Goldie let out a sigh, seemingly happy for the moment. Caramel raised his head hopeful that this might be the end of her wild mood swings.
"Caramel sweetie, they are really sore, would you rub them for me?" Goldie asked as she rolled herself back and pushed back her hind leg to show him her udders. He could see that they were now much larger than they used to be, almost double in size, her teats had also changed, they were more pronounced and their color had darkened. Caramel found the sight quite enticing, her udders were cute before, small and perky, now they were lusciously gorgeous.
"Whatever you want, honey." Moving over next to her, Caramel wondered what to do. Lifting his hoof, Caramel gently pushed into one of her enlarged udders.
"Ouch!" Goldie flinched, sucking in a breath with a hiss. Caramel quickly pulled his hoof back, until she looked down at him, and nodded for him to continue.
Balancing himself on his hunches, Caramel reached out his other hoof, gently he began to massage around the the outer edge of one of her enlarged udders, Goldie let out little hisses of pain, but after a little time, she began letting out sighs of relief as he worked his way inward until he reached her teat. She flinched when he switched to the other one, but she was soon moaning in pleasure as he worked his way around it.
"That feels really nice." She said pleased, laying back with her eyes shut. As he pressed around her second teat, he noticed something squirt out.
"You just squirted." Caramel said, looking at the little bit he got on his hoof.
"Hmm? I did? What color is it?" Goldie asked, opening her eyes.
"It looks like its kind of yellowish." Caramel murmured as he looked closely at it. Curious, Caramel reached out his tongue and licked his hoof, smacking his tongue around his mouth as he tasted it. "Its kind of sweet."
"That would be colostrum, Its pre-milk." Goldie said before rolling herself onto her back and stretching herself out. "Caramel, do you think I'm pretty?" Goldie abruptly asked, turning her head to look at him with a kind of anxious look to her eyes.
Caramel's ears perked towards her, as he lowered his hoof down to the floor. "Do I think you look pretty?" Caramel repeated the question thoughtfully while she looked at him with a strangely desperate look as she waited for him to answer. "Hmm, well, I think Celestia's sunrise over the Crystal lakes is pretty, or Luna's winters moon as it shines down onto the sparkling crystal fields is pretty. But you, you do not compare to those trinkets, for your beauty surpasses these worldly things, to gaze upon you is to gaze upon true beauty."
All of a sudden, Goldie started to cry. The sudden shift of her mood caught Caramel off guard as he found himself suddenly being grabbed and hugged by Goldie as she cried into his shoulder. Lifting his hoof, he rubbed her back as he let her cry. It was several minutes before she finally calmed down, Caramel wiped the tears from her eyes, and laid her back in her chair. "Feeling better?" He asked.
She sniffed through her nose, then nodded. "Yeah." She sat for a moment quietly before she added. "That's the fifth time."
There it was again, she has been mysteriously counting up for a while now, and Caramel wondered again what it was about. "What's with the counting?"
"Oh that." She said with a shy smile. "I've just been counting the times you said something that touched me so deeply that It made me feel like the most special mare in all of Equestria."
"But you are the most special mare in all of Equestria."
"Would you stop that!" She whacked him across his shoulder, then waved her hoof to her face as she looked to be about to cry again. "That's the sixth time, I swear that if you make me go to seven I am ether going to jump you and give you the kissing of a lifetime or I'll guild you on the spot." She then pointed her hoof at him. "Test me at your own peril!"
"Okay, okay, I'll stop." He said holding his hoof up in surrender, not wanting to push things. Who knew saying nice things to a mare could get you in trouble.
Goldie gave a nod as she settled back into her lounge chair. Suddenly she flinched. "Oww." She muttered as she rubbed at her abdomen.
Caramel shifted himself as he became alert. "What?"
Goldie waved her hoof at him. "Oh its nothing, just a cramp, it'll go away." A few moments latter she relaxed. "See."
A light knock came to the door, before it opened and Dr. House Call stepped in. "How's it going in here?" He asked, as he entered and approached Goldie.
"It's been a emotional roller coaster, I must say." Goldie said with a sigh.
"Oh I bet. Is that a pickle jar I see?" Dr. House Call asked as he saw the jar sitting nearby.
"Ah, she had a bit of a craving for pickles." Caramel answered as he took the jar to the trashcan he saw sitting by the couch.
"Well that's not unusual." The doctor said as he sat next to Goldie. "So lets take a look at you. Would you please roll onto your side, and pull your leg back."
Caramel rejoined his wife, as he sat by her head and took her hoof with his own, thankful that this time she didn't knock his hoof away. Goldie gave Caramel an appreciative look as she adjusted her body and pulled back her leg, exposing her udders to the doctor.
"Looks like they developed quite nicely, their size is very good, and your teats look completely normal." Lifting his hoof, he gently probed around her udder. "Does this hurt at all?" He asked.
Goldie shook her head. "Only a little, Caramel rubbed them not too long ago, and they feel much better now." She smiled at Caramel, and reached over to lightly kiss him on his cheek.
"That's actually a good thing to do." Dr. House Call said as he looked back at Caramel and Goldie. "Massaging the udders is very important during this time, your husband should massage them at least once a day from now on, it will help prevent blocked ducts and other complications."
Just then, Cinnamon let out a little mewling whimper, as she sleepily complained from her bed on the couch. Caramel quickly hurried to her to see what was the matter.
Goldie watched him go to Cinnamon, as she smiled at him. "I'm sure Caramel would be happy to help me with anything I need. He's been so good to me during all of this, so patient and understanding, I know I treated him badly a few times and I feel badly about doing that to him, but he never got angry at me." Goldie said, as she admired Caramel.
"What the...?" Dr. House Call suddenly uttered in surprise. "What is that!?"
Caramel heard the doctor's confused utterance and quickly looked up, worried that something might be wrong with Goldie. Dr. House Call had his head lowered and he was looking closely at Goldie's marriage band, which was softly glowing, like it always did when she thought about her feelings for Caramel.
Goldie blinked, startled at the doctor's sudden interest in the band around her leg. "It's my marriage band, Caramel and I both got the bands last night during the Midnight Dance marriage ceremony."
Caramel returned his attention back to Cinnamon and lifted her up, before returning back to Goldie.
Dr. House Call, gently rubbed his hoof over Goldie's band, looking like he was trying to feel it. "I know its a marriage band, but why is it glowing? Or more precisely, how is it glowing?"
Goldie was confused, she glanced over to Caramel only to see the confusion on his face as well. "I don't know why your so surprised by it, the Mayor told us that some couples can have their band's glow." Caramel said as he adjusted his grip around Cinnamon so that his band was clearly visible, and let his feelings for Goldie well up.
The doctor's eyes widened when he saw Caramel's band start to glow as well. "Yours does it too!? And without the need to be touching each other!" His eyes roamed back and forth between the two. "Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment." Dr. House Call sudden went to the door and stepped out.
"What was that about?" Caramel wondered aloud, looking to Goldie. She only shook her head at him, just as stumped.
"Yeow!" Goldie suddenly exclaimed as her hoof shot down and pressed over her lower stomach, her face pinched in a grimace.
Caramel moved closer, he was concerned that something was wrong. "What is it!? Are you okay? Do you want me to find Dr. House Call and bring him back?" He asked worriedly , but before she could answer he turned to go to the door and do just that.
"Wait! I'm fine, its just another cramp." Goldie called out, reassuring him that she was fine.
Caramel returned to his spot next to her and sat down, worriedly he looked her over. "You sure your fine?"
Goldie smiled at him, she thought he was cute when he worried over her. "I'm fine, stop being a dork." She patted him on his cheek, reassuring him.
The door reopened and Dr. House Call came back in. "Sorry about that."
"Dr. House Call, Goldie's been having cramps, is that normal?" Caramel asked turning to the doctor, in the hopes that all was well with Goldie.
Dr. House Cal paused and lifted his eyebrows. "Cramps!? Where?" He moved next to Goldie.
She rubbed her hoof over her abdomen. "They've been happening down here."
The doctor reached over and palpated her where she indicated. "Hmm, how long has this been going on?"
"For a short while now." Goldie answered before she suddenly gasped. "Oooh, ow, ow, ow!" Her face screwed up with a look of pain.
Dr. House Call dropped his hoof down, and smiled around at them. "Well, this is interesting. I've only seen this once before."
Caramel stepped closer, worry all over his face, as he clutched Cinnamon to himself. "What is it doctor? Is she going to be okay?"
The doctor smile broadened as he adjusted his glasses. "Oh, she'll be just fine, in fact she is doing better than fine, she is doing extremely well."
Goldie's breath was coming in quick huffs, as she tried to deal with the pain of her cramps. What was the doctor going on about? These cramps were painful. "What's happening doctor?" She managed to ask between breaths.
Caramel was beside himself with worry and confusion, the doctor seemed pleased and unconcerned with what was happening, but his wife was in pain, and he wanted to see her comforted. He wanted to do something, but he was at a loss, so Caramel did the only thing he knew he could do, and that was to stay by her side.
Dr. House Call, looked over to Goldie. "Well my dear, the answer is quite simple. Your going into labor."
"WHAT!?" Both Caramel and Goldie both voiced their exclaimed question in perfect unison.
Dr. House Call was chuckling at their surprise. "Let me clarify things. Your not in labor in the truest sense, but your body thinks it is. You see your body's reacting quite strongly to the spell and it's now trying to bring a new life into the world. Most mares I cast this spell on only go though some of the fazes of pregnancy, and only in the weakest sense. Once twenty years ago there was a mare that had a reaction much like yours, and her milk came in extraordinarily fast afterwards, it was almost like her body was eager for a foal."
"So what happens now doctor?" Caramel asked, relieved that nothing was actually wrong with Goldie.
Dr. House Call smiled and sat back on his haunches and rubbed his hooves together. "Now we deliver a foal... sort of." His horn lit up and his magic enveloped Goldie.
Goldie felt his magic once again delve deep into her body, and the tingling returned. The pain from the cramps were quite intense and she was having trouble keeping herself from crying out. Caramel was there next to her, and she really appreciated his prescience, she now knew what that filly Dawn Sparks must have felt when he was there for her during her labor.
Caramel watched as Dr. House Call cast his spell on Goldie, her face was grimacing in pain from her cramps, and her breath came in short grunted gasps. After a few more moments the spell suddenly came to an end, and the magic aura that surrounded Goldie disappeared, and she let out sudden cry then fell back with a relieved sigh.
"My apologies but this is necessary." Dr. House Call said to Caramel as a bit of skin on Cinnamon's belly was suddenly pinched by his magic causing Cinnamon to suddenly let out a startled and pain filled screaming wail.
Goldie's reaction was quite dramatic, her eyes flew open and she suddenly snatched Cinnamon right out of Caramel's hooves, clutching the filly to herself while she cooed and murmured to her.
Dr. House Call watched this with a smile on his face. "Her nurturing instincts are running wild right now, that is why I pinched your filly, to see how she would react." The doctor quietly explained to the surprised Caramel. "I'm afraid that Cinnamon is now hers, Golden's bonding instincts are going to be very powerful, and at this very moment she is growing a permanent attachment to Cinnamon." Dr. House Call moved closer to Goldie. "How about we try nursing her now."
Goldie suddenly blinked as she remembered where she was and why they were there. "Oh! Right." Rolling over to her side, she pushed her leg back, exposing her teats. Lowering Cinnamon down, she laid her against her side pressed up against her udder. Goldie held her breath as she felt Cinnamon root around, her little nose and lips tickling her skin as she sniffed around her udder, and when she felt Cinnamon suddenly touch her teat she let out a little gasp as the jolt of the sensation shot through her body. She never knew her teats would feel that sensitive.
Goldie's eyes widened when she suddenly felt Cinnamon's mouth close over her teat. The feeling of her little mouth clamping onto it, while her tongue pressed up and rubbed against the underside coupled with the sudden pressure of Cinnamon's suckling sent shivers throughout her body. Goldie found the feeling of Cinnamon nursing was rather strange, but also very pleasant. With every suckle, Cinnamon would press her tongue up into her teat squeezing it into the roof of her mouth causing Goldie to let out little gasps at the intense sensation.
"Now let her suckle for five minutes then switch to the other teat, and give her another five minutes. She may be frustrated at first when she fails to get much milk, but If you keep it up, your body will adjust and you'll be giving milk in no time, but until that happens you will need to supplement her with a bottle of formula."
Caramel and Goldie listened to his instructions, though Goldie kept letting out little gasps whenever Cinnamon gave a particularly strong suckle.
"I'm going to give you some time alone to get used to things, don't forget to switch her to the other teat." Dr. House Call said as he moved to the door.
Once they were alone, Caramel gave Goldie a kiss. "How are you doing with all of this?"
Goldie thought about it a moment. "It feels bit strange, but otherwise I like it, its oddly comforting." They both watched Cinnamon for a time, Caramel felt that what Goldie was doing was amazing, she had jumped into this with all four hooves without any hesitation, literally giving of her own body the care Cinnamon needed, just like a true mother would.
Caramel felt Goldie give him a nudge. "I think it's time to switch her."
Just like how he learned with Dawn Sparks, he lifted Cinnamon with his mouth clamped onto her crest, with the edge of his hoof he pressed in against the edge of Cinnamon's mouth and Goldie's teat, breaking the suction and popping Cinnamon free.
Goldie shuddered for a moment. "That was a really weird feeling." She said as she looked back down.
Caramel lowered Cinnamon to the lower teat and let her clamp on, he heard Goldie gasp then sigh as Cinnamon started to suckle. Caramel sat back up at the head of the couch with Goldie and quietly watched Cinnamon, occasionally Goldie would reach over and nuzzle ether him or Cinnamon as she felt the need to be affectionate come over her.
"I'm sorry for they way I treated you for the last hour, I was a bit of a monster." Goldie said apologetically.
Caramel shook his head and smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, I understand you didn't really mean to be." He kissed the top of her head to show he had no hard feelings about it.
When the time came, Caramel took Cinnamon off of Goldie's teat, she complained bitterly about it, until Goldie stuck a pacifier into her mouth. After waiting a few more minutes, they began to wonder if they should be going. Their train was due to leave in a few hours, and they still had lunch to eat and their things to pack up back at the B&B.
A soft knock came to the door before it opened. Caramel and Goldie were both surprised to see Mayor Quill Stroke stick her head in.
"My apologies for barging in on your personal family matters, but something was brought up with me and I was wondering if we can have a few moments of your time." She asked as she stepped into the room.
Caramel exchanged looks with Goldie, who was now sitting on the couch with Cinnamon in her lap. "Ah, sure. What is it we can do for you?" Caramel replied, curious about what this could be about.
Stepping into the room behind the mayor was a old stallion unicorn with a scraggly furry beard. He came up beside the mayor and stopped to look at them. "Is this is them?" He asked the mayor.
Mayor Quill Stroke glanced at the scraggly bearded unicorn, and nodded. "Oh yes, this is them. The amazing couple that continues to amaze."
Caramel eyed the newcomer and he placed himself between Goldie and their visitor's. "Mayor? What is this about?" He asked, looking the two over.
"Oh, let me introduce Twirlshine, our local magician. He's the one who enchanted the ribbons for the Midnight dance." She said as she nodded her head to the scraggly bearded unicorn.
"Umm, hello." Caramel said in greeting, before looking back to the mayor for an explanation.
"Well lets get to the reason why we're here." Mayor Quill Stroke started. "Dr. House Call notified us that there was something unusual about your marriage bands, and we came to see it for ourselves. Would you please show us your marriage band, if you wouldn't mind." The mayor gestured for him to approach them and show them his leg.
With a glance back at Goldie, Caramel stepped up to the Mayor and Twirlshine, lifting his left leg he showed them his marriage band. Twirlshine bent down and examined it closely, using his hoof, Twirlshine lifted Caramel's leg higher to look underneath. "Hmm, it looks normal enough." Twirlshine muttered as he lowered Caramel's leg enough to look at the top again. "Make it glow."
Caramel lifted his eyebrow at his request, but seeing that this may lead to some answers he decided to go along with it. He brought his thought to Goldie and he let his feelings for her well up, it came so easy for him, like a natural state of being. He found his gaze looking back to her, taking in her beauty, he couldn't help but feel that he didn't deserve a mare as special as she was. She was so caring and loving, often times putting the needs of others before her own, and frequently showing a fun side to herself that reminded Caramel of the filly he first fell in love with all those years ago.
The sound of started exclamations reminded Caramel of what he was doing. Looking back, he saw both the mayor and Twirlshine gaping down at his brightly glowing marriage band.
"It's true, it does shine without the need for contact with the one he loves." Twirlshine said in amazement, looking down at Caramel's leg. "And they both can do it!?" He looked over at Goldie who held up her glowing marriage band for them to see. "Amazing." He said in wonder.
The mayor was equally amazed as she looked at the two. "This has never happened before." She turned to Twirlshine. "What does this mean?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. The bond between two ponies shouldn't be this strong, something is different with these two, something in them has allowed the bond to grow beyond what it was normally capable of." Twirlshine said as he looked at the two, releasing Caramel's leg, Twirlshine walked around as he muttered to himself, pausing he scratched at his bearded chin as he looked back. "Do you two feel any different? Anything unusual or strange?"
Caramel turned and walked back to be next to Goldie. "Well, since this happened, we seem to have have a deeper connection with each other."
"I feel at home when I am with Caramel, like everything is right." Goldie added.
Twirlshine nodded as he listened, continuing to scratch at his scraggly beard. "Anything else?"
Caramel wasn't sure he wanted to share it. It was a deeply personal thing that happened during a deeply personal act. He looked at Goldie and met her eyes, he could see she was thinking the same thing he was.
"Go on tell him." Goldie said to Caramel, nodding her head to let him know she was okay with it.
"What? What is it?" Twirlshine prompted, lowering his hoof from this chin as he looked at them with interest.
Caramel took a breath and let it out. "Well, there was this thing that happened this morning."
"Thing?" Twirlshine repeated stepping closer, his ears perked up.
"When we touched this morning, we... shared ourselves." Caramel tried to explain.
Twirlshine looked confused as he brows furled down. "Shared yourselves?"
"Perhaps it would be easier to show them." Goldie offered, looking to Caramel in the hopes he would agree.
Caramel was unsure about showing them, but he trusted Goldie so he decided to go ahead with her idea. They both lifted their hooves and brought their luminous marriage bands together.
There was a bright flash, then Caramel became aware he could sense everything Goldie was feeling, her love for him and Cinnamon shown brightly in the forefront, washing over him like a searing hot sun, that both burned with its intensity, as it also comforted and nurtured with its warmth.
While Goldie sensed much the same from Caramel, but his feelings for her felt more like a raging fire that wrapped around her with the gentleness of a lover. She was also sensed that hidden just under that was the feelings of raw grief and sadness he still felt for the loss of his sister, Fudge. It was a feeling that still stabbed at him, and she felt like weeping as he shared his feelings with her, he loved her so very much.
As their feelings flowed into one another, they both watched in amazement as their glowing marriage bands shot out new lines that snaked up each of their legs and encircled both of their bodies in intricate patterns. Caramel could feel Goldie's sudden alarm at its appearance just as she felt his, but after nothing seemed to be hurting them, they relaxed and just gazed at each other in wonder. The new lines were wrapped and curled around their bodies, ending on their necks and around their cutie marks.
Cinnamon burbled happily as she gazed around at the pretty patterns that curled around Goldie's leg that held her.
"This is just... amazing! I don't understand how this could be, it shouldn't be possible!" Twirlshine exclaimed as he stepped around them to view them from different angles. "What's happening? What does it feel like?" His eyes were wide with excitement as he reached forward and touched one of Goldie's lines on her shoulder.
Caramel fattened his ears, and Goldie felt his irritation at the unicorn for getting so touchy with her. Smiling she let her affection for Caramel flow into him, and she watched as his ears relaxed and his eyes loose their hardness, the irritation she felt from Caramel faded under her affectionate assault.
Now that Caramel had been cooled off she turned her attention to Twirlshine. "I'm not sure what's happening, but what I can say is that our hearts are connected in some way, and we can feel what the other is feeling, it is a very intimate experience."
"Really!? Can you tell what each other are thinking too?" He asked excitedly. The Mayor had also moved closer, her eyes roaming over their bodies, a look of wonder on her face.
Caramel shook his head. "No, no mind reading. Our thoughts are our own, its our hearts that's connected."
Twirlshine sat his rump down and scratched at his beard once again. "Hmm, that's interesting. I need to do some research on this! It could be a monumental discovery, so I am also going to haft to study you two as well, it shouldn't take more then a month or two... a year at most." He said nodding to himself.
"What!" Caramel broke his connection with Goldie, and all the intricately laced lines faded and vanished from their bodies. "That's out of the question! We are going home to Ponyville today, our train is due to leave in a few hours."
Twirlshine looked crestfallen at the news of their impending departure, suddenly he launched himself forward and latched onto Caramel's leg. "You can't go! I must study you two! Oh, please, please, please, stay!" Caramel looked back at Goldie with a woeful expression, as the unicorn clung to his leg begging.
Mayor Quill Stroke stepped closer. "Twirlshine. Please release him at once and behave yourself! Do you think that what has happened to them may be dangerous to them in some way?" Caramel and Goldie's ears both shot up strait as the both looked to each other, worried.
Twirlshine paused for a moment, still clinging to Caramel's leg. "Dangerous?... No, I don't believe that they are in any danger."
Mayor Quill Stroke nodded her head. "Then they are free to leave whenever they want, we can't keep them here."
With great reluctance, Twirlshine groaned and much to Caramel's relief, he released Caramel leg. As Twirlshine stepped away, his head suddenly jerked around. "Did you say you were going to Ponyville? The home of Princess Twilight?"
Caramel was unnerved by the unicorns sudden interest in his home town. "Well yeah, her new castle is at the edge of town."
"Great!" Twirlshine said with great excitement, whirling about he began to pace as he muttered to himself, suddenly he started for the door. "I need to see to a few things, please excuse me!" With barely a look to the mayor, Twirlshine dashed out the door.
They all stared bemused at the door that Twirlshine just so hurriedly ran out of. Clearing her throat Mayor Quill Stroke looked back at them.
"Well, this has all been very interesting I must say." She said looking pleased, reaching out, she tickled Cinnamon's chin, causing the filly to gurgle happily. "You two have an adorable filly."
Goldie smiled smugly and hugged Cinnamon to herself possessively. "Thank you."
The mayor turned and started for the door, just as she reached it she turned back for a moment. "My apologies for bothering you during your private moment, though I must say that you two are very lucky to have each other, there is something very special going on between you two, something I don't think that has ever been seen before, so if anything happens or if any problems crop up, don't hesitate coming back and seeing us." She said looking between the two. "I'll be taking my leave now, have a wonderful day." With that, she stepped out.
Caramel lifted his hoof and looked at his marriage band, it was just a lighter band of fur running around his leg at the moment, he wondered what had happened when he and Goldie had touched, what was with all those lines that ran over their bodies? The only thing he could figure out was that it was one more thing to deal with, this has been by far the most eventful trip he has ever taken.
"Goldie, what's going to happen next?" Caramel asked, looking up from his upheld hoof.
She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?"
Lowering his hoof back down to the floor, he let out a tired sigh. "Well, since I left home, things just keep coming up, one after another. I'm just wondering what's going to happen next? What strange set of circumstances will occur to lead us into another unusual event."
Goldie adjusted Cinnamon in her grasp, and stood up. Stepping close to Caramel, she affectionately nuzzled him as she attempted to make him feel better. After a moment of this she was pleased to feel him shift his body and nuzzle her back.
"I don't know what will happen next, but I do know that whatever it is, we will deal with it together." Goldie murmured into his ear.
The sound of the door opening broke them from their moment together, as Dr. House Call stepped in. "I apologize for calling the mayor in, when I saw the marks glowing with out physical contact, I thought she should know about it."
Caramel had figured that Dr. House Call only did so because he was concerned about something that was unusual. "No, its okay. You were only doing what you felt was best. Plus we were able to learn something new."
"Well that's good." Dr. House Call said, sounding pleased. "Now please have a seat, I need to explain a few things to you about what you need to do for the next few days, and what to expect. I would also like to praise you for your choice to go with natural nursing for Cinnamon, it really is the most healthy choice. Many mares have said that nursing their foals was some of the most special and satisfying things they have ever experienced."
Caramel and Goldie sat down and listened as Dr. House Call explained everything they needed to know and do for the next week, and what they expected to happen over the next year or so. The doctor went into great detail and by the time they left Caramel felt like he was the one who was going to be nursing Cinnamon instead of Goldie. It was after lunch so they stopped at a local eatery to sit down together for a quick bite to eat.
As they were walking out, a pegasus stallion with a silver star cutie mark held out a wing in front of them, stopping them.
"Excuse me, my name is Tin Star, I'm the local constable for Galloping Springs. I would like to have a word with you two." He said with a stern look that brooked no argument.
Caramel felt Goldie stiffen beside him, and he felt a since of unease himself. "Ah... we'll be happy to comply, please lead the way."
Tin Star lead them to a nearby park bench, and kindly let Goldie sit down with Cinnamon. "The reason I want to talk to you two, is that a complaint has been filed regarding you two."
Caramel had a feeling he knew what the complaints were about, and who made those complaints. He shared a look with Goldie and saw that she was thinking the same thing.
"The complainant, Bitternut Dandy, described an incident on the train involving you madam, he claims that you vulgarly flirted with him before you physically assaulted him." Of course that idiot of a pony would go to the law with such a outrageous telling of the incident.
Goldie looked like she was ready to march over to the B&B and punch Bitternut Dandy again. "I never flirted with that pervert! And I only punched him when he fondled my flanks!" Goldie clutched Cinnamon to herself as she waved her other hoof angrily.
Tin Star blinked in surprise at her sudden vehemence, gesturing with his hoof for her to settle down, he went on. "Since the incident happened on the train outside my jurisdiction, and that there are no witnesses to corroborate any claims, I won't be following up on the complaint."
Goldie let out a relieved sigh, but Caramel knew they weren't out of the woods yet, there was his dealings with Bitternut last night. Sure enough Tin Star looked to him.
"His second complaint involves you sir. He claims you confronted him in the hallway of The Sleepy Traveler, and without provocation you physically assaulted him. Do you have anything to add?" Tin Star asked
Caramel held onto his temper, it wouldn't help his family if he lost control of it and did something rash. "It's true that I confronted Bitternut Dandy in that hallway, but there was provocation. He was insulting my wife and filly, I gave him one warning that he was to apologize for it, and when he ignored my demand, I followed though with my warning." Caramel finished simply.
"That's right Constable Tin Star. Our filly was colicky last night, and Bitternut entered our room and said some very crude words to us, my husband reacted and pushed him out into the hall, and demanded that he apologize for what he said about both our filly and myself, and when he ignored him, my husband did what he felt was needed."
Tin Star nodded as he listened, not showing any indication of what he was thinking as they both told him their side of it. "I spoke with Mrs. Swan, and she tells a similar account." Tin Star took a breath and let it out as he looked Caramel and Goldie over, his eyes lingered on Cinnamon for a moment. "I know what it's like to be a husband and father, and I don't blame you for your actions, but since you two and Mr. Bitternut have had some history together, I would ask for you to avoid any further contact with him, at least until you leave town."
Caramel couldn't believe it, he thought for sure he was going to be locked up, but instead he was being let go. "Of course sir, we don't want any more trouble." Goldie spoke up next to him also voicing her assurances that there will be no more trouble with Bitternut.
That seemed to satisfy Tin Star as he gave his first little smile when he nodded. "Good, then have a pleasant day, and stay out of trouble."
"Of course constable, have a nice day yourself as well." Caramel said as he gave a wave, feeling like they had just dodged an arrow.
They quickly made their way back to The Lonely Traveler, Mrs. Swan greeted them warmly, and after a brief conversation about how the doctor's visit went, they made their way back to their rooms to pack up their things. As Caramel sorted through the diaper bag, Goldie curled up on the bed to go through another nursing session with Cinnamon.
"She's still not going to get very much from this, would you go down and make a bottle for Cinnamon with the new stuff that the doctor gave us?" Goldie asked as Cinnamon nursed on her teat.
Grabbing what he needed, Caramel headed for the door. "Yes, of course. I'll be right back."
He went to the kitchen and quickly prepared Cinnamon's bottle, then with a friendly smile and wave at Mrs. Swan Caramel headed back upstairs. As he approached his door, the door across the hall opened and Bitternut Dandy came out, their eyes met and Bitternut Dandy scowled. Of course he would haft to come out now of all times.
"If you so much as breath on me, I'll call the Constable on you." Bitternut snarled at Caramel.
Caramel flattened his gaze, not intimidated in the least. With a snort, Caramel watched as Bitternut Dandy walked by, the next sight surprised him, a light cornflower blue pegasus mare, not much older then a filly followed Bitternut out of his room, with a large chest strapped onto her back.
The sight of her sent a shock through Caramel, the young mare had marks in her coat that looked like she had been kicked, and her left eye was almost swollen shut. Rage instantly blossomed in Caramel at the sight of her, It was obvious to him that Bitternut had been hurting her.
"You'd best mind your own business." Bitternut warned looking back at Caramel.
Caramel ignored him as he stepped forward and blocked the pegasus mare, who stopped and blinked at him. "Who did this to you? Was it Bitternut Dandy? Did he hurt you?" Caramel asked her, but she just looked at him with frightened eyes, staying oddly mute to his questions.
"My sisters clumsy, and fell down some stairs." Bitternut Dandy answered from behind him. "Now I suggest you leave my sister alone and let her pass before I find the need to get the Constable to arrest you for harassment."
Caramel tried again. "Did he hurt you? It's okay, you can tell me." He pleaded with her as he met her eyes.
The mare nervously licked her lips while her gaze flickered behind Caramel for a moment to look at Bitternut Dandy before she looked back to Caramel. Slowly she lifted her shaky hoof to her throat, where she lightly touched it, then she slid her hoof down her throat to her chest where she then tapped her hoof over her heart twice.
Caramel's eyes widened in surprise and his ears shot up strait. He recognized the gesture she just did, it was sign language. The pegasus mare was deaf! And she just signed.
"Help." |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 09 | "Help."
The mare was asking for help! Caramel looked back to Bitternut Dandy, his eyes smoldered with rage. "You did hurt her! How dare you hurt a mare!" Caramel snarled at Bitternut Dandy. Caramel was usually slow to anger, but Bitternut had been riding his patience since the moment they met, and this latest encounter just put him over the top.
Bitternut Dandy took a step back and lifted his hoof defensively as he became alarmed at what saw in Caramel's eyes. "That's it, I'm getting the Constable! I hope you enjoy jail!" He said with a sneer.
Caramel dropped the bottle and formula he was carrying to the floor and snorted in anger, pawing his hoof across the carpet. "Go ahead and get him, I'm sure he will be interested in what you have been doing to her!" Caramel jerked his head towards the mare, who had stepped back and was quietly watching the exchange with wide scared filled eyes.
That seemed to give Bitternut Dandy pause. "She can't tell him anything, she's mute! It will be my word against yours, and since I am her brother, he'll believe whatever I tell him!" He sneered smugly, believing that there was nothing Caramel could do.
"You see this." Caramel lifted his hoof to his throat and slid it down to his chest where he tapped over his heart twice. "This means, help."
Bitternut Dandy suddenly looked pale as his eyes widened. "You can understand that stupid hoof talk?" He asked in disbelief, apparently it never occurred to him that anypony would even bother.
Caramel stomped his hoof to the floor angrily. "That stupid hoof talk is sign language, something apparently you never learned. I wonder what Tin Star will think when I share what she has to say to him, perhaps there is more she has to say then you would like."
Bitternut face suddenly contorted in rage, as he abruptly charged. Caramel wasn't expecting this and was caught by surprise. Even though Caramel was more fit, Bitternut still had thirty pounds on him, and when Bitternut slammed into him, Caramel was lifted up and shoved back until his shoulders slammed into the wall, he could hear the plaster shatter and cave in from his impact with it. Pain exploded on his back and shoulder where it had slammed into the wall, and his chest burned where Bitternut had his hooves shoved into it. Caramel tried to push back, but Bitternut was pressed in too close and he didn't have the leverage.
"Everything was just fine until I met you miserable country hick ponies!" Suddenly Bitternut shifted his hooves to Caramel's throat and pressed in hard, chocking off his air. "Perhaps when I'm done with you, I should teach your cow a lesson as well! She seems like the kind who could use a little discipline to keep her in her place."
Caramel knew he was in trouble, he could see spots at the edge of his vision. Desperately he punched at Bitternut's ribs, but his position was bad for a good strike and all he got from Bitternut was a grunt. Reaching his hooves up, Caramel tried to pry Bitternut's hooves away from his throat. Slowly he managed to pry his hooves up just enough so that he could get a much needed breath.
Just down the hall Caramel's door swung open and Goldie stuck her head out. "What's going?... Caramel!" Goldie suddenly cried out, seeing the situation he was in. Apparently she heard the scuffle and rushed to the door. Caramel wanted to shout to Goldie to get back into the room but his hooves were slipping and his throat was once again being pressed into. Caramel redoubled his efforts to push Bitternut off him, when something suddenly slammed into Bitternut's side, throwing him off of Caramel.
"Get off my husband you sorry excuse for trash!" Goldie shouted. Caramel was suddenly able to breath again as he slumped down, gasping to catch his breath, Goldie was there, helping to hold him up. Bitternut rolled to a stop on the floor, having been thrown an impressive distance down the hallway when Goldie rammed him off of Caramel.
Caramel looked over at Goldie as she supported him, he could see the rage broiling in her eyes as she glared murder at Bitternut, looking like she was ready to tear Butternut's throat out, Caramel had never seen her so scary looking.
Bitternut quickly climbed back to his hooves and whirled back to them, where he suddenly snarled and spat onto the floor when he saw the chest the mare was carrying laying on the floor with the mare now gone. "Curse that sow! She's not getting away from me!" Bitternut shouted before he dashed past the startled Caramel and Goldie. He ran down the hall to the stairs where they could hear him as he descended hurriedly before he slammed the front door open as he rushed out.
Caramel vision had cleared and he was now able to stand on his own. "Where's Cinnamon? Is she safe?" He asked worriedly.
"She's fine, I put her in the crib before I rushed out to see what was going on." Goldie reassured him, before she started to look him over. "How are you? Did he hurt you?" She asked as she started to feel around his body looking for any injury's.
"I'm fine, just a bit banged up. Did you see where that mare went?" Caramel asked, looking around.
"When I came out, I saw a light blue mare running down the stairs, is that who your talking about?" Goldie replied, still looking him over, as she was not totally convinced that he was uninjured.
"What happened up here!?" Mrs. Swan exclaimed from the stairs as she ascended up them. "Oh my gosh! Caramel, Golden! Are you two okay? whatever happened?" Her eyes were wide with concern as she surveyed the scene.
"I'm fine, we're all fine, though I am sorry about your wall." Caramel was surprised at how much damage he actually caused when he was pushed into the wall, there was now a large depression in the shape of his back and shoulders.
"Never mind the wall, I'm just glad nopony was hurt" Mrs. Swan said in relief.
"It was that Bitternut Dandy! He attacked my husband!" Goldie said angrily gesturing with her hoof to the stairs.
"Dandy!? Why would he attack you?" Mrs. Swan asked Caramel, confused.
"When I came back upstairs, Bitternut was leaving his room with a blue pegasus mare. She had a chest strapped to her back, and I saw what looked like kick marks on her body, as well as her left eye was swollen shut."
Goldie gasped and covered her mouth, shocked at the cruelty he had just described, Mrs. Swan on the other hoof just looked angry, and she scowled at Bitternut's door.
"Bitternut said she was his sister, but I'm not sure I believe him." Caramel said. "I found out the mare was deaf when she signed help to me. Bitternut didn't like that, and attacked me. During our scuffle the mare got free and ran away, once Goldie knocked Bitternut off of me, he saw that she was gone and went after her." Caramel said as he started for the stairs. "I'm going to go look for her, I need to find her before Bitternut does."
"Not without me your not!" Goldie shouted as she hurried after him.
Caramel paused to look back. "Somepony needs to stay and watch after Cinnamon."
Mrs. Swan waved her hoof. "Go on, I'll watch her, go find that mare before Bitternut does."
With a nod of thanks to Mrs. Swan, Caramel rushed down the stairs with Goldie right behind him. As they reached the main floor, they started for the front door, but Bentleaf suddenly stepped out and stopped them.
"Excuse me, do you two know why there is a mare hiding under the stairs, crying?" Bentleaf asked, hoping they would have an answer as to why a strange mare would secret herself under the stairs to weep.
Caramel exchanged looks with Goldie. Could it be this easy? "Show us." Caramel and Goldie said together.
Bentleaf lead them around to the back side of the stairs where there was a small door, opening it they found the light cornflower blue pegasus mare huddled up in the dark. She looked absolutely miserable, as she looked up at them. Tear streaks ran down her cheeks, and her eyes were fearful and panicked looking.
Lifting his hoof, Caramel signed to her. "It's safe now, he's gone. We won't let him get you." She blinked at him in surprise, it appeared that she never expected to find somepony who could use sign language. Caramel smiled at her as he gestured for her to come out.
The mare glanced between Caramel and Goldie, looking unsure as to what to do. Slowly she nervously crept out. Lifting his hoof, Caramel introduced himself and Goldie to her, explaining that they wanted to help her. Goldie smiled gently and stepped next to the mare and gently ushered her to the kitchen, where Goldie started to fuss over the mare's wounds. They seemed to be mostly superficial, though the kick mark over her ribs, made the mare flinch when Goldie examined it. And the swelling over her eye appeared to be older and had already started to heal.
As Bentleaf went to bring his wife downstairs, Goldie wet a towel and started to wash the mare's tear streaked face.
"The poor dear, she looks so banged up." Mrs. Swan said as she entered the kitchen, carrying Cinnamon.
The mare was looking to be much calmer now, as her shivers appeared to be settling down, though her eyes kept roaming around the room, constantly looking at everypony nervously. Goldie brought her some water and a banana nut muffin that was sitting on a nearby tray. The mare quickly took the glass and downed the water in a few large gulps, then set onto the muffin, devouring it in moments. Seeing how hungry she was, Goldie moved the tray of muffins over to her, where the mare took another one and began eating it at a more reasonable if hurried rate.
After she finished her second muffin, the mare hesitantly lifted her hoof and began signing to Caramel. "She says her name is Blueberry Cloud." Caramel said as he watched her.
"Ask her what happened to her." Goldie said, refilling Blueberry's glass with more water, before moving over next to Caramel.
Caramel signed the question and they all waited for the mare's answer. Blueberry drank the refilled water more slowly this time, but she still drained it all down. When she was done, she began signing quickly.
Caramel was rather rusty and was having trouble following what she was saying. "She says that she's from Las Pegasus and that she couldn't stand her tyrannical father anymore and ran away. Her half brother Bitternut was sent by their father to bring her back, and he's been keeping her in that large chest ever since he caught her, he even forced her to carry it."
"How horrible!" Goldie exclaimed, looking truly horrified. Caramel felt sick as he wondered if that thump he heard this morning could have been made by Blueberry when she was inside the trunk.
"I'll say. I think we better get the constable, he's going to want to hear this." Mrs. Swan said with a nod.
When Caramel finished signing what Mrs. Swan said to Blueberry she suddenly started to shake her head emphatically, then she began quickly signing.
"She says that her father has some really rotten lawyers working for him, and whatever trouble Bitternut gets in, they will get just him off, and then they will force Blueberry to go back home. She says that they did it before, and they will do it again."
"Why doesn't she just fly away?" Bentleaf asked, gesturing to her wings.
When Caramel relayed the question, Blueberry sadly shook her head, slowly she unfurled her wings and they all gasped. All her feathers had been clipped short, there was no way she could fly.
"How can anypony get away with such a travesty? Clipping a pegasi's wings is a heinous act, and nopony should get away with it not even family." Goldie said with a angry snort.
"Well, we could always use a hoof around here, how about she stay here until it's safe to move on?" Mrs. Swan offered, but again when Caramel relayed that idea Blueberry shook her head and began signing again.
"She says that its not safe to stay here, Bitternut will keep looking in Galloping Springs until he finds her. Their father has cut him off from his trust fund until he brings her back home, and that has made him very determined and angry."
Goldie thought for a moment. "Hmm, then how about this idea. Our train leaves in just over an hour, what if we just take her with us. Bitternut can search Galloping Springs all he wants, he won't find her if she's in Ponyville." Goldie said.
When Caramel finished telling Blueberry, she thought about it a moment, at first she seemed happy about the idea but then her face fell and she started signing.
"She's sure that Bitternut will be waiting at the train station and she's worried that he will see her, that's how he found her last time." Caramel said, glancing around to see if anypony had an idea.
Goldie gave Blueberry a good looking over, her coat was a light cornflower blue, and her mane and tail was a darker moderate blue. An idea started to form in her mind, an idea that just might work. "What if we made her into another pony?" She offered.
Everypony looked at her, and after glancing around at where all the others were looking so did Blueberry, though she didn't know why they were all now looking at Goldie.
"What are you getting at?" Caramel asked, curious about the smile that Goldie was now wearing.
Goldie turned to Swan Song. "Do you have any black tea, coffee, or beetroot powder."
Mrs. Swan gave her an intrigued look as she started to grin, it appeared she knew what Goldie was thinking. "I have all of those in the pantry."
Goldie's smile grew bigger, this was going to work. "Then lets get brewing, we don't have a lot of time. We'll need your biggest pot for this."
Mrs. Swan hurried over to Caramel to pass him Cinnamon before she hustled off to get what Goldie needed. Caramel watched Goldie as she rifled through the cupboard and pulled out a large pot, with a satisfied smile.
"Goldie, what is this plan your concocting?" Caramel asked her, as she filled the large pot with water. "What are you going to do to her?"
"I am trying my hoof as an artist!" She answered excitedly. "My sister Aura is going to be so proud of me." Setting the filled pot onto the stove she started the burners under it. Turning back to Caramel she planted a kiss to his lips for a brief moment, before glancing over to Blueberry, who was looking around at all the activity with a confused look. "Ask her if she ever wanted to be dark purple?"
Waiting outside the bathroom, Caramel played with Cinnamon. Laying his ears down low, Caramel would suddenly spring them up straight with a surprised look, then he would lay them down again and wait a moment before he sprang them back up again, Caramel watched as she burbled and blew spit bubbles in happy delight at the strange movements of his ears. The bathroom door finally opened and Goldie and Mrs. Swan both stepped out beaming, taking up positions to each side of the door, Goldie held up a hoof.
"Now introducing the new and totally disguised to not look like Blueberry, Blueberry!" When Blueberry failed to step out of the door, Goldie quickly stuck her head in and gestured for her to come out. After a moment Blueberry hesitantly emerged, Caramel gaped at her in surprise, in the short time they worked on her, they had done a fairly good job of disguising her. Her mane and tail were so dark a blue they were almost black, while her coat shone as a deep purple, and she now wore a cream colored dress that covered her wings as well as her cloud with lightning bolt cutie mark.
Blueberry paused, shyly looking around. "How do I look?" She asked, nervously gesturing with her hoof.
Caramel grinned at her, eyeing her up and down. "You look very different." He then turned to Goldie. "How did you manage to change her color?"
Goldie was looking very pleased with herself. "It's something I heard about, if you brew coffee, and black tea, together, then soak it in a light colored coat you will temporally stain it darker, and if you add the magenta from beetroot powder into it, then you will give it a purple ting, and with her natural blue color, it worked out even better."
Caramel was amazed at her quick thinking in coming up with this idea. Leaning forward he gave his smug wife a kiss. "You are just full of surprises." He said as he moved back.
Goldie quickly wrapped her hooves around his neck to keep him close. "You better believe it." She then planted her lips to his for a much more detailed kiss then the quick one he gave her a moment ago.
"Oh my... you two are hopeless." Mrs. Swan said with a shake of her head and giggle. "Ahhh, to be young again."
Unnoticed by Caramel and Goldie, their bands started to glow. Blueberry gave a start of surprise when she saw them glowing, but Mrs. Swan didn't seem concerned about the strangely glowing bands on their legs. Looking closely Blueberry wondered what they were, and how they got them, she found the soft golden color they glowed pretty.
"Is this the one?" Bentleaf asked as he came down the hall. Caramel and Goldie broke from their kiss to look back at him. Upon his back was a white, wide brimmed derby hat with yellow lace.
"Yep, that's the one, bring it here." Mrs. Swan said, gesturing for him to bring it to her.
Taking it from Bentleaf, Mrs. Swan put it on Blueberry head and stood back to look. "That should do nicely." Indeed, the wide brim of the derby hat did a very good job of covering most of Blueberry's face.
"Well then, lets go catch a train." Caramel announced, before he kissed Goldie once more for luck.
Once they were at the train station, Goldie and Blueberry, sat down on one of the numerous benches to wait for Caramel to buy Blueberry's ticket and to upgrade them to a private cabin. Goldie was now wearing her white dress, along with a sun hat that Mrs. Swan had given her to use so that Blueberry wouldn't stand out. Mrs. Swan and her husband Bentleaf were so generous, they refused any compensation for the damage caused to the wall in the hallway, nor for any of the dresses or hats that they were given.
Cinnamon was burbling happily in her lap as Goldie idly looked about, she could see that Blueberry was nervous as her eyes kept flicking about, she wished again that she say something to Blueberry to help calm her, and she made a mental note to have Caramel teach her sign language whenever they were free. Reaching over, Goldie set her hoof atop of Blueberry's as she sought to reassure her, but when she did Blueberry gave a little jump when her hoof touched hers but she quickly settled down and looked at her and smiled her appreciation for her gesture. It was then that something caught Blueberry's eye and she shifted her gaze to look behind Goldie and her uninjured eye suddenly widened in fear.
Goldie resisted the urge to whirl about and look behind herself as she pressed down on Blueberry's hoof trying to regain her attention. At first Blueberry didn't respond but then she blinked as she regained her senses and quickly looked down hiding her face with her hat. Goldie could feel Blueberry's hoof was quivering under hers, and once again she thought how despicable Bitternut was, a brother was supposed to protect his sister, not terrorized them.
With a casual glance, Goldie spied Bitternut standing across the station looking around as he searched for Blueberry, with where they were sitting in relation to him, there was no way he didn't see them sitting there, but thankfully it seemed Blueberry disguise was working. Turning away, Goldie looked towards the ticket counter and saw Caramel working his way back with a ticket in his mouth.
Goldie nudged Blueberry and nodded towards Caramel, lifting the blanket wrapped Cinnamon up, they both stood and went to him.
Bitternut was annoyed, he had spent the last hour scouring this hick town for his worthless sister, and she had yet to show her ugly face. Why did father want her back so badly anyways, its not like he cared for her all that much. He let out a irritated sigh as he scanned the platform again, but failed to see his sister, but one pony did catch his attention.
It was that nosy stallion from the B&B, the one he never bothered to learn the name of, and there was his cow of a wife trying to look fancy in a dress and hat while holding that noisy snot nosed whelp of theirs. With them was a new pony also trying to look fancy in a dress and hat, he couldn't see her face because of the large brim of her derby hat, so he settled on admiring the soft curves he was able to make out from around her dress, there was a strange bulge he could see along her sides, and as he thought about it he concluded that they were probably wings. Strange he thought, most pegasie tailor their dresses so that their wings would stick out.
His eyes followed them as they moved and boarded the train, there was something about that deep purple mare that was bothering him, there was a nervousness about her steps and as he watched her board the train, she glanced over towards him and as their eyes met for that brief moment before she disappeared inside, he saw recognition in her eyes. Recognition and fear.
Caramel slid open the door to their private cabin and let the two mares and filly in first, before joining them and closing the door behind himself. Now that they were alone, they all let out a relived sigh. Caramel stored his luggage bag in a bin above the seats before he sat down with the others.
"I was so scared." Blueberry signed to Caramel who repeated it to Goldie.
"He was there, and he was looking right at us." Goldie added, as she adjusted Cinnamon in her lap.
"Did he recognize her?" Caramel asked, concerned that she might have been discovered.
Goldie shook her head. "I don't think so, at least he didn't look like he did."
"Well lets hope for the best then." Caramel said, before looking across to Blueberry, lifting his hoof, he signed as he spoke. "So then, tell us about yourself."
Blueberry nibbled her lip for a moment as she thought, but then after a moment she began signing, Caramel relayed what she signed to Goldie.
"My father's name is Lucky Strike, and he owns of The Lucky Horseshoe Casino in Las Pegasus, my mother was Silver Step, one of the greatest ballerina dancers of her time. When they discovered I was deaf, my father was very disappointed and from then on he would have very little to do with me, calling me defective. My mother loved me none of the less, and even before I was eating solid foods, she had hired a teacher to teach her sign language so that she could teach it to me when I was older." Caramel struggled to keep up with her as she signed.
It was at this point that Blueberry paused as her gaze dropped down sadly, after a short period she resumed. "When I was about to start school, my mother became very sick and died, I was devastated and didn't come out of my room for a week." Caramel became a little chocked up at hearing this, he knew what it was like to loose family, he felt Goldie lean into him as she offered some comfort for him, for she knew how close to home this was to him. "My father never shed a tear at her passing and saw me as an embarrassment, he never enrolled me in school like what mother wanted, and my grandpapa became very angry when he heard about this and hired tutors to come and teach me."
Goldie leaned forward. "You didn't mention Bitternut, were is he in all of this."
When Caramel finished signing Goldie's question, Blueberry grimaced and let out a sigh. "Bitternut is the result of my father dalliance with one of his casino dancers, on his wedding day of all days. After my mother died, he used his crooked lawyers to get full custody of Bitternut, and took him from his mother. Ever since Bitternut moved in he has been a terror to my life, bullying me every chance he gets, and father allows it, he said that I needed toughening up."
Caramel couldn't believe a father could act that way towards his own daughter, if it turned out that there was something wrong with Cinnamon, he would love her just the same. "If your father doesn't care for you, then why does he want you back so bad? Why doesn't he just let you go live your own life." Caramel asked, speaking out loud for Goldie.
Outside the train horn blasted out, and a moment latter, the train shuddered as it started moving forward, pulling away from the station. They all gazed out the window and gladly watched Galloping Springs moving past thankful they were now on their way to Ponyville.
Blueberry looked like she was about to cry as she watched the scenery pass by, she had been though a lot, and Caramel was sure that the relief she was feeling was sure to be quite overwhelming. Once the outskirts of the town passed and they could see the rolling fields of grass and oak trees.
"My father wants me to stay because my grandpapa is in poor health, and is likely to die soon."Blueberry resumed, answering Caramel's last question. "Grandpapa owns the largest newspaper in Cloudsdale and he hates my father, calling me the only good thing to come out of his daughter marrying my father. Once my grandpapa passes, I will become the sole beneficiary for his estate, and once that happens, my father is going to use his lawyers to deem me incompetent of caring for myself or my finances and my father will take guardianship over me, and take it all for himself. He's been wanting to buy a second casino to expand his business, and he is going to use me to get what he wants."
Goldie was aghast. "How horrible! A father is supposed to love their daughter not use them to get what they want! Just look at Caramel, he's a prime example of what a father should be like." Caramel flushed at the praise she gave him, and he awkwardly relayed what she said to Blueberry, while he did so Goldie leaned over and affectionately nuzzled Caramel's neck, her marriage band began to glow as her feelings for him manifested.
Blueberry noticed this. "What is the glowing bands around your legs?" She asked curiously.
Caramel glanced at Goldie's leg and noticed that her band was glowing. "I guess it's our turn to tell our story, sit back, this is going to take a while." As Caramel told Blueberry about themselves, Goldie laid herself out as best she could to nurse Cinnamon. While she nursed, Goldie watched as Caramel signed to Blueberry, she was fascinated at how a pony could communicate just by gestures. As she observed, she noticed that Caramel also used his ears sometimes, cocking them into strange angles as he told Blueberry their tale. Laying her head back, she watched until she drifted off to sleep.
After a while, when he finished telling an abridged version of the last couple of days, Caramel notices that Goldie had fallen asleep. With an amused look down, he saw that Cinnamon was also asleep while still clamped onto Goldie's teat. Shaking his head at the sight he reached down and gently pulled Cinnamon off of Goldie's teat before moving the filly down to her other one, and after he brushed it across Cinnamon's lips a few times, she sleepily opened her mouth and took the new teat in and suckled, after a few moments, Cinnamon perked up and began nursing more vigorously.
Opening the diaper bag, he took out a small blanket and covered Goldie as best he could. Turning to Blueberry. "Wake me if anything happens." He signed to her before he settled himself against Goldie, resting his head onto her flank, closing his eyes he was asleep in moments.
Blueberry took off the derby hat and set it down on the seat next to her, sitting back she watched the landscape roll past the window. This small newly formed family was so kind to her, offering their help without asking for anything in return, so very different then her own family, she felt envious of the love and care she saw each of them give each other, wishing she had a family like them.
Their nap only lasted a hour, before Cinnamon decided that she needed her diaper changed, as Caramel readied Cinnamon, he glanced over at Blueberry. "Have you ever changed a diaper before?" He asked her.
Blueberry blinked at him in surprise before she mutely shook her head. "I have never taken care of a foal before, though I did hold one once a long time ago when a friend of my mothers came to visit and she let me hold her daughter."
Ginning, Caramel waved her over. "Well here's you chance, come on over."
Blueberry seemed stunned at what he was asking her to do, she had never been given this kind of responsibility before, her eyes went down to the squirming filly as she waited to be cleaned, slipping out of her chair she moved over to where Caramel freed up a spot for her. Goldie watched from her seat as Caramel patiently walked Blueberry through the trying experience of changing a foal's diaper. When Blueberry fastened the new diaper into place she looked up with a satisfied smile, proud of her accomplishment.
Happy that she was able to get the dirty job done without messing it up, Blueberry returned to her seat and was surprised when Caramel moved closer and set Cinnamon into her lap. "Here, you did such a wonderful job changing her diaper, how about you hold her for a bit." He signed to her.
Blueberry didn't know what to do, gently she gathered the filly up and cradled her in her hooves, seeing the nods and smiles from Goldie and Caramel, she guessed she did it right. Caramel sat with his wife and let her lean into him as they relaxed, happy that they were going home. After a bit, Goldie asked Caramel to teach her some sign language, as Caramel showed her some signs, he discovered that Goldie was a quick study. Blueberry helped out and even made a game of it, as they taught Goldie the alphabet, and some basic conversational signs.
The sun was just touching the horizon when their train pulled into the familiar depot of Ponyville. Stepping off the train, Caramel rolled his shoulder to settle the luggage bag on his back, Goldie and Blueberry had removed their dresses and stored them away. Blueberry had volunteered to carry Cinnamon's diaper bag while Goldie carried Cinnamon.
Before arriving, Caramel and Goldie had spoken about where they were going to go when they got here. It was quickly decided to go to Chisel and Lilly's house first, Caramel needed to break the news about Fudge to them and introduce them to Cinnamon. Goldie felt bad that she was putting her parents off until the next day, but she knew it was for the best.
Chisel and Lilly's house sat on the far side of Ponyville and as they walked through town Caramel ran though his head how best to tell them all that has happened, Goldie sensed his nervousness and leaned herself over against his side, letting him know he wasn't alone in this, Caramel gave her a grateful smile and nuzzled her just behind her ear, knowing how much she loved it when he did that.
Stepping up onto their front porch Caramel paused at the door, his feelings were in turmoil as he considered everything he was about to share with them, but Goldie was there again pressing into his side giving him the support he so much before needed. Whenever he came by to visit or to do his laundry he just went in without knocking so it felt a little strange to lift his hoof up and knock on their door.
The wait was short, hoofsteps could be heard aproching the door from the other side. The handle clicked and the door swung open reveling the peach lavender coat of Lilly Pad as she looked out at them. When she saw Caramel she suddenly rushed out and hugged him.
"Oh Caramel dear, it's been almost a week! We've been so worried, whatever happened?" She asked worriedly, after a moment she noticed Blueberry and Goldie standing nearby "Goldie!? What brings you by? I haven't seen you visit here in ages, not since you and Caramel put grey hairs in my tail." Lilly went to hug Goldie but then noticed she was carrying Cinnamon. "Oh my! Who is this!?"
"Aunt Lilly, I would like you to meet Cinnamon, and the mare on the other side of Goldie is Blueberry, she's a friend of ours." Caramel said as he introduced them. "Would you please get uncle Chisel? I have some important things to tell you two."
The serious tone of his voice and the fact he was using a family title with her caught her attention. "Of course, come in and have a seat in the parlor, I'll get Chisel and make us some tea." Lilly said as she started for the kitchen.
"Aunt Lilly,... the tea can wait. Please bring uncle Chisel, what we have to tell you two is important." Caramel pressed the need to speak to them, stepping to the side he let Goldie and Blueberry through the door first.
"This sounds rather serious. I'll go get him." She said, feeling the seriousness of his tone.
Caramel removed his luggage and set it off the the side of the entrance hall, before helping Blueberry take the diaper bag off her back as well, he lead them all into the parlor, there were several cushioned chairs and sofa's arranged around the room to comfortably entertain guests, two sofa couches sat across from each other with a small antique coffee table between, with a pair of sofa chairs sitting to the side.
Caramel led Goldie to one of the couches and let her sit first before he joined her, sitting just close enough to feel her against his side. Blueberry chose to sit in one of the smaller sofa chairs, curiously she looked around the room and admired the paintings and the decorative tea set inside a glass cabinet nearby.
Caramel felt a little sick as his stomach twisted around nervously, Goldie seemed so sense this as she reached over a hoof to rest it atop of his, a few moments latter Chisel and Lilly came in and sat across from them, Chisel looked around at the newcomers, he smiled warmly to Blueberry before he nodded to Goldie, the sight of Cinnamon gave him pause for a moment before he looked over to Caramel.
"So, what is it you want to tell us?" Chisel asked.
With a deep breath to steady himself, Caramel began telling the two about what happened to Fudge. Lilly cried out as she clutched at Chisel, her face wracked with grief, Chisel wasn't one to hide his feeling ether as tears streamed down his face as he held his wife and tried to comfort her. Caramel felt that pang of sorrow rear up at the sight of Chisel and Lilly grieving for Fudge, and he couldn't help the tears that welled up, and slowly dripped from his own eyes.
Goldie nudged him and gestured for him to go to them. Nodding, Caramel stood and crossed over to them, without a word they both opened up their embrace and brought him into it. Goldie noticed that Blueberry was looking very awkward, as this very personal scene was happening in front of her, Goldie realized that because of her upbringing, Blueberry had probably never seen a caring family comforting each other before. This will be a good thing for her to see, a true example of what a loving family should be like.
After a time, Caramel pulled back and waved Goldie forward, they both introduced Cinnamon, who was immediately taken in by the pair. Caramel and Goldie sat back on the sofa together, and watched as the two gushed over Cinnamon. Caramel and Goldie then both explained all that had happened since his leaving five days ago.
It turned out that it was a good thing that Chisel was holding Cinnamon instead of Lilly when they got to the part when they announced that they gotten married, because Lilly suddenly jumped up with a joyful cry and lunged over the coffee table to hug both Caramel and Goldie raining kisses on the two.
"I knew it! I knew it for all these years!" She shouted as she mushed kisses into a giggling Goldie and an embarrassed but stoic Caramel. "Oh, with how idiotic you've been acting with her since you came back, I was starting to loose hope!"
Blueberry watched the exchange with started eyes, the happiness, joy and love she was seeing exchanged between them all was wondrous, to be a member of such a family must be amazing. She remembered the kisses and hugs she had gotten from from her mother before she passed, and from her grandpapa whenever he stopped by to visit. She missed them both terribly.
All attention was suddenly turned to Blueberry as Caramel and Goldie introduced her and explained her story, once they finished the tail of their dramatic rescue and escape from the evil bother, both Chisel and Lilly turned and welcomed Blueberry warmly, Lilly going so far as to hug her.
"You all must be famished after your long trip, I'll make some vegetable stew for us all." Lilly announced as she turned for the kitchen. "Goldie, come and help me prepare the vegetables, and you my dear are going to help us as well." She said to Blueberry as she snatched her up and ushered her along with them. "Chisel honey, how about you and Caramel make the cornbread."
Chisel stood and gestured down to the filly he was holding. "What about her?" He asked, holding Cinnamon up.
Lilly paused as she looked back. "Well have her help out too, we have a lot to celebrate! Goldie, please show Blueberry where the knives are and have her start washing and peeling the potato's."
Caramel smiled as he followed them into the kitchen, trust Lilly to put every pony to work. Caramel didn't need any help to make the cornbread, so Chisel just held Cinnamon while they talked. Being deaf didn't stop Lilly from directing Blueberry in what she wanted her to do, peeling and dicing as needed, until all the prep work was done and the food just needed time to stew.
They all gathered on the front porch to sit and enjoy some ice tea, while they waited for dinner to cook.
"So have you two thought about where your going to live?" Lilly asked, sitting down in a wicker chair across from Caramel and Goldie.
"Well we talked about it a little but we haven't come up with anything definite yet." Goldie answered.
"My apartment is way too small for us." Caramel pointed out.
"And even though my parents place has the room, I'm not sure staying with my parents would be the right choice." Goldie added.
Lilly pursed her lips, as she thought about it. "No, I suppose not. What about buying?"
"I've saved up some money, but not nearly enough for a down payment. I suppose we'll haft to find a larger place to rent." Caramel said while Goldie nodded her agreement. Cinnamon let out a long yawn in Caramel's lap, her eyes started to drift shut.
"When are you going to tell your family?" Lilly asked Goldie, taking a sip from her glass of ice tea.
Goldie exchanged looks with Caramel. "We think sooner is better than latter, so we'll go tomorrow and have a talk with them."
"And how do you think Taproot is going to handle the news?" Chisel asked.
Caramel was worried about that. He remembered when Taproot would would give him rides on his back when he was younger, but now? He didn't know how Taproot felt about him, he was friendly enough with Caramel when he comes by the supply store, sometimes telling him some really raunchy jokes about a milk mare and her itchy udders, or some other joke that would make a blushing Caramel rush away to find something else to do.
"This is going to be quite the shock for him, and he'll probably overreact." Goldie said worriedly.
Chisel let out a guffaw, but quickly quieted when Lilly glared at him. "Perhaps it would be best if one of us comes along." Lilly offered.
"That would probably be a good idea." Goldie answered, nodding her head before she looked over to Caramel who was carefully tucking the edges of a blanket around the now sleeping Cinnamon, keeping her warm. "But that will probably not be necessary, Caramel has a good and loving heart, and when my father sees that in him, he'll accept him as family, I just know it." She said confidently, her marriage band on her leg started to glow.
"You really think so?" Caramel asked.
Goldie smiled over at him meeting his eyes. "Of course I do." She then leaned over and nuzzled his neck affectionately, while Caramel nuzzled her in return.
Lilly and Chisel exchanged knowing looks, as the pair exchanged affections in front of them. "You two are too adorable, you know that?" Lilly said in amusement, before standing up, and motioning for Blueberry to come with her. "Come on, dinner should be ready soon, how about you help me set the table." Blueberry blinked up at Lilly as she stood, not hearing what Lilly had just said, but that wasn't going to stop Lilly from putting her to work setting the table anyways. Draping a hoof over her shoulder, Lilly ushered her into the house with a smile.
It was nice being home, Caramel thought to himself, sitting at the table. To his left, Goldie munched on her forth piece of cornbread, and across from him, Blueberry was staring wide eyed at yet more food that Lilly had placed in front of her.
"Your much too thin, why your practically skin and bones, you go ahead and finish this up, and then latter we'll have some wonderful apple pie, you like apple pie don't you? Of course you do, everypony loves apple pie." Lilly chatted away, acting like Blueberry could hear her every word.
Caramel smiled and shook his head as Blueberry looked over at him with pleading eyes, the amount of food that Lilly had piled onto her plate was enough to feed a couple hungry stallions. Lifting his hoof. "I'm afraid that it's too late now, she has you in her clutches, and she won't let you go. For better or worse, welcome to the family." He signed to her.
Blueberry blinked at him, then after a moment a pleased look came over her, and she picked up some cornbread and began eating.
Chisel turned to Caramel. "Please tell Blueberry that she is welcome to stay as long as she likes. She a sweet filly, and Lilly and I would enjoy having her around."
Caramel couldn't help but grin. "Aunt Lilly is going to spoil her rotten you know." Caramel said as he nodded towards the pair as Lilly refilled Blueberry's glass of lemonade.
"Oh, I'm sure she could use a little spoiling." Chisel said before he looked back to Caramel. "And what of you two? Where will you two be staying tonight?"
Caramel thought about it. If he was to go back to his apartment he would haft to explain everything all over again to his roommate Noteworthy, and he most defiantly did not feel like going through that again, at least not tonight. With everything that's happened, he was exhausted.
"If you don't mind, would you let us stay here tonight?" Caramel asked.
Lilly looked up at him from across the table, as she was offering a very stuffed looking Blueberry even more food. "Of course sweetie, take the room at the top of the stairs, and Blueberry here can have the room across the hall. Oh, and one other thing." Lilly said with a smile. "From now on you will both call me aunt Lilly, I forgot how good it made me feel to hear Caramel call me that, I want to hear more of it, got it?"
"Yes, aunt Lilly." Both Caramel and Goldie said at the same time, causing them both to look at each other and chuckle.
Just then Cinnamon started crying from next room, she was laying in a wicker laundry basket converted to be used as a bassinet.
"Oops, sounds like she's hungry, I'll go nurse her. Caramel would you make a bottle for her?" Goldie said as she stood.
Caramel was already standing himself. "I'll have one ready in a moment."
"Oh, and make about half of the usual amount, my milk is coming in a bit and she doesn't need so much from the bottle." Goldie told Caramel before she stepped out of the room.
"Caramel?" Aunt Lilly called out, causing Caramel to pause and looked back at her. "What you two are doing for Fudge's little filly is just amazing, you two are going to be the most wonderful parents for her, I can see it even now." She crossed over to him and much to his surprise she kissed his cheek and hugging him.
Caramel felt a little embarrassed by the affection and praise Lilly was giving him, but it also felt really good. "Thank you aunt Lilly." He said, returning her hug and not knowing what else he should do, kissed her back.
After dinner, Caramel grabbed the diaper bag and took it into the kitchen. Taking out all the dirty bottles, he began to wash them in the sink. Once he finished, he set them out to dry. Sorting through the bag, he saw that he was low on diapers and wipes, and he made a mental note to buy some first thing tomorrow.
Leaving the kitchen he walked down the hall into the living room. Goldie and Chisel were sitting across from each other playing a game of chess, and by the look of the board, it appeared that they were both evenly matched. Aunt Lilly was sitting with Blueberry, showing her how to croshay, Caramel was once again amazed at how aunt Lilly was able to communicate with Blueberry without the need for sign language.
Cinnamon was happily burbling to herself in the laundry basket next to Goldie. Looking in, Caramel smiled at her as he reached in and picked up her errant pacifier, pulling her slobbered hoof from her mouth, Caramel then stuck her pacifier in. Goldie was deep in thought as she considered her next move against Chisel. Not wanting to disturb her, Caramel gave her a quick peck to her cheek.
"I'm going to take a bath." He murmured to her, before he headed upstairs to the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, there was a large soaker tub with a shower next to it, turning the shower on, he stepped in and washed himself. Once he finished that, he stepped out and started to fill the tub, making sure that the water was just short of scalding, lifting up one of the bottles next to the tub he read the name, Grandma Murrmal's rose oil with vanilla! With a shrug, Caramel added it to the water, immediately he noticed a sweet fragrance wafting up from the tub.
Now that the tub was filled, he turned the water off and gingerly stepped in, it was quite hot, and he hissed to himself as he lowered himself in. Settling himself in, he leaned back and let out a sigh, he wasn't one for taking baths but today he just felt he needed one. After all he had been though for the last week, he was now home, with the family and friends that loved him. The smell of the rose oil was quite pleasant, as he felt himself drift, and he knew that if he wasn't careful, he just might fall asleep.
The sound of the door opening made Caramel crack his eyes open and glance over. Goldie smiled at him as she slipped in.
"It finally registered in my mind that you said you were taking a bath, and I realized that that sounded like a wonderful idea. You got room for one more?" Goldie asked sniffing the air. "Hmm, rose oil, good choice."
"There's always room for you." Caramel answered.
Goldie turned on the shower and stepped in, leaving curtain partially drawn shut. Looking out, Caramel was able to see though the gap she had left with the curtain, lifting his head up a little he watched as the water ran down her body, soaking into her coat, plastering her mane down to her neck, he found the sight rather enticing, feeling his breath quickened with excitement. Goldie slowly lathered her body in shampoo, working from her mane all the way back to her cute tail. Caramel had to repress the urge to nicker at the sight of her as she rubbed the shampoo over her flanks and her carrots with greens cutie marks.
Goldie shut her eyes and lifted her head up into the stream of water, rinsing the shampoo out, working her way back she arched her back while she lifted her tail up to let the water run off, giving Caramel a good view of her treasure vault. Letting out a snort, Caramel was suddenly feeling very hot.
Shutting off the shower, Goldie gave herself a slight shake before she stepped out, crossing over to the tub, she slowly slipped in.
"Ahhh, this feels really good." She murmured, sounding pleased. Moving her hoof through the water she suddenly bumped into something, which caused her to give a surprised smile. "Oh my, what is this? Did somepony enjoy watching me shower?"
Caramel gave her a sheepish crooked grin. "What!? Don't be silly, that was here before you even came in."
Moving herself forward she straddled his thighs, and hugged his stiffened member to her belly, she slowly stroked her hooves down its length. "I think your lying, I think you liked what you saw, didn't you?" She purred. "Perhaps you liked my soft wet flank, lathered in soap suds, or my glistening rump as I bent over." Goldie slid her hooves back up his stallionhood, only to stroke down again.
Caramel let out a moan, and involuntarily thrust his hips up into her, driving his stallionhood along her belly, finding her ministrations to be a bit stimulating. "I confess, I did it! I was the one leering at you through the shower curtains, I couldn't help myself, your beauty drove me to it, I lost my senses when I beheld your elegance."
"Oh Caramel, you say the sweetest things." Goldie leaned forward and kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth. Below the water she slid her body forward and began to rub her own feminine bits along his shaft, causing Caramel to gasp into her mouth as he clutched his hooves around her.
Slowly she continued to slide herself along the full length of his stiff stallionhood, as their lips and tongue's busily pleased one another, occasionally Caramel would let out a grunt and he would thrust up with his pelvis and grind his stallionhood along her slit more vigorously, causing Goldie to stiffen as she felt a spike of intense pleasure shoot though her body.
The water sloshed in the tub as she moved her body, feeling herself growing closer with every stroke she made, inch by inch she edged closer to the very edge as she found herself in tortuous bliss. Caramel broke from their sloppy kissing to suddenly go for her throat, nipping and sucking on her sensitive spot, in the hollow of her throat. Goldie panted for breath as she balanced on the edge of ecstasy, the water would now slosh out a little with her more vigorous movements as she sought the euphoric state of orgasmic release. Suddenly Caramel tightened his grip on her as he thrust his pelvis up once more, his shaft surged along her slit, and that finally did it, she fell over the edge. Letting out a quiet whinny, her back arched back as waves of warm pleasure rolled though her, the smooth velvety walls of her foal passage rippled and squeezed, clamping down on itself.
Caramel sought out her lips, and Goldie eagerly accepted and kissed him vigorously, waves of orgasmic pleasure still flowed though her as she attacked his mouth, nibbling and sucking on his lips and tongue. Slowly her orgasm faded and she collapsed down onto Caramel's chest, panting for breath, Caramel hugged her to himself as he slowly rubbed his hooves along her back, satisfied that he was able to please her.
"Caramel?" Goldie asked, speaking into his chest.
"Hmm?" He murmured to her.
"Do you... do you ever regret what happened with us? With us getting married and all." Goldie asked.
Caramel paused in his petting to look down at her. "Goldie, the only thing I regret is my pushing you away for so long. I was an idiot, and I regret the pain I gave you in doing so." He spoke softly but she could hear the self-condemnation he held for himself in his voice
Goldie lifted her head up and kissed him, her lips were soft and gentle, caressing his as she expressed her tender love for him. Breaking from the kiss, Goldie met his gaze. "I understand now why you did so, and I don't hold it against you. I was an idiot for not going to you sooner, and I feel so stupid for not seeing the pain you were in."
Caramel quieted Goldie with a kiss. "No more talk of our regretful pasts, we have a future to look forward to." Tightening his hold on her, Caramel leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of a warm relaxing bath with his wife.
Something suddenly occurred to Goldie. "But what about you? We didn't finish what we were doing?"
Caramel gave her a tired smile and shook his head, while barely opening his eyes. " I'm too tired to continue, and I'm happy that I was able to please you. Just relax with me and enjoy the warm bath while we can."
Goldie nestled her head back down onto his chest. Smiling to herself, Goldie enjoyed the feelings of happy contentment that settled over her, as she once again thought about how she had such a wonderful stallion to call husband.
Downstairs Chisel looked up from the book he was reading. "Sounds like they're done."
Lilly looked up from her croshaying. "They were certainly having fun weren't they?" Looking over at the oblivious Blueberry who was bent over her attempt to croshay with her brows furled in concentration, Lilly tapped her shoulder and shook her head at her. "No, not like that, like this, watch." Lilly started to gesture with her hooves the correct way, Blueberry watched for a moment before she then smiled and nodded her understanding and starting again. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 10 | Golden Harvest set her hooves one more time and pulled. The plow's harness dug painfully into her shoulders and sides as she strained to move it. She had been trying for what seemed like days and no matter how hard she tried she failed to get the plow to move even an inch. She couldn't help but feel that her father was going to be disappointed in her, he had given her this big job to do, and she was failing to meet his expectations, how would he ever be able to trust her ever again.
Frustrated, she turned her head about and lashed out with her hind hoof, kicking the stubborn plow. Setting her hooves again for another try, she noticed the sky building up with storm clouds. Straining her head up, she saw the weather pegasi pushing in more rain clouds and packing them together tightly. It looked like they were building up quite the storm, already water droplets were starting to fall. Hanging her head, she felt she had failed. Her father was going to be so disappointed with her, she was supposed to have this field plowed and planted before the weather team arrived.
Twisting her head about, she unstrapped the harness from around her shoulder and with a tired shrug she let the harness fall off of her. Turning she started walking back home, how was she going to be able to face her father?
With a flash and crackling rumble, a lightning bolt split across the sky. Looking up worriedly she saw that the weather team had finished and the storm was about to break, she needed to get back home! Picking up her pace she started to run, but there was something wrong. The ground seemed to pull at her hooves and the air felt thick, the harder she ran the slower she seemed to go.
She struggled to reach the edge of the field, where a long irrigation ditch full of water ran alongside it. A small home made bridge spanned across the ditch, and Goldie ran for it. The bridge wasn't very wide and there was no rails on it, but she wasn't worried, she crossed it thousands of times in the past and never had a problem. The rain was now pouring down and as her hooves came down the the wooden planking, she found they felt slick under her hooves. Heedless of the danger and confident that she would make it, she dashed across the short span, but just as she reached the middle, her hoof suddenly slipped out from under her, and she found herself falling over the side. Goldie let out a scream as she fell towards the murky irrigation water.
Bracing herself, she plunged into its dark depths. Kicking her legs, she paddled for the surface, but it was dark and she had no idea where it was. She flailed about searching desperately for the surface, when suddenly, she broke through. Flinging her head up she drew fresh air into her lungs.
Looking about herself in confusion she found herself sitting in a partially filled tub, in a strange bathroom, . Wondering how she ended up in a bathroom, Goldie stood and stepped out of the tub. The bathroom was large with white tiles across the floor and walls, and the fixtures had gold plating on them and the towels that were hung up were of fine quality. Stepping across the bathroom, Goldie set her hoof onto the gold plated door handle, and opened the door.
Stepping out into the hallway Goldie looked about. Under her hooves was a rich plush red and gold carpet, and set upon the wall just across from the bathroom, hung a large portrait of what looked like a husband, wife and daughter.
The stallion in the painting wore a nice suit and tie, and the mare next to him had on a elegant black silk dress with pearls draped around her neck. Sitting before the two was a young filly in a red satin and lace dress. But as she looked at their faces she found them to be a muddy mess, it was like somepony had taken paint thinner and brushed it over their faces.
Turning she considered which way to go, both way's stretched on for what seemed forever with no end in sight. Choosing a direction she started walking. Suddenly ahead of her she heard a crack followed by a stallion's agonized scream. Without hesitation Goldie rushed forward to the first door she came to and threw it open, and found the same bathroom she had just left.
Slamming the door shut she rushed down the hall to the next door and opened it, only to find the same bathroom. Another crack sounded followed by the stallion's scream echoed down the hall. Turning, this time leaving the door open, she rushed to the next one and opened it, finding the bathroom again, looking back she found the door she had left open to be now closed.
Again the crack and the stallion's scream echoed out, it sounded closer. Turning she ran down the hall, ignoring the doors she just kept going, the sounds of the painful cracks continued to get louder, and she could now hear a mare's voice laughing at the stallions pain.
There was something familiar about the stallion as he cried out, and something inside her was urging her on, telling her she needed to help him. His painful cries were very loud now, as she drew to a stop, looking around the hallway. It all looked the same, to one side was the bathroom door and the other was the portrait of the faceless family.
The cries seemed to be coming from all around. Frustrated that she was unable to locate him, Goldie stepped up to the portrait and pulled it from the wall before throwing it angrily to the side. To her surprise she found a door that was hidden behind the portrait.
It looked just like all the other doors she had passed, except that the handle was black, and as she watched the door started to blacken around the edges. The sound of the mare's cruel laughter was growing almost hysterical as the cracks started to come more frequent, the stallions screams were growing hoarse as the blows rained down on him without rest.
The door continued to blacken, looking like it was slowly charring. She needed to get in there! Lifting her hoof she touched the handle, with a hiss and a trail of smoke Goldie jerked her hoof back and shook it in the air. The handle was burning hot!
The pain filled cries of the stallion was driving her on though, she now knew who it was! It was Caramel, and he needed her help! He was in so much pain! Gritting her teeth she put her hoof to the now glowing hot handle and pressed down on the latch, her hoof smoked and the sensitive part of her frog seared in pain as she threw opened the door.
Inside was a bedroom, the only light was in the center of the room with all the walls disappearing into the darkness. Under the light a young looking Caramel lay draped belly down over the length of a large chest, with his hooves tied to rings set along the bottom. His back, from his dock to his withers was a bloody mess of stripes.
Standing just on the other side of Caramel was a shadowy form of a unicorn mare. Goldie couldn't make out who it was, or even what she looked like, for she was made of literal shadows, the only thing that stood out was her eyes, her cruel yellow eyes.
"All you had to do was say it." The shadow mare said in admonishment, leaning in down close to Caramel. "But because your a bad little colt I am going to have to punish you again, so you will learn your place."
"Please, no more" Caramel begged, his head hanging off the edge of the chest, his tears falling to the floor below.
Floating next to the shadowy mare, held in a grip of shadows was a long thin rod of what looked like bamboo, with medal wire wrapped around the final foot of it, its length was covered in blood, Caramel's blood. It suddenly struck down onto Caramel's back with a sickening crack, spraying Caramel's blood across the floor and adding a new stripe onto his back. Caramel arched his head back as he let out a hoarse cry.
"Did I say you could talk, slave?" The shadow mare snapped angrily. "I will have obedience!"
"No, I'm sorry! Please." He pleaded as the mare lifted the bamboo rod up for another strike at his back.
Goldie didn't wait to let it fall. "Leave him alone!" She cried out as she rushed forward, ignoring her burnt hoof, she ran as fast as she could. Just as the cruel rod was about to strike, Goldie flung herself over Caramel's bloody back to take the hit for him, clamping her eyes shut she waited for the blow to fall.
The blow never came.
Opening her eyes Goldie found herself laying in a bed of soft grass, sitting up she looked around and saw that she was in a valley surrounded by snow capped mountains. Nearby sat a small lake, with waters so clear she could see the bottom. The sun was high in the sky with a few little rouge clouds scattered about. On the far side of the lake a waterfall fell down a cliff face to plunge down into the lake with a rainbow arching up from its spray. It was the most beautiful valley Goldie had ever seen, and she had no idea where she was.
She remembered going to bed after Cinnamon's late night feeding, and after some rather strange dreams she wakes up here. Looking around she saw that Caramel was nowhere in sight. Standing, Goldie walked down to the edge of the lake, lowing her head down she sniffed at the water, and found it smell clean and fresh. Dipping her mouth into the water, she took a small drink and blinked in surprise at how good it tasted, finding that it was probably the best tasting water she had ever had. Dropping her mouth back down she eagerly drank her fill.
Lifting her head back up she looked around wondering where she should go, after some thought she decided to follow the lake in the hopes of finding some habitation somewhere along it. After a short while of walking she spotted hoof prints along the sandy shore, she felt a thrill of excitement at not alone here.
Picking up her pace to a trot she followed the prints, it wasn't long before she rounded a bend and saw a figure sitting next to the shore looking out into the lake. She instantly recognized him.
"Caramel!" Goldie cried out, rushing to him.
Caramel ears perked up and he whirled around in surprise, the moment he saw Goldie running to him, his face broke out an a joyous smile. When Goldie reached him, she boldly launched herself and tackled him to the ground. She brought her lips to his and kissed him fiercely, while Caramel returned the kiss with as much intensity as she gave. The relief she felt that he was here with her was immense
"I thought I was all alone here." Caramel said once he managed to break from their kiss.
"I was worried about the same thing." Goldie admitted as she climbed off of Caramel freeing him to sit up. "I don't suppose you know how we got here?" She asked hopefully.
Caramel sadly shook his head. "No, the last thing I remember is you getting out of bed to see to Cinnamon, I listened to you as you hummed to her until I fell back asleep."
Goldie nodded, knowing the moment he was describing, it was just after that when she returned back to bed. "Yeah, that's about when I last remember as well. I finished feeding Cinnamon, and I managed to get her back to sleep. I then got back into bed." Goldie looked at Caramel as she suddenly recalled the strange dream she had before waking up here. Curiously she moved around to look at his back.
"What are you doing?" Caramel asked, looking around at her.
Goldie didn't know what she expected to find, just remembering how disturbing the dream had been made her want to reassure herself that it never happened. All she saw was his normal back, his coat clean and undisturbed by the beating in the dream. Letting out a sigh of relief Goldie was about to go back around Caramel except for some reason she lifted her hoof and ran it upward along his back, lifting his fur up allowing her to see the skin underneath.
What she saw sent a cold shock through her. Under his fur she saw row after row of thin white scars crisscrossed his back. Goldie flung herself back in horror, turning about she collapsed to the sand and threw up, tears coming to her eyes. How was this possible? It had been a dream!
Goldie felt Caramel's hoof come over her shoulder, as he held her. Immediately she turned and buried her face into his neck as she wept. It was a dream! It had to be just a dream, but there it was, all over his back. How could this be!?
"Shh, its alright. It's all healed now." Caramel said, trying to calm her
Clinging to his neck, Goldie pulled herself up to his face. "You don't understand! I saw it!" Goldie cried out. "I saw what she did to you!"
Caramel shook his head as he dismissed her claim. "That's not possible, it happened five years ago, back in Fillydelphia, you were in Ponyville at the time."
Goldie tightened her grip around his neck. "No, I saw it in the dream! You must believe me, I'm not making this up!" Goldie pleaded, trying to think of a way to convince him she wasn't imagining things. "In the dream a unicorn mare had you tied over a chest and she was using a bamboo rod with wire wrapped around it"
Caramel sucked in a breath as his eyes widened in shock. "How did you...? I never told anypony that, not even my sister." Caramel sounded dismayed. "Wait? You saw this in a dream? Describe it."
Loosening her hold around his neck, Goldie sat back and wiped at her nose with the back of her hoof. Slowly at first she started to tell him about how she was trying to plow her father's large field, but when she fled from a rain storm she ended up falling into the irrigation ditch only to come up in a bathroom of all places. When she described walking out into the hallway, Caramel suddenly reeled back in shock.
"You described it perfectly! How? You were never there." Caramel blinked at her with dismay.
Goldie was a bit hesitant about the next part, but Caramel seemed to really want to know. She continued, telling him about following the sound of screams until she found a hidden door, and when she opened the door of her finding him tied down over a trunk while a unicorn mare beat him with a wire wrapped bamboo rod.
Caramel held up his hoof, forestalling her from saying any more. He sat there for a bit, quietly staring down at the sandy shore as he collected his thoughts."I was having a nightmare earlier. It's the same one I've been having for years now, its a nightmare of what happened to me when I was... attacked. No matter how many times I have had it, It has never changed, except that this time..." Caramel looked up at her. "You appeared in the nightmare. You shouted for her to leave me alone, then you covered me with your body, protecting me. Right after that I woke up here."
Goldie gaped at him stunned, not knowing how this could be possible. "Are you saying we somehow shared a dream?"
Caramel thought for a moment before he lifted his hoof up and looked at his marriage band. "I suppose that we just found another strange thing to come from our bounding." Dropping his hoof back down he Leaned forward and gave Goldie a kiss. "Thank you, for doing what you did in the dream."
Goldie nuzzled him. "Caramel, I will always be there for you, just as I know you will always be there for me. Even in our dreams." Goldie added.
Caramel smirked at her before looking around. "So, where are we?"
Letting out a disappointed sigh, Goldie also looked around. "I was hoping you would know."
Shaking his head, Caramel rose and walked a few steps. "I have no idea. Wherever this is at, it's very beautiful here." Looking back, Caramel gestured with his head for her to follow. "Come on, lets go find a place to shelter for the night, we'll look around tomorrow and hopefully find where we are and how we got here.
They found shelter under a large boulder that was leaning into another, creating a vaulted roof. It's back end was blocked by a smaller bolder that they piled stones and dirt around to seal off. A pine tree blocked half of the entrance leaving just enough room for them to walk in without scraping their sides.
The next morning, they woke hungry and decided to try eating the grass, and much to their surprise found it to be quite sweet and delicious. Once their hunger was sated and their thirst quenched from the lake, they set out and circled around the lake, it took most of the day and in the end they found nothing to help them determine where they were.
Returning to their makeshift home, they determined that the next day to follow the stream from the lake as it made it's way down the valley. That plan turned out to come to an abrupt end when they found that a mile down the steam tumbled off a rather large cliff, and after a bit of exploring they determined that it would be impossible to work their way down.
The next day they decided to take a break and go for a swim in the lake. The water had a bit of a chill to it but they found it felt rather good. Their swim soon turned into a bit of fun roughhousing, that quickly escalated to making out, culminating with them making love on the shore. Over the next couple of day's they explored the entire valley and found no foreseeable way out. It seemed that they were stuck here.
Time stretched on, and they found things to do, at night Caramel would teach Goldie some more sign language by the fire, and during the daytime it they weren't working on improving their new home they would go swimming in the lake, or chase each other around the grassy fields. One day Caramel found a large crevice and started working on sealing off to create a place to store food for the winter.
Caramel walked along a large slab of rock that ran along the southern edge of the valley, looking around he admired the neat rows of grass grass that he had just harvested, and was now drying out on the slab to make hay. It's been just over two weeks since they arrived in the valley, and life here was peaceful and quiet.
Looking up he saw that much of the day had passed during his time away and he decided to head back to see how Goldie was doing. Today she was picking raspberry's they had found along the creek that ran from the lake. Working his way down, Caramel passed though a small copse of trees and came to a stop as he looked at the view that lay before him. The entire valley stretched out below him, the crystal lake sparkling in the low hanging sun.
Looking to the side he saw Goldie lounging on her belly under a aspen tree as she looked out over the valley, watching the sun sink lower towards the horizon. Caramel smiled as he walked over to her, and settled himself out next to her and nuzzled her behind her ear.
"Oh Caramel, what are we going to do?" Goldie asked with a sad sigh, as she leaned her body over to rest against his side. She had been a bit depressed over the last couple of days and efforts on his part to brighten her mood had only had minor success.
"We'll get though this, just keep your spirits up." Caramel kept his voice strong and confident, even though he was feeling a bit down himself.
Looking over at him, Goldie's eyes were moist from fresh tears she had shed. "I miss Cinnamon, I hope she's doing okay."
Pressing himself closer, Caramel nuzzled her cheek, he missed Cinnamon too. "Chisel and Lilly will take care of her, so there is nothing to worry about."
"I know, I know. It's just I wish I could hold her again." Goldie lamented, letting out another sigh.
"I'll find us a way back home, I promise." Caramel assured her.
Looking back over at him, Goldie gave him a weak smile. "I know your doing your best." Looking back forward they both watched as the sun set.
Once it vanished over the horizon, Caramel gave Goldie a little nudge. "Come on, lets get back to camp and have some dinner. Then we can work on your sign language again, your getting pretty good at it.." Caramel praised her as they both stood and started down towards their home camp.
After dinner, Goldie seemed distracted and only put in half the effort in her sign language lessons then normal, after a short while she gave up and said she was tired and she was going to go to sleep. Caramel saw the mood she was in and didn't argue. Moving over to a pile of leaves and grass that made up their bed , Goldie settled herself onto it and looked over to Caramel.
"Are you going to stay up?" She asked.
Shaking his head, Caramel rose and moved over to join her. "No, I'm pretty tired from my searching today." Settling in next to her, Caramel felt Goldie rest her head onto his shoulder. Laying there quietly for a moment Caramel turned his head back for a moment. "We'll get back home, I promise I'll keep looking until I find a way." He assured her again.
Lifting her head from his shoulder for a moment, Goldie gave him a quick kiss to his lips. "I know you will." She said before she settled her head back down onto his shoulder. Caramel watched her for a time before he settled his head down into the bed of leaves and closed his eyes, listening to Goldie's slow breaths as she slept. Sleep was slow in coming to him this night.
Caramel was walking beside Goldie down a country road towards her parents home. He felt a bit nervous about seeing them, but his resolve was set and he wasn't going to back out now. Cinnamon rode in a saddle carrier on his back, happily burbling to herself, as she enjoyed their walk though the country. She was wearing a green dress with white lace, and tied to her head was a little white bonnet that Lilly had thought Cinnamon would look absolutely adorable in.
A rather loud flatulent sound erupted from Cinnamon, causing Goldie to startle slightly. "Wow, that was a loud one."
Caramel nodded and turned his head back to look at Cinnamon. "Yeah, you could say that again. I felt it." Good thing they were walking into a head wind, Caramel thought.
"Well we're almost there, we can change her diaper when we get there." Goldie said, turning off the road onto a dirt driveway.
Turning, Caramel followed her as they walked up the drive to her family's farmhouse. The house was a well cared for two story farmhouse, with a porch on the front that faced the road. So far nopony had come out to greet them, but Caramel guessed that it was probably for the best, at least until he changed Cinnamon's diaper.
Stepping up to the porch, Caramel nosed open the diaper bag on Golden's back, and pulled out a small blanket. Gripping it in his mouth, he stepped up onto the porch and laid it out. Golden moved over and helped him extract Cinnamon from her carrier and laid her down onto the blanket.
"We need to be careful, if we get anything onto her pretty dress, aunt Lilly is going to kill me." Caramel said worriedly as he pulled Cinnamon's dress back to clear it out of the way. Golden moved over next to him and took off the diaper bag and set it down, flipped it open she reached in and rummaged around for what they needed.
Undoing the diaper, Caramel pulled it open. "Wow! It looks like she did a double load, and she's about to have a containment breach. Quick! Grab one of those rags I packed, we'll use it to hold this mess." Caramel said as he started to work, Golden pulled out the rag he wanted and laid it out, Caramel began tossing the fouled wipes onto the rag.
Caramel heard the door open behind him. "Honey. Our daughter brought home a stallion... and he's changing a filly's diaper on our front porch." A feminine voice said from behind them. With Cinnamon's rump pulled up in his clamped fetlock, and some wipes held ready in his mouth, Caramel looked back over his shoulder.
Standing by the front door, a very large purple lavender stallion with a plum colored shortly cropped mane stood next to a very light cerulean colored mare with moderate heliotrope mane. They were Goldie's parents Taproot, and May Flower.
Spiting out the wipes he held in his mouth, Caramel grinned at them. "Ah...Hi. I ah....I'll be right with you in a moment." Caramel said nervously. He couldn't believe this was happening, they finally arrived to tell Goldie's parents the news of their marriage, and here they find him changing Cinnamon's diaper on their front porch.
"Don't mind us, you go on and see to the filly." Taproot's deep voice said, sounding amused of all things.
Out of all the times he imagined this important meeting with her parents, he never thought it would happen while he was hoof deep in a dirty diaper. Nervously, with the two watching over his shoulder, Caramel worked on cleaning Cinnamon's dirty rump.
Goldie looked up at her parents, as she passed over some more wipes to Caramel. "Um... Mom, Dad, you remember Caramel of course, and the filly with the dirty diaper is Cinnamon." She said, giving introductions.
"Hello." Caramel said waving a hoof over his shoulder for a moment before returning to Cinnamon. "Oh! Eww, I put my hoof right into it. Goldie, use a wipe to get this off my hoof will you?"
Hurrying as best he could, and with the help of Goldie, Caramel finally had Cinnamon cleaned and in fresh diapers. Standing, Caramel turned to Goldie's parents as he held Cinnamon, Goldie quickly brought herself to his side.
Taproot considered the two, his expression now unreadable. "So, what brings you to our home?"
Caramel gave Goldie a quick glance. "Well sir, I came because we have something to tell you two."
Taproot looked to his daughter and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really? So what is it you want to say?"
For some reason Caramel was having trouble seeing, everything had a hazy look now, it was as if everything became blurry all of a sudden.
"Well... we would like to announce to you two that we..." Goldie paused and shook her head, it seemed that she too was having the same problem as him. Everything in the distance was now completely washed out, and as he looked, both Taproot, and May Flower began to fade away, like they were made of mist. Next to him Goldie was rubbing at her eyes as she too started to fade. Lifting his hoof Caramel gaped in horror as he was able to see through it, even Cinnamon was fading.
"You will not open his head and examine his brain! I will not allow it!" A feminine voice said sternly. Caramel couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, but she somehow sounded familiar, but he couldn't place her.
"I assure you, I will put it back just as I find it. He won't even notice it was gone." A male voice said, arguing with the female voice.
Everything around him faded away to blackness, and Caramel suddenly opened his eyes. He was laying in bed, in what looked to be in the same room he and Goldie had been sleeping in when they were over at aunt Lilly's two weeks ago.
"What's this about examining brains?" Caramel muttered as he blinked his eyes. He couldn't believe how groggy and cotton brained he felt. Next to his bed, Princess Twilight stood facing Twirlshine as they appeared to be arguing.
When he spoke Princess Twilight let out a gasp and her wings fluttered out in surprise, as she whirled about to face him. Stepping closer to his bed, Princess Twilight lifted her hoof and pulled down on his cheek just under his eye so she could lean in close to look closely into it.
"Mr. Caramel, how do you feel? Are you lightheaded or hear buzzing in your ears?" She asked as she felt at his head.
Before he could answer, she suddenly levitated a thermometer up and stuck it into his mouth. Next to him Goldie let out a yawn and scratched at her eyes. "What's going on?" She asked then blinked as she looked around. "We're back!"
Twirlshine stepped around the bed to her side, a curious expression on his face. "What do you mean when you say, we're back?" He asked.
Goldie blinked as she looked around confused. She was surprised to see Princess Twilight standing next to Caramel who was also looking around confused, with a thermometer in his mouth. Blueberry stood from a chair on the other side of the room and quickly slipped out the door, hopefully to find Lilly or Chisel.
"Princess, I don't understand. What's happening?" Goldie asked looking over to Princess Twilight for answers. "And what is Twirlshine doing here?"
Princess Twilight moved around the bed to her side. "Last night, Twirlshine came to my home wanting to ask me questions about an unusual bonding spell that he apparently found in a research journal from a hundred years ago. Apparently he's been recklessly using it without the proper research." Princess Twilight held a tattered book up in her magic. "From what I was able to discover, the spell was devised by a mad wizard who was studying ways to make ponies absolutely devoted to him, by binding their hearts to him. He never made it too far with his plan before he was arrested and committed to a hospital for the rest of his life, but before he was locked up, he did manage to create some dangerous spells and potions like the Love Poison, in which when the two ponies drink it they become so in love with each other that they are unable to think of anything else until they loose all function to care for themselves and eventually die. The other spell he created is the Want it Need it spell, which I am sorry to say that I myself had some dealings with."
"Are you saying Twirlshine cast one of these spells made by a mad wizard from a hundred years ago on us!" Caramel exclaimed, next to him Goldie sat up alarmed. Twirlshine backed up a few steps as his ears drooped down.
Princess Twilight ruffled her wings at his sudden exclamation before she motioned with her hoof for them to calm down. "Please, its not as bad as you think. I have looked it over and found that the spell was just a tool the wizard had devised for researching the heart during his time at Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. He based the spell on some research he did on the Crystal Heart he found in the old archives. He postulated that the Crystal Heart bound all the crystal ponies hearts together and drew its power from them, he was looking to do the same thing but with himself as the Crystal Heart. I believe that if it had worked he might have become as powerful as a Alicorn, if not becoming an actual Alicorn in the process."
The door opened and Blueberry entered with aunt Lilly right behind her with an anxious expression on her face, when she saw them she let out a relieved smile. "Oh thank goodness your both awake, I was so worried when I heard Cinnamon's crying this morning, and found you two in some sort of coma with those glowing lines all over your bodies." Aunt Lilly quickly came to their bed and hugged both Goldie and Caramel. "I didn't know what to do, and sent Chisel to Princess Twilight to see if she knew what was happening."
Caramel looked at her confused. "What are you talking about this morning? Goldie and I were both trapped together in some mountain valley for fifteen days!"
"Wait, what!?" Princess Twilight exclaimed, looking at the two in surprise. "You two were in a coma since sometime last night, what is this about being trapped in a valley?"
Caramel and Goldie exchanged confused looks, then Goldie told of what happened to them when they went to bed during the night. She told them of Caramel nightmare without giving the history behind it, and how she was in it with him. Aunt Lilly covered her mouth in horror at the description of what was happening to Caramel in the nightmare.
"This is totally amazing! A total Psychosomniummorphic Merger! They shared dreams!" Twirlshine exclaimed excitedly looking up from his notes.
Princess Twilight used here magic to clamp Twirlshine's mouth shut. "Please don't interrupt. Please continue, what happened next?"
Licking her lips, Goldie told of how they woke up by the lake, and how they spent the next fifteen days living there. Exploring the area and making the best of their time there. "It was real, what we went through there really happened."
Twirlshine was making notes in a small book as they depicted the events of their time in the lake valley. "How do we know that it wasn't just a dream?"
Goldie looked to Blueberry and suddenly thought of something that might prove that their time there was real. Lift up her hooves she began making signs. "Hello Blueberry, it's nice to be able to talk to you now."
Blueberry's head shot up as her eyes widened in astonishment. Her hooves danced on the floor in happiness before she started to sign back. "How is this possible? You only started to learn yesterday!"
Goldie smiled. "Caramel's a wonderful teacher." Turning to Twirlshine she then spoke out loud. "Whatever happened to us, it wasn't a dream." Goldie said confidently. "Every night, Caramel gave me lessons in sign language. If it was just a dream then how did I learn if in just one night?"
Princess Twilight suddenly lifted her head up strait and let out a exclaimed laugh. "I think I know where you two where, I believe you two might have been in the astral plane."
"W-What?... what do you mean??" Goldie managed to ask. Caramel was also staring at her, waiting for her to explain herself.
Princess Twilight thought about it a moment, as she organized her thoughts, this happens at times, she would make an intuitive leap of logic before thinking it all through. "Let me start at the beginning and work this all through. When I examined the bonding spell, and I found nothing to say that it was designed to go beyond the act of allowing two hearts to share their feelings with each other, and when it's was done, the spell would leave an imprint on the two so that they will still feel the connection."
Princess Twilight began to pace as she continued to think it though. "Something happened with you two, something that went beyond what the spell was designed to do, your hearts are so connected right now they are virtually acting as one. When Caramel had his nightmare, he inadvertently reached out for help and he pulled Golden into his nightmare, she in turn rushed to help him and somehow managed to rip them both out of the nightmare and into another plane, very likely a world of her own making. A place where they would be safe."
"If I brought us there, then why did it take us fifteen days to get out?" Goldie asked.
"Moving into different planes is tricky and hard to do, otherwise other ponies would be doing to too. I myself managed to go to another plane physically when I ascended into an Alicorn." Princess Twilight unconsciously unfurled her wings slightly as she spoke. "You two only went to one metaphysically, and then only partially, you were still strongly linked to this realm, normally time has no meaning in the astral plane, you could have spent a thousand or even a million years in one without any time passing here, but since you two where only there partially, half a day passed for your fifteen day's there."
"Are we in any danger? Should we be worried?" Caramel asked in concern, Goldie nodded.
Princess Twilight pursed her lips as she thought. "Normally I would say no, but you two are messing around with the power of the heart, the very fundamental powers of life itself. I don't know enough about this field of magic to even try to make a guess."
The door opened and a light heliotrope unicorn mare with a moderate purple mane with aquamarine highlights stepped in, levitating in her magic next to her was a fussing Cinnamon who let out contemplative cries.
"Excuse me, the filly started crying." The mare said. Caramel didn't know her name be he remembered seeing her around town recently, mostly in the company of ether Princess Twilight or her dragon assistant Spike.
Goldie held out her hooves for Cinnamon. "Oh you pour thing, come to mamma, I've missed you so much."
The unicorn mare levitated Cinnamon over to Goldie, who happily snatched her out of the levitation bubble, and hugged and kissed the filly, happy to see her again. Pulling back the blanket, Goldie started to position herself to nurse Cinnamon.
Aunt Lilly turned and held her hoof to the door. "Okay, lets give her some privacy."
And as Twirlshine sputtered in complaint, aunt Lilly boldly shoved him out the door, Caramel motioned for Blueberry to come closer and have a seat next to the bed, and as the others left, Caramel filled her in on what had just been discussed.
Next to him Goldie let out a pleased sigh. "Oh this feels so good, they were feeling really full." Nestled up to her teat, Cinnamon nosily suckled.
Latter, when they came downstairs they heard a sudden commotion in the living room.
"You are not taking them!" Aunt Lilly shouted angrily, stomping a hoof. She was standing before Princess Twilight with her muzzle close to hers.
Princess Twilight gestured for her to calm down. "She is the leading expert in this field, if there is any pony that can help them with this it will be her."
Aunt Lilly shook her head. "But can't it wait a little while? They haven't even seen Goldie's parents yet, and then there is arranging for Fudge's funeral to do."
"I understand that there are some pressing matters, but I believe that this shouldn't wait." Princess Twilight said with a hint of urgency.
"What's going on?" Caramel asked as he stepped the rest of they way down the stairs, Goldie and Blueberry following behind.
Aunt Lilly looked over and gestured to Princess Twilight. "She want's to take you two to the Crystal Empire!"
Caramel glanced over to Princess Twilight in surprise. Behind him Goldie signed to Blueberry what was just said.
Princess Twilight turned to face him and Goldie. "Princess Cadence is the leading expert in the field of the heart, I believe that she has the best chance of getting answers to what has happened to you two, and as to whether it may be something dangerous."
Caramel glanced back to Goldie, not sure what to do. They had just spent two weeks in what was apparently the astral plane, and now that they were back, Princess Twilight was looking to take them away again.
"I'm sorry, but I believe this shouldn't wait. There is a train leaving in less then an hour and I want us to be on it." Princess Twilight said, looking at the two.
"Caramel, I think we should go." Goldie said as she stepped up next to him. "My parents will be angry, but I think we need to get some answers. What if this happens again and we spend ten thousand years stuck in the astral plane."
Caramel saw that she was truly worried about this happening, and he understood her point. What if they did spend ten thousand years away only to come back and only an hour had passed, every pony they knew would be strangers to them, lost to ten thousand years of lost time.
Princess Twilight watched the two as they considered her option. "If it would help, I could have Spike go out to your parents and deliver an official message from me telling them that I needed your help with teaching the Crystal ponies the newer modern ways of farming."
Goldie considered it, but looked troubled at this idea. "I don't like the idea of lying to my parents."
"Well it wouldn't be a lie if we actually do it." Princess Twilight said looking at the two with a smile.. "Golden Harvest, Caramel, I officially ask for your help in advising the Crystal ponies in modern farming practices. You two will be compensated for your help of course."
Goldie blinked as she thought it over, turning she looked to Caramel. "What about Fudge's funeral?"
"Don't worry about her funeral, we'll take care of it." Uncle Chisel said stepping into the room from the kitchen. "After all, we were the ones to arrange Fudge's and Caramel's parents funeral back when they died."
Aunt Lilly shook her head as she moved to her husband. "I'm sorry Chisel, but I'm going with them, do you think you can handle it on your own?"
Chisel gave her a nod. "I'll manage, go on and keep an eye on those two, make sure they come back home."
Princess Twilight turned to Chisel. "I'll have a talk with Rarity, she would be able to help you with arranging the funeral. I'll also have Spike help out as well, he'll be handy with the notification letters." Princess Twilight offered.
"Thank you, I'll appreciate any help they can give me." Chisel said with a respectful bow of his head.
Princess Twilight turned to the light heliotrope mare, who had been standing quietly to the side watching. "Starlight, please find Spike and have him come see me, then go to the train station and arrange for..." Turning she looked around. "Is it only you three?" She asked looking at Caramel, Goldie, and Lilly Pad.
Blueberry reached over and lightly nudged Goldie, then pointed to herself.
"Four, Blueberry is coming as well." Goldie corrected.
"Arrange for six of us." Princess Twilight said before Twirlshine stepped over.
"What about me? I'm coming as well!" Twirlshine said.
Princess Twilight looked a little vexed as she looked at Twirlshine, but then she let out a sigh. "Seven of us to go to the Crystal Empire."
Starlight paused before going, looking at Princess Twilight. "Are you sure?" She asked dubiously with a distasteful glance to the scruffy unicorn.
Princess Twilight gave her a nod. "Yeah, he may be useful."
Starlight spoke over her shoulder. "I'm not too sure about that." She said before moving out the door.
Caramel spoke up. "We are going to need a few things before we leave."
Princess Twilight looked to him. "Oh?"
"Cinnamon's diaper bag is short of supplies, unless you want her to run out of diapers or wipes before we get to the Crystal Empire we are going to need to stop at the store." Caramel said.
"Oh, then please be back as quick as you can, I want to leave here in twenty minutes." Princess Twilight said.
As Caramel turned to leave, Goldie gave him a quick peck to his cheek. "I'll stay here, I need to write a letter to my parents to let them know where I am going."
Giving her a smile, Caramel headed to the door, where uncle Chisel fell in beside him. "I'll come with you, we need to talk about a few things before you go." As they passed the front door, uncle Chisel snagged his straw hat off a peg, and set it on his head.
****
This town is as stupid as the last one, Bitternut Dandy thought as he looked around Ponyville. He searched all throughout Galloping Springs and had come up with nothing, nopony he had given her description too had ever seen that worthless sister of his. When he went back to that B&B and talked with that fat old mare who ran it, she glared at him and threatened to call the constable if he didn't leave.
His thoughts kept dwelling on those stupid ponies that he had watched leave at the train station in Galloping Springs, especially that third one who had looked at him with frightened eyes. He was used to seeing fear in a mare's eyes, especially after he had a bit of fun with them but something about hers seemed familiar. Ponyville had been the next stop on the trains trip to Las Pegasus, so they had ether gotten off here or in Las Pegasus.
As he moved down a street he felt he had traversed a dozen times now, he suddenly saw the pony he was looking for, the stallion with the three blue horse shoes cutie mark. Quickly Bitternut hid himself behind a nearby corner and peeked out. He watched as the stallion went into a store with a dark tan colored older stallion that was wearing a straw hat.
Leaning against the wall, Bitternut waited until the two left the store carrying some shopping bags. As they walked down the street, Bitternut stepped out and followed. They stopped for a short time at a second store, where the stallion reemerged with a larger bag on his back.
Bitternut followed them until they came to a house. Looking around he found a bush to hide behind as he waited, hoping that the mare with the scared eyes would come out. Sure enough, the front door reopened and a group of ponies came out, none of them were who he was looking for until finally the last one came out and Bitternut suddenly grinned. It was her! She was no longer wearing that dress that covered her wings or that stupid hat. Her color was still purple but it had lightened up with more of her blue showing through. That was clever of them to have dyed her coat to disguise her, he had to give them a bit of credit, it had almost worked.
His grin faded as he snarled. There were way too many ponies for him to make his move, he was going to haft to wait for the right time to grab her, his eyes widened when he noticed that one of the ponies in the group was a Alicorn. That must be Princess Twilight Sparkle the princess of stupid friendship, he thought as he watched them walk down the street heading towards the train station.
A little dragon rushed up and spoke with the princess for a time as they walked down the street, after the princess passed him two letters he hurried off, passing right by Bitternut as he leaned against the side of a shop. Once the little dragon was safely past him, he resumed following the group until they stopped in front of a fancy looking shop with a sign that read, Carousel Boutique.
The princess and the older stallion with the straw hat went inside, while the others waited. Bitternut ground his teeth as he watched his sister as she flailed her hoof around as she spoke to the mare with carrots for a cutie mark. Gazing at her, Bitternut felt his stallionhood twitch in his sheath as he remembered the feel of her plump round bottom as she pressed down into his lap, now that was a mare that could use a bit of his brand of fun to show her what a true stallion was like.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the boutique opened and a white unicorn hurried out and rushed over to speak to that annoying dirt stallion for a short while before she gave him a hug, Bitternut sneered at the sight of the mushy sentimentality he was receiving. What was so special about that dirt stallion that all the mares seemed to like him so much? Bitternut felt that he was a hundred times a better stallion than that mushy foal toting sorry excuse for a stallion.
Bitternut shook his head to bring himself back to the task at hoof, the group was now walking away from the boutique. As Bitternut followed he had to fall further back because the white unicorn and older stallion with the straw hat had fallen behind the group to speak together. What could that sexy mare and that old warn out stallion have to talk about?
The group made their way to the train station. Stepping up to the small platform the group met up with a unicorn mare that was waiting for them, moving quickly Bitternut hid himself behind a luggage carrier to listen in.
****
"Your sure you can handle the funeral arrangements? I just feel horrible about leaving." Aunt Lilly said to her husband.
Uncle Chisel smiled and shook his head at her. "Don't you fret none about it honey, Miss. Rarity here has said she would be glad to help out. Just stay with Caramel and Goldie and keep an eye on them, they'll likely need you." Chisel leaned in close to his wife and gave her a kiss. "And keep Blueberry close, she's young still and needs somepony to watch over her."
Lilly gave her husband a knowing smirk. "You know I will do that anyways."
"I know, I just thought to say it anyways." He said to Lilly before he waved to Caramel, Goldie, and Blueberry. "Have fun in the Crystal Empire, and bring back a souvenir." Chisel hollered out.
As ponies started to board, Caramel stared out at Ponyville as he waited to board. Goldie moved over next to him when she saw the look on his face.
"Are you okay?" She asked looking over at him, concerned that he was troubled about something.
Caramel let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'm okay. Its just... you know."
She nodded her understanding at what he was getting at. "Yeah, I know." Goldie replied knowingly, they had hardly arrived at home before they are now being whisked away to a kingdom in the north.
"Right, lets do this." Caramel said with a strong nod of his head, moving forward he helped Goldie on board before following her in.
Caramel had thought that the train ride to Fillydelphia was long, but it was nothing compared to the ride to the Crystal Empire. Caramel, Goldie, and Blueberry sat together, as aunt Lilly told stories of Caramel's and Goldie's foalhood antics together. Princess Twilight curiously moved closer and listen in, while Starlight Glimmer sat by herself as she read a book. Twirlshine had papers scattered all about his seat as he madly made notations while scanning though some reference books he had brought along.
As Caramel signed to Blueberry what aunt Lilly said as she told her stories, he thought of all the good memory's the aunt Lilly was bringing up. He had forgotten their disastrous idea to paint the fence, or that time they put a hole in the wall when they slid down the stairs on a toboggan.
Across the aisle, Caramel heard the melodious laughter of Princess Twilight, looking over he saw her wipe tears from her eyes.
"You two where quite the pair." She said, looking over at Caramel and Goldie.
Grinning Caramel scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah well, we were young. And we kind of didn't think things through"
Princess Twilight smiled as she looked off wistfully. "I was a bit of a bookworm when I was growing up, and missed out on being a reckless troublemaker like you two."
Caramel exchanged glances with Goldie as they both grinned. "Well it's never too late to start." He said looking back at Princess Twilight.
She felt a bit uneasy about the smiles they were giving her. "Wait!? What are you two thinking of?"
Twirlshine shuffled his paper's and set them to the side, lifting up one sheet in his magic he considered it as he pursed his lips. The sheet held a magical formula and some math equations. There was something he was missing, and he just couldn't figure it out. What was it that made these two different?
His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly the air tingled with magic and something soft and very cold fell down on top of him burying him up to the tips of his ears. Quickly he pushed himself up, forcing his head out of the pile of snow he was now buried in. The sound of laughter came to him as he looked back at the others, to his utter amazement he saw Princess Twilight rolling on the floor as she laughed, her horn still glowing from the spell she had just cast. All the others were all looking and laughing as well, even Starlight Glimmer was snickering behind her hoof.
Muttering to himself, Twirlshine struggled and kicked his way free of the snow, turning he started digging for his papers. You would think that being a princess she would have more respect for a brilliant mind like his. As he scraped the snow away with his hoof, the snow suddenly started to glow as it dissolved into a mist, and in a few moments it was all gone, leaving his papers dry and undamaged.
Princess Twilight joined Caramel and his little family, and shared a story of her own. As she told them the story of how she tried to study Pinky Pie Pinky sense, Starlight Glimmer moved over and sat next to them to listen in.
Cinnamon began to kick up a fuss and aunt Lilly passed her over to Goldie so she could feed her, Caramel watched her move back a seat so she had the room to nurse her. Goldie's milk had come in nicely, and faster then the doctor thought it would, and even though Goldie was happy to nurse Cinnamon, she did complain about how her teats were feeling sore. Doctor House Call had warned that this would happen and advised that it would pass in a week or two.
They spoke and told storied for a time, until dinner was brought in from the dinning car. Taking Cinnamon from Goldie, Caramel let her eat first. Sitting by the window he held Cinnamon up so she could look out the window, but she soon grew board and started to fall asleep. Seeing her tiredly blinking her eyes and rubbing at them with her little hoof, Caramel thought that it was now time to unveil the new purchase he made earlier that day.
Pulling out the diaper bag, he flipped open one of the sides and pulled out a strangely folded, soft pink object.
"What is that?" Goldie asked curiously looking over at him, as he set it down on the seat.
"This is Cinnamon's new bed, watch this." Caramel said as he took a strap in his mouth and unhooked it, suddenly it sprung open and became a bassinet, complete with a hood. "I got a travel bassinet. Now Cinnamon has a bed whenever she needs one, and when she's done with it, it can then be folded up and packed back in the diaper bag."
Bending down, Caramel set Cinnamon into the bassinet. Taking a blanket, Caramel tucked it around Cinnamon who was already asleep.
"Oh Caramel, this is just wonderful." Goldie said, smiling down at Cinnamon. Caramel was happy she liked it, and by the look of Cinnamon, she seemed to like it as well.
They weren't due to arrive in the Crystal Empire until early morning, so when it drew late, many of them retired to the back bunk car. Being a princess had its benefits and one of them was the ability to arrange to have an entire bunk car reserved for herself and her guests. Unlike the private sleeper car, the bunk car was simply a long train car with a series of small, doubled stacked single beds rowed along each side with a aisle down the middle. Each bed had a courtesy curtain that could be drawn closed to give a sleeper some privacy.
Setting Cinnamon in her bassinet into one of the bunks, Goldie slipped into the bed strait across from her. Since the bunks were too small for two, Caramel yawned and got into the next bunk down from Goldie, and aunt Lilly took the bunk next to Cinnamon and across from Caramel. Blueberry signed her goodnights to them all as she climbed into the bunk above aunt Lilly. Soon the bunk car was filled the the light snores of sleeping ponies.
Lilly was having trouble sleeping. Feeling slightly nauseous from the moving train, Lilly rolled out of bed. A rather loud snore came from Caramel's bunk causing Lilly to grimace, pulling the curtain aside Lilly looked in and saw Caramel laying on his back with his mouth splayed open as he let out another loud snore, with a shake of her head, Lilly lightly poked his side, causing Caramel to let out a grunt before he rolled over onto his side, where his snores then ceased.
Looking above her own bed, she drew the curtain aside to look in on Blueberry. Seeing her blanket kicked down low, Lilly smiled took the edge of her blanket in her teeth and drew it back up to cover Blueberry. Turning she checked Goldie's bunk and found her missing, as well as finding Cinnamon's bassinet empty.
Moving to the next car, Lilly found Goldie humming a lullaby as she sat rocking Cinnamon. As Lilly stepped closer, Goldie turned and looked back at her with tired eyes.
"Everything okay?" Lilly asked, sitting down next to Goldie.
Goldie smiled and leaned her head into Lilly's shoulder. "It seems that Cinnamon decided that she wanted to stay awake for a while." Goldie explained. "Caramel was up with her earlier, and just went to bed not too long ago."
"Yeah, I just saw him, he seemed pretty wiped out." Lilly said, putting her hoof over Goldie's shoulder. "Being a parent is pretty tiring."
With her head against Lilly's shoulder, Goldie nodded silently. "As well as being absolutely wonderful, I wouldn't give it up for anything."
Tightening her grip around her shoulder, Lilly turned her head and kissed Goldie on the top of her head. "Don't you ever forget that." Lilly said, her thoughts going to her barren womb and how she had to give up her dream of having a foal of her own. "How about you pass her over, I'll watch over her while you get some sleep. In a few hours your going to meet Princess Cadence and it would be best if you got plenty of rest first."
With a grateful smile, Goldie passed Cinnamon over to Lilly. "Thank you aunt Lilly."
"Don't think nothing of it. Go on now." Lilly watched as Goldie left, leaving her alone with Cinnamon. Looking down, she saw all the similarities Cinnamon had with Fudge, her eye's and the shape of her jaw, and the numerous little things she saw all over that made her look so much like her mother. The shock of Fudge's death was still fresh, she remembered the last time she was with Fudge, it was when she came over for the Heart's Warming Eve dinner when she was seven months pregnant. Lilly remembered how much she glowed with happiness as she so much looked forward to the foal she was having.
It was strange how Fudge always refused to tell her who the father was, and at one point she even said that it was from a one night stand with a stallion she had met at a local club, but Lilly knew that she was only deflecting the question.
She felt tears fall from her eyes as she remembered the last time she saw Fudge when her and Chisel waved goodbye to her at the train station as her train pulled away. The air was cold, and the Heart's Warming decorations were still hung up all though town. Caramel stood beside her and Chisel as he also waved goodbye to Fudge who was sitting, waving back from the window she was sitting at, the long green scarf that Chisel and her had given her, hanging from around her neck.
Sitting back in her chair, she let her tears silently fall as she looked out the window at the night sky as it rolled by. It was a while before she looked down and saw that Cinnamon had fallen asleep at some point. Standing, Lilly moved back to the sleeping car, and as carefully as she could, she set Cinnamon back down into her bassinet. As she straitened up she noticed that Goldie's bunk was oddly empty, curious, Lilly pulled aside Caramel's curtain and smiled when she saw that Goldie had somehow crammed herself in with him. Caramel was pressed back against the side of the train as Goldie laid half over his chest, with her head snuggled up into his neck.
Dropping the curtain Lilly shook her head, oh to be young again. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 11 | Caramel's neck was killing him. Lifting his hoof he rubbed at his neck as he twisted his head about.
Sitting in aunt Lilly's lap, Cinnamon burbled happily as she waved her hooves about. "I can't believe you crammed yourself into Caramel's bunk." Aunt Lilly said with a shake of her head as she admonished Goldie, who was sitting across from her. "You knew the bunk wasn't big enough for the both of you."
With her head hung down, Goldie shifted awkwardly in her seat next to Caramel. "I'm sorry, I don't even remember doing it." She said apologetically. Feeling bad that she had given Caramel a stiff neck, she moved over behind him and began to rub at his neck, trying to help him work the kink out.
Outside the window, the sun had just risen above a snowy landscape that now surrounded the train as it moved north. There apparently was always snow here, and travel through the frozen outlaying lands was strongly warned against, due to the dangerous creatures that were known to attack ponies, like the roving packs of Polar Wolves, or the Giant Snow Apes.
In the aisle, Starlight Glimmer was pacing around with a anxious like energy. She hardly seemed able to sit peacefully, as she continued to move about.
"Is everything all right sweetie?" Aunt Lilly asked as Starlight passed by their seat. "You've been wearing a hole in the floor with all that pacing you've been doing."
Starlight Glimmer gave a little jump and danced in place for a moment. "Yeah, everything's fine, perfectly fine." She said with a smile that did little to convince them that she was anything but fine. Moving to a seat she quickly sat down, and nervously bounced her leg as she looked out the window.
Smiling, aunt Lilly shook her head. "I'll bet you that there is a stallion behind all that." She said while looking back to Caramel and Goldie. "So, are you two nervous? Your going to be meeting the princess of the Crystal Empire after all."
Goldie leaned over Caramel's shoulder and lightly kissed his cheek before moving around to sit back next to him. "I think I am more nervous about what may be discovered about this spell we are under then meeting the princess."
"I just wish I brought a camera." Caramel said absently.
Goldie scowled at him and jabbed him in his side.
"What?" Caramel said rubbing at where she jabbed him. "Yeah, I'm worried about the spell as well." He added hurriedly.
Just then Princess Twilight stepped into the car and stretched her back out, and with a flutter of her wings she settled them back into place. "I'm so excited! I'm going to see my niece again!" She trotted forward happily and looked over at them. "Your just going to love her when you meet her."
"Oh that's right, we're going to meet the new imperial cutieness, aren't we." Aunt Lilly said happily.
Coming in from behind Princess Twilight was a blurry eyed Blueberry as she yawned and rubbed at her eyes. Apparently she wasn't much of a morning pony, Caramel thought with an amused grin.
Goldie sat up straighter and pointed her hoof out the window. "Look, were passing through the weather barrier!"
Caramel and aunt Lilly turned and looked out the window, sure enough the snow suddenly ended as it turned into lush green fields of grass and flowers. Soon they started to pass small farms that dotted the outlaying land, each one with an usually small field that were in various stages of readiness for planting. Goldie scooted closer to Caramel as she leaned over to get a better look out the window. All about, they could see beautiful spires of large crystal growths jutted up out of the green fields and along the roads.
"What are those crystal spire things?" Caramel asked.
Moving over, Princess Twilight looked out the window. "Their pretty aren't they? The crystal ponies call them guardian pillars, they grow all over the Crystal Empire, and its considered bad luck to knock one over, or to damage one." She explained happily. "You see, this entire area is rich in natural magics that wells up from deep underground, and this natural magic nourishes the crystals, prompting them to grow to enormous sizes."
Suddenly they rounded a small hill and the city of Crystal Empire came into view. Goldie and aunt Lilly both gasped at the sight of the sparkling city. Caramel was very much awed struck, it was truly a beautiful sight, every structure he could see was made of varying shades of crystals that sparkled and shone in the early morning sunlight. In the center of the city stood the tall palace tower with every facet of crystal glittering with a majestic elegance that left every pony to view it, breathless.
Goldie was leaning into his side very hard now, as she gazed out the window. Suddenly she pulled back and whacked Caramel in the shoulder. "We are totally moving here!" She announced suddenly.
Caramel couldn't bring himself to respond to her declaration, for he was very tempted to go along with her idea. Behind him, Blueberry pressed herself up to the window and gazed out with unblinking eyes at the sight, her breath fogging up the window.
Ahead the station came into view. The train slowed as it approached the station, soon pulling to a stop alongside a crystal platform. Goldie was still pressed against him as Caramel struggled to extricate himself from her so that he could collect Cinnamon's diaper bag.
Blinking at the brightness of the sparkling crystal buildings, Caramel stepped off the train. Goldie and Blueberry had already rushed off ahead of him as they gazed around at the sights. Often one or the other would point out something and sign something to the other excitedly. More and more the two were acting like sisters Caramel thought as he watched the pair as they looked though a shop window at some fancy dresses.
Aunt Lilly stepped off the train carrying Cinnamon. She paused next to him and looked around. "Now I'm wishing I brought a camera." She said out loud.
"I know, right?" Caramel said with a grin.
"It's quite the sight isn't it?" Princess Twilight asked as she walked up next to them with Starlight by her side. Caramel couldn't help but notice that Starlight was shifting excitedly from hoof to hoof.
"It truly is, and if were not careful we'll loose Goldie and Blueberry. They look ready to fly off to places unknown if we don't keep a careful eye on them." Caramel said while eyeing the two mares as they rushed across the street to look at some custom made designer saddle bags.
Princess Twilight nodded as she looked around. "It's still early and most of the store's haven't opened yet, there's a nice little dinner just down that way we can stop at and have some breakfast." Princess Twilight gestured to the side. "Afterwards we can see some of the sights, that will give me time to get a message to Candace and Shinning Armor that we'll be stopping by to see them."
As they walked down the street to catch up with the two wayward mares, a figure slipped off the train and dashed over to hide behind the corner of the station. Peeking out, the figure watched as they all moved off down the street, his eyes following his target, now all he had to do was wait for the right time to grab her, the figure thought to himself with a grin.
As they all sat in the dinner eating breakfast, Princess Twilight wrote out a letter and slipped off to find a city guard to take it to the palace for her. Caramel carefully maneuvered a strawberry onto the end of a spoon he had sitting on the table, Goldie curiously watched as Caramel sighted down the spoon. Lifting his hoof, Caramel then brought it down onto the spoon, catapulting the strawberry across the table and into Blueberry's bowl of milk and oats.
Blueberry jumped in her seat at the sudden splash the strawberry made when it entered her bowl, when she looked over to see where it had come from, all she saw was Caramel looking innocent as he chewed his mouthful of pancake.
Goldie shook her head with a giggle and pointed an accusing hoof at Caramel as she ratted him out to Blueberry.
"Traitor." Caramel said to Goldie as he grinned at her. Blueberry, looking over at the pair, smirked as she realized what was happening and fished the strawberry out of her bowl, looking up she stuck her tongue out at him before she ate it.
Sitting in the booth behind him, aunt Lilly turned and whacked Caramel in the back of his head. "Don't play with your food." She admonished him.
"Yes, aunt Lilly." Caramel quickly said, as he rubbed the back of his head. It had been a while since she had last whacked him. It was just like how she used to reprimanded him when he was younger.
"And don't slouch." She added over her shoulder.
Caramel suddenly straightened his back, as he sat up straight. "Yes, aunt Lilly." Next to him, Goldie began to snicker at him.
"And Goldie sweetie." Aunt Lilly said turning her head to Goldie. "No pony likes a tattletale."
"Yes, aunt Lilly." Goldie said, lowing her head down.
Once they all finished breakfast, Princess Twilight took them out and showed them around the shopping district.
"Whenever I come to the Crystal Empire with Rarity, she always drags me down here to do a bit of shopping, and of course to visit The Crystal Spa, which is famous for its mane care and styling methods." Princess Twilight explained as they walked along.
"Ohhh, I can really use a spa right now." Goldie said as she checked herself out in the reflection of a nearby shop window.
"Actually that sounds like a really good idea. We'll be meeting the ruling family of this kingdom and it would be nice to not look like we just slept on the train." Aunt Lilly added as she stepped up next to Goldie. Holding Cinnamon up aunt Lilly looked down at her. "And it will be a good opportunity to introduce the joys and pleasures of a spa to this little filly."
Caramel resisted the urge to moan out loud. All the mare's with the exception of Blueberry were chatting happily as Princess Twilight lead them to The Crystal Spa. Caramel was last through the door as they all entered the spa, coming to a stop he looked around and saw some very strange sights.
Atop of a pair of tables, two mare's were being wrapped in what looked like seaweed, with another mare lounging back with some kind of paste spread all over her face with two slices of cucumber over her eyes. A stallion with a white towel draped over his back opened a door, and as steam poured out, he stepped in shutting the door behind himself. Why do they do these things? Caramel wondered.
Aunt Lilly spoke with a unicorn mare that walked up to them and after a short conversation the unicorn mare waved over some spa workers who happily lead the group into the back. Caramel looked around and saw some chairs he could sit in while he waited. Just as he sat down a pretty pegasus mare walked up to him and held her hoof to the side.
"Please come this way sir." She said to him.
Blinking in surprise Caramel gave his head a shake. "Oh! It'll just be them. I'll wait here for them to finish."
The pegasus mare smiled at him as she touched his shoulder, urging him to follow her. "I'm sorry sir, but they were very insistent that you be included, and if you were thinking of trying to get out of it, then Mrs. Lilly said to tell you that you don't have a choice. So if you will come this way, we'll get you started with a nice mineral bath."
Caramel glanced over at aunt Lilly and saw her looking back at him, she then gave him a stern look as she gestured for him to follow the pegasus mare. Letting out a sigh, Caramel gave in and let the spa attendant lead him away.
The mineral bath she was speaking of turned out to be a warm pool of funny colored mud. Laying against the side of the pool, Caramel hummed to himself as he relaxed, finding that soaking in warm mud felt better than he thought it would. A light tap at his shoulder made him open his eyes and look up, standing above him was the pegasus spa attendant, Velvet Petal.
She waved for him to climb out, once he was out of the mud she directed him to stand over a grate where she and another helper used curved flat edged wooden scrapers to scrape the mud from his coat. Once they had him relatively cleaned off, she took him to a shower where she sprayed him all over to wash off the rest of the mud, once she finished cleaning she took him to a normal bath that smelled of rose petals and had him climb in. The water was perfect, and his skin tingled as he submerged himself.
"There are natural conditioners in the bath that will make your coat shine and feel silky smooth." Velvet Petal said as she applied a shampoo to his mane and began to scrub it in.
As Velvet Petal worked on his mane, Caramel looked around and saw that aunt Lilly was holding Cinnamon so a spa attend could carefully work on her little hooves. On the other side, both Goldie and Blueberry had their faces covered in some green colored past, and the last time he saw Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer, they were being lead into a back room by a pair of well toned stallions with white towels draped over their shoulders for a nice massage.
Running water over his head, Velvet Petal washed his mane out, having him then step out of the tub she rubbed a towel over his body as she dried him off. He was then passed off to a yellow unicorn mare who set him in a seat and used a blow dryer to dry him the rest of the way, then with a comb and brush, she got to work on his mane and tail as she worked out all his little knots and kinks.
Caramel could not recall ever feeling this fresh and vitalized before, looking down at himself he saw his coat had a nice glossy shine to it and whenever he moved his head his mane would ripple and flow along with his movements, even swishing his tail made it move about in light waves.
Sitting down, he waited for the others to finish. The reading materials that they provided were old and mostly mare related, finding a Equestrial Geographic, Caramel began flipping through its pages and found an article on the creatures of the frozen northlands of the Crystal Empire.
It spoke of the Polar Wolves, and how they were related to the Timber Wolves found in the wild forests like the Everfree Forest near Ponyville. And just like how the Timber Wolves would feed on the life energy of their prey, the Polar Wolves would feed on the warmth given off by a living body. They would clamp their ice teeth down on their prey and draw out all the heat until nothing was left but a frozen corpse.
Caramel shivered at the thought of having a pack of Polar Wolves snapping and biting at you until you collapsed from cold and exhaustion, where they then surround you and the last thing you feel is their cold icy teeth clamping down onto your body, where whatever warmth you still posses get pulled out of you.
Next the article spoke of the mysterious Giant Snow Apes, and how not much was known about them. Pictures of them were rare, for they tended to shy away from ponies, preferring to keep their distance, as their great white shaggy fur coats helped them blend into the snow with remarkable efficiency.
When the article described the Shivernakes, it gave him the shivers. A single bite from one would leave its victim with a frostbit around the wound and their venom would freeze the blood, and the victim would be racked with shivers until their heart would give out from the strain. Shivernakes tended to hide in the snow and bite at passing ponies, and not much was known about what they fed on.
And the last creature in the article was about the Windigos. Apparently they were still being spotted whisking around in the northern wastelands, but as long as you didn't feel any negative hate or anger they tended to leave you alone, and any feelings of love or happiness seemed to drive them away.
The sound of hoofsteps aproching caused him to look up and spot aunt Lilly as she walked up to him carrying Cinnamon. It looked like ten years had been taken off of her, aunt Lilly's lavender peach coat looked bright and silky, and her hooves had been manicured until they glistened.
"Wow, aunt Lilly, you look amazing." Caramel said as he admired her.
Cinnamon was burbling excitedly as she squirmed in aunt Lilly's grasp. When Caramel looked at her he suddenly gasped as he leaned in closer and rubbed a hoof along her coat. She wasn't white, there was a very slight cream color to it that was hard to make out.
"Ahh, you seem to have noticed her color." Aunt Lilly said, noting his sudden interest.
"She's... not white?" Caramel asked, feeling a bit stunned at the revaluation.
"They use special herbs and minerals in their shampoo's and conditioners that will brighten and enhance a ponies natural color, and apparently it drew out the cream color in Cinnamon's coat. The spa attendant says that Cinnamon's natural color should darken slightly and become more noticeable as she grows older." Aunt Lilly explained.
"Oh I feel so much better." Goldie said as she and Blueberry joined them.
Caramel couldn't help but admire the pair, both their mane's now had a lively bounce to them, and somehow they managed to return Blueberry's coat back to her original light cornflower blue color. They both had a healthy glow about them now, and they looked to be more energized and happy.
"You two look incredible!" Caramel said as looked over the two. Lifting a hoof he signed the same to Blueberry, who blushed at his complement.
"Your looking pretty good yourself there stud." Goldie replayed as she stepped up close to him and nuzzled him affectionately.
"Oh good, your all ready." Princess Twilight said as she walked up to them with Starlight Glimmer by her side. "Cadence sent back a reply to my message and she is waiting for us."
"Then I will take care of the bill." Aunt Lilly said as she passed Cinnamon over to Goldie.
"Oh my! Don't you just look absolutely adorable!" Goldie exclaimed as she lifted Cinnamon up and nuzzled her belly. Suddenly she paused as she looked closely at Cinnamon.
"Yeah, I noticed that too. Apparently she's a very light cream color." Caramel said when he saw her scrutinizing Cinnamon's coat.
"I never noticed that before." Goldie said stunned, as she started to closely look at Cinnamon's mane to see if there was any change there as well.
Just then Aunt Lilly finished and rejoined them. "Okay, all set." She said to Princess Twilight.
"Right, lets be on our way, Cadence is waiting for us." Princess Twilight said as she started for the door.
They could see the sparkling spire of the palace as they approached the center of the city. Being the tallest structure in the city it was hard to miss, and it was deceptively farther away then you would think. Caramel took Cinnamon from Goldie when she grew tired from walking on three of her legs. Goldie smiled at him gratefully as she walked along next to him, relieved that she could walk on all fours again.
Blueberry walked next to aunt Lilly, as the two pointed out various sights to one another. Idly Caramel looked about, he couldn't help but notice that none of the crystal ponies he had seen so far shined or sparkled like crystals, all the ponies he had seen since he had arrived looked just like normal ponies.
As they drew closer to the palace Caramel noticed that it was sitting on four swept out legs, with Crystal Empire banners hung down from the archways. Crossing though a large courtyard, Princess Twilight lead them under the palace where they got their first view of the Crystal Heart.
There were Crystal Guards stationed around the open area under the palace where the Crystal Heart was on display, as well as flanking the doors that lead up into the palace from the four legs. Letting out a collective gasp of awe, the group stepped up close to the Crystal Heart, where it was floating in the center under the palace.
Stopping next to Goldie, Caramel held Cinnamon up so she could look at the pretty stone. She burbled happily and flailed her little hooves at the shinny heart as it floated just before them. It was about the size of a pony's head, and it slowly rotated showing them the fine facets and angles that sparkled with the late morning sun.
"It's so beautiful." Aunt Lilly said, and next to her Blueberry signed a few words that meant the same thing.
Caramel felt Goldie lean into his side, turning he smiled at her as he nuzzled her behind her ear where he knew she liked it. Unnoticed by the pair the Crystal Heart began to pulse with a pink light.
"Twilight!" A voice cried out excitedly.
Hearing her name being called, Princess Twilight turned and happily rushed up to a light pink Alicorn, where much to all of their surprise they then started to dance in place while singing a rhyme.
"Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They ended with a very unprincesslike shake of their rumps at each other. It was quite the sight to see, two Alicorn princesses acting like two schoolyard filly's as they greeted each other.
"Twilight! Why didn't you send word you were coming sooner?" Princess Cadence asked as she hugged Princess Twilight.
As Princess Twilight explained what her visit was about, Caramel and Goldie heard a little voice call up to them.
"Hi." The voice said shyly.
Caramel and Goldie both looked down and saw a little rosey shaded pink filly looking up at them with the most adorable eyes they had ever seen.
Bending down Goldie smiled at the little filly. "Why, hello there, what's your name sweetheart?" She asked.
The filly scrunched up her face as she thought about it, after a short time she then let out her breath and looked back up. "Name? What is name?" She asked cocking her head to the side in confusion.
Turning to Caramel Goldie bit her lip. "She is so adorable." She said before looking back to the filly. "Sweetheart, what does your mommy call you?"
The filly smiled. "Sweetheart!" She pointed her hoof at Goldie. "Mommy calls me Sweetheart!"
Caramel grinned at Goldie as she blinked in surprise. "Goldie, are you keeping something from me?"
Goldie shot Caramel a, not the right time glare, before looking back to the filly and giving her a smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm not your mommy. Do you know where your mommy or daddy is?"
The little filly smiled and nodded, pointing her hoof at Goldie. "Mommy!" Then she turned her hoof to Caramel. "Daddy!"
Goldie lifted her eyebrow at Caramel. "Now who's the one keeping secrets, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, It's only funny the first time." Caramel said with a grin. Lifting his head up he looked around "I wonder where her parents are?"
"I think I am going to have something to say to them when they do show up. It's completely irresponsible of them to just let their little filly wonder around like this. How can a parent be so careless with their foal?" Goldie muttered.
"Ahh, Goldie." Caramel said calling out for her attention, his tone sounded confused. "Where is everypony?"
Goldie gave him a glance. "What do you mean? Did they all leave without us?"
Shaking his head, Caramel spun himself around as he searched all the directions. "I mean where is everypony? Not just our little group, but the guards, and all the visitors and tourists that where just around us a minute ago." Nodding his head out towards the city. "All the streets are empty as far as I can see, everypony seems to be just... gone."
Goldie was also looking about, seeing that Caramel was right, and that there was absolutely no ponies in sight. Looking over at Caramel "What's going on?" She asked, sounding worried.
"I don't know." Caramel tried to keep his voice calm, but he wasn't sure how successful he was. Looking back at the filly, Caramel started to wonder if she could be behind whatever this was. Sitting down he smiled at her and gestured for her to come closer. "Do you know what happened to all the ponies that were here with us?" He asked, keeping his voice soft and pleasant.
Approaching him, the filly paused and silently shook her head at his question. Looking closely at her he couldn't see any malice or cunning in her eye's, she just seemed like a normal little filly. Looking up at him with her wide eyes, she stepped closer and reared herself up and rested a hoof against his leg as she looked closely at Cinnamon.
"Who that?" She asked curiously as she leaned in close to Cinnamon.
"This is Cinnamon." He said, bending down slightly so she could look at Cinnamon more easily.
"Why so tiny?" She asked, looking up at him for an answer.
Goldie stepped up next to Caramel and sat down. "Because she is still just a baby, it will take time to grow bigger."
"Bigger like me?" The filly asked looking over at Goldie.
Nodding, Goldie smiled. "Yes, bigger like you."
The filly looked back at Cinnamon. Bending down she lightly kissed Cinnamon. "I like Cimmamim, she has lots love for mommy and daddy. I can's feel it" Lowering herself back down she let out a yawn and turned to Goldie. "I is tired now, wants be held." She held her hoof up, imploring Goldie to pick her up.
Not sure what to do Goldie glanced at Caramel for a very brief moment. It was undeniable that there was something very unusual going on, but as to whether the filly was responsible was unclear. From what they could tell, she seemed to be just a normal little filly, who was lost and wanted to be held. Making up her mind Goldie scooped the filly up and held her cradled in her hooves.
The filly let out a big yawn, as she nestled herself into Goldie. After smacking her lips a few times, the filly's eyes drooped shut as she drifted off to sleep.
"And since you were having trouble getting the farmers to adjust to more modern farming practices I thought that Caramel and Golden could look things over and offer some advice." Princess Twilight voice suddenly rang out, continuing her conversation with Princess Cadence like it had never stopped.
Blinking in surprise Caramel and Goldie both looked around. They were both standing just in front of the Crystal Heart just like they were a few minutes ago, and the filly was nowhere to be seen, having vanished right out of Goldie's cradled leg.
"What the!?" Goldie exclaimed in confusion. Every pony was back where they were when they last saw them, it was like no time had passed since the moment they met the filly.
Blueberry was standing to the right side of the Crystal Heart from them and she was looking over at the pair with an inquisitive look. "Everything alright? You both look like you just saw a ghost." She signed to them.
"Did you notice anything unusual? Or see a little filly? Goldie asked, hoping that Blueberry might have seen something.
Blueberry shook her head. "No, nothing unusual, nor any filly besides Cinnamon." She answered as she looked the two over. "Why? Did something happen?"
Sitting back onto his haunches, Caramel leaned back so he could sign while holding Cinnamon. "We'll fill you in latter." Turning to Goldie. "I think we should just keep this new event private for now, we have enough on our plate already."
Goldie looked at him as she thought about it. "Are you sure? It could be important."
"Whatever that was, it seemed different." Caramel explained. "This time we weren't alone. Cinnamon was there with us, as well a the strange filly too." Caramel rubbed at his chin. "I'm not sure but it sort of felt like we were being reached out to."
"By the filly?" Goldie asked.
"I... think maybe so." Caramel said thoughtfully. "If it was her, she didn't seem to be trying to hurt us."
"Caramel, Goldie!" Aunt Lilly said as she stepped up to them. "That's enough gaping at the sights. Come along, Princess Cadence would like to meet you." She said nudging the pair towards the waiting princess. Pausing she pointed her hoof to Blueberry and gestured for her to follow. "Come along, your not getting left out."
Caramel didn't know how he should act in front of Princess Cadence. Should he bow or kiss her hoof? Suddenly he worried if he should do both.
Goldie glanced at him and let out a sigh, and nudged him with her shoulder. "Stop tensing up, your walking like you don't have joints, and that's making you look silly." She murmured to him.
"Sorry, I'm just a tad nervous." Caramel whispered back.
"Well stop it." She growled at him. "Try thinking of something relaxing, like when I'm nibbling on your neck when we're alone in bed together."
Caramel started to turn red as he came to a stop. "That is the opposite of relaxing!" He sputtered at her in a loud whisper.
"I don't know, I kind of find it relaxing." Goldie murmured with a smile.
Caramel had to shake his head to clear it of the naughty thoughts he suddenly had running through it, before he resumed his approach to the princess.
Princess Cadence was still chatting with Princess Twilight when Caramel stopped with Goldie just before them. He couldn't help but compare the two princesses as they stood close together. Princess Twilight was average height and pretty in a plain sort of way while not wearing any accoutrements of her office as princess of friendship. In contrast Princess Cadence was very tall and regal, her mane well cared for and styled so that is flowed down in an elegant cascade. Around her neck she wore a slim gold necklace and sitting atop her head she wore a small gold tiara set with a amethyst stone in the front and a large and very rare purple pearl set into the tip.
"Its too bad you missed it, she's been walking for a week now. When she took her first steps Shinny looked like he was about to bounce off the walls, he even bought all the guards a round of drinks to celebrate. Now he spends half the time chasing her around until he collapses in complete exhaustion." The two laughed, before Princess Cadence continued. "For a diapered little filly, little Flurry sure can get around and find trouble. Just yesterday she was found wandering around a ledge just outside her nursery. The guards had to restrain Shinny from trying to climb out onto a ledge that was half his width to get her, luckily the pegasus guards were quick to act and no harm came to her, or Shinny. We now have a magical seal on the window keeping her from magicking it open or passing through it, at least I hope so." She paused as she scratched at her chin in thoughtful worry.
Princess Twilight noticed Caramel and Goldie and realized that they were waiting. "Oh, here are the two I was mentioning." Princess Twilight held out her hoof to the pair. "This is Caramel, and Golden."
Looking over at the two, Princess Cadence smiled. "Thank you for your offering to help out with my farmers, they have been quite stubborn about giving up their traditional ways of farming and adopting the more modern ways that are available now."
Feeling that it was the appropriate thing to do, Caramel bowed his head down, while next to him Goldie gave a little curtsy. "We are happy to help out with whatever we can." Caramel said polity.
"That's right Princess, we're at your service." Goldie added with another curtsy.
"Now, Twilight also mentioned that you two have a spell on you, and she wanted me to take a look at it." Princess Cadence glanced over at Princess Twilight with a somewhat amused expression. "It's not often that I know more about something then she does, so this is kind of a treat." Princess Cadence said as she started to look around. "Twilight, didn't you say you brought the unicorn who put the spell on them, with you?"
Princess Twilight nodded and turned her head to look. "Well yes I did, he's right over...?" Princess Twilight paused as she looked around, her brows furled as she thought back to when she last saw him. "Starlight? Have you seen Twirlshine around?"
Starlight Glimmer pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, sorry I haven't."
Princess Twilight looked to the rest of the group. "Have any of you seen Twirlshine?"
They all looked around at each other but none offered an answer. Goldie turned and signed the question to Blueberry who thought a moment before she nodded.
"Blueberry says that she saw him." Goldie announced.
"Really? Where?" Princess Twilight asked.
Goldie asked and watched as Blueberry replied. "She says she saw him on the train, still asleep in the sleeping car." Goldie said.
Everypony stood mute as they all stared at her.
"Did we leave him on the train?" Aunt Lilly asked, breaking the silence.
"Do you suppose he's still there?" Starlight asked, her voice sounded dumbfounded that this could have happened.
"Sargent!" Princess Cadence called out, and a guard with silver in his helmet plume quickly stepped up to the princess. "Please go down to the train station and see if..." Princess Cadence turned to Princess Twilight. "What was his name?"
"Twirlshine." Princess Twilight answered, shaking her head in disbelief that everypony had forgotten him and left him behind.
"See if you can track down where Twirlshine got off too." Princess Cadence ordered.
"Yes Princess." The Sargent said with a salute before hurrying off.
A pony in a nice suit hurried up to Princess Cadence and urgently started to speak to her.
Princess Twilight was still in shock over forgetting Twirlshine. She felt so bad about it, she was considering going down to the train station herself to help search for him, and to apologize to him for being so rude to him. Turning she took a few steps to catch up with the Sargent that had left when she suddenly ran herself into a wall.
Stumbling back she fell onto her rump. Rubbing her nose, she blinked at what she had just run into, and her eyes widened as she saw the golden yellow coat and blue mane of Flash Sentry as he smiled down at her.
Her cheeks turned red as he reached his hoof down to help her back up onto her hooves. "We need to stop meeting like this." He said as he helped her up.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I wasn't watching... I didn't see..." Princess Twilight's thoughts all jumbled together as she tried to compose a coherent sentence. She couldn't believe that she was babbling, she never babbles.
Goldie watched the exchange between the two and started to smile, leaning over she gave Blueberry a nudge and gestured her head for her to watch as well.
Princess Twilight was blushing up a storm as she took a deep breath and let it out in a calming exercise that Princess Cadence had taught her. "I'm sorry for bumping into you." She managed to get out.
Flash Sentry smiled and shook his head. "Don't be, It's always nice to run into you."
"Twilight, I'm sorry but there is something I need to see to, oh! Lieutenant Flash, perfect timing." Princess Cadence said as she gave a sly glance at Princess Twilight. "Please escort Twilight and her guests to the guest rooms in the palace."
"It will be my pleasure to do so." Flash Sentry said as he saluted. Turning he addressed the group. "Please follow me." He moved off towards one of the doors that were in the palace legs. Princess Twilight, with her wings ruffled paused a moment to gather herself before she quickly followed after.
Caramel followed after with Goldie staying by his side. Once they passed through the large double doors into the swept out leg of the palace, they found there before them the largest circular stairway they had ever seen. Walking to the center, Caramel stared up in wonder, not only did the stairs circle around they also followed the slanting slope of the palace leg as it went upwards. It was all made from crystal, as it looked like it had all been grown into shape, flowing upwards in one continuous structure, with no seams or mortar points to weaken it.
"Don't you dare do it." Goldie warned Caramel as she stepped up close to him.
"What?" Caramel said defensively.
Planting her hoof to his chest, she lowered her ears at him. "Don't you what, me." She growled at him. "I know what your thinking and your not going to slide down the banister, so get that thought out of your head." She said, with a stern voice.
Caramel couldn't help but give her a slanted grin as he looked back up. "Don't worry, I wasn't thinking of riding the banister down, which is a good idea by the way." He said with a playful shoulder bump. "What I was thinking of, was whether a sled would be able to go all the way down the stairs, and what that would be like."
Goldie blinked at him for a moment, before she looked up along the giant slanting circular stairway, wondering what that would be like. With a shake of her head she banished the thought. "No. Your not going to do that ether, no matter how fun that sounds. We are guests here and we are not going to wreck the palace, so your going to be on your best behavior, and so help me if you embarrass me then I am going to have the guards throw you into the dungeon. I'm sure they have a dungeon here somewhere. Who knows, perhaps they even have a nice oubliette I could use."
Swallowing, Caramel nodded as Goldie took her hoof from his chest.
"Good, now come along sweetheart, lets not get left behind." Goldie said with a smile.
Behind the pair, two guards who where flanking the door glanced at each other.
"That does sound fun." One guard murmured to the other.
"Your going to get us thrown into the stockade again." The other replied with a sigh.
After a exhausting number of steps they finally made it to the first floor. Stepping out into a large hallway, Caramel and Goldie followed the group as they made their way towards what seemed the center of the palace. Passing through a large archway, they walked out into a large open atrium where a pair of grand staircases wrapped around the sides to join in the center as they came back around to the next floor.
The floor of the atrium was made of crystal just like everything else, but somehow they managed to create a colorful geometric design in the center that was absolutely stunning to look at. Pausing, Caramel lightly scuffed his hoof on the floor in wonder, it appeared the colors were set deeper into the floor then the surface they were standing on, and the effect was awe inspiring, how they manage to make this a thousand years ago, he couldn't fathom.
Climbing up the grand staircases the group came out on a large landing that had several hallways leading off in several directions. Flash Sentry indicated down the hallway that lead to the right.
"That way is the kitchens and staff apartments, and the hallway in the center leads to the grand ballroom and throne room, the hallway to the left is where the library, main dinning area and sitting rooms are." Turning he lead the group around the landing that overlooked the atrium below to the last hallway to the back. "This way leads to the royal quarters and private guest rooms, please follow me."
Caramel felt a nudge and looked over at Goldie and she grinned at him. "Did you see that? Princess Twilight can't keep her eyes off of him."
"Who? Lieutenant Flash?" Caramel asked glancing at the Princess, trying to see what Goldie meant.
Goldie let out an exacerbated sigh. "I swear, don't you ever notice these things? Even Blueberry noticed." She said as she moved off to walk along with Blueberry.
Caramel could only blink and shake his head. Why mares got excited about these things he would never know. Switching Cinnamon to his other hoof, Caramel followed after the group.
Flash Sentry lead them down the hallway to a large room with several hallways branching out from it. The room had a comfortable seating area with large cushioned couches, with elegant carpets strewn about, next to it was a large arched double glass doors that lead out onto a porch that had several tables and chairs set up for ponies to have brunch or tea while enjoying the majestic views of the city.
Off to the side was a large room that branched off, with most of its walls covered with book shelves, stuffed full of books. A small fireplace was set in the corner so a pony could enjoy a little fire while reading in a padded chair.
Sniffing the air, Caramel looked down at Cinnamon. There was a familiar fragrance coming off of her.
"Aunt Lilly, do you know where is the diaper pack is? I need to change Cinnamon." Caramel asked, finding her down the hall inside one of the guest rooms.
"Oh, its over on the bed." She said, pointing over to where he could see the pack sitting atop the bed.
Taking the pack, Caramel spread out a blanket and started changing Cinnamon. He was amazed at how quiet she had been lately, she was only a little fussy during the walk over to the palace, surly she was starting to get hungry. Finishing with Cinnamon, Caramel set off to find where Goldie had gotten off to.
He found her with Blueberry as they both sat in one of the couches as they both surreptitiously watched as Flash Sentry and Princess Twilight quietly talking together next to the open door to the porch. With a shake of his head, Caramel walked over to the pair.
"Cinnamon should be hungry." Caramel said holding her out for Goldie.
"Oh, it has been a while hasn't it." Goldie said and she took Cinnamon. "Come on sweetheart, lets get some food into you." Adjusting herself, Goldie placed Cinnamon down at her teat, and in a few moments, loud wet smacking sounds announced that Cinnamon had latched onto her teat and was eagerly nursing.
Sitting across from them, Blueberry lifted her hoof and excitedly started signing. "She touched her mane again, that's the tenth time now!"
Glancing at Princess Twilight, Caramel saw her brushing back her mane as she spoke to Flash Sentry. "How long are you two going to watch them? He asked, signing his question.
To answer, Blueberry pressed her hooves to her cheeks and made kissing sounds.
"She's right, they are totally adorable together." Goldie added.
"Twiley!" A male voice called out.
A white unicorn stallion rushed up to Princess Twilight and swept her up in a hug.
"Twiley, why didn't you send word that you were coming? I would have met you at the station!" He said before he set her back down. Flash Sentry was now standing at attention just to the side.
Smiling as she once again brushed back her mane, Princess Twilight got her balance back. "Shinny, you don't haft to meet me at the station every time I come to visit. I didn't send word this time because I sort of just rushed out when I found I needed Cadence's help with something."
"My sister Twiley actually needs help with something? Have I finally seen the day?" Shinning Armor said jokingly as he grinned at her.
Princess Twilight smirked and shook her head. "Nopony is perfect, even I need help, and I believe that Cadence knows more in the field of the heart then I do."
Shinning Armor's ears perked up as he suddenly looked at her sharply. "The heart!? Are you saying your in love with somepony!" Shinning Armor suddenly demanded, his voice becoming stern. "Who? Do I know him? He didn't do any funny business with you did he? Because if he did, I have a nice dark hole I'll throw him in for the rest of his life!"
Shinning Armor was puffing out his chest as he panted for breath, it looked like he was ether going to have a panic attack or a total freak out. Princess Twilight had backed up a few steps during his tirade, and Flash Sentry had actually stepped in closer, looking like he was ready to step between Shinning Armor and Princess Twilight.
Caramel felt a tapping at his shoulder and saw Blueberry urgently signing at him. "What did he say? What's happening?"
Quickly Caramel filled her in, as Princess Twilight's wings flared open, with a hard glare at her brother. Lifting her hoof Princess Twilight poked him in his chest.
"Brother, I am a grown mare and who I am or am not in love with is my business, and none of yours. If I find that you have ever threatened or hurt any stallions I may just so happen to like, then I am going to have more then harsh words to say to you, I will make your life a living Tartarus, so don't be sticking your nose into it or I just might take it off! Are you understanding me?" She was leaning in on him as he retreated back.
With his ears pressed down submissively, Shinning Armor quickly nodded as he withered under his sisters gaze. Nearby, Flash Sentry watched the exchange with wide eyes as he wisely chose to stay out of it.
"Good." Princess Twilight said, lowering her hoof. "Now the reason we are here is because of those two over there, Caramel and Goldie. They had a odd spell cast on them and its having some unexpected results, and I brought them here to see Cadence, and get her opinion on it." Princess Twilight explained as her voice returned to its normal soft tones.
Shinning Armor blinked a few times at her before he began to blush in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I was being an idiot."
Nodding, Princess Twilight patted him on his shoulder. "It happens to all of us at some point. You more than normal." She said give him a jab.
Just then Goldie let out a surprised squeal that made every pony jump and look over in alarm at her. Clutching at her chest, Goldie panted for breath. "I'm sorry, it's just she surprised me."
Curious, Princess Twilight and her brother Shinning Armor moved closer to see what had surprised Goldie. What they saw made them gasp in shock.
"I don't know where she came from, she was just there suddenly." Goldie said, looking back.
Nestled against her side, a second little filly was now nursing alongside Cinnamon. She was very light pink with a violet and light blue mane. A little stubby horn could be seen atop her head with a pair of little wings tucked away along her sides.
Caramel glanced about, trying to figure out how the foal had managed to get all the way to Goldie without anypony seeing her. "She's pretty sneaky to not get noticed by any of us."
Shinning Armor looked down at the scene with a mortified expression. "I am so sorry about this. Flurry is supposed to be in her crib taking a nap." His horn lit up and Flurry lifted up in his magic.
"Wait, not like that!" Goldie exclaimed just at Flurry was pulled forcefully from her teat, causing Goldie to let out a painful cry when the filly popped free.
Flurry immediately kicked up a fuss and let out a very loud cry. Caramel and the rest in the room flinched at the shear volume the little filly was able to reach with her wailing. Princess Twilight turned to her bother and gave him a very sound whack to his shoulder.
"You idiot! You never pull a foal off a teat like that!" Princess Twilight exclaimed. "Do you know how much that hurt Goldie!?"
Withering under her verbal assault, Shinning Armor flinched back. Princess Twilight then took Flurry in her magic and brought her to herself, taking her into her hoof she made shushing sounds as she rocked her.
Feeling completely stupid again, Shinning Armor looked over at Goldie. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to hurt you." He said apologetically.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Goldie gave him a forgiving smile. "Its alright, the pain's already fading a bit."
Flurry continued to wail loudly, kicking her little hooves around in a fit as Princess Twilight tried to calm her, finally she gave a sigh and looked over to Goldie. "Goldie, I'm sorry for asking this but do you mind if she..." She paused as she wondered if she was asking too much from her.
Goldie understood what she meant and smiled as she nodded her head. "It's okay, I don't mind."
Princess Twilight let out a relived sigh as she lifted Flurry up in her magic and set her down next to Cinnamon, Goldie flinched for a moment when Flurry fond her teat and begin suckling.
"Was that wailing coming from Cinnamon?" Aunt Lilly asked as she walked down the hallway to them. "I've never heard her scream that loud before, is there something wrong?"
"We had an unexpected and sneaky guest who has taken a liking to Goldie, and didn't like it when she was taken away." Caramel explained as aunt Lilly walked up to them.
Aunt Lilly paused and blinked at the sight. "Oh my..." She said in disbelief. "Is she who I think she is? She must be, how many other baby alicorns are there around here."
Looking up, Goldie smiled. "Well aunt Lilly, meet her imperial cutieness, Flurry Heart."
After a short while, both Cinnamon and Flurry were both sound asleep. With Shinning Armor's permission, Caramel and Goldie carried the two to the royal nursery and set them both down inside a crib. The moment they were set down, they both roused enough to moved in closer to each other so that they could cuddle together.
Shinning Armor was gaping at the sight, as his little filly was finally going to sleep without a giant Equestrian shattering fuss.
A short time latter they all sat down to lunch that was brought up to them by the kitchen staff. The private dinning table was loaded down with a small buffet of food for them to choose from.
Goldie had snagged a fruit bowl and was already eating, when Caramel sat down next to her with his plate of mashed potatoes, beans in molasses sauce and a baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon on top. All around the table the others were already digging into their chosen meal.
"Where is Starlight? I haven't seen her in a while." Goldie asked, as she slid a bowl of lettuce over to Caramel and poked at him to eat his greens.
Princess Twilight looked up from her salad. "Oh, she's off to met a old friend of hers." She answered, before she smiled smugly. "It was one of my friendship lessons that finally got her to reconnect with him, and renew their friendship." She said proudly.
"Wait, could that be why she was acting strange on the train?" Goldie asked curiously. "Is she sweet on him?"
Pausing with her magic holding her fork half way to her mouth, Princess Twilight looked at Goldie thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, she hasn't discussed him in that way to me, but I suppose it could be possible."
Just then Princess Cadence stepped into the dinning room and looked around. "I hope every pony is having a better day than I am." She said as she wearily sat down at the table with a sigh.
"Having problems?" Princess Twilight asked.
Lifting up a fruit bowl in her magic, Princess Cadence brought it to herself, as she shook her head. "Nothing new. It's just lord Round Stone being the perpetual thorn in my side he's always been since I assumed the throne." She said as she took a bite out of her fruit bowl. "He's resistant to any change towards modernization, and he continuously fights to have things return back to ways they were before Sombra took over."
"Let me guess, with his family on the throne." Aunt Lilly said.
"That's right." Princess Cadence said nodding. "And get this, he and his group of supporters want to turn the Crystal Empire back into a serfdom."
"Your kidding!" Princess Twilight exclaimed, dropping her fork. "That backwards system kept ponies in the dark ages for over two century's in Trottingham, why in Equestria would they want to bring it back here in the Crystal Empire in this day in age!?"
"For power of course." Princess Cadence replied bitterly. "Thankfully, the majority of houses support me, so his side is nothing but a headache."
Looking over, Princess Cadence considered Caramel and Goldie. "Your timing was actually quite fortuitous. I have set aside some land and I will be making a call for volunteers to come and farm it. I need ponies like yourselves to teach them how to use the new farm equipment I've had shipped in."
"We'll be glad to help out and do what we can for the ponies of the Crystal Empire." Caramel said with a bow of his head.
"Great, I'll be counting on you two." Princess Cadence said gratefully. "Now, on to the next piece of business. After we're done with lunch, Caramel and Golden, please join me and Twilight in my study so that I can be filled in on this spell you two are under. Twirlshine has yet to be located so we'll just haft to make do without him."
"Thank you, your majesty. We appreciate your doing this for us." Goldie said thankfully.
Princess Cadence's ears swiveling around as she suddenly started blinking in confusion. "Say, why don't I hear the piercing cry's of my precious daughter?" With a glance over at Shinning Armor, Princess Cadence cocked her head. "And why aren't you and the staff chasing her around like your usually doing at this time?"
Shinning Armor gave her a smile. "Right now, she's being a good little filly and taking a nap."
Princess Cadence gave him a disbelieving look. "Oh really. And how did you manage to do that?"
"Well apparently she's taken quite the liking to their little filly, Cinnamon." Shinning Armor explained. "And they both decided to have a slumber party."
"You should look in her crib." Aunt Lilly said with a smile. "They are making the most adorable filly pile together."
Princess Cadence blinked a few times. "Oh my, oh my. That does sound like something I would like to see."
Standing outside the palace, Bitternut stared up at the gleaming structure. He couldn't believe how bad things have gotten. How was he going to reach his half sister now he wondered. "Your going to haft to come out of there sometime, and when you do..." Bitternut ground his hoof into the courtyard, once she's back in his grasp, Bitternut promised himself that he was going to make her pay for all the trouble she caused him. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 12 | Princess Cadence's study was a large well furnished room, half of which was her office, and the other half was a comfortable sitting room, she used for meetings. Just behind the sitting room a pair of glass doors sat open, letting in a cool breeze from her private patio deck that overlooked the city.
"That is quite the story you two have." Princess Cadence said, looking across at them from her seat on her couch. For the last hour, Princess Cadence had been listening to a detailed account of what happened to them since the bonding spell that had been placed on them during the Midnight Dance "Twilight, where did you say he found this spell?"
"Twirlshine found it in a research journal from a unicorn named Cracked Marbles."Twilight answered. "Cracked Marbles was apparently researching the power of the Crystal Heart, and designed the spell to be a research device so he could try to figure out how to make himself into a living crystal heart." Princess Twilight said.
Princess Cadence sat up straighter in her seat as her ears became alert. "Why have I never heard of this!?" She asked incredulously, shooting an alarmed look at Princess Twilight. "Is such a thing even possible!?"
"In theory, I believe that it may be possible." Princess Twilight answered with a thoughtful nod. "He was a bit of a mad genius, and quite inventive with some of his spells. Luckily, he got himself locked up for practicing dark magic before he got into too much trouble."
"What about the spell in the research journal? Could that one be dangerous?" Princess Cadence asked sounding worried.
Twilight shook her head. "It wasn't designed to be, but Twirlshine tinkered with it, as well as using it recklessly without the proper research. That's why I brought them to you. You know more about the magic of the heart than I do." Princess Twilight asked.
"Hmm, don't sell yourself so short. You learned about the magic of friendship and that not too different from the magic of love. Both of them are the power of bonding with those you care for." Princess Cadence said as she stood. "Caramel, Golden, would you both please stand in front of me, I would like to cast a sensory spell on you two and see if I can get a better sense of what's going on."
Standing, Caramel stepped up to Princess Cadence with Goldie moving in next to him. Feeling Goldie's apprehension, Caramel took a slight step to the side, and pressed his shoulder into hers, offering her a bit of comfort. She seemed to appreciate his gesture as she silently leaned back into him.
"Now this won't hurt a bit." Princess Cadence said as she unfurled her wings and touched both Goldie and Caramel on their forehead. Her horn lit up as she cast her spell.
At first Caramel didn't really feel anything, only a slight buzzing that made his teeth itch. Then he felt something lightly brushed up against the bond. Closing his eyes Caramel focused on what was happening, the light touches continued as it moved around, probing at different spots around the bond. Caramel found her probing to be a little uncomfortable, for they reminded him of the sensation of being groped.
As the probing continued, Caramel increasingly struggled to fight down his since of unease, he knew that Princess Cadence wasn't going to violate their trust, but still, he found her probes into his and Goldie's private area to be a bit unsettling. He could feel that Goldie was feeling much the same but she was handling it much better then he was.
Princess Cadence suddenly intensified her probing as she pressed into their bond harder, pushing her way into it. Caramel gritted his teeth as a sense of panic began to come over him, he was definitely feeling violated, and Caramel was struggling to hold onto his calm. Goldie felt Caramel struggling to control himself and quickly wrapped her leg around his, trying to let him know he wasn't alone.
With a final push, Princess Cadence slipped her spell into their bond. Now that she was in, she began to work her way towards the core of it. Caramel's sense of being violated suddenly increased ten fold. His breath was coming in quick shallow gasps, as his tensed muscles began to quiver with the strain.
Next to him, Goldie tightened her grip around his leg. "It's okay, I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." She said, trying to reassure him.
Caramel could feel Goldie's love for him through their bond, and he desperately clung to it as he used it to keep his center. Deeper in Princess Cadence's spell probed, touching them in their most private of area's. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, it was only because of Goldie's support that he had lasted this long.
Suddenly Princess Cadence's spell slipped in close enough to the core to finally touch it, and the moment it did, everything exploded. Agonizing pain shot through both Caramel and Goldie as everything suddenly disappeared in a blinding flash.
Caramel didn't know how long he was unconscious, but when he came to, he found himself laying in a bed of grass. Blinking his eyes open, Caramel let out a groan. He had never been struck by lightning, but if he was to imagine what it would have felt like, then what he had just felt when Princess Cadence touched the core of the spell would come very close. Every cell in his body tingled as he rolled himself over onto his back, it felt like ants were biting him everywhere at once, including the inside of his body.
His worry for Goldie drew him up onto his shaky hooves, he could still feel her through the bond, but for some reason it felt numb. Looking around Caramel was surprised to find that he was back in the lake valley. At first he wondered how he ended up back here, but as he thought about it, he realized that it was likely his fault. When Princess Cadence's magic touched the core of the bond, there was some kind of feedback surge, and Carmel panicked. He remembered desperately wanting to escape from the blinding pain, and wrenching himself away in some way he couldn't recall.
Taking a few experimental steps, Caramel turned his head about to get his bearings. If he was here then it was likely that Goldie was too, and everything in him was telling him to find her. Once his legs stopped shaking, Caramel decided to set off for their old home, figuring that Goldie would likely go there to look for him.
Not trusting his legs enough to chance a fast gait, Caramel settled for a brisk walk with the occasional risk at a short trot. The lake was a short distance away, but by the time he arrived at its shores, he felt winded and a bit wobbly. Slowing his pace, Caramel made his way along the shore of the lake, taking care to place his hooves firmly in the soft sand so he wouldn't stumble and fall.
Caramel was about half way to the old camp site when he felt a strange kind of tugging. Pausing, Caramel looked up into a nearby grove of young aspens. It was a very strange feeling, it felt like something was pulling at him to go up into those trees.
Shaking his head, Caramel dismissed the strange urge and took a couple of steps away before he paused again. The strange compulsion kept nagging him, driving him into going up into the trees. Letting out a irritated grunt, Caramel gave in and walked up the slope into the trees.
It was a young grove of aspens and was rather thick. Caramel had to struggle to make his way through. Ducking and weaving, Caramel moved in deeper until he broke into a small clearing were he found Goldie laying prone in the grass. With his heart leaping up in his chest, Caramel rushed up to her and quickly checked on her.
Letting out a relieved breath, Caramel was heartened when he found that there was no apparent sign of injury, and her breathing was steady and even. "Goldie?" Caramel called to her as he gave her a shake, but she remained unconscious. He gave her a harder shake and lightly slapped her across her cheek but still she did not respond. He needed to get her back to their camp.
Struggling to lift her up, Caramel managed to set Goldie across his back. Once she was in place, Caramel began to work his way out of the clearing. It took a while to weave his way out, but he managed to find a small path that lead out through the trees.. Once he was back at the lake shore, he made sure that Goldie was secure on his back before he turned and started out for their makeshift home.
His legs still felt weak and wobbly as he strained to carry Goldie. It was just over a mile to their makeshift home, and Caramel was determined to make it there without faltering. When he was about half way there, Goldie began to stir.
"What?... What happened?" Goldie murmured, weakly lifting her head up.
"I'm not sure. "Caramel answered, turning his head to look back at Goldie. "How do you feel?"
Goldie let out another groan. "I hurt all over, and for some reason my mouth tastes like old cheese."
"I don't know about the cheese thing, but you should start to feel better after a little bit." Caramel said.
"I hope so." Goldie answered, weakly adjusting herself on his back.
The sound of flapping wings suddenly drew their attention as something pink landed near them. Looking over they were surprised to see Princess Cadence standing nearby.
Settling her wings into place, Princess Cadence looked at them in relief. "I'm so glad I finally found you two."
"Princess!? How did you get here?" Goldie asked in disbelief.
Giving her head a shake, Princess Cadence looked around. "I'm not sure. When my detection spell reached the core of your bond, it suddenly felt like I was sitting on a angry thunderstorm. The amount of raw magic that surged out of you two was truly amazing, and might I add, just a bit scary."
Both Caramel and Goldie's ears shot up in surprise. "Magic!? But we're not unicorns, we don't have any magic!" Goldie exclaimed.
Princess Cadence smiled and shook her head. "That's a bit of a misconception, but we can go into that latter. Both of you need to rest and recover from that surge of magic you both just had. Lets go to the house so you two can lay down."
"House!?" What house?" Caramel asked, shooting a look around. If there was a house here last time, he was sure he would have seen it.
"Just around the next bend, there is a house sitting a little ways up the slope." Princess Cadence answered, gesturing with her hoof.
Caramel and Goldie were confused about how a house could possibly be here, but he didn't have the energy to argue the point and decided to trust that Princess Cadence was right about there being a house there. Setting off, Caramel followed Princess Cadence. His legs felt like jelly, but he continued to carry Goldie anyways, refusing to let her down.
Once they rounded the bend and the house came into view, Caramel came to an abrupt stop as he looked up at it. "But that's impossible!"
"What?" Goldie asked, while Princess Cadence looked back.
"Its the house my parents rented by Lake Pinto for our family vacation." Caramel said looking up at the house with wide eyes what were moist with unshed tears. "I remember my dad took me and Fudge out onto the lake in a little row boat, and rowed us around while mom waved at us from right there on that front deck."
Princess Cadence looked thoughtful as she looked from Caramel to the house. "Hmm, this gives me an idea on where we may be right now." She said thoughtfully, before she started up towards the house. "Lets get into the house first though."
The house had a large porch that overlooked the lake, stepping up the steps to the front door, Princess Cadence opened them and ushered Caramel and Goldie inside. The main room was a large two story room with large exposed beams and a huge stone fireplace set against the back wall.
Walking over to one of the couches, Caramel helped Goldie off his back onto the soft couch, where she laid back with a relived sigh. Caramel was quick to join her as he settled himself in next to her. Glad to finally be off his hooves, he didn't want to admit it, but he almost didn't make it.
"I'll go see if there is any tea I can make." Princess Cadence said, disappearing into the next room.
After a short while Princess Cadence returned carrying a tray with her magic. Setting it down on the coffee table, She poured out two cups of tea from a steaming pot, and levitated them over to Caramel and Goldie. "I hope I made it okay, I don't make tea very often."
Taking the cup in her hooves, Goldie held it up and sniffed it. "Hmm, green tea, nice." She said before she took a sip.
Caramel sweetened his from a pot of honey Princess Cadence had on the tray, and took a sip. Green tea wasn't his favorite, but he found the tea she brought to be rather pleasant.
"So, you say that you know this house?" Princess Cadence asked, taking a seat in the padded chair across from them.
Caramel nodded, and looked around the room. It was just as he remembered it. "Yes, during my family vacation. We stayed here for two weeks when I was young colt."
Princess Cadence pursed her lips, as she looked thoughtful. "So, would you say that this place hold a special place in your heart?"
"It's one of my treasured memories. It was during my time at Lake Pinto that Fudge taught me how to swim, and mom helped me make my first batch of cookies." Caramel turned and gestured towards the fireplace. "At night, we used to sit by the fireplace making smore's, while dad read us a story from Mane Grey."
Princess Cadence smiled wistfully, her eyes taking on a distant look. "I remember a time that was much like that. I will always hold that precious moment in my heart." She said, blinking her moist eyes. "I believe I know where we are."
You do? Where?" Goldie asked.
Standing, Princess Cadence walked around to stand just before Caramel and Goldie. They looked up at her, wondering what she was doing.
"It explains where we are, and why this house is here." Princess Cadence said with a smile. "Twilight was wrong, this isn't the Astral Plane, this is the Empathic Plane." Unfurling her wings, she reached both of them out and touched both Caramel and Goldie on their chests, right over their hearts. "You see, we are here."
They both blinked in utter confusion as they gazed down at where she was pointing at their chests.
Princess Cadence giggled at the stupefied looks they were both giving her, as she refolded her wings back in. "This whole world we are in, is inside both of your hearts." Looking out the window, Princess Cadence gestured with her hoof at the scenery. "And from what I can see of it, both of you have a kind and beautiful heart."
"We are inside our hearts?" Caramel asked, trying hard to understand what she was getting at.
"A realm that is as wondrous as it is mysterious." Princess Cadence said looking back. "Very few ponies have ever gotten to experience this realm, and even less of them experienced it with another. I've only heard of one pony who got any meaningful study of it, and that was three hundred years ago."
"Princess Twilight thought the Astral plane might be dangerous, could this Empathic plane be dangerous too?" Goldie asked, sounding concerned.
"If this was the Astral Plane then she would be right, there are Thingwraiths that prowl around that plane and pray on the unwary or the unprepared." Princess Cadence answered. "But this realm is of your own making, built inside your own hearts. Fashioned and shaped by what you truly are inside." She turned and looked out the window again. "Imagine the heart of a pony who is a selfish conniving liar, who is unloving and cruel. I would image that that pony's heart would look very different."
Goldie gave a shudder, and moved closer to Caramel. "Oh, how horrible, I just thought about Bitternut Dandy."
"Bitternut Dandy?" Princess Cadence asked, looking back questioningly.
"Blueberry's brother." Caramel answered. "A pony who is everything you just described."
"He clipped Blueberry's wings!" Goldie exclaimed. "It'll take her another month to grow in new ones."
"Hmm, this sounds like something I should hear about." Princess Cadence said seriously. "But it will just haft to wait for now."
"Wait? Wait for what?" Caramel asked her curiously.
To answer him, Princess Cadence smiled and lit her horn up with magic, bending her head down she then touched Caramel with it. Immediately he began to yawn, and before he finished, his eyes dropped shut, fast asleep.
"If only that sleep spell worked on Flurry." Princess Cadence said wistfully, before she turned to Goldie. "I'm sorry, but you two massively over strained your hearts when you pulled me in here, and I cannot risk you two straining yourselves anymore then you already have." She then touched Goldie too. "Sweet dreams." She said to Goldie who slumped over onto Caramel, as she joined him in sleep.
Using her magic, Princess Cadence carried the two up to the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Setting them both out onto the bed there, Cadence covered them with a blanket.
Looking down at the pair, Princess Cadence took a breath and let it out as she prepared herself. After hearing their story, and seeing the realm of their hearts, Princess Cadence had a hunch about something, and she was about to see if what she suspected was true. Her horn became brighter as she cast a new spell. It was one of the most complex spells she had ever learned, and it always gave her a terrible headache afterwards.
With a bight flash, Princess Cadence released her spell. At first nothing happened, but then slowly both Goldie and Caramel started to glow. It started out dim and undefined but soon grew in both size and brightness. Standing back, Princess Cadence watched as the glow that surrounded the couple start to take on vibrant colors, looking like the two was surrounded by their own personal aurora's.
Blues swirled into green which then turned into yellow and orange. Every pony's aura had his or hers own color pattern, distinct to that individual, no two ponies ever had identical aura's, not even twins. But as she observed the couples auras shift through their patterns, one thing stood out that was very unusual. They mirrored each other.
Their colors and patterns moved in perfect unison, merging together and growing stronger, quickly taking up most of the room. The pair was so bright now that Princess Cadence was now having trouble looking at them.
"Interesting, this explains a lot." Princess Cadence said to herself, sounding a bit awed at the sight. "It seems you two were made for each other."
Wincing as she clutched at her head with a hoof, Princess Cadence let her spell drop. "Oh ow-ow-ow, my head is killing me. Time to lay down for a bit." She said to herself as she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind herself.
When Caramel awoke, he felt he should be angry for being spelled to sleep. But he found he felt so good, he decided that Princess Cadence deserved a bit of forgiveness for her actions.
Stretching out his legs, Caramel let out a long yawn before blinking the sleep from his eyes, when he looked around, he found himself all alone in bed. Dropping his head back down onto the pillow, Caramel closed his eyes and focused onto his bond with Goldie, and instantly felt her. Her mood was light, and she was happy. Distant sounds of laughter drifting up the stairs to his room, confirming what he sensed. It appeared that she and Princess Cadence were having a rather lively conversation together.
Rolling over, Caramel pulled a pillow over his head. It was probably best if he didn't get involved with mare business he thought to himself, as he tried to get back to sleep. Apparently, Goldie had other idea's as a few minutes latter she flung the bedroom door open and hurled herself onto him.
"Get up sleepyhead!" Goldie shouted as she swiped his pillow away.
Caramel let our a groan and pulled another pillow over his head, only to have Goldie pull that one away from him too.
"Come on, get up! You've slept for almost an entire day, come down and eat something." Goldie said happily.
Goldie had left herself wide open and Caramel was going to teach her what happens when you wake a stallion. Caramel suddenly attacked and grabbed Goldie, rolling himself over onto her and pinning her down.
"What are you...!?" Goldie started to say, but was interrupted when a grinning Caramel blew a raspberry right into her belly.
Letting out a very cute squealing laugh, Goldie squirmed under him as she writhed under his assault. Caramel was relentless, as he went for her most sensitive parts. Once he had her breathless, Caramel changed his attack and moved up and went for her throat, finding her special place, Caramel began to nip and nibble at where her jaw met her throat.
Goldie suddenly stopped laughing as she let out a little moan of pleasure. Caramel felt her relax under him as he started to kiss her along her jaw to her lips where she eagerly took his lips with her own. Caramel could feel her melting under his embrace, her breath deepened as she let out another pleased moan.
Suddenly she broke the kiss and pulled back as she quickly regained her senses. "No, we can't do this! The princess is just out there and the door is open."
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, she's the Alicorn of love after all." Caramel murmured, bending back down to nibble the base of her ear.
Goldie gave a little shudder as she gasped, trying to fight off her growing arousal. Her nose was heavy with his scent from where she had it pressed into his neck, and she could feel his stallionhood jabbing into her belly now. She was on the verge of giving in and letting him have his way with her.
"Is everything alright? I heard a commotion." Princess Cadence's voice came to them as she ascended the stairs.
Goldie's eyes flashed open and she suddenly shoved Caramel off of herself, unfortunately she pushed to hard and Caramel went tumbling off the side of the bed where he crumpled to the floor with a loud thump.
"Goldie? Are you two okay?" Princess Cadence asked as she quickened her ascent up the stairs.
"Everything's fine! I was just have a little trouble getting Caramel out of bed." Goldie called out. Looking over at Caramel, Goldie gave him a apologetic smile for pushing him so hard, but then something suddenly caught her eye, and she sucked in a breath. Caramel's stallionhood was still fully out, and very visible!
Hurriedly Goldie grabbed a pillow in her teeth and hurled it into Caramel's face.
"What?" Caramel said, pulling the pillow down.
"Cover yourself up you pervert!" Goldie hissed urgently, gesturing down at his flagging stallionhood.
Seeing what she meant, Caramel managed to place the pillow over himself just as Princess Cadence looked in.
"Am I interrupting something?" Princess Cadence asked, an amused smile coming to her lips as she looked at the scene before her.
Goldie shook her head and climbed out of the bed. "No, I just needed to kick Caramel out of bed."
Princess Cadence nodded, and gave Caramel a amused look as he sheepishly waved at her. "Well, I hope your well rested."
"Oh, I'm feeling much better. Thank you." Caramel assured her.
"Well that's good." Princess Cadence said, giving the pillow he was clutching to himself a cursory look. "I was a little concerned that you may have been over strained, so I'm quite relieved to see that your so full of... energy." Her horn lit up as she started to close the door with her magic. "I'll just give you two some privacy.
Goldie was now blushing all the way to the tips of her ears. "Princess, its not what you think!" Goldie called out as she moved to the door.
"But it is what she thinks." Caramel said to Goldie, giving her a silly grin.
Pausing, Goldie turned back to Caramel with a frustrated look, before rushing out and leaving him alone with his pillow.
It seemed everything was smoothed over by the time Caramel walked into the kitchen. Goldie and Princess Cadence were chatting animatedly with each other as he walked over to the counter to see what they had prepared. Diced cantaloupe with a salad. Sitting down at the small breakfast table Caramel started to eat his meal.
Glancing over, he listened to Princess Cadence as she talked with Goldie in the nearby solar room.
"Magic is a funny thing, it can come in many forms, and do some amazing things. As I said before, all ponies have some sort of magic. Pegasi can manipulate clouds, allowing them to walk on them and move them about. Unicorn's can harness the magic within themselves and focus it for certain tasks, using their horn as a channel for the release of their magic." Princess Cadence explained.
"And what about Earth Ponies?" Goldie asked.
"Earth Ponies have a more raw natural magic that runs deep to their core. Earth Pony magic focuses on the body, making Earth Ponies more hardy and healthy, as well as giving them greater strength and stamina."
Goldie nodded as she listened. "And what about the magic that brought us here?" She gestured out the window.
"That one is a little tricky, it seems that you two have been taping into a different source of magic." Princess Cadence said, setting her tea cup down. "There are many sources of magic, like nature, the elements, even life itself is a type of magic. Twilight discovered that there is magic in friendship, and I have found the magic in love." Turning herself, Princess Cadence placed her hoof against Goldie's chest. "The magic you two are drawing on is different then mine or Twilight's, though I do sense that it is very similar in nature."
Goldie glanced down at where Princess Cadence was touching her chest. "Similar in nature?" Her voice sounded astonished.
"Yes." Princess Cadence said nodding. "You see when there is a connection between two ponies hearts a spark of magic is created and shared. This is the same whether it is in love or friendship, for both are a type of connection." Taking her hoof from Goldie's chest, Princess Cadence dropped it down to her lap. "The magic you two are drawing from is similar to this but also different."
Reaching up, Goldie touched her chest right where Princess Cadence had been just moments before. "What is it we are drawing our magic from?" Goldie asked. Caramel had stopped eating as he leaned forward to listened, very much wanting to hear her answer.
Princess Cadence took a sip of her tea as she thought about it, setting it down she then turned to Goldie. "That is a answer the two of you must discover for yourselves."
"But why not tell us?" Goldie asked, her voice sounding both hurt and irritated. "If you know the answer then why won't you share it?"
"I'm sorry." Princess Cadence explained. "But the reason I can't tell you is the same reason I can't tell a pony what their talent is. It is something that must be discovered on their own or it has no meaning."
Caramel was a little peeved that she didn't give them the answer, but as he thought about her explanation he found that is made sense. If somepony had told him when he was a colt, that his talent was to be helpful to others, then he would never have fully unlocked his talent, and got his three blue horseshoe cutie mark in helping hooves. Plus he would probably always have doubted that it was his true talent, if he hadn't earned it like he did.
Goldie still seemed to be a little irritated, but she seemed to accept Princess Cadence's explanation. "I think I understand. Thank you for sharing what you could." She said politely.
"I'm sorry, I truly am." Princess Cadence said apologetically, trying to sooth Goldie.
"No, its okay." Goldie replied earnestly, giving Princess Cadence a reassuring smile.
After that the two went back to chatting about little things like foals and stallions. Caramel finished his meal and got to work washing the dishes. It was about then that Goldie came into the kitchen and kissed him as she left to show Princess Cadence around the valley. Setting out the clean dishes to dry, Caramel wandered around the house to see what he could find.
The pantry was surprisingly well stocked, but as Caramel thought about it, he realized that it was probably due to his time he spent here with his mother as she walked him though making cookies. Looking out back, Caramel found a nice little garden full of ripe vegetables and melons.
Picking out a watermelon, Caramel gave it a few taps and smiled, before picking it and bring it into the house. Setting it down onto the counter, Caramel pulled out a knife from the drawer and got to work. When he finished, he had a full pitcher of cool watermelon punch ready for Goldie and Princess Cadence when they got back from their walk.
Looking around, Caramel wondered what else to do. Seeing the stove, Caramel smiled when he had an idea. It was a old style stove that burned wood, finding the matches and kindling, Caramel soon had the oven warming nicely. Searching through the pantry, Caramel pulled out all the ingredients he would need for making oatmeal cookies. Setting out a mixing bowl, Caramel began adding in the ingredients, as he cracked open and added the two eggs, Caramel wondered for a brief moment about where the eggs had even come from, shaking his head Caramel let the thought go. It was probably best to not to think about things like that it too much, it would just confuse him.
Once he had the cookie dough ready, Caramel began to arrange them on a baking sheet. Memories of the time his mother walked him through all this for his first time ran through his mind, causing him to smile when he realized that in just a few years it'll be his turn to share this with Cinnamon. Caramel found he was really looking forward to that day.
Closing the oven, Caramel set timer. Now all he had to do was wait, walking out into the living room, Caramel looked around. Something sitting on the mantle caught his attention. Walking over Caramel picked up a familiar looking book. He couldn't believe it, even this was here? Looking at the title he wasn't surprised to find that is was the same book his father had read to them by the fire. Valley of the Wild Ponies by Mane Gray.
Sitting down, Caramel slid his hoof over the cover of the book. It was one of his favorite books. It was here by this fireplace, that his father had read it to him for the very first time. Looking down at the cover, Caramel promised himself that he would read it to Cinnamon someday, just like how his father had done for him.
By the time the door opened and Goldie and Princess Cadence walked in, Caramel was on the third chapter. Sitting on the kitchen counter a full plate of cookies waited to be munched on. "Did you both enjoy your time out?" Caramel asked looking up.
"Oh Caramel!" Goldie exclaimed as she dove over the couch into his lap and smothered him with a kiss. Caramel was thoroughly out of breath and quite pleased by the time she released his lips and looked at him excitedly. "Cadence says she knows how we can get back!"
Caramel blinked in surprise and shot a look over at Princess Cadence. "You know how we can get back!?"
Princess Cadence smiled and nodded. "I believe I do." She said before she lifted a hoof in caution. "But I don't want to attempt it until I am sure you both are fully recovered. Pulling me in here, put a huge strain on you two and it will take the same effort to get me back out."
"So, how long do you think we should wait?" Caramel asked, feeling a bit disappointed that they had to wait.
"I think by tomorrow it should be okay." Princess Cadence answered before she turned her head and sniffed the air. "What is that delicious smell?"
Goldie's ears perked up at Princess Cadence's question, before she too sniffed the air. "Cookies!" She suddenly exclaimed, clambering up over the back of the couch, and falling to the floor. Gathering herself up, she dashed off to the kitchen. "You made cookies! Oh, Caramel I love you!"
"I also made some watermelon punch." Caramel called out, grinning at Goldie's foal like exuberance. Turning, Caramel gestured with his head to Princess Cadence. "Please Princess, have as much as you want."
"Please, call me Cadence." Princess Cadence asked with a polite smile. "After all, you have brought me into a very personal and special place, we might as well be friends."
Setting his book down, Caramel met her gaze "I would be happy to call you a friend, Cadence." Caramel replied, returning her smile.
Just then Goldie dove over the couch and tackled Caramel. "Thank you for the wonderful cookies!" Goldie said before mashing her lips to his.
"Goldie! Swallow before you kiss me!" Caramel exclaimed in disgust, once he managed to break away from the kiss.
"What's the matter!? I just wanted to share." Goldie said happily locking her lips to his again.
Cadence let out a giggle as she turned to go to the kitchen, glad that Shinning Armor was never that silly with her.
Latter, after Goldie got bored of teasing Caramel, she suggested that they play some Matriarch at the kitchen table. Caramel wasn't very good at card games and was about to pass but Goldie didn't give him a choice, and dragged him to the table.
Caramel stared down at his cards and internally groaned. They had been playing for several hours now and Caramel had yet to win one game. Placing his hoof down on the table. "Okay, I'm in." Caramel said as he slid the last of his crackers forward into the pot.
Cadence smiled, looking like he had just fallen into her trap. "All I got is a pair of Knight Champions and three Maidens in Waiting." She said setting her cards down.
Caramel dropped his cards down and shook his head with a sigh. "I'm out, only a pair of duke's."
Goldie sat quietly as she studied her cards for a extended time, before she slowly set them all down. " A full Court!" She exclaimed happily, hopping in her seat with excitement. She won again.
Cadence looked over at Caramel, and leaned over at him. "Your wife is a little scary when it comes to games." She whispered to him.
Caramel rolled his eyes a little. "Yeah, she's a little scary with other things too." He replied, watching as Goldie leaned forward to rake in her winnings.
Letting out a sigh, Caramel stood and stretched. "It's about time I started dinner."
"I know a few things when it comes to the kitchen, would you like some help?" Cadence asked, also standing.
Giving Cadence an appreciative smile, Caramel lifted up a basket he had sitting on the counter top in his mouth. "Sure, how about you give me a hoof in the garden."
Goldie suddenly blinked as she watched the two start to leave. "Hay! I want to help too." She said rushing over.
Caramel gave her an appraising look before holding out the basket to her. "Here, you can hold the basket for us."
"Hold the basket!?" Goldie said in outrage. "But isn't there something else I can do?"
Caramel thought that a little revenge was in store for all the gloating she had been doing during the games. "You don't want to be helpful and hold the basket for us? Then how about you just stay here and count your crackers, we'll be done in little bit."
"Wait!" Goldie said hurriedly, snatching the basket from his mouth with hers, and heading for the door. "I'll be happy to carry the basket." The moment she stepped out the back door and saw the garden, she suddenly dropped the basket and gaped all around.
"What's the matter?" Cadence asked, seeing the look on Goldie's face.
"Its!... Its my very first garden!" Goldie exclaimed. Moving over to a patch of carrots, she reached out and spun the wings on a bluejay wind spinner that was sitting on a rod poking up from the patch of carrots. "My mom and dad gave me a small area on the side of the house to work on, and without any help, I grew this entire garden." Reaching down, she clamped her teeth onto the greens of a carrot and pulled one free from the rich soil. Dropping it free from her mouth onto the flat of her hoof Goldie looked down at it. "I won the junior growers award at the county fair because of the carrots I grew here. That's how I got my cutie mark."
"You've obviously kept this place dear to your heart." Princess Cadence said softly, looking out over the small garden. "That is why its here."
"You made a wonderful garden." Caramel said, moving up next to Goldie. "Lets see what fest we can make from it."
With Caramel directing what he wanted picked, and with Cadence's magic, Goldie's basket was soon full. Once they were back in the kitchen, Caramel began setting out assignments.
"Goldie, finely chop half of this union with the celery, carrot and zucchini." Caramel said as he took them out of the basket and set them on the cutting board. Turing around Caramel waved Cadence over "And Cadence, please cut the bell peppers in half and clean out the centers."
Cadence lifted the bell peppers out of the basket with her magic. "The red ones or the green ones?" She asked, holding up both color groups.
"Both please." Caramel replied as he added wood to the bottom of the stove.
As they worked, Caramel set out a pot on the stove and added the vegetable stock he found in the pantry with some rice. Setting out another pot on the stove, Caramel added water to boil. "Goldie, when your done, saute the veggies you've been chopping until they are soft."
Wiping the tears out of her eyes from cutting the union, Goldie nodded. "Right, I'll get on that."
"Cadence, please take a garlic from that herb bin over there and chop it up." Taking a knife, Caramel cut a shallow x in the bottom of all the tomatoes before adding them to the boiling water, a minute latter he took the pot and poured it out into a strainer. Next he worked on taking the skins off the tomatoes.
"You really seem to know your way around the kitchen." Cadence said, watching Caramel work.
"I only picked up a little bit from my sister, she was the real cook." Caramel replied as he took out a masher and mashed the skinned tomatoes into a paste
"Don't count yourself so short." Cadence said pointing her hoof at him. "A lot of stallions I know can't even boil water, let alone find a pot. And here you are crafting an entire dinner from a few items from the pantry, and some pickings from a small garden."
Caramel didn't know what to say, the meal he was making wasn't that hard. Being one of his sisters favorites, he learned how to make it so he could treat her on special occasions. He could still recall the look on Fudge's face when she came home to find him standing by the table with a full pan of freshly made stuffed bell peppers sitting ready for her.
"Its just something I learned to make for my sister." Caramel said, feeling himself starting to tear up from the memories that this was bringing up. Fighting to regain his composure, Caramel turned away and added the tomato paste he had just made to the vegetables, as well as some basil,oregano,bay leaf,pesto,salt,and pepper.
As he stirred the pan, Caramel felt something press up against his side. Looking over, he met Goldie's gaze as she looked up at him with her beautiful wide eyes, of course she would sense his feelings and come to him. She reached over and sympathetically nuzzled the side of his neck. Appreciating the comfort she was giving him, Caramel smiled at her and gently kissed the top of her head.
Returning to the dinner, Caramel added the cooked rice to the pan with some grated cheese and mixed it all together before he spooned the rice mixture into each of the pepper halves, making them nice and full. Pouring the remaining sauce over all the peppers and sprinkle the remaining cheese allover the top, Caramel put it all into the oven and set the timer.
Sitting down to wait, Caramel watched as Goldie and Cadence worked to make a salad to go with dinner. Cooking it only took a half hour, and both mares were sitting eagerly at the table as he served their dishes.
"My head cook has been to the best culinary schools, where he graduated top of his class. He was head chef in five of the highest rated restaurants in Canterlot before he started to work for me. Every dish he makes is a work of art, with every flavor delicately balanced to bring out its greatest potential." Cadence said. "And never, in all the time he has been working for me did he make a dish that I found this good."
"Its just stuffed bell peppers, there's nothing really all that special about it." Caramel argued back, not sure why she was blowing this so out of proportion. Ever since they started eating dinner, Princess Cadence kept heaping praises on Caramel for the meal he made.
Below the table, Caramel felt something strike his leg hard. Looking over sharply at Goldie, Caramel saw her glaring at him. "Just say thank you." She hissed at him.
Realizing that he was being rude for dismissing her praise, Caramel quickly looked back to Cadence. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Its a bit of a special dish for me."
"I can see why its your sisters favorite." Cadence said with a nod before she leaned in slightly. "I would very much appreciate it if you gave my chef the recipe, if it wouldn't be too much to ask."
"No, no, its okay, I'll be happy to." Caramel quickly said, nodding his head. If she really liked his simple stuffed bell peppers that much, he'd be happy to give her cook the recipe. It would be nice to have a meal his sister loved being enjoyed by others.
When they finished dinner, Caramel gathered the dishes and started to wash them. Cadence offered to help, but Caramel waved her off and said for her not to worry about it, that he'd handle it. Shooing the mares out of the kitchen, Caramel got to work.
Stepping out onto the front porch, Cadence sat down in one of the chairs that looked out over the lake. The sun was sitting very low now, and was about to dip behind a small mountain at the end of the valley. Below, the lake was glittering like jewels, as it reflected the last of the suns rays up towards the house.
"Princess?" Goldie said as she stepped out of the front door.
"Please, just Cadence." Cadence said, looking back at Goldie. "What can I do for you?"
Stepping closer, Goldie glanced back towards the front door for a moment before she came to a stop near Cadence. "Cadence... I... I would like to ask you about something..."
By the way she anxiously shifted herself about on her hooves, Cadence could tell that Goldie was nervous about something. "Goldie? Is something bothering you?" Cadence asked in concern.
Goldie didn't answer at first, licking her lips she seemed to be gathering her courage for something. Swallowing, Goldie looked up at Cadence, her eyes almost seemed frightened. "Is... is my feelings for Caramel... real?" She finally managed to ask.
Cadence was certainly surprised by the unexpected question. She sat up in shock. Where was this coming from? She wondered. "Goldie, of course its real, why would you ask such a thing?"
Goldie glanced back to the door again to make sure they were still alone. "You got a good look at the bonding spell, right?"
Princess Cadence gave a nod. "I got a good look at most of it, the core was quite a complex knot of overlapping spell patterns, but the bulk of the bonding spell was quite clear."
Goldie moved closer and sat next to her. "Was there any part of the spell that might be forcing me into feeling love for Caramel?"
Princess Cadence shook her head emphatically. "No, definitely not. That would break the laws of the universe." Cadence said, trying hard to stress the impotence of her statement. "No magic, no matter how powerful, can force a pony to fall in love with another. The universe will not allow it."
The tears that Goldie had been holding back started to slip loose. "So... whatever feeling I have for him are real?" Her voice sounded hopeful.
Giving her a smile, Princess Cadence reached up to brush her hoof across Goldie's cheek as she wiped at the tears that were now flowing freely from her eyes. "Absolutely." She replied reassuringly. "There is no doubt that your feelings are yours and yours alone. Even I can't force ponies to fall in love." Cadence explained. "I have a handy little affection charm that I have used on occasion to strike a spark between two ponies to get them to notice each other, but that is as far as I can take it. Even love potions can't provide real love."
Goldie suddenly broke down, flinging herself forward she buried her face into Cadence's shoulder as he clutched at her tightly. Cadence blinked in surprise at suddenly being hugged, but quickly wrapped her hooves around Goldie, as she attempted to comfort her.
"Thank you, thank you." Goldie murmured into Cadence's shoulder. "I've been so worried since this all started that my feelings were just the product of a spell. You have no idea how relived this makes me." Goldie pulled back as she rubbed at her nose, giving Cadence an embarrassed smile. Relief was very evident on her face.
"Goldie, there is something I've been meaning to tell you two, but I've been waiting for the right time." Cadence said. "I guess now would be an ideal time to share it."
Wiping at her eyes, Goldie blinked at Cadence. "What would that be?"
"When you and Caramel were resting yesterday, I cast a spell on you two that allowed me to see both of your life forces." Cadence explained. "From it, I was able to discover that the two of you fall into a rare and very special group of ponies that occur only few times during a generation."
"What group is that?" Goldie asked, sounding a little breathless as she waited for Cadence to answer.
Princess Cadence smiled broadened, she had been looking forward to this since the moment she discovered what they were. "Have you ever noticed that whenever your near Caramel you feel like everything is right? Like your now whole?"
Goldie nodded, still looking at Cadence with a puzzled look. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Tell me, do you remember when you first felt this way?" Cadence asked.
Goldie paused as she blinked thoughtfully. "I think... no, I know it was when I first met him. My dad brought me into town and found he was having trouble watching me, so Lilly took me to her office where Caramel was playing. The moment my eyes fell on him I felt something click deep inside myself, It was like I met my other half."
"That's because you did!" Cadence said with a smile. "You see, you and Caramel are Soulmates."
"Isn't that just an old wives tail?" Goldie asked, her tone sounding like she was having a hard time believing it.
Shaking her head, Cadence continued to smile. "Its very, very real. And its because of this, I believe, that the bonding spell had such a strong effect on you two. The pair of you already had a powerful bond."
Goldie nodded slowly. "How rare is this? Have you met any others?" Goldie asked, suddenly sounding interested.
"So far, I have only found one other pair. Myself and Shinning Armor, and now you and Caramel." Cadence answered. Movement to the side caught her attention and she looked over to see Caramel quietly standing by the door.
Goldie noticed the movement as well. "How!?... how long have you been there?" She asked, sounding a little alarmed.
"For most of it." Caramel replied softly. Stepping closer, Caramel looked at Goldie, his eyes meeting hers. "Why didn't you tell me you were worried about that? I would have understood."
Goldie's eyes widened, suddenly mortified that he had heard. "I... I just..." Her lip began to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes. Dropping her head down she stared down at the floor, finding she was unable to met his eyes anymore. "I should have come to you... I was such a coward, I should have trusted you." She paused to take a shaking breath. "I was just so scared that my feelings might not have been real and I... I don't know what I was thinking." Goldie confessed. "I was being stupid."
"Your right, you were being stupid." Caramel said, his words making Goldie flinch despite the softness in his tone. "But not as stupid as I was when I kept my secret from you." Lifting a hoof, Caramel wrapped it around Goldie's neck and drew her in. "We're new to this, so mistakes are bound to happen. We just need to learn from them and move on."
Princess Cadence, feeling like her presence was trespassing on their private moment together, silently slipped off to give the couple some time alone. Those cookies were calling her name.
****
The house was dark and silent, all the occupants having gone to bed some hours previously. Outside, the moon hung high in the night sky, its soft silvery light illuminating a figure that walked along the shore of the lake. As the waters lapped at the sandy shore the figure stepped by with a fluid grace that was as beautiful as her long flowing mane that draped halfway down her sleek form.
Rounding the curve, the figure left the shore and approached the slumbering house. Ascending the steps, the figure silently opened the front door and entered the house. The mysterious intruders hoofsteps were silent as she climbed the stairs to the second floor where she turned and made her way down the hall to one of the bedroom doors.
Stepping inside, the figure crossed the room. Stoping close to the bed, she looked down at the two ponies sleeping there. Unfurling her wing, the figure reached it out and with a loving tenderness that was almost motherly, she lightly brushed back Caramel's mane from his forehead with the end of her wing. Bending her head down, she gently touched her horn to Caramel and held it there for a short time as the air cracked with magic.
Lifting her head back up, the figure moved around to the other side of the bed where Goldie lay. Reaching out her wing, the figure then brushed it down the side of Goldie's cheek, suddenly something seemed to catch the figure's attention. Taking her wing from Goldie's cheek, the figure pulled the blanket down and tenderly set her wing down onto Goldie's stomach. After a short time, the figure smiled in surprise and lowered her head down and laid it next to where her wing was touching.
The figure remained like that for a short time before she raised her head back up with a tender smile on her lips. Moving back up, the figure touched her horn to Goldie, and just like with Caramel, the air cracked with the use of powerful magic. Finished, the figure gently kissed Goldie and pulled her blanket back up and tucked it around her. Just as quietly as she came, she stepped out the door, leaving the sleeping couple oblivious to her visit.
Closing the door, the figure turned and moved to another bedroom door and opened it. Stepping in, the figure moved over to the bed where Princess Cadence lay sleeping.
"Please wake up, Princess Cadence. There are things we need to discuss." The figure said, and with her hoof, she gave Cadence a nudge
"What!?" Cadence muttered as she blinked her eyes open. Lighting up her horn so she could see, Cadence looked up at who had waken her. When her eyes fell on the figure, she abruptly jerked up in her bed with a rather coarse exclamation. "Who!? Who are you!?"
The figure sighed and shook her head. "Princess Cadence, you of all ponies should know who I am."
Cadence stared at the Alicorn that was standing only a few steps from her. She was sure she would know if there was another Alicorn out there besides her two Aunts and her sister in law. A sudden alarming thought came to her, The Changing Queen would certainly be able to make herself into a Alicorn, after all she successfully impersonated Cadence for several days before she was discovered by Twilight. But how could she be here?
The Alicorn mare pursed her lips in irritation as Cadence failed to recognize her. "Perhaps you require a hint." She said. Her horn began to glow.
As the air became thick with her magic, Cadence sensed the familiar presences, and her jaw dropped open as she suddenly knew who was standing in her room. "You!? But how is this possible!?"
"Look at where we are." The Alicorn said, gesturing with her wings. "Here of all palaces, you should expect this to be possible." Holding up her hoof, the Alicorn mare forestalled any further questions that Princess Cadence looked like she was about to ask. "Time is short, please join me downstairs, I have a task for you." Turning, she quietly left, her hoofsteps making no sound.
Slipping out of bed, Cadence quickly joined the Alicorn mare downstairs in the living room. "What is it you want me to do?" She asked.
The Alicorn mare unfurled one of her wings and pointed it up the stairs. "The two that slumber. You will keep them in the Crystal Empire until the next new moon."
Of all things for her to want, Princess Cadence never expected that She, would want that. "That's four weeks from now! Why do you need them to stay in the Crystal Empire for so long?"
The Alicorn mare tucked her wing back to here side, as she considered Princess Cadence and her question. "My spell has been abused and corrupted. This is something I cannot abide." She said, her voice sounding angry. "I will correct that which is mine, and the time to the new moon is what I require."
Princess Cadence blinked in confusion. "Your spell? Are you saying that the bonding spell that tie Caramel and Goldie together is yours?"
"That is correct." The Alicorn said stiffly, giving her head a slight nod. "I created the spell to fill a need long ago, but somepony has corrupted its true propose and now the two that are slumbering above us, are in peril. Balance must be restored to the Hearts Harmony spell or they will not see the foal that quickens within her womb draw breath."
Goldie was pregnant!? Cadence took a sudden breath as her heart attempted to leap from her chest. Despite the dire warning that was just given, sudden joy bound up and tried to explode from her. Fighting down her elation, Cadence forced herself to focus. "Please, is there a way you can help them?"
The Alicorn mare smiled, her anger and irritation vanishing. "There is." She said with a nod. "And I've already started."
Relief washed over Cadence. "Thank you." She said in appreciation.
Her face became serious, almost solemn looking. "Be aware that there is no guarantee that my efforts will be successful, so it is imperative that you keep them in the Crystal Empire until the new moon."
Cadence bowed her head and set her hoof over her chest. "I will do my utmost to do as you've asked." She said using the old oath stance.
"Good." The Alicorn mare said, pleased. Turning she started for the door. "My time here ends. Do not tell them of me, nor of the danger they are under, it will only hinder my work, and endanger them needlessly." She said over her shoulder.
Cadence was a little disappointed that she would haft to keep Her a secret. It would have made it easier to keep them here for the required time if she was able to tell them about all of this. As she watched the Alicorn leave a sudden thought came to her. "Please! I have one more thing to ask, before you go."
The Alicorn mare paused a moment and looked over her shoulder at her.
"You said that you created the spell to fill a need." Cadence said quickly. "What was that need?"
The mare smiled. "To create the Crystal Ponies of course." Turning her head back, she moved to the door. Before passing through it, she suddenly broke up into glittering lights that faded out within a few moments, leaving Cadence alone.
Looking up the stairs, Cadence let out a sigh. There was no way she was going to be able to get back to sleep after this. Seeing a book sitting on the end table next to the couch. Cadence sat down and lifted the book up in her magic. "Valley of the Wild Ponies, by Mane Gray." She read the title out loud to herself. Opening the cover, Cadence began to read. |
The Secret Lives of Background Ponies, Caramel's Unexpected Family | Chapter 13 | Caramel felt something tugging on his ear. Attempting to return back to sleep, he tried to ignore it but it annoyingly persisted, making it impossible for him to return back to the pleasant dream he was having just moments before. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Caramel opened his eyes and found the diapered rump of a foal pressed up against the side of his muzzle.
"What the...?" Caramel muttered in surprise at finding that Cinnamon was sitting against his muzzle, while the rest of her was draped up and over the side of his head atop of his pillow. The tugging on his ear was accompanied by a loud wet sucking sound. Lifting his hooves, Caramel lifted Cinnamon down from his head. As he did so, his ear suddenly got yanked as it pulled free from Cinnamon's mouth, who let out a contemplative whine at being robbed of her newest binky.
"Now, how did you get up there?" He asked the filly, setting her down onto his chest.
Cinnamon continued to whimper and cry, as she let him know how upset she was at him for taking away her binky. Trying to calm her, Caramel rubbed at her back. Seeing something brightly colored tucked into the folds of the blanket next to him, Caramel snatched up her dropped pacifier in his mouth and quickly positioned it around and poked it into Cinnamon mouth, where she abruptly quieted down and happily sucked.
"Finally up I see." An amused sounding Goldie said from the door.
"Are you the one responsible for this?" Caramel asked suspiciously, lifting a eyebrow at her.
"I would never do such a despicable thing." Goldie denied with a completely strait face. Crossing the room she picked Cinnamon up. "Its just that for the last two days since our return from our little private world, you've been spending most of your time in here sleeping, and Cinnamon's been missing her daddy terribly."
"Okay, okay. I get the hint." Caramel said stretching out his legs. With Princess Cadence's guidance, they were able to return back to the normal world, but not without some consequences. It had totally exhausted both Caramel and Goldie to the point that they were in a deep sleep for most of a day. Goldie quickly recovered after that, but Caramel had a slower time returning back to his hooves.
Slipping out of bed, Caramel moved up to Goldie and took Cinnamon from her. "If you want to spend time with daddy, than lets go take a bath. Your a bit of a stinky filly right now." With a smile at Goldie, Caramel bent his head over and wiped his filly slobberd ear across the side of her neck.
"What!? Eeeww... What did you just wipe on me!?" Goldie exclaimed in disgust, wiping at her neck with her hoof.
Chucking, Caramel quickly made his escape and slipped into their private bathroom and shut the door. A moment latter, something thumped into the door, as Goldie threw something into it.
"You disgusting stallion!" Goldie yelled at the door. A moment latter, Caramel heard their room door thump shut as she stormed out.
Turning on the water to the overly large tub, Caramel began to strip Cinnamon of her diaper. "Now remember, the bath is not a potty, so no peeing this time, alright?"
Latter that day, once they had all finished lunch. Princess Twilight and Shinning Armor took Goldie and Blueberry out to survey the land that Princess Cadence was proposing to use for their farming demonstrations. With Cinnamon in her carrier atop of Goldie's back, Goldie kissed Caramel goodbye before following the group down the hall.
Aunt Lilly stepped out of her room and walked over to Caramel. "You ready?" She asked.
"I am, but Flash Sentry still hasn't arrived." Caramel answered.
"Sorry I'm late." Flash Sentry called out, as he hurried down the hall to them. Turning his head, he looked about. "Did I miss Princess Twilight's leaving?"
"Sorry they just left." Caramel answered, and almost laughed at the look of disappointment that crossed Flash Sentry's face. Goldie and Blueberry were right, Flash Sentry definitely fancied the lavender Princess.
"Don't you fret none, you can see your darling lass latter when we meet back up." Aunt Lilly said with a smile.
Red blossomed onto his cheeks as Flash started to blush. "Yes, well then, are you two ready to go?" He said, trying to change the subject.
"We were just waiting for you." Aunt Lilly said, still smiling.
"Oh, alright then. Please follow me." Flash Sentry said turning and walking down the hall.
Following Flash Sentry, they descended down to the main atrium, and started across.
"Mrs. Lilly!" A surprising familiar voice suddenly called out.
The moment Caramel heard the voice, cold terror shot though his body. Reacting without really thinking about it, Caramel frantically dove behind Aunt Lilly and hid himself.
A very large dark tan colored stallion trotted over, a duffle bag slung over his back.
Giving Caramel a cursory glance as he hid behind her, Aunt Lilly paused and waited for the Stallion that was crossing over to them.
Flash Sentry stopped and turned back when he noticed that they were no longer following him. "Is everything alright?" He asked curiously.
"Everything's fine, please just wait moment." Aunt Lilly said to Flash Sentry before she turned back to the aproching stallion. "Trail, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for my sister, have you seen her?" Oregon Trail asked, coming to a stop. Caramel kept himself low, trying to stay out of sight.
"Well, she's out with Princess Twilight and her bother Prince Armor, surveying some fields they wish to use for a demonstration." Aunt Lilly answered. "We'll be meeting her latter, after we examine the equipment in the warehouse. If you would like, you can accompany us."
Caramel gut dropped, he couldn't believe aunt Lilly was throwing him under the wagon like this. How was he going to get out of this now?
"That would be great, thank you." Trail said in relief. "I'm glad I found you, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to... Caramel? What are you doing back there?" Trail asked, looking over the top of Aunt Lilly.
Drat! Why did he haft to be so tall? Caramel cursed.
Standing up straighter, Caramel smiled and laughed as he scratched the back of his head. He needed to think of something fast! "Oh hello Trail, I felt a rock in my hoof and I was trying to pick it out." Caramel said with a smile. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Yes indeed. It is quite fortuitous." Trail agreed, apparently not catching on that Caramel had been hiding from him.
"I take it that you know him?" Flash Sentry asked curiously, eyeing the large stallion.
Caramel moved around Aunt Lilly. "This is Oregon Trail, Goldie's older brother. Trail, this is Lieutenant Flash Sentry. He's going to escort us out to the warehouse."
"Its a pleasure to meet you." Flash Sentry said holding his hoof out. "Are you here to help out your sister and Caramel?"
Reaching out Trail hooked his fetlock around Flash's and shook. "Our father was worried for Goldie and wanted me to keep an eye on her."
Flash Sentry cocked his head. "Doesn't he trust Caramel to do that?"
Caramel began waving his hoof at Flash Sentry, trying to get his attention.
"Caramel?" Trail said. "Well, he's a nice enough fella and we like him just fine. It's just that father thought it would be best if family was with her."
Caramel was slashing at his throat now, desperately trying to stop Flash.
Flash Sentry, not noticing Caramel's gestures, cocked his head in confusion. "I don't understand, wouldn't her husband count as family?."
Oregon Trail froze, his ears shooting up. "Husband?... What husband?"
Caramel let out a deep breath. It was bound to happen, might as well come clean, he just wished that Goldie was here. "Me." He said stepping closer. "As of five days ago, Goldie and I were married."
Oregon Trail gaped at him, his expression unreadable. Slowly he stepped closer. His large hooves clumping loudly onto the hard crystal floor. Drawing up close to Caramel, Oregon Trail looked down at the much smaller stallion. "You... married my sister?" His voice had suddenly gone deeper.
Craning his head back, Carmel looked up at Oregon Trail. "Yes, yes I did." He knew he should be afraid. Oregon Trail was twice his size, and very protective of his sister. But as he looked up at him, Caramel felt a calmness come over him, feeling like he excepted his fate, whatever it was.
Oregon Trail lifted his hoof. Caramel gritted his teeth as he prepared himself. He would not back down nor show any weakness, he loved Goldie and no matter what happens to him, his feelings for her will always remain.
With a surprising quickness, Oregon Trail's hoof suddenly struck out. Caramel was expecting a crushing blow to strike him across the side of his face, but what actually happened caught him completely by surprise. Oregon Trails hoof wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a crushing embrace.
"Brother!" Trail cried out, his grip felt like he was cracking bone. "I have a brother! Mrs. Lilly, I have a brother!" He said to her.
Aunt Lilly let out a relived sigh, then smiled. "Yes sweetie, you do, and if you don't let up a bit, I'm afraid that he's not long for this world."
Realizing how much he was crushing Caramel, Trails quickly released him. Collapsing to the floor, Caramel struggled to draw in breath. "I... thought... I was a goner." Caramel managed to wheeze out.
"I'm sorry Caramel, I got a little excited there." Trail said patting Caramel on his back. "I've always wanted a brother but all I ever got was sisters. You have no idea how happy this makes me."
"Well." Caramel said, climbing back up onto his hooves. "Since I've never had a brother ether, I guess I have a little bit of an idea what it's like."
****
Goldie scrapped her hoof through the dirt, and lifted it up to sniff at the soil she held, sticking out her tongue, she tasted it. This was not good. "Prince Armor, didn't you say that this land used to be one of the best producing fields in this area at one time?"
"That is what the records say." Prince Armor replied, moving closer he looked at the soil she held.
Letting the soil fall from her hoof, Goldie let out a sigh. "The soil a bit low on nutrients, probably from over farming. I bet they never even rotated the fields." She said as she kicked at the ground
"Is that a problem?" Prince Armor asked.
Letting out another sigh, Goldie looked around as she considered his question. "With a bit of proper maintenance, this field can be restored, but it will take some work."
Nearby, Princess Twilight was looking over a water wheel that was set into a small stream. Walking over, Goldie heard Princess Twilight muttering to herself as she poked and pried at various parts of it.
"How does it look?" Goldie asked.
Stepping back, Princess Twilight shook her head. "Not good. All the metal has rusted into a single unmoving mass, and most of the wood has rotten off. It would be easier to build a new one."
"Well, I would have been surprised if it was good news." Goldie said with yet another sigh. They were supposed to show the farmers here how modern farming was done, but it was now looking like they were also going to haft to start from scratch. "I wonder what else will go wrong?"
"Hello sis." A very familiar voice said from behind her. "Guess who I ran into?"
Goldie let out a mortified yelp as she spun about, almost loosing her footing and falling into the stream in the process. "Trails! What!?... what are you doing here!?" Her heart was pounding in her chest in near panic.
Trails was smiling a really big smile, obviously enjoying himself. Caramel was standing next to him and too his credit he looked a bit guilty. "Father wanted me to come and keep an eye on you, but apparently I didn't haft to, because you have your nice strong husband who can do that for you now." Reaching out his hoof, Trails hooked Caramel and dragged him into his side.
Goldie's breath caught in her throat. "You know?"
"Oh yeah." Trails said with a happy nod. "Little bro here let me in on it. And you know what? I couldn't be happier for you."
Goldie blinked in surprise, not expecting her brother to be so reasonable. "You are?"
"Of course I am." Trails answered. "I remember how close the two of you were, and I knew from the first moment I saw you two together that this was going to happen someday, I'm just surprised it took so long."
"Well I'm glad we didn't disappoint." Goldie said snidely, giving him a grin. "Well since your here, we can use your help." She turned and gestured towards the water wheel.
After examining the water wheel, Trails felt confident that he would be able to make a new one. Walking back to the other side of the field, they all approached Blueberry as she laid comfortably on a blanket waiting in the shade of a tree. She had one of her wings unfurled and draped over something that was next to her. Goldie smiled, she couldn't help but think that Blueberry looked so much like a hen with a chick.
Giving Blueberry a smile and wave in greeting, Goldie stepped up close to the blanket. "Trails, come here, I want you to meet somepony." She said over her shoulder at her brother.
Bending down, Goldie began to speak to Blueberry's outstretched wing. "Hay sweetie, you hungry?"
At first, nothing seemed to be happening but then a little nose peeked out from under Blueberry's wing.
"That's it, come to mamma." Goldie urged, watching as Cinnamon slowly began to crawl her way out. Next to her, Trails gasped as Blueberry pulled her wing back and reveled Cinnamon. "Come on, you can do it." Goldie continued to urge the filly.
Cinnamon let out a mewling cry as she struggled, then much to Goldie's surprise, Cinnamon gathered her legs under herself and shakenly lifted herself up for a moment before flopping back down.
"Oh, what a mighty effort you did there." Goldie said, scooping Cinnamon up. "Mamma's so proud of you." Turning, Goldie smiled and held Cinnamon up for Trails to see. "Trails, I would like you to meet my daughter, Cinnamon."
Oregon Trail was gaping open mouthed at her and the filly she was holding up. "What?... How?... Who?... When!?" He stuttered out, confused. It seemed his brain just couldn't handle it anymore and decided that now was a good time to take a walk. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the ground.
Blueberry blinked in surprise at the unconscious stallion next to her, reaching her hoof out and nudged his still form a few times. Not knowing what else to do, she began to fan him with her wing.
Caramel shook his head at his wife. "Goldie, that was horrible of you."
Smiling down at her brother, Goldie nodded. "Yeah I know, but it was really fun too."
Trails felt completely out of sorts. He came here to watch over his sister, and he quickly found himself overwhelmed with events. Goldie was now married with a foal, and apparently close friends with the princess of the Crystal Empire. Sitting in a chair off to the side of Princess Cadence's office he watched as everypony gathered for a meeting.
His eyes roamed over to the pretty deaf pegasus as she talked with Goldie, her hooves moving in quick gestures that made no sense to him, but apparently Goldie now understood. When did Goldie learn sign language? He wondered. When he had come too from passing out, Blueberry had been leaning over him with a look of concern on her face. She, was easily the most beautiful mare he ever met, and he had no idea how to talk to her.
As he sat gazing over at her, Blueberry suddenly glanced at him and their eyes met. Trails heart suddenly leaped up in his chest, she had just caught him staring at her. Not knowing what to do, Trails nervously smiled and gave her a little wave, and was surprised when he saw her blush and look away with what looked like a small smile on her lips.
Any more musings on the matter was interrupted when Princess Cadence walked in, followed by Starlight Glimmer. The two moved around the room where Princess Cadence sat down in a large ornate chair, with Starlight Glimmer sitting by Princess Twilight in a nearby couch.
"We just had a very disappointing meeting with the landed gentry and some of the lesser lords." Princess Cadence announced glumly. "It appears that Lord Round Stone has been asserting his influence over them and now they are all refusing to update their farming practices to modern times."
"But why would he do that? Doesn't he want the Crystal Empire to be prosperous in these modern times?" Goldie asked.
Princess Cadence let out a sigh. "Lord Round Stone is the leader of the isolationists. He wants nothing to do with the outside world, and he and those that believe the same as him use their influence to force others to follow along, much like with the lesser lords and the landed gentry who have large loans owned by Lord Round Stone and his cohorts."
"Why are they so against Equestria?" Caramel asked curiously.
"Look at things from their point of view." Princess Twilight spoke up. "A little over a thousand years ago, they were conquered and enslaved by King Sombra. When Princess Celestia and Luna overthrew him and banished him into the Arctic north, he cursed the Crystal Ponies by entrapping them within the shadows, casting them adrift though the ages, lost in the darkness. When they finally returned, a thousand years had passed, and so much of the world they knew was changed. There was new technologies and new sciences that was both wondrous and terrifying." She paused as she looked around the room. "I don't blame them for wanting to return to how things were. Change, especially drastic change, can be scary."
Trials could see her point. Change could be hard for some ponies to accept. He remembered back when he was a colt, there was a old stallion that lived on a small farm not far from his parents. The old stallion absolutely refused to go to any doctor or hospital, saying that no modernistic witch-doctor, with their newfangled needles would ever be as good as his time tested home brew medicine that had been passed down through his family line since his great grandmama's time.
Trails remembered the old stallion complaining for a month about a pain in his gut, and one day, Trails dad was asked by somepony in town to take a package out to him. When they pulled up to the old stallions house, Trails dad had him stay in the wagon as he went up to the house. When the old stallion failed to answer the door when his dad knocked, he went inside.
After a few minutes, Trails got tired of waiting, and ran up to the house and looked in through the door. He saw his father taking a blanket and draping it over the old stallion as he slept on the floor in his kitchen. Seeing Trials looking in, his dad looked a little upset that he didn't stay with the wagon. Without saying a word, Trails dad took him back home, where he sat him down at the table and gave him a cookie to eat while he spoke with his mom, who was pregnant with Goldie at the time, in the other room. After that, his dad left to go back into town.
His mother then sat down with him and explained about what had happened to the old stallion. For the first time, he learned what death was.
"But change is also necessary." Princess Cadence said. "If the Crystal ponies are to be prosperous, then they need to learn new things, and grow. That is why I want to start with farming. Ponyville is a tiny fraction of the Crystal Empire's size, but it harvests a thousand times the amount of crops then the Crystal ponies."
"So what do you want us to do? If their not going to even listen to us, what's the point?" Goldie asked. "Its not like we can tie them up and force them to change."
Her question was left hanging, all the ponies looked around at each other expecting somepony to come up with an answer. Surprisingly it was Blueberry who stood up and offered an idea.
"What!?" Caramel exclaimed in both astonishment and amusement, as he watched her as she signed. "Only a daughter of a casino lord would come up with a idea like that!" He said as he started to laugh.
"What?" Princess Cadence asked, looking over with interest. "What's her idea?"
Caramel, still smiling, told them all Blueberry's idea.
"It is a risk, but it's also a good idea." Princess Cadence mused thoughtfully, turning to Goldie and Caramel. "What do you think? Is it feasible?"
"Well, I looked at the land all the way up to the barrier and its seen hard times. The entire dale was once very fertile, but due to over farming, the nutrients have been depleted, but I don't see why it can't be restored with a bit of maintenance."
"And I'm sure we could get some volunteers to help out, especially if they got a percent of the harvest." Caramel added.
Trails decided to add in his two bits. "I can have a working water wheel built and installed in no time. There is already a site ready for one, and with a little work, we can have the channels repaired and working in just a few days, if I had help."
Princess Cadence stood and slowly walked across the room. Stopping before a large painting she looked up at it as she contemplated her choice. Trails could see that the painting she was looking at depicted the country side of the Crystal Empire, it showed little farms scattered throughout the land, with ponies working out in the fields.
"The Crystal Ponies are a proud and noble race of ponies. They have come through many harsh trials that have made them stronger." Princess Cadence said, breaking her silence. "They are in a new world, and if I allow them to run from it and cling to their past like a foal clinging to a security blanket, then they will never grow and walk on their own. They need a push, and I think that this may be the push they need to start moving into this new world. I'll send a summons to Lord Round Stone, and met with him tomorrow." She turned and smiled at Blueberry. "You ready to roll the dice?"
When Goldie signed the Princess's last comment to Blueberry, she gave a strong nod, and pawed her hoof across the floor, showing her readiness.
Princess Cadence smile widened at Blueberry's show of spirit. Turning she then addressed Goldie. "Golden Harvest, I would like to appoint you to the position of Secretary of Farming Management, and put you in charge of this project."
Goldie gaped at the Princess, totally speechless. It took a few nudges from Caramel to finally get her to break out of it. "I... I don't know what to say."
"Yes, say yes." Caramel loudly whispered at her.
"Oh! Ah, Yes." Goldie answered quickly. "I'd be honored."
"Wonderful." Princess Cadence said happily. "Tomorrow, I would like you to be with me when I meet with Lord Round Stone. And since it was her idea, I would like for Blueberry to be there as well."
"Yes of course, we'll both be there." Goldie answered, bowing her head.
After that, Princess Cadence excused herself to go and talk with Princess Twilight. With a happy smile, Caramel leaned in and gave Goldie a congratulatory kiss before walking with her out of Princess Cadence's office.
"Caramel, Goldie!" Aunt Lilly called out to them. Hurrying over to them, she held out a letter to Caramel.
"What's this?" Caramel asked as he let her deposit the letter onto the flat of his hoof.
"Its the... notification of your sisters funeral." Aunt Lilly answered softly. "With Rarity's, and Pinkie's help, Chisel was able to get everything ready. Even Fluttershy volunteered to help after she heard about it. She wanted me to tell you that the next time you deliver her animal feed to her place, she's going to have a special hug for you."
"She always nice when I make my deliveries, she tips me with cookies." Caramel said with a forced smile. Looking down at the letter, Caramel felt like he had swallowed a stone. From resent events, he had managed to put his sister out of his mind, but the letter that now sat on his hoof suddenly brought it all back to the forefront.
"I'm so proud of you sis!" Trails exclaimed as he swept Goldie up in a hug. "I can't believe it, my little sis is in charge of a daring governmental project that would ether make or break the economic backbone of a entire society!"
"Trails!" Aunt Lilly called out to him. "Stop heaping psychosomatic stress onto your sister, she needs your support right now more then ever."
Trails ears wilted a bit, at Aunt Lilly's rebuke. "Your right, I'm sorry." He said apologetically, setting his sister back down. "Since your the big boss now, there is some things I want to suggest, if you want to hear them." He polity offered.
Goldie blinked at her brother's sudden helpful offer. "Sure. What's on your mind?"
Caramel didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. Taking the letter in mouth, he slipped off to his room. Closing the door, Caramel moved over to the bed and sat down. Setting the letter back down onto his hoof he looked down at it. The rock he swallowed still wasn't sitting well in his gut, as he slowly broke the seal on the letter.
Taking out a folded piece of paper, Caramel took a breath and opened it. The letter was gorgeously penned, likely Rarity's work. The contents described Fudge's life up to her death, then it announced that she would be laid to rest alongside her parents in Fillydelphia. Caramel glanced at the date, and saw that the funeral would be in two days. Only two more days until he put another family member into the ground.
Lowering the letter down, Caramel noticed that there was something poking out of the envelope. Sliding it out he found it was a picture of his sister, Fudge. Letting the letter and envelope fall to the floor, Caramel held up the picture and gazed at it. He missed her so much, there was so many things he wanted to share with her now. He could practically hear her laughter as he imagined talking to her over a home made dinner with Goldie sitting by his side.
Suddenly he wondered if there would come a day where he couldn't remember what his sisters laugh sounded like, or even what her smile looked like.
Out in the main drawing room, Goldie suddenly paused, as she talked with her brother and Aunt Lilly. She felt that something was wrong. Reaching up her hoof, she set it onto her chest where she felt a deep cold sensation settling in.
Aunt Lilly and Trails looked at her curiously as she suddenly stood. "Excuse me, there is something I need to do." She said to them, before she hurried away. Passing by a reading chair, Blueberry glanced up at her as she hurried by, her curious expression became alarmed when she noticed the worried look on Goldie's face.
Goldie rushed to her room and opened the door, inside she saw Caramel laying on the bed with something clutched to his chest. Closing the door, she hurried to him, glancing curiously at the letter and envelope that sat strewn on the floor.
"Caramel?" She gently called to him as she sat next to him, touching his side. "What's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath, Caramel let it out with a shudder. "I'm going to forget her laugh." He suddenly said, his voice was filled with a deep sounding anguish. "I don't want to forget her laugh, or the way she smiled with that little curl on the side of her mouth. I don't want to forget the way she smelled when she hugged me. I don't want to forget, but it's going to happen. Its going to happen and there is nothing I can do to stop it"
Caramel had been going though bouts of depression, and Goldie had been doing her best to help him though them, but this time it seemed much worse then normal.
"Oh, Caramel, that's not true." Goldie said, laying down next to him and wrapping her hooves around him, hugging his head into her chest. "She will always live on in you, just as she will live on in Cinnamon. You are both a piece of her, and she is within both of your hearts. When Cinnamon is older, it will be you who will tell her about her mother, and there is no way you will ever forget a single minute detail about her, because you loved her dearly, and she in engraved into your very being. Nothing, not even time will ever take that from you."
Caramel remained quiet for a time, his breath warm against her chest. Then he slowly began to move as he curl himself around. Goldie knew what it was that he wanted, and pulled her hind leg back and offered him the succor he needed. Holding herself open to him, Goldie felt his warm lips wrap around one of her teats, as he drew it into his mouth. Once he was properly latched on, he gently began to suckle.
Slowly Goldie brushed her hoof through his mane as she began to hum a tune. They had tried this a few times before, and discovered that both of them immensely enjoyed the intimate act together, as it brought them both an extreme sense of comfort and affection. Right now Caramel was seeking both of those from her, and she was happy to give him what he needed.
Laying her head against his side, Goldie listened to his heartbeat while she enjoyed the sensation of his nursing. His suckles were slow and measured, not at all like the more frenzied suckles of a hungry foal. The feeling of his large tongue as it rubbed up, and pressed into the bottom of her teat with each of his suckles sent warm waves of pleasure throughout her body. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the pleasant feeling of his drawing milk from her teat, and listened to him swallow the warm creamy nourishment he took in.
After a time, Caramel finally released Goldie's teat, and looked over at her as he licked his lips. "Thank you." Caramel said in gratitude and nuzzled Goldie's cheek affectionately, before he lowered his head back down and latched onto her other teat.
Resisting the urge to gasp, Goldie shuddered in pleasure as she felt her milk let down under his ministrations. She had no words for how good this felt, as with each suckle he drew more her milk into his mouth. . "Take as long as you like. I'm happy I can do this for you."
Blueberry felt her cheeks burning. She had snuck over to their door to check on them because she was worried from the look she saw on Goldie's face when she rushed by her earlier. Finding the door unlocked, Blueberry had cracked it open to peek in, and what she saw transfixed her in amazement. Never before had she ever witnessed such a tender loving moment between two ponies. The look Blueberry saw on Goldie's face as Caramel nursed from her was absolutely blissful.
Shutting the door, Blueberry looked around. Aunt Lilly was working on some of her crocheting, while Goldie's very large big brother, Trails, was sitting at one of the desks, drawing out some plans he had for the project. Moving off down the hall, Blueberry went to her room, and started to paced around. She couldn't believe how strongly the sight of that intimate loving moment had affected her.
Such a thing was alien to where she came from. There was no lust or pain involved, no selfish demands made over the other. It was just two ponies lovingly communing together. A sense of jealousy came over her, as she found wanted something like that for herself. The feel of a gentle stallion pressed against her, as they affectionately pleased one other. She desperately wanted that but she knew that it was something she would never have, for what pony would ever want a defective pony like her?
Nibbling her lower lip, she continued to move around. During her time with Caramel and Goldie, she had learned so much about what it should be like between two loving ponies. Even though they sometimes teased each other, it was never done to hurt to demean the other, and forgiveness was always quick to be given. Support between the two was never asked for but always given. This too was something Blueberry had never seen back at home.
Her father had had his share of mares, and some of them even lasted a few weeks. But never did she see her father ever offer comfort or show affection to any of them. At one time, her father got angry and yelled at one of them. Frightened of her father, the mare huddled in the corner and cried, terrified that he might hurt her. Annoyed at the crying mare, her father hurled his cup at her, narrowly missing her head and shouted something at her, which caused the mare to quickly rush across the room and disappeared out the door. Blueberry never saw her again.
Love. True love was something she had never witnessed before, until she met Caramel and Goldie. Her bother, Bitternut's idea of love, was whatever dark crevice he could shove his stallionhood into for a few minutes. One time, Blueberry got first hoof experience with his brand of love, when he came home drunk one night.
With his stallionhood lewdly dangling down between his legs, Bitternut started moving towards her. Terrified of the look she saw in his eyes, Blueberry tried to flee but he only chased her down and pinned her to the floor. The horror that washed over her when she felt him mounting her was overwhelming, and no matter how much she struggled, Blueberry couldn't break free from his greater strength. She found herself completely helpless.
She whimpered when she felt his stallionhood poking at her, as he tried to find his way in. Luckily he was too drunk to aim right, and only managed to shove it between her inner thighs. Thankful that he couldn't tell that he had missed, Blueberry endured several minuets of her bother drooling on her back, as he thrusted himself between her hind legs. Until finally he clamped his teeth painfully onto her crest, as he shoved his stallionhood as deep under her as he could, and held it there, where, to her horror, she then felt his warm seed spurt out onto her belly and legs. With each spurt of his musky scented seed, Bitternut thrusted his hip into her, as he pumped his stallionhood, trying to drive his seed deep into her but only succeeded in saturating her belly further.
She felt his drool run down onto her withers as he let out a satisfied huff that stank of stale beer. Occasionally, Bitternut would give a slight shudder and buck of his hip, but this only lasted a short while. Having his need satiated, Bitternut pulled his softening stallionhood out from between her thighs, and climbed off of her. Staggering over to the couch, Bitternut flopped down onto it and instantly fell asleep.
Blueberry was left shivering in terror, and despite what had just happened to her, she was relieved that she had gotten off so lightly. Quickly she made her way to the bathroom where she spent the next couple of hours in the bathtub scrubbing her coat, trying to get the stink of him off of her.
Crossing to her bed, Blueberry flopped down onto her mattress and hugged her pillow. Even it if was impossible, Blueberry desperately wanted what Goldie and Caramel had, a true loving stallion that cared for her. Burying her face into her pillow, she started to cry.
"Trails, would you please find Blueberry and tell her that dinner will be brought up soon. I'll find Caramel and Goldie, and let them know." Lilly Pad asked as she put her croshay away.
Standing, Trails felt a sudden sense of nervous alarm. He wasn't sure how to act around Blueberry, and was convinced he was going to do something stupid and embarrassing. "How do I tell her? I don't know how to talk to her."
"Just do this." Lilly said as she touched her lips with her hoof then she touched her leg and slightly slid her hoof down her leg. "It means dinner.
Trails watched carefully, making sure he would remember the sign, and was about to go when it suddenly hit him. "Wait!? You know sign language too?" Did everypony know it but him!?
Lilly smiled and gave her head a shake. "Only a little. Blueberry has been showing me a few signs over the last couple of days, but I've only picked up a few of them." Turning, she headed off to find Caramel and Goldie.
Trials knew where Blueberry's room was, due to the fact that it was just across the hall from his room. Walking down the hall, Trails paused by her door and knocked. After a few moments when she didn't answer, he tried knocking again. Not getting a response a second time, he was about to try a third time when it suddenly hit him that she was deaf. No matter how much he knocked, she wouldn't be able to hear it.
Feeling stupid, Trails sat his rump down on the floor and scratched at the back of his head, as he considered what he should do. He thought about slipping a note under her door, but quickly dismissed the idea as being too silly. Finally, he decided that he just had to be brave and open her door.
Lifting his hoof, Trails held it over her door latch, and paused as he wondered why his heart was beating so hard. Holding his breath, Trials touched his hoof to the latch and pressed down. With an audible click, the door popped open. Trails skittered back a few steps as he stared at the door, convinced that Blueberry would angrily throw open her door, and accuse him of being a pervert.
When nothing happened, Trails stood and gingerly stepped up to the door and pushed it open just enough for him to stick his head around. With his eyes shut, Trials stuck his head through and waited. When nothing happened, he slowly cracked his eyes open, and saw Blueberry laying on her bed.
Perhaps she was taking a nap? Shouldering the door open, Trails moved into her room. He was a few steps in when he notices that she appeared to be crying. Freezing in place, Trails started to panic. He thought about getting Lilly or Goldie to come and help her, even Caramel would be better suited at this then him.
Turning he started for the door, but then he caught the sounds of her weeping coming from behind him. His heart went out for her, and he danced in place with indecision. He wanted to help her, but he had no way to talk to her, but then... did he really need to talk to her to help her? He wondered. Making up his mind, he went to her desk and took a box of tissues in his mouth.
Carefully, Trails lifted his hoof and lightly touched Blueberry's shoulder. Her reaction to his touch was instant. She let out a started squawk and whirled around to looked up at him.
Trails shied back for a moment. Suddenly regretting his decision, as he saw her looking up at him with her tear soaked eyes wide with fear. Not knowing what else to do, Trails clumsily thrust out the box of tissues at her.
Blueberry blinked at his sudden offering. The fear she had in her eyes faded as she realized he was trying to help her. She reached out and took the box of tissues. Lifting up her hoof, she touched her lip and dropped her hoof down slightly.
Sitting his rump down on the floor, Trails lifted his hoof and mimicked the gesture, and for the first time, he saw her smile. The sight of it nearly made his heart stop. She was normally quite pretty, but when she smiled it was like the sun had just peaked over the horizon.
Still smiling, Blueberry touched her chest and repeated the sign she did before, then she pointed her hoof at him, before she bent her hoof in a way that looked like she was scooping something, and pulled it in to her chest.
Trails thought he understood what she was telling him. The first sign was, thank you and the second was, your welcome. Nodding his understanding, Trails hooked his hoof like how she showed him and brought it to his chest. "Your welcome."
There was that smile again. Trails couldn't believe that he was doing it, he was actually talking with her. Smiling back, he met her eyes as they sparked cheerfully, with all signs of her weeping now gone
Looking at him curiously, Blueberry pointed her hoof at him as she shrugged as she pointed down at the floor.
It took Trails a few moment to puzzle out that she was asking why he was here in her room.
Remembering what Lilly had shown him, Trails touched his lip then slid his hoof a short ways up his other leg, in what he assumed meant dinner.
Blueberry blinked at him a moment, then let out a giggle. Trails wondered for a moment if he did the sign right, but was interrupted when Blueberry suddenly hopped out of bed and walked to the door. Pausing, Blueberry turned and looked back at Trails with a, are you coming, look.
Realizing that he was just sitting there by her bed staring at her, Trails gave a started jump and moved off to join her.
****
It was late, and Princess Cadence had to stifle another yawn, as she followed Flash Sentry down the palace hallway.
"Has he been questioned yet?" Princess Cadence asked, keeping her stride even and stately despite the rush.
Flash Sentry shook his head. "No, your majesty. The guards took him straight here when he arrived at the palace." Turning a corner they approached a door that had two guards posted on ether side.
"Good." She said before she paused a moment to look at Flash Sentry. "Please make sure that Twilight doesn't hear about this... at least for the time being."
"Yes Princess." Flash said with a bow. Turning he gestured to the guards to open the door.
Taking out a key, a guard unlocked the door then pushed it open, stepping aside, he then saluted as Princess Cadence stepped through.
Inside, was a small guest room, with a bed and sitting area, along with a door to the side that lead into a small bathroom.
Standing from his seat on one of the couches, an older unicorn bowed his head down. "Princess, its a honor."
"My apologies for holding you here, I trust you've been comfortable at least?" Princess Cadence asked politely.
Straightening up, the unicorn looked around his room. "Oh, ah... Yes, the room is quite comfortable, but.. I don't see why I am being held. I just had a horrible couple of days when I accidentally was left on the train, and ended up all the way over in Manehatten. It took a while for me to get the bits to buy a ticket back."
Princess Cadence gave him a friendly smile. "That is one of the things I came to talk to you about, Mr. Twirlshine." She held out a wing to indicate a chair. "Please, may I sit so we can discuss a few things?" She wanted him to feel like he had some control, so that he would be relaxed. It was important for him to be relaxed. At least at first.
"Oh! How rude of me. Please have a seat, would you like something to drink? Perhaps if I ask one of the guards at the door..." Twirlshine offered but stopped when Princess Cadence smiled and held up a hoof, while she gently shook her head.
"I thank you for the offer, but will decline." She said politely, as she settled herself into the chair. "Now, Mr. Twirlshine. I understand you are from a small town called Galloping Springs."
Twirlshine sat down across from her on the couch, and absently nodded his head. "Um, that's right Princess."
"Please tell me about it, I just love hearing about new places." Princess Cadence asked with a smile. It was something she learned from her aunt Celestia. By using small talk to get a base sense of his body postures and voice intonations when he was being honest, it would be easier to catch when he was stressed and trying to hide things.
Twirlshine tapped his hoof to his chin as he thought about it. "Well, its a small sleepy town with many friendly ponies who'd be happy to chat your ear off if you ask about the weather. The land there is poor for farming, but great for sheep ranching. Galloping Springs boast some of the largest sheep ranches in all of Equestria, and most of the wool that is used in the textile trade comes, from there."
"That's interesting." Princess Cadence said, carefully watching Twirlshine. "Where you also born there?"
"Yes, I was." He answered. "My father died when I was very young, so my mom raised me there on her own." He explained. "Later I showed an aptitude for theoretical magic and was accepted into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. After I graduated, I lived in Canterlot until my mother passed away, and I decided to move back and take up my mothers position as town mage. It allowed me to make a living while I worked on my projects."
Perfect, Princess Cadence thought, now she could start to dig into the dirt of the matter. "Projects?" Princess Cadence asked curiously. "You mean like the Bonding spell, you use during the Midnight Dance?"
Twirlshine blinked at her, then shook his head. "No, the Bonding spell was just something I came across at one point when I looked though a old book. The mayor came to me one day wanting to do something special with the Harvest Festival, so I told her about the spell, and she thought it would be a great idea to use as a marriage gimmick to bring in tourists."
Princess Cadence noticed that his body became a little bit more ridged and stiff, his eyes shifted around now, only meeting her gaze for a moment. "I see." She replied nodding. "So it was the mayors idea to use the Hearts Harmony Spell then?"
"Well, yes." Twirlshine said with a shrug. "The town was on a decline and she was desperate to bring in tourists..." Twirlshine paused and suddenly paled, as he realized the name she used for the spell.
"That's right, I know what spell you used, and what it was made to do." Princess Cadence voice lost its soft friendly edge. "I would like to know how you came across it, and what you meant to do with it?"
Twirlshine shook his head with a distraught look. "I don't know what you mean?" He said in a pathetic attempt to play dumb.
Princess Cadence let the air crackle with her magic, causing Twirlshine to cower back in his seat. "Don't play games with me! You have taken the Hearts Harmony Spell and altered it, using hapless ponies to experiment on, and I want to know what your trying to accomplish!?"
Twirlshine shook his head again. "I'm not doing any of that! The spell is just how I found it in Cracked Marbles research journal! I swear it!" He cried out, a terrified look on his face.
Princess Cadence let out a bolt of magic that shot across the room and destroyed the nightstand by the bed. "Don't lie to me! I had a close look at your spell, and its no longer a true Hearts Harmony Spell! Its been adjusted to do something else. What where you trying to create!"
"Nothing! I... I..." Twirlshine stuttered to a stop. Princess Cadence could see him shaking with agitation. With a flick of his eye, he looked at the door as he foolishly contemplated escape, but with a final crackle of Cadence's magic, Twirlshine finally dropped his head down in defeat. "She... she said that it was for the good of Equestria, and that we'd be hero's"
Princess Cadence held her breath. The truth at last. "Who?... who told you this?"
"It... it was Quill Stoke." Twirlshine admitted. "It was about fifteen years ago. She came to me with Cracked Marbles research journal. She wanted me to finish his work and create our own Crystal Heart."
"I worked on it for years, and I thought I was getting close." Twirlshine continued. "I managed to find a fragment of the original spell to create the first Crystal Heart but something was missing. Every time I tried it, it would just die and fall apart. It was like I was planting a seedling in a desert without water. Finally I hit upon using Cracked Marbles research bonding spell to create a space where the Hearts Harmony spell could take root. And it worked."
"The Hearts Harmony spell was finally implanting like it was supposed to do but still I found there was one last thing missing, one final component, and I was hitting a wall." Twirlshine licked his lips, before he gave a irritated shake of his head. "Quill Stroke was getting impatient with my progress, and she wanted results. I argued with her that if she wanted me to go faster, then I needed test subjects to experiment on. The next day, she came to me with the idea of using the Spring Festival to get what we needed. And the Midnight Dance was born."
"For years I implanted the spell in couples, with widely varying degrees of success. In most cases the Hearts Harmony spell would just sit inert and unresponsive. Other times it grew for a short time, before stopping. It was frustrating! And I was beginning to think that it wasn't going to work, but Quill Stroke was confident that we just needed to find the right couple, who had the final part to complete the spell." Twirlshine paused and smiled. "Then it happened! Those two wonderful ponies showed up. It was like fate had delivered them right to us... to me."
A fevered light came to Twirlshine's eyes. "Those two were perfect. The spell was implanted and it was flourishing. By the next day they were already showing signs. I followed them to Ponyville and continued my observations but I was limited with what I could do with Princess Twilight there. On the train, when every pony was asleep, I managed to sneak close enough to observe the spells progress and was overjoyed at the results I saw." Looking up, Twirlshine unflinchingly met Princess Cadence's eyes. "In a month or two at most, the spell will reach a critical mass and transform them into the worlds first Coupled Crystal Hearts!"
Princess Cadence thought she was going to throw up.
"Just think of it! They would become more powerful then any Alicorn in existence, capable of protecting all of Equestria from all outside harm, forever." Twirlshine boasted proudly.
Princess Cadence had heard enough, if he uttered just one more word she felt she fry him to ash on the spot. Her magic erupted out and flung every piece of furniture into the walls, smashing and breaking many of them. Grabbing Twirlshine off the floor where he had fallen, Cadence held him suspended in the air before her with her magic. Standing from her chair, Cadence slowly approached him. Twirlshine was quacking in fear at the sight of her wrathful eyes as she drew closer. "You will end this now! Lift the spell from them or so help me!" She ordered
"It's already too late! It can't be stopped!" Twirlshine exclaimed, his eyes wide with terror.
Princess Cadence heard the door slam open as her guards rushed in, likely alerted from the commotion she made. She ignored them as she drew Twirlshine closer until his face was just before hers. "You filthy piece of wasted pony! What you have done is unforgivable!" She shouted in his face. "They are good honest ponies, that just wanted to live their lives and be a family. But because of what you have done, they will no longer have that!" Cadence felt hot tears streaming down her face now. "Right now, within Goldie, a new life is just starting to grow. And because of what you have done!" Cadence wrapped her magic around Twirlshine's throat and started to squeeze. "That new life will never take a breath! Never to be loved or held, and because of you, an entire family is being destroyed!"
"But it's for the good of Equestria!" Twirlshine chocked out. "The sacrifice of two insignificant ponies, is a small price to pay for the good they can do for us all."
Anything else he could have said was chocked off as Cadence tightened her magical grip on his throat. "I will hear no more of this! They are my friends, I will see you pay for what you have done!"
"That is quite enough." A voice suddenly said, and everything abruptly went deathly silent.
Princess Cadence blinked in surprise as everything suddenly froze in place. Twirlshine, his face fixed in terror, sat unmoving in her magical grip. Flash Sentry and all the Crystal Guards that had rushed in with him where standing like statues, as they all stared forward with unblinking eyes.
Looking like she was made from mist, the Alicorn mare drifted though the frozen guards, and stopped just before Cadence. Lifting her hoof, the Alicorn mare gently wiped at the tears that ran down Cadence's cheeks. "My pour little princess, I was hoping you wouldn't discover this truth."
"Its true then?" Cadence asked, her voice quaking. "What he said? Its going to happen!?"
The Alicorn mare turned her head and looked at the frozen Twirlshine. "That is what he intended to happen, but I am doing my best to alter that fate."
"So, you can stop it!?" Cadence asked, daring to hope.
Looking back at Cadence, the Alicorn shook her head. "The stone has been cast, and nothing we do will be able to stop it from tumbling down the mountain." Lifting her wing, the Alicorn then smiled. "The trick is, what happens when it reaches the bottom." She then tapped Cadence on her nose with the end of her wing. "Have faith in me daughter, I have a plan."
Cadence rubbed her hoof over her tickled nose. "Why... did you call me daughter?" She asked, confused by the affectionate address.
"Because you are of my blood." The rosy pink Alicorn answered meeting her gaze.
Cadence felt a sudden jolt shoot through her body, how could what she had said be true?
The Alicorn mare gave her head a sad nod. "I understand your not knowing this, but before the Hearts Harmony spell, I was once a young unicorn mare named Tranquil Spring."
Cadence was surprised that she recognized that name. When she became princess of the Crystal Empire, she scoured the archives for any shred of of history dating to a time before the Crystal Ponies had settled in the north, and had very little luck. But she did find that within the royal gardens, there was a small time worn statue of a unicorn mare cradling a foal. Cadence was always drawn to the statue whenever she walked the gardens, finding the simple beauty of the mother cradling her daughter to be peaceful and relaxing. At the base of that statue, there was a engraving that simply read, In Honor of my Mother Tranquil Spring, May her Heart Always Shine. Cadence had wondered who that pony was, now she found herself looking right at her.
"Chaos ran rampant during that time." Tranquil Spring started to explain. "My dear husband fell during one of the chaos beast raids that frequently happened during that time, but not before he left a beautiful gift within my womb. She was born latter that fall, and I named her Autumn Light." Tranquil Spring paused as her gaze became distant. "Autumn was my everything, I loved her so much. It wasn't long after that when our enemies found us again. I had to act quick if I was going to save Autumn and the other ponies, so I gave my daughter into the care of my younger sister and cast the Hearts Harmony spell on us all, with myself as the terminal focus."
"The Crystal Ponies were created that day, and I... I became the Crystal Heart." Tranquil Spring looked back up and met Cadence's eyes again. "I saved them all, but at the cost of myself." Lifting her hoof she tenderly touched Cadence's cheek. "You are the daughter of my daughter, a decedent of my line." Bending in close, Tranquil Spring tenderly, much like a loving mother would, kissed Cadence on her forehead.
Cadence was stunned by the revaluation. She never would have guessed that she would have discovered a long lost relative within the Crystal Empire, let alone it being one of the most powerful arcane treasures in the known lands, rivaled only by the Elements of Harmony.
Feeling tears well up again, Cadence reached out and abruptly hugged Tranquil Spring, crushing her to her chest. Feeling her worm soft body pressed into hers, Cadence started to bawl, and cry into Tranquil's mane as her emotions suddenly flooded out.
Tranquil Spring gently returned the embrace. "Oh, my pour little princess, whatever is the matter?" She asked tenderly.
Cadence continued to wail into Tranquil's mane, and it took a extended moment for her to gather herself enough to respond. "I... I almost did a horrible thing!" Cadence managed to sob out. "I was just so angry, I wanted... I just wanted him to pay!"
"Shh, I know, I know." Tranquil said soothingly. "He did something very bad, and I understand why you felt that way." She brushed her hoof down Cadence's mane. "And I couldn't be prouder of you, my daughter. Your passion for the well being of your friends is very noble."
Cadence struggled to bring her feelings under control. What Tranquil had said helped, but she still felt horrible for trying to hurt Twirlshine. "Why... why are you doing so much to help them?"
Pulling back from the hug, Tranquil once again wiped the tears from Cadence's cheeks. "I sensed them the moment they passed into the Crystal Empire. I was a bit worried about their intentions, so when they arrived at the palace, I spoke with them."
"You did!?" Cadence asked in surprise, wondering why Goldie or Caramel never mention this to her?
"I appeared to them as a little foal, that was all alone. I wanted to see what they were like, so I tested them." Tranquil explained. "I found them to be a remarkably trusting and caring couple, full of love for each other and for those they took in as family. A worthy trait I wished to see saved."
"Whatever help you need, just let me know, and you'll have it." Cadence offered, meeting Tranquil's gaze.
Tranquil smiled, and lightly patted Cadence cheek. "Such a good and loyal daughter, you make me more proud every day. Just keep being their friend, and make sure they stay within my province until the new moon."
Cadence suddenly sucked in a breath in horror. She forgot about the funeral! "How could I have been so stupid!?" She exclaimed. "They're leaving to attend Caramel's sisters funeral the morning after tomorrow. They'll be gone for a day!"
Tranquil Spring suddenly looked alarmed. "This must not happen, or else it would be disastrous for them." She said imperatively. "You must find a way to keep them here."
"But how am I to do that!?" Cadence asked, as she racked her brain on how she could do that without totally ruining her friendship with them. She knew that it was to help save them, but the horrible idea that she would have to deny Caramel the opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one left a terrible pit in her stomach.
"I'm sure you will find a way." Tranquil said confidently, before she gave Cadence a kiss on her cheek. "My time here draws to a close, it is very difficult to keep us between heartbeats for as long as I have. Remember my daughter, I am always here for you." She said as she tapped her hoof to Cadence's chest. A moment latter, her form broke apart and she faded away.
Twirlshine suddenly let out a gargled scream as he abruptly crumpled to the floor. Flash Sentry and the other Crystal Guards rushed around and surrounded Twirlshine.
Cadence stood over the pathetic form of Twirlshine as he wept huddled in a ball. Turning to Flash Sentry, Cadence gestured down at the wretched stallion. "Lieutenant Flash Sentry, lock Twirlshine in the dungeon, and make sure he is only given hay and water until I talk with aunt Celestia about drawing up charges for his crimes."
Flash Sentry saluted. "Yes, Princess." He then reached down and dragged Twirlshine up off the floor. With the other guards moving in to help, he briskly escorted Twirlshine out of the room.
Cadence let out a calming sigh as she watched them go. Walking over to the only chair that was still intact, she sat and stared out at the wall. What was she going to do? She wondered. |
Through the Rabbit Hole | pre | "Confirmed. This is a high-security message from the desk of Princess Celestia of Equestria. Please tear the parchment in twain once read to initiate self-destruct. Self destruct will be initiated automatically in five minutes."
And with that, the shimmering field shattered, and the lead seal melted off, evaporating before it hit the hardwood floor.
Twilight stood stunned as she held a letter that had told her it intended to destroy itself. Spike groaned beside her as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"Well, are you going to read it? Whatever it is, it's spoiled my appetite. Might as well find out what it wants." Twilight turned to him with a mixed look of awe and fear.
"Spike, this is a Royal High-Security Communique. It's only used for the most dire of circumstances. I think the last time one went out was when Tirek took over, and the princesses had to secure Equestria's secret installations. I've never seen one up close." Twilight just sat there, staring in awe at the red envelope.
"Well, what are you waiting for, then? Open it!"
Twilight looked unsure for a moment, then quickly nodded. She gingerly pried it open with her magic, and equally carefully pulled out a surprisingly ragged piece of scrap parchment.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Twilight,
Report the the Crystal Capital castle dungeon immediately.
- C.
P.S. Speak to nopony. That includes Spike. Go.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Well? What does it say?" Spike, now recovered from his ordeal, attempted to read over Twilight's shoulder, but she pulled it away from him.
"It says that, uh... that I can't tell you what it says. I... I have to go. To a place. Right now." Nothing like had ever happened to Twilight before. She didn't know what to think, or how to feel. All she knew was that Celestia was ordering her to go to the Crystal Empire in one of the most urgent manners possible.
Spike simply gave her a concerned look. He realized the situation must have been quite grave to have Twilight so spooked.
Twilight then moved the paper away from her face and began tearing the paper in two. Once the rip reached about half way, both the parchment and the envelope began to dissolve into a cloud of golden sparks, before fading into nothing.
She then returned Spikes look of concern, then began towards the door. However before she could get to it, a sonorous call came from outside her suite's balcony window.
"Princess Twilight, are you in?"
"Luna?" Twilight would recognise the night princess' commanding voice anywhere. Upon hearing Twilight respond, the princess of the night let herself into the suite from the balcony.
"Ah! Thank the Makers! Pray tell, Princess Twilight, has sister come to see you? It is of the utmost importance."
"No, but I did just get... a red letter from her." Luna did not appear as impressed as Twilight had been.
"Oh. She has no doubt instructed you to depart for the Crystal Empire." So much for 'Speak to nopony'. Twilight decided she could trust Luna, though she loathed to brush off such rigid orders.
"She did. Luna, can you tell us what's going on?" Twilight was getting worried.
"I am afraid not. This turn of events has unfolded just as quickly upon me. Though, I have some notion as to what has prompted sister's strange actions. We were having our supper - or breakfast, as it were - when an urgent letter from Princess Cadence arrived by dragonfire. Attached was a guard report of some sort. Before I could draw information from her, she dashed to her desk, hastily wrote up several letters, then teleported away. I could not trace her. I had hoped that she would be here."
Twilight frowned. Whatever was going on, if Celestia didn't even have time to speak to her sister, it was far more urgent than she had thought. Celestia clearly knew something.
"Do you have any idea what could cause her to act like this?" Luna sadly shook her head.
"I am afraid not, Twilight. Many... procedures were conceived over the centuries, relating to many scenarios; war, plague, natural disaster, to name a few. Though, without more information, I could not guess as to what exactly has occurred. However, for 'Tia to have acted with such haste, it can be assumed that the situation is of the utmost gravity." Luna said. However, after a moment, she flattened her ears and added apologetically, "Oh, yes. And I am afraid your brother has been injured." This statement left Twilight jarred.
"W-What? How badly?"
"If I saw correctly, the guard report mentioned Shining Armor, and bore the seal of the Crystal Palace's royal infirmary. Evidently, badly enough to be hospitalised." Twilight was frozen with anxiety, haunted by thoughts of what could have happened to her dear brother. Quickly she regained control and looked back up to her fellow princess.
"Whatever's going on, it's important. I'll get to the Crystal Empire as fast as I can, so I can see Shining and figure out what Princess Celestia wants me to do." Luna nodded.
"Prudent decision. Speak to the Rail Master at the train station. She will have an emergency engine brought out with haste. It is faster than other engines, and will not make stops."
Twilight turned to the balcony and made to take flight, before Spike spoke up.
"Uh, what about me? Am I coming too?"
"Sorry Spike, I think I'm supposed to do this alone. I'm sure I'll be back soon, when this clears up," she apologised. Spike nodded and let Twilight perform her duty. Luna and the dragon watched as she took to the air and silently flew out the window and into the early morning sky.
"If you would not mind, Spike, I should like to have you with me. Having a source of dragonfire shall be most useful." Spike smiled in agreement. Luna crouched down to allow the dragon onto her back. "You have no aversions to opossums, have you?"
"I... don't think so. Why?" Luna stood and began to leave Twilight's suite. She simply smiled.
"No reason. Perish the thought"
<~.~.~</^\>~.~.~>
Several ponies were startled as their princess teleported straight into the train station office. Twilight ignored everypony accept the Canterlot Rail Master sitting in her office. Twilight urgently requested the emergency engine, and the mare quickly called out orders to a nearby engineer.
The locomotive was hitched and ready in under ten minutes. Unlike normal steam engines, it was propelled magically. It and its single car were not ornate like other trains, but made of wood and polished wrought iron. They were conical in shape to allow for higher aerodynamic efficiency.
Now, Twilight sat in the sparsely furnished car, traveling north at nearly a hundred miles an hour. There was nothing to distract her from her thoughts but the drone of the magical engine ahead.
Twilight rested her head in her hooves and gazed out the narrow, utilitarian window, her lack of sleep catching up with her. She was still trying to convince herself that the last half-hour had actually happened.
What happened to get Celestia to act this way? Why was there no time to explain it? How is Shining involved?
She was drowning in questions that she couldn't answer, so she tried to distract herself by thinking what her friends were up to. Likely, they were all preparing for Hearth's Warming coming in a few days. Twilight sighed at the thought. The last time they had all been able to spend time together as friends was for Nightmare Night, over a month ago, and now she was about to miss one of the most important holidays to be among friends and family. Would she have to miss Winter Wrap-Up as well? When she had initially proposed the idea to catch an asteroid, her friends were all so supportive. Even when it began to consume more and more of her time, they had assured her that they would manage, and that they were glad that she had found a way to fulfill her life-long dream of making an actual scientific breakthrough, instead of "just being smart".
For the first time, she began to question whether it was worth it.
As Twilight attempted to catch a bit of sleep, she lost herself in her mind. She was drowning in worries for her brother and fear of the unknown. She could tell secrets were being kept, and that troubled her. What the future held for her, she couldn't guess. After her misfortune just the previous night with her teleportation experiment, she couldn't help but feel like she couldn't catch a break.--
After a while, the train moved under dark northern clouds, and it began to snow. Twilight stared blankly out the window, and eventually drifted off into a dreamless sleep. ...
Twilight looked around as she entered the Crystal Palace's medical wing. She had been there several times before, but it was now unrecognizable. The main reception room was in chaos; crystal ponies of various professions trotted briskly from room to room, hauling boxes of files and assorted medical equipment. Papers lay scattered on the crystal floor, and everypony had various looks of concentration, clearly working as quickly and efficiently as they were able.
Ponies barely spared the princess a quick bow before getting back to whatever they were doing. As Twilight approached the reception desk, the attendant looked up and dropped her stack of papers upon seeing her, looking shocked.
"Oh, Princess, you're here already. Apologies about the state of this place. The director is waiting in her office." The crystal mare said distractedly, her concentration clearly divided.
"Of course, but first, I need to see Shining Armor." Twilight's worry deepened when the mare expression grew troubled.
"Oh, the Prince. Yes, he is in room '14-A', in the intensive care ward. I believe Doctor Hays just went to check on him. You could still catch him." The attendant's ears were folded back in pity. This can't be good. Twilight thanked the mare, and trotted quickly to the specified room.
Once she found her way to the intensive care ward, the crystal walls became plaster to easier see contamination. The air reeked of bleach.
Upon arriving at the door labeled '14-A', Twilight stopped as somepony in medical garb exited the room, who she assumed was Doctor Hays. She didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"Doctor. Tell me what happened," she demanded. The stallion turned to see his princess glaring at him, and thankfully didn't try to bow, or anything else that would only serve to waste her time.
"Princess Twilight. I don't know much about what happened, but an hour ago, Prince Shining was brought in from outside the city by the Guard. He has a serious burn across his right latissimus dorsi and external intercostal muscles, along with some frost bite. We've managed to stabilize him, but he's still in critical condition." Doctor Hays efficiently conveyed the important information to Twilight.
Twilight turned away from him and was about to burst into the hospital room, when the doctor put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her.
"Princess Cadence is currently asleep in there. I wouldn't recommend waking her. This... incident has taken its toll. On everypony." After a moment's pause, Twilight nodded and steeled herself. She opened the door, and slowly entered the sickeningly sterile room. Her eyes ran laps around the beige walls, before finally managing to settle on the mass in the bed on the far end of the room. On a cushion next to the bed sat Cadence, her head wrapped in her forelegs resting on the mattress. Her hair was in a most disheveled state.
Shining Armor lay there, his eyes closed and breathing shallow. Were it not for the medical equipment on either side of the bed, Twilight could believe he was simply sleeping. Time seemed to slow as she began toward his side. After what felt like an eternity, she arrived next to her unconscious brother.
With a hoof, she gently touched his shoulder, careful not to disturb the blanket hiding his injury. When no response came, she hung her head in silence, trying to fight back the fear and sadness in her heart.
Doctor Hays stood in the doorway, patiently waiting while she stood in the prince's presence. After a few minutes, she turned away from her brother and sister-in-law and returned to the door, the normal glimmer of cheer found in the princess's eye absent. Wordlessly, they both vacated the room, and she gently shut the door. Once they were once again alone, Twilight took a deep breath of bleached air and blanked her face.
"Prognosis?" The doctor grimaced. Worst part of this damn job...
"Not good. I won't lie to you princess. He could die." This caused Twilight's composure to shatter completely. A manic rage grew in her eyes as she began shaking.
"You have access to the best doctors and medical technology in Equestria, maybe even the world, and you can't even heal a burn?! Did you even try any regeneration spells?! I certainly didn't sense any healing magic residue on him!" Her voice rang through the hall, startling a few nurses passing by.
"Princess, please try to remain calm. I realize that this is traumatic news, but we have to try to stay rational." Twilight's nostrils were flaring in anger like a bull, but she let him continue. The doctor looked at her sympathetically, before explaining. "The nature of the burn makes any regeneration spell either impossible or potentially lethal. The wound is too close to his vital organs to brute-force it with a restructuring spell, and we can't just simply regenerate it closed, because the necrotic tissue will almost certainly cause him to go into septic shock. Any other healing spells utilise his body's own regenerative capabilities, and he's nowhere near strong enough right now to normal regen-therapy.
"Normally, we could just keep him here for a few months while he regains strength, but the high risk of infection means we don't exactly have time on our side."
Twilight glared at the doctor for several moments, trying to think of something, anything, that could save her brother.
"Let me see."
"See? See what, Your Highness?"
"The burn. Let me see it."
He stood there awkwardly under his princess' glare, before concedeing. The unicorn levitated some papers from his saddlebags.
"Very well, Princess. I can't let you disturb the prince, but these photographs were just developed. I warn you, though; they are-" His warning was cut off by Twilight snatching the photos from him in her own magic. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked over the first one.
The colour photo showed her brother sprawled out on a gurney, the legs of several guards and doctors in the edge of the shot. Centre frame was a long crevice in Shining's body, running from his shoulder to his flank. Twilight couldn't quite make out the details, as the picture was smudged from motion. However, the next one in the stack gladly focused on the gruesome wound. The fur around the burn had been shaven off, and blue marker now encircled the gash to better notice infection.
The burn itself caused Twilight's stomach to roll. Most of the flesh in the gash was burnt black, with patches of bloody, raw muscle in the cracks. Twilight felt shivers go down her spine when she noticed some deformed ridges, blackened on one side, that could only be bone.
Twilight desperately tried to keep herself from vomiting right there in the hall as she continued to flip though the disturbing photos of her fallen brother. The last one in the stack was an osteography, confirming that Shining's pelvis and several ribs had been mangled.
After standing dumbstruck for a while, Twilight slowly returned the photos. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that this was the most horrendous injury she had ever laid eyes on.
"...I see..." she said softly, her look of shock not yet gone. Doctor Hays tried to give her a reassuring smile as he replaced the pictures.
"Try not to worry too much, Your Highness. He just got here, and we have a whole slew of treatments ready to try, so it's not like we're without options. And like you said; we have the best resources on Equus available to us. We're not about to just let our best prince go without a fight."
Twilight tried her best to return his smile, but underneath, her dread refused to be buried. The doctor decided to change the topic. "Anyway, I believe Doctor Reflex is waiting for you. You're a bit earlier than expected, but I'm sure she won't mind. She'll probably be in the director's office, just down this hall and to the right."
Twilight nodded, not bothering to respond, and began to trot down the hall. However, she paused when Doctor Hays added,
"Princess, I'm not stupid, and I don't think you are either. The scorching on only one side of the ribs indicates a blast of some kind. This was clearly caused by some sort of weapon. I'm not going to pretend to know what's going on, but there's been talk of terrorists..." He stopped when he noticed the princess frown. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Anyway, I'm sure you're here to help figure things out, so any information about whatever has done this to your brother will help us greatly to make decisions for his care."
"If I learn anything that can help save Shining, believe me, I won't hesitate to pursue it," she stated firmly, then turned without waiting for his reply, and made her way to the director's office. ...
As it turned out, the director of the hospital was not in her office. Her secretary, a small Crystal mare suggested checking the hospital's third level, so that's where Twilight was headed now. The hospital was its own spire of the castle, and had a spiraling staircase and an recently-installed, modern elevator to change floors. Twilight chose to take the stairs, as they were faster, and the elevator was being occupied by a team of workers ferrying large crates.
As she approached the third floor, she could start to hear strange clanging noises. Once she arrived and opened the pair of swinging doors, her ears were assaulted by the pounding of construction equipment.
Before her was a sight to behold; dozens of construction workers in reflective gear and hard hats were busy knocking down walls, erecting support beams, and all manner of different tasks. The area wasn't particularly large, as this was the tip of the spire, but was spacious enough to reverberate the torrent of sound.
In the middle of it all was a unicorn mare speaking, or shouting, rather, with a group of ponies trying to assemble a machine of some sort. She was wearing a hard hat like everypony else, but her black and white business dress indicated an administrator. Twilight supposed that this was her mare.
The mare looked away from her conversation with the mechanics and locked eyes with Twilight from across the room. She looked surprised for a moment, before looking back to the worker. She bellowed some orders over the din, turned to make her way towards Twilight. Once she was close, Twilight cast a muffling spell around them to actually be able to converse. The mare gave her a polite nod.
"Princess, you're early. Excellent. I'm afraid I won't be able to join you in our little workplace yet. I still need to oversee this reconstruction. These ponies couldn't tell a centrifuge from a soul-forge." The mare gave a quick glance over her shoulder to glare at the mechanics, who appeared to be trying to hook up what Twilight recognised as a medical refrigeration unit. "Oh, where are my manners; my name is Doctor Sharp Reflex. I'm chief surgeon and acting director of the Royal Crystal Infirmary, but I'm sure you already knew that."
Twilight eye twitched slightly. She considered herself a patient mare, but enough was enough. She had been carted to the other side of Equestria, and led through a rigamarole of tracking ponies down. And for what? Something important was going on, and it seemed like everypony knew more than her, and nopony was telling her anything!
She took a deep breath, and did her best to speak in a calm and collected fashion.
"I'm sorry Doctor, but I was asleep two hours ago, and just saw my brother... in the critical care ward. The only thing I know is that I'm supposed to go to the castle dungeon for some unknown reason. Now, can you tell me what's going on here?" Doctor Reflex expression grew concerned.
"Oh my. This must be more serious than I thought... Well, I'm afraid I don't know the nature of the situation, but I can tell you about this." She gestured to the reconstruction effort going on around them, the noise reduced to whispers. "Just a few hours ago, I received an emergency message from the Crown instructing me to oversee the conversion of this storage floor into a new laboratory. Apparently, the castle foreman got the same message, as I found the construction team ready to go by the time I spoke to him."
A new laboratory? Twilight added it to the ever-growing list of things she had to get answers to.
"Do you know why? Build a lab, that is."
"Afraid not, Your Highness. Though in the supply manifest, there's listed microscopes, alchemical analyzers, and various thaumometers. If I had to guess, I'd say we'll be doing something biology related. Oh, and some medical runes were requested to be sent to the dungeon, so I imagine we'll be doing something there while this lab is being finished."
"You keep saying we..."
"Hmm? Oh. It's just that my message implied that we'd be working on something together. Us, and possibly a whole team. I did see Doctor Edge heading towards the dungeon this morning."
Doctor Edge? Could she mean Straight Edge? Before she could ask, Doctor Sharp continued.
"Perhaps there is something you could answer me, Princess." Twilight doubted there was anything she could say for certain about this ridiculous situation she was in, but she nodded her head anyway. "Well, if I am correct in assuming we are assembling a research team, then I can only wonder, why me? I mean, I know I'm a good surgeon-" she gave Twilight a sly smile, "-but I'm by no means the best in Equestria. You are renowned for your vast knowledge of magic and science, and if I'm not mistaken, Doctor Edge is the leading figure in materials science. It almost makes me wonder..." The doctor paused to think, but before she could continue, Twilight noticed a sudden flash of movement behind Sharp Reflex.
The refrigeration unit had started wildly spraying coolant, and the workers were scrambling to get the leak under control. Sharp gave a groan when she turned and saw the mess unfurl.
"Apologies, Your Highness, we can speak later. I'm sure all these questions will be answered in the dungeon. For now, I have to get these feather-brains in line. I will see you as soon as I'm able. Now, WHO SAID YOU COULD UNSCREW..." she hollered to the mechanics as she cantered away, her admonitions fading away with the rest of the sound as she crossed the silencing spell's one-way barrier.
Well, that's that, I suppose. Twilight watched the bizarre sight for a few moments, before heading back towards the stairs. With any luck she was finally about to find out what the buck was going on. To say that she was frustrated is an understatement; she was positively pissed. She absolutely loathed not knowing things, and she had only accumulated questions since arriving in the Crystal Empire.
The only thing that kept her from snapping at Doctor Reflex was the fascinating prospect of being on a research team. Did Celestia have something that needed the best minds in Equestria to investigate? Was a dangerous relic from the rule of Sombra discovered in the dungeon? Or perhaps somepony was infected with an unknown pathogen, and was being kept in the dungeon while a proper lab could be assembled. She giggled internally as she imagined having to tell Spike that they had a zombie outbreak on their hooves. Whatever the case, Twilight's curiosity had been piqued.
With nothing left to do but head down to the castle's dungeon, once more she trotted towards a future she couldn't see. Descending the crystal staircase, she absent-mindedly gazed at her reflected image. ...
Four hallways and two stairwells later, Twilight arrived at the door to the staircase that led down into the castle dungeon. Two Crystal guards were posted on either side of the reinforced entrance. She was a little concerned by their full battle armour and mana-lances, but they let her pass without issue.
As she descended what she dearly hoped to be the final set of stairs, she recalled what she knew of this castle's dungeon. Unlike Canterlot's or her own, this dungeon was quite small, with only a hoofful of cells. The Crystal Empire's society had been quite advanced for it's time before Sombra's takeover, and was likely the first nation to adopt a public penitentiary system, with a whole building separate to the castle.
From accounts she had read, the castle dungeon was mostly used for scaring young royals out of misbehaving.
The stairs eventually ended, and led into a small antechamber, dimly lit by a single sconce.
Twilight was distracting herself from her little castle-marathon by imagining all the possible things that could be waiting for her down here. With her mind distracted, she was startled to suddenly bump into something hard. She looked up, and was shocked to see a pony in front of her, from hoof to ear covered in black and silver armour. The light from the sconce glittered off the silver bands and the steel sword.
Twilight gulped. She knew what this pony was. This was a Praetorian, the elite guard of the Crown. In the past, it was their duty to protect the royalty of Canterlot Palace by keeping watch for would-be assassins, or act as bodyguards during times of war.
The last time Twilight remembered seeing one was when she had still been a student of Celestia, during some important diplomatic meeting she was too young to know or care about. When she had read about them later, and asked her teacher why she didn't see them anymore, Celestia told her it was because they had been outmoded by modern security spells, and close combat specialization was rarely needed, even in altercations.
"Ah, Twilight, I hope my obtuse friend here didn't startle you." Twilight heard a familiar mare's voice beside her, where she had been sure nopony was standing before.
Twilight turned and saw a older, chocolate-brown mare, wearing beautiful robes of the Canterlot colours, gold, black, and white. Her pointed hat and utility belt covered with small sacks and runes indicated that she was a battle-mage.
After a moment, the memory clicked in Twilight's head.
"Seer Stone? What are you doing here?" Seer Stone had occasionally looked after Twilight for Celestia when she was too busy with political matters to teach Twilight. Twilight had learned many powerful self-defence spells from this mare over the years.
"What's it look like? Guarding!" Seer gave a good-natured laugh. "But, before we continue, I'm afraid I have to ask to see your seal. Celestia's orders."
Twilight nodded and stood back, and cast a shower of purple light above her head. The light arranged itself into an intricate pattern of swirling stars and tendrils of various colours, all circling around the purple star of her cutie-mark. It was her seal, which was a form of authentication among unicorn nobility, and was virtually irreplicable.
"Excellent! Now, if you would stand aside?" She asked the Praetorian. He wordlessly stepped to the side, revealing the door to the dungeon proper. As Twilight and Seer moved to enter, Twilight noticed that this Praetorian was a pegasus.
Once inside, Twilight looked around. It was barely a dungeon. It consisted of a single hallway, with a dozen cell doors at most on either side. It was even well-lit. What a weird dungeon, she thought.
"So Seer, can you tell me what in Equestria is going on?" Twilight asked hopefully as they walked down the stone hall.
"Heh. Let me guess; you've been galloping around the castle after Celestia gave you some vague orders, and you're tearing your mane out because you can't get any information from anypony." Seer knew her better than she thought.
"You don't know the half of it. So, a praetorian and a battle-mage? This must be more serious than I thought." Seer's cheer waned slightly.
"Indeed. Well, I'm afraid it wouldn't be my place to tell you, but you'll be relieved to hear that your journey has come to an end. Through that door is Doctor Straight Edge, who should be able to answer all your questions. Well... most of them, at least." Seer gestured to a simple wooden door at the end of the hall they were heading towards. "It's my understanding that you know him?"
Twilight nodded. Straight Edge was a family friend, her father's old university roommate. When she was a young filly, she loved his visits, as he always brought something fascinating from his lab. He was Twilight's first introduction to the fascinating world of science. In later years, he would give her his lab's private-subscription science journals about Equestria's cutting-edge theories in mathematics, physics, and alchemy.
"Good. There is a long journey ahead of us, Twilight, and we'll need all the friendship we can get. Though, I bet you already know all about that." Seer chuckled, poking fun at Twilight's moniker of "Princess of Friendship", though at this point, she was too wound up to care.
"Yes, of course. Just through this door?" They had come the the door at the end of the hall, and Twilight was practically shaking in anticipation. Seer nodded happily.
Yes. This is the dungeon-keeper's office and quarters. After the construction of the dungeon, it was mostly used for-" before she could get into a history lesson, Twilight pulled the door open as quickly as she could without breaking it and moved inside, closing it behind her. Seer chuckled again, enjoying making one of her students squirm again.
Inside, Twilight noticed nothing glaringly out of place. It was the size of a large living room, lightly furnished with a wooden desk and some chairs. One wall held two other doors, both closed, one with guards on either side. On the far end of the room was Straight Edge, looking at some objects atop a long table spanning the length of the wall. When he heard the door, he turned and gave her a bright smile.
"Twilight! How are you doing? I've been reading all about your amazing project. How has it been goin- eep!" In the middle of his sentence, he gave a yelp as Twilight magically pulled him across the room to nose-to-nose with his old friend.
"Greeting later. Explanations now."
Once she returned him his mobility, he gave a little shake, and returned to her gaze.
"Heh, still not one for small talk, eh? Can't say I blame you; this discovery can only be described as... world-shattering." Twilight found herself once again suppressing a growl.
"And this discovery is..." she prompted. Straight Edge's eyes widened.
"You weren't told? Well, I suppose that makes sense. I didn't find out until I got here, I figured you being a princess-"
"Edge!"
"Right, sorry."
With that he leaned in close and looked conspiratorially to either side, despite the guards and them being the only ones in the room, and gave her a sharp smile.
"Aliens."
Twilight cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, making sure she had heard correctly.
"Aliens?"
"Aliens."
Twilight stood there for several seconds, trying to grasp the idea.
"As in... extra-Equan aliens?"
"Yep. Those aliens." |
Through the Rabbit Hole | Chapter 4 - Getting in Deep | "Yes, this does appear to be of the utmost importance."
"Then I hope you and the others will forgive me for my abrupt departure. I only had Equestria's protection in mind."
Princesses Luna and Celestia stood alone in the sparse, minimalistic Canterlot war-room. The magical lighting and concrete floor gave the space a cold feel. Styled brass and iron furnishing furnished the room, harkening to an era long gone. A thin layer of dust lined most surfaces, attesting to the room's lack of use.
"As I said, I understand completely -- as will the others, I'm sure. If we are done here, sister, then I shall be off to Ponyville to secure Twilight's estate and inform the Elements of her absence." Princess Luna thought for a moment. "What do you suppose I should tell them, keeping the classified nature of this situation in mind?" Celestia grimaced and looked away.
"Tell them... that Twilight has been borrowed to administrate a top-secret national project. Tell them that she should be available to speak with them again within the week." Luna shared her sister's grimace, not relishing the idea of withholding information from those she considered her friends.
"And what shall I tell them when they demand to help with whatever problem they perceive us to have?" she asked with raised eyebrow. Celestia gave a grim chuckle.
"Say that Twilight is currently only assessing the situation, and that their assistance will be welcome once the problem, if any, has been identified." Luna reluctantly nodded and made for the door, before stopping and turning back.
"'Tia, you really are a natural leader."
Celestia laughed. "Thank you, but that's not what you said a millennium ago." A sly smile appeared on Luna's face.
"That is because a millennium ago, it wasn't true. Farewell, sister." Celestia shared in her sister's chuckle, nodding her salutations. As soon as Luna had gone, she sighed and turned to the centrepiece of the room, a large map of Equestria and the surrounding territories. Allowing herself some repose, she put her hooves up on the table and rested her head in them. This room had the ability to put the princess in a sombre mood. Around her were many memories -- bittersweet victories, painful losses. Antique metal figurines of armoured ponies clustered around painted illustrations of major cities on the map, representing the various garrisons around the kingdom.
Just as Celestia was starting to lose herself in her thoughts, a chill ran down her spine and she jerked up as a flash of light brightened the room for a moment. She kept her eyes forward as his voice slithered closer from behind.
"So this is where you've been hiding yourself lately, my dear. I can't say I blame you, though; had I your complexion, I'd try to keep out of the sun as well. A good room, this is -- reminds me of the good ol' days when ponies and gryphons would fight at the drop of a hat, just because they could. Though I can't say I'm impressed with the state of this place." Discord moved to lean on the war-map beside Celestia, running a claw across the dusty table and absent-mindedly rubbing them together. "I don't imagine the janitorial staff get this kind of access authority." Celestia turned to her former nemesis with a condemning frown.
"Would you care to explain yourself?" She stated simply. She knew very well reacting to his antics would only egg him on. He just looked at her with an expression of mock-confusion and replied,
"Whatever do you mean? It's not my job to dust your castle." She sighed. This is going to be a long week.
"Discord, if ever there was a time to forgo this banter, it's now," she said evenly, yet sternly. He rolled his eyes, but didn't interrupt. "You know very well what the problem is; you tampered somehow with Twilight's machine, and now we have a national security alert on our hooves."
"Oh, that. Look, if you're upset about your space-rock melting, I had nothing to do with that; all I did was turn your machine back on. But honestly, if you ask me, it was sort of asking for it."
"I'm not upset about the spa-" She paused and shut her eyes, exasperated. "Discord, why is there an alien in the Crystal Empire?" She willed herself to stay focused and on-topic.
"Well why didn't you just ask? You know, you have a really bad habit of beating around the bush. And why would you just assume I have any idea why the machine locked onto an advanced alien civilization's planet, teleporting one of them to the middle of the Northern Wastes, where it was found unconscious along with the mutilated body the resident prince? Seems to me like you're jumping to conclusions here." Discord crossed his arms and looked down at the princess smugly, while she simply glared at him in response. They stood there, opposing each other for several moments before Discord's façade fell, and he conceded. "Fine... I may have -- to use a technical term -- overcharged your teleporter to get it to grab something a little more interesting than a rock. But believe me when I say, I didn't plan this. You should know by now that 'plans' and I don't quite mix.
"And, might I add, I've only done what you of asked me a couple days ago. With quite beneficial results, too. Really, you should be thanking me." Celestia raised an eyebrow.
"Remind me, Discord, when exactly did I ask you to abduct an alien capable of hospitalizing one of the more powerful unicorns in the realm without a scratch to its own body?" She recalled the descriptions of the creature and Shining in the reports she had received. "And how do you figure that as 'beneficial'?" In response, Discord raised his mismatched arms, now tipped with hoof-puppets caricaturing the princess and avatar of chaos.
"Oh, Discord, I require your assistance! Could you please use your astounding creativity and superior critical thinking skills to make sure Twilight's poorly designed machine works?"
"Why, of course, my dear. It would be nothing for an ancient and powerful spirit such as myself. But what, may I ask, would I receive in return?"
"If you help us poor ponies, I will tell everypony how wonderful you are, and how everypony should love and idolize you!"
Celestia didn't know which was more disturbing: the creepy puppet of her, or that it spoke with a perfect imitation of her voice. She interjected before he could continue his little show.
"In actuality, I asked you to keep an eye out to make sure nothing went seriously wrong during the machine's operation. I told you in return, you would be benefitting your relationship with Twilight and the community at large for your positive deeds. Instead, you sent Twilight to her room in tears and indirectly caused her brother to be severely harmed." Celestia spoke harshly and authoritatively in an attempt to convey to him the gravity of his actions. Evidently, it worked. The impish smile fell from Discord's face, and was replaced a dark frown. His voice grew grim in his response.
"Like I said, I didn't plan any of this. I had no desire to see Twilight's work go to waste, and I certainly would never intentionally physically hurt a pony, so I would appreciate it if you would stop implying as much. But we're in this mess now; there's no easy way out of it. So, it might serve you well to remember that a little sadness now can lead to much happiness down the road." Celestia maintained eye contact with him for several seconds. She admitted to herself that he seemed genuinely remorseful for Twilight's pain, and did appear to only want the best outcome, if not the most comfortable one. "There -- and now that I've gotten real for a second, let me get 'unreal' again." Without warning, Discord began to rapidly inflate, before bursting into a cloud of rainbow confetti with a bang.
After quickly recovering from the surprise, Celestia scanned the room for her old adversary. She found him by the exit, now wearing a hat and a three-piece suit and holding a briefcase.
"If that's it then, my dear, I have some business to attend to."
"I still don't believe you."
"Well that's a first. Lay it on me," Discord smirked.
"You say you have no plans, but I think you have an idea of where you want this situation to go." Discord smiled and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Well... let's just say that if everything works out, everypony gets what they want; Twilight gets a new playmate, I get to sit back and watch the world proverbially soil its trousers from the revelation of life among the stars, and you"--Discord leaned in impossibly close from his position by the door--"you get the tactical advantage you've been looking for." In a flash, Discord teleported away before she could get a word in.
Alone once again, Celestia shook off the dark feeling she had and returned to forming her own plans for the future from within the lonely war-room.
<~.~.~</^\>~.~.~>
"...Aliens?"
"Twilight, my dear, I believe you are thinking yourself in circles." Straight Edge withdrew from Twilight and made his way toward the long table on the other end of the dungeon room, though she failed to notice. She simply stood there jarred, with an expression of bemusement upon her face.
Aliens. The word bounced about her head like a fly in a jar. As Twilight finally began to come back to her senses, she attempted to gather all her knowledge on the subject. To her chagrin, there wasn't much. The majority of what she knew of aliens came from science-fiction novels and comic books, neither of which she had spent a great deal of time with. Very few peer-reviewed scientific literature focused on them, with only brief, throwaway comments about speculative extra-equan life occasionally found in astronomy journals. This was mostly owing to the lack of understanding of things outside of Equus' domain, the highest atmospheric probes' altitude being around ten-thousand fathoms, via hot-air balloon.
As Twilight was contemplating, Straight Edge returned, a bundle of papers in the earth-pony's mouth. He offered them to her, and she blinked before levitating them over to read over.
"I sense you're experiencing some disbelief, and reasonably so. Though luckily, there's no need to take my word for it. This document should fill you in on the situation's details."
There were several pages' worth of information, but the first paragraph explained all she needed to know.
If you are reading this, then a possible extra-Equan threat has been identified and/or contained. You have been selected to assist in applicable tasks relevant to the assessment of this threat, including, but not limited to: observation, containment, recording, cataloguing, communication, etc.Your primary goal is to ensure the safety of Equestria and other nations of Equestria. Secondary goals are as stated: research
The rest of the document described different scenarios, and outlined the specific tasks of each member in more detail. It also included a list of personnel, but Twilight couldn't bring herself to read much further. Having an official document, bearing seal and signature of Princess Celestia, solidified the situation for her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but realized that the whole reason she was here was to get the answers.
What do they look like? Are they friendly? What are they doing on Equus? What do they know about magic? Do they have more advanced technology?
"I know," he said, commenting on her look of curiosity. "Quite alarming, as well. Did you notice anything... strange about those papers?" Edge asked curiously.
"Hmm? Anything strange?" Twilight withheld her endless questions and took another look at the document. After some scanning, it became obvious that its entire format was extremely generalised, using non-specific words, listing several vague scenarios.
"It... it looks very general. It doesn't seem to mention anything specifically, and several places had been left blank, and were filled in later with a typewriter." She noted where the secondary goals were listed, it simply said "research" in a bold type that was slightly misaligned with the rest of the text. "I suppose that means this was written in advance, in the event such a situation."
"Yes, quite intriguing that the Crown has any sort of procedure for "alien invasion", or whatever it is they think is going on. Notice anything else?" Twilight thought for a moment.
"It always refers to it as 'the extra-equan threat', as if it's just assuming they're hostile." Suddenly, Twilight's mind turned to her brother and his mysterious injury, and found the correlation she had been looking for. She gulped. "Did... Did anypony get hurt?" Straight Edge also looked troubled, though still calm.
"Wouldn't know. I've been down here since before the sun came up. Though, how long it's actually been, I can't say. Nopony thought to bring a watch, and I wasn't allowed to go get one. Apparently, we're under quarantine indefinitely. Makes sense, I suppose.
"Anyway, if you want to know more about what happened, talk to those two." He pointed towards the pair of guards by one of the doors. "They're the ones who brought in the artifacts." Twilight's ears perked up, and smile grew on Edge face. "I thought that might catch your interest."
"What exactly do you mean when you say 'artifacts'?" Twilight inquired.
"Objects that were recovered. Where from, I can't say, but that's not my job. However, I can say that the items we have in this room are easily the most amazing things I've seen in my long, illustrious career of looking at things, and will revolutionize the way ponies produce materials."
Twilight's imagination was once again aflutter with possibilities. If parts of alien technology were in their possession, then there was no telling what knowledge could be gained. She was practically drooling at her fantasy of unlocking new, intricate machines and powerful spells.
"I take that to mean you'd like to see them?" Edge gestured to the table and chuckled at his old friend's adorable look of starry-eyed wonder.
"Yesyesyesyesyesyes!" Twilight was a foal again as she pranced towards the table, her skin tingling with the adrenaline rush of being about to learn new things, multiplied exponentially by the thought that she would be among the first to uncover the knowledge of an alien race.
Twilight stopped at the table on the far end of the room and scanned its surface for secrets of the Universe. Instead, she found two things: an object, maybe ten hooves long and three hooves tall, hidden under a white sheet, and a metal cabinet with array of locked compartments of varying size. Twilight presumed the compartments had been used to store the belongings of the ponies being held in the dungeon.
"What's under the sheet?" Twilight asked wide-eyed, almost hungrily. She realized that she wasn't exactly acting princess-like, but she simply couldn't contain her excitement, her mind inventing images of fantastical machines utilizing science and magic beyond comprehension. However, her expression of unabashed wonder dropped when she turned back to Edge and saw his look of consternation.
"Heh, uh... yes, well, we'll get to that, but first there's something there's another fact you should know--and perhaps I should have opened with this," Twilight narrowed her eyes, trying to think of something more pressing than inspecting actual friggin' alien artifacts, "but we also have a live one," he said excitedly. Twilight cocked her head in confusion.
"A live what?"
"A live alien. It's unconscious in that room over there." Edge gestured to the guarded door.
Oh. An actual friggin' alien.
"A live al-What! B-But how is-Why do-do... Here?!" Twilight suddenly fell in hysterics and started babbling incomprehensibly. In her mind, several alarms were simultaneously going off: the wisdom of holding a potentially dangerous creature in the centre of a city; what said creature would do if it woke up; how it became unconscious in the first place; what its comrades would think if they found out, assuming they didn't already. This flood of worry rendered Twilight speechless.
"Woah, calm down, Twily. Everything's under control; the Battlemage put some fancy protection spell on that door, and has assured me that it's virtually impenetrable. There's nothing to worry about." Edge spoke in a calming voice to ease her.
"Nothing to worry about..." Twilight repeated, coming down from her state of panic, though she didn't sound convinced. Taking a final deep breath, she looked back to her friend and cautiously asked, "Edge, why is it unconscious? If some pony hurt it... well, to put it crassly, we could be screwed."
"Well, I'm afraid I don't know the specifics, but the scouts' field report from when they, ah... retrieved Shiny that--"
"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "Shiny and the alien were found together?" Edge nodded. "Do you think that the alien's the one who... did that to him?" Images of Shining's gruesome injury flashed in Twilight's mind, and her nerves were suddenly tingling from the idea of a being capable of inflicting such damage lying just in the room adjacent. Straight Edge sighed and moved back to the table with the cabinets. She could tell from his voice that he too was bothered.
"Look, Twilight... I've known you since you were in diapers, and you're probably the smartest pony I know--and I know a lot of smart ponies. I think making presumptions in this situation can only end badly.
"Still, once you get some time to read that briefing, you'll see that our mission is apparently to act as the first line of protection from any and all dangers that arise from containing an alien life form." He paused to unlock one of the metal compartments and pulled out an oddly-shaped object, perhaps three hooves in length. It was clearly mechanical, its bulky form coated with fine metal plating, but Twilight was unable discern its function. However, she found something about it vaguely familiar. "Of all these artifacts, this one's function is the most... striking." Twilight pondered what he meant by that, but was startled when he shifted a metal plate on the device and began to radiate an icey-blue light.
"Edge, what are you doing!" Twilight trusted Edge, but she couldn't help but be concerned when somepony starts messing with unknown machines.
"It's alright -- just watch," he said calmly. Edge held the device firmly in one wrist and pointed the end toward a slab of black stone propped against a wall on the other end of the room that she hadn't seen earlier, and briefly rose to his hind legs to use his other hoof to touch something else on the device. With an ear-grating electric scream, the blue glow discharged from the object in an apple-sized fireball and flashed across the room, impacting with the stone.
Twilight's head reared back in shock and her wings shot out involuntarily. In her stunned state, she suddenly realized why she had found the device familiar; it bore a superficial resemblance to a Gryphon hoof-cannon, a weapon capable of magiclessly accelerating a metal projectile that she had seen in a military intelligence report per Celestia's request -- to familiarize her with other facets of the Equestrian government, were her words. However, this was no measly lead pellet.
"Edge... what... in Tartarus... is that!" Twilight demanded after allowing her heart to calm.
"Like I said before, we shouldn't make any ill-informed assumptions, but I think it wouldn't be completely unreasonable to say that this is some form of weapon, or at the very least, an example of a technology that could very easily be adapted for offensive purposes. That slab"--he pointed to the black stone he had just shot--"is enchanted obsidian. We use it in the lab to test extremely high temperatures." Edge turned to Twilight and presented to her the device. "This little thing just beat the record for hottest lightning bolt ever generated in a lab," he said with a grim smile.
She took the device in her magic and stared at it. She imagined that ball of blue electricity slicing into her brother without leniency or pity -- yet part of her couldn't help but wonder at the beautifully intricate, yet simple mechanism she held, capable of generating tremendous power in such a small space, without even radiating excess magic like she would expect.
It must be incredibly well-shielded, she though. Or maybe it's so alien, I can't even recognise its magic.
Before either one could continue their conversation on their worrisome state of affairs, the door to the dungeon flew open.
"Alright, whatever's going on down here, it'd better be good; they're evacuating most of the castle staff, and I think the city's been put in lockdown." The doctor from the castle infirmary, Sharp Reflex, stepped into the room, her imposing presence instantly drawing attention to her. She still wore the same business outfit, minus the hard-hat, but now carried a pair of saddlebags and an ID card of some form.
"Ah, Doctor Sharp! Good of you to join us. I'm sure you'll find things are quite interesting down here; as it happens, an alien life-form has somehow found its way to Equus -- it's just in that room to your left. Right now, the princess and I were just looking over some of the recovered artifacts. While you're here, would you be so kind as to give our guest a medical examination? These fine gentlecolts refuse to give us access until you do." Edge somehow managed to spill the details their improbable circumstances to the doctor in a matter of seconds, what he and Twilight had been discussing for nearly half-an-hour, while keeping a totally straight face.
Twilight gave him a questioning look before turning back to Doctor Sharp. The mare's face shifted from confusion to disbelief, then back to confusion upon seeing the guards and the device still floating in Twilight's magic, before her face drained and was left with an expression of shock.
"So much for 'I'm not saying it's aliens'..." Twilight sighed.
"Well, I tried slowly dipping my hooves into the water with you; thought I might try cannonballing into the deep-end with her." Twilight chuckled
"You are such a scientist, Edge."
"That's what it says on my diploma."
Twilight blinked, and was suddenly confronted with Sharp's face, who had recovered from her trance and looking back and forth between the two and the device.
"Dear Celestia, you're not kidding, are you?" Her look of astonishment transformed into a smile so large, it could be described as maniacal. Twilight shook her head, and Edge responded by passing her the briefing papers. They waited for the new addition to their team scanned the first few pages.
"This is... quite overwhelming news," the doctor said as she dropped to her haunches. "And you say you need me to... examine a... live alien?" she had managed to calm down, but still sounded shaken, a stark contrast to her normal authoritative demeanour that Twilight had observed.
"Yes. The sooner, the better, as its health is unknown, but it's presumed unwell. It should still be unconscious, so shouldn't give much trouble. Though, if you need a moment..." Edge stated.
"No, that won't be necessary. It's just that, well, this is sort of my life's work."
"Your life's work?" Twilight inquired.
"Yes, I am one of Equestria's only published exobiology theorists. I've written several pieces on theoretical alien life for Equestria's Journal of Astronomy, and did my dissertation on how life might adapt on other planets."
"Oh yes, I've read those! They were quite insightful." Twilight recalled reading the articles a few years prior, and that they had been rather thought-provoking.
"Then as you might imagine, this is a big deal for me. I'm just glad I brought my equipment." She produced a stethoscope from her saddlebag and pranced toward the guarded door, but stopped and turned when Twilight called to her.
"Doctor Sharp, I would like to try communicating with the alien as soon as possible once you're done; try to make sure it is able," she said. If there was any chance of helping Shining, she would need answers fast, and the fastest source of information would be to find a way of speaking with their guest, if it was even willing to talk.
Sharp nodded. "I'll do my best, Your Highness." She turned back to the door, and the guards let her through and followed her in. Twilight could only see darkness on the other side before the door closed again.
"Feel free to try talking to it, Twilight, but according to the briefing, we've got a language guy coming in. Some fancy professeur from the Royal College of Trottingham across the sea," Edge said as Twilight made toward the nearest wall and had a seat. She sighed and closed her eyes, drained from exhaustion and frustration in equal measure.
"Good. I just need to try to talk with it myself now, or as soon as possible. Maybe it can already communicate if it's been observing us for any period of time, but I don't want to speculate right now."
"So I imagine you're not in the mood to look over the rest of the artifacts?" Edge said with a hint of disappointment. Twilight shook her head.
"Later. I certainly want to see them, and we can discuss their implications at length. But right now, I... I just need some time to think." Twilight managed a half-hearted smile. "I am about to talk with an alien, after all. Need to come up with some good questions."
Edge nodded. "I understand. Just try not to strain yourself too much. Oh, and you should really talk with those guards by the door; I think they're the ones who found and retrieved the alien and Shining, so they might have something to say about your brother." Twilight nodded, and Edge excused himself to find something useful to do.
Twilight sat there and began doing what she was good at; thinking. Surely, she could just consider this another problem, and find a solution that would make everything go back to normal. Right?
Oh, but this was no 'ordinary' problem. In the past, she had fought ancient evils and pacified old enemies. She and her friends had gone above and beyond what was expected of normal ponies and had come out on top (more or less) each time.
But this? This was different. For one, there was no immediate threat. In the past, most everything she had dealt with had clear consequence: Lord Tirek on a rampage trying to steal Equestria's magic and take over? Just combat him in a duel of magical might and rescue her friends. Discord running amok turning Equestria into his personal jungle-gym? Simply assemble the Elements of Harmony to re-petrify his ass. A mysterious space-alien with unknown capabilities arrives in the Crystal Empire? Her mind drew a blank.
Perhaps it would be best to march in that room and explain her desire friendship and try to make their species' first-(or at least second) contact a good one.
Or, perhaps it might not be.
Perhaps she should err on the side of caution and mobilize the military to prepare for further hostilities, if anything was to be inferred from her brother's encounter.
Or, perhaps she shouldn't.
The uncertainty of it all made Twilight's head hurt -- she did not enjoy having only options with unclear outcomes. That is why she wanted to quickly establish communication with this being; once its intentions were clear, so too would be her courses of action.
Then again, that might not be such a good thing; if the alien's comrades were lurking somewhere on or around Equus, then much damage could be done before either side could properly explain themselves. And, having one of them locked up in a dungeon didn't help matters.
Twilight opened her eyes and looked around. Everything seemed rather normal: the two guardstallions, one Crystal, one pegasus, with their familiar armour; the cobblestone walls and floor, while antiquated, Twilight was no stranger to; even Straight Edge, furiously scribbling something in a notebook, was a known value. But she knew better. Shining was half-dead in the hospital, an alien was unconscious in the next room, and there was no telling how Equestria and the world would take the news they they weren't alone in the Universe.
Not alone in the Universe.
For all the worrisome uncertainties that had just invited themselves into her life, Twilight couldn't help but feel satisfaction from that phrase.
The concept of stars actually being distant suns was relatively recent in the scientific community, merely a few decades since first postulated by the great astronomer Starry Eyes, famous for proving that the "mobile stars" under Luna's control were actually nearby bodies circling Equus. However, the notion of alien worlds captured the imaginations of ponies, regardless of the lack of proof for alien life, or even planets outside their 'system', as the term had been coined.
The new phenomenon of science-fiction was not taken seriously by the academic community, Twilight included, but she had occasionally partaken in some of the more well-received novels. She had particularly enjoyed one about a romance between an Equestrian mare and an alien stallion from the planet Kun. It was a bit silly, and spat in the face of the well-established formulae of romance stories, but she found something about the concept fascinating.
Also, it helped that whenever she and Rainbow Dash spent any time together, intermingled with her ramblings of Daring Do and her adventures were discussions of the latest book related to space exploration. Rainbow had become quite the sci-fi nerd, even dressing up as an 'astronaut', as the books called it. But if Twilight ever called Rainbow out on her apparent hypocrisy, she would respond with a vehement "Nuh-uh!"
The last thing Twilight thought after regaling herself with her friend's antics was the prayer for everything to turn out fine, when she heard the guarded door reopen, and looked up from her thoughts to see Sharp Reflex and the guards emerge, apparently unharmed. Twilight rose to greet her as the doctor came over, carrying what appeared to be a stack of fabric.
"Sorry for taking so long, Your Highness; I just thought I should take some sketches in case... in case the opportunity doesn't come up again." She indicated the notepad in her pocket.
Twilight stared blankly, still coming back to reality, the passage of time not quite hitting her. She silently cursed herself for not coming up with any helpful ideas. Before the silence became awkward, she responded.
"That's fine. How long has it been, exactly?" Twilight asked. She noticed the doctor was noticeably beaming, and an excited glint in her eyes. Her response was filled with enthusiasm.
"About an hour. And boy, was it the best hour my life. Its incredible! He's quite mammal-like, sharing many characteristics with some simian species from the tropics, but the skull structure is like nothing I've ever seen before. Most of his muscle seems to be concentrated in the hind legs, so I speculate they're adapted for endurance running, which makes sense, considering the teeth suggest omnivory.
"And the hands! I'm sure you know 'hand' is the anatomical term for the modified paw-structure of minotaurs specialized in grasping objects, but those don't hold a candle to what this creature has: long, multi-jointed digits; fully-articulating wrist; even a unique opposable digit on each one. I can't wait to see how he moves!" Doctor sharp was gushing about the fascinating aspects of their guest, but something struck Twilight as odd.
"What makes you say it's a 'he'?" she asked curiously.
"Well, if what I'm correct in assuming are a penis and testes are any indicator..." She smiled impishly as she watched Twilight blush and duck her ears in embarrassment. Edge also gave a chuckle from nearby, listening in.
"Yes, well, thank you for your observations, doctor... What are those?" Twilight pointed her hoof to the fabrics balanced on Sharp's back, eager to change the subject.
Sharp sighed and levitated the pile off her back to the table with the locked cabinets. "Those were the clothes the alien was wearing. There was quite a bit, as you can see, so I hope it's not considered rude for somepony else to take them off. I removed them to do a thorough examination, and to better facilitate heat-exchange, which brings me to some... concerning news; it seems his body is in some sort of hypothermic state -- shivering, low body-heat, coughing, apparent lack of strength. But, without knowing more about his physiology, there's little more I can do than guess as to how warm we should try to keep him. Prognosis? Could be on his deathbed, or he could be up and running in a couple days; there's just no way to know."
Twilight nodded grimly. She realized if she was going to do something, she should do it sooner rather than later.
"When can I try talking to him."
"Right now, if you want. He was awake during my examination, though he looked pretty out of it -- didn't really do much other than look at me, so we don't have to worry about him getting loose and eating us all just yet." She laughed at her dark humour. "Just don't do anything too strenuous or startling for him."
Twilight nodded again and started toward the door, but Sharp stopped her.
"Princess, I know we're not supposed to make any assumptions, but... when I was taking off his clothes and examining him, something about him seemed nervous, afraid. Princess, we can't know what this alien's intentions are, but I believe we should operate under the assumption that he has done nothing wrong, regardless of what has happened to Prince Shining."
Part of Twilight was still seething with vindictive rage about what happened to her brother, and now that it had a target, that part of her wished for pain to be inflicted upon it, and even considering letting it die. But Twilight's rational side (her biggest side) maintained that nopony was sure what exactly happened between Shining and the alien, and that their guest deserved the benefit of the doubt, at least until more evidence could be amassed.
"Agreed," she stated simply, and continued to the door, keeping in mind to have a chat with the guards. As she approached them, they came to attention, saluting to their princess. She set them at ease and began her inquiry. "Can you tell me about the condition you found the alien and my brother in?"
The light-orange pegasus answered, a certain twitchiness about him. "Yes, Ma'am. We were deployed to search for the missing prince after his hiking companions returned and reported him lost in the blizzard. We had been out for approximately two hours when we saw what we had assumed was a flare spell, but was the exact shade of blue as that device Doctor Edge fired off a while ago, so I suppose that means that...
"Uhm, anyway, we found them together under a slanted outcropping, huddled for warmth. The prince was unconscious with that awful burn, and the creature was barely able to keep its eyes open, it was so weak. We sent a messenger-pigeon for orders, and got back a message straight from Princess Cadence telling us to bring them both to the castle though a secret tunnel under the city. A medical team met us to take the prince away, and we brought the creature here, and have been standing guard at this door ever since."
Twilight nodded, processing the information. She still had nothing conclusive, but she optimistically decreased the likelihood of them dealing with a killing-machine.
"Thank you. And your names are?"
"Uh, this is Sergeant Steely Gaze, and I'm Corporal Flash Sentry. We've actually met before... twice."
"Really. Well, good work." Twilight didn't mean to be rude, but her focus was elsewhere at the moment -- specifically, right across the door she stood before.
"Told ya. You owe me twenty bits," she heard the other guard whisper to the orange one as they both moved to flank her.
Twilight paid them no mind as she began to open the door. Her horn tingled, sensing extremely powerful magic emanating from the wood, presumably the set of locking spells set by Seer Stone, her battlemage friend in the hallway. The enchantment let the guards and her through without issue, so she continued inwards.
The room was very dark, the only light coming from the open door and the soft, orange glow of a heating rune next to a bed -- more of a cot, really -- in the corner. The air smelled dry and was comfortingly warm compared to the chill of the rest of the dungeon. As the guards took their positions on either side of the door, Twilight took her first wary steps toward the cot.
Her back shivered as she began to hear the sounds coming from underneath a blanket covering a body on the cot. Slow, ragged breaths grew louder in her alert ears as she approached, and what sounded like a cough caused her to jump.
In her mind, all thought was frozen, her concentration solely devoted to getting to the cot without making any sudden movements that could startle the alien.
After what felt like an eternity, she made it to the side of the cot without inciting an interplanetary war. The light was dim, but there was enough to make some basic observation: the alien was smaller than she had imagined. She couldn't see it under the blanket, but the mound could have easily been mistaken for a small adult mare.
Well, don't put it off. This is why you wanted to come in here, she thought to herself, readying herself to attempt communication. She was about to become the first pony to try to talk with a being from another planet, possibly another star, or heck, even another plane of existence.
"Ahem." She tried clearing her throat. The breathing suddenly stopped, before starting up again, slightly faster. A small fold in the blanket near the head of the cot opened up, just barely revealing a set of little ice-blue eyes, pupils dilated in the low light.
"Hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to know if you can understand me." Twilight spoke softly, praying internally that High Equestrian sounded calming to its ears. The pair of eyes blinked, but gave no other response. "Would... Would it be okay if I tried a translation spell on us?"
No response.
Twilight was no expert in translation magic, but she had performed it successfully in the past and was confident she could do so again. The only question was whether it would work on an alien. Theoretically, it should, as the spell utilized the subject's own brain for the transfer of information, but any number of things could go wrong.
She decided to stick to her theory and give it a shot. Twilight's horn lit up as she began to weave the spell together. The alien's eyes widened in surprise, but she had to concentrate. Once the spell was complete, she began the casting process -- before things started to go wrong.
Her spell refused to bind properly to the alien, and it began to convulse and moan under the blanket. A stream of quasi-words began flooding her brain like cold, steel shrapnel. As quickly as possible, she severed the spell to end both their pain.
"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" she apologised hurriedly, ears bent. Her discomfort had been minor, having had experienced much worse backlash from failed spells. However, she couldn't tell how badly it had hurt the alien. When she looked into its eyes once more, they appeared more fatigued, but the look of pain had gone. Oh well.
They stared at each other awkwardly for several long moments, Twilight still only able to see its eyes within the blanket-cocoon. An occasional cough from the alien broke the silence. She broke eye-contact for a moment to glance around the room, and got an idea when she spied a writing desk through the darkness. She levitated over some paper and a pencil.
"Here; maybe if we can't talk, we can use pictures," she said cheerfully as she began to draw. Off the top of her head, she sketched images of the sun, the moon, her name in writing, and a smiling pony. She then floated the items over in front of the alien's little view hole and smiled encouragingly.
The eyes glared suspiciously at the hovering items, before the mound began to shift. From under the covers, two long protrusions reached out and plucked the pencil and paper from the air without resistance.
Twilight was a bit taken aback by the graspers; Sharp had mentioned they were different from minotaur 'hands', but she hadn't imagined just how different. Instead of bulky, single-jointed pads with a slightly rotated 'thumb' (if she remembered the word correctly), this creature's digits were slim, had three joints, and a thumb that could abduct a whole ninety degrees. Each digit also had some sort of reflective plate on their dorsal side, but she couldn't make out their detail.
Part of her shivered at the grotesque, boney, spider-like appendages, while another considered them them most fascinating thing she had ever seen, and wanted to understand how they worked.
Twilight watched in fascination as the alien began to trace wide arcs and lines across the page with the pencil precisely gripped by its fingers, completely ignoring what she had drawn. She wondered what it was drawing, but before long, it withdrew the pencil and presented the paper to Twilight, who took it and squinted to examine it.
It looks like some sort of shield with -- ...oh. The alien had drawn a shield-shape with various stars. It was an inaccurate representation, but it was clear it was intended to be Shining Armor's cutie-mark. She looked back and saw the alien's questioning eyes probing her.
Suddenly, the room grew too warm for her liking, and the dry air caused her eyes to sting. Yeah, that was it.
She let the objects drop to the floor and swiftly made to exit the dungeon, desperate for some fresh air.
<~.~.~</^\>~.~.~>
"All I'm saying is, we never do anything fun anymore. Remember when we went to Manehattan Comic-Con?"
"The one where we got stuck playing tabletop role-playing games in a random mare's hotel room 'til three in the morning?"
"Yeah!"
"Ugh, don't remind me."
Bon Bon and Lyra were lounging in their livingroom, the fireplace chasing away the winter morning chill. Bon Bon sat on a cushion, half-reading a magazine and finishing her breakfast, while Lyra was sprawled upside-down on the couch, her mint-green mane touching the floor and hind legs dangling in the air.
"Besides, you know Hearth's Warming is the busiest time of year for us; we have to keep up with our holiday baking if we want to get in the green," Bon Bon reminded her friend.
"But maybe if--"
"No."
Lyra huffed, but didn't press further. They both returned to their idling, and everything was normal.
Beep
Bon Bon pricked her ears up. "Lyra, did you hear something?"
"Just the sound of Boooooring."
Beep
Bon Bon disregarded her friend and got up to trot upstairs. Once in her room, she threw open the closet and swiped a box of shoes away to reveal her case.
Beep
She pulled it out and watched as it pulsed with each beep that only she could hear. Bon Bon inserted her hoof into the lock and twisted to open it; inside was her various equipment from her old occupation, but more importantly, a special dragonfire cylinder that was the source of the beeping. She picked up the cylinder and opened it, revealing a roll of paper that was not there before she had last opened the case. This can't be good. She gulped.
The message read:
To: Special Agent Sweetie Drops
Fr: Comm. L.
Da: 12 of Whightwind, 1102 AF
Re: Condition-Red
Reactivation of Sp. Agent Sweetie Drops and Immediate Assignment
A condition-red as been issued to all personnel on account of chp. 23, sec. 4, sbsec. 9, Possible Extra-Equan Contact w/ Threat Component being engaged. Report to the Crystal Capital site for a full briefing.
Your assignment is to maintain Agency presence in the Crystal Empire for the duration of the condition-red. You are to monitor the local population's opinions on:
(a) The city's lockdown
(b) The information quarantine
(c) The state of Prince Shining Armor
(d) Any mention whatsoever of extra-equan activity
Your status will be recognised at the blockade gate on the train terminal and allowed admittance. Your stay is indefinite; pack accordingly.
Personal Addendum
I know your relationship with the Agency has been strained as of late, but this is bigger than any of that. I have the Crown breathing down my neck, so we really can't afford any of your shit right now. We were willing to look past the bugbear incident, and even your little information leak to your roommate, but it's far more important this time. Your actions will not only affect you and us, but will have consequences for our entire world.
You've made your wish for dismissal from the Agency clear, and we've been working on it. However, if you can pull of this little surveillance job without incident, I might be able to convince the Princess to let us jump some paperwork to cut you loose sooner.
Don't mess this up!
Commissioner Larch
Bon Bon had developed a rather nasty twitch in her left eye, and was quite sweaty all of a sudden.
Once she had herself composed, she called out loud enough to be heard from the floor below,
"Lyra? How does a vacation to the Crystal Empire sound?" |
Through the Rabbit Hole | Chapter 5 - Risen | Cold.
Cold was all Alex could feel. From skin to bone, the only discernable sensation was that of icey blood struggling through his veins.
His mind flickered every now and again with memories; his lab, speaking with someone, and suddenly feeling lost. He recalled a strange creature, and the desire to keep them both alive.
Then, darkness.
After some time, he managed to crawl his way into consciousness, only to find the countenance of another one of the creatures. In his reduced state, he lacked the faculty to object when the creature began removing his clothes and performed various actions.
After it left, he wavered to and from consciousness, his body demanding all his strength to correct whatever malady had befallen it.
Cold.
And yet, warmth.
Warmth, that had previously fled his body, eventually reversed course, starting to slam against the gates of his body, demanding entrance. Little by little, it began to seep in, bringing with it his lost strength and awareness.
He heard a door open and close -- the scraping of metal, the clopping of hooves on stone -- sound once again had meaning.
He felt a presence outside his personal bubble of warmth, and peeked out to observe. Before him appeared the figure of another creature, larger than the last. It made sounds that held the virtue of language, but he failed to infer its meaning.
Red light pierced the darkness as the creature's horn lit, and he began to feel pressure mounting against his head. In a moment, the pressure turned to pain, and caused him to forget how to think. The painful light lasted only a moment, but he had not yet remembered how to feel time.
The creature turned away to do something outside vision, exposing its side. He noticed through the once-more dim light an image of a star upon its side; it reminded him of the memory of the creature he had encountered in the snow, and how it was hurt because of him. Perhaps it was his delirious state, but he couldn't help but feel attached to that biblical beast, and felt sorry he had caused it injury.
At that moment, he vowed to see to the health and recovery of his strange friend, and should it be that it had not survived, he would make every effort to offer atonement in any way necessary.
His self-rightious fever was interrupted when he was presented with a paper and pencil. He intinctevly took them and drew the first thing in his mind, the creature from the snow. The purple one (colour once again had meaning) left abruptly, and he could only hope his message was was understood; he wasn't sure he did himself.
Time moved on, heat and strength slowly returned to his body, and his faculties switched back on one by one. Eventually, a thought entered his head; an ancient urge that had plagued every being since the dawn of time -- a thought that drove invention and toppled empires:
"I need to take a piss..."
<~.~.~</^\>~.~.~>
Twilight sighed as she observed the Crystal Capital from her vantage, slouched over a window of the grand crystal spire. The clock had marched well into the afternoon since her odd morning, and the earlier blizzard had calmed significantly. She had come up here from the dungeon to clear her head, but thoughts and worries still managed to cling; her world had been thoroughly shaken up, and it was only the first day.
The First Day.
The first day of what? The first day of the rest of time, she supposed. Things would never be as they were; for eons, this day would be remembered as the day the universe became unimaginably huge; as the day ponies, and all Equus' races, began thinking of things outside the context of Equus. Life existed elsewhere in the Universe, and it was within walking distance of her at that very moment! So many possibilities; magical and technological wonders beyond description, beautiful mathematical description of the Universe, new ideas and ways of thinking.
And it was her duty to make sure that all could happen. She would work harder than she had ever worked on anything before, in the effort of fostering peace and friendship between their two races.
As Twilight pondered how exactly she was meant to become friends with something she couldn't talk to, she heard a pony coming up behind her. She turned to see her old friend, Seer Stone.
"There you are, Twilight. I was sent to come find you -- you've been gone nearly an hour."
"Has it been that long already? Oh well, I suppose I'm ready to go back. I hope I didn't miss anything."
The two ponies began trotting back in the direction of the dungeon, the halls of the castle now devoid of staff and guests, and only the occasional guard. As they moved, Twilight was urged to ask the battlemage for her advice.
"Seer?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"What do you think I should do? About the alien, I mean." Twilight was a little embarrassed to be asking for advice; she was a princess, and it was her job to know what to do.
"Well, it's not my place to tell you how to do your job, but if you want my opinion, I would urge you to make every effort to find a peaceful route. I was still young during the Skirmishes of 1049; everypony was sure a war with the gryphons would break out. We were lucky that the gryphons' interests moved elsewhere -- let's try to have more than luck this time, hmm? Not that take you for much of a warmonger, Twilight. You were always pretty bad at those strategy games I had you play with me."
Twilight scoffed. "Yeah, because you always cheated."
"And that's why you'll never be a general." The pair shared a chuckle, and continued to the dungeon in silence.
Once they had descended the spiral staircase and came into the antechamber, Seer frowned.
"Strange... the Praetorian should be standing guard here."
"Maybe Princess Cadence summoned him?" Twilight wondered aloud, but gasped when she opened the door to the dungeon proper. At the end of the hall stood Edge and Doctor Sharp peeking through the door to their workroom. Twilight and Seer shared a look of concern, before breaking into full gallop down the hall.
"What happened?" Twilight demanded when she reached her colleagues. The two turned away from trying to spy through the ajar door to face her, their faces expressing a mix of shock and fear. Edge responded first.
"We've got a big problem -- apparently, the battle-mage's enchantments work for crap against aliens, 'cause it just opened the door without a hitch. You'd better get in there." Without hesitation, both Twilight and Seer charged their horns and threw the door open. They froze in surprise upon seeing the doorway across the room wide open, and filled with a tall, straight figure wrapped in a white blanket like some sort of pillar. Atop the body was a head she couldn't make heads nor tails of, but she immediately recognized the ice-blue eyes from earlier. The creature was more than twice the height of the guards currently leveling their weapons at it. The two scouts were shakily wielding spears, while the Praetorian brandished a sword between his teeth, calm as ever.
The alien itself was slightly leaning against the door frame, all its limbs hidden within its blanket. Its eyes were squinted from the room's bright light compared to what it had been adjusted to. If Twilight had to interpret its facial expression, she say it looked dazed and confused -- if it had any fear of the guards' weapons, she couldn't see it.
"Drop your weapons, now!" Twilight shouted. She wasn't about to have their first contact be initiated at spear-point. The praetorian immediately dropped his sword and pulled back; the guards took a few seconds to glance between each other, the alien, and Twilight, before backing away, though still keeping their spears crooked in their elbows.
The alien's piercing eyes were now fully open and locked on Twilight.
Well, it knows I'm in charge now, she thought to herself as Edge and Doctor Sharp slowly came to stand on either side of her, subconsciously agreeing that the safest place in the castle was as close to the alicorn and battle-mage as possible.
Silence ensued, both parties just staring at each other. Twilight took this time to notice that the alien was actually taller than the door frame, causing her to wonder how it had looked so small while lying on the cot earlier.
After what must have been several minutes of awkward silence, the alien made a sound like clearing one's throat, and proceeded to speak. Its voice was deep and raspy, and its words incomprehensible.
"ɪz... ðɛr ə ˈwɑˌʃrum hir aɪ kəd juz?"
Twilight gulped, "I'm sorry, we don't understand." She needed to remain calm and in control of the situation if things were to have any hope of succeeding. After some more silence, the alien suddenly began exhaling and swaying side to side, making Twilight afraid the giant creature was about to topple over. Instead, its flat face contorted into a grimace while continuing to breath heavily. She could only tilt her head in confusion.
Eventually, a limb tipped with the alien hand emerged from the blanket encasing the creature, causing the guards to tense up, but it only pointed urgently toward its covered midsection.
"aɪ ˈrɪli nid tə juz ðə ˈwɑˌʃrum raɪt naʊ."
"Uh, princess," Doctor Sharp whispered to Twilight, "I believe he is requesting to relieve himself..."
"Oh." Twilight realized that made sense, considering. She looked back to the alien and nodded, pointing toward another door in the room that Edge had informed her was a washroom. The alien nodded back and slowly began towards the door, the blanket dragging across the floor and hiding its legs, creating the illusion of it gliding across the room.
Suddenly, it stopped and swivelled its head around, landing on the pile of clothes that Sharp had removed from it earlier. It changed course and scooped the entire pile up with a long limb, before continuing to the washroom, and closing the door behind it.
"Do... you want us to..." one of the guards stuttered and gestured to the washroom door.
"No. Let's assume they value privacy as much as we do." Twilight said.
The entire team just stood still for a moment, trying not to think about what was going on behind that door as the sound of the toilet flushing and a shower starting could be heard. Edge was the first to speak up.
"Well, that just happened." He took a seat on the floor, pulled out his note book and began to write.
A nasty thought popped up in Twilight's head. "Um, Edge? Where does the plumbing lead to from that washroom?" She couldn't imagine what might happen if the alien's waste got out into the environment.
"Relax, I hooked all the outgoing water lines into a void-pipe as soon as I got here -- the quarantine orders were quite strict. The enchantment will last a few days," Edge said, though his mind was clearly on bigger things.
"Oh yes, I forgot you were a plumber."
"You're a plumber?" laughed Sharp.
"You laugh, but that apprenticeship paid for my degree."
Their banter died down as the sound of flowing water ceased and rustling noises could be heard from within the washroom. Everypony stood and readied themselves for their second encounter with their guest.
The door opened, and a veil of steam broke forth, slowly revealing the alien.
Twilight, now able to observe its figure clearly, began furiously taking in all she saw. The alien, now wearing the garments it had retrieved, was impressively tall -- upwards of fifteen hooves. Just like Doctor Sharp had mentioned, it was bipedal, but not in the manner of a minotaur; rather than a bulky, top-heavy frame built for high-speed charging, this creature was far more elegant in shape, apparently more suited for balance.
The alien's face was the most puzzling to Twilight; lacking a muzzle, it bore only a pair of modest lips, a small pointed nose, and two small, piercing eyes. The rest was a smooth, pale cream colour that, combined with the odd lack of feature, eerily reminded Twilight of a skull.
As Twilight and the others stared in awe, the alien began walking. Twilight instinctively stepped forward with intent to catch the alien when it began teetering precariously from its high vantage, but it managed to right itself, and let out a pained groan. With one hand grasping the wall and the other its head, it began shuffling its way back toward its room, closely shadowed by the guards.
Midway through its journey, it paused and looked up, observing its surroundings for the first time. Twilight was about to say something, when it frowned and changed course to the table of artifacts, surprising her with its speed.
Twilight tilted her head to figure out what it was doing, but her ears shot up in panic when she realized it had grasped the blue-fireball device. Her colleagues picked up on this as well, and began backing up as Twilight and Seer Stone charged their horns in preparation for a possible attack. The tension in the air had suddenly grown so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
If the alien could sense the fear of the ponies around it, it didn't show it. It simply held the device to inspect the device, then turned its head to regard the ponies with an odd expression. After a moment, the alien turned back to the device and prodded it somewhere with its finger producing a 'beep', then replaced the device on the table. The creature then casually made its way back toward its room, unphased by the pair of spearheads following inches from its neck as it reentered its room, leaving the door open.
Possible crisis averted, Twilight breathed a sigh of relieve and immediately cast her most powerful shield spell around the device, making a mental note to disallow ponies from leaving lethal alien weapons lying around.
"Oh, I bet he's hungry!" Doctor Sharp declared cheerfully and left for the staircase, as if she didn't notice that the alien could have reduce any one of them to pile of ash, should it have chosen to do so.
Your move, Twilight thought to herself. "Edge, watch that thing, and tell me if it does something weird." Edge nodded and seated himself beside the table, fixing his eyes to the device. She then turned and made to enter the alien's room, once again flanked by her guards. If the alien was awake, now would be the time to solidify its intentions.
Once inside, Twilight cast a lighting spell to gently illuminate the room. She found the alien back underneath the covers of its cot, again curled into a ball. Twilight felt quite anxious, forcing herself to carry on while she still had the nerve. She cleared her throat.
The alien's head emerged from the blanket to look at them. After a moment, it took in a deep breath and let out a guttural groan. It cast of the blanket and began a series of complex movements, from uncurling itself to standing. Twilight watched in amazement moved from the size of a pony to being over twice her height. The creature approached her, and stopped a good distance away as they observed each other.
Having a strange creature loom so high above her instilled a primal fear in her, a feeling that urged Twilight to flee. Pushing away such bestial thoughts, she took a deep breath and put on a smile befitting a politician. She levitated over a pair of cushions. Taking a seat on one, she gestured for the alien to do the same. It followed suite without much hesitation.
The two just looked at each other for several seconds, before Twilight decided it was time to speak. "Hello."
"Hheloo," the alien mimicked, struggling to form the word. Whether or not it understood, Twilight decided that she would need to start with a simpler concept than greeting -- perhaps names. Surely, the alien would understand names? She pointed to herself and said her name.
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Twelint Spel-ka." Close enough.
She then pointed to her guards, who quickly caught on.
"Steely Gaze."
"Flash Sentry."
The alien made its best attempt to pronounce their names, but did not make further action. Now let's see if it understands. He... Twilight corrected herself. She would have to recognize this being as a person if she was to make a good impression.
She pointed her hoof at the alien, hoping he knew what she was trying to do.
"ˈdɑktər æləgˈzændər ˈwivər," he replied without hesitation. Twilight smiled, confident he understood they were exchanging names. She attempted to repeat his complex name, with little success; it contained several foreign sounds not used in Equestrian.
Seeing her struggle with the name, he amended, "ˈæləks."
"Älak-çe?" The alien nodded, accepting her attempt. Twilight couldn't wait for that linguist to arrive.
She continued for a while to try and make some progress in deciphering the alien's intentions, but little was made.
After some time, Doctor Sharp returned, joining Twilight and the alien bearing two trays, one with several dishes of food and a jug of water, the other's contents hidden by a silver cover. She took a seat at Twilight's side and lowered the platters between them and the alien. Edge, not wanting to miss an opportunity to study their guest, observed safely from the door.
"The kitchen was abandoned, so I grabbed as many varieties of raw vegetables and fruit as possible, along with some grains and other plants. I made sure to only take unprocessed food, so he can better identify what it is. To drink, I just got water -- wouldn't want to start off our guest with Gryphon rum, would we?" Sharp smiled, quite pleased with herself.
"What's under the cover? Something for us, I hope," Edge said as he came to join the rest of the team.
"Tell you what, Doctor Edge, you can have our friend's left-overs." Edge made rolled his eyes and smiled.
"His name's Alek, by the way. Abbreviated, at least." Twilight informed the two ponies, hoping leaving off the difficult syllables wouldn't offend him. Sharp turned and smiled politely at Alex, and raised her foreleg as to shake his 'hoof'.
"Hello, Alek. My name is Doctor Sharp Reflex." He nodded, but stared blankly at her outstretched hoof, unsure what to do. "Like this," she said as she turned to Twilight, who took the doctor's hoof and shook it to demonstrate. The princess was interested to see what Alex would do.
Once again presented with her hoof, Alex hesitantly reached out and curled his spindly fingers into a ball to emulate a hoof and gently touched it to Sharp's. They held together for a moment before relaxing. She gave a light laugh and returned to the food platters. Twilight marvelled at how jovial Doctor Sharp was, in spite of the situation.
Alex leaned back in surprise when a bowl of vegetables was levitated in front of him. He eyed the offering suspiciously, clearly reluctant to eat it.
"Don't worry. It's just food," Sharp said encouragingly, and demonstrated by levitating a salad leaf into her mouth. Alex nodded, but was still glaring at the food. He poked at the hovering dish, muttering something in his alien language.
"I think it doesn't like your magic, Sharp," Straight Edge commented.
"I think you're right," she agreed, lowering the plate to the ground. Alex gingerly gripped the bowl between his thumb and middle fingers. Apparently feeling nothing amiss, he raised it again and sniffed its contents.
Twilight noted his aversion to Doctor Sharp's magic. She would have to look into that at a later time; now, she was intently observing Alex manipulate the bowl and food with amazing dexterity, inspecting the various vegetables, cautiously nibbling them, and either eating or returning them once judged. All the while, Sharp filled page after page of her notebook, presumably on what Alex did and did not consume.
After nearly half an hour of this slow, piece-by-piece inspection and consumption of the food, Alex had finally completed the first platter, leaving only the hay, the dessert flowers, and some assorted grains and seeds.
"Heh, he left all the good stuff. Can I have his flowers?" Edge said.
"Of course. Just wait for our guest to finish," Doctor Sharp responded as she uncovered the second platter. Twilight felt her stomach twist when the smell of cooked meat filled the room.
"Doctor Sharp, what is that?" she asked while trying not to breath through her nose.
"An experiment. I brought two legs of poultry, one raw and one cooked. Let's see what he does.
"You know, on second thought, you can have the flowers," Edge said, earning a sly smile from Sharp.
When Alex saw the meat, he raised an eyebrow at the ponies, before grasping the cooked leg by the bone. He picked a small strand of flesh off and tasted it. Deciding it was to his liking, he placed it between his teeth (that Twilight could now see were quite sharp) and sheared off half the meat with quick jerk of his long neck.
As he proceeded to systematically excorticate flesh from bone, Twilight couldn't help but feel uneasy, but not for fear of this creature trying to eat her; she felt confident in her and her guards' ability to keep him under control. Her concern was that the only other politically-relevant species on Equus that regularly ate meat was the Gryphons. Throughout history, there was nary an instance when there wasn't some tension between Ponies and Gryphons, not to mention the dozen-or-so wars they had throughout history. Even now, the fragments of the Old Gryphon Empire were riled up by Equestria's vassalization of the city-state of Griffonstone, their old capital.
This history of bad blood was usually put up to them being predators, that herbivores and carnivores simply couldn't coexist peacefully. Twilight didn't know if this was true, but she truly hoped it wasn't at this moment; a race of super-advanced, warmongering aliens could prove problematic.
Finished his meal, Alex put the cleaned bone with the rest of the uneaten food, then proceeded to lean back on his arms to observe the ponies. Sharp gathered the dishes and moved them off to the side.
"Fascinating. He barely even looked at the uncooked meat. Even a Gryphon would eat it out of politeness." She said.
"Either way, I hope you don't expect us to take turns feeding him." Edge said, wearily glancing at the bone. Sharp walked over to the platters to pick them up, and responded,
"Don't worry, I don't want him eating anything without my supervision. I'll be keeping a close eye on his diet; it won't do to have us accidentally poison him. I going to go put these dishes in a secure container -- would you please monitor him for any adverse reactions?" Twilight nodded as the doctor exited the room with the dishes.
"Well, I suppose that means it's my turn..." Edge was out the door before Twilight could ask, but she inferred he had something for Alex. She now found herself alone facing the alien, her guards standing aside. In his sitting position, with his long legs folded together, he was still slightly taller that her.
Twilight, not wanting it to become awkward, moved closer to Alex. He straightened his torso upon her movement.
"Hello."
"Hello."
His pronunciation had gotten better. Perhaps they wouldn't even need a linguist, she pondered.
She looked up as he scooted closer, gazing intently down at her. The guards bristled, but Twilight gestured that it was alright.
With his hand, the alien extended a finger and tapped it to the top of his head several times. Twilight cocked her head, not understanding what Alex was doing. Seeing her confusion, he instead pointed to her horn, then continuing with a series of incomprehensible gestures and speech.
"Oh, my horn?" she asked, tapping the cranial protrusion.
"Myahoirne?"
"Horn."
"Hoirne.... hoirn... horn." Alex repeated the word until his pronunciation was down.
"Yes, horn." Twilight got the feeling that she was going to enjoy teaching this being all about ponies. She continued to speak, despite knowing he couldn't understand, "It's how unicorns focus their magic -- like this..." She demonstrated by grabbing a quill from nearby desk and twirled it effortlessly in front of her. She knew it was silly, but it was difficult for her not to be proud of her magic, especially since Alex seemed to be rather interested. His eyes were wide as he observed the floating quill, and even bent down onto his hands to look at it from beneath.
Slowly, Alex reached a hand towards the quill, gently feeling the magic aura around it -- receiving no harm, he grasped the object and plucked it from the air. Twilight was a little surprised by how easily he took the quill from her grasp, but was more interested in his curiosity to her magic, now closely examining the object, as if he had never seen such a thing before.
During this exchange, the door opened, Edge returning. He carried with him a box, along with his notebook. Joining them, he set his items on the floor.
"Likes quills, does he?" he commented, Alex still scrutinizing the instrument. "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like a turn with our new friend."
"Of course, Edge. What did you want?" Twilight nodded.
"Well, I had hoped to give you a full briefing on the recovered artifacts before involving the alien, but this thing is just too interesting to wait." He opened the box and produced a small, black object. Twilight frowned.
"You really think that's a good idea? Especially after the last incident..."
"I think the alien has proven he has no malicious intentions by not trying to attack us when he had the opportunity. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" he said with a grin.
"Oh, I don't know, the aliens could come and exterminate all life on Equus? We could all be enslaved and bred to be their pets? It's kind of subjective." Despite her dark humor, Twilight couldn't deny that she too wanted to see some of this alien race's technology in action. "Well, let's give it a shot," she sighed, levitating the object up.
Upon inspection, it was a small rectangle about the size of her hoof, one side glossy black, the other a smooth grey. Apparently made of metal and glass, she could make out no distinct features that might suggest a function. Taking notice to the ponies, Alex ceased his fiddling with the quill to see what they were doing.
"Here's the interesting part," Edge said as he tapped a spot on the glossy side, depressing a previously unnoticed button. Almost immediately, a luminous image appeared on the glass -- a rectangle, partially filled in red on one side. Instantly captivated by the image, Twilight bent in close to eye the hovering object.
"Oh, that's amazing! It's some sort of picture-display? I wonder how it-" Before she could finish her thought, the rectangle was swiped from her magic hold by Alex next to her; his intense glare at the piece of metal, accompanied by growling something in his tongue, indicated that something was not to his pleasure. He began turning the object over, looking at it from all angles for something.
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked him, hoping the context of the question would be enough. His alien eye moved back and forth between her and the object, as if contemplating whether to answer or keep examining the device. Finally, he pressed the same hidden button Edge had, and presented the same resulting image to the ponies, leaving them equally as clueless as before. "I'm sorry, that doesn't mean anything to us," she said shaking her head.
"It's probably a symbol indicating something. Maybe it's a scanning device," Edge though aloud.
"Whatever it means, Alek doesn't seem to like it." Alex twitched at the mention of his name, then picked the quill back up and mimicked a writing motion. Twilight, inferring his desire to draw an explanation, levitated over some paper and passed it to him. He started running lines with the quill, but sighed when he noticed no ink was being dispensed, the well dry. Twilight started to bring over an ink pot, but stopped when she noticed him set the quill down and pull a little black stick out one of the many pockets covering his garments.
"You didn't check the pockets?" she raised an eyebrow at her comrade.
"Uhh..." Edge blanched, realizing his oversight -- small mistakes like that could easily prove costly, should things take a turn for the worse.
Their attention moved back the Alex as he touched the stick to the paper, producing sharp lines as it moved. Every so often, he would flip the stick upside-down and rub a pearly-white nub on an unwanted line, erasing it.
"Ah. Just a pencil, then. No need to panic," he chuckled sheepishly. Twilight sighed, making another mental note to compile a list of safety practices for her team, before looking back to the series of drawings Alex had just completed. The ponies looked over the paper:
The top half of the paper showed two bipedal stick-figure representations of what were presumably other members of the alien species, both holding rectangles. One stick-figure had a speech bubble (containing illegible alien text), and an arrow led from the bubble to the other stick figure's rectangle, which displayed identical text. Next to this was a scene of the figures doing the same only while standing on opposite ends of a circle covered in random shapes. Twilight took this to represent a planet.
The bottom of the page showed a more detailed sketch of the rectangle, including the symbol it had displayed earlier. An arrow to the right pointed to the next scene, a dark cloud and a lightning bolt striking the rectangle, and a depiction of the red-filled section of the symbol progressively growing until full. Another arrow pointed to a final scene, one of the rectangular device displaying considerably more symbols.
"So... it's a communication device? It looks like the little aliens are talking through it..."
"I think so. Look -- I think that's a planet; can that thing work over any distance?"
"That would be truly marvellous."
"Down here... it's that symbol again. Is it... being hit by lightning?"
"That might make sense. Lightning possess large amounts of energy; they might use electrical energy to power their technology. And here, the little bar is gets bigger, like it's filling up."
"That would explain the total lack of magic aura I've felt from Alek and the devices! Could it be that they don't use magic as a primary power source? But I can't even imagine how a modern civilization could exist without utilizing it..."
The two academic ponies exchanged thoughts as they interpreted the (rather crudely drawn) diagrams, and Alex went back to grumbling at the device, now presumed to be some form of communicator. After some time, a knock at the door was heard, and Seer Stone's voice called,
"Your Highness, we have some ponies here to be briefed. And from the sound of things in there, just in time, too."
Twilight sighed and excused herself to get up from her spot next to this alien enigma of hers to head out, praying that their language expert had arrived. In her absence, Edge moved closer to Alex and pointed to his alien writing instrument,
"Say, could I have a look at that?"
"Edge, can you make sure to wrap things up with our friend here? I want us to get settled in here for the night before it gets too late -- we've got a long day tomorrow." Edge nodded absently as Alex showed off the latest and greatest in alien graphite technology. Her mood today had been more fluctuant than a mare ten months pregnant; the day's events would have reduced the most stalwart of ponies to blabbering fools. Despite this, Twilight was feeling great anticipation and giddiness for a bright future.
"How in Tartarus did you make the lead that thin?!" Twilight shut the door behind her to silence Edge sudden outburst, and prepared to meet her new guests.
<~.~.~</^\>~.~.~>
Rats scurried around floating piles of accumulated refuse; the dark, malodorous sewer they called their home was well suited to them. Knee-deep sewage flowed down the tunnel, collecting the Crystal Capital's waste for disposal. It was dirty work to maintain, but such systems staved off pestilence, allowing the early Crystal Empire to flourish. And, well built as they were, rarely required maintenance, eliminating the need for monitoring. After all, why would somepony want to be there in the first place?
Hoofsteps splashed and rats scattered. By light of rune, a masked figure trudged north through the cesspool; if the atrocious stench bothered him, it did not show. He had travelled like this for hours, and would be travelling for hours still before reaching his destination.
The Crystal Castle. |
Through the Rabbit Hole | Interlude - Alex's Notes | Journal Entry 1
Date and Time Unknown
If anyone is reading this, then I, Doctor Alexander Gabriel Weaver, am likely dead. This journal will be a collection of my experiences regarding this predicament I find myself in -- namely, the fact that I appear to have been transported to a different world. This should not surprise anyone reading this.
I currently recall little of the hours leading up to and following my arrival, though certain details persist. I recall cold and snow, possibly some sort of tundra, as well as not being able to recognise the sky (though this might have been the result of stress or shock). However, I distinctly remember firing upon and maiming what I had believed to be a wolf, but was in fact a quadrupedal creature I did not recognise. It wore cold-weather clothing and had a horn on its head. The rest of the encounter escapes me, though I do recall it speaking in an unrecognisable language. Normally, I would again attribute this to shock, but my current experiences prove that unlikely.
Several hours ago, I awoke in a small stone room, and discovered myself to be in the "care" of a group of creatures like the one I recall harming, presumably having found us in the snow and treating my (thankfully minor) case of hypothermia. They express language and emotion, fully displaying sapient behaviours -- one in particular appears to be in a role of leadership. In the time I have spent interacting with them, only further questions have been generated, owing to this frustrating -- though equally fascinating -- language barrier (see external writings for language organiser). I have set myself a goal to learn this language if at all possible, so as to hopefully learn more about this place, and how I might get back. So far, I have mostly been able to communicate through body-language and contextual speech, and am fairly confident that I have learned a small number of words in their language.
As for the creatures themselves, I have taken to referring to them as 'ponies' due to their diminutive stature (usually less than a metre in height) and their resemblance to said animal, though the taxonomists might beg to differ. Ponies seem to display a wide range of exotic hair pigments (dye?), as well as horns, wings, both, or neither. It is unclear whether these represent sexual morphism, some other biological distinction, or perhaps separate species entirely. They also bear different symbols on their 'flanks', presumably some form of identification or distinction. However, these details are eclipsed by the most inexplicable phenomenon I have witnessed here, or anywhere for that matter: the leader pony displayed to me the ability to levitate and move objects with a fine degree of control, as if by magic. My current hypotheses involve either localised, high-power electromagnetism or gravity manipulation, but such forces being produced biologically is baffling. I will describe this phenomenon further in my research notes once I've had a chance to examine it further.
The ponies also seem interested in studying me: they have attempted several times to communicate and learn about me. They even brought in my phone and had me attempt to explain it pictographically. I would have simply shown them its function; however, the battery has inexplicably died. The phone is quite old (nearly a decade), but has never had any issues such as this before; this leads me to believe either being exposed to the cold somehow caused the old lithium cells to die, or that the same process that brought me here also caused the battery to discharge. There is no physical damage visible.
Otherwise, the ponies have yet to show aggression or cause me harm, and have endevoured to keep me comfortable. They even brought a variety of food for me to eat, while one pony recorded my choosings. The foods brought were palatable enough, if quite alien, and my digestive system currently shows no signs of rejection, now several hours later. I would like to have run tests on the food, but given that I lack even the most basic of equipment (there is a clock, though it runs on the ponies' time-system), I will have to set aside caution for my survival. Hopefully, the my and the ponies' microbiomes and immune systems are sufficiently different so that we pose no microbial threat to each other.
Interestingly, I have seen no evidence of any technology more advanced than common clockwork: my guards carry only spears and swords with bronze armour, they use candles for illumination, and seem to use quills and inkwells for writing. I will avoid making conclusions until I've seen more of this world, but if this sample is representative of this civilization's level of material advancement, then I have found myself in the interesting position of technological superiority. Considering the implications, perhaps it would be wise to withhold my knowledge to avoid contaminating the ponies' culture. On the other hand, it gives me the option to 'buy' my security with technology. Since I will be here for the foreseeable future, perhaps I should seek patronage from their government.
Given all this, I must prioritize learning all I can about the ponies and this world. I do not even know if I am on another planet, in some sort of unknown part of Earth, or a different realm of existence entirely. The different sky and moon, as well as the apparent laws of physics remaining (withholding the earlier mentioned levitation phenomenon), lead me to believe that I am still in the known universe, likely on an alien planet.
Personal Thoughts:
Well fuck me, I guess. This is what I get for doing over-time. Should have just stayed home. Now I'm probably going to die here, wherever to hell I am, being experimented on by magical alien horse-things.
Though, it's not all bad I suppose. I'll finally have some peace and quiet. Maybe I'll write book.
I haven't found anything about that pony I shot out in the snow yet, but I've only been awake here for a day. I'll try to find out more once I get out of this room. Unless this is a jail cell, and I'm being held for harming one of them. In which case, I'd better get on with learning their language to see what they want from me. The honourable thing to do would be to take whatever punishment they think I deserve. Here's hoping that pony isn't dead, and the evidence is on my side. And I suppose even if they do kill me, at least I'll have accomplished something -- first person to be convicted of murder by aliens.
In all seriousness though, I'm going try to remain positive; this is a golden opportunity to fulfill my boyhood dreams of exploring other worlds and new life. If I can successfully integrate with the ponies, there will be so much I can learn -- their "magic" abilities alone suggest new science in nearly every field. And the ponies have only been trying to communicate with me so far, so hopefully they think they same way about me. I wonder if I can convince them that I'm a god?
Either way, aggressive or not, there is much work to be done, so I'll get on with it and stop wasting time writing shit nobody will ever read.
If any human actually is reading this, then I suppose I will have to ask you to relay my last will and testament to the relevant authorities:
Give my beloved piano to my brother, Joshua Weaver or any of his descendants. He was always jealous of that thing, the bastard.
Liquidate my assets and distribute it among my remaining family members. If I have no remaining family members, use it to throw a party for the Queen's University physics department.
Destroy all my computers' hard drives. All my work-related files should be on a government server.
There is a letter in my safe; if she is still alive, give it to Carly Reynolds nee McKay. Otherwise, burn it.
This paper will list and describe the creatures I have come to call 'ponies'. Despite having learned some of their names, I have assigned them unique identifications by combining their fur colour with an aspect of their flank markings, as I have not yet decided on how to transliterate the sounds of the ponies' language. Each entry is also tagged with the pony's apparent occupation.
White Shield (Royalty?):
White fur, blue mane; Marking - six-pointed star over a blue shield; Horn; Personality traits unknown; Health status unknown
Purple Star (Leader):
Lavender fur, dark purple mane with pink stripe section; Marking - pink, six-pointed star overtop smaller white star, surrounded by five even smaller white stars (possibly related somehow to White Shield?); Wings and horn; Actively expresses curiosity towards me; Has been active in attempting to establish communication; Has a pretty smile Seems to enjoy his or her time studying me.
Brown Slide-Rule(?) (Researcher 1):
Light brown fur, dark grey mane; Marking - what appears to be a slide-rule or similar device; No wings or horn; Positive personality; Interested in my possessions, particularly the mechanical ones.
Grey Scalpel (Researcher 2):
Light grey fur, light blue mane; Marking - likely a scalpel; Horn; Calm and authoritative attitude; In charge of my diet and health.
Crystal Eye (Guard 1):
Unique crystalline fur, light blue in colour; Marking - a pony eye; No wings or horn; Neutral attitude.
Orange Shield (Guard 2):
Orange fur, deep blue mane; Marking - lighting bolt over top blue shield; Wings; Seems untrusting of me; Behaves nervously around Purple Star; Pointed a spear at me several times.
Silent Armour (Guard 3):
Fur, mane, and marking obscured by full-body armour; Wings; Silent and intense demeanor.
Guard 4:
Only observed once; Unable to recall details due to tense contact. |
Harmony: Equestria at War | pre | "And for this shotgun, you can hold on to it. Keep it as a memory." Eclipse handed the shotgun to the father and took the rifles back.
"And Lannister, you are more than welcome to 'compensate' our lost of your brother in the Alpha team, if you wish so. I'm sure General Shining would approve as long as I give the word. That is, if you want to. Feel free to find me if you want to." Eclipse told Lannister before taking off once again and flew to the distant sky.
"May Striker's spirit guide your path." The father said with a sigh. |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 4 - To Kill an Empire | Back at Cloudsdale at the Wonderbolts, the sun had already shown its full self at the set side of the sky. He once again returned to his office, set down his rifle on the rack and continued on his paper work. He hadn't slept for the entire night, but he was already used to skipping sleeping hours.
A nice, appetising set of breakfast was delivered to his office by some workers. A platter with 2 scrambled eggs, some lettuce, some bacon, baked beans and toast with a cup of freshly brewed vanilla latte coffee. He continued reading the seemingly unending pile of papers as he ate his scrumptious breakfast. "Insufficient Weather Control Units in Northern Regions of Equestria", "Rainbow Production Stalls Due to Lack of Resources" and more of the news about parts in the Wonderbolts which Eclipse treated as "non-urgent". How could he possibly spend time to care about a few days of rain and snow out of control when there is a bloody civil war going on out there?
As he read the last piece of report, it was already almost near mid-day. The cup of coffee surely did keep Eclipse awake, but then fatigue was starting to kick in and he felt exhausted. He decided to have a little nap in the small room right next to his office area.
He walked towards the left doorway right next to him and gently pushed the curtains that covered the room to the side as he entered. There wasn't much there, but some typical stuff you see in a barrack, a bed, a safe, an end table.
He lied down on the bed without pulling up the blankets to cover himself. He placed his hooves behind his neck and stared blankly at the ceiling, only to find that he was exhausted, but not sleepy at all.
"Shouldn't have drank that latte, now I can't even fall asleep..." He groaned. He tried to close his eyes and not to think about anything. If he couldn't fall asleep, at least take a break from all that happened since yesterday. Flinging around with a helicopter about to crash, shooting rebels that dared to invade this land, and the final sight of his late friend.
However, the thoughts on the killing had only ended up haunting him. As pictures of brutal kills and injuries, bodies that were torn to pieces, pools and rivers of blood flashed through his mind, he couldn't help but to open his eyes again to stop the horrifying images from replaying in his mind. Only a true savage beast would kill without feelings, and Eclipse was certain he wasn't one, or else he wouldn't be haunted by the images of the enemies he killed.
Quite some time had passed as he lied down there, half awake. He took a look at the clock on the wall, barely passed 1 pm. He got back up as he heard his mobile phone rang and vibrated on his desk. He got up to see a call from someone.
"Hello?"
"Captain Eclipse, it's me, Lannister! General Shining Armor said that I suit more in the Wonderbolts than the Royal Guard today as I've talked with him this morning, so he reassigned me to your unit, and if you don't mind, I will join immediately!" A familiar voice came from the speaker.
"That's great! Hope to see you soon then!"
And out of his expectations, by "soon", it was only seconds after the call ended that Lannister knocked on the office door, in a full battle attire reporting for duty.
"Wow, you're fast. And by fast, that means you can join me over in the Security Conference later to talk about retaking Baltimare from the griffons. Up for the task?"
"Always a pleasure, sir."
4pm, the time had come for the Conference to begin. Eclipse and Lannister flew to Canterlot to attend the meeting. By the time they entered the room, everyone was already there.
"So, what's the latest update out there?" Eclipse asked right as he approached the table.
"Those griffons retreated from Manehatten after yesterday's assault gathered up with another battalion as reinforcements. The battalion is leaded by one of their most elite lieutenants, codenamed "Granite". An ex-terrorist and an expert of weapons." One of the Sergeants reported.
"Chance of success? I can't afford to lose more colts out there in the field for no good reason. We'll also need to settle the refugees in this war." Eclipse asked, worried that the same tragedy yesterday would happen again."
"Send them to the Shadow Realm for now. With luck, they should be safe and the Realm wouldn't be attacked." Shadestep suggested.
"Sounds like a 1 versus 1 battle for me. As long as we take down this Granite, dealing with those griffons should be just like shooting a fish in a barrel. I'll take the Special Force with me, the Shadow Realm colts can help with evacuation."
"Sounds good, on paper. Are you really sure what you are doing? This guy is no joke."
"I hope so. As long as nothing super-natural happens, it should be easy." Eclipse's eyes showed determination and might.
Nightfall slowly pushed the last bit of twilight of the horizon, as Eclipse sat in the conference room, all alone. He was still planning on the assault
of Baltimare for tomorrow. According to the intelligence they had on their hooves, the amount of resistance they would expect to encounter was so high that there would be no way to take the city back with just the Special Force. One would be overwhelmed instantly if they were to mindlessly jump into battle.
A straight 48 hours without sleep and with a big operation planning, Eclipse could feel fatigue building up within him. His eye lid and head started to feel heavy, and his body felt weak. He finished up the last bits of details in the unit deployment for tomorrow's battle, and leant on the table and soon drifted to sleep.
The sun had risen after a couple of hours. The entire Special Force had armed themselves and prepared for the fight today. A soldier had entered the conference room and found Eclipse inside the room, still asleep. He wasn't sure whether to wake him up or not. The time of the attack had come, but their commander was still taking his rest.
"Umm, sir... It's time..." The soldier spoke softly, and Eclipse opened his eyes. Rising his head, he looked at the soldier that interrupted his rest. He did a nice stretch and got up from his seat.
"Give me a cup of vanilla latte and we'll be ready." Eclipse said as he headed to the armoury for preparation.
As he headed out the armoury with his assault gears equipped, a soldier held a cup of his favourite coffee and passed it to him. Eclipse thanked the soldier and gulped down the cup of coffee, before hopping onto the chopper and towards a new mission.
"Alright now fillies and colts, listen well if you want to go home alive. Those damn griffons out there are their best of the best, their elites. And you are all here for this reason. You are the best of the best among this team. Do not engage them head on, move quickly and hit them by the sides. Hit and run, and you'll do fine." Once again the doors opened as Eclipse finished his briefing. The team hopped out of the chopper and into the white clouds.
It was more intense than the last operation. As they fell through the clouds, there were already facing enemy anti air weapons. Everyone twisted and turned to avoid getting shot, while returning fire towards the ground. A few was injured while evade enemy attack, but most of them made it.
They were going with the hit and run tactic, as they approach their enemies, they would fire and pick off a few of their infantries. When the enemies stopped proceeding, and return fire, the team would fly off and evade their attacks. This would hopefully damage the enemy, while keeping themselves out of harm's way.
This time, their attack pattern seemed to be more effective than before, as enemy casualties slowly and gradually increases, they started to lose ground. Eclipse, even as the commander, stood ground with his team and breached through the enemy frontline. With his previous experience as a leader from the last operation, he knew better about his duty, and utilised the team's power effectively.
"Spread out! We've got to find Granite! He's gotta be somewhere around! And don't shoot! We need that bastard alive!" Eclipse commanded. They tried to interrogate a few of the enemy soldiers for any useable intelligence, but they all refused to even make a sound, which means the team was pretty much on their own.
Eclipse flew up to get a better view and to cover more ground as he scanned around for Granite. He tried to look for their target while keeping an eye out for enemy activities. Some members in the team had already disarmed some of the anti air weapons upon their assault.
The enemies they encountered were less than they expected, too less. The streets were too quiet, and there were almost no griffons in sight. Feared that there might be an ambush, Eclipse warned the team about possible hazards lurking around. Just as he reached the coastline of Baltimare, a white and orange figure popped up into the air right in front of Eclipse. The figure moved quite fast, and Eclipse could see nothing but a blur of the figure.
The figure dashed straight towards Eclipse, as he fired his gun towards Eclipse. Eclipse dodged the figure, and could catch a glimpse of that white and orange figure. It was a griffon, with a Kevlar vest and his claws and legs covered in war paint and tattoos. Typical terrorist figure. That was definitely Granite.
"I found him! I found him!" Eclipse yelled through the radio, informing the team to assist. Eclipse knew he need to capture him alive, so he sheathed his rifle and go melee. Granite stopped in mid air and made an 180 degree turn to face Eclipse again. By the look of it, he was wielding a revolver, a big revolver, most likely a .44 magnum.
"Who in Equestria would wield a huge revolver in the air?" Eclipse said to himself in his mind. The griffon made another dash towards Eclipse and emptied the entire cylinder towards Eclipse. Eclipse was flying in an arc, and all the high caliber bullets landed onto Eclipse's artificial wing. Just as he approached Eclipse, he stretched out his claw and carved a cut right onto Eclipse's left eye lid. The cut wasn't very deep, as his eye was unharmed, but his eye lid was almost split straight into two pieces and bled like crazy. He quickly slipped six bullets in the cylinder and slapped the cylinder back in the gun.
"This guy ain't half bad. Good aim, quick claws." He muttered as he wiped off the blood on his eye with his front leg. Now with his white fur stained with a dab of his own red liquid, He decided to finally strike back and return to sender. He smacked Granite right in his beak with his hoof and grabbed his revolver, pulled it towards him, and gave am a slap in the face. Granite lost sense of direction and plummeted towards the ground. Eclipse flew under Granite and muffled his fall, and rolled onto the ground softly.
The team had arrived at their position and surrounded the griffon. As Granite slowly stood back up again, he found himself pointed with tens, maybe even hundreds of firearms.
"No more... I... surrender, don't shoot... I yield..." Granite coughed as he struggled to get the words out. He rose his claws in the air.
Eclipse signalled the team to lower their weapons, and the team obeyed. They have absolute trust in their commander after all their previous mission. Eclipse trotted towards Granite with his revolver pointing straight at him, and Granite found himself staring straight down the barrel of his own gun.
"Knee down, claws behind you head." Eclipse commanded, and Granite followed. A soldier ran forward and secured him and bonded his claws together with cuffs.
"Yield? For a griffon like you? I thought they were supposed to stay absolutely loyal to their Empire." The revolver's barrel touched Granite's forehead. Granite didn't react at all.
"Damn, you're calm."
"If I were you, I would take the team and get the hell outta here right now. Reinforcements are on their way, and they would surely overwhelm you."
"How could I trust you? Like, look at you, used to be the most dangerous and wanted figure in Griffonstone and Equestria, with the power to tip the world out of balance?"
"Look, I drove those bastards off to but you all some time. If I didn't do that, you'd be dead by now."
Eclipse took the revolver of his head and unloaded it. "We'll talk when we get back, your claw is too damn sharp." Eclipse ordered the team to head back to base as he bandaged his eye with a first aid kit.
"Oh and you, you're going on the same chopper with me."
As they sent in a few choppers for extraction, Eclipse and Granite boarded the same little bird chopper. Granite's claws was still bonded with cuffs, but at least he could move freely without a gun on his head.
"I still don't get it, why would you choose to betray your Empire, as far as I know, you griffons never surrender to their enemies."
"The Emperor, I hate him to the guts. He is a tyrant, and he deserves to die!"
"I thought you griffons serve your Emperor to the dead."
"I used to. When I was young, I was already blessed with the gift of a fast learner. The Emperor that time wasn't exact the best, but he was still good. The current Emperor, Krossair the Terrible, used to be just a member in the Griffonstone Congress. As a warrior in glory, he reached out to me. 'This deal will generate billions for our cause. Money can buy a lot of things, even power. We will make Griffonstone great again, my friend.'"
"Since then, I became a power for hire, spreading terror and violence across Griffonstone. As long as money was involved, I'd do it. It made me rich, and money grants me power. But power corrupts, and I had soon realised my mistake. It was then, I met the one that changed my life, Obsidian. Her fur was dark as Ebony, and we soon found ourselves in love with each other. She showed me that what I was doing was wrong."
"By the time I met her, Krossair had already became the King of Griffonstone, as I had murdered the previous Emperor of Griffonstone with a bullet to his head. He fulfilled his promise of promoting me as a general and the commander of the Griffonstone Royal Agents. I had a pretty good life there in the palace, but she didn't come live with me that time to avoid rumours, especially from Krossair. Then, Krossair did something I would never imagine. He slowly transformed into a tyrant, exploiting his power for his own benefit and entertainment. He spent lots of money on antiques and poaching, and even went insane enough to send orders and called in the female griffons for his enjoyment!"
"He promised me to let me pick a few for myself, and so I thought Obsidian should be safe, as long as I pick her. By that time I already doubt his role as an Emperor, due to his arrogance and bossiness. Just as I wanted to pick Obsidian for myself and protect her from his cruel 'enjoyment', he claimed Obsidian for himself because he thought she was attractive, and threatened to kill me if I don't obey him!"
"She went through so much pain and torture, had her virginity brutally taken away, not by the one she wanted, but a tyrant that did so purely for his entertainment and pleasure! I tried to secretly save her from the palace's dungeon, but I was discovered and compromised. I was lucky that those soldiers that found me were my loyalists, that absolutely obeys my orders and trusted me. None of us disclosed anything to Krossair, but he eventually found out Obsidian was gone. He was very mad, and killed almost all my loyalists!"
"Only me and a few of my surviving fellows decided to go rogue and put an end to this toxic tyrant of Griffonstone. I tried to assassinate Krossair myself, but feared that I wouldn't survive to see Obsidian again. She might have escaped, but Griffonstone was still in chaos under his control. The last I heard of her was that she was hiding in the eastern border of Equestria, specifically in Baltimare. Krossair took the opportunity of the Siege of Crystal Mountains by the Crystal Empire and ordered me to plan an invasion towards eastern Equestria, and so I sent troops to all three of the major cities, while I went to Baltimare to look for Obsidian... I was a soldier of the Griffons, not a taker of innocent lives... Krossair, that mad griffon, deserves to die and burn in hell..."
Eclipse stalled upon listening Granite's story, and he felt sorry for taunting at him upon Granite's yield. He sniffed, it sounded like his nose was runny and clogged.
"Right... Sorry about that..."
"That's why I decided to yield. I know that although I can't kill that bastard by myself, you can. I hoped that upon a joint operation with Equestria, I can relief Griffonstone and her citizens from his tyranny, save Obsidian, and let me be the me before I met Krossair..."
"Then you found the right guy then. We can provide what you need, as long as you prove loyal to the correct side. A majority of citizens in Equestria might not respect griffons at all, but if this alliance succeeded, I am pretty sure they will change their tone for sure."
"Look, if I were to kill you all, you would be stranded in Baltimare and probably be dead by now already. I want Krossair in the same stage as much as all of you do right now. Moreover, you can kill me anytime you like if you think I'm working shady. I have all of the Griffonstone Army and Royal Agents' intelligence that you can make use of."
"Let's get started, then." Eclipse got the cuffs off Granite, and gave him his magnum revolver back to him.
*************************************************************************************
Back at Canterlot once again, Eclipse brought Granite into the conference room inside the castle. Everyone was shocked that Eclipse brought back a griffon, a dread enemy that they longed to eliminate.
"Eclipse? What in Equestria do you think you are doing bringing a griffon back here? You do know they are the invaders that you were supposed to kill, not befriend with, right?" Shining Armour asked, as he turned his head from his papers to Eclipse and Granite.
"Alright you all. Calm down. I know what you are all thinking. We are supposed to be eliminating those invaders, not befriending them. And that's why he is here. This is Granite."
Everyone gasped. The elite soldier of the Griffonstone Army, in this room?
"Look, it's a very long story to explain about why he is here, but he's here, and he's on our side to stop the damn griffons. He has all the intelligence and information we need, and we would need him if we want to take down the damn griffons and turn them to our favour."
"How can we tell he's helping us?"
"If it wasn't him, we wouldn't return here in the first place."
"Alright then, what kind of idea do you have?"
Granite approached the table and took a copy of the Equestria map.
"Krossair, the King of Griffonstone, is now leading an army out in the sea. He has a luxurious command vessel out in the sea which he waits for report. If we can stall the ship, infiltrate that place and bust right in his room, he would be dead in no time."
"So how many soldiers should we take? Like, it's a stealth mission, we aren't gonna go in armed to the teeth."
"That place is a damn labyrinth, and full of guards. The only place without guards would be inside Krossair's room. A lot of sentries and armed crews on the deck, and a full radar scan capable of detecting threats in a really damn big radius. We can stall the ship by screwing with the control room, which I can send someone to get it done. I'll pretend to hold you as a captive and this should grant us access straight to Krossair's room. Right after we enter, we seal off the deal right away, and send in fleets to surround the ships. Once they are engaged in combat, we strike them from the inside, and effectively take them down. Since Krossair appointed me as the second-in-charge and had that written in a parchment, I would rightfully be in charge of Griffonstone after Krossair's death. Before we kill that bastard, however, I would like to ask that bastard where Obsidian went."
"I'll take Staff Sergeant Sky Lannister with me to the operation, which would also pretend to be a captive. After we kill that bastard, the Navy would mop up and attack the griffon fleet. Whatever happens afterwards, we'll just improvise."
"Sounds good for me. I'll get ready, and when you are ready, we'll kick this off."
*************************************************************************************
Eclipse armed himself with light gear, a sub-machine gun, a pistol and a combat knife should be all he needed on a ship. Sky Lannister also prepared for his first operation not as a Royal Guard, but a Wonderbolt. They approached the landing pad and met up with Granite.
"Alright, I'll tie you two up with strings. I'll leave a piece of string for you to pull once we're in, but remember - wait for my signal before you do anything. I still need that bastard alive to know where he sent Obsidian."
They nodded to show that they are ready, and Granite helped them board the chopper. The Navy fleet were already on their way towards the command vessel. Granite put on the earpiece as he started the chopper up and flew towards the vessel.
Once the Navy was in position, Granite landed onto the vessel. To cover his act, he tossed Eclipse and Lannister onto the floor and let them stand up themselves.
Eclipse's bandage was already removed, revealing a scar on his eyelid. They walked towards Krossair's room, right behind Granite.
"Avoid eye contact with those bastards." Granite instructed.
So they looked away. The deck looked shiny and new under the moonlight, indicating the luxurious Emperor's greed. Upon entering the ship, it was literally a maze, as they went through countless twist and turns, ascended and descended floors upon floors.
"Granite, are we there yet?" Sky Lannister asked impatiently.
"Just keep walking, Sky. Patience." Eclipse stopped Lannister.
"Alright, this is it. Here's Krossair's room, just around the corner. You guys better get ready."
"Wait. You hear that? Let's wait a bit first, at least there aren't guards here." Eclipse suggested.
"Your call, then." Granite agreed.
They neared the room and listened closely. Two voices could be clearly heard, a male one and a female one. It sounded like the male was laughing in a dominant voice, with the female voice was crying and pleading, along with screams and moans. The male on was most likely Krossair.
Granite seemed to look very worried among hearing the voices from the room. His eyes were wide open, and his eyelids are twitching.
"What is it Granite? Anything wrong?" Lannister asked.
"This can't be happening. That male voice is Krossair for damn sure, but the female voice..."
"The female voice... Could it be?" Eclipse asked.
"One way to find out." Granite said, with a little rage within his voice, "Stick with the plan. I'll take care of the bastard."
He knocked on the door calmly, waiting for a response, while his other claw already gripped his magnum revolver tightly.
"I said don't bother me! Get lost!" Krossair yelled from his room.
"Kross, it's Grand. I got something for you." Granite responded.
"Oh, it's you Grand. Sorry about that, come on in." Upon his response, Granite nodded at Eclipse and Lannister. They both grabbed onto the loose string and readied themselves for the fight.
Granite opened the wooden door and breathed in deeply. The three walked inside the luxurious room, and Eclipse could see Granite's claw shivered.
Granite stalled upon seeing Krossair. An ebony black griffon was lying down on the bed, sobbing and panting, while a dark brown griffon, with a red cape on his body and jewelled rings on his claws, got up from the bed and turned towards Granite.
"What is it Grand? Two ponies tied up on my ship?"
"I captured these two bastards back at Baltimare, those muppets didn't stand a chance. I was about to execute them there, but I reckon you would want to do it yourself. Victory is ours, Kross."
"Oh, nicely done, Grand. I knew I can count on you. Come on, bring me my gold-plated desert eagle and my best wine in stock. Equestria is now ours!"
Granite walked towards a wood-plated shelf and opened the shelf doors. He took the two items and turned towards Krossair. He loaded Krossair's pistol and out of Krossair's expectation, points the gun at Krossair.
"Come on, Grand, what is this? A joke?"
"Look, Kross. Time to end this little game. I though I could trust you, and bring me all I want, but all you did is taking thousands of innocent lives, and you abused my girlfriend! Eclipse, Sky, do it!"
Upon Granite's instruction, Eclipse and Lannister pulled the loose string in their hooves and freed themselves from the bonds, and simultaneously pulled their SMGs out from their back. All in a sudden, with 3 guns pointing at Krossair, the King knew that he was doomed. He stood still and raised his claws.
"Should we shoot him?" Lannister asked Granite, without moving his vision away from Krossair.
"Nah, I still have stuff planned for this son of a gun. I would like to drag him back, if I can."
"Signal the Navy, and I'll take care of this bastard. What about that griffon on the bed?"
" Oh shoot, I forgot about it!"
Granite ran towards the bed and gave Krossair a bloody nose, and went to check on the griffon. With a scream, he exclaimed,
"Guys! It's Obsidian! I found her!"
He almost panicked upon seeing the griffon's condition: Multiple wounds and bruises on her back, it's certain that she's being violated and abused by Krossair. He picked her and held her on his back with his wing. Eclipse tied Krossair with the ropes they had with them and did the same.
"Lannister, take point. We'll be right behind you!" Eclipse ordered, as he took Krossair's gold-plated pistol and armed it.
They waited for a response from the Navy for engagement. Once the Navy had confirmed that they had started the assault towards the griffon fleets, they busted out of the door and proceeded towards the deck of the vessel.
Krossair tried to struggle and get rid of his bondage, but Eclipse just set him down and shoved a syringe full of anaesthesia fluids right on his neck, and sent the King to sleep.
Once they proceeded away from Krossair's room, the whole vessel's alarm was set off, and there were red lights flashing all around them. Apparently the griffons had discovered their intentions and sent warning all over the ship.
"Damn it, enemy reinforcements are on their way here. Get ready!" Granite warned the two ponies as he pulled out his trusty .44 magnum with a spin and took cover.
Eclipse raised his awareness and held tight on his pistol, while Lannister observed for enemy activities vigilantly. It was silent, not even footsteps could be heard. All of them found themselves holding their breathe and listening carefully for anything unusual.
"Here they come!" Lannister yelled as swarms of griffon soldier ran towards them with P90s. He returned fire as those soldiers started firing their weapons. The three backed off and retreated into a side corridor leading to a barred door. It wouldn't save them, but it could at least buy them sometime.
Lannister struggled to keep the griffons from approaching their position. One UMP just can't fight twenty all by its own. Eclipse set the King down and provided support fire for Lannister. Granite also set Obsidian down and helped taking down the incoming forces.
"They just keep coming! We can't do this all day!" Lannister yelled, as he slipped back into the corridor to dodge the crazy spraying from the griffons.
"Holy crap, so many damn bullets fly towards me!" Lannister exclaimed, as he almost got shot.
"Throw a damn grenade then!" Eclipse yelled back.
"I didn't bring one!"
"Me neither! Bollocks!"
"Smoke? Flash? Decoy?"
"Negative! Nothing!"
"Bloody hell!"
As the two yelled at each other, they could hear an explosion outside along with griffons screaming. Granite tried to peek from the corner, but
the smoke was too thick to be seen.
"Grand! You there? Let's get outta here!" A voice yelled from down the corridor.
"Malachite! Is that you? It's so good to see you again!" Granite answered.
"Yes it's me! They'll keep coming, let's move!" The voice instructed.
Lannister was about to shoot at the griffons out down the corridor, but Granite pushed his rifle down. "Check your fire, friendlies!"
"Ponies? What did you plan to do with ponies on this ship?"
"No time to explain, get us outta here first!" Granite met up with a few griffons out there. They were his loyalists that he had be mentioning before, by the look of it.
"More of them on the deck! Just stay behind us!" One of the griffons said. He was the one talking a while ago. He has green feathers, hence the name Malachite.
"Alright! Lead on, then." Granite responded with a nod, and picked Obsidian up again. Eclipse and Lannister also followed Granite and hung behind the team. They wasn't exactly sure wether those griffons could be trusted, but they had came this far, and they didn't have a choice either.
They returned to the top floor from where they came. Even inside the ship, they could hear gunfire and missiles exploding outside, along with the raging sea.
"We're too exposed. If we just run outside like this, we'll be shot for damn sure." Malachite said, as he landed his claws on the door.
"Let me do it. My wing is a shield, we can bust out as long as you stay behind me!" Eclipse said, as he set the King down once again and stretched out his wing, and drew his pistol.
Malachite hesitated for a moment, before giving way for Eclipse to go first. Eclipse released the seal on the door and took a deep breathe. He turned his head and looked behind him, roughly 10 members in the team total, including himself and Lannister. Everyone nodded to show that they are ready to strike, and Eclipse bucked the door open.
He turned his wing towards the opened deck and ducked down, staying as low as possible. The team behind him pushed forward behind Eclipse's cover. Some of the griffons on the deck turned from resisting the Equestria Navy to fire at Eclipse's improvised team.
One of the griffon in the team picked Krossair up and hung back in the team. Eclipse was struggling to move forward due to the amount of fire he was taking. Granite, being one of the most elite soldier, knew he needed to assist Eclipse. He passed Obsidian to one of the griffons and took an M4 from his teammate.
With all the enemy in sight neutralised, Malachite reported, "Deck clear!"
A few choppers arrived at the command vessel not long after. Eclipse dropped Krossair on the chopper and Obsidian was loaded on too. Eclipse, Lannister and Granite hopped on the chopper, and signalled the team to get on too.
"Negative. We'll help your fellow soldier to mop up. You guys head back to report in first, with Krossair taken care of, the rest of Griffonstone's soldier would soon loose heart and Granite would be in charge."
"Oh and you, that white pony, thank you for helping today. Griffonstone will be in your debt. I am Malachite, Senior Lieutenant of the Griffonstone Royal Agents and a friend of Grand. It's very nice to meet you."
"Name's Eclipse. Head-Commander of the Wonderbolts and the Field-Commander of this war. Nice to meet you, Malachite. It's good to have you on our side."
"The invasion was all Krossair's idea. With him now no longer in charge, we are more than willing to assist you and your fellow soldier in the war. You have done us a great service for Griffonstone, and we will be forever thankful."
"It's nothing. I look forward to defend our homeland with you, Malachite. I'll see you back in Equestria." Eclipse smiled, and before he left, he got back down from the chopper and gave Malachite an abrazo, which he gladly accepted.
"Hey! My girlfriend is dying! Can't you make it quick?" Granite roared at Eclipse.
"Oh, crap. Sorry! Let's move!"He apologised as he jumped back onto the chopper.
"So, you own an Empire now, Grand. What would you do now?"
"My heart belongs to the battlefield and the badlands. I would nominate someone that is capable of ruling an Empire, and never make my mistake again." |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 5 - New Faces | Granite returned to Canterlot with Krossair in bond, while Eclipse went back to Cloudsdale to take a rest. It's been quite some time since Eclipse had a good night of sleep, either way. Back on his bed in his office, he lied down, and quickly drifted to sleep.
While Krossair was locked up and waiting to be tried for his crimes, Granite rushed Obsidian to the medics, hoping to save her from the brim of death. Krossair was too brutal, and Obsidian couldn't take it.
Obsidian was resting in the same hospital as Captain Windspear was, and Granite had no place to stay in Equestria, so he called the Wonderbolts barracks home for the time being. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to stay for him, but at least he didn't need to camp out in the wilderness.
The Shadow Realm and Griffonstone may have supported Equestria's defence, but this wouldn't apply for every single tribe. They were just lucky to have 2 allies on their side. With over 20 tribes out there planning to overrun the nation, they would need more allies.
The Equestrian forces had control of the eastern border and the centre area, with northern and southern areas under constant attack by various enemy forces. Their best bet would be controlling the western area, and hopefully finding some allies to assist them in the war.
Since they had little to no knowing about the undiscovered west, their best bet would be Eclipse, the one that had actually been there. Back at Canterlot once again, a conference was held regarding the undercover western region of Equestria.
"By the look of it, that place is most likely wilderness. There are small towns and villages around the coastline, with not-so advanced technology. I doubt that we could find much use there." Eclipse reported.
"Rumour has it that there are creatures and abominations there. You sure you haven't seen anything strange there?"
"Speaking of abominations, there are actually some, as far as I know. There was a mare I saw back then in an inn. She is a white mare, with both horns and wings. And I saw bat ponies there, I wonder if those bat ponies' attack are actually originated from that place."
"Horn and wings? You mean alicorns? Like Us?" Celestia asked.
"Kind of, but I doubt that. Considering that born-alicorns are rare, and trained-alicorns even rarer, I would say they just look like alicorns, but are just some kind of abomination of unicorns and pegasus."
"I've heard of that. Those are most likely the forbidden alicorns, ponies that looked like alicorns, but do necessarily contain a legitimate alicorn's power. Essentially just a unicorn with wings. Mostly, they have power equivalent to a typical unicorn, but some can reach higher level, although not as much as a true alicorn."
"Sounds promising. No matter what they are, if they could help us in this war, then it's worth a try for negotiation. "
"Tread carefully, we don't know what else is out there."
With that, Eclipse left the castle and on his way towards the west again. Granite, as a part in the United Equestrian Forces, decided to follow him. Since Equestria's previous greatest threat - the griffons were dealt with, they would have plenty of time to plan before retaking the other regions of Equestria.
The western region of Equestria was covered by jungles and dark forests, covering a majority of the land. With that, proceeding there with aircrafts wouldn't be a wise idea. Instead, Eclipse and Granite drove a jeep there.
Traveling on land, it took way more time to arrive there than by air. Crossing mountains upon mountains, through plateaus and basins. It would take at least two days to arrive there.
It was actually Granite's idea. They could have chosen to fly to the borders of the undiscovered area, and then travel with a jeep. Apparently he thought that a jeep ride of adventure was a good idea, and it actually was. Both Eclipse and Granite found themselves enjoying the adventure and treated it as a remedy.
"I don't know, I think I started to feel better after all this madness going on previously."
"I guess I can finally accept the fact that the Alpha team is gone for good. They were good soldiers, and they deserves eternal peace in their afterlife. How about you? Still having trouble forgiving your past?"
"Krossair is tried and would soon be put to an execution, that's a good thing. Think about it, if I didn't have the greed and hunger for power, fame and wealth, Griffonstone would not be plunged into chaos, those in Manehatten and Baltimare wouldn't have to die, and Obsidian wouldn't have to go through all of this."
"The damage had be done, this is a fact. My brother taught me that, if we just let our past act as shackles and incapacitate ourselves, the world wouldn't become a better place. It's about how we move forward to the future. It doesn't matter what damage we have caused anymore, how we're going to fix this is what it matters the most. I used to be a beast, nothing more than a puppet of the dark magic that was controlling me. I destroyed a lot, but now, I let it go, and I now serve this land with all the gifted power I have."
"That day, the invasion of the Crystal Mountains, it was Krossair's idea, and I supported his plan. The Shadow Realm was there first, but we decided to strike, and masked the truth that the Shadow Realm was the true invaders. That time, I knew that there was an armoury with high end weaponry in the base from the documents in the office there."
"I knew that if we were to conquer this place, and all of Griffonstone, I would need something powerful enough to devastate everything. I didn't actually planned to harm anyone in this place, I would just hold a missile for ransom, but then like 10 of them showed up. I was outnumbered, and they were actively hunting for me. I had no choice but to fight back. I wanted to minimise the casualties, but they were so damn hostile, so I had no choice but to kill them. One was so damn tough, I gave him a few slashes, and he was bleeding like crazy. He wasn't going down, so I put a few more shots on him with my magnum."
"Is he wielding a 12-gauge?"
"Not sure, but he was wilding a shotgun, and he looked like Lannister somehow."
Eclipse sighed. He just focused on driving again and stayed silent.
"I'm sorry." Granite apologised.
"Don't tell Lannister. I'm alright. I've seen enough life and death. Lannister used to be just a Royal Guard. He hasn't been in the battlefield for long. If he knows that you killed his brother, I don't know what he would do. You might as well worry about Obsidian."
"I don't know mate, with her current situation, I fear that she wouldn't make it..."
"She'll make it. I can see it. When this war is over, I would chop a mountain retreat for you in Shadow Realm, and I guess you could finally live the
life you were longing to live."
"Heh. That is if we don't lose the war."
"Come on. With us, how would we lose?"
Two days seemed like forever on road, but they had made it. From that point, no map to guide them, but Eclipse's previous memory that was leading them through the wilderness.
They stopped at the inn Eclipse stayed during his escape that day. Eclipse headed in the inn again, while Granite followed after he parked the jeep for Eclipse.
Eclipse headed for the bar table, just like the day that day. It was the same bartender, same wine, same setting. It was like living that day all over again. The two sat down on the stool and ordered some drinks.
"Oh it's you sir! Haven't got a chance to say goodbye with you that day. I haven't even asked what you name is." The bartender started. He was a mare, with a red ribbon on her mane. A cup of beer as her cutie mark, and her fur was the colour of apple grunt.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry that I left so rushed that day. My name is Eclipse, and this is my friend Granite. You are?"
"AppleAle."
"Nice to meet you, Ale. Actually, I return today with a reason. I was wondering if you had seen that mare that sat next to me that day."
"Huh? I'm sorry, but I have a little problem remember who you're talking about. You know, I have a lot of mare customers."
"Oh right. She has white fur, in a pink and purple uniform. She ordered a cup of of drink and left."
"Oh, you mean Colonel Lightningbolt. She's a tough mare, not the kind that you can just see and call upon."
"This isn't a problem. Just tell me when and where can I find her."
"She told me not to tell anyone about it."
"How about bits? 50?"
"Nope. Sorry."
"Oh come on, I'm the Head-Commander of the Wonderbolts."
"No idea what you're talking about."
"Prince of the Shadow Realm!"
"Seriously, I don't know, and I won't tell you."
"Damn!"
"Come on Eclipse. Let's just try something else."
"No! I'm damn sure she's the one I'm looking for."
The two sat there, waiting for something to happen, but neither of them knew what they were waiting for.
That was until the door of the inn opened again, and the mare Eclipse was looking for finally arrived.
"AppleAle. Same drink. Extra ice." The mare called.
"Alright then." AppleAle responded, and turned around to prepare the drink for her customer.
"So you are Colonel Lightningbolt."
"Yeah, and who are you?"
"I believe we have met before."
"Oh have we? I'm sorry, I don't remember that."
Eclipse sighed and gulped down his drink. He put the tankard down and headed out towards the jeep and got on. Granite followed right behind him.
"Hey, hey! What's the matter? Why do you have to be so pissed?"
Eclipse started the car engine and drove away from the inn.
"You aren't pissed because of a mare right?"
Eclipse smirked, "I thought my act got them good, I can't believe that you fell for it too. All I needed was what's the organisation she is in, and I got it."
"You mean, the Western Sentinels?"
"Bingo. I know where they called base, and we're heading there in the morning."
"Damn, you're smart."
Eclipse just smiled.
The arrived at the base in the morning. This place looked kind of broken and obsolete. A grass field surrounded by chain link fence. The two waited at the gate, for Lightningbolt to come out.
"Eclipse, stop looking like you are looking for a damn girlfriend. You're looking for an ally for the war!" Granite nudged Eclipse.
Eclipse remained silent and waited. Granite had no idea what Eclipse had in mind, so he decided to just shut up and watch.
"Here she comes." Eclipse said under his breathe, as the are he was looking for stepped out from the bungalow to the field. She looked towards
the gate and spotted Eclipse and Granite, so she headed towards them. A few mares followed right behind her as she walked towards the two.
"What are you doing here?" Lightningbolt asked.
"I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the rest of Equestria is in war now. I was sent here to request for alliance and aid in the war effort." Eclipse responded.
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
"I'd like to know."
"Colonel Lightningbolt, the mare in charge of the Western Sentinels. And who are you? I do not fancy strangers in my department."
"Captain Eclipse, Head-Commander of the Wonderbolts, Equestrian Royal Air Force."
"General Granite, Commander of the Griffonstone Royal Agents."
"Wait, you're Granite? Like, Obby's fiance? Malachite's buddy?" Lightningbolt was shocked among hearing the name "Granite".
"Uhh, yes?"
"Oh, Obsidian and I had been friends since I was just a filly. She had actually came here before, and she mentioned a lot of things about you. So what about that Krossair?"
"Dead, or exiled. I own Griffonstone now, at least for the moment."
"Awesome."
"But seriously, we're here to talk about an alliance for the civil war. And honestly, I would be here today if it wasn't Eclipse, so yeah."
"A friend of Obby is a friend of mine, so I guess I can help."She answered Granite.
She then turned to Eclipse, "In one condition."
"Which is?" Eclipse asked with an eyebrow raised.
"If you can defeat me, in a flying show off."
"Come on, I do those before breakfast everyday, at least before the war started."
"We'll see to that, Captain. I guess I shall go first, just to show you what a master flyer's moves look like."
As she said that, she leaped up into the air and levitated herself by flapping her wings, and flew straight up high up in the sky. With a dash, she dove straight downwards and did a huge flip, with a spin and an elegant twist she slowly landed, like an angel from heaven.
Eclipse was mesmerised by her performance and Granite found his partner staring at the mare without moving a single muscle on his body. Upon her landing, her teammates clapped their hooves and cheered for her, and she bowed, like a champion.
Eclipse stopped his staring once her performance was complete, and stretched his wings, popped his joints, preparing for the show down.
"There's still time for you to back away and not embarrass yourself, if you think this is too difficult for you." Lightningbolt taunted.
"Oh don't worry, I'm sure I can handle it." Eclipse replied humbly, he didn't want to hurt her feelings right away, after all.
"We'll see to that then, Captain." She teased.
"Confident mare, I like that." He mumbled under his breathe, he still remember that day when he first met that mare. He still remember the feeling of blossom within his heart that day. He still remember that he liked that mare upon seeing her. He realised that he wasn't just looking for an ally for the civil war out there, but also a mare his natural instinct guided him to pursue.
He knew that he can't fail, both for the future of Equestria and his own dignity. He did a sprint head started before jumping high and flew up. With the add of the warm, rising air, he quickly ascended to the cloud's height and did a free fall. He rotated his body so that his back was parallel towards the ground, and flew in circles. And with the aid of the wind, he started flying backwards, while maintaining his control, making him glide along a path of wing up in the sky. With another spin, he folded his wings and reopened them once he along hit the ground, creating an insane lifting force that sent him back up in the sky. As he returned to his position, he saw a small bunch of flowers near a corner of the field, so he dashed straight towards it and grabbed it as he approached the bush. He made another tight turn and finally, with a front roll, landed in front of Lightningbolt, with the flower in his hooves, towards the mare.
The mare blushed as the stallion landed, half due to her embarrassment of boasting her skill at the stallion, and half due to the flowers he offered. Her face was rose red when the team behind her cheered louder for Eclipse. Lightningbolt, although being over-confident about her flying skill, still knew when to draw the line for her boasting and taunting.
"Wow, your performance was... absolutely stunning. I'm sorry for what I've said before, and I'd gladly provide any aid you might need from now on." She apologised, her cheeks felt so hot that it was almost like burning. Not many stallions had treated her that well before.
"Nah, it's nothing. Thank you very much for your offer."
"But before we actually fight, there is a small problem to solve, it's about my team actually."
"What is it? Your team look alright and straight up professional."
"You see, they have the power, the magic power, the strength and endurance for flying. However, they still lack the training and skills in actual battles. Yes, we guard the western area of Equestria, but we don't have specific training on an actual military operation. Frankly, we never even left this region in our life."
"You all have basic flying and combat training. That's enough. All you need are some weapons training and you are all combat-ready."
"Alright, sounds fine for me. When do we start?"
"We can do some lecture about modern weaponry today, and let them choose what they want to use tomorrow. We don't have too much time, since we are still losing ground out there, so we must hurry."
Eclipse wasn't the best lecturer in Equestria, but to teach a team of mares to use guns should be easy, considering he used to do so on a daily basis. With the assistance of Granite, it was rather easy for him.
That night, Eclipse returned to the base to prepare for practical training for the next day, and he saw the mare flying in the air, which she seemed to struggle a lot. Apparently she was trying to mimic what Eclipse had accomplished that morning. When she tried to do the flip Eclipse did, she lost control in the air, and she was stuck flying in circles and spinning like crazy in the wind.
Eclipse had flashbacks of the Invasion of the Crystal Mountains, where the strong wind torn the team apart. It kind of haunted him for a while, until he shook himself awake and realised that Lightningbolt needed help, immediately. He flew up with a leap and dashed straight at the mare. Just as she was about to fall from the sky, he caught her in his front legs and she found herself being awkwardly embraced by the stallion.
Eclipse touched down gently and placed Lightningbolt down. She was a bit shocked by that chaos in the air, but she eventually calmed down. The competitive mare had apparently pushed herself to hard to win everyone and be supreme in flight.
"Thank... thank you for helping me, Captain." Lightningbolt thanked Eclipse, while she was still panting and trying to figure out what just happened.
"It's nothing, my dear. Call me Eclipse, by the way."
"Alright then... Eclipse."
"Why would you even try that? That took me 2 years to master."
"I..uhh... I was just hoping that I can be cool in front of my team and everyone here."
"Competitive is good, only when you know how to draw the line."
"Right, right. Thank you... darling- I mean, Eclipse." She staggered.
Eclipse smirked. "Hah. What is it? Why are you blushing like crazy?"
"What- No, I'm not..."
"Yes you are, dear."
"Come on, just let me have dinner, we can always talk later..." With that, she stepped away from the stallion, almost mortified from the situation. She surely had a bit of feeling towards the stallion as well, but she didn't want to admit it, just yet.
Eclipse was very certain that he liked the mare, and he could sense that she also had feelings towards him too. He decided to try again tomorrow, as he could maybe invite her out for dinner or something. The Equestria part of the deal was secured, but his own part wasn't, yet.
He stayed in the inn with Granite for that night, sharing the same room to save bits. It wasn't the most comfortable experience for the two, but they're both soldiers and they were pretty much used to cluster together in a night, although sounding somewhat gay.
In the morning, as soon as the first beam of sunlight hit the land, Eclipse and Granite already arrived at the training compound and Lightningbolt arrived next.
Somewhere around 9am, the team had arrived and once again ready for their duty and routine. Eclipse and Granite brought a few guns with them, as well as some special range weapons, just in case some of them has special needs and didn't want to use a typical firearm.
Eclipse and Granite instructed everyone about different kinds of firearms, and teaches them to use the guns. Everyone could pick what guns they felt comfortable to use in battle. Although they would be using their magic more than actual firearms, it was a good way to show them what they would be up against out there, and learning to use a firearm essentials gave them a second option for self defence, should the need arises.
Lightningbolt, however, found herself disliking firearms. They were bulky, the recoil was hard, the reloading was troublesome, and they were just not the kind of weapons for mares like her.
"I do have a kind of weapon, that served in the battlefield since the start of First Celestial Era, single shot, but light weight, simplistic, and you could control how powerful each shot is."
"Sounds nice, show me the weapon, as long as it isn't a gun."
Eclipse went back to his jeep to take the weapon. After a moment, the weapon was in Lightningbolt's hooves, an arm made of carbon fibre, with a piece of string tying the the two ends of the arm together. Some accessories were attached on the arm, like sliding wheels and sights. It was a compound bow, light weight, simplistic, and silent.
Eclipse demonstrated how to use a bow and arrows, and he guided Lightningbolt to do so. As she was holding the bow, Eclipse stood right next to her, and guided her aim by rising his hooves to guide her front legs. His face touched hers, and they could feel each other's breathe gently blowing at each other.
She was a fast learner, and she mastered archery with an afternoon's practice. She was almost like she was born to shoot with a bow. Soon her accuracy was way supreme than her team, and almost even better than Eclipse himself.
Eclipse haven't felt the feeling of love since he was born, until now. He had an indescribable feeling of faith in his live, and he felt like his life had a purpose, and he must win the war, not own for his nation, but for love, to protect what he loved and cared.
By the evening, everyone was getting hungry. Eclipse seized the opportunity and actively invited Lightningbolt for dinner, which the mare gladly accepted. They decided to head to a higher class restaurant for that night.
Although still in their uniforms, which would be more accurate to be described as battle attires, they still looked high class enough to enter. They ordered some steak for dinner that night. Eclipse knew that his funds would be drained in an instant, but since when had this stallion cared about that.
"So, you've never been anywhere else in Equestria before?"
"I never did, and so as my team. Most of us just stayed here for our entire lifetime."
"Won't you all wonder how the outer world looks like?"
"Look, I'm a forbidden alicorn and I am not eager to head out to be discriminated or treated like an exotic creature. One had tried to go beyond the boundary of our land, and it didn't turn out so great for him."
"But if this is the case, why would you decide to come along with me?"
"At first it was just for Granite and Obsidian, but later on I realised that... I wanna see the land, explore how big it is, and with someone special."
"Someone special?"
"Yes... yes... Someone special. I knew for sure I have feelings for him, but I fear that he won't, after how I treated him.."
"Then tell me who he is, maybe I can help?"
"It's.. you." She staggered, she was quite afraid of Eclipse's response.
Eclipse chuckled. It was hard to believe that a competitive and tough mare could become so shy when she came across such topics.
"Don't be silly, dear. If you fear that I don't like you, then I should fear worse. Remember how you talked to me before the showdown? I have feelings to you as well, literally the first time I saw you in the inn."
"Oh, right.. I'm sorry.."
"Nah, silly. You don't have to be sorry. Your competitive instinct and confidence is why I like you. Besides, you look very cool when flying, while being so cute on the ground."
"Really? Thanks..."
"We've met for at most a week, and we already like each other. It was weird to think about, but honestly, since the war started, when have I seen anything positive happen? All I see are bodies and blood. All I hear are gunfire and screams. All I smell is the scent of blood and gunpowder. All I taste is blood. All I feel is pain. War can change anyone and everyone. I didn't expect to find someone I love, until now."
"So are we... couples?"
"Affermative, my dear."
Lightningbolt couldn't help but feel the tears tracing down her face. It was tears of joy, and both could feel their love with each other. Eclipse felt incredibly faithful and energised, way more than before. The two stood up and Lightningbolt embraced the stallion tight with her front legs, which Eclipse responded with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Dinner was over and Eclipse paid for their meals. The two decided to go for a walk at the coast, under the silvery moonlight and the cool breeze from the sea. It was enjoyable for the two, as their wings covered each other's back. The two sat down on the beach and embraced each other as they got mesmerised by the night sky.
It wasn't until Eclipse's phone vibrated furiously in his pocket that he drew himself back out from his dream. It was Granite calling him.
"What is it damn it, I was having a great time."
"Eclipse, the compound is under attack!"
"What? You kidding me?"
"Do I sound like I'm messing with you? Get Bolt and get over here and help! The team wouldn't hold much longer!"
"Alright, alright. I'll head over now, just hang tight."
"You better make it quick!"
As Eclipse hung up the call, he notified Lightningbolt about the news. She wasn't surprised about the news however.
"Meh, those damn random creatures again. They always pick a fight with us."
"No! This time it's different!" A voice said behind them. The two turned their backs, only to find Shadestep stepping out of a portal, with the two's weapons in his hooves.
"We were supposed to work on some solutions of dark magic for the civil war, but something went wrong, and it apparently contaminated some creatures here. Those bastards soaked in dark magic are destroying stuff here!Now take this and go!" He tossed them their guns and bow as he proceeded to the compound.
Before Shadestep left, he passed a sword to Eclipse.
"This is the sword for you. Me, you, Lunar. We all own a sword like this. There is power inside this blade, make good use of it."
The two arrived at the compound to meet up with the team. There were a few massive creatures that seemed to be born in a nightmare. Horns, sharp teeth, tentacles, spikes, essentially any abomination you could imagine.
"Oh Shade, what have you done..." Eclipse muttered.
"Open fire!" "Guns! Guns! Guns!" The team opened fire at the abominations. It was their first mission using firearm, and it was turning out not so well, as those abominations advanced and growled.
Eclipse decided to try out his new sword, and he activated his dark power. His eyes once again glow the lime green colour, with purple smoke spewing out from the corner of his eye. His hooves were on fire, and the blade also burnt with a bright purple flame.
He flew up and chopped the abomination with a few cuts. The Western Sentinels used to deal with these kind of creatures before, but with dark magic this time? None of them was previously trained to deal with such situations, but they'll just have to improvise for this. Along with the rifles and guns, the mares also used their magic to shoot at those weird looking, pale green monsters. Shadestep assisted Eclipse in stabbing and slicing those abominations, especially tentacles that might grab on to anyone.
Eclipse managed to stab one to death as the team dealt with the rest. One of the member was injured, but they at least got the situation under
control. After putting hundreds of rounds on those abominations, one more had fallen, while the other fled back into the forest.
The battle took them almost 6 hours, and one wounded in action. It was already 4am as they defeated those creatures. Shadestep and Granite stayed to inspect the two dead abominations, while Eclipse and Lightningbolt checked on the mares for their well-being.
"What the heck is this? There's something pink here... In the one I killed."
"Cut it open, see what that is. Hope that's not some kind of sack filled with fluids, because those are damn gross."
"What entire nation... It's a mare! Tangled up in the tentacles... By the Shadows, it gross here."
"Bring her out!"
Shadestep freed the mare after cutting her loose from the grasp of the abomination, and set her on the ground. Granite went over to investigate Shadestep's finding. The mare didn't move a muscle at all.
"Is she dead or something?"
"She still has heartbeat, and breathing, barely."
"Hey Eclipse, Bolt, you've gotta see this!"
Hearing Granite's calling, the two rushed to see what they have found. They saw the mare lying on the ground motionlessly, and Lightningbolt was surprised.
"What is it Bolt?"
"She's... Dasher."
"Dasher?"
"Dasher is my sister, but she went missing a few years ago. No one knew what happened, but since that night she hadn't returned. Everyone just assumed that she's captured by some random creatures like the one there and died."
"Funny enough, I actually cut her loose from that abomination there." Shadestep interrupted with a chuckle.
"Either way, thank you so much, darling, Grand, and who's this?"
"He's Shadestep, my older brother from the Shadow Realm. I also have a younger brother named Lunar, which isn't here right now."
As they talked, the mare lying on the ground slowly awakened with a few coughs. She gently opened her eyes as she sat up from the ground.
"Where am I?" Dasher asked, dead confused.
"Sister!" Lightningbolt was at cloud nine upon seeing her sister's awakening, and she embraced her sister within her front legs.
"I thought you were never going to return!"
"How long have I been lost? I've lost count of time already. Those damn abominations in the forest are not to be underestimated."
"It's been years, but it doesn't matter anymore. The only that matters now is that you're back."
"Who saved me? Is it this handsome stallion?" She asked as she looked at Eclipse.
"No, it wasn't me. He did. He's Shadestep, my brother." Eclipse pointed at Shadestep.
"Oh, you're the handsome on that pulled me loose from that thing, thank you so much. You're surely welcome to visit me anytime you pass by."
"Alright then, thanks for that." The black stallion was seen blushing by everyone around for the first time.
"Hey, darling." Lightningbolt nudged Eclipse.
"What is it?"
"The sun is rising soon. Wanna see the western sunrise?"
"I'd gladly accept your offer, Colonel."
The two chuckled. Lightningbolt led Eclipse up a mountain top, and there they could see that very dim yellow beam of light slowly getting brighter and brighter. Although the stallion had saw countless sunrises, this one was different.
The fact that he was lying next to his lover somehow made the sunrise he was looking more beautiful.
"Actually, Bolt. I had one concern that I feared to tell you when I first met you. Now that we had been through this much, I reckon it wouldn't be a problem telling you this."
"Which is?"
"Do you believe in conjuration and necromancy?"
"Kind of. I mean, I haven't seen something being conjured."
"Now you see one, right in front of your eyes." He turned to look at his mare.
"What do you mean?"
"Would you believe that I am summoned by dark magic, had no actual life, and could in fact just turn into a pile of black ash upon death?"
"Frankly, yes. I mean, Equestria is always a magical place, and it is even more... weird in the west. I've seen a lot of strange but interesting thing in my life comparing to where you live, but a stallion that was summoned by dark magic? That's a whole new story."
"You still love me, right?"
"Of course, silly, why wouldn't I? I would never judge someone by their background or appearance. Okay maybe I did, I used to, but at least for you, I won't."
"That's good to hear."
"Speaking of appearance, what's with your wing and your eye?"
"Funny that you mentioned that. It was actually Granite. He took off my wings one time in an invasion and scratched my eyelid at Baltimare. We used to be nemesis because of Krossair. Now with Krossair locked up and waiting for an execution, we called truce and joined force to continue fighting in the civil war."
"Wow, you sure have a lot adventures."
"Yes I do, and there will be more coming. Adventure of me and you. I wish I could marry you right away, but let's just leave that until the end of the war." |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 6 - Take Back the Night | "Ready for the first time leaving this place, darling?" Eclipse asked Bolt, as the team packed up their belongings and readied for their trip away from their homeland.
"Ready when you are, dear."
"Grand?"
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"Alright, Grand, you drive the jeep. Let the wounded take the jeep. The rest of you, on me."
With Eclipse's command, everyone took off and flew towards Canterlot, and Granite fired up his jeep. As they left the border of the Western Equestria Region, the mares all gasped as they witnessed the beauty of the lands. Basins, plateaus, lakes and rivers. Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful.
"Remember how this place looks like now. After we delve into the war, not much would look so pretty anymore. If we regain control of the lands we lost to our enemies, then everywhere in Equestria would look this pretty!" Eclipse exclaimed, with the faith of winning the civil war and restore peace to the land.
Everyone agreed. This trip would take them another two days to arrive at Canterlot, so they camped by the mountain range by the evening of the first day. They were resting at the top of one of the mountains, Eclipse and Granite stayed awake at night to stand guard while the other slept. The two were staring at the horizon, waiting for morning's light to shine on them once again.
Eclipse was sitting on the ground, leaning against a rock while Granite was standing with Eclipse's rifle. The night sky was dotted with stars and galaxies, like a light show by nature and magic. A few shooting stars placed through the deep blue, abyss-like sky.
"Princess Luna, the princess of the night. She control all of the night, the jewelled night sky and the magic after the sun goes down. Look at this, isn't it magnificent?"
The nocturnal creatures were active, and they could see fireflies all around them and everywhere on this mountain. Eclipse stretched out a hoof, and one of the fireflies gently landed on it. Eclipse stared at the little creature as it walked around on his hoof with its abdomen blinking a neon green light.
The night was silent, apart from the sounds of the breeze and the fireflies' flapping wings, they could literally hear their own breathing and even heartbeat. The stallion looked at the horizon, and he thought he saw some new planets or stars, as a red flare rose up to the sky with a trail dragging behind it.
"Hey, it's a flare. What's going on there?"
Eclipse took out his telescope and observed the direction Granite was pointing at. With the visual aid he could see a bright red spot flying straight up and slowly falling back, forming a red glowing arc stretching from the horizon.
"Wait, yeah. That's a flare for sure. Better make sure what it is." Eclipse lowered his telescope and sheathed it back on his belt holster.
The stallion took out his phone and dialled a call straight back to Canterlot. He walked away from Granite and the rest of the team to talk. Granite could see Eclipse scratching his head as and walking in circles he was talking on the phone.
After a while, the stallion returned, looking very worried. He flew up to get a better view towards the direction of the flare, only to see orange glow and some thick black smoke emitting from far away. He landed back down, as he sat on the grass, thinking of something.
"What's wrong? You looked damn worried." Granite asked Eclipse, regarding his phone call.
"Those crooked changelings are back. According to previous record, Queen Chrysalis was actually on her path of exile after being defeated the second time by Princess Twilight and her friends. The hive was located in the Southern badlands, but the transformed changelings decided to move their living place to somewhere near the centre of Equestria, specifically Canterlot. They abandoned the old hive and constructed a new one at the Rambling Rock Ridge, east of the Everfree Forest and south east of Canterlot. Apparently Chrysalis had took back the old hive and planned a third invasion. They were striking towards Central Equestria, along with the dragons."
"Wow, this queen ain't giving up."
"Yeah, and they are certainly determined to not fail again this time."
"Wouldn't the dragons like, attack the changelings as well?"
"Yes, most certainly. Those bastards were definitely not going to tolerate each other's crap and dogfight each other. I would say, we are looking towards the south, and those flames there are from the dragons and changelings. Headquarters reported that the southern border had been breached, so they must be moving north."
"We're pretty much sandwiched between the hostiles. Honestly, with the griffons and Shadow Realm, we can be certain to defend our homeland. That is, if they don't suddenly realise the power of cooperation and join forces, then it might be a problem."
"You're right, Grand. Once the sun's back up, we better hurry back to Canterlot. Maybe they are already planning on striking the changelings before they make it further into "
The team rushed back to Canterlot right after they woke up as Eclipse instructed, and they arrived at their destination right around afternoon. Just as the team enters the conference room, they realised that there was only one pony there, Princess Celestia. She was there sitting alone at the very end of the table, and the other seats were completely empty.
"What took you so long, Captain?" Celestia asked the stallion in charge.
"It was a long way from here to there, took us two days each to go and return."
"The Southern Border had been breached by changelings and dragons, I already sent scouts to observe the battle field. So are these the forbidden alicorns that you recruited at the West?"
"Affirmative, Your Highness. They are the Western Sentinels, a team of 20 forbidden alicorns. They should have the power of magic we need on the field."
"I see. So this is Colonel Lightningbolt, as I remember?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I am Colonel Lightningbolt., the mare in charge of the Western Sentinels."
"Wait, you know each other? I thought she never left the West..." Granite was surprised, as he asked.
"Since you two are the generals of the armies, I suppose it is safe enough to tell you about this. Colonel Lightningbolt is a senior member of the Sentinel Task Force."
"Sentinel Task Force? What is that?" Eclipse was also confused by Celestia's words.
"I thought Captain Windspear told you about the Sentinel Task Force before, well I guess he didn't. Sentinel Task Force is a secret group of military unit under my command. Unlike the Royal Guards or the Royal Air Force, all of the task force members are not actively in service, and must keep their identity as a Sentinel a top secret at all times. The Sentinel Task Force members are specialists scattered across the lands of Equestria, which are only called into service in dire nationwide emergency situations to assist the military in combat, civil aid, rescue missions, undercover operations and so on. They have different skills they master, like medication or technology."
"Interesting. So Lightningbolt is a Sentinel?"
"Yes, and I think we should call in the Task Force now, just to help with the war effort, especially evacuating all the innocent civilians and everyone that is not involved directly in the war effort."
"Shouldn't we ask for Princess Luna's opinion first? I mean, calling in all the Sentinel Task Force Agents is a big deal."
"I was supposed to do so, but she just disappeared today and was no where to be seen. I couldn't find her in the castle. Her armour was still on the mannequin so she isn't out there fighting for sure."
"Nevermind then. Call the agents in for civil aid first, the military will handle the rest."
"I suppose you are right, Captain." She agreed with Eclipse.
She then turned towards Lightningbolt. "I, as the Princess of the Sun and the rightful leader of the Equestria nations, appoint you, Colonel Lightningbolt, as the Commander of the Sentinel Task Force, with aid of the Head-Commander of the Royal Air Force, Eclipse, to lead the Task Force and all Sentinels in all upcoming operations."
"It is an honour, Your Highness." Lightningbolt bowed as she accepted the honorary title as the commander of the Sentinel Task Force.
"Very well. I suppose you can all use the time now and get ready for the next operation."
The team was then dismissed and Eclipse pulled Grand and Bolt over.
"Guys, something doesn't feel right. I feel a very high amount of dark magic flowing around, coming from the south west. It feels kind of ancient and old. I have a feeling there is gonna be trouble tonight."
"Dark magic? Those stuff that leaked out from the Shadow Realm that your brother mentioned?"
"Similar, but isn't exactly the same. The feeling is different. The dark magic in me and my brothers feels different because ours are purged and purified. The magic there was quite crude and unclean, feels like something... evil."
"Should we go check it out?"
"Notify Prince Shining Armor first and see how things go on, just in case Her Highness decided to strike the changelings and dragons tonight."
Granite went on to search for Shining Armor and tell him about the problem, but he wasn't in Canterlot just like Princess Luna. No one saw where he went, just knew that he hadn't been seen by anyone since today.
Granite returned with no luck finding the Royal Guards Captain, so the team decided to just move on and check out the source of the dark magic by themselves. With Eclipse's gifted sense of dark magic as the Prince of Shadow Realm, he could detect and feel any dark magic sources and strength like forces running through his body.
They tracked the magic source down to the south west of Canterlot in the town of Ponyville, the first actual town Eclipse set hoof on in Equestria. With aid of magic field sensors, they located the direction of where the dark magic was coming out accurately. Somewhere near the ruin of the Castle of the Two Sisters, which was abandoned for well over a thousand years, since Princess Luna's banishment when she go rogue and transformed into Nightmare Moon. This place had rumours spreading among the ponies in town that this place was cursed, and they were partly right. Evil dark magic still lingered inside the haunted old castle and anyone with a mind sane enough would know very well to steer clear from it. The only ponies that would dare to enter the labyrinth filled with radiation-like magic aura would be the criminals on the run from the guards' search, or them.
As they approached the castle, Lightningbolt was feeling a bit of nausea so she slowed down. Eclipse saw that his mare was feeling sick and sensed the unusually strong level of dark magic, up to the point where any normal Equestrian ponies would not be able to withstand without getting affected physically, and only the ponies that were born to adapt to the suppressed power of corruption, namely the Shadow Realm ponies could walk right in without any sickness. Lightningbolt was especially vulnerable to the power of dark magic since she was born as a forbidden alicorn with extra Equestrian magic powers that was embedded in the Western Equestria.
"Just go on it then dear, I'll be alright. I'll just stand guard and keep an eye out." Lightningbolt said as they backed away from the castle and set her down.
"Couldn't you like, cast a spell on us to make us at least temporarily resistant to dark magic? I can still hold myself off here, and you would need someone to watch your back in there anyways." Granite asked.
"Casting it on you should be fine, as you are a griffon, and you should be able to withstand normal dose of dark magic, but Bolt cannot. Bolt is a forbidden alicorn, and she was embedded with the most purified and holy powers of Equestria, and not to be defiled by even a slight bit of dark magic. Casting a protective spell on her would only harm her, damn the irony. She can cast a spell herself, but this magic here, the dose is just too high for her, something more powerful than a forbidden alicorn."
"Well for a devil and an angel to be married, that is to be expected. Looks like it's just us two then." Granite giggled as he stated that, which Lightningbolt found funny, but Eclipse wasn't quite amused.
"Call me a devil one more damn time and I'll become one and strangle you." He replied. Of course, all three of them knew that the statement was practically just a joke.
Eclipse's eyes went to the glowing and smoking state again, and soon Granite noticed that his feathers were covered in a light purple tint, and although he didn't felt exactly uncomfortable before the spell was casted, he certainly felt better and more natural with the spell on him.
"Something I found out recently is that, I wouldn't emit dark magic when I am calm and without all those glowing eyes and flaming hooves. However, when I'm in the 'Nightmare state', which all three of our brothers all having this ability of toggling our power on and off, will emit dark magic, and I'm not exactly sure how powerful my dark magic is compared to Bolt's power, but I highly recommend you not to touch me when I'm angry, who know what would happen to you if you really did touch me then."
And so the stallion and the griffons headed in the castle, with Lightningbolt guarding the the front gate in case anyone ambush the two inside, regardless of their intension or identity.
Eclipse took his Mark 14 for the operation this time since the halls are pretty large, spacey and empty. He had learnt some new skills with dark magic within these time and it includes telekinesis, which allows him to reach an item to him with utilising the magic of a unicorn. It was more like a force than magic. He also learnt some conjuration spells for him to swap gears and load out in operations should the need arises, making his tactics more flexible.
Granite however, had no control of magic whatsoever, so he just went with his trusty .44 magnum and his physical strength. As they scanned and searched the castle from room to room, corridor to corridor, Eclipse could feel the power inside the castle getting stronger and stronger against him. Granite felt itchy as the corrupting dark magic lingering in this place was slowly out powering Eclipse's ward spell.
As they proceeded with no light source at all, with both own them having night vision, on being magic and one being a natural characteristic, not much light-sensitive activity happened inside. The birds and little creatures that infested this place remained undisturbed by the two's existence.
After another corridor, the dark magic in this place were starting to get very concentrated, which Granite started to feel sick, some motion sickness and hard to breathe. Eclipse noticed that and instructed Granite to stay behind since it wasn't worth to put his life on the line in this place.
As he made his turn for the corner and walked down the corridor with his rifle tight in his grip, a sudden burst of breeze passed through him, pushing the curtains near the windows and scaring off the nocturnal creatures to run off. Eclipse turned his body to face towards the moving curtains. It was just the curtains that was moving, along with a few small animals running.
Eclipse breathed deeply as he turned around and continued walking down the long corridor. He could hear a female voice echoing down the corridor, but he couldn't make out who it was, or what she was saying.
He noticed the door at the end of the long corridor, which was surprisingly intact and looked almost like brand new, even after this place being left alone and forgotten for an entire millennium. The door's fine condition drew Eclipse's attention. Someone must have been here recently for the door to be this new.
He approached the door, and he noticed that the door was actually slightly opened, leaving a small gap between the two tall an heavy wooden doors. He steadily pushed one of the door open with his back and peaked his way into the room. The room however, looked a bit more old than the door, but was still more clean and tidy comparing to the rest of the castle.
It appeared to be a throne room by the look of it. Two jewelled thrones was at the end of the room and was placed up a few steps of stairs. Some stained decorative glass was tiled in frames all across the room on the walls, most of them were either broken into pieces and landed on the floor on the carpets or discoloured so bad after so long without proper maintenance that the pattern was unrecognisable.
There were dust on the throne, and Eclipse could really feel dark magic physically pushing towards him, but no actual damage to him was done.
"My, my. Look at who we have here. Prince of the Shadow Realm, is it? Well met, well met."
"What was that? Who's there?" Eclipse spoke, as he looked around to see where the voice was coming from.
"Oh what is the fun if you know who I am? Come on now, head down to the dungeons, if you dare. I suppose the stallion with the power of immune to corrupting dark magic would gladly accept a challenge." It was a female voice that seemed to be echoing in the throne room, but no one could be seen on sight.
"Don't do it! Leave here now!" A familiar male voice also echoed around the empty and lifeless throne room. It sounded like Shining Armor.
"Shut you muzzle up you mortal fool! I will end you if I have to." The female voice seemed to be replying and threatening the one with the male voice.
"Shining Armor! Is that you? Where are you?" Eclipse yelled inside the room, hoping the one with the voice would hear him and answer him.
"Yes! Just get out of here! Don't worry about me!" The male voice responded loudly.
"Just hang on! I will get you out!" Eclipse knew something was desperately wrong in this place, and Shining Armor was surely not okay. He looked around the room and spotted a staircase leading downwards, just to the left of the thrones. He neared the worn out and broken stone staircase, which leaded to a wooden door. It must be the dungeon the female voice was mentioning. He pushed and pulled on the door, but the door was lock shut and wouldn't even nudge a single bit.
"Couldn't you at least open the door if you're inviting someone to go in? Come on, you can do better than that, mysterious female echo." He complained with a sarcastic tone and tried to see if anything would happen.
Out of his expectations, the door did actually unlocked itself and promptly opened. Eclipse figured out it must be some kind of trap, but Shining Armor was most likely in there. Even if it was just a fake voice, at least he need to investigate what was causing all the dark magic to leak out and linger in this haunted place.
"Bravo Team, this is Eclipse, radio check, over."
"Eclipse, this is Bolt, I hear you just fine, dear."
"Eclipse, this is Grand, got you loud and clear, over."
"Bravo Team be advised. I am investigating inside a throne room of the castle and there is likely a hostage situation here. The dark magic is very strong, so don't follow me in. If anything goes wrong, run back and report to Canterlot immediately, out."
With his instructions given to Granite and Lightningbolt, Eclipse continued walking down the stairs and crossed a few levels on underground space. Everything here also looked untouched for centuries as they were coated in a thick layer of dust.
Eventually, he came to another door that had access to another room in the underground part of the castle, which was almost like a sanctuary for natural disasters, rather than an actual dungeon for trapping prisoners. He knew this was a very bad place to stay, as in case the door opens, who knows what would be there waiting for him, maybe sharp and long spikes, maybe darts with their tips coated with instant reacting neurotoxins. He might be an immortal, but that doesn't necessarily equal to an indestructible physical body.
"Ahh, you are finally here, Prince Eclipse. Why don't you come in and join your comrade? We got a little... gathering over here." The female voice spoke again, but not with an echo in the throne room, but coming right from the inside, behind the locked door, slightly muffled by the half rotten wooden door.
The door was unlocked, but not automatically opened this time. Before Eclipse pushed the door, he already prepared himself of walking right into a trap. He just needed to bust in and if anythings happen, he needed to report to the two waiting outside of the throne room to evacuate from the castle and rush back to Canterlot with the news.
He pushed the door open and looked around the doorway in case there were traps hidden around. After confirming the doorway was safe to pass through, he treaded inside carefully. After a corner, he saw something really shocking: It was a mare, that looked like Princess Luna, but with a darker coat, wearing silvery armour, and with sharper teeth and a reptilian-like pupil. Shining Armor was locked up in a cell right behind the mare, with messy mane and dirty fur. His armour was stripped away and dumped to the other side of the room.
The mare was facing right towards Eclipse as he entered, and she laughed in an evil tone, like those classic villains written in story books. Eclipse was staring right at the mare tensely, observing for any movements to counter.
"I warned you to get out of here! Why won't you listen to me?" Shining Armor yelled from the cell he was locked in. The black mare turned to take a glimpse at the stallion, and looked back towards Eclipse with an evil grin on her face.
"Ahh, Prince of the Shadow Realm. I always wanted to know what makes you so powerful. If I can get some power out from you, then Equestria will be ruled by me and me only, Nightmare Moon!"
"I can answer you that question, King Sombra. And no matter what you are thinking of doing to me, it's a no!" Eclipse pointed his rifle towards Nightmare Moon.
"Foolish little colt, do you think those little brass pellets and that pea shooter of yours could harm an immortal and celestial body like mine? Perhaps you can prove to deny and neglect my orders."
"I will never retreat, never surrender. True Heroes never retreat, true heroes never surrender, and true heroes will definitely not submit themselves to the darkness!" Eclipse was determined, although he already had the feeling of things going wrong.
"Or perhaps should we ask, can you say no?" She smirked upon hearing Eclipse's reply. Within seconds, purple magic aura and black tentacles summoned from the voids by the mare dragged Eclipse down onto the floor and stripped away all his gear, but purposely leaving the radio right next to him for him to pick it up as he lost his equipments and weapons.
"Go on, tell them. Tell them what is happening over here, I'd like a rematch with Celestia which I lost a thousand years ago, which she cheated with the elements of harmony. This time, I will win, I will reclaim what was rightfully me and I will send her to the core of the sun forever! Equestria will be plunged into eternal night!" She laughed.
"All stations be advised, I have been compromised and captured. Get out of here and tell Princess Celestia that Shining Armor and I are here, and Nightmare Moon is back! I say again, get the hell outta here!" Eclipse spoke through the radio with a weak voice from his restrain, to warn the team of the danger they were about to face.
Back up on the surface, Granite and Lightningbolt did what Eclipse just said and started to exfiltrate from the area. The ground started to shake violently as the two escaped. One of the watch tower of the castle was starting to shake along with the small earthquake and collapsed towards the two's direction. Granite noticed that Lightningbolt was exposed in danger as she wasn't fast enough to outrun the falling pillar.
He dashed and leaped towards her, grabbed her from behind and rolled out of the way where the pillar fell. As Granite's body was larger than Lightningbolt, he pulled the mare into his embrace to protect the mare as the debris and loose rocks went flying towards them. The two escaped from the falling pillar barely, just a second before it fell and smashed onto them. Granite was panting heavily as he witnessed the pillar smacking hard on the floor just next to them, still stunned that the two just cheated death, in a close call. Those rocks that went flying towards them didn't hurt Lightningbolt in the slightest bit, as Granite had took all the hits on his back and bore all the pain for the mare in his claws. His back was bruised from all those flying rocks, but luckily no open wounds on his skin or any bleeding.
Lightningbolt was underneath Granite's heavy body, and she crawled back out with a blush on her face. Although being smaller and lighter than the veteran griffon, she was still strong enough to push him aside rather easily. Granite blushed a little due to embarrassment as well as he let go of the mare in his embrace. Hugging someone else's mare was actually quite awkward.
"My thanks... Grand, are you alright? Your back was quite injured..."
"No worries Bolt, it's nothing, just... a scratch. I'm responsible to keep you alive for Eclipse, so I don't mind getting hurt, as long as you aren't."
"Speaking of Eclipse..." She walked back towards the ruin.
"Eclipse? Darling, you hear me?" Lightningbolt yelled through the radio as she stared at the debris of parts that fell apart from the castle. She was scared, fearing that her lover was buried under the rocks and died.
"I'll be alright! Just go!" The response she was hoping finally came from the radio after a few seconds along with heavy statics, before the signal was cut off entirely and she was disconnected with Eclipse, who was trapped under the castle, and his current situation unknown to the both of them, and the rest of Equestria.
"Eclipse? Darling?" Lightningbolt was very nervous and tried to step near the debris to search for her lover, only to be stopped with the sickness effect from the intense dark magic field surrounding the castle, which then she backed away and sat on the floor frustrated, almost crying. Granite walked towards the mare to talk with her, and Lightningbolt couldn't help but leant on Granite's shoulders and cried. She hadn't been this scared and anxious in her entire life before this happened. Granite was shocked of Lightningbolt's actions, but he knew he just had to let this mare cry her emotions out, if that would make her feel better. He placed a claw on her back and patted her a few times. He knew when a mare was depressed and wanted to cry, there wasn't much to do to make her stop but to let her calm down herself, as he had been through this with Obsidian before.
She cried on for a good 15 minutes or so, with traces of tears running down her face and onto Granite's feathers. She might be a tough mare, but when it comes to the love of a stallion, she just couldn't resist it. A strong and trusty male's shoulder was what she needed to liberate her feelings. Eventually, she calmed herself down and stopped crying. She let go of Granite's shoulder, and backed off a little.
"We'll rescue him once we get assistance. He's a tough stallion, he'll make it." Granite tapped Bolt's shoulders as he tried to comfort her.
She was still sobbing, but nodded her head in response, and the two then rushed back to Canterlot to get help and to rescue the two stallions trapped inside the castle. Without the two stallions in command of their respective units, things were expected to tough for Equestria in the upcoming days.
"Nightmare Moon is back. And the two generals were captured. What are we gonna do now?" |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 7 - Out of the Rabbit Hole | While Bolt and Granite were figuring out how to rescue the two stallions that were imprisoned and held captive by the villain of the night, the moon never set for days. A week had passed but not a single second of sunlight had shined upon the lands of Equestria.
Temperature dropped drastically without the sunlight, and without the periodic maintenance of the weather control pegasus units for days, it started to snow. The soldiers on the field switched to their winter battle attire to keep warm from the chilling winds. They couldn't start a fire easily under the unbalanced weather conditions, and could only hope someone fix this problem. Those who woke up found the moon still high up in the dark purple sky no matter how long they had slept.
Most of the soldiers on the field were horrified. The night had been continuous for at least an entire week. Princess Celestia did tried to raise the sun in order to restore some light and warmth to the lands, but with the moon in the way, that was the best she could do without blinding every single creature in the lands with a solar eclipse.
The Griffonstone Army was also having trouble with the cold weather even back at the Eastern Equestria region. Not only that it was just continuous darkness and night time that messed up time perception, the fact that simply losing sunlight had cause major impact on cultivation and the nature ecosystem as a lot of plants had died and withered away with the lack of nutritious sunlights for photosynthesis. Even the air they breathed were damp and dirty.
Eclipse was staring outside through an opening from the ground to his cell. It wasn't wide enough to even fit a hoof through, but it was wide enough for him to peek outside of the eternal darkness of the castle. Eclipse could see everything clearly with his gifted powers, but Shining Armor couldn't. He was almost completely blinded within the darkness, and he could only see so little under the dim light that passed through the gaps of the cell from the outside.
The two was locked up together in the same cell. Since Nightmare Moon's plan was to make her sister bow before her, surrender and pass everything she own over to herself, rather than simply taking over Equestria with war, she decided to keep everything that was not involved with her sister directly one piece. Moreover, the two generals would be very valuable assets in her campaign later on.
She treated the two well enough that the two was comfy and warm in their cell. There were plenty of space to move around within the cell, and the two wasn't tied up and therefore can move freely. They were giving thick blankets and soft mattresses, and even a phone charger for Eclipse - even though there wasn't any mobile phone signal under the influence of the dark magic aura around them.
They had unlimited supply of food and drink, as long as they asked for it, the Guards would offer what they need to them, just as the Princess had ordered. Since her ultimate goal was to gain control without causing further destruction, so she must keep the two soldiers as comfortable as she can offer, so that eventually they might choose sides and to fight for her.
"How long have we been in this damn place? I feel like I'm rotting alive." Shining Armor asked, as he was munching on some chocolate that he requested from the guards.
"At least a damn week by now. If I don't look at the phone I would just guess 2 days. I can't even determine how long has passed in this place." Eclipse checked on his phone.
"I just hope that those changelings and dragons had breached through our defences in the South."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but they had breached through the defences there. Princess Celestia had confirmed that the South is lost and had summoned the Sentinel Task Force to assist in the war effort. I just fear that, without our commands, the Royal Guards and the Royal Air Force would stall."
"So, how's Sky Lannister doing in your team? He's a brave, vigilant and smart stallion. Assigning him to guard the castle in Canterlot would be a waste for an elite soldier like him, so when he requested to be assigned to the Wonderbolts, I was quite glad to accept his request."
"Sky Lannister, just as elite as his late brother Sky Striker. He is willing to learn, and always has an open mind. For me, being the commander of the Air Force, he reminded me of myself when I was still a lieutenant under command of Captain Windspear. I would not doubt to promote him to a lieutenant should the opportunity comes. He and me is just like how it was with me and Captain Windspear."
"Sometimes I really wonder, why do you always wear clothes and pants? Like, we're ponies, we don't normal walk around wearing clothes, unless you're those rich bastards up there in the Canterlot Commercial Area."
"Actually, I don't really know. I just feel better with clothes covering my body mostly. It's not exactly useful by any mean, but it's like a symbol."
"What does your cutie mark even look like? I reckon no one had seen it since we met you."
"Why do you really care about that little mark on my flank really? Just to answer you your question, none. I have no cutie mark, the end. 'Why no cutie mark?' you ask again? Well, how do I know? Ask my father King Sombra, he might know."
"Really?"
"Do I really need to take of my pants just to prove this?"
"Umm, no you don't need to..."
Shining Armor blushed upon Eclipse's question, as he realised that that was quite an inappropriate question to ask.
"Anyways, any reinforcements coming in to rescue us?"
"I think Grand and Bolt are working on it. I suppose with the Wonderbolts and Royal Guards stalled due to our absence out there, our best bet would be the Sentinel Task Force or the Griffonstone Royal Agents, or hopefully both of them."
"Right... Hope that really happens. I can't bear to sit here for my entire life."
"True warriors break out of their captive by themselves."
"But how? The cell bars are old but tinted with dark magic, the walls behind us are too rigid to bust through with bare hooves, and moreover, there are guards here. I can't even see a single thing in the darkness!"
"You are blinded, but I am not. I see things here as clearly just as it's a bright sunny day at the outside. And actually, I have a trick up my sleeve that we can try." Eclipse pulled Shining Armor over and whispered the words in his ears.
"What you planning on doing?" Shining Armor whispered back, not knowing what the stallion had in mind.
"Do you know what is the greatest weakness of a stallion?"
"Pain? Wealth?"
"Not exactly. Think as a stallion, like we are. We are Princes and Captains, we've been through pain, and we have wealth, which would not be a weakness of us."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Who do you miss the most now?"
"Cadence, duh."
"Exactly. Mares. Mares are the greatest weakness of a stallion. Even the toughest stallions with the strongest will cannot withstand the attraction of lust from a mare."
"So what are you trying to imply? How the hell are we gonna get a mare?"
"I know dark magic, remember? And as long as I remember that spell, we can use what we have here to strike their greatest weakness."
"You mean, you're gonna create a mare out of thin air?"
"Nah, I'm still not powerful enough to create things like how I was created. However, I can use it on myself."
"You're going to... become a mare?"
"Impossible? Or irresistible?"
"Whatever. As long as you don't mess that magic with me, and it gets us out of this place, fine."
"Alright, that's a deal then. However, I would need your cooperation to kick this off."
"Which is?"
"Just pretend that you are gonna to well... you know that part. Just try to blend in and cover the act. This is going to make them less vigilant. Once they got near me, take one. I will take care of the other one. Keep it silent and we'll be out here in no time."
Shining Armor blushed a little upon hearing Eclipse's odd suggestion. "That's quite wrong... and gross too... for us to, you know..."
"It is damn gross if we are both stallions because we would look like homosexuals. With me being a mare, there's nothing wrong, just pretend I am Cadence, alright? It only takes you a minute. It's not like it's prostitution... Okay it kinda is... But if you wanna get out of here, just listen to me and do your part. I wouldn't mind if you wish to stay here until the day you die."
"Fine. Just for once." He grunted.
Eclipse smirked upon Shining Armor's reaction. He turned to look at the 2 guards sitting there at the opposite side of the room. The two was drinking something, whatever that is. Since the two stallions locked in the cell didn't request anything, the guards didn't really cared what the two were doing in the cell and just chat with his buddy.
"Ahem." Eclipse purposely cleared his throat, just to catch the guards' attention.
"What do you need?" A guard turned his head to look towards the cell as Eclipse stood up. They also have night vision, due to Nightmare Moon's blessing for her subjects, so the guards can see the two stallion well in the darkness.
"Can I cast a alternation spell?" Eclipse asked.
"What kind of spell?"
"Gender bending."
"What? Why?" He was quite confused of Eclipse's odd request, he thought it would be some random telekinesis or equilibrium or entropy nonsense.
"You know, as the Prince of the Shadow Realm, I have control over lots of spell that mortals would never even dream of learning. Being locked up here for this long is getting quite... lonely. You see, me and my comrade just want to have a little... fun. I assume that is a valid request?"
"I'm sorry, that's a no-"
"You can join us. I know you are rejecting in your words, but deep in your heart, you desperately wanted to... liberate your boredom and loneliness being assigned to just stare at us all day. It's a request, as I supposed that you are supposed to grant me the request as Her Majesty had ordered you to do? You wouldn't dare to violate her orders now, would you?"
"He's not wrong..." The guard blushed, as Eclipse had exposed his inner voice.
"So that's a yes, I suppose?"
"Yeah, go on. I'm pretty sure Her Majesty wouldn't mind if we are just... fulfilling his request like we are told to do so, right?" He responded with an embarrassed 'Hah'.
With the guard's 'approval' , he casted the spell on himself. Within a second, his body glowed slightly. Since he was wearing his usual Wonderbolt's uniform, not much change of the body could be observed by them under the clothes' cover.
However, his face had shifted a little, with a little pointy nose and a cute appearance that would make stallions even with toughest will fall to their knees and admire the look on her face. Her mane had lengthened like a mare. With that done, she is now Nova Shade, the female form of Eclipse.
Shining Armor played his role and slowly moved his body nearer to Nova Shade, with his face awkwardly near Eclipse's. He could only imagine how red his face was then. Eclipse could feel Shining Armor's warm breathe gently blowing on her face, and the two looked into each other's eye. That should be enough to fool the guards. Shining Armor tried to resist and look away from Nova Shade's lustful eyes.
The guards stood up from their seat and set down their helmets and their swords. The two guards approached the cell and promptly opened the cell door with keys and entered the cell with a grin on their faces. The two started to undo the straps on their armour and set it down next to them.
After the two had their burden set down, with only their bare and unarmed bodies, the two slowly approached the mare lying on the ground. One kneeled down and tried to kiss the mare. Nova Shade lifted a hoof , touching his lips with a mischievous smile, stopping the stallion from moving down towards her.
She counted softly, "3, 2, 1."
As she counted to 1, Shining Armor suddenly bashed one of the guard and knocked him onto the ground by surprise. Eclipse grabbed the stallion's head with another hoof and smacked the stallion on the floor. She rolled over and with a powerful tug onto his neck, suffocated him and ended the stallion's life. Shining Armor was strangling the defenceless stallion who was pinned to the floor and could barely breathe and fight back. Eclipse got back up with a roll and kicked the stallion right in the head, snapping his airway.
"Phew, that was easy." She chuckled.
"Nice one, Eclipse."
"Call me Nova Shade when I'm a mare."
"Whatever, Eclipse, Nova Shade, same thing. You did this before?"
"Not really, this is actually my first time trying this spell out. I just improvised it."
"Heh. Did you enjoy that? He seemed to be mesmerised with you." Shining Armor teased.
"Wouldn't lie, I kinda did, perhaps I should do this more often." She giggled.
"Yeah, very funny. Let's just get outta here before anyone notice what happened here. And change back to a stallion please, I can't bare to look into your lustful eyes anymore. That was damn weird."
"I actually wanna try to fight as a mare, but I guess you are right. I feel safer being a stallion." He used the spell again and turned back into the Eclipse like how he used to be. He wrapped the two bodies under the blankets and locked the gate to buy themselves some time, even if someone were to come in and check the cells.
"Do you see our gear around?" Eclipse asked, as he observed around.
Shining Armor went to search around the room with his limited vision, but he ended up finding nothing but those guards' weapons and equipments. Their gears that were stripped away from that day was gone.
"So what now?"
"Just pretend to be one of them with their gear and stay to the shadows. We can find a way to get out of here."
"Alright. I'm not that kind of sneaky, hidden build of a soldier but I guess I have no choice either."
The two stallions put on the armor the two guards left in the cell and hid their bodies under the blankets. With an extra layer of clothing underneath the armour, Eclipse's armor felt quite tight, but it was still acceptable.
They picked their weapons the guards left in the room. Eclipse picked up an obsolete M1 Garand rifle and attached a combat knife on the barrel to use as a bayonet, which was held onto the gun with 2 zip ties found in the room. Shining Armor chose a spear since that was what he was most familiar with using in battle.
"If I have to guess, our stuff would be in a safe, or an armoury. There would be no reason for Nightmare Moon to keep those things near her at all times." He suggested as the two walked out of room which they were once locked in. Eclipse checked the two sides of the the corridor from the room. The left side was where he entered the room, and the right leads to some places else within the castle. Shining Armor couldn't see much under the dim moonlight shining inside the underground compartment, he just followed closely right behind Eclipse as he led the way.
Since they didn't see anyone or anything from their way in, they decided to search the other way into the abandoned castle. There were more soldiers patrolling around the castle, which they didn't see any at all at the time they came. The defence in the castle was strengthened drastically within one week.
They kept their vision straight and walked along vigilantly. Most guards didn't cared to even look at them since they were wearing the same armour as the guards and just assumed they were just another random guards patrolling around the compound.
As they walked, they followed a guard into the armoury. It was fairly empty, with only a few melee weapons and 3 rifles on the racks. They were fortunate that they found that their stuff were just left lying on the table. Eclipse sneaked up on the guards and took him by surprise with a knife to his throat.
The guards dropped dead, and Eclipse stuffed the dead body into a chest to hide it. The two rearmed themselves with their gears that they were most familiar with. Eclipse was glad that his precious rifle is back, and now he could fight again effectively. Shining Armor got his spear and tied his sword on his waist again. He also mentally readied himself as well with a few deep breathes. The golden armour of his shined upon the white moonlight that came from the small window that allowed light to come through. It was snowing as they got out of there as white flakes slowly landed onto the ground outside.
Eclipse also found his phone, which he was able to connect to someone. He decided to call Lightningbolt, as she was in charge of the Sentinel Task Force.
"Hey, Bolt. You hear me?"
"Eclipse? You're alive, thank Celestia. Are you alright there?"
"No time for chit chat. There is no way for me and Shining Armor to walk out of here alive without any assistance due to the heavy resistance in here. Get some troops over here and help. You stay behind, I don't want you to get hurt by the strong dark magic here."
"I'll notify your brother. I'll get some of the Sentinels and Grand to come over and help., Estimated time of arrival 10 minutes, just hang on there."
She dropped the call to send reinforcements towards the castle. Eclipse passed the M1 Garand to Shining Armor along with all the spare ammunitions he could scavenge in the room. He also passed him a flashlight just so he could look around clearly.
"Take this. Works just like a spear, you can stab and cut with the blade, but it can also shoot bastards from far away where you can't reach in melee range. Gonna be useful to fight our way out."
Shining Armor took the rifle and thanked his partner. Now they waited in the room. As soon as reinforcements arrived, they will fight their way out to rendezvous with the team. The two stayed in the armoury, until they hear soldiers started to gather up and Eclipse could feel the dark magic getting tense.
"Hey, the dark magic here should be intolerable for common Equestrian ponies. How are you not sick?"
"Blessings of the Nightmare, my friend. She knew I am important to her in her endeavour of taking over Equestria, so I wasn't sick the entire time we're here, but I don't know why won't she grant me night vision as well."
"Whatever, just get ready."
As they waited, Eclipse could hear that the soldiers were piled up outside the door. Eclipse turned to ready his wing and placed his rifle on the wing as support, while Shining Armor took aim. The two flipped a cabinet over on the floor for extra cover, in case those bastards carried guns.
"Ready?"
"Ready when you are."
The two nodded at each other. Eclipse tossed a frag grenade right at the door just before the enemies came in. As the soldiers busted into the room, the frags from the explosion took down quite a few of them. The two started to fire fiercely at the incoming forces. Their armour was bullet-proof, and they found themselves busy reloading their rifles since Eclipse's rifle only holds 10 rounds per clip, and only 8 rounds for Shining Armor. And with no actual training with firearms, Shining Armor found himself missing shots more that hits, even in such close range.
Eclipse was taking his aim quite well with high accuracy to the flesh. Since they had their vital organs protected, he could only put rounds on their limbs to disable them first, and then finish them off with a fatal shot right in their faces.
"Lightningbolt to Eclipse, reinforcements have arrived, we'll cover you! Just head out!"
After the soldiers attacking them had fallen, the two started to move out towards the outside of the castle from where they came in. As they exited the underground compound, they met a lot of enemy resistance. The two stallions fought hard to neutralise them as Eclipse sniped those who charged towards them and Shining Armor took point and battled the infantries with melee. After stepping out the indoor area of the castle, they met the Sentinels, Granite, Bolt and Shadestep who arrived to assault and support the two to break out.
Shadestep flew over and tosses the Sword of the Burnt Secrets to Eclipse.
"But wait, how did you..."
"Teleportation brother. Simple as that, now less talking, more fighting!"
Eclipse started to shoot at the waves of soldiers rushing towards them. One shot, one kill. The Luna Guards were falling one by one as the team attacked them.
"Eclipse, my darling, it's so good to see you! I was so scared that you were dead!" Bolt approached Eclipse as she shot arrows towards the soldiers. She gave her lover a tight hug as she approached him. A drop of tear slowly slid down her face as she did so. She was at cloud nine to see her lover was alive and untouched.
"Me too, dear. I missed you. So much." Eclipse gave the mare a gentle kiss as he continued firing at the enemies.
As they defeated the soldiers, the Nightmare appeared with a cloud of smoke and flames. Nightmare Moon slowly stepped forward the team with her wings stretched and evil laughter, with shots of lightnings shooting down to the ground as she walked to the front to face the team. Classic villain intro.
The team seized fire as Lightningbolt raised a hoof. Eclipse and Shadestep stood up and walked forward, facing against the Mare of the Nightmare and the two sides stared at each other.
"Ahh, the King and the Prince. I suppose you two can learn a thing or two about nightmares and dark magic."
"I would surely be pleased to learn something new." Eclipse replied.
"I told you to send my sister, where is she?"
"She sent us. If you wanna challenge her, kill us all first."
"You two. Shame of the Darkness. How does one that possess with dark magic become slaves of my sister mindlessly under her daft ruling?"
"You do not understand Princess. Your previous evil mind had been purged and locked away, but something brings it back. It is you, that can control yourself and make use of your own power."
"I laugh to your stupidity, Prince Eclipse. You could have used the power to take over this world, but you didn't."
"We own a Realm and live peacefully with Equestria. And in the civil war, we are supposed to stay strong together as a nation to defend our homeland, not to turn the other way and cause even more chaos!"
She looked really angry, and Eclipse knew he might have screwed up the negotiation, so Plan A was a failure. She flew up into the air and started to shoot magic beams towards the team on the ground, and all the teammate that had wings responded to Lightningbolt's command and all took off immediately to counter her attack. Time for Plan B, the fight.
Eclipse ditched his M14 rifle and passed it to Shining Armor, and he switched to the Sword of the Burnt Secrets his brother gave him. He flew near her and swung his sword towards her, staggering the mare in the air. He wasn't trying to hurt the mare, but to weaken her strength until she yields. The 2 kinds of dark magic, holy and evil, collide and sparked with burst of flame and smoke. Bolt shot her arrows at the mare's mane, Granite sniped the mare with his magnum revolver, and the ground forces tried to shoot the mare, but mostly ceased fire to avoid friendly fire. The ponies and griffon in the air flew in a pattern as random as possible, so that the mare couldn't attack all of them at the same time, effectively burning her energy, while wearing down her morale.
The mare was attacking furiously at first, shooting at everyone with magic beams, but her magic that was used for her protective ward aura started to fade away after absorbing so much attack, and she slowed down due to exhaustion. The team had successfully wore her energy down and disabled her. She landed on the floor and kneeled down with her front legs, panting heavily.
She fell, lying on the floor, breathing heavily. Eclipse landed on the ground with a squat and quickly stood back up. He walked up towards Nightmare Moon, and he pointed the sword at the mare. The leg he was holding the sword had a small trail of red fluid running down to his hoof and dripped onto the floor.
"Gods... never... bleed." Nightmare Moon smirked as she got her words out with a shaky and trembling voice. She raised her head to look at Eclipse with the sword in his hoof pointing at her, and droplets of blood running down the blade from his front limb. She felt weakened and shattered, and her mind was flushed with dark magic. Eclipse could sense the mare's dark magic force started to slowly fade away and decreased.
"If we don't end this war..." Eclipse started.
"This war will end us..." Nightmare Moon muttered. She felt like her real sense as a loving and caring Princess of the Night had slowly restored. She lied there, staring blankly at Eclipse as her mind was running crazy fast as memories flashed.
"We all have a monster inside of us, some obvious, some not. The monster is a second power within ourselves, capable of utter destruction if we only follow our own voices. Learn to control the monster inside you is like getting an ally, utilise the power and make yourselves more powerful from your dark power." Eclipse said to the mare, with a genuine warm and kind tone.
"We've been there, Princess. We have experienced this. We could make it, and so you will, as long as you try." Shadestep also persuaded.
She cried, full of sorrow and regret. Eclipse sheathed his blade and reached his hoof out to help the mare get back up on her hooves again. Her dark magic faded completely, and returned to the Princess Luna everyone in this land love and respect.
The team assisted Luna to return to Canterlot. Meanwhile, Eclipse met a few of the Sentinels that joined the fight today. One of the team member looked familiar in Eclipse's vision.
"Hey you! Wait you are... that Bartender in the West!" Eclipse called out to the mare.
She turned around, to see the commander standing there, calling her.
"Oh yes, I am AppleAle. So you are Eclipse, that one stallion that tried to find Colonel Lightningbolt so desperately a few weeks ago! So you really are the commander?" The mare was surprised to see a familiar face here.
"Yes he is. And now, we love each other, very much." Lightningbolt joined the conversation.
"So you are also a Sentinel?" Eclipse asked.
"Yes, sir. I live my life as a bartender at the West and I am a Sentinel of the Task Force under Princess Celestia's service and the command of the Colonel. My special perk is medication and I used to receive military training as a medic in the battlefield. I joined a few previous mission as a specialist medic but once I was injured pretty badly in the battlefield. I was discharged to recover from my wounds, but Her Highness recruited me to be a Sentinel due to my brilliant service record, which I was honoured to accept."
"Nice to meet you then, AppleAle. I hope I don't need to see you on the field being very busy, and I hope I don't need to see you while I'm bleeding on the ground helplessly."
All three giggled. They looked at their watches, noticed that it was already 6am. As Luna finally set down the moon, warmth and sunlight returned along with hope and faith. The team returned from this place back to Canterlot to report back to Princess Celestia and prepare for their next operation. Eclipse was the last to prepare to leave that place.
"Shade?" He called his brother, who was still staying behind with Eclipse.
"What is it?"
"Since when have you become King?"
"Umm...What?"
"Nightmare Moon said it, 'the King and the Prince.'"
"I was never King..." He awkwardly explained.
"Come on, Shade. You know you can't lie to me. I know you too well."
"Oh, alright then... Since King Sombra was defeated, we are the three rightful descendants and inheritors of his power. I am the oldest and the most powerful among the three of us, so I was rightfully titled as King the moment I was summoned. I just claimed that I'm Prince, just because we three owns the Realm together."
"Ahh I see. All hail the King of Shadow Realm!" He jokingly saluted to his brother.
"All hail the King of Shadow Realm, Your Majesty!" Lightningbolt followed, with a little giggle.
Shadestep couldn't help but smirk as the two saluted.
"We're still brothers, and we shall rule this land hoof in hoof."
"What is better ? to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort ?" |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 8 - Failing Defences | With the two generals returned to their position and the sun rose again, everything was back on track. Within the week the two generals wasn't here, those changelings and dragons had made huge progress moving north towards Central Equestria.
"We cannot afford to let those invaders reach Central Equestria. If they take over the centre of the land, it would only be a matter of time before they gain total control over the entire nation." Celestia declared in the meeting.
"I thought those two races would kill each other off? Considering both the dragons and changelings are both aggressive towards everyone?" Eclipse asked.
"I'm sorry, Captain. As you can see, they had made it through the southern borders with ease and moved north in such great speed. We had reports that Apple Loosa was under attack yesterday. If they made it through the Everfree Forest, it would be a certain defeat for us."
"Looks like they had figured out the old saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. So if they had actually formed an alliance to attack us..."
"Then we have our alliance to fight them back." A familiar male voice crossed Eclipse's ears.
"Captain?"
"I'm glad you still haven't forget about me, son." Captain Windspear got up from his seat and stepped towards Eclipse, struggling every step he made.
"Now my legs may not be as functional as it used to be, but my brain still do. I'll stay in command centre to help you all proceed with the war."
"That's great! It's good to have you back, old man!"
"Looking at you and this young colt here, just reminds me of all our previous memories, when I was the Captain, and you were the lieutenant."
"Indeed, he is also exactly like me, when I was still a lieutenant."
"Sorry to interrupt, but Captain Eclipse, I want your troops to be on the field within 24 hours to contain the situation before they breach through." Celestia interrupted.
"Roger that, Your Highness. They shall not pass."
*************************************************************************************
Eclipse stepped out of the castle dour after the conference along with his new lieutenant Sky Lannister. The two looked towards the south from the observatory deck of the castle. A bright blue sky with civilisation stretching towards the horizon. Wherever beyond the forest had been lost and controlled by enemies.
The Captain and the Lieutenant returned to Cloudsdale to prepare for the final assault to put an end towards the entire civil war. As Eclipse returned to the Headquarters, he could see Lightningbolt and Granite walking out of the military hospital. The two approached Bolt and Grand.
Granite looked really depressed, and Bolt also looked sad. Granite's eyes were red, as if he just cried. He sniffed as he saw Eclipse and Lannister come near them.
"What is it Grand? I never see you this depressed..." Eclipse was a bit confused as he asked.
"It's... nothing..." Granite responded, and purposely looked away to avoid eye contact with Eclipse.
"Tell me, dear. What happened?" He turned to ask Lightningbolt.
She pulled on the sleeve of his coat, pulling him away to talk, so that Granite wouldn't hear what the two said.
"Obsidian... She didn't make it..." She spoke.
"What? Is she..."
She nodded to Eclipse's response. She leant on his shoulder to give him a light hug as her emotions flowed within her heart. He leant forward for the mare and gave her back a light pat.
"Poor little griffon... Granite..." He mumbled, not knowing what to say. He certainly knew how horrible it feels to lose the most valuable partner in your life. Eclipse knew how it hurts when he found Sky Striker lying there dead on the ground that day, Lightningbolt knew how it hurts when Eclipse was captured and she lost connection with him, and Sky Lannister also knew how it hurts to lose his older brother.
He walked back towards Granite and gently patted the griffon oh his back. He knew it wouldn't be easy for him to accept this fact, just like that day when he lost his teammates and raged for so long. He still had to calm the griffon down and hope he would set this aside, as they must prepare for the attack before Equestria were lost.
"I'm so sorry for your lost, my brother..."
"It's not your fault, Eclipse... It's all my fault! I made Krossair the King, plunged this land into war, and she died also because of me..."
"Don't blame yourself, Grand. We take care of ourselves and I'm sure she will guide your path. And because this land is in war, therefore we must be determined to win, so that her death would not be in vein."
"You're right but... I need a moment..." He walked away, alone. He was traumatised by Obsidian's demise, but honestly, who wouldn't? Having someone you value the most just pass away one day, and leaving you alone in the mortal realm, it is a very miserable and painful scene to even imagine.
Concerning Granite's situation, Eclipse pulled Sky Lannister over.
"Keep an eye out on him. I doubt that he would do anything stupid, but it's better safe than sorry. Just remember, loose follow. Give that griffon some time to calm down, we still have an operation tomorrow."
Sky Lannister followed his command and left to watch over Granite. It was only Eclipse and Lightningbolt left standing there in the open field.
"Everything has their destiny. If her destiny is to leave, there nothing we can do, not even me. The fact is that she is gone now, and we have to move on. I know it's hard for you, but with enemies right at our gates, we'll just have to put it aside for now."
She nodded again. It was easier said than done however, as she found herself couldn't help but to think about this.
By the evening, Eclipse, Lannister, Granite and Lightningbolt were in the office, discussing the tactics for tomorrow's assault. Granite looked a lot calmer that earlier that day as he didn't cry, or show any signs of sorrow or depression, at least in his outside. Whatever he felt or thought inside his mind was left mysterious to everyone else but him.
"Lannister, as my lieutenant, you are now responsible of commanding the entire unit of Wonderbolts when I am not present. In this upcoming operation, I am assigning you to lead the general team of the Royal Air Force to join the assault along with the Royal Guards."
"I am honoured to be responsible for this duty, sir."
"It's an important task, the difference between life and death. Don't disappoint me."
"I surely will not, sir."
"Now, Grand, Bolt, you two are gonna follow me to lead ahead to focus our power onto the front forces while the major teams surround them. I had talked with my two brothers Shadestep and Lunar that, if we were really that unfortunate that our joint force lose to their joint forces, we would have to run all the way back up to Canterlot to use our final weapon."
"What kind of final weapon? Fancy, doomsday bombs?"
"No explosions, Grand. It can be refer to as some 'fancy magic stuff' if you wish, but I would rather not to say it right now, as it might get pretty... nasty if we really were to use it."
"Nevermind, I don't want to know. All I care is with the combined forces of the Royal Air Force, Royal Guards, Sentinel Task Force, Griffonstone Royal Agents and so on, all of them, to fight those invaders off."
"It's just us three out there doing the hard work, big guns, big magics. Granite, you take a machine gun. Bolt, you do what you can as a forbidden alicorn. And I will use both big guns and big magic."
"Fine. Whatever you say, me and my buddies will help you."
"This is a war to end all wars."
Eclipse stepped out of the office with Granite and Lightningbolt and Sky Lannister walked ahead and left to gather the team up to prepare for the attack. They planned to carry out the final attack to fight off and expel those invaders out of the lands.
As the sun went down the line of the horizon and daylight started to fade away fast, the team started proceeding to their objective. All of the units were summoned to Ponyville, the nearest infrastructure near Canterlot. After the crisis of Nightmare Moon's rising, a majority of units assigned to the Southern Equestria was combat ineffective as no commands were given to them and they had nowhere to go but to stay and fight.
All units had suffered great casualties in previous battles, so the current forces left that remained combat effective were little in number. They were literally gathering all and any combatants that could still fight on the field for this one fight. With the order from Princess Celestia, the now official United Forces of Equestria had been established and now marching through the Everfree Forest to engage the enemy alliance.
They expected to see the crooked changelings and the dragons to be around the area. Since they had no evidence for the other minor races to have been eliminated in the war, like the vampire bat ponies and the zebras, they would have either joined the enemy alliance or just retreated to hide from the Equestria forces.
Since the crooked changelings was most well-known for their high reproduction rate and the quantity the queen could breed was just... enormous, they would have to account for the lack of number in soldiers in their forces with either fire power or strategy that can burn their numbers down to balance out the two sides power and for the Equestrians to gain the advantage to win, and so it is on paper, at least. Those changelings' biggest weakness would be starvation, since they had almost no way of acquiring love to feed on, unlink the transformed changelings, unless those dragons did.
Inside the forest, the units had feelings that they were being watched although nothing could be seen around. The three commanders rushed ahead to get in position before the teams do. They had all their weapons and equipments ready.
"All units, be advised. This is Granite. We are seeing a large group of enemy converging towards our position fast. All units get into your position and ready to engage. I say again, all units get in position and prepare to engage."
The teams moved in and formed a basin like placement to surround and contained the incoming forces inside them. The three commanders had readied their weapons as they commanded to attack the enemy forces that were closing in.
'Here they come!" Eclipse yelled as he saw enemy forces swarmed into their area. He took aim with a .50 calliper sniper rifle and waited for the moment to come. As the enemy charged towards them, he ordered the team to engage.
"All unit, engage! Engage!"
He started to fire his rifle, which was set onto the roof of a car. Granite placed his machine gun on the hood of the car and fired away. Bolt was launching magics beams and shooting arrows. With their powers combined with the the remaining forces of the United Equestria, they managed to defeat a large quantities of crooked changelings. Although with their greatest effort, they still started to loose ground due to being outnumbered by the combine alliance forces of the enemy invaders.
Malachite was in charge of leading the Griffonstone Royal Agents to attack the enemy invaders, while himself also step into the badlands to fight. With his rifle, he swept the field in the front. He was running towards the enemies head on while firing, having almost no regard of his own safety but to kill every invaders.
Eclipse tried to aim away from his ally in the front to avoid shooting him by accident, while Granite seized fire eventually to join in the fight. He picked up his machine gun and jumped out from his cover and sprinted toward his buddy fighting in the front hard, under the cover from Eclipse and Lightningbolt.
He fired towards the front as he fired his gun, which he held in his claws with his strong muscle countering the recoil. He ran up to his buddy, which both saw the other. They both nodded, and the two stood back to back, firing their weapons at all angles.
"Dragons inbound!" Eclipse yelled through the radio as he saw the scaled, two-wing flying reptilians soared through the sky and approached the falling units.
"Command, this is Lannister! We are surrounded by enemy forces and are now combat ineffective, requesting immediate assistance!"
"Hang in there, Sky. I'm on my way!" Granite responded to Sky Lannister's request and headed towards his position. Malachite followed and they moved away from their previous position as Eclipse took care of the few changelings that was attacking the two. Eclipse and Bolt also switched position to cover the two griffons as they moved. They moved up and hopped onto a pile of shipping containers with junk scattered on top. Eclipse moved slower than usual due to the weight of the rifle.
By the time he reached his new spot, the two griffon had already joined his lieutenant in fighting those fire-breathing reptiles. With the dragons' high movement speed, sniping with a sniper rifle would be ineffective. Eclipse took out his old assault rifle rather than his Mark 14 to utilise the full automatic mode on the dragons.
There was on blue dragon, in armour, wielding a staff like weapon and sent fire bolts towards the team down there. Eclipse tried to fire on the armoured dragon, but she dodged. She took out a dagger, and she stabbed towards Eclipse, which he countered by blocking with his rifle. She continued her furious attack at the stallion, but Eclipse had successfully avoided all the slashes. She flipped her dagger and jabbed the blade right into the body on the body behind her. It was Granite.
Granite screamed as he dropped onto the ground with the blade deep in his back, near his heart. Eclipse was horrified, and he pulled out his sword and swung back towards the blue dragon. The dragon jumped a step backwards and dodged his blade. She escaped with a leap into the air, which the other dragons followed. Eclipse picked up his rifle again and tried to shoot any one of the dragons down, but he failed. The shots he fired missed, and those dragons fled.
All of their attention turned to the griffon lying on the ground, a dagger on his back and in a pool of his own blood. He felt his vision slowly fading, and his body getting weaker as the blood flowed out from his body.
"Granite! Granite! Look at me, son! You're alright!" Eclipse yelled as he held onto Granite's body.
"Eclipse... Bolt... Malachite... Sky..." He muttered in pain, and he struggled to keep his eyes open to look at the teammates that were looking at him, horrified and worried.
"Lannister! What the hell are you doing standing around? Get a medic!" Eclipse shouted at the young colt lieutenant as he turned his head, and Lannister followed his command.
"Grand... You can make it!" Malachite also yelled towards his best buddy on the ground.
Granite laughed weakly, and his breathing deepened.
"Malachite, you own the Empire now... Don't disappoint me..."
"No! You will get up again and fight! You won't leave us behind!"
"No... I know myself very well. One does not simply escape death twice. I killed Krossair, a redemption to what I had done wrong. Now, the divines wishes me to pay for my crimes, and I shall respond."
"Grand..."
"My gun... Give it to me..."
"No! I do not allow you to end yourself! You still have a war to fight and an Empire to rule!"
"I'm bleeding out fast... I wouldn't make it, and I know it. Eclipse, only cowards let fate determine their life. True heroes determine fate with their own life..."
"Eclipse! The medivac will take 15 minutes to arrive! They said air support is basically impossible right now and that is all they can offer!" Lannister notified the Captain.
"I will not make it, I'm sorry. Please, don't let me die on that dragon's claws. Let me do it myself..."
Eclipse remained silent. Without any kind of actual first aid available for him right away, there wasn't anything they could do but let him bleed to his demise. Rather than a painful and slow death, one would simply prefer a quick end for all his pain.
He picked up Granite's magnum and loaded the chamber with one bullet and slapped the cylinder back onto the revolver. Malachite pulled his hoof down and pressed the magnum revolver on the ground.
"Eclipse! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Let him... As King of Griffonstone Empire orders." Granite struggled to get the words out.
With a little hesitation, he finally released Eclipse's hoof. He stood up and stepped back in tears.
"Goodbye, my brother."
Lightningbolt also backed away.
"Goodbye, Grand."
Eclipse passed the revolver to Granite, which he pointed his gun to his head and cocked the hammer. Eclipse stood up and gave the griffon a salute.
"Send our regards to Obsidian when you meet her... Farewell, my brother."
With that said, he backed away. Lannister stood next to his Captain as all of them observed the blood-soaked griffon lied there. Granite closed his eyes, and muttered,
"I'm coming back home, Obby."
And with a 'bang', it was over. A coup de grâce performed by himself to end his own pain, and to escape the guilt of what he had previously done.
They closed back towards the griffon again. The griffon general, with a hole through his head, blood pouring out. The griffon lied there, dead.
"Lieutenant Lannister," Eclipse sounded.
"What is it, sir?"
"Your brother's dead have been revenged, so as the rest of Alpha Team."
"What?"
"Remember you mentioned that the griffons might be involved in the invasion of the Crystal Mountains?"
"Yeah?"
"You were right."
"Wait, so..."
"Yes, Granite killed your brother, the Alpha Team, and shot me."
Lannister remained silent as he looked away from the griffon's body. Eclipse signalled Malachite to take his lieutenant to take a break. It was probably too much for him.
Eclipse and Bolt were left staring at Granite's body, as the two went speechless, even with the battle going on all around them. Eclipse sighed, and he kneeled down and picked up Granite's .44 magnum revolver. He wiped the blood on the pistol off with his own coat, and sheathed the gun onto a holster on his belt.
Ironically, it started to rain as the battle went on and while the two was in mourning. The two was soaked in rain water while the body of their partner was flushed and cleaned, with the blood being washed away from his body.
They just stood there, staring at the body, until another swarm of changelings also moved in towards their position that the two reacted.
"Enemy forces incoming! Return fire!" Eclipse yelled to Bolt, as the two hid back behind the shipping container as the swarm moved in. He used Granite's machine gun to counter the incoming forces. Enemy numbers weren't huge, but they were heavily armoured and armed with guns. He knew it would be a tough fight for the two, as the other force continuously reported in claiming that they had went combat ineffective and was pinned down, some were executed during that time.
Lightningbolt also fired her magic beams as frequently as she could, but her power was drained quickly and she had to resort to using her physical weapon.
The Changelings reached the two, and Eclipse had to ditch the machine gun and pull out his sword to combat the enemies in close range. Bolt continued to fire at the other changelings to slow them down and buy Eclipse some time.
It was then until, Eclipse activated his 'Nightmare Mode' power and hopped out from his cover to swing his sword and protect his mare behind him, while the mare also provided support for him. He managed to drop a few of the heavy armoured changelings, before he started to get overwhelmed.
He battled hard, picking off his enemies one by one when the moment came for him to insert his blade to one's throat.
When it was down to the last changeling standing, Eclipse was still holding himself off, but his strength was significantly drained and he was panting, taking in for much needed oxygen as much as he could. The last changeling appeared to be a high rank officer among the changeling forces, as he had a set of fancy armour and he was much tougher than the rest of the changelings that Eclipse was fighting.
As the two engaged in combat, the changeling launched a beam of green magic that hit Eclipse right in the chest. Eclipse was knocked backwards and fell onto the ground, as his vision went dim and blurry. He tried to stand up, but he failed.
Bolt saw that her stallion was incapacitated, and she put a few shot straight towards the changeling, and finished him off by cutting his throat with the blades that were attached on her bow.
She immediately approached her lover once the last changeling was down, and she could see Eclipse's eyes closed, but still with purple smoke leaking from the eyelids. She tried to drag him to safety to treat him, but since Eclipse was in Nightmare Mode, he was emitting high doses of dark magic, and it burnt her, not because of heat, but the collision between the purified magic of Bolt and the dark magic of Eclipse.
She could hear some dragons approaching with battle cry and spitting flames, so she must get Eclipse back up, but he was unconscious that time and didn't react to Bolt's stimuli.
"Shadestep! Shadestep, this is Bolt. Can you hear me?" She cried through the radio, seeking for help.
"I got you, Bolt. What's going on?"
"Eclipse was shot by magic and he is down! I need help getting him back up!"
"Alright then, hang on. I'll be right there."
She couldn't just leave Eclipse lying out in the open as those dragons come close, so she must drag him back behind cover. She tried to touch his body again, but it burnt her, and it was very a very tactile and painful sensation.
Despite of the pain, she was determined to rescue Eclipse. She bear the pain as she grabbed his body and dragged it all the way back behind cover, even if her hooves started to bleed and burn, and her tears couldn't stop but running down her face. She felt sick, but she knew she just had to hold it in. She gritted her teeth, as she use all of the strength she had left to drag the heavy stallion behind cover. Eclipse was definitely way heavier than Granite when he had his full arsenal on his body.
She was lucky that the sickness and burning effect was only temporary, as her wounds on her hooves started to slowly heal back up after she stopped making contact with Eclipse's body. It was painful, but wasn't exactly harmful for her in the long run.
She knew she had to protect the two of them until Shadestep arrived and help, so she started to engage the splitter dragon forces moving towards their direction. She silently sent an arrow straight towards on of the dragons and took him down.
With a few arrows, she was able to quietly shoot down quite a few of the dragons without the entire enemy force noticing. She noticed that Eclipse's smoke from his eyes was starting to thin out, as he slowly weakened in his state of coma. Fearing that his soul might eventually fail and turn into a pile of ash, she tried to touch her lover again. It didn't burn as much as before, as it only felt like a small bonfire that warms you up in a winter's night.
She tried to peek out from the cover, but one of the dragons noticed that sudden movement as she ducked back down. He slowly approached her cover with a spear in his claws, pointing at her direction.
Lightningbolt tried to draw out another arrow to counter his attack, but then the realised a problem. She reached her hoof to the quiver to draw out an arrow to fire at the dragon, but she couldn't get any. She took off her quiver, only to find that there was no arrow left, as she had already fired all of them away towards the enemy.
She almost panicked as she desperately tried to find a weapon to defend them two. Eclipse's sniper rifle was too heavy and bulky for her to shoot accurately. Granite's machine gun was left outside in the open, and therefore impossible to acquire.
She looked back onto the stallion lying on the ground. There was one rifle on Eclipse's back held on by a strap. It was Eclipse's Mark 14 rifle, the one he used to teach Lightningbolt how to use a rifle back at the West.
She took the rifle off Eclipse, and quickly loaded a magazine full of ammo onto the rifle. She breathed in deeply as she leant against to her cover, holding onto the rifle tightly. She could hear the dragon's footsteps getting louder and louder as he neared.
She knew that even though the rifle had a suppressor attached onto the end of the barrel, the gunfire would still be as loud as a dragon's roar and would definitely attract attention of the other dragons in the area.
She was ready. She hopped up with a turn to face directly towards the dragon, and she pulled the trigger. A shot landed right onto the dragon's face, and he fell. The loud bang from the shot made every dragon turned towards Lightningbolt.
She was horrified, as she looked at the dragons that slowly approached her, all with their weapons in their claws.
"Umm, Shadestep? Are you here yet?" She asked anxiously through the radio.
"I'm almost done here! Just hold on!" Shadestep replied through the radio, with a lot of background noise and gunfire. He seemed to be very busy fighting over at his side too.
Out in a sudden, she had a flash of memory running down her mind. She remembered that day when Eclipse taught her how to fire a rifle, should the need arises.
She muttered to herself repeatedly as she took aim down through the scope,
"Hold it steadily. Breathe and take aim. When you feel like you have lined up a shot, send it."
The rifle wasn't very heavy by itself, but when anxiety kicked in, her hooves started to shake, and she started to flinch radically after every shot. It took her a few seconds to recover after every shot, and her fear was getting stronger and stronger as the dragons came very close.
However, she knew she would do everything and anything she had to do to save Eclipse. She started to calmed down as she lined up another shot.
She pulled the trigger.
Bang.
Bullseye.
All the other dragons froze as they saw her shot hit one of the dragons right in his head, but they soon recovered and continued proceeding.
She gained some confidence from that round, and so she detached the old clip and slapped a new full magazine onto the rifle again. With her previous experience, she fired again. Another hit.
The dragon realised that the mare was dead serious about her shots, so they must end her quickly before more of their own kind dies on her hooves again. They flew up and charged towards her, with the spears pointing right at her.
She took aim again, hoping to land some hits onto the speedy flying reptiles. As she fired, the shadowy figure she was longing to see finally appeared behind the dragons, and he pursued the dragons, taking them down one by one, like a blackhole greedily engulfing every entity within its force field.
However, even with Shadestep's distraction, one of the dragons still made it towards Lightningbolt. As she observed Shadestep's attack from behind the cover, she felt someone punching her face and trying to grab her from behind.
She contracted her hind legs' muscles, and bucked the attacker away. He let go of Lightningbolt as he got knocked back. He slid metre backwards as he stared at Lightningbolt with hate and rage. She tried to raise Eclipse's rifle towards the dragon, but the rifle was too long, and the dragon smacked the rifle off to the side. He walked up towards the defenceless mare, with his sharp claws unsheathed. Lightningbolt crawled backwards and touched Eclipse's motionless body. It doesn't even hurt to touch anymore, just a slight warm wave of heat radiating off his body, like a normal stallion's body would.
She desperately tried to find a weapon to defend herself, since Eclipse was unconscious and Shadestep was busy fighting out there. Her hooves were pressing against the ground, and soon up on Eclipse's body. She pressed onto something solid, which she pulled it out with the drive of instinct. It was Granite's revolver, still loaded with 5 usable rounds.
She pointed towards the dragon and pulled the trigger like a mad mare, firing all the five rounds in the cylinder. The knock back of the revolver was insanely strong and uncontrollable for her, but the rounds still landed onto the dragon.
He fell, and landed right next to her on the ground. She felt a sense of relief as the threat was neutralised. She peeked out again, and she saw the stallion still struggling to fight off one of the dragon, and he was losing ground. The fact that the dragon's body size was larger than Shadestep for him to strike effective had caused issues for the stallion.
She knew she needed to take action, at once. She saw the dragon she killed had an arrow wedged into it's scales and scratched his skin. She wiggled the arrow and pulled it out. She knew an arrow wouldn't be enough to kill a dragon this size, but it could buy Shadestep some time. She picked her bow back up, and pulled onto the strings. With a familiar weapon, she had full confidence to make a precise hit.
However, the battlefield changes every second. A slight misestimation of the wind gust and Coriolis Effect had made her arrow hit something she wasn't aiming at, something she would never hope the arrow to land on, Shadestep.
The arrow landed on Shadestep's left eye, stabbing directly onto the eyeball. Shadestep fell down as he screamed in a sudden jolt of pain. He covered his injured eye with a hoof, while blood started to leak out from the side. The dragon was surprised to see his enemy being shot randomly. He looked towards Lightningbolt's direction and spotted the mare with a bow in her hoof.
It was an awkward scene as the two made eye contact with each other. Shadestep, although being shot in one eye, still managed to see things clearly with another eye while the dragon was distracted. He raised his Sword of the Domain, and he threw it towards the back of the dragon. It was a lucky hit, but at least the dragon was finally down.
Lightningbolt hopped back out to assist Shadestep. She was scared that Shadestep might be seriously injured and turn against her due to her careless friendly fire.
"Shade? Oh, I'm terribly sorry, are you alright?"
"Just a scratch, I'll be alright. I need to help Eclipse first!"
The two walked back towards Eclipse, and Eclipse's smoke from the eye was no longer visible, and he had stopped breathing. He still had very slow, shallow and weak pulses however, which means he was still alive.
Shadestep placed a hoof onto Eclipse and started to do his magic. Lightningbolt witnessed a wave of dark magic being transferred from Shadestep to Eclipse. Eclipse's eyes started to smoke again, and his eyes slowly opened.
With a few vigorous cough, he sat up and saw his brother and his mare. And with a few more moments, he was fully recovered and retrieved from the brim of demise. He stood back up again, and he deactivated his 'Nightmare Mode'.
"Eclipse!" Lightningbolt cried, as she saw her stall being brought back to life once again. She embraced the stallion as the tears of joy flowed out from the frame of her bright blue eyes.
"No time to enjoy your reunion. Canterlot had been breached. We need to head back and unleash our final resort weapon before it's too late!"
Eclipse nodded, and Shadestep opened a portal straight to the Castle compound of Canterlot. The three promptly hopped through, only to see that Canterlot was a mess down in the city area. All the enemies they had were charlie-foxtort-ing down there.
They retreated into the throne room, and all the allied generals were defending the castle. Malachite, Sky Lannister, Windspear, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence the two Royal Sisters, Lunar and all remaining combat effective assets of Royal Guards, Wonderbolts and the Sentinel Task Force were standing inside, holding their weapons and ready to fight.
Eclipse took a crate full of ammunition and loaded all the machine guns and sniper rifles he could handle, while Lightningbolt took a few quiver full of arrows and stood guard with the rest of the team inside. Shadestep took Eclipse's Sword of the Burnt Secrets and dual wield the two swords he now have.
A scout ran back in and reported, "Enemies inbound!"
"Everyone get ready, this is going to get real tough!" Princess Celestia ordered, and everyone readied their weapons for a final stand against the incoming enemies.
The doors were bust opened, as different races of enemy forces swarmed in the castle. Everyone defended the castle. The ones with guns fired their weapons towards the incoming swarm, while the ones with melee weapons charged in and started to swing their weapons.
Shining Armor casted a protective ward to minimise enemy fire against the team inside. Eclipse swapped between .50 caliber rifles and machine guns to maximise his firing power.
"Damn it! They'll just keep coming!"
"Don't let up! Just keep fighting!"
Although with their best effort, the enemies were getting nearer and nearer towards the team. Shining Armor asked his Princess Cadence the question,
"Why can't we just call Twily in and blast them away, or do what we did before?"
"Because they are not evil, they are just aggressive against us. Those powers wouldn't apply this time."
Shadestep backed up and called Eclipse and Lunar, "Brothers! Get over here! It's time for the final weapon!"
Eclipse didn't exactly know what his brother and the rest of the council had previously planned, but he knew he had to trust him. He had no option.
"What do we do now?" Eclipse asked, as bullets and magic beams fired around him.
"Summon the weapon."
"What kind of weapon?"
"Ancient power of the Shadows."
Eclipse was shocked among hearing the plan. It was one of the strongest powers ever known in Equestria history and also the most unpredictable, uncontrollable and devastating power they could possibly find.
The three stood there, forming a circle. Shadestep drew out King Sombra's horn and placed it on the ground. He started to cast the spell.
"Ancient Lord of the Shadows and our dear father, hear my words! We now summon you and your almighty powers upon this land! Hear my call, as we call upon the names of the shadows and the dead. Hear me cry, as the holy and the evil all fall upon the power of the shadows, and our dear father takes the lead once again! For the Shadow Realm! For the Lord!"
With that, the horn bursted into flames and everyone around all fell unconscious and fell to the ground. The fighting seized, and the ancient power, buried away for millenniums were brought back to the lands, that swept all the enemies away. |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Chapter 9 - Sins of the Father | The three brothers woke up first, as they see the castle now quiet and enemies were gone. The rest of the team slowly eventually recovered from the blast and got back up again, only to see that the enemies were gone. The castle was once again quiet.
Malachite looked around, and he saw the three brothers standing around King Sombra's horn.
"What was that..."
"The final weapon was unleashed. They should be gone now." Shadestep said as he put on an eyepatch to cover the hollow eye cavity as his eyeball was pulled out after Lightningbolt's friendly firing incident.
"Finally!" He screamed in excitement. All of them couldn't help but express their greatest euphoria they had ever have in their life.
"Now, all we had to do is to contain the power back into the horn, and send them back to the void." Shadestep said, as he once again performed a spell, but a reverse spell. Not to unleash the powers, but to claim it back.
Everyone witnessed as he performed the ritual. They were hoping to see something getting sucked back into the horn, but there wasn't anything thing to see for a good 10 minutes.
"Oh no..." Shadestep muttered.
"What is it?" Eclipse asked nervously. He had never seen his brother this anxious and unconfident about himself before.
"I can't seem to... call the power back in..." He grunted as he continued trying and trying again.
"You what?!" Eclipse screamed.
"I said I can't contain the power!" Shadestep yelled back.
"Bloody hell... What are we supposed to do now?"
Princess Celestia stepped up towards Shadestep, looking very worried about the situation.
"Excuse me, King Shadestep, so what is the situation now?"
"You see, the power is unpredictable and unstable in general, and now I somehow couldn't contain the power. If the power is left unsolved, who know what kind of damage it may cause if it goes rogue."
"So, how are we suppose to solve the problem?"
"There is a way, but I'm not sure if anyone of us are powerful enough to deal with this on our own, not even you or me, Princess."
"Whatever, as long as it can seal the power away, it's worth a try."
"Yeah! We've not come this far to be defeated by our own backfired plan." The rest started as they heard the conversation.
"Alright, alright. It is pretty similar to the battle when King Sombra was destroyed. We will need all of our combined power, along with the enemies and their respective leader's own special power, to bust through the heavy resistance of the Shadow Powers. Our objective is to find a path to a portal that might occur anywhere at anytime that leads straight to the spiritual realm. It can only fit one individual through, and almost all of the holy powers of Equestria cannot go through."
"Once inside, it's the matter of finding the source of the power, destroy it or seal it away. Since only dark magic users can grant access inside through the crooked and twisted portal, it means neither Princess Celestia or Princess Luna could go through. It's up to me, Eclipse or Lunar."
"The main issue is that, neither of us is powerful enough to fight the enormous power of the Ancient power of the Shadows. We would at least require King Sombra's level of magic to even come close of making a draw."
"But King Sombra was destroyed." Shining Armor asked.
"That's the problem. And even if he were alive right now, I highly doubt that he will fight on our side. Nevermind, we'll figure this out sooner or later. I recommend sending troops to unite all of the enemy leaders first, as to gather all the unique powers of Equestria."
"How about the griffons? Krossair and Granite are dead, and they were the only legal inheritor of the Griffonstone Empire and the Power of Griffons." Malachite asked.
"You are the inheritor, Malachite! Granite's legacy is all yours to take control of!" Eclipse responded.
"Me? What? He was being serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking? A hero's last words are the most valuable. He said you are the King now, so you are taking the responsibility!"
"Fine. I'll gather some troops to negotiate with those changelings and the dragons."
"Lieutenant Lannister, you lead the rest of the Wonderbolts to assist Malachite! Remember, no killing! We need the two enemy leaders alive!"
"Roger that, Captain."
The two stepped out of the castle with some soldiers and took off. The rest that stayed could only hope for the best as they waited for their update.
As for the remaining generals left in the castle, they. were responsible for the second half of the operation.
"As for the crisis of Lord Tirek, me, my sister and Cadence transferred our respective alicorn powers to Twilight Sparkles for her to fight him off. I think we can apply this to the situation right now. If we combine all three brother's power onto one, we could achieve greater power on one individual."
"It is a great idea, Princess. However, it is easier said than done if we were to combine the power of us three on one, since our power are inseparable. Unlike you alicorns, the formation of us three are from one single source - King Sombra's remains. Our power were supposed to be evenly shared by us three, but ended up in an unbalanced share, with me wielding more power than Eclipse, and Eclipse having more power than Lunar. If we were to combine our power, it would mean killing two of the brothers."
"I don't mind sacrificing myself for the nation, if it can save us all." Eclipse said, determined.
"No, Eclipse! Don't leave me! Don't die, please..." Lightningbolt pleaded upon hearing Eclipse's words. They had come all this way to be together, and she would never allow fate to separate the couple.
"There is a way to keep the two alive... But it is still very risky. One wrong move and they would demise forever. It will be dangerous, but it's the only way to preserve the lives of the two brothers while infusing the three brothers' power into one."
"Go on. I will do anything, as long as we can contain the powers and restore harmony to the land."
"The two will still need to die, but not completely. Their souls will need to be combined with the one that stays alive. However, their bodies will not be completely dead and empty. It would mean keeping the body just barely alive while the powers fuses together. Then it would be a race against time, as the bodies will not stay alive forever without their actual soul inside. Finish the deal quickly, and pull their souls back into their body. One wrong move, and the soul will completely detach from the body or get corrupted, which would both result in death."
"It's worth a try, but who will be responsible to carry the power of the three?"
"I would say Shadestep. He's the oldest and the most powerful. He has the greatest control over dark magic." Eclipse suggested.
"I would say the same, for our big brother is the most capable." Lunar agreed.
"Then that's decided. We'll do it once we are ready to strike. We'll also need to figure out which way to 'die' is the most suitable, since we cannot physically hurt the body."
"Either anaesthesia or suffocation would be best, since it wouldn't damage the body much." AppleAle suggested from the crowd. Being the medic of the Sentinels she knows about death more than anyone else there.
"Then we can use anaesthesia then. One shot to the heart to paralyse the heart and we'll be 'dead'."
"Final problem, where is the portal?" Eclipse asked.
"Mostly random, but I think I can calculate according to its pattern. If we strike before tomorrow, it would be somewhere near the south of Equestria. Not the easiest path, but there's no second option." Shadestep responded.
*************************************************************************************
Around an hour later, Malachite and Lannister returned to the castle. A dragon and a changeling followed the two as they entered the castle.
"Princess Ember. Queen Chrysalis. Well met." Princess Celestia greeted the two enemy leaders.
"Now, I'm tired of getting blasted away by your love magic, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence." The bug queen responded, emphasising the two names with a sarcastic tone.
"No, we're not going to blast you away. It's an alliance, and we are being very sincere and serious. I know we might have our differences, many of our respective races died, but it's not the time to blame each other. Those dark magic monstrosity are now roaming outside, going rogue any second now. If we don't help each other, we will all go down."
"Fine. Just for my subjects."
"Fine by me, as long as I don't receive more negative comments of my subjects by you ponies." The blue armoured dragon that stabbed Granite
replied.
"Yeah, said so the one that killed Granite." Malachite complained.
"Malachite!"
"Fine..."
"So now, if everyone is ready, we will kick this off." Shadestep asked.
Everyone nodded. Princess Ember, the Empress of the dragon race equipped her helmet while the rest armed themselves, ready to protect Shadestep to the portal.
AppleAle prepared two syringes full of anaesthesia fluids, while Eclipse and Lunar laid down. Everyone was surrounding the two, watching intensely and held their breathe. Lightningbolt grabbed Eclipse's hoof as she stayed next to him.
"Don't leave me... Please, make it back..."
"I will, Bolt. I promise."
"Son, I await good news." Windspear saluted. He envied Eclipse's courage.
"Roger that old man."
With their probably final goodbyes said to the two, AppleAle pushed the syringes onto the two's chests. And with another push, the fluids went inside their heart. Eclipse stared at Bolt as he felt the cold fluid flowed into his heart, and his started to slowly lose consciousness. Shadestep casted a spell to stop the two's soul from completely draining into his body.
"Alright, time is money. We have to move, now." Shadestep ordered once the process is done.
"Move out!" Malachite yelled as he turned towards the door.
"Bolt! We have to move!" Shadestep called out.
"Just go, little filly. I'll take care of him." Windspear said.
Although very unwilling, she finally left with the team. She kept on looking back at her stallion as they moved out. Fortunately, all of them knew how to fly, so all of them took off and proceeded towards their objective at the south.
The skies looked clear as they proceeded, but Shadestep knew best that it was only a hallucination. Sooner or Later, they will encounter the spectral entities and it would be a tough fight.
Lightningbolt stayed right next to Shadestep for the entire time, since she knew that part of her lover is now in the body of his brother. As they approached the Southern Borders of Equestria, they could see a dark mist surrounding them, neon blue spectral soldiers appeared as they neared the border. The mist was very thick and dense, which in turn reduced their lift and they were all forced to land.
Since the portal was emitting dark magic, Shadestep could sense where the portal was exactly, since he had very strong dark power. The team battled through the spectral soldiers to proceed forward. Since they couldn't be hurt physically, all they could do was to move fast and either protect themselves with a shield or use magic against them.
It was very difficult to move inside the misty area, since it was like a furious sandstorm that resisted and limited their speed.
With great effort, they moved forward to the portal. It was a purplish red frame of unknown entity. The mist near the portal was the most dense comparing to the surrounding area. Shadestep dove right into the portal with no hesitation, and the team stayed behind. Right as he jumped in, the think mist was gone and the portal was shut. The spectral entities disappeared with the portal as well.
"Let's head back to Canterlot. This is what we can do for now. The rest is now determined by Shadestep." Lightningbolt suggested.
*************************************************************************************
Over at the spiritual realm, Shadestep landed in a forest. They skies were like a cloud of star dust in the galaxy, with the clouds and mist constantly moving. It looked just like the normal world, but more solemn and peaceful, at least for that moment.
Shadestep could feel his soul being split apart, and his brothers appeared as a spirit and spectral entity in the realm.
"Woah... This place is... stunning. So I am supposed to be... dead, right?" Eclipse asked as he looked around.
"Whatever it is, we need to stop the spirit from infesting its power by feeding on souls."
The three proceeded, and they could see a massive architecture at the far end of a canyon. On their way, they could see those they had slaughtered in the war. They all tried to say something.
"Watch where you are going. Those monsters, they will eat you!"
"Shouldn't have joined the war, now I'm dead and stranded here, alone."
"I fear no one, but that thing, it scares me."
"This is almost like Tantabus... only less empty and more plants."
As they approached the edge of the canyons, they could see a bridge, made of bones, hanging across the canyon. Under the canyon was an abyss, while the souls that defiled the laws of the world were punished and pushed down to the nothingness.
They walked up towards the bridge, only to be stopped by an entity. He was wearing some heavy armour, and was wielding a hammer with both of his hooves. He appeared to be an alicorn, that guards the entrance to the palace-like architecture on the other side.
"Halt. Only the spirits that are qualified to enter can pass through. And no mortals allowed in this place." The spirit started.
"I'm no mortal, and I'm very sure all three of us are qualified to enter." Shadestep started.
"I am Kugelblitz, the alicorn of justice and qualifications. I am responsible of guarding the entrance to the Hall of Eternity. Identify yourself, and I might let you enter." The entity replied.
"I am King Shadestep the Powerful, the rightful inheritor of the Shadow Realm. I am here to seal the invading Ancient Power of the Shadows."
"I am Prince Eclipse, Captain of the Equestria Royal Air Force Wonderbolts, and the second-in-charge of the Shadow Realm. I followed my brother."
"I-uh... I am Lunar, I just followed my brothers to come here..."
"Fine. I will make an exception here. Those who wished to combat the Ancient Power were all inside the Hall of Eternity. Head over and you can meet them." Kugelblitz stepped away and let the three brothers to pass through.
Shadestep headed on first, while Eclipse and Lunar followed their brother. The bridge was quite shaky unstable.
"Tread carefully, who knows what would happen if you fall." Eclipse whispered.
"Be careful, but be fast. I don't want you two to be stuck in here forever." Shadestep replied, as they had limited time before Eclipse and Lunar become actually dead.
They made it through the bridge and once again stepped on solid land. They had arrived at the Hall of Eternity, which was enormous. The gate itself was so tall that it appeared to be very heavy and immovable.
However, it was incredibly light as Shadestep pulled the gate open. It was even lighter than a feather, and it felt almost like he was pulling on nothing but thin air.
The three entered the Hall, and were greeted by some ancient heroes of Equestria.
"Welcome to the Hall of Eternity. I am Commander Hurricane, the ancient legendary general that helped founded the nation of Equestria." A red pegasus in armour said.
"Thank you, commander. We wish to see those who are willing to defend themselves against the invading Power of Shadows."
"They are gathering up and they are expecting you. Follow me, and we'll be ready." He headed to the inner hall while the three brothers followed.
The hall was massive, at least ten times larger than Canterlot. There was a massive grill that serves unlimited food to the heroes inside. It was an unending feast, with the heroes eating and singing all day, living a happy afterlife. The walls are made of gold and platinum, with diamonds embedded onto the corners. The floor was made of all kinds of luxurious materials you could ever imagine.
They arrived to see the warriors that wished to join in the armageddon. Eclipse was surprised to see his late teammates and nemeses.
"Lieutenant Eclipse! Is that you? Are you... KIA?" A pony in Wonderbolts uniform and wields a 12 gauge shotgun approached Eclipse, with a few more pegasi following behind him.
"Sky Striker! Everyone! Alpha Team!" Eclipse was happy to see his late teammates again, and he gave all of them an abrazo.
"I'm not dead, and Equestria's civil war was won. However, I followed my brother to assist you all here to deal with the aftermath. You know, the invading Shadow Powers."
"I see. I think Granite would be glad to see you too."
"But I though he killed you in the mountains? Aren't you suppose to hate him?"
"We may be nemesis as mortals, but we're all a family here, in the Hall of Eternity."
He could see his late partner approached him, while next to him stood a griffon, with fur dark as ebony.
"Granite... Obsidian..." He was almost speechless.
"Eclipse, my dearest partner of the badlands. Thank you for sending me here. I live a life more comfortable and satisfying in here, with my dearest Obsidian."
"You wouldn't tell me that Krossair is here as well?"
Granite chuckled.
"I sent him straight to the righteous side of hell, right down that abyss outside. He deserved to pay for his crime of genocide and treason. I was fortunate enough to be forgiven of my crimes due to my service to right the wrong."
"That's nice."
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, we wish to combat with you!" The rest of the team started.
"Let's not waste anytime, then." Shadestep spoke.
The team marched out towards the opening field on the other side of the canyon by the lead of the three brothers. the team was formed by various races and teams. Ponies, Griffons, Dragons, Vampires... You name it, they had it.
They marched over the bridge in perfectly synchronised steps. Eclipse thought the bridge will start to shake vigorously and might even snap, but not only did the bridge not snap, it seemed to have strengthen and stabilised itself for the marching souls.
"Formation!" Eclipse commanded the team as they approached the other side of the bridge. They did not need words to coordinate themselves, as they lined up in battle formation as if they were already told what to do. Kugelblitz also joined in the battle, and stood with the three brothers.
"Show yourself!" Shadestep yelled towards the cloudy mist in front of them.
"Fool. You are a fool to follow me towards the spiritual realm, son. If you do not obey me, I will end you myself. You have 30 seconds to surrender." The mist spoke towards the team.
"Ready your weapons!" Eclipse turned around and ordered the team. The team followed and drew their weapons from their sheath.
"What's with the mist, Shadestep? It seemed to... know you and your brothers." Kugelblitz asked.
Shadestep smirked. "Sins of the Father."
"King Sombra, our dearest father. Forgive us for our rebellion, as you had done enough damage to the lands, and we will put you down."
The mist chuckled.
"My dear sons, you are all like me, hungry for power and fame. Admit it, you wish to dominate the lands with power and might. Enslave those you wish to work for you and kill whoever is in your way."
"We have overcame our evil nature, father. Face us! I declare war on you, King Sombra the Tyrant!"
"You are not speaking to King Sombra. No, not the King alone. You are talking to all the previous ancestors of the Shadows! You dare to rebel against us?!"
"Bring it on!"
"You wish to seek your own demise, and I shall grant you that wish!"
The mist started to thin out and a stallion stepped up. A stallion with black flowing mane and grey fur appeared in front of the team. He was wearing his armour and his iconic red cape. The well-known tyrant of the Shadows, King Sombra appeared right in front of the team.
"You have a pretty harsh father, Lieutenant." Sky Striker joked.
"Indeed, Striker."
King Sombra summoned black souled creatures to guard himself against team. They were wearing masks, with unsettling lime green lights coming out from the gaps of the mask.
"Attack!" Shadestep commanded, and the team charged forward to combat the enemies, just like how they used to do so when they were alive.
Eclipse threw his sword towards Shadestep, which Shadestep caught it skilfully. With some fancy magic, he fused the two weapons into one, the Sword of Domain and Burnt Secrets, or more widely known to the legends as The Black Blade, as it appeared almost completely black and burning purple flames. King Shadestep now wielded the legendary artefact capable of utter destruction if landed onto a villain's grasp.
The two King's blades collided as Shadestep charged towards King Sombra with his sword, while the others fired their spiritual firearms. Eclipse and Lunar jumped in to assist their brother as they embedded their powers to the rightful King Shadestep.
"Give up, son. You will never win this..." King Sombra laughed loudly and confidently as he battled his sons.
"I will prove you wrong, King Sombra."
"You don't understand it do you? The power of Shadow is always feed by deceptions and betrayal."
"It is only like that when you keep ruling with absolutism!"
"Eventually, even if you were to defeat me, all of you will be stranded here as your souls eventually detach from your bodies."
Shadestep could feel himself getting stronger as more and more power was fed to him through the remaining souls from the body. He knew that as he get stronger, his brothers would risk actually 'dying' greater and greater.
The rest of the creatures was defeated, leaving just King Sombra fighting his own sons. The team couldn't do anything but watched the battle go on.
"According to the law of conservation of mass and energy, matter and energy cannot be created out of nothing. Every magic spell, every conjuration, every move he make is just rearranging the energy distributed in the world, which means he will be weakened enough to defeat given the time. Just stop him from acquiring more energy, and he will be down in no time." Eclipse spoke towards Shadestep's mind.
Shadestep heard it, and he knew of the best solution. He changed his attack patterns and faced towards the Hall of Eternity. As he started to out power his father, he pushed forward and made King Sombra backed up.
Soon enough, Sombra now had his back faced upon the canyon, with his hooves stepping just right onto the brim of the abyss.
"Ever heard of a blackhole? Nothing escapes the event horizon." Shadestep taunted, as he had learnt some science and 'nerdy' stuff from Eclipse.
"Choose your next words carefully, Shadestep. They may be your last as King." King Sombra yelled back.
"Deception and Betrayal." He spoke to himself, as he considered the meaning into the words.
He pointed his Black Blade towards the stallion, and everyone else also pointed their weapon at him following Shadestep's action.
"You're mad, son. You are mad. If it wasn't me, you wouldn't be here." Sombra replied.
"Deception and Betrayal, you'll find plenty of both down there."
"No one, in Equestria or this world. No one threatens their own father!" Sombra yelled back. Although acting calm and as if everything was under his control, he could sense his doom is near, his true ending.
"You bring tyranny and absolutism to this land, my land."
"You insulted my brothers."
"You threatened my subjects with slavery and death!"
"Oh, I have chosen my words very carefully, my dear father. Perhaps you should have done the same, King Sombra."
"This is patricides. This is madness!" King Sombra roared.
Shadestep slowly lowered his blade and turned his head to look back towards his brothers. They eventually nodded, knowing his plan. The rest
held their weapons on tightly as they surrounded King Sombra.
"Madness?"
"THIS! IS! EQUESTRIA!"
And with a powerful leap and a spin, he bucked King Sombra down into the dark abyss of nothingness, never to be seen again as he fell through towards hell, and eventually get tangled and imprisoned by the hateful spirits down in the righteous side of hell.
They all approached the edge of the abyss and peeked down to the darkness as they witnessed King Sombra's downfall.
"So, you sure he ain't coming back?"
"Maybe he will return, maybe after thousand of years, maybe tomorrow, no one knows. The most important is that the Tyrant had received the punishment he deserved, and peace is finally restored to the lands."
They didn't want to, but they had to. It was time for them to say goodbye, as even the immortals needed to live on. Shadestep and his brothers readied to return to the mortal coil, as they said goodbye with the spirits in the realm.
"Please, Eclipse. Tell Lannister and my parents that I live a great afterlife here, and they do not need to worry about me anymore." Sky Striker requested his Captain.
"Please, Eclipse. Tell Malachite that he is in charge of the Empire now, and he should do all he could to keep the subject's well-being." Granite requested.
"Please, Eclipse. Help us to say our late goodbyes to Captain Windspear." The Alpha Team requested.
"No need to say goodbye to me anymore." A figure landed onto the lands of the spiritual realm, in front of the Alpha Team's spirits.
"Alpha Team, attention!" Sky Striker shouted.
The team stood straight and saluted, as the old veteran appeared in front of the team.
"We welcome you home, Captain Aviator Windspear." The team greeted the Captain.
"Captain... Are you..."
"Eclipse, son. I'm sorry I didn't make it before you return to the mortal realm. The rest of the generals back there are expecting you three. Head on back, you've done a great job of leading this unit, which I am glad. When your time runs out one day, we will welcome you to join in the feast in heaven once again, but for the time being, you still have your life to live on. Lightningbolt is a good mare, don't leave her waiting."
"Captain...I... Roger that." Eclipse sobbed, as he knew when he return to the mortal realm, his mentor will not make it for his wedding.
"But before you go, Eclipse," Windspear said, "Take my remains to be placed with the rest of Alpha Team."
"I will make sure it happens, sir."
"Hey! Are you gonna return or stay here forever?" Shadestep's yell interrupted his farewell with his captain, reminding that he was running out of time.
"See you later, Alpha Team."
"See you later, Eclipse." The team saluted with Windspear as Eclipse followed his brothers to return to the mortal coil.
With that, the three brothers' vision went completely bright white as their souls returned to the mortal realm once again. Shadestep simply reappeared in the Canterlot castle in front of everyone.
The soul of Eclipse and Lunar was once again placed into their respective bodies. Lunar woke up first, as he felt like he had been resurrected from his death, which was exactly what happened, ironically. It was a strange feeling, as it was like getting born from a mother's womb all over again, but only the senses, not the actual scene.
Eclipse didn't wake up for another 5 minutes after Lunar, which everyone was very concerned that he might be stuck in the spiritual realm forever.
Despite of everyone's greatest fear, he did manage to wake up again. He gently opened his eyes. Under his blurry vision and numbing sensations, he could see the white mare with pink mane looking into his eyes passionately, her hooves holding onto his.
"Lightningbolt... My dearest mare... I'm back." He stood back up as his full sense as a stallion, awake and alive, returns to his body. He hugged her tight within his embrace, and kissed the mare on the lips as passionately as her stare.
Everyone around him jumped and cheered in happiness, as the war was won, and peace was finally restored.
"Not so fast, everyone. We still have a big mess to clean." Eclipse started.
"By the way, Windspear?" He asked purposely, although he knew the answer.
"He... he didn't make it before you return..." AppleAle responded with a depressed tone.
"I know... I saw his spirit in the spiritual realm before I left. Don't worry about him, he is now reunited with the Alpha Team in a better place now. Granite is with Obsidian now, living in a big palace happily together. And The Tyrant is no more, as he was banished to the abyss of hell to be tried for his sins."
It was a glorious day for Equestria, for it was the victory of the civil war, and all races in the lands were united all as one, with their previous sins forgiven. Everyone held their hooves and claws together, to set off to rebuild the lands that they had once destroyed. |
Harmony: Equestria at War | Epilogue - Return of the Harmony | A whole year had passed since the victory of the civil war, 2nd January, Year 15, Second Celestial Era. The citizens had returned to their original homeland. Although being destroyed and burnt to the ground, they kept being optimistic, as a bright future lied ahead of them.
The lands of Equestria had now been restored, and the races had now been officially united as one. The Griffonstone Empire had recognised itself as part of Equestria, and the new Emperor, King Malachite the Brave had established a propaganda of peace and unification.
As for the dragon race, they had finally allowed open trade and communication with Equestria, building railroads and turned the reddish, burning rocks into an actually habitable place for all the races.
The crooked changelings, however, still had trouble accepting the fact that their plan of ultranationalism had failed for the third time. Queen Chrysalis lived a great life with the rest of the Empresses of Equestria, while taking care of her own subjects.
The economy system had been completely destroyed in the civil war, but it eventually started to recover, as industries and cultivations had started to thrive again, just like how it was before the war had begun.
With the society back on track, Eclipse could finally make decisions about his own life. He remembered his vow - to be with Lightningbolt forever. He decided that now is the time to get married with the mare he had always loved.
He still had problem deciding where should his wedding be held, Canterlot or Shadow Realm. As the hero of Equestria and the Prince of Shadow Realm, his wedding would be grand, inviting everyone of every race to attend.
Decision was made as everyone suggested it would be best for the wedding to be held in Canterlot, as it was the most convenient place in Equestria for anyone to attend.
The best singers and performers were invited to perform, the best fashion designers were gathered to made the most eye-catching attire for the Captain and the Colonel, and the best chefs were hired to cook the best food and dessert for the event.
It would be a big event, as it was not only his wedding, but his inauguration as the Captain of the Wonderbolts and the first memorial anniversary of the victory of the civil war. It was such a massive event that the entire nation of Equestria was issued a week-long official public holiday just for the event.
*************************************************************************************
"Are you that nervous already now, my brother? You look calmer on the battlefield than your own wedding." Lunar teased as he helped his brother dressed up for the event.
"Yeah, I won't lie. I am quite nervous now. You know, I'm not particularly good at anything except flying and shooting." Eclipse chuckled, a little embarrassed.
"Chill, Your Royal Highness. Everything would be alright. Come on, check yourself out. You look just magnificent!"
Eclipse walked in front of a tall mirror as he looked at himself through the mirror. He was in a full set of white attire and a pair of white leather boots, with aiguillettes crossing his chest from his shoulder. Three shiny golden badges hanging from his chest as awards of his services in the war. His mane was made to look more handsome, as it was much tidier than his normal day outlook.
He buttoned up the gold plated buttons on his coat with his hooves and applied a little perfume. He looked up at the mannequins, wondering wether he should wear a crown or a Captain's cap.
Lunar picked up the crown and placed it on Eclipse's head, making the decision for him. He attached his sword on his waist and stepped out from the changing room. With his two brothers by his side, he walked towards the hall of the castle.
The doors were opened as he approached the hall, and from there he could see his mare starting at the very end of the hall, up the stage. Lots of fillies and colts stood by the side of a red carpet that led him up the stage.
Some were Royal Guards, standing straight with swords in their sheath and a whole set of armour, polished so bright that as if it actually glows a silver light. Some were Wonderbolts, standing adjacent to the Royal Guards in their format attire and wings stretched confidently in the air. A black and white cap, a set of well-ironed uniform as blue as the skies, and a pair of white leather shoes. They all stood aside with their rifles, not the ones they use in the battlefield, but the ones in galas.
The organ was played as Eclipse entered, approaching the stage. The blades were unsheathed by the Guards and the rifles were raised to form an arc as Eclipse passed through.
On the stage, Princess Celestia was the priest, and Lightningbolt stood with her sister Dasher as the bride maid. Lightningbolt was in a set of wedding dress that looked as if it was made of snow flakes. Her mane was also tidied, and lied around on her neck.
The stallion stepped up onto the stage.
"Lightningbolt... You are so pretty..." Eclipse complimented.
"You looked very handsome, Eclipse." Lightningbolt giggled, and she complimented back too.
"From now on, you're my princess, forever and beyond."
"So, shall we begin?" Princess Celestia asked, as the two were finally here.
The two nodded in response, and held their hooves together, as Celestia started to speak.
"We gather here to unite these two ponies in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion, and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither pony is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither pony is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy. Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish."
"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honour and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?"
"We do." Eclipse and Lightningbolt replied.
"Do you pledge to share your love and the joys of your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?"
"We do."
"May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment, but also of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other."
Two gold rings were placed on a stand in front of the couple, with extremely detailed carvings and finished with a flawless diamond on each ring.
"Lightningbolt, please repeat after me ... I Lightningbolt, promise to love and support you Eclipse and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humour, and passion. With this ring I thee wed."
Lightningbolt repeated the vow, and she took one of the rings from the stand with her magic. She pulled Eclipse's mechanical wing over with her hood, and fitted it into a gap Eclipse cut away in advance just for this occasion. The ring slipped into the gap easily, and now fitted snugly onto the wing.
With the ring fitted onto Eclipse, Celestia continued.
"Eclipse, please repeat after me ... I Eclipse, promise to love and support you Lightningbolt and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humour, and passion. With this ring I thee wed."
Eclipse did the same thing and repeated the vow solemnly. He feared that his dark magic may hurt his mare, so he just physically picked the ring up with the feathers on his real wing, and gently slid the ring down her horn, which also fitted just tight enough to be held in place, and not easily removable.
"Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have - the gifts of your lives united. And may your days be long on this earth. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
With that said, Eclipse pulled Lightningbolt over into his embrace, and the couple's lips touched. Everyone cheered as the two kissed lovingly. The confetti was dropped, the blank shots were fired, and the fireworks were launched. The two were officially married.
It was a marvellous day. Not only was Eclipse and Lightningbolt married and Bolt became the Princess of the Shadow Realm, Malachite had become King of Griffonstone Empire, Shadestep and Dasher started a relationship...
While the rest of Equestria continued celebrating, Eclipse still had his duties and promises to fulfil. Still in his Prince attire, he travelled to the gate of Canterlot, to move some 'shipments'.
Two brown wood boxes were lying there under a pavilion, with a flag of Equestria covering one, while a flag of Griffonstone Empire covered another. Being a strong stallion, he loaded the two coffins onto a little bird chopper, which he flew it to the Crystal Mountain range.
He landed on the mountain, somewhere which the coldest winds never blew and the harshest chill never reached. It retained a forever sight of red and orange leafed-trees, with hay and dried grass. It was also so far up the north that it reached the arctic circle of the planet, and the sun would never set at the location.
The place was a graveyard, where the royalty, the heroes and the important ones' body rest forever. Eclipse unloaded the two coffins and carried it to where the Alpha Team's remain rested.
"Rest in peace, my Captain."
"Rest in peace, my partner."
He saluted, as he stare blankly at the massive graveyard. |
Transformers/My little pony: First contact | pre | "Well, unfortunately, we don't have time for sightseeing!", Prowl stated, "We've got to find the nearest human settlement and call for help."
"Well then how about we stop yammering and get going!", Jazz suggested.
"Right, Autobots, transform and roll out!"
They all complied, as one by one, each Autobot transformed into theri respective vehicle modes. Prowl into a police car, Jazz into a Porche 935, and Bumblebee into a Volkswagon. All three drove as fast as they could into the large forest before them, with high hopes that they will find someone (or something) who can help them. ***
Twilight and her friends didn't know how they've been running. The only thing that was on their minds was to get away from whatever it was that they just saw. Moments ago, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Spike wandered into cave looking for gems, but instead, they found something entirely different. In the cave, the three entered bodies of creatures none of them have even seen before. The only thing they could think of to call them would be robots or cyborgs. Robots are normally something they would rule out, mainly because the only time a pony would see a robot would be in a book or a comic, but after their recent encounter, the existence of robots may be something they may need to rethink.
What amazed them the most was their size. They could give an Ursa minor a run for its bits! (Although an Ursa Major might still out class them.) At first, they seemed to be dead or asleep at least. But they were quickly proved wrong. After one of them woke up, they decided it was high time to get the hay out of there. They took a break from running. They may have wandered into the Everfree forest, and stopping there would be a bad idea but their bodies just wouldn't let them move one more inch.
They found a tree to rest by and catch their breath. There was sweat dripping of all of their exhausted bodies. There was a bit of a silence between them, but who could blame them? They just found a cave full of giant talking robots, what was there to say? The silence was eventually broken by Spike. He jumped up with his arms flailing all about while yelling, "Did you guys see that thing?! It was so huge, and it could talk! Aw man, what do we do if it comes to Ponyville?! It could cause so much trouble! That... uh... er... what was its name?"
"Optimus Prime.", Twilight answered, not even looking in Spike's direction.
"Right, wait, how do you know that?"
Twilight thought back to when she examined the creature's bodies. She remembered that each one had strange sounding code names engraved on them, "It was written on him. Almost all of them had names like that engraved on them. Also, he said it out loud, multiple times."
"Oh."
"Well", Rarity started, "They defiantly were interesting, especially the colors on that Optimus fellow..."
Spike face palmed. He couldn't believe that even in a situation like this, Rarity was still thinking about fashion. Then again, she was Rarity.
"Ugh, Rarity, I love you, but is this really the best time to think about the fashion sense of a giant robot?"
"Yes well... wait, did you just say you love me?"
Spike's checks flushed. That wasn't really something Rarity was supposed to hear. He had to think of an excuse fast, "Uh... yeah. I, uh, love the way you're... sitting there?"
Spike gave the fakest smile he could give, trying to look sincere. Rarity continued to give him suspicious looks.
Twilight ignored them, trying to get her thoughts together. Suddenly, she got a slight headache. She also began to get a little dizzy. Until, a ghostly form began to form in front of her. She couldn't really see it, as it was all white and see through. She could barely make out a humanoid form.
The mysterious apparition held out its finger and pointed straight at her, and began to speak in a soft disembodied voice, "So... you are Twilight Sparkle... apprentice to Princess Celestia... am I correct?"
Twilight slowly nodded her head in agreement, not sure what was going on.
"Good... then I've found the one I've been looking for..."
"Looking for?", Twilight questioned, "Why were you looking for me?"
"That's not important... what's important... is that you manged to alter the future... by waking up the Autobots... you have avoided the confrontation with Soundwave that was for told in your dream... but beware... there are still dangers that you must face... the greatest of them... death."
"Autobots? Soundwave? Who are you and what're you talking about?"
But before she could get an answer, the apparition disappeared, leaving a very confused Twilight.
"Uh, Twilight, Who are you talking to?"
Twilight looked over to see both Spike and Rarity giving her concerned looks.
"You didn't see it?" Twilight asked while pointing her hoof where the apparition was.
Rarity and Spike both exchanged glances before Spike turned back and answered, "No. Uh, what exactly where we supposed to be seeing?"
"Huh," Twilight thought out loud, "They couldn't see it, must've been a hallucination... but still..."
Now Rarity and Spike were very worried about her friend. She now seemed to be talking to herself, had all these years of being the student to Princess Celestia gone to her head?
Twilight stood up, now with a more confident look on her face, "Alright, we'll talk about this later. Now, it's our duty to get to Ponyville and tell them about what we just saw!"
They all nodded their heads in agreement, and took off towards Ponyville. ***
It had only been a few moments since Prowl, Jazz, and Bumblebee had departed on their mission, all three were crusing along a path they had found in the forest they were in. Already was Prowl stating to give orders, "Alright, this is how it's going to go down. Jazz, I want you to take the lead. Head north while me and Bumblebee will take to the west."
"What?" Bumblebee began to protest, still in vehicle mode "Why do I need to stay with you? I can take care of myself!"
"Because," Prowl answered in a strict tone, "you're just a rookie. Besides, I know how you can get, sending you by yourself could jeopardize the mission!"
As much as Bumblebee hated to admit it, Prowl was right. He had a sort of adventures attitude. Whenever the Autobots were on a mission, Bumblebee was always the first to jump straight into the war zone. It's not that he wants to show off; he just wants to show the others that just because he's young (and relatively short) doesn't mean he's weak.
"Come on Prowl, just let the kid go." said Jazz, sticking up for Bumblebee yet again, "It's not like we're fighting the Decepticons or anything. He'll be fine."
"Are you sure Jazz? Logic dictates that-"
"Just let him go! He needs the experience anyways."
Prowl was a bit reluctant, he didn't want to risk failing the mission or worse, have Bumblebee get hurt somehow. But then again, Jazz had a point; it's not like they're doing a combat mission or anything.
"...alright. Bumblebee, take the lead and head north. If you find anything, let me know. Me and Jazz will take to the west, got it?"
"Yes sir!" Bumblebee answered in an excited tone. He quickly drove in front of their group and quickly gained speed. He then headed north to complete the task given to him. He also blew out alot of smoke out of his exhaust pipe, completely covering Jazz and Prowl in the process.
"Damn kids..." Prowl muttered to himself. ***
Optimus Prime felt useless. He ordered three of his Autobots to go into a mysterious forest about a half hour ago in order to go look for help. He wished he had gone with them. But he knew he couldn't, his place was here, in this cave with Ratchet. He was surrounded by the unconscious bodies of his Autobot comrades. It was his duty as leader to make sure his troops were ok, and he was doing a poor job at that.
"Sorry Optimus," Ratchet said as he got threw examining another Autobot, "but it seems they're stuck in stasis mode. They've lost a lot of energon, and waking them up now could severely harm them. If only we just had little bit of energon..."
Optimus put his hand on Ratchet's shoulder in a reasuring manner, "It's ok Ratchet, I know you're doing your best. I'm sure Prowl and the others will find help soon."
Ratchet couldn't help at Optimus. He always kept his cool in almost any situation, even ones as dire as this.
"Thanks Optimus, I'll keep trying. Hopefully I'll at least find out why we all went into stasis lock."
Optimus simply gave an approving nod. But then, a thought came to him. If they needed energon to wake up... then how did he mannage to come out of stasis? He also recalled that he had an overwhelming amount of energon before he used it to wake up Bumblebee and the others. Optimus could only scratch his chin as he pondered. He also couldn't help but notice the small blood stain located on his chest... ***
If you'd ask anypony exactly who the diamond dogs were, they'd always tell you the same thing. That they were theives, cheaters, liars. And they would be right. Yes, Rover, Spot, and Fido have no clean record. They've pulled many things over the years, like kidnapping unicorn ponies to force them to find gems. But recently they've heard rumors of a cave located somewhere on the outskirts of the Everfree forest. And they wanted nothing more than to find it. So they and their diamond dog minions had been searching almost every cave in the Everyfree forest as possible.
They were now in an underground cave, searching every inch of it. They were very tired, but it didn't matter. They wanted those gems more than anything in the world. They don't call them "Diamond" dogs for nothing.
"Argh! I can't take this anymore!" complained Spot, possibly the shortest of the dogs, "We've been in almost every cave in this stupid forest! Are you sure there's one filled with gems somewhere?"
If dogs could sweat, than Spot would've sweated a whole river by now. He was the most tired out of all of them. Fido, the leader, had taken notice of this. He walked over to Spot and smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Spot cried, "What was that for?!"
"Listen," Fido started while pointing at Spot's chest, "you let me worry about that stuff. What you need to worry about is finding those gems! Now get back to work!"
Spot muttered a swear word under his breath as he complied. Suddenly, Rover, the largest of the group, ran over to Fido while shouting, "Hey boss! I think I found something!"
"What'd you find, Gems?"
"Well, not exactly. I don't really know what it is. I was sort of hopping maybe you could figure it out."
Rover held out his hands to reveal that he had strange little rectangular objects. Fido picked up one to get a better look at it. He carefully examined it, turning it over a few times to see all of its sides. He noticed a weird looking purple symbol on the front of it.
"Hey...", he said, "I've seen one of these before. Yeah, I think they're called cassette tapes or something... I've seen ponies put these in stereos to listen to music."
Fido looked closer at the tape to see if there was a song title written on it later. He only found one word.
"Ravage... that's a weird name for a song..."
He examined the other ones as well to see that they had similar words written on them as well.
"Rumble... Frenzy... Laserbeak... Buzzsaw... hmph. Must be some dumb punk music..."
Fido threw the tape he had picked up back to Rover, "Here, put 'em with the other junk we found. Maybe we can sell this stuff on the black market later."
After just barely cathing the tape, he answered, "Uh... sure thing boss."
Note: Sorry this chapter took as long as it did to come out. I've been a little busy with a one shot I'm writing. Check my blog for a list of future projects I'm doing, including a possible spin off to this story. Also, sorry if this chapter seemed a bit padded. I was going to have something else happen in this chapter but I didn't want this to be too long. Also sorry if this seemed rushed or if there is any grammar mistakes. |
Transformers/My little pony: First contact | Chapter 4: A grim problem(part 2) | It was a beautiful day in the Everfree forest. The sound of nature could be heard all throughout it. The birds were chirping, the bees were buzzing, but the wonderous sounds of Mother Nature were cut off with the disruptive sounds of engines. The little Volkswagen known as Bumblebee passed through this forest, scaring off any wild life that was near him. He was looking for one thing; civilization. He and the other Autobots had found themselves mysteriously waking up in a cave in an unknown forest. Now they are in need of help, and Bumblebee was tasked with finding it. The Autobot had been traveling in circles though, for he was now lost. He had stopped looking help, and started looking for a way out of this forest instead.
"Ugh..." he grunted has he tried to maneuver his way through some trees, "It's official, I hate nature."
Bumblebee stopped in his tracks and transformed into his robot mode to get a better understanding of his surroundings, "I could've sworn that I passed that same tree a stellar cycle ago!"
Bumblebee took a seat on the ground below him, and began complaining about hi dilemma, "Great, first; I find myself in some stupid cave, then; I get scolded by Prowl, and now; I'm lost in a gigantic forest. This day is just turning out great..."
Before Bumblebee could complain anymore, he heard a sound. He perked his head and began looking around.
"Huh? What was that?"
He listened some more, but heard nothing.
"Hmph," he shrugged, "must've been nothing."
Suddenly, he heard the noise again, this time it was slightly louder, "Ok, I know I heard something that time!"
Bumblebee atoned his audio receptors to the noise, he heard a voice. Scratch that, he heard voices! It sounded like there were some people having a conversation.
A grin grew on Bumblebee's face as he said, "Yes! I finally found someone in this stupid place!"
Bumblebee wasted no time in transforming into his vehicle mode and speeding off towards the source of the voices. ***
It took him a few minutes, he even had to stop a few times to listen to the voices again, but Bumblebee finally located the source of the mysterious voices. He even managed to reach the edge of this accursed forest.
"I found someone, and I made it out of this forest. This is starting to become my lucky day!"
Bumblebee took cover behind some bushes. He stayed in his vehicle mode in order to stay undetected. He didn't want to reveal himself until he was certain that he had found someone who could help, like a human or an Autobot, Primus forbid that he encountered a Decepticon. He looked in front of him to see the voices were coming from a small structure that was built on top of a tree. He recognized this structure as a tree house. He recalled that a lot of Earth children liked to play in these things.
"I better stay hidden," decided Bumblebee, "if there are children in there, I might spoke them. I'll just stay here and continue to monitor their conversation until I can get a better understanding of what's going on here." ***
If Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had the choice to have anything in the world, it would be to get their cutie marks. A cutie mark is something everypony gets when they reach a certain age. A mark would appear on the flank of a pony when they realized their special talent; the mark would always symbolize the pony's interests in some way shape or form. Nearly everypony had one, except these three. Almost every day, these three fillies would almost always get picked on for the lack of a cutie mark, that's why they've made it their life goal to obtain one, no matter the cost. They even dubbed themselves the Cutie mark crusaders. Now here they were, in their tree house trying to come up with a way to get a cutie mark. But they were stumped, normally they would come up with some half-brained plan by now but sadly this was not the case today. They've been sitting in their tree house for what seemed like hours trying to come up with something.
"I got it!" exclaimed the young unicorn pony, Sweetie Belle.
"You do?" asked the Pegasus pony, Scootaloo.
"Well then, get on with it!" ordered the southern earth pony, Apple Bloom.
"Ok, here it is... "Sweetie Belle paused for dramatic effect, "we can be astronauts!"
"Astronauts?" questioned Scootaloo.
"Yep! We can all build a spaceship and go to the moon! We'll be the first ponies on the moon! Instant cutie marks!"
Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo facehoofed. Never before had they heard a more idiotic plan, and they've come up with some dumb ones.
"C'mon Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom, "ah can't even spell astronaut and even ah know that's not possible!"
"And besides," continued Scootaloo, "hasn't Princess Luna already been to the moon?"
"Oh yeah..." Sweetie Belle and the other crusaders sulked back into their depressed states. They'll never get their cutie marks as far as they were concerned. All hope seemed to be lost for them. Until:
"Wait!" exclaimed Scootaloo, startling both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle "I've got an idea!"
Scootaloo turned and pointed straight at Sweetie Belle and asked, "Sweetie Belle! You're a unicorn pony, right?"
"Last time I checked."
"So that means you can do magic, right?"
"Sort of... I don't really know a lot of spells, why do you ask?"
"Because we're going to use magic to get our cutie marks!" Scootaloo answered proudly.
"But... didn't we already try that?" questioned Sweetie.
It was true. Magic was among the many things the crusaders had tried to use in order to get their cutie marks. They've even been able to trick the likes of Twilight Sparkle and Zecora to use magic on them, although both attempts backfired pretty badly... Many other ponies had frowned upon them for using these tactics, but that still didn't stop them.
"Haven't we already tried that?"
"I didn't exactly mean for you to use it on us. I mean you should try to do a spell and see if that helps you get your cutie mark. I heard a lot of unicorn ponies got theirs when they did their first spell!"
As shaky as Scootaloo's plan sounded, it did make a little sense to Sweetie. She had heard many stories of unicorn ponies getting their cutie marks when they did their first spell. Before she could think about it anymore, she already started to get anxious looks from both of her friends.
"Oh... ok. I guess it couldn't hurt."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sate down as Sweetie tried to gather her thoughts. She closed her eyes and began concentrating. She wasn't really concentrating on anything in particular though.
"Is anything happening?" she asked, eyes still closed.
"Uh, not really." answered Apple Bloom.
Sweetie concentrated more. She wouldn't let anything stop her, she was too determined for that. At first, she didn't feel anything, but then, she felt something. She didn't know what it was; it seemed to be like some type of spark. Sweetie hadn't felt anything like this before, it was as if it was alive. She focused all her magic on the spark. She could defiantly feel it reacting to her magic.
"Girls, I think something's happening!" she exclaimed.
Suddenly, the whole tree house began to move.
"Does anypony feel that?" asked a curious Scootaloo.
"Feel what?" questioned Apple Bloom.
"Shhh!" hushed Sweetie, "I'm trying to concentrate!"
Sweetie focused even more, and the whole tree house began to shake rapidly. Cracks began to form on the walls, as the whole tree house started to come apart!
"Uh, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo said with fear now in her voice.
"Shhh! I said I'm trying to concentrate!"
The tree began to sway back and forth, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo lost their footing and ended up sliding out the front doorway of their tree house.
"Sweetie Belle!" both screamed as they fell.
Sweetie finally opened her eyes and yelled, "What?! What do you guys wa-"
Sweetie stopped talking when she saw both her friends falling out of their tree house.
"Don't worry guys! I'm coming!" she exclaimed as she jumped after them. She would learn to regret that action, as she remembered that unicorn ponies couldn't fly.
"Uh oh..."
All three crusaders, instead of screaming, closed their eyes and braced for impact. The tree house wasn't that high up, but a fall that height could still hurt someone pretty could. Seconds passed, and the crusaders were still waiting to connect with the ground.
"This is a long fall!" proclaimed Sweetie Belle, "Somepony open their eyes and see how close we are to the ground!"
Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes, and was shocked to her very core at what she saw.
"Uh, girls? You might want to open your eyes..."
The rest of the crusaders opened their eyes and found themselves being just as shocked as Apple Bloom was. They were no longer falling, for they had landed within the hands of one of the biggest creatures that they had ever seen in their entire lives. It was yellow, bipedal, and had two tiny horns on the top of its head. Before they could say anything, the creature quickly but carefully put them down safely on the ground, and then turned around to watch their tree house tumble over.
"No!" it yelled, "I couldn't save the humans!"
The creature dropped to its knees and almost seemed to be in some type of anguish, "What am I going to tell Optimus?"
The crusaders all exchanged glances that were both confused and frightened.
"Uh, girls?" whispered Apple Bloom, not wanting to alert the creature, "Does any of y'all know what in the hay that thing is? Mah big sis told m 'bout all the monsters from the everfree forest, but ah don't she's ever told me 'bout something like this!"
Each filly had to take some time to ponder just what this thing was. Their parents had always warned them about all the monsters that lurked deep within the mysterious everfree forest; they'd always describe each and every one of them so they'd know which ones to avoid. But they'd never told them about ones like this. In fact, it doesn't even seem to be a threat to them. Sure it's huge and could squash them like bugs, but if it wanted to do that, it would've done it already. In fact, if that thing hadn't of caught them, they could've been seriously hurt. It saved them.
"I'm going to go talk to It.", exclaimed Sweetie Belle with a confident look.
"Uh, be careful." pleaded a worried Scootaloo. ***
Bumblebee couldn't find any words to describe the amount of guilt he was feeling right now. While he was monitoring a tree house he suspected was the source of the voices he heard, it mysteriously began to tumble over. He managed to rescue three horses that were oddly placed in the tree house; he couldn't save the humans he had assumed were inside. As an Autobot, it is his duty to protect all sentient beings. So letting something like this happen went against almost everything he stood for.
"I just wasn't fast enough..." he told himself as he mourned his lose.
"Uh, excuse me?"
Bumblebee snapped out of his guilt trip if only for a brief moment to investigate the source of the voice. His hopes were raised as he began to wonder if one of the humans had survived.
"Hello?" he asked, "Who said that? Show yourself!"
"Down here!"
Bumblebee turned his attention downwards to see one of the horses he had saved.
"Uh, are you behind the horse or..."
The equine gave the Autobot a confused stare before answering, "Uh, you mean I'm the horse, right? Oh, and I'm not really a horse, I'm a pony."
Bumblebee jumped back a couple feet after hearing the horse, I mean pony, talk. This also caused the pony to jump back out of surprise as well.
"What? What is it?", it asked franticly.
"Y-you talked!"
"Of course I did! Everypony talks!"
The pony looked at Bumblebee in an awkward way. It seemed to be studying him a little, looking him over a few times before asking, "You're not from around here, are you? My name's Sweetie Belle by the way, thanks for saving us!"
Bumblebee's optics must've clearly been shot. It's the only explanation he could think of for this. Bumblebee was never much of a nature kind of bot, but he knew enough from Perceptor's and Wheeljack's reports on Earth's wildlife that ponies like this one didn't normally talk. He also noticed something else odd about the pony now known as Sweetie Belle, she had a horn. Bumblebee also remembered that ponies didn't have those either.
"Uh, don't mention it." Bumblebee responded, "Name's Bumblebee by the way."
Sweetie Belle's friends (or at least Bumblebee assumed that they were her friends) walked up to observe him, after knowing that he wasn't going to hurt them.
"Hey there!", greeted the orange one, "Name's Scootaloo! Man, I wish Rainbow Dash was here to see this..."
Bumblebee took note of the small wings on Scootaloo's back, something else ponies weren't supposed to have.
"Whoa," he mumbled to himself, "just gets keeps getting wilder by the minute..."
Last, but not least, the red manned, yellow pony walked up to Bumblebee to introduce herself, "Howdy there! Name's Apple Bloom! Nice ta' meet ya' Bumblebee!"
The little filly had a cute little southern charm to which Bumblebee couldn't help but grin at.
All three fillies got together and proclaimed, "And together, we're the Cutie mark crusaders!"
They stroke valiant poses (or at least valiant by their standards) in an attempt to impress Bumblebee.
"Huh, just wait till I tell the other Autobots about this!"
Before anybody could tell anybody anything, the ground itself began to tremor, causing the crusaders to fall out of their poses.
"What the?!"
Bumblebee turned back to the fallen tree house to see that something was coming out of the groud where the tree house once stood.
"Uh oh." Bumblebee said to himself, "Looks like whatever knocked over these guys tree house is about to rear its ugly head..."
"Crusaders, stay behind me!" Bumblebee ordered the filly trio, "I don't know what's about to come up out of the ground, but I don't think it's friendly! It could be a Decepticon for all I know!"
"A Deceptiwhat?!" asked a confused Scootaloo.
"Just stay behind me!"
Bumblebee got into a fighting stance as the crusaders fell back behind him. He was ready for anything that wanted to start trouble. He could see a head try to rear itself out of the ground, and eventually the rest of its body followed afterwards. The being appeared to be some kind of robotic monster, Bumblebee could've sworn he had seen something like this before, and then it hit. He knew exactly who this was, and he wasn't happy that it was him.
"Me Grimlock is not amused!" ***
Colgate finally began to regain conciseness. She had no idea what was going on, all she remembered was that she was on her way to Fluttershy's cottage to help with her birthday party, then she was ambushed by some weird bat-like creature, and then everything went dark. And now here she is, lying down on a cold, metal table in an dark room. She tried to lift her right arm but couldn't. She looked over and saw that her arm was being held down by a strange glowing restraint. The same with her left arm and legs. She began to panic; she started to thrash all about as she began to scream, "Help! Please, if anypony can her me, help!"
"If you'll be so kind as to stop doing that, it took me so long to make those energon cuffs to restrain you. It would be a shame if anything happened to them."
Colgate stopped her struggling to see who was in the room with her, "W-who said that?"
As if on que, a bright light beamed down on her face, hurting her eyes, and a large figure revealed itself in front of her.
"That would be me, my dear."
Colgate didn't know what to make of the figure. Its height was amazing. It was almost as tall as an average house. The most noticeable thing about him, was that he had no face. No mouth, no noise, no chin, just one yellow pupil less eye that blinked a yellow light every time he talked.
"W-who are you?"
The figure continued to monitor her before turning to a large tray of assorted what she assumed to be surgical tools, "You do not need to trouble yourself with that knowledge Miss, Colgate was it? Just know that I'm going to be your best friend for the next hour or so."
Colgate started to struggle again, knowing what this mystery being had planned for her was not good. But then she realized something, she was a unicorn pony! She could use her magic to get out of this! She focused all her magic into her horn, but got no reaction.
"What the, what's wrong with my magic?!"
"Energon cuffs." the figure answered as he continued to fiddle with the surgical tools, "I have modified them to deal with this "magic" you flesh creatures love to use."
After hearing this, Colgate lost all hope, knowing that her best bet of escaping this mad man had just been thrown out the window.
"You flesh creatures are an interesting bunch," he continued, "defiantly more interesting than those dirty humans. You are all made up off four different sub-species, each having its own assortment of special abilities. I've been able to find ways to convert your "magic" into energon, with surgical means of course. And now you know why you're here, which I'm sure you were wondering. As the phrase goes "Knowing is half the battle"."
The figure finally found the tool he was looking for, "Ah, here we are. Now, don't worry, I don't mean you any harm." he said as he turned back to Colgate, "But that doesn't mean I won't cause you any."
Suddenly, a loud screech pierced Colgates ears, hurting her eardrums.
"Hmph, it appears my little friend has returned, if you'll excuse me."
The figure held out his arm, and a strange, robotic, bat-like creature flew in and landed on the tip of his finger. Colgate recognized it as the creature that attacked her earlier.
"Ratbat, back so soon? What have you to report?"
Ratbat let out a collection of screeches, which continued to hurt Colgates ears.
"No... It can't be. The Autobots are awake? No... I've been doing these operations in Equestria for Primus knows how long; these flesh creatures have shown little opposition to me. The only ones who'd be able to stop me are the two alicorns, Celestia and Luna, but I've been able to stay out their way, but with the Autobots thrown into the mix... unacceptable!" he yelled as he slammed a fist down onto the surgical tray, "I must not have this! In order to continue with my plan, the return of the Decepticons must begin now! Ratbat, I want you to monitor the Autobots, if they come in contact with the elements of harmony, let me know."
Ratbat nodded as he flew away to carry out the task that was given to him.
"Now, where were we?" asked the figure as he turned back to a frightened Colgate, "Ah, yes, our unfinished business."
Colgate could only gulp as she faced her uncertain fate.
Note: Very sorry that this took so long to come out. A grim problem should be wrapping up next chapter, hopefully. Also sorry I didn't show what was going on with Optimus, Ratchet, Prowl, Jazz, Twilight, Rarity, or Spike. There isn't really much going on with them at this point anyways. Also, if you're still wondering what was going on at the start of chapter two, I promise, you WILL find out next chapter. Also sorry if this chapter seemed too short. Now, if you'll excuse me, they're at least 61 unread chapters in my tracking list. |
Fluttershy's New Foal | pre | Rainbow trotted into the kitchen, just as Fluttershy was setting out a plate of cucumber and daisy sandwiches, as well as a kettle of tea and some cups. The hopeful future Wonderbolt sat down at the table across from Fluttershy's parents, who so far didn't seem to be suspecting that anything was amiss, even in spite of noticing how big Scootaloo was compared to an actual foal (even two or three year olds usually didn't get that big).
Fluttershy took a seat next to Rainbow, and tried her hardest to resist the urge to a put wing around her marefriend. Everypony ate their meal in silence, Fluttershy and Rainbow trying their hardest to not look suspicious.
At last, when lunch had ended and Fluttershy returned from rinsing off the plates, the silence was broken. "So, what is it you wanted to tell us, Fluttershy?" Spring Breeze asked.
"Whatever it is, we won't judge you." Gentle Breeze promised.
"Really?" Fluttershy nervously asked, as if she doubted what her parents were saying was actually true.
Gentle Breeze and her husband nodded. "We couldn't be more proud of you than we already are. You're Ponyville's leading animal expert, you've saved Equestria several times, and you've already settled down and have a foal. How could we be mad at you when you've done so well for yourself in the span of just a few years?"
"Now then, are you going to tell us, or do we have to guess?" Spring Breeze commented.
Fluttershy swallowed a lump in her throat and looked across to Rainbow Dash for support. But one look at Rainbow's face told her. "You've got to be the one to tell them! The time has come to end this charade!" Reluctantly, Fluttershy took a deep breath and confessed. "Well, the thing is, Rainbow Dash isn't just here to help me take care of my foal."
"We already knew that, the two of you have been friends since you were in diapers." Spring Breeze smiled.
"But we're more than friends." Rainbow protested.
Gentle Breeze smiled too. "Of course, you two are best friends. You told us that on numerous occasions when you came over."
"No, you're not understanding!" Fluttershy groaned. "We're not just friends, and we're more than just best friends!"
Spring and Gentle Breeze's smiles faded, replaced by looks of concern. "Wait, are you telling us that you two are-" Spring Breeze began.
"-Marefriends? Yes we are," Fluttershy interrupted. "We've been this way for several months now, and we just agreed to go steady."
"And if you've got a problem with that, well the door's right over there, don't let it hit you on the way out!" Rainbow said seriously, immediately trotting over to Fluttershy and standing next to her.
For a moment, nothing was said. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood side by side, holding hooves, while Spring and Gentle Breeze tried to process what they had been told. Then, it was Gentle Breeze who broke the silence. "Well, this is a bit of a shock to us, Fluttershy. Why didn't you tell us about this in any of your letters?"
"I thought you wouldn't understand, and I couldn't risk making Dashie unhappy on the chance that you wouldn't approve of us being together." Fluttershy confessed.
But Spring Breeze only laughed. "Fluttershy, we already said we wouldn't judge you for whatever it was you were going to tell us. And as long as you're happy, it doesn't matter to us who you're in love with. I suppose if you had to fall for another mare, Rainbow Dash would be the most logical. Besides, you two make a pretty cute couple. You kind of remind me of when your mother and I first met and started dating, we were quite the lookers back in our days."
"So, you're okay with me being your daughter's romantic partner?" Rainbow asked. "You're not pulling our legs?"
"Of course not," Gentle Breeze replied. "Although, that does beg the question. If you two have only been together for a few months, and Scootaloo is Fluttershy's daughter, why aren't you two married yet? And why doesn't Scootaloo look like either of you?"
Fluttershy and Rainbow gulped, now it was time for the other secret to be revealed. "Uh, do you wanna tell 'em, or should I?" Rainbow asked her marefriend.
"It's probably best if they hear it from me," Fluttershy reluctantly replied. "I'm the one who's been keeping them in the dark all this time."
"Alright then, I'll go fetch Scootaloo and bring her back here." Rainbow agreed.
"Actually, there's no need for that, I'm right here." Scootaloo called, waddling into the kitchen. The thick diaper pushed her legs apart and made walking difficult, but somehow she managed.
Spring and Gentle Breeze's mouths dropped open in shock. "She can talk?!" They exclaimed.
Fluttershy nodded, and confessed. "The truth is, I don't actually have a foal. Not yet anyway. So I borrowed Scootaloo."
"I'm actually seven years old, but I'll turn eight soon," Scootaloo spoke up. "And I'm potty trained!" (She intentionally left out the fact that she needed diapers for night time).
"But, doesn't she have a home of her own?" Gentle Breeze asked.
Rainbow quickly spoke up and explained. "No, she's been an orphan for nearly all her life. The orphanage she lived in closed down a couple of years ago and since then she's been living on the streets. Or at least, she was, until Fluttershy took her in. She was going to pass Scootaloo off as her foal, but we decided it was best if you knew the truth, for the filly's sake."
"Yeah, I'm not a baby," Scootaloo protested. "I don't need diapers!" She proceeded to remove the diaper, and after a great deal of effort she was successful in getting the padded undergarment off her rump. "My mommies are going to adopt me soon, they just haven't finished filling out all the necessary paperwork yet."
"Why would you lie to us, Fluttershy?" Spring Breeze demanded in a serious tone. "We're not mad with you, but we're certainly not pleased with the fact that you were lying to us for years."
"I just thought, you two would drag me back to Cloudsdale if you thought I wasn't doing anything productive with my life," Fluttershy replied, a few tears forming in her eyes. "I know taking care of animals and living in this cottage aren't exactly the sort of lifestyle a pegasus like me is supposed to have. But I love being in touch with nature, it's far less stressful than working in the factory or becoming a Wonderbolt or high class athlete. Heck, my special talent is being able to communicate with animals and help them out. I know it's not what you expected of me, but it's the life I choose to live. I just wanted you to be proud of me, and I couldn't think of any other way to do it. I'm sorry I lied to you, and I'm sorry I had to rope my marefriend and her number one fan into my little charade. You must be ashamed of me."
However, to the surprise of Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and ESPECIALLY Fluttershy, both of her parents trotted over to her and while looking her square in the eyes they told her. "We could never be ashamed of you, Fluttershy. You're our daughter."
"But, I lied to you, for years." Fluttershy protested.
"And we're definitely not happy about that, in fact we're pretty mad," Gentle Breeze replied seriously. "How mad, we can't say because there's a filly present. But it's most certainly a league above ticked."
"However, we want you to understand something," Spring Breeze added. "No matter what, we understand that it's your life and as long as you have a roof over your head and are comfortable, it doesn't matter what you choose to do. At least, as long as you're not doing anything illegal."
Gentle Breeze smiled. "We knew from the moment you got your cutie mark that you were never truly happy with life in Cloudsdale, and that you preferred the ground," She told her daughter. "If you had told us from the beginning about all of this, we would've still been proud of you. In fact, we're more proud of you now. Proud of you because you told us the truth, and that took courage."
"So, you're not going to drag me back to Cloudsdale?" Fluttershy asked, hopefully, as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo trotted towards her and stood by her side.
"Of course not," Spring and Gentle Breeze replied, enveloping their daughter, her marefriend, and the filly they were going to adopt in a massive group hug.
After that, Fluttershy's parents had a wonderful time. They were thrilled to get to know more about Rainbow Dash, especially when they learned how she'd pulled off a Sonic Rainboom at The Best Young Flyers competition, and that she was going to hopefully join The Wonderbolts reserves in a couple of months. And they couldn't help but feel sorry for Scootaloo when they learned of her past, and they joked about how much they looked forward to spoiling their soon to be granddaughter.
But all good things must come to an end eventually, and as Celestia's sun was setting in the distance, Spring and Gentle Breeze realized it was time for them to depart.
Soon after Fluttershy's parents had left, it was time for Scootaloo to go to bed. And she was more than a little unhappy with what that meant.
"Do I really still have to wear diapers to bed, Mommy?" Scootaloo asked Fluttershy, as she was laid upon the changing table in the nursery.
"I'm afraid so my little pony," Fluttershy sweetly replied, patting her daughter on the forehead with a hoof. "After all, you don't want to stain your sheets, do you?"
Scootaloo blushed. "I guess not." She reluctantly held still and allowed Fluttershy to diaper her and sprinkle in a few tufts of foal powder, both ponies delighting in the lavender scent.
"We can start working on re potty training you tomorrow, squirt," Rainbow Dash promised, as she finished fluffing Scootaloo's pillow in her crib. "Hopefully, within a year you won't even need diapers at night. But you don't have to worry if it takes you a little longer to graduate, it's common for a lot of ponies your age to have bed wetting issues. Trust me, it happens to the best of us."
"Sounds good," Scootaloo nodded, yawning slightly. It had been a long day. "But it's okay if I wear my diapers around the house a little, even if I don't use them, right?" She asked.
"Of course it's okay," Fluttershy agreed. "But you don't have to act like a baby or be treated like one if you don't want to."
"Yeah, that's fine. I don't mind a little affection, but I'm not a foal," Scootaloo yawned, as she was lowered into her crib and had the sheets pulled up to her head. "Goodnight Mommy Fluttershy, goodnight Mommy Rainbow Dash. You two are the best mommies anypony could ever ask for." And it wasn't long after she said that, that she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Fluttershy and Rainbow smiled, as they observed their soon to be adopted daughter sleeping soundly. They had to admit, she looked so peaceful and sweet. |
Freshman Blues | pre | "So she's going to be your personal trainer, making sure you stay in perfect shape." Vinyl stated.
"I think Coach Iron Will can cover that." Spike said feeling he's going to be getting twice the painful workout.
"Nonsense, the sport I got in mind will guarantee you will stay in perfect shape for the club here." Rainbow assured him.
"What sport did you have in mind?" Spike asked curiously.
Rainbow smirked, "Have you ever heard of parkour?"
"What's that?" Spike asked, but soon wished he hadn't. The next thing Spike new, he was free running with Rainbow Dash across some building roof tops and jumping onto other ones around the abandoned building district in the city, "I had to ask!" he cursed himself.
"Come on Spike, keep the pace up!" Rainbow ordered him as they continued jumping roofs, with Spike feeling glad they were close by and not far apart.
"I feel like I'm training to be a ninja!" Spike cried as he vaulted over a chimney.
"That doesn't sound so bad does it?" Rainbow asked as Spike rolled his eyes, "Just be glad you're wearing shorts today otherwise it'd be even more difficult."
"The coaches class doesn't seem so bad right now." Spike complained.
"Quit you're whining we got us a live one up ahead." Rainbow said as Spike looked ahead seeing another roof top, but the building seemed even further from the one they were on top of compared to how close the other buildings were.
"We're jumping that?!" Spike asked in fright.
"Yeah, we need to really put you to the test." Rainbow smirked at him.
"I don't think I can jump that far!" Spike cried seeing they were getting closer and closer, but couldn't bring himself to stop despite his worries.
"Don't say 'don't.'! Say 'do.'!" Rainbow encouraged him. Spike saw they were reaching the edge as Rainbow ran ahead to make the first jump, "Banzai!" she shouted as she made it to the other side and watched Spike about the make the jump.
When he reached the edge, he jumped with all his might screaming, "GERONIMO!" he leaped over the gap between the buildings feeling as if for that moment he was flying until he started coming down and landed on the other building's roof.
Spike looked up panting, "Did I make it?" he looked seeing he did, "Oh God, I made it!"
"Spike..." Rainbow began firmly as she approached him looking like she was disappointed, "That... was... AWESOME!" she cheered as he started playfully scuffling him, "You made a jump like that on your first try! Truth be told I half expected you to barely reach it."
"Oh thanks a lot." he replied dryly.
"Oh relax, the point is you made it." Rainbow said brightening his mood.
"Yeah, thank God," Spike panted, "I felt like my life just flashed before my eyes when I made that jump."
"Yeah the same thing happened to me, the first time I made a jump that far," Rainbow admitted, "So did it feel good making that jump? Didn't you feel that overwhelming sensation that the laws of physics no longer applied to you while you were in mid air?"
Spike pondered on that recalling how wild it felt to him when he did make the jump, "Actually yes. That did feel great."
"So then I take it you still want me as your personal trainer?" Rainbow asked smugly.
"Hell yeah!" Spike cheered.
"Heh, I thought so," Rainbow replied still feeling smug, "Well come on let's go." she began walking.
"Where are we going now?" Spike asked, puzzled.
"Pizza. My treat." Rainbow answered putting a smile on Spike's face.
"Hey wait up!" he ran after her, until they climbed down the building's fire escape. |
Freshman Blues | Trainer and Student | After acceptance into the Hip Hop club the the other members, Spike was then bequeathed Rainbow Dash to be his personal trainer to make sure his body remains in shape. Taking Spike on a parkour run, Rainbow Dash was accepted to be his trainer.
Outside a place known as Tino's Pizza, Spike and Rainbow Dash were sitting at a table with a plain cheese pizza before them, "Thanks for treating me to this, Rainbow." Spike thanked her as he took a slice.
"No problem, kid," Rainbow answered as she took a slice of her own and they started eating. Between bites, Rainbow spoke up, "So how's the school been treating you since you started?"
"Well it's doing good so far. I made friends with Puck after all and Featherweight as well. Plus Sweetie, Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are there as well." Spike admitted.
"See you're already forming your own posse." Rainbow smiled.
"Well sort of." Spike replied.
"But hey that doesn't mean the girls and I don't like having you around." the girl spoke up not wanting to give him the wrong idea.
"I get it." Spike nodded.
"But sometimes having a freshman close to me would cramp my style," Rainbow teased Spike who rolled his eyes in response, "But only if the freshman was lame. Not you that's for sure."
"You don't think I'm lame, since when?" Spike inquired.
"Since me and the girls first met you, when Twilight had that sleepover last year." she answered.
"And how did you decide from that if I was lame or not?" Spike continued questioning her.
"Well you served us all those snacks and beverages without even being told you. Even though Twilight was the host, you were the real fun guy, and you did make me laugh a few times." she admitted.
"How, when Twilight scolded me for revealing certain secrets?" Spike asked dryly.
"Well ok there's that, but the bottom line is you were more lively than Twilight was, she just tried too hard."
"Well thanks." Spike asked as he finished another slice.
"So after this we should head to my place and wash up. I mean let's face it, we both worked up a lot of sweat during that run." she reminded him.
"Yeah." Spike said trying to ignore his own odor.
So after eating, they walked back to Rainbow's place and went inside, "My peeps are out right now, so it's just us," she began, "I'm gonna hop in first. I promise I won't take too long."
"Ok," Spike said as she went into the bathroom leaving him to look around her living room that had a few pictures of her and her family on a mantle, and some sports awards she earned in junior high, middle school, and grade school years, "Wow she really is a sports fanatic."
For twenty minutes Spike was relaxing on the sofa, until the bathroom door opened and stepping out was Rainbow Dash with her body clad in a towel, and her hair wrapped in a towel like a turban, "Ok Spike it's all free."
Spike gawked before turning away, "You could make yourself a little more decent, you know?"
"Hey it's my place." she reminded him.
"I know, but you should at least have some shame when you're like that in front of a boy." Spike retorted.
"I do have shame, when I'm alone I'd step out of the bathroom after a shower wearing nothing at all." she girl admitted.
"Nothing?" Spike asked in shock.
"Not...a...thing." Rainbow answered with a seductive wink followed up by a wink.
Spike started blushing at the thought, while Rainbow's towel wrapped state didn't make it any better to his hormones, "I better take that shower. Got anything I can use that won't make me smell I don't know too scented and all?"
"Relax I don't use that strong scented soaps or shampoos for girls." Rainbow assured him.
"Ok, thanks." he said as he went into the bathroom.
He started the water making sure the temperature was right. Once it was perfect, he undressed himself and stepped into it letting the water spray his body. He first started lathering the soap all over his body to get rid of the odor he gained while working out with Rainbow. Once that was done, he washed it off before shampooing his hair and washed it out, "I'll fix my spikes when I get home." he said to himself.
After his shower he got out and dried his body and hair off before using a spare deodorant stick he kept in his backpack for emergency situations, such as running into Rarity in the school hallways. He got changed again minus his shirt not wanting to risk stinking his bod up again just put his hoody on leaving it unzipped. When he stepped out he saw rainbow still sitting on the sofa with her body wrapped in a towel.
When Rainbow noticed him she spoke, "You clean up nice."
Spike rolled his eyes again, "Seriously, have you no self respect?"
"Hey in my books, you'd have to respect yourself a lot to walk around a house like this. Especially with a boy present." she answered like she didn't give a damn.
"I suppose." He admitted while making sure not to make eye contact too directly at her or she'd think he was perverted.
"Well come on, Spike. Take a load off." she popped a spot next to her on the sofa.
Spike taking the invite did so. The two turned on the TV and watched a little comedic sitcoms, until Spike spoke up, "So you really think I have what it takes to learn parkour with you of all people?"
"After today's training I'd put my money on you for sure." Rainbow assured him.
"Well thanks, I just hope I can live up to your expectations." Spike replied.
"You will." Rainbow comforted him, followed by an agitated groan.
"What's with you?" Spike wondered at her sudden feeling of discomfort.
"Just getting a few kinks in my shoulders," she answered, "Must be from that workout."
"Anything I can do?" he offered.
Rainbow smirked, "Actually you can. Massage my shoulders, please?"
Spike was surprised at her request, but didn't want to show disrespect to her after all the good things she's been saying about him, "Well ok." Spike got off the sofa and went behind Rainbow and placed his hands on her bare shoulders and began massaging them slowly.
"Mm, that feels good, Spike." Rainbow moaned as she relaxed and let Spike do his work.
"I can see you're very tense," Spike began as he continued massaging her, "How much do you overdo it when you train?"
"Overdo it, me? Not a chance. I always make sure to limit myself." Rainbow boasted to herself.
"Not from what Twilight and Fluttershy say." Spike retorted.
"Oh what do they know?" Rainbow replied with a scowl. Spike chuckled amusingly to himself, "Ok so let's talk about you now, Spike. I know something about you that I'll bet you didn't think I'd know."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked as he halted the massage.
"Come on you think the girls and I are stupid?" she continued, "I and the others happen to know for a fact of your little crush on Rarity." she grinned.
"What?!" Spike cried, "How long?"
"Uh, since we first met you, duh." she answered dryly.
Spike chuckled sheepishly before asking, "Does that include Rarity herself?"
"Yup." she nodded.
Spike blushed wanting to know more, "Does she talk about me?"
"Nope," Rainbow answered bluntly making Spike look down before she snickered, "I'm just teasing you. Of course she talks about you."
"What kind of things does she say?" Spike asked desperately.
"Like I'm telling you." Rainbow laughed.
Spike frowned, "You're mean."
"That's life, kid," Rainbow replied bluntly as she laid back, "But personally you do have good tastes, but Rarity's not the only one with something to show off. Sure she's got looks and style, but what I lack in that, I make up for in fitness."
"Well I won't deny that." Spike admitted.
"Yeah. I mean just take a look at these long built legs," Rainbow began as she lifted one of her bare legs up for Spike to look at. Spike mentally admitted to himself that Rainbow Dash did have some nice long sexy legs, "Ya ever seen anything so strong and developed in your life?" the girl asked as her toes wiggled.
"Uh I can't say that I have." Spike trembled and started thinking, 'Don't think about Rainbow Dash! Think about Rarity! Think about Rarity!' he envisioned Rarity on a beach during a hot summer day. She was lying on her chest wearing a purple two piece bikini with the top undone.
"Spikey-Wikey, be a sweetheart and rub some sunscreen on my back?" dream Rarity beckoned him.
Spike was blushing and smiling at his thought, only for Rainbow Dash to notice this and spoke up, "Hey, what're you thinking about?"
Spike snapped out of it, "What? I wasn't thinking about anything!"
"Yeah, right! You were thinking about Rarity weren't you?" she challenged him.
"No! No I wasn't!" Spike denied it.
"Oh I see it then," Rainbow continued suspiciously, "You were thinking about me weren't you? My little display turned on some thoughts you had about me!"
"It's not what you think!" Spike pleaded.
"Come here you!' she grabbed him and pulled him over the sofa making him land on her lap.
He tried to get up and away from her, only to be pulled into a bear hug, "Let go of me!" he demanded.
"Don't struggle, it only makes it worse." she warned him as she continued to squeeze him.
Spike managed to get off the sofa with Rainbow still gripping him. Suddenly he managed to break out of her grip but started falling for the floor. He tried to grab hold of something to keep him up. Unfortunately the closest thing for him to grab was Rainbow Dash's towel and he ended up pulling it off and fell to the floor with it on him. He groaned before realizing what was on him, "Hey this is..." he gawked when he looked seeing Rainbow Dash on the floor with nothing covering her anymore. He caught a quick glance at her naked glory, before he snapped out of it and handed the towel to her before turning around, "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" he pleaded.
Rainbow quickly grabbed her towel and put it back on while looking sheepish, "Maybe I should get dressed now."
"Ya think?" Spike asked sarcastically.
So Rainbow went to her room putting on a quick change of clothes before coming back out, "So let's pretend what happened a moment ago didn't happen."
"Agreed." Spike agreed.
"Still I got to give you credit," she continued taking him by surprise, "No one's gotten out of my grips that way before." she chuckled.
"I can believe that." Spike replied.
"That was quick thinking... But don't do it again." she warned him.
"Deal." he nodded.
Rainbow smiled, "Come on I'll drive ya home." So Rainbow and Spike got in her car and drove off.
Rainbow parked outside Spike's and Twilight's apartment building, and Spike got out, "Thanks for the ride, Rainbow Dash." Spike thanked her.
"No prob, dude. And if ya ever need anything come talk to me."
"Will do." Spike nodded.
"So same time after school tomorrow?" Rainbow asked as she held her fist out.
"Hell yeah." Spike answered as they fist bumped.
"And by the way, thanks for the massage." she thanked him.
"You're welcome." he replied.
"Next time I'll have to give you one." she smirked teasingly.
Spike blushed but shook it off, "Gotta go." he hurried off.
Rainbow smiled as Spike went into the building and she drove off. Spike entered his fam's apartment room, and saw Twilight lying on the sofa reading a textbook, "Oh Spike welcome back. Club last longer than planned?"
"No, I just did something else afterward."
"What's that?" she inquired.
"Twistin' hired a personal trainer for me to keep me in shape for the club." he answered.
"Really, who'd he hire?"
"Rainbow Dash." Spike answered bluntly.
"WHAT?!" she gasped, "Rainbow Dash? Well it's not surprising since she is one of the most athletic girls in school. Though what has she got you doing?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well she's training me in parkour." he explained.
"Parkour?" she gasped, "Spike, are you sure you can go through with that? Parkour is a dangerous sport."
"I'm aware of that now, Twilight. But I'm not letting Rainbow Dash or Twistin' down. If parkour's the sport I need to keep my body in the right kind of shape I'll do it."
Twilight was surprised at Spike's words, but knew she could no longer stop him now that his mind was made up, "Well if that's what you want, then I say go for it." she turned to look back at her book only to feel spike hug her from behind.
"Thanks, Twilight." he smiled.
Twilight smiled and reached up hugging him back. Spike then retreated into his room and removed his hoody revealing he still hadn't worn his shirt since it was still sweaty. He reached into a drawer in his dresser and pulled out a clean shirt and put it on, "I can never tell anyone I saw Rainbow Dash in the buff like that. Although I got to admit she's got some body," he shook it off, "Get a hold of yourself, Spike. Remember Rarity," he plopped onto his bed and looked at his bird Pee-Wee in his cage, "Well Pee-Wee, I got the hip hop club, and now I'm training in parkour. I know I'm gonna like my Freshman year now." he sighed in relaxation. |
Freshman Blues | Day at the Mall | A week had passed since Spike's first parkour exercise with Rainbow Dash, and since then he'd attend his daily classes, his club activity afterwards with Twistin' and Vinyl, finished up with a routine parkour lesson with Rainbow Dash. After that he'd head home for a bite to eat and get started on his homework. It was Friday afternoon at Canterlot High during lunch time, and Spike and Puck met with their friends Featherweight who was admitted into the journalism club, and the trio of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Spike asked as he and Puck sat down at their groups table.
"Hey, Spike, hey, Puck." Sweetie Belle greeted them.
"Same old here, actually." Applebloom answered.
"Dull, huh?" Puck asked and the girls nodded. He turned to Featherweight, "So, Featherweight, how's the next issue of C.H.S Daily coming along?"
"Slow to be exact," Featherweight answered, "It's hard to find a decent story to publish at this time."
"Well, give it time. Something's bound to come up." Spike nudged his shoulder.
"Yeah, you're right, Spike." Featherweight nodded with a boost of confidence.
"So what's everyone's plans for the weekend?" Spike asked the group.
"Well we were hoping to find some new way to express our talents," Applebloom began, "I mean the music video we made a few days ago has really gotten some negative feedback."
"Some people can't appreciate fine work." Scootaloo said with crossed arms.
"Or maybe people today are just too critical to those who try to openly express themselves." Sweetie Belle put in.
"Yeah a lot of people are just haters," Puck stated as they heard laughing. They turned and saw Rover, Fido, and Spot bugging some of the younger students, "Like that trio of mutts." the five laugh at his joke.
"But we do have plans tonight," Scootaloo began, "Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are taking us to the mall."
"Yeah. Rarity wants to take advantage of the sales while they last." Sweetie Belle explained.
"You guys wanna come with?" Applebloom offered.
"Us?" the three asked.
"Who else?" Applebloom asked.
"Are you sure we wouldn't be intruding?" Featherweight asked worried.
"Don't worry, my big sis and her friends won't mind." Applebloom assured the three.
Puck smirked and pulled Spike and Featherweight each into a headlock, "Well, boys, we got plans tonight!"
"Cool." Featherweight wheezed from the headlock.
Soon after classes and Spike's club activity, the six left the school and went their separate ways. Later on at Spike's and Twilight's apartment building, the boy was kicking back in his room, until he heard his cellphone beep, "Must be them." he checked the message.
~Spike, we're down here. So get your ass down here before I come up there and get it myself.- Rainbow Dash~
Spike couldn't help but feel aroused by such a warning, only to shake it off. He grabbed his wallet, keys, and his hoody before leaving his room, "Heading out, Twilight. I'll be back later."
"Ok, Spike. Try not to give the girls trouble." Twilight teased him.
"Ha-ha." Spike laughed sarcastically, before walking out the door.
When he went downstairs, he walked outside the building and saw a red SUV with Applejack at the wheel, Rainbow in the passenger seat, in the middle seat were Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom, and in the far back were Puck and Featherweight. Rainbow rolled down the window and called, "Come on, Spike, get in the car. Let's cruise."
Spike opened the door, and jumped in the far back with his boys, "Yall set, Spike?" Applejack called looking in the rear view mirror.
"You know it." he nodded.
"Then let's get go all ready!" Rainbow called.
"Simmer down, Sally." Applejack calmed her, before taking off.
As they drove Rarity looked in back at Spike, "Oh, Spike, it's nice that you and your friends agreed to join us."
"Hey who could resist palling around with you gals?" Spike asked while putting on his best suave demeanor, as Puck and Featherweight smile to themselves at his attempts to woo the older and most poplar one at school, "Besides I gotta swing by their music shop and pick up some new remix CDs to practice to for the club."
Soon they arrived at Cantelot's mall, and entered the place packed with all sorts of stores, "So what do we do?" Rainbow asked the group.
"Well Sweetie Belle and I are going to the clothes designer shop to pick up some new outfits," Rarity began, "After all when there's a sale you have to take full advantage."
"Well Applebloom and I are gonna be checkin' out the fruit market and see how much our family apple products are looking." Applejack said on behalf of herself and her sister.
"Scoots and I will stick with the boys. We're gonna check out Wild's shop." Rainbow noted.
"Great then we'll meet up at the food court in thirty." Applejack instructed.
"Works for me." Rarity nodded in approval, as Sweetie Belle nodded as well.
"See you guys then." Applebloom said as she, Sweetie Belle, and their older sisters took off.
"Well, come on guys, let's do it to it!" Puck called as the three boys and two girls took off through the mall.
Soon they walked up to a shop reading Wildcard's Shuffle. Above the title was a five card hand and on the sides were two big dice. In the display windows were multiple game items, "Wildcard's Shuffle; the perfect game shop." Spike said as they entered the shop.
At the counter was a young man about eighteen to nineteen with light blue hair, and green eyes. His outfit included a black and white checkerboard patterned vest, red sneakers, blue jeans, a yellow shirt with an eightball on it, and around his neck was a necklace of three dice, "Welcome to Wildcard's Shuffle, a gamer's paradise." he addressed.
"Hey, cuz, nice use of dramatics." Rainbow said.
"Hey, Rainbow, how're you?" he asked, as he came around the counter to fist bump with the girl.
"They're cousins?" Featherweight asked Spike, Scoots, and Puck.
Puck shrugged as Spike answered, "Yeah Wildcard is Rainbow Dash's cousin. He runs this shop while earning up to go to college."
Wild spotted Spike, "Hey, there's my favorite customer! How're you doing, Spike?"
"Doing great, and I'd like you to meet some of new friends form school," Spike began pulling his boys over, "This is Puck Shot, and Featherweight. You already know Scootaloo. Guys meet Wildcard."
"Nice to meetcha boys." Wild shook each of their hands.
"Right bat at ya." Puck replied.
"So Spike's your favorite customer?" Featherweight asked curiously.
"That he is. When Rainbow found out he was a collector of Monster Warriors dueling cards, he brought him over to my shop," Wild explained, "I was amazed to see how much he was into the game. I even taught him some handy combos and techniques."
"I get all of my best cards from him." Spike added.
Puck and Featherweight was jaw agape, "No wonder you have more good cards in your deck than we do." Puck gasped.
"Hey, don't worry I can get you boys some good ones as well, being friends of Spike and all." Wild offered them.
"That would be so generous." Featherweight said with a smile.
"We may even have to duel you some time." Puck added.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Rainbow began, "My cousin holds the title for Game Master."
"Game Master?" Featherweight asked.
"Yeah. Wild's nearly unbeatable because he has this un-explainable gift of good luck. Even I've yet to beat him in a duel." Spike explained.
"Whoa." the two boys gasped.
Wild turned to Spike, "So Spike, I hear Rainbow's training you in parkour now?"
"Yeah that's right." Spike nodded.
"How's that working for you?" the Game Master asked.
"It's doing great," Spike admitted, "I never knew I could be good at a sport like that."
"Well don't let my cousin give you too much of a rough time." Wild ruffled Rainbow's hair.
"Cuz, not in front of the Freshmen." Rainbow groaned at his treatment of her. The four younger teens chuckled at her embarrassment, only for her to finger point at them to shut up with a glare to enforce it, thus silencing them.
After getting a few packs of their favorite card game, the boys left the shop with Rainbow and Scootaloo. They walked through the mall before entering a music shop, with Spike looking at the CD's, "There's got to be some good ones I can practice to." he said as he was inspecting a number of CD's.
"Might I make a suggestion?" a familiar voice asked.
Spike turned and saw Vinyl Scratch who was with another girl with long dark gray hair and mulberry eyes. Her outfit included brown dress shoes, black pants, a gray blouse with the image of a purple treble cleff on the pocket located on the right breast part of her bloude, a white collar and pink bow tie "Hey Vinyl!" Spike cheered as the two fist bumped.
"Nice to see you here, Spike." Vinyl replied.
"Hey, Vinyl, Octavia." Rainbow said as she and the other three approached.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash." Vinyl said as the girls fist bumped.
Spike noticed the other girl eyeballing him, "Who's your friend?" he asked.
"Right, you never met," Vinyl began, "Spike, Puck, Featherweight, Scootaloo this is my friend, Octavia Melody. She's with the school band."
"Nice to meet you all." she greeted them respectively.
"Nice to meet you too," Spike returned the gesture, "I think I saw you in the band room playing the cello. You're very good at it."
"Good is an understatement," Vinyl replied, "She's the best."
Octavia chuckled, "You give me too much credit, Vinyl."
"Actually I agree with her too." Rainbow admitted.
"So you two are friends?" Puck asked as he and Featherweight eyeballed them oddly.
"Of course." Vinyl answered as Octavia spoke in confusion.
"Does that surprise you?"
"It's just you play classical, and Vinyl remixes with hip hop," Featherweight explained, "We figured two girls like you with different taste in music would be rivals."
The two girls looked at each other before chuckling at his theoretical observation, "Well, I guess you could say that from one stand point." Vinyl explained.
"But Vinyl and I have come to terms and respect each others choice in music." Octavia added.
"Oh, well that's cool by me." Puck admitted.
"Me too." Featherweight agreed.
"Maybe you can help me, Vinyl. I need some remixes to practice my moves too." Spike explained.
"Say no more my friend. I know just the CD's you need," Vinyl said as she started picking out some CD's for him, "Here ya go. Listen to these and work some moves."
"Wow thanks, Vinyl." Spike thanked her feeling grateful.
Vinyl smiled and fist bumped with Spike, "No problem."
So after paying for his CD's him and his group met up with Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and their sisters at the food court where they were having a bite. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had multiple clothes bags, and some contained sewing materials for Rarity to use in her own boutique, "So how was your shopping Rarity?" Rainbow asked.
"A complete success," she answered joyfully, "Soon I'll have a new line up of outfits ready to be sold."
"What about you guys?" Sweetie Belle asked the others.
"It was awesome," Puck began, "Rainbow introduced us to her cousin Wild, and thanks to Spike we got some special trading card packs."
"I went to get my remix CD's and I bumped into Vinyl and her friend Octavia." Spike added.
"And how're those two doing?" Applejack asked, as she took a bite out of her apple pie.
"They're cool." Rainbow admitted, before taking a bite out of her burger.
"Speaking of Vinyl," Rarity began, "Spike, how has the hip hop club been treating you? I do hope they're not giving you a hard time." she finished in worry.
"Not at all," Spike answered, "It's been at least over a week and I'm proud to say I've been accepted as one of their own."
"That's good news, and what of your training with Rainbow Dash?" she asked again.
"Yeah, that's a sport I felt only Rainbow could do." Applejack added as Rainbow smiled with pride.
"Actually, it's been doing good for me," Spike admitted, "I feel stronger and faster thanks to it. I'm in better shape than I've ever been in my life." he flexed a muscle in his arm.
"Still could use more though." Rainbow teased him, resulting in him face faulting.
"Well I think Spike is lucky," Scootaloo spoke up, "I mean learning parkour with Rainbow Dash? I would kill to have an opportunity like that."
"Don't worry Scoots, you'll have your chance soon enough." Rainbow ruffled the girls head and they all laughed.
Spike sighed, "Now this is the perfect way to spend the afternoon," he said as he rested his head on his hands, "Relaxing at the mall with your closest friends, having a bite, sharing some laughs, what could make this any better?"
"A super model convention," Puck spoke up, only to started getting punched at by Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, "Ow! Hey, girls, I was kidding!" Spike and Featherweight laughed at Puck's misfortune.
Soon it was getting late, and Applejack was driving the group back to their places. Soon the only ones left in the car were Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. A.J pulled up outside his apartment, "Well, catch ya later, Spike." Applejack bid him a farewell.
"Yes, once again we're so glad you decided to join us," Rarity added, "We should do this again more often." she batted her eyes at him.
Spike smiled, "I'm always a call or text away. Goodnight girls." And with that Applejack drove off and Spike smiled happily with a sigh, "Best day ever." he went to his apartment and went inside. |
Freshman Blues | Christmas Confessions | Three months had passed since Spike's first day of high school, and it was finally December, more precise, a week before Christmas. Snow had blanketed the city of Canterlot, and everyone was out and about preparing for the holidays. At an indoor ice hockey rink, Puck Shot was practicing his hockey tricks, while Spike was watching from outside the rink, "Puck Shot maneuvers around the Griffons," Puck spoke like an announcer, "He shoots..." he shoots the puck into the net, "HE SCORES! And the crowd goes wild!" he mimicked fans cheer.
"Nice moves, Gretzsky." Spike applauded.
Puck skated over to the edge of the rink, "Thanks, I've been working on my puck shooting since vacation started."
"I can see, well thanks to this weather Rainbow and I are off parkour training until the spring." Spike explained.
"Really?" Puck asked, "And here I thought Rainbow would want to practice even in the cold snowy weather."
"Hey Rainbow may be a glutton for physical endurance, but she's not stupid." Spike reminded him.
"True." Puck admitted.
"So come on, let's hurry and get to the mall. I still got some Christmas shopping to do." Spike nudged him.
"All right, let me just get my gear." Puck said as he skated off the rink to undo his skates and put them and the rest of his hockey equipment into a bag. After bundling up in their winter outfits, they left the indoor rink and headed for the mall.
As they arrived at the mall, the boys noticed the shops were packed with shoppers looking to get last minute gifts, "Man, the mall gets this way every single year around this time." Spike said.
"It's the curse of holiday sales my friend." Puck answered as he patted his friends shoulder.
"Yeah," Spike nodded, "So who do you still need to get gifts for?"
"Well my parents, my brother whose coming home from college, my cousin, and my uncle," Puck listed some people off, "You?"
"Well I still have Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Vinyl, Twistin' and Rarity." spike listed off his remainder names.
"Oh, so then you already got my gift?" Puck smirked as he leaned in.
"Possibly." Spike answered seeing right through his attempts.
"Any chance you could lend me a hint?" Puck nudged his shoulder to his buddy.
"Nice try, Puck. But you'll have to wait till Christmas morning." Spike answered smugly.
Puck pouted, "Bro you really are a tease."
"And you act like a five year old." Spike retorted.
Puck looked to him with narrow eyes, "You win this round grasshopper."
"Right. So we meet up at the food court in thirty ok?" Spike asked.
"You bet," Puck nodded, "Well good luck."
"Same to you." Spike replied. And so the two split up to get their own shopping done.
And so Spike walked through the mall going from shop to shop looking for something to get the remainder people on his shopping list. Soon he was walking through the mall happily singing his favorite holiday carol to himself.
He finally stopped outside a jewelry store and saw something in the window that made his eyes light up. It was a Fire Ruby necklace, "Yes there it is," he began in awe, "That's just the gift to get Rarity. Lucky I've hid plenty of savings for this. Spike, you are gonna be getting some points for this." he chuckled before entering the place.
As he entered the man at the desk noticed him, "Ah welcome sir, what can I help you with?"
"I'm looking to purchase something for a very special lady friend of mine." Spike answered.
"Is that so?" the owner asked in interest, "And what do you have in mind? Because we got all sorts of jewelry here to attract the attention of a special girl."
"I already know what I'm looking for," Spike motioned to the Fire Ruby Necklace, "That little beauty."
The owner noticed it and chuckled, "Well you got a fine eye for gemstones, my boy. Yes the Fire Ruby is a rare piece. They say it has the power to bring two people together and that their love will last forever."
"Love the legend." Spike smiled.
"Though I'd hate to point out, it seems out of your price range." The guy said, but was cut off as Spike whipped out enough money for it.
"You were saying?" Spike asked with a raised brow.
"Would you liked that wrapped?" the owner asked sheepishly.
Soon enough Spike met up with Puck at the food court where, they were having cocoa with marshmallows to stay warm, "So how was your shopping?" Spike asked his hockey loving friend.
"A complete success," Puck began, "I'm all set for Christmas. How about you?"
"Everything's worked out perfectly," Spike answered with a smirk, "Because I'm gonna give Rarity her gift at the Christmas Party held at Joe's Doughnut shop hosted by Muse."
"Really, at that party?" Puck asked. Muse was a senior student at C.H.S, and a close friend of Rainbow Dash's due to the fact her cousin Wildcard was dating the Senior student.
"It's the perfect opportunity to let her know how much I love her." Spike explained.
"So what'd ya get her?" Puck asked curiously.
Spike looked around before they leaned in closer and whispered to his friend, "A Fire Ruby necklace."
Puck did a double take, "What? You bought her something that expensive? How much did you shell out for that?"
"Is it really that important?" Spike asked dryly.
"You must really love this girl if you're willing to go that far to prove it." Puck stated.
"It's not like I'm asking her to marry me, man." Spike retorted.
"You got a point," Puck admitted, "Well I hope your plan works well."
"Oh I know it will." Spike nodded as he smiled to himself.
Later Spike returned home, and removed his winter jacket and boots at the door, "I'm home." he called as Twilight walked into the living room.
"Oh you're back, Spike. How was shopping?" Twilight asked.
"Perfect. And it's going to be better, because I plan on giving Rarity's gift to her at Muse's Christmas Party." he explained.
Twilight did a double take, "Really, so what'd you get her?"
Spike looked at her, "Like I'm gonna tell you. I can barely trust you with secrets. I still remember last year you told the girls my secret crush on Rarity."
"Spike that just slipped out because I had too much on my mind." Twilight answered.
"Regardless, I'm keeping this a secret." Spike replied as he went for his room.
Inside his room he laid out his gifts and picked up the Fire Ruby necklace, "Oh Rarity, you are going to flip when I give this to you." he smirked.
A few days later it was Christmas Eve night, and just about everyone from school was gathered at Joe's Doughnuts. The place was all decorated for the holidays and everyone there was enjoying themselves. Standing up by the counter was the host of the party, Muse. She had morning glory blue eyes, long black hair with three white streaks in them. Her outfit included brown slip on shoes, pink slacks, and a tan shirt with the two drama masks on it, "Attention. May I have your attention please?" she called as some of them couldn't hear her. Wildcard seeing this whistled loud enough to grab their attention, "Thank you." she thanked Wild.
"Happy to help." Wild winked.
Muse seeing she had their attention spoke up, "Now then. I want to thank you all for coming to this party I put together for all of us. I know you all must be bursting with excitement since tomorrows Christmas. So I wanted us all to be here together before we get together with our families tomorrow. So let the party resume!" the teens cheered as they continued to party.
Spike smiled as he and Twilight were looking around until they spotted their friends, "Hey guys!" Twilight called as they went over.
"Twilight, Spike! Merry Christmas!" Pinkie cheered as she danced around them happily while wearing fake reindeer antlers on her head.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Pinkie." Twilight giggled at her friends enthusiasm.
"Nice antlers." Spike mentioned.
"Thanks. I would've worn a red nose, but the girls thought it'd be overkill." she explained.
"This is some party isn't it?" Rainbow asked them.
"Oh yes, it's wonderful." Fluttershy admitted.
Spike looked around seeing the one girl he was looking forward to see the most not present, "Where's Rarity?"
"Girl's in the bathroom." Applejack answered.
"Spike!" Puck called over as he came back with a tray of Christmas cookies, "You gotta try these cookies Pinkie made for the party."
Spike smiled as he ate one, "Delicious as always, Pinkie."
"Thanks, Spike." Pinkie smiled.
"If you'll excuse us ladies, Spike and I need to have a word," Puck said as he pulled Spike aside, "So you ready to impress Rarity?"
"I will as soon as she gets out of the bathroom," Spike answered, "But in the meantime Merry Christmas, Puck." he pulled out a gift for him.
"What?" Puck gasped in shock, "I thought you told me to wait until Christmas."
"Yeah I just wanted to tease you." Spike chuckled.
"Ooh Spike," Puck began, "Oh you're gonna get some noogies later. I'm just gonna pound you like this."
"Well here open it." Spike said giving him the gift, as he opened it revealing a new hockey puck that had his name imprinted on it.
"Oh, Spike," Puck gasped, "Bro, you're the man!" he pulled Spike into a headlock and started to noogy him.
"Ok-ok, I get it!" Spike chuckled as he got out of his friend's headlock.
"Hey guys." Featherweight said as he walked over.
"Featherweight, there you are. I was wondering when you'd show." Puck said as the third friend fist bumped with Spike and Puck.
"Yeah well with the weather outside, traffic is piling up." Featherweight explained sheepishly.
"Better late than never," Spike replied as he pulled out another gift, "Merry Christmas."
"Oh thanks, Spike." Featherweight accepted the gift.
"Open it." Spike beckoned him.
Featherweight taking his friends words opened the gift revealing an MP3 player, "Holy cripes! Spike, for real?"
"Oh yeah." Spike nodded.
"Thanks man. You know when you get home you can open the gift I gave you." Featherweight granted him permission.
"Mine too." Puck added.
"Thanks, guys." Spike smiled, until he saw Rarity walking through the crowd and gasped, "There's Rarity! Wish me luck guys. I'm goin' in."
Puck and Featherweight watched as their friend walked off as the smartest of the two spoke to the athletic one, "What's he doing?"
Puck smirked, "Making a move."
So Spike made his way through the crowd of people calling out, "Rarity! Hey Rarity!"
He was almost reaching Rarity from within the crowd, only for someone to grab his shoulder and pull him back and out of the crowd. To Spike's shock it was Rover, Fido, and Spot, "Happy holidays, Spike." Rover greeted him, while Spot and Fido chuckled.
Spike groaned, "Guys, this is the worst possible of times. Now if you'll let me by, I gotta meet someone." he tried to get past only for Fido to block him.
"What's the hurry?" Fido asked.
"Yeah, we just wanna spread some holiday cheer, starting with you." Rover added.
"Guys, this is Christmas eve and I don't have time to bull with you." Spike said in annoyance.
"Hey don't presume so much, even we're not jerks on Christmas." Spot said.
"Really?" Spike asked in skepticism.
"Yeah, and here. We each even got you a little something." Rover said as the three each handed Spike a gift.
Spike looked and saw he got two red wristbands with his name embedded on them from Fido, from Spot he got a gold wrist watch, and finally from Rover he received a pimp hat, "Really, for me guys?" he asked seeing them look sheepish, "Well thanks. Sorry I didn't get you anything."
"Your gift to us is to not tell anyone we're that nice, or you'll find yourself getting a trip to the swirly." Rover warned him.
"You got it." Spike smiled assuring them.
"Well later. We got some doughnuts with sprinkles to snack on." Rover said as the trio took their leave.
Spike smiled seeing that even the worse of enemies he made can be nice during Christmas, "Hey there, Spike." another voice called, as Spike looked seeing Twistin' and Vinyl approach.
"Hey Twistin', Vinly, Merry Christmas." he greeted the two.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Spike." Vinyl replied.
"How do you like this party?" Twistin' asked his apprentice in hip hop.
"I'm really loving it." Spike admitted while wishing he could get back to finding Rarity.
"Well stick around because later Flash Sentry and the Rockin' Knights are playing for us." Vinyl explained.
"Flash Sentry?" Spike pondered, until he remembered, "Oh right. He's dating my sister."
"What's you're take on him?" Twistin' asked curisouly.
"Well first time I met him, he seemed like a nice guy. Not like one of those narcissistic boys whose only interested in maintaining a good image for themselves." Spike admitted.
"Yeah. Your sister really likes him." Vinyl noted.
"Uh-huh," Spike nodded, "Oh hey guys. Merry Christmas." he presented them each a gift.
"Hey thanks, Spike." Twistin' thanked him as he and Vinyl took their gifts.
"Go ahead. Open them." Spike beckoned them.
So they opened them as Twistin' saw his gift was a pair of fingerless biker gloves, "Awesome gloves, Spike. Thanks."
"No problem man." Spike answered as the two fist bumped.
Vinyl opened hers and saw it was a brand new pair of headphones, "All right new headphones!" the older girl threw her arms around Spike in an embrace, "Thanks, Spike. You're the best!"
Spike blushed at Vinyl's display, but held it together and hugged her back, "You're welcome," when the two parted, Spike spoke up, "Hey have you guys seen Rarity by any chance?"
"Rarity?" the two asked as Twistin' spoke up, "Last I saw her she was with Blueblood."
"Blueblood; the principal's nephew?" Spike asked in shock.
"Yeah, why did you need her for something?" Vinyl asked.
"No. It's nothing." Spike answered downheartedly as he walked away leaving the two in concern. Spike walked to the back of the shop as he watched everyone was still enjoying the party, and wasn't even bother trying to pinpoint Rarity's location, and just went outside.
He stood outside in the snow all bundled up. He felt foolish knowing there was no way he could get to Rarity now, and if he approached her while she was someone else at the moment he'd just look pitiful and pathetic, 'This was all a bad idea.' he thought to himself sadly.
A few minutes later he started hearing sniffling and crying, "Huh?" he went around to the side of the shop seeing who else but Rarity crying in front of the shop with her face buried in her hands, "Rarity?" he gasped as he ran over, "Rarity!"
Hearing her name, she looked up and saw Spike. Spike was shocked seeing bits of cake frosting on her face, "Oh, Spike. I didn't know you were out here." she did hr best to act natural and not show she was crying.
"What're you doing out here, and why're you crying?" he asked in concern for his crush.
"Oh, Spike. I just had the worst experience of my life!" Rarity cried, "Blueblood; the principal's nephew wanted me to join him. I though he'd be a man of class and nobility being the principal's nephew and all, but he was un-charming and a royal pain!"
"How so?" Spike asked hoping she wouldn't feel worse by his request.
"Well for one thing he made me pay for our food, as if he expected it. Then he complained about the doughnuts having too many sprinkles and asked Joe to remove some of them for him. Even Joe felt embarrassed. He then cleaned a drip of hot chocolate on the table using my handkerchief, but the worse of it was, someone who was carrying a cake ended up tripping and it was heading right for us. Blueblood grabbed me and used me as a shield so that I ended up getting caked!"
Spike gasped seeing how much of a jerk Blueblood was to Rarity as the girl continued, "Finally that was the last straw and I chewed him out for the jerk he was. To further make him pay I shook some of the cake frosting on him, and he ran off to the mens room like a baby." she giggled a bit and Spike laughed too.
"Sounds like you made him pay for his mistake." Spike noted.
Rarity sighed after her giggle, "Yes, but that humiliation he put on me back there was just so painful. Why did I allow myself to join him? Maybe I'm just a magnet for attracting polar opposites." she started putting herself down.
"That's not true!" Spike shot up, grabbing her attention, "You're amazing Rarity. You're beautiful, kind, generous, and always thinking of others. Blueblood's just a jerk who can't see a true lady if it walked up to him."
"Spike." she gasped.
"And never say you attract polar opposites or anything like that," Spike continued pouring his heart out, "There are plenty of guys out there who would want to be with you," he looked down a bit, "I-I'm one of them."
Rarity was struck by Spike's confession as tears started staining her eyes. Taking Spike by surprise she pulled him into an embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. Spike knowing what to do, wrapped his arms around her and comforted her as she cried into his shoulders a bit. Finally finished crying, Rarity lifted her head up from Spike's shoulder and dried her eyes, "Thank you, Spike. You truly are the kindest, sweetest, most generous boy I've ever known."
"That's me in a nutshell." Spike chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own handkerchief to clean the remaining cake frosting off Rarity's face until she was clean, "Listen I was hoping to catch you here and they party, because... Here." he presented his gift to her.
"Oh Spike, thank you." she gasped and accepted the gift.
"Open it." Spike told her.
Rarity curiously opened the present and upon seeing what was inside it gasped in surprise, "Spike. Is this a Fire Ruby necklace?"
"Uh-huh." Spike nodded.
Rarity's eyes started swelling up with tears of happiness, "Oh Spike. I don't know what to say..."
Spike smiled, "Then don't, because seeing you happy brings joy to my heart."
Rarity smiled at his sweet words, and handed it to him, "Put it on me, please?"
"Delighted," Spike answered as he put the necklace on her. Once he finished he looked at her and saw how good she and the necklace went together, "Beautiful, but not as beautiful as the one wearing it."
Rarity blushed and embraced Spike again, as he did the same, "Merry Christmas, Spike." she said.
"Merry Christmas, Rarity," he replied, "Why don't we go back inside and get some hot chocolate?" he offered.
"Are you buying?" she asked hoping he didn't expect her to pay like Blueblood did.
"Sure." he smiled and the two walked back into the shop.
When they got in, they dusted the snow off themselves and removed their winter coats. Surprising them at the entry was Pinkie Pie, "There you two are! The girls and I were worried. Are you ok, Rarity?"
"Oh yes, Pinkie Pie. I'm doing much better now." Rarity answered truthfully.
"That's good. Well come on let's get back to the others," she tried tugging them along until she looked up and gasped, "Ooh, mistletoe!"
Spike and Rarity looked up, and saw they were indeed under mistletoe, "Well what do you know?" Spike asked with a blush.
"Well, Spike. It's tradition." Rarity smiled.
"Yeah, tradition." Spike said as Rarity pulled Spike into a kiss which he returned.
Pinkie suddenly took a picture, which took the tow by surprise, "Good Christmas Card you guys!" she ran off to show the others.
"Oh that Pinkie." Rarity chuckled.
"Rarity," spike began getting her attention, "I want you to know I really love you. Ever since I first met you I've always had a crush on you."
Rarity smiled and spoke, "Well you know what, Spike?" Spike was curious as she leaned into his ear and whispered to him, "I love you too." Spike gasped at hearing those words come out of her mouth. He smiled and the two walked hand in hand to join up with their friends. Spike knew he would be sleeping peacefully tonight, and knew tomorrow Christmas would be even better than he imagined it would be. |
Freshman Blues | New Years Eve Party | It was December 30th, and Spike and Twilight were at the local market picking up some grub and beverages, "Everything on the list all checked, Spike?" Twilight asked her adopted brother.
"Check and check," Spike answered as he inspected all the stuff they had in their cart, "I'm glad mom and dad decided to let us invite the girls over for a little get together."
"I know, and it makes it better since they'll be going to their own New Years Eve party." Twilight added.
"Well we got everything, let's head back." Spike suggested as they went to pay for everything and took it all back home. With most of the snow melted and less chilly out it was easier for them to walk back to their apartment.
Once they got in they started putting away their food and drinks, to save for tomorrow, "Well we got all our supplies, all that's left is to wait until tomorrow." Twilight explained.
"Works okay by me," Spike answered, "Now if you'll excuse me, Puck and Featherweight are waiting for me."
"You're going out again?" Twilight asked in confusion since they just got back.
"No," Spike answered, "There's an online RP game we just got into." he said as he went to his room.
He went to his bed and pulled up his laptop. He turned it on and went to a site known as Guardians of Galgavor. He signed into it and his avatar appeared, being a human knight with dragon claws, wings, and a tail, with a weapon of a knights sword. As his avatar appeared in an old village, he put on a pair of headphones with a mike attached and spoke into it, "Yo Puck, Featherweight. I made it!"
Suddenly appearing at his avatar's side was a dark mage character carrying a magical scepter, "Hey there's the Dragon Knight!" came Puck's voice as he was at his own computer and had a bluetooth headset to communicate with them.
"Necro Mage, looking good," Spike said as their avatar's bump fists, "Seen Kung-Pow, yet?"
"He should be here." Puck assured, as another avatar appeared by there's.
The newcomer avatar had upper body strength like a Saiyan and wore black martial arts training pants, coming from the avatar was Featherweight's voice who was communicating with them through headphones and a mike piece, "Sorry guys. Would've gotten here sooner, but my mom had me do laundry. You'd think it's not so bad, but when you have to fold your parent's unmentionables..."
"Say no more," Puck cut him off, "We'll leave it at that and pray to those who also have the disturbing job of what you just did."
So the three game avatars were roaming the village and forest terrain outside it taking up missions and collecting money and valuables along the way. As their game characters played, the players themselves conversed, "So guys any plans for New Years Eve?" Spike asked.
"I'm going to my mom's parents house for it." Featherweight explained as he has his avatar destroy a wolf monster.
"And I'm going to be watching reruns of Ninja Monkey Action Squad," Puck admitted, "So what about you?"
"Well Twilight and I are inviting the girls here for a party, while our parents will be out for the night." Spike explained as his avatar collected some gold found under a boulder.
"Whoa, that's awesome man!" Puck called, "You're gonna be alone with six gorgeous girls."
"Hey, one of them is my sister." Spike warned him about his choice of words.
"Sorry about that, but bottom line is you got it good for tomorrow night." Puck added.
"I know. I wish you guys could join me, but hey what can ya do?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, but hey we can always have a New Years day out." Featherweight suggested.
"That'd be cool." Puck admitted.
"For real." Spike agreed as he continued to play the RP game with his friends, until it was late.
The next day at 7 P.M, Twilight and Spike's parents Twilight Velvet and Night Light were dressed up and ready to leave, "Okay you two we're leaving." Night Light said.
"Ok, dad." The two answered.
"You have all our numbers just in case." Twilight Velvet noted.
"Yes mom, we know." Twilight assured her.
"And try not to get too crazy." Night Light teased them.
"Depends on your definition of 'too crazy.'." Spike joked back, as the adults left.
When the two left the building, Spike and Twilight looked to each other as the boy began, "Parent's out of the house, check."
"Which means we have exactly twenty minutes before the girls get here." Twilight added.
"Well then, let's get to work!" Spike suggested as his sister nodded in agreement and the two got right to it. Soon enough they had all their snacks and beverages prepared, "We finished." Spike sighed in relief.
"And not a moment to spare." Twilight added as they heard a knock at the door.
"I'll get it." Spike said, as he went to the door. He opened it revealing the girls, "hi girls." he greeted them.
"Hi, Spike!" they cheered as they each stepped in, with Applejack playfully punching his shoulder, Fluttershy hugging him warmly, Pinkie hugging him a little too tight, Rainbow Dash giving him a noogey, and Rarity giving him a peck on the cheek, resulting him him blushing.
"So where's Twi?" Applejack asked as Twilight stepped in carrying a plate of treats.
"Right here, A.J." she answered as she sat the plate onto the coffee table.
"Ooh this is going to be sooooo good!" Pinkie cheered in excitement.
"Spike, can you get the rest of the refreshments?" Twilight requested her brother.
"On it, Twilight." Spike answered as he went to the kitchen and got each of the girls and himself a beverage. He passed each of the girls a beverage before he took a seat on the couch closest to Rarity.
"So what's on the agenda?" Rainbow inquired.
"Well first off, we'll be doing charades." Twilight answered.
"Oh boy, I love charades!" Pinkie cheered while clapping.
"Sounds good to me." Applejack agreed.
"Meh, I can dig it." Rainbow admitted.
"I'm ok with it." Fluttershy added.
"So could I." Rarity finished.
So for the next number of house, the group partook in games such as charades, card games, telling stories, even Rainbow Dash and Spike had a soda guzzling contest, and Rainbow Dash won. With only an hour till midnight, Twilight spoke up, "Well girls, and Spike. What next?"
Spike smiled, "I got an idea," he went to a boombox and plugged in an Ipod that started playing slow music, "Any of you ladies care to dance?" he asked turning to them.
"I would love to dance, Spike." Rarity said volunteering first.
"Well then," Spike said as he took her hand, "Follow my lead." he proceeded to dance with her as the girls watched Spike dance so gracefully.
"Guess he's good at slow dancin' as well as break dancin'." Applejack noted.
"You really got a rad brother, Twilight." Rainbow nudged her.
"Yeah, I sure do." Twilight smiled.
Soon Rarity grew tired, "Oh thank you for that, Spikey."
"Anytime, Rarity. Anytime," he replied as he looked to the other girls, "Any other takers?"
"I might fancy a little dance myself," Applejack admitted as she joined Spike, as he started leading her, "You're really good on your feet, sugarcube."
"I watch a lot of TV and such." he admitted sheepishly, before he twirled the girl.
"Ooh I want next!" Pinkie cheered.
"You mind?" Spike asked A.J.
"Not at all, sugarcube. Thanks for the dance." she hugged him. So Spike danced with Pinkie Pie for a bit, followed by Fluttershy who was nervous, but Spike assured her he wasn't going to let her look awkward. He finally danced a bit with both Twilight and even Rainbow Dash before the rainbow haired girl switched the music to real dance party music and the group was jumping with excitement.
Eventually the seven wore themselves out from so much dancing, and saw it was coming down to the wire being five minutes till midnight, "Ooh it's almost time!" Pinkie was clapping her hands repeatively.
"The last few minutes of this year." Applejack added.
"Come the new year there's going to be a lot more to look forward too." Twilight added.
"I know what ya mean," Spike agreed, "New semester which means other classes. Hope I can handle them."
"Hey you survived the first semester." Rainbow reminded him, while feeling proud of the boy.
Spike smiled and nodded, "Yeah, and it's thanks to all of you."
"Well there's nothing we wouldn't do for a dear friend of ours." Rarity hugged him.
"Girls look!" Fluttershy gasped as they saw only one minute left and the countdown was getting lower.
"Hold on everybody. HERE IT COMES!" Pinkie called as it struck midnight.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the seven cheer as they wave and blow into noisemakers, while outside the apartment in the distance were fireworks being shot off.
"Welcome to the new year, guys." Twilight smiled.
"It's going to be so awesome." Rainbow cheered.
"Yeah, what could make this moment any better?" Spike asked them.
"I might know." Rarity answered as Spike turned to her.
"What's that Rarity?" he raised a brow while feeling puzzled
"This." she answered before pulling Spike into a kiss in front of the girls.
When they parted, Spike was blushing up a storm, "Sweet."
"That was a special kiss, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity began, "That was a New Year's kiss. Your first one of the new year and mine."
"Wicked." Spike answered with a smile.
"Hey!" Rainbow spoke up grabbing their attention, "I'd like a New Years kiss myself."
"Rainbow Dash, I do not swing in that direction." Rarity spoke up in outrage.
"Not from you, Rare," Rainbow cut her off, before smirking at Spike, "From Spike."
"What?" Rarity gasped.
"Me?" Spike gasped in surprise.
"Well duh. You see any other boys in here?" Rainbow asked, while motioning around the room, proving her point.
"Oh I got a great idea!" Pinkie called, "Let's all get a New Year's kiss from Spike!"
"What?" Spike, Twilight, and Rarity gasped.
"Well I wouldn't mind." Fluttershy admitted while blushing sheepishly.
"Not a bad idea, Pinkie." Applejack agreed.
"How about it?" Pinkie asked Twilight.
"But he's my brother." she answered.
"It doesn't have to be lips for you, Twilight. Silly girl." Pinkie ruffled Twilight's head.
"Well I guess." Twilight admitted, while straightening her hair.
"Whoa, hey I haven't signed off on this!" Spike waved his hands with intent on getting away.
"Get him!" Pinkie called as she jumped the boy and held him to the floor, "Who wants first?"
"Me of course," Rainbow said as she got above Spike looking down on him, "Pucker up, big boy," she leaned in and kissed Spike on the lips. He tried struggling, but melted like ice cream at the touch of her lips against his own. When they parted Rainbow smirked while looking down at the near dazed boy, "Awesome kiss, Spike." she winked.
"I guess I'll go," Fluttershy said as she approached, "So sorry, Spike." she leaned down and gently kissed him. She parted and constantly apologized, until Applejack approached.
"Well sugarcube, hope you're as ready as I am," the bumpkin girl puckered up and planted one on Spike who seemed to return it. When they parted, Applejack spoke, "That was better than I thought."
"My turn!" Pinkie cheered as she continued holding Spike down and leaned in pressing her lips against his. She pulled her lips off his and blushed with a smile, "Sweet!"
"Ok, Twilight, your turn." Rainbow said as Twilight looked down at her brother and smiled.
"Let's both have a great new year, Spike." she leaned down and pecked her brother on the cheek.
So Pinkie released Spike, and jumped to the girls hugging them, "Best New Years eve ever!"
"Got that right." Rainbow agreed.
Rarity spoke up, "Just so you know, you all may have gotten to kiss Spike. But I was his first kisser for the new year." she reminded them of how hers was special to him the most.
"And he was ours, too." Applejack put in, while Spike laid on the floor smiling like a goofball.
'This was a magical night.' he thought in enjoyment. |
Freshman Blues | Guy's Night | A few days after New Years Eve, school resumed and once again Spike was ready to face more school challenges. He was currently in Science class with Featherweight and Puck listening to lectures being given by their teacher Dr. Hooves. While the teacher was too preoccupied with one side of the class, the three were able to whisper quietly amongst themselves, "Man this class is dull." Puck whispered.
"I know. Why can't the doc make this class more exciting?" Spike whispered back.
"Maybe if you'd take an interest in science for once, you'd both feel less bored." Featherweight whispered to them.
The two shrugged their shoulders and continued gossiping amongst themselves, "So what's say after class today we head to the arcade and make some high scores?" Spike suggested.
"Hey I'd be up for that." Puck agreed.
"Well if we don't have too much homework to do." Featherweight admitted.
"Then it's decided." Spike smirked, until he felt his head jerk forward making him groan at how far it went. The boys looked up seeing Dr. Hooves was behind him.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, boys?" he asked sternly.
"You? No you're not interrupting anything, is he guys?" Spike asked his friends.
"No nothing." Puck shook his head.
"Nada." Featherweight agreed with a sheepish smile.
"Good." Dr. Hooves said as he walked past them, making them sigh seeing how much worse they could've got it.
When it was lunch time, the three were in the cafeteria sitting at their usual table where they could converse more. As they ate peacefully, Twistin' approached, "Well afternoon, players."
"Hey Twistin', what's up?" Spike asked.
"Actually I was hoping to catch you three here because I have a proposition for you guys." the Junior said as he took a seat and pulled it up before them
"What kind of proposition?" Featherweight asked curiously.
"Well you guys got any plans on the weekend?" Twistin' asked curiously.
"Actually I got nothing." Spike admitted.
"Neither do I." Puck added.
"Unless you count re-organizing my digital photos something, then no." Featherweight finished.
"Well in that case, how about the four of us have a guys night out?" Twistin' smirked.
"A guys night out?" the three asked.
"Yeah, I mean we haven't had any down time in like forever, ya know?" he asked the three.
"He does have a point." Puck admitted.
"So what do you have in mind?" Spike asked.
"Just leave everything to me boys. I'll forward you a message on what to expect before Saturday." he explained.
"If you say so." Puck replied.
"Right, mates," he patted their shoulders, "Catch ya later." he walked away.
"Wonder what he'd have planned for a guys night, especially with us?" Featherweight pondered.
"Who knows?" Spike shrugged.
Later after school, Twilight and the girls were outside the school as Spike, Puck, and Featherweight exited the building, "Hey fellas!' Applejack greeted them.
"We were just about to head to Sugarcube Corner for a shake, wanna come?" Pinkie asked hopefully.
"Sorry Pinkie, but me and the guys have plans." Spike admitted.
"What kind of plans?" Pinkie asked as she was swarming around the three.
"We're heading for the arcade." Featherweight answered.
"Yeah we got things to discuss." Spike added.
"What kinda things?" Rainbow Dash wondered in interest.
"Twistin's planning a guys night for us on Saturday, so we got a lot to ponder on it." Puck explained.
"Guys night?" the six girl asked simultaneously.
"Yeah. It's been awhile since it was the four of us did anything together," Spike began, "So we're going to the arcade to ponder on what he has in mind."
"Well ok, but don't be out too late." Twilight warned him.
"I know." Spike said dryly having heard this before.
"Come on, Spike we're wasting time." Featherweight said feeling the clock was ticking.
"Yeah, come on Spike. Let's Boo-Boo already!" Puck added, getting impatient by the hold up.
"All right, guys. Catch ya later, Twilight." Spike said as he ran off to join his buds.
The six girls watched the three freshmen leave as Applejack spoke to her friends, "Let's Boo-Boo?" she asked them in confusion as to what Puck meant, while the other five were just as confused as her.
Later at Canterlot's arcade, the three teens were partaking in some fighting games, with Puck and Spike facing each other, and Featherweight vs a CPU, "So what do you think Twistin' has in store for us?" Featherweight asked his friends curiously.
"With Twistin' you never know." Spike answered as his avatar landed a blow against Puck's.
"Remember last time he took us out for something a month ago?" Puck asked.
"How could I forget?" Featherweight began dryly, "You guys knocked me into a fountain."
"Well you shouldn't have been leaning back so close to it." Puck countered.
"Besides you got even with us by pulling us in with you." Spike reminded him.
"Yeah, it was so funny." Featherweight chuckled at the memory.
"Well I suggest we look our best for the weekend because I got a feeling this time we'll really be painting the town red." Puck chuckled.
"Straight up." Spike agreed as the two high fived.
A few days later it was Saturday at 6 P.M, Spike was standing in front of his closet mirror seeing his attire for his night out. He was dressed in his sneakers, jeans, a green shirt, a purple short sleeved hoody, "Looking good, but it feels something's missing," he pondered on it, until it dawned on him. He zipped away from the mirror and went back to it wearing a white pimp hat, "Oh now that's what I'm talking about." he stepped out of his room seeing Twilight at the kitchen table making something to eat.
"Well don't you look like a happening cat." Twilight joked humorously.
"Thanks, much like Rarity I normally like to look my best on these events," he admitted while playing cool. Suddenly his cellphone beeped and he checked a text, "Guys are here. See you, Twi."
"Be careful." Twilight warned him.
"Always!" he answered before heading out the door.
Spike finally exited the apartment and saw Twistin's car out front, with Twistin' at the wheel, and Puck and Featherweight were in the back. Twistin' rolled down the passenger window and spoke, "Come on, Spike. Let's get a move on!" Twistin' said as he opened the passenger side door.
Spike rushed over and slid into the passenger seat, before closing the door. After buckling up he spoke, "So guys all ready?"
"You bet we are." Puck confirmed.
"Always." Featherweight added.
"Then let's get this party wagon moving!" Twistin' called as he drove off.
As they drove through the city they had the car radio blasting music that they were rocking their heads too, until they pulled up outside a karaoke club, "Karaoke!" the three younger boys cheered.
"I thought we'd start off with something to get us pumped." Twistin' explained, as the boys went along with it.
The four exited the car and stood together before the place, "Let's do this." Spike said as the four entered the place and went inside a booth.
"You guys are gonna love this," Twistin' began, "This place has some real choice selection of tunes."
"Too bad it's not a break dancing place, otherwise Spike would be showing off." Puck joked while nudging the guys shoulder with him chuckling.
"So who's first?" Featherweight asked.
"I'll start us off." Twistin' said as he took the mic and looked through a list of songs on the screen before selecting a song. As they music played and lyrics appeared on screen he started singing with his three Freshmen pals enjoying it.
When he finished the guys applauded, "Thank you, you're beautiful!" Twistin' waved his hands around pretending there was a bigger crowd.
"Ok I'll take a shot." Puck said as he took the mic and skimmed through the songs before selecting one and began singing.
After Puck finished the guys cheered, with Featherweight whistling, "Good one, Puck." Featherweight congratulated him.
"Thanks, guys." Puck said feeling proud of himself.
"My turn." Featherweight said as he took the mic and selected his song, and started singing.
The guys applauded on Featherweights performance, as the smart boy smiled modestly, "Really I didn't think I'd be this good."
"Yeah, you were good. Now it's my go." Spike said as he selected his song and sang.
When Spike finished the guys cheered and clapped for him, "Spike, you rocked!" Puck cheered.
"Totally awesome, dude!" Twistin' put in.
"Thanks guys, glad ya loved it." Spike smiled. The group shared some laughs with each other on how good they were before taking off.
As they were driving around again they were neck and neck with a car with four teenage girls in it about sixteen years old, "Hey ladies!" Twistin' called to them.
"Looking good!" Puck called while sticking his head out the window, only to get pulled back in by Featherweight and gave them a wolf whistle.
The guys laughed, until Twistin' noticed Spike wasn't trying to get the girls to notice him, "What's with you, Spike?"
"Come on Twistin', I have Rarity." he reminded him.
"You don't have to date any of those girls, just let them know what they're missing out on." Twistin' explained.
"I guess." Spike admitted as he kicked back in the passenger seat.
"Speaking of Rarity, how are things going between you two?" Puck asked in interest.
"Doing great, especially after New Years." Spike admitted.
"Really, how so?" Featherweight asked.
"No I really shouldn't." Spike brushed them off.
"Excuse me?" Twistin' asked in confusion.
"I'd rather not say, it's embarrassing." Spike replied, only for Puck to lean his head over between the two up front.
"Spike, now you listen to me," he began seriously, "I want details, and I want them now. I don't have a girl, and I right now don't know what I can talk about. You think it's embarrassing? Well we've all been embarrassed before in our lives!"
"Ok, Puck I'll spill just don't lean on me," Spike said as Puck leaned back to his seat, "Ok, hours before New Years I spent it showing the girls how to dance. And I mean regular dance, slow dance. Each one of them wanted me to do it with them."
"Even your sister?" Featherweight asked.
"Yeah, she didn't wanna be left out," Spike admitted, "But anyway, once the clock struck midnight and the New Year began, Rarity gave me a new years kiss. On the lips!"
The three gasped, "Whoa! Oxygen, dudes I need some oxygen here!" Twistin' chuckled.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute it doesn't stop there." Spike interrupted them.
"There's more?" Featherweight gasped.
"Oh yeah," Spike continued, "Pinkie held me down as each of the girls also got a New Year's kiss from me."
Puck nearly choked as Featherweight and Twistin' gasped in shock, "You're serious?" Twistin' called.
"All six of the girls kissed you?" Puck asked in surprise.
"Even Twilight?" Featherweight asked, oddly.
"Twilight just pecked me on the cheek." Spike corrected him.
"Well that's a relief. Otherwise it'd be awkward for both of you." Twistin' chuckled.
"So what were they like?" Puck asked wanting more.
"Well Rarity's was passionate as always. For Rainbow Dash it felt like she stuck her tongue inside me, or tried to." Spike admitted as Twistin' gasped.
"Whoa." the hip hop club president gasped in shock.
"Applejack's felt like she wanted it deep," Spike continued explaining, "Pinkie's felt sugary due to all the sugary snacks she had prior and Fluttershy's was a bit soft."
"Oh man. Spike, you hound!" Puck chuckled as he patted his friends shoulder from behind.
"That would never happen to me." Featherweight chuckled.
"No kidding." Puck joked.
"Though can I tell you guys something, strictly between us?" Spike asked hopefully.
"Shoot." Twistin' replied.
"I think I really enjoyed Rainbow Dash and Applejack's kisses the same way I enjoyed Rarity's." Spike admitted.
"What?" they gasped.
"You did?" Featherweight asked.
"Uh-huh." Spike nodded.
"So then you like them too?" Puck asked.
"Well as friends," Spike explained, "I mean Rainbow Dash is my parkour instructor. I spend a lot of time after school with her so you can see why she means a lot to me. Applejack's always given me bits of advice for whenever I have a lot on my mind and such. So yeah those two like the others are important to me." he hid a faint blush as he thought about them.
"Let's not forget Vinyl." Twistin' spoke up catching Spike off guard.
"What, what're you talking about?" Spike asked in outrage.
"Oh come on. I see the way how Vinyl looks at you and the way you'd glance at her." Twistin' teased him.
"Hey I just happen to admire her talent as a DJ!" Spike protested.
"If you say so," Twistin' replied as he looked up ahead, "And here's our next spot!"
The three freshmen looked out the windows to see a burger cafe, "About time, I'm starving." Puck said.
"Come on." Twistin' said as he pulled into the lot. The three got out and went inside taking a booth.
Soon the four each had a big glass of Root Beer which they were each chugging down to see who could drink the most before needing air. Puck proved to be able to drink more before needing to take a break between drinks, "Oh that felt good." Puck said as he held in a burp.
"If you let that out, it would've been drawn the whole place in our direction." Featherweight noted.
"That would've been funny." Puck chuckled, until a waitress came by and sat before them a big bowl of nachos and and equally larger bowl of nacho cheese.
"Now this is what we've been waiting for." Twistin' said as he eyed their treat.
"You think we can cover all this cheese with all these chos?" Spike asked Twistin'.
"We sure as hell can try." Twistin' replied as Puck and Featherweight eye the hot and tasty delicacy.
They each took a nacho as Puck spoke, "Commence dipping of the cheese." they each dipped or scooped their nacho into the cheese and ate it.
"That's good." Featherweight beamed.
"And we got a lot more to go." Spike said as they continued eating the nachos with the cheese is funny and bizarre ways, with Puck even getting some on his shirt.
After their nacho and cheese gorging and Root Beer chugging the boys were back on the road driving with them sticking their heads out the window cheering and whooping to themselves, "Man this is the best night ever!" Spike cheered.
"And it's just getting started boys, because the night is young!" Twistin' declared as the car rode off into the city.
The very next morning, at Twistin's home, the guy was out of bed wearing a robe and slippers, while pouring himself some coffee. Suddenly he heard his doorbell ring, so he went to the front door and opened it seeing Twilight and the girls looking T.O'd, "Morning girls, what's up?"
They push him inside and close the door behind them as Twilight spoke, "Don't 'what's up?' us, Twistin'. Spike, Puck, nor Featherweight came home last night."
"We're so worried." Fluttershy said in worry.
"What in tarnation did yall do last night?" Applejack demanded.
"Relax girls. They're completely unharmed, see?" he motioned to his living room where they saw Puck asleep while lying flat on the couch with his right arm and leg hanging off it. On the floor was Featherweight lying on the floor asleep as well, with his shirt unbuttoned all the way along with his hair being messy.
"Well there's Puck and Featherweight." Rainbow noted.
"But where's Spike?" Rarity asked seeing no sign of him.
Twilight confronted Twistin' while speaking sternly, "If my little brother is face down in a ditch somewhere, so help me..."
"Take a chill pill, Twi. Spike's fine." Twistin' calmed her.
"Then where is he?" she demanded until they heard groaning.
"Follow the sound." Twistin' replied as Twilight and the girls followed the moaning sound all the way to Twistin's bathroom.
Inside it they found Spike lying in the tub with his hoody and shirt off and on the bathroom floor, while his pimp hat was covering his face. Pinkie went over and lifted the hat off revealing he was asleep partially, "Here he is." she said.
"Oh, Spike." Rarity gasped.
Twilight went over and leaned down to Spike tapping his cheek, "Spike. Come on, Spike. Wake up!"
Spike tossed and turned before he started opening his eyes looking dazed, "Mommy?" he asked groggily only for Twilight to roll her eyes. Spike finally rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "Oh hi girls." he groaned and felt his head.
"Are you all right?" Rarity as she got down by the tub.
"Yeah, but I feel partied out." he groaned.
"Yeah we did kinda go overboard last night." Twistin' chuckled.
"What did you do last night?" Fluttershy asked curiously.
"I got pictures on my digital camera," Spike began with a yawn, "When I'm fully awake I'll show them."
"Come on, Spike. We gotcha." Applejack said as she and Rainbow helped him to his feet and out of the tub.
"Thanks girls." Spike thanked them.
"Here a go." Pinkie said, handing him his shirt, hoody, and hat.
"Oh thanks." Spike said as he put his shirt back on.
"Come on, Spike. Let's get you home," Twilight suggested and turned to Pinkie and Applejack, "Wake Puck and Featherweight so we can get them home as well."
"You got it, Twi." Applejack nodded as she and Pinkie went back to the living room to wake the two.
"Soon as I get home, I need a shower." Spike groaned from his headache.
"No kidding." Twilight agreed as she helped him along before he was able to walk on his own.
"Thanks for the fun, Twistin'." Spike thanked him.
"No problem, we gotta do this more often." Twistin' chuckled along with Spike as Twilight rolled her eyes. |
Freshman Blues | Picture Memories and a Fantasy | Twilight and the girls after dropping Puck and Featherweight off at their homes, went back to Twilight and Spike's apartment. When Spike got in the first thing he did was take a shower, while the girls waited for him in the living room. After his shower he put on a fresh pair of clothes and went over to the girls, "Come on Spike, we wanna see your pictures already." Rainbow said in excitement.
"All right, Rainbow. Cool your jets." Spike said as he pulled out his digital camera and connected it to Twilight's laptop.
Once all the pictures were downloaded, Twilight opened them up starting with the first one that was of the four guys sitting on a railing outside the karaoke shop, "Yall look like quite the happy bunch." Applejack noted.
"Yeah, we're the all stars!" Spike chuckled.
"Next picture!" Pinkie cheered.
Twilight clicked for the next one and it showed Puck and Featherweight in the backseat of Twistin's car, with the two holding each other in headlocks, "Oh those guys are so crazy." Spike chuckled.
They checked the next picture seeing it was of them at the cafe, with Puck ended up spilling some of his Root Beer on his shirt, making the girls laugh, followed up by a picture of them in front of their large bowl of nacho cheese, but the funny one was after where it Twistin had his head dunked in it and the picture following was him with his face covered in the stuff, "Oh that's hilarious!" Pinkie chuckled.
"Oh dear I hope he could wash all that out." Rarity said seeing how much nacho cheese was on Twistin's face.
"He didn't need to," Spike answered, "We all took nachos and scooped it off him."
"Ah really didn't need to envision that." Applejack replied feeling disturbed.
The next picture was of Featherweight clutching his head as if he were in pain, "What's wrong with Featherweight?" Fluttershy asked in worry.
"Brain freeze," Spike answered, "We went to a 7/11 and bought a Mega Gulp Slushee. We wanted to see who could make the best brain freeze face."
They checked the next image seeing it was Puck giving off his own brain freeze face with his eyes widened and his mouth opened. Twistin's shot was next with his eyes tight shut and both his hands clutching his head. Finally they saw Spike's picture which had him looking like he was kicked in the love sack. The girls laughed as Rainbow spoke, "Oh wow, Spike. That's a killer face."
"I know. Felt like my head was an iceberg." Spike admitted.
They checked the next picture seeing the four were kicking back on the ledge of a big fountain, followed by a picture of them losing balance, and the next was of all four landing in the fountain. Rainbow Dash burst into laughing with Pinkie, while Spike laughed himself, "How did yall fall into the fountain like that?" Applejack asked.
"We forgot how close we were to the edge." Spike explained only for Twilight to roll her eyes.
The next few pictures showed Puck and Featherweight posing with two girls from school. They were Lyra and Bon Bon, who were also out that night, until the two groups ran into each other. Bon Bon was Holding Puck close while he also had an arm around her. Lyra was sitting on a bench with Featherweight resting his head in her lap while she laid her hand on his cheek, "Looks like those two got some special attention." Applejack noted.
"Yeah," Spike chuckled, "They wanted me to get in on a picture with them as well, but I felt they needed the shot more." he explained knowing if Rarity saw any of those two very close to him, could make her feel jealous.
They checked the next picture showing Puck barfing on a sidewalk in the park, with Featherweight and Twistin' laughing, "Oh that is revolting!" Rarity gagged.
"What happened?" Twilight asked Spike.
"We guessed all that cheese and that slushee didn't sit well with him," Spike answered, "We had to stop by a convenience store and buy him a bottle of mouthwash," They checked more of the pictures seeing another was of the group hanging in a parking lot with Spike lying face down on top of the car, followed by a picture of Featherweight pretending to be tied up and mouth gagged in the trunk of the car with Twistin' and Puck standing on both sides pretending they did it. Finally it cut to the guys in Twistin's home with Spike looking unconscious on the floor. The next picture was of him lying in the tub with Puck and Featherweight at his side posing, "Yeah those guys just put me in there and let me sleep there for the night." Spike explained.
"Well it's just as Twistin' said you fellas sure partied hard." Applejack said to Spike.
"Yeah. And it was awesome." Spike added.
"Too awesome," Rainbow noted, "Next time we have a night out, we got to invite you."
"Yeah you're super duper loads of fun!" Pinkie cheered.
"Well thanks girls," Spike answered before yawning, "I'm gonna go take a nap, Twi. I still feel tired."
"Ok, Spike. We'll try to be as quiet as we can." Twilight answered.
Spike left the living room and back to his room. He plopped onto his bed and fell asleep. He slept peacefully until he woke up from the sun shining in his face. When he was awoken he felt he wasn't on his bed anymore. Rather he was sleeping on soft green grass in the middle of a forest, "What, where am I?" He got off the ground and looked around seeing he was in a big bare spot in the forest, "Ok this is seriously weird. I fell asleep in my room and now I'm here in a forest?" he started hearing the sound of running water, "Water? Where there's water that must lead to people!" he started listening closely and started following the sound.
He trekked through the forest as he heard the water flowing getting louder, but could also hear the sounds of singing. Singing that seemed to be coming from girls. He finally made it to another spot in the forest where he found the a creek, but the creek itself was not his real focus. What he found also was a pile of alabaster stones acting like a platform, and on top of them were Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack without her hat, and Vinyl without her sunglasses revealing her moderate cerise colored eyes. The four girls were wearing white Greek togas, and were singing together in perfect sync. As they sang, Spike felt drawn to them as if it were the lure of a siren.
"Hey girls! What's going on?" Spike called, but the four just kept on singing without breaking a note.
As the girls sang, Rarity and Vinyl finger motioned Spike to come closer. Compelled to follow, Spike was walking closer to them before he finally reached them, "That's some good singing girls, but uh where are we?" he asked but once again did not receive and answer as the four kept on singing.
The four climbed down from the stones and started circling around Spike, much to his own enjoyment. Rarity and Vinyl rubbed his shoulders to relax him, before they sat him down on a boulder to use as a seat. The four continued dancing around him as Vinyl and Applejack suddenly started massaging his shoulders, while Rarity and Rainbow Dash sat themselves in his lap. Spike began to sweat in enjoyment as Rarity and Rainbow started laying their hands on his face and began stroking it. Spike feeling overwhelmed by his male urges wrapped his arms around the two girls in his lap, to get them closer. As he did Applejack and Vinyl ceased the shoulder massaging and rested their heads on his shoulders, allowing his cheeks to come into contact with their own. As the four girls started nuzzling him, Spike laughed at the ticklish feeling, "Girls. Girls, please. Come on there's enough of me for all of you." he chuckled as the girls continued to cuddle with the young man.
The scene faded out revealing Spike was back in bed having a dream and speaking to himself, "Oh that feels good, a little more on top. Oh that's the spot," finally his eyes shot opened and he sat up gasping, "Oh! It was just a dream. What on earth compelled me to dream about something like that?" he asked before getting out of bed. As he remembered the dream he blushed, "Whatever the reason I dreamed that situation. I'm glad I did. I need to tell this to someone," he pulled out his cell and texted it to Puck, Featherweight, and Twistin', "Oh this is gonna be something worth talking about the them later." he chuckled.
Suddenly the door opened as the girls entered, "Oh Spike, you're up from your nap? Good." Twilight said.
"We're gonna go grab something to eat, ya wanna come?" Rainbow offered.
"Count me in." Spike answered until his cells ringtone buzzed. He checked his cell and chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Applejack asked.
"Oh Puck and Twistin' with their usual quips." Spike answered not wanting to tell them their real messages about a certain topic he wouldn't dare share with any of the girls.
"Well come on let's go!" Pinkie cheered as the girls and Spike headed out.
As they walked, Spike checked the text again seeing Twistin's read 'You lucky little player.' while Puck's text read 'I want to have a dream like that.'. After finishing reading them he once against chuckled softly to himself. |
Freshman Blues | Spike the Babysitter | One afternoon at Spike and Twilight's apartment, Spike was alone in the building but had company. He was standing before a two year old baby who was sitting on the couch. The baby had pink and red colored hair, turquoise colored eyes, and was wearing a little sky blue colored dress. Spike was kneeling before her while holding up a dish towel to his face before lowering it, "Peek-a-boo!" he said playing the game and making the baby giggle. He continued doing it making the girl giggle, until Spike felt he was being watched. He looked back seeing Puck standing by the door way.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
"Puck!" Spike jumped in surprise, "How long have you been there?"
"Eleven minutes." he answered, as the baby saw Puck and tilted her head in confusion.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Spike asked feeling embarrassed.
"Well your show was getting good." Puck chuckled.
"Well you're a terrific audience," Spike replied sarcastically. He noticed the baby was reaching for him. He smiled and spoke, "Ok, come here." he picked her up.
Puck walked over to them, "So who's the kid?"
"This is Gwyneira, or Neira as I call her," Spike explained, "She's the daughter of my older brother Shining and his wife Cadence. They asked me and Twilight to watch her for a bit. It's my shift right now because she likes me the most."
Puck looked at Neira, "Well she's a cute one," he admitted as he tickled her chin making her giggle, "Any reason why she's so fond of you?"
"Honestly I have no clue," Spike admitted, "We're not exactly related by blood either."
"What do you mean?"
"Neira's actually adopted like I am," Spike explained, "From what Shining told me, Neira's parents couldn't take care of her."
"Any reason?" Puck wondered.
"Details were not given," Spike replied as Neira held his finger, "But yeah we both share a bond of being adopted."
Puck tickled the baby's chin again, "Well like I said she's a real sweetie."
"Yeah," Spike nodded and spoke to the baby, "Neira, this is your Uncle Puck," Neira tilted her head at Puck before smiling at him, "See she's liking you already."
"Well I like her too." Puck admitted.
"Hey you wanna see another show? Check this. Neira loves it when I do this." Spike said as he handed her off to Puck and went behind another couch. Suddenly he held a white pony plush up on top of the couch and performed a puppet show with Spike making it seem like the pony plush was singing.
When he finished Neira giggled happily as Puck chuckled, "Not bad there." he admitted, as Spike came out form behind the couch and went over to the two.
"Told ya she loved it." Spike reminded him as Neira spoke.
"Spike. Foo-foo."
The two looked at each other, as Spike answered, "Sounds like someone's a hungry girl."
"Well it is lunch time." Puck checked the time.
Spike then checked the baby bag, "Good thing Shining and Cadence left me their supplies."
"Well you get the stuff ready." Puck said as he sat her in a high chair.
Spike looked through the bag, "Ah here we are." he pulled out some of her baby food. He went over to Neira was Puck was at her side, "Ready for lunch?" he asked the girl.
Neira responded by banging on her tray, "Foo-foo!" she demanded.
"I know. I know." Spike chuckled in amusement.
"Better feed her now." Puck suggested.
"Right." Spike agreed. So Spike began feeding her, but she was acting a little stubborn, "Come on Neira, it's good. Let me show you." he tried aiming it for Puck who saw what he was attempting.
"Hey man, get that away from me." he leaned his head back.
"What's that?" Spike asked in shock.
"Where?" Puck asked, only for Spike to shove the spoon into Pucks mouth.
Puck scowled at Spike's trick, as his friend smiled amusingly at him, "Smile. The baby's watching you," Puck put on a forced smile while trying to ignore the taste in his mouth, "Now she's waiting for her Uncle Puck to swallow."
Puck frowned and took the risk and swallowed it while cringing, "That's stuff's terrible."
"He means it in a good way." Spike told Neira.
At that moment the girls came in, "Hey Spike, we're back." Twilight said as they saw Puck at the kitchen sink sticking his head in it, while drinking the running water.
The girls watched in awkward silence, until Pinkie broke it, "Maybe he's thirsty."
Spike who was next to Neira spoke, "Don't mind him he just sampled some baby food."
"Do we even wanna know?" A.J asked him.
"Foo-foo!" Neira cheered as Twilight giggled as she got it.
Puck brought his head out from the sink and spoke to Spike, "That was vile, man. You owe me big for this!"
"Fine next time you pop in when I'm watching Neira and it's feeding time I'll be the taster." Spike promised, as Rainbow held him close.
"You better hope that never happens."
Twilight spoke as she took the food from Spike, "Let me take over," she spoke to the baby, "Here you go, Neira." she fed her as Puck spoke.
"Keep that stuff away from me!"
"Well remember you used to eat that stuff when you were a baby." Fluttershy reminded him.
"Yeah a baby. Not a man!"
"Oh don't be so melodramatic, Puck." Rarity replied.
"Like you never are?" A.J teased her.
"I'll pretend you didn't say that," Rarity rolled her eyes. Neira looked around at everyone, as they crowded her, "Oh Neira, as always you're an absolute darling." she tickled her chin, as she giggled.
"Such a cutie!" Pinkie beamed.
"That she is." Spike nodded in agreement.
"Well good now that you girls are here Spike's relieved of his duties." Puck said.
Neira looked at Spike, while he looked back knowing how she'd always look dismal whenever he'd leave, " Don't worry Neira, I'll be back." Neira still whimpered.
Puck looked to the girls, "Does she do this every time?"
"Yeah." Rainbow nodded.
"Hang on," Twilight said as she got something out. She spoke to Neira who was about to start crying, "Neira, look here," Neira looked seeing Twilight was holding a purple dragon plush, "See it's your little friend," Neira reached for her toy, as Twilight moved it around her like it was dancing, "Ok Spike, you can go."
"Come on, Puck. Let's bounce." Spike said as he grabbed his hoody.
"Right behind ya." Puck answered as they left.
When Neira became aware of Spike leaving Twilight noticed her face was watering up again, "Oh boy, here it comes," Neira's eyes started getting bigger before she burst into a bawl. The girls covered their ears, as Twilight picked her up, trying to calm her down, "There-there. Spike's not gone forever."
"He'll be back." Fluttershy promised.
"He always does." Pinkie added.
Neira whimpered as Rarity spoke to her, "Spike would never leave you or any of us forever. That's not like him." Neira feeling relieved smiled.
Meanwhile out in the city, Spike and Puck were outside a 7/11 having a slurpee and a big bag of chips each, "Oh this is good." Spike said as he took a sip of his slurpee.
"I hear ya," Puck agreed as he ate a chip from his bag, "So Spike, Valentines Day is coming up."
"Yeah, so?" Spike asked.
"So do you plan on asking Rarity?" Puck inquired.
Spike realized, "Of course. Now that I'm a high school student, asking Rarity now won't make it look so awkward."
"So you'll ask her?" Puck asked.
"Yeah. Now that I know I have the chance. Besides she said she loved me at Christmas time."
"True." Puck admitted.
"What about you, Puck, you gonna ask somebody?" Spike asked.
"Oh yeah. I'm asking Silverspoon."
"Silverspoon?!" Spike asked in shock, "She's Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's arch enemy. Second only to Diamond Tiara."
"True, but I got a feeling she's only like that because she hangs around Diamond Tiara," Puck replied, "If I can get her to ditch the Queen Bee of freshmen, I can open her up to a whole new lifestyle."
"You honestly think you can do that?" Spike asked.
"Hey if anyone can do it, it's me." Puck answered.
"Well good luck with that." Spike replied as he continued to drink his slurpee.
Later the two went their separate ways, as Spike headed back to his place. He entered the building and walked in seeing Twilight and the girls lying around looking exhausted, while Neira was sitting on the couch looking excited, "Fun!" she cheered.
"What happened?" Spike asked the girls.
"She's crazy." Rainbow panted.
"But cute." Pinkie added.
"She's all yours, Spike." Twilight panted.
Spike chuckled, and looked at the girl, "I'm back, Neira."
"Spike!" Neira cheered.
"Hmm, if my calculations are correct," Spike began as he checked his watch, "I think it's about time for someone to take a walk."
"Yay, walk!" Neira clapped.
"Let me get your stroller." Spike said as he went to get it. Soon Spike put her in her stroller and wheeled her out.
Later Spike was wheeling Neira around, as they passed Canterlot High, "See, Neira? That's Uncle Spike's school," he pointed to the building. Neira cooed as he continued, "I got a reputation going there already. I'm a hip hop dancer," Neira tilted her head in confusion, "Well you'll know what that is when you're older." Neira clapped, until the two saw Vinyl approach.
"Well hey there, Spike." she greeted him.
"Hey, Vinyl. What's up?"
"Not much," she admitted before seeing the baby, "And who's this little cutie?" Neira giggled and smiled.
"This is Neira, my little niece. I'm just taking her for a stroll." Spike explained.
"So this must be yours and Twilight's older brother's daughter?" Vinyle realzied.
"Correct," he answered, "You seem surprised.
"It's just I've seen what your brother and sister-in-law look like, but she looks nothing like them." she noted.
"That's because she's adopted. Cadence wasn't exactly ready to go through the joys of childbirth." he used air quotes.
"Well I won't blame her for that." Vinyl replied knowing all the stories of how painful it is.
"So what're you up to?" Spike asked the disc jockey girl.
"Just walking. You'd think there'd be something exciting being a weekend and such." she answered.
"I know what ya mean. For me I have babysitting for today," Spike admitted as Neira cooed at Vinyl, "You know I think she likes you."
"Really?" Vinyl asked.
"Yeah. Neira grew to like Puck after all." Spike stated.
Neira held her dragon toy and swung it around a bit. She suddenly lost grip and it flew out of her hand, only for Vinyl to catch it, "Here ya go." she gave it back.
Neira hugged it and smiled, "See, what'd I tell ya?" Spike asked as the two students smiled.
Suddenly Neira heard the sound of an ice cream truck and babbled the word. Spike hearing her smiled, "Looks like it's a snack break."
"Mind if I join you two?" Vinyl asked hopefully.
"Not at all." Spike answered as Neira clapped signaling he wanted her to join.
Soon the three got their ice cream and went to a bench. Vinyl looked at Neira and smirked as she removed her sunglasses, "Here Neira, try these on." she placed them over her eyes which was a bit big for her head.
Spike and Vinyl chuckled, as Spike spoke, "You look good."
So the three started eating their ice cream, with Neira eating one on a stick, while Spike and Vinyl each had a cone, "Man this is delicious." Spike said as he licked his.
"I'll say," Vinyl agreed, "So how're things going with you outside the club?"
"Well now that winter's almost coming to an end I can get back to Parkour training with Rainbow Dash," Spike began, "I've really been missing doing that."
"I admit ever since you trained in that, you look like you've been getting fitter." Vinyl admitted.
"How would know how fit I've gotten?" Spike asked with a blush, while thinking she'd spy on him when he wasn't wearing a shirt around his house.
"Just a guess." Vinyl answered.
"Oh," Spike answered as he felt a bit more relaxed but still blushed at the possibility of her spying on him when he wouldn't be wearing a shirt. He continued to eat until Vinyl looked at him and chuckled. Spike looked at her in confusion before asking, "What's so funny?"
"You got ice cream on your face." she giggled.
"Well this is embarrassing." Spike said sheepishly as he reached for a napkin, only for Vinyl to stop him.
"Here let me help you," she began as she placed her hands on his face making him go red in the face. She leaned in closer, and to Spike's surprise, she licked the ice cream off his face, "There you go. You're all cleaned up."
Spike blushed in shock while Neira looked with an agape jaw, "Vinyl, you just..."
"What? That's the best way to get ice cream off, besides it'd be a waste if you just wiped it off with a napkin. Plus is still tasted good."
"Well glad you liked it." Spike answered as his left hand trembled at her action.
Soon they finished their ice cream, as Vinyl checked her watch, "Oh man. I gotta run Spike. Thanks for letting me join you in a snack."
"No problem, Vinyl." Spike answered.
"Bye, Neira." Vinyl bid her a farewell after taking her sunglasses back.
"Bye-bye." Neira waved as the disc jockey left.
Spike looked at Neira, "Do you think she likes me?" Neira shrugged, "Yeah I wonder too. Well what say we head home?" Neira clapped.
Soon Spike brought Neira back home where Twilight and the girls were kicking back, while watching the music channel, "Hey Spike, welcome back." Twilight greeted him.
"Did you and Neira enjoy your walk?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.
"We sure did." Spike admitted.
"We got ice cream." Neira clapped.
"You did?" Rarity gasped, "Why Spike so generous in buying ice cream for little Neira."
"I'm a nice guy." he admitted.
"The best." Applejack admitted.
"Oh girls." Spike chuckled sheepishly at their compliments.
Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. Twilight went to open it and saw her brother Shining Armor and sister-in-law Cadence in the entry way. Shining Armor was taller than Twilight, and had cerulean colored eyes, and his hair was a combination of cerulean, sapphire, and dark phthalo. His attire included red sneakers, gray pants, and a black t-shirt with the symbol of a blue shield with a pink star in it at the bottom side of his shirt. Cadence had light purple eyes, and her hair was a mix of violet, rose, and pale gold. Her attire included pink knee high boots with black soles, a blue skirt, a white shirt with a blue horizontal stripe in the center with the image of a teal colored crystal heart with golden lacing on it, and in her hair was a blue bow, "Shining Armor, Cadence!"
"Hey Twily." Shining greeted his younger sister.
"And how was your date?" Twilight asked with a smirk.
"Spectacular." Cadence answered with a smile.
Spike who walked into the living room with Neira saw the two, and Neira cheered, "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!"
"Hey ya little rascal." Shining said as she ruffled her daughters head.
"Have you been good for Uncle Spike and Aunt Twilight?" Cadence asked.
"Yup." she nodded.
"Good girl." Cadence kissed her forehead.
"Hey thanks again for looking after Neira, guys." Shining thanked his younger sibs.
"No problem at all." Twilight replied.
"Yeah. We know how much she loves spending time with us." Spike added.
"Especially you, Spike." Cadence teased.
"Well we gotta get going. Say goodbye, Neira." Shining told her.
"Bye-bye." she waved.
So the three left as Spike and Twilight walked to the couch, "What a day, huh?" Spike asked his sister.
"Yeah. What a day." Twilight agreed as the two plopped onto the couch looking exhausted. |
Freshman Blues | Be my Valentine | It was Valentines Day at Canterlot High, and through the halls were most of the students asking another to be their valentine. Spike walked through the halls, "I wonder if I should ask Rarity at lunch? Oh maybe it should be private? Yeah that's better. I wouldn't want to make a scene in front of her." he said to himself as he went to class.
As he sat through class, Puck who was next to him whispered, "So when are ya going to ask Rarity?"
"After school. I don't wanna make a whole scene around here." Spike answered.
"Good plan, just in case she says no," Puck noted, only for Spike to scowl at him, "Not that she will."
"What about you and Silver?" Spike inquired.
"Next period before class starts." his hockey loving friend answered.
"Good luck with that." Spike answered.
"Same to you." Puck replied.
After their class they had a class apart and moved onto phys ed. Spike met up with Puck in the locker room, and Spike asked, "So what'd Silver say?"
Puck looked sheepish, "She told me to get bent."
"Ouch." Spike cringed.
"I know. It struck a massive blow." Puck added.
"Well at least ya tried." Spike comforted him.
"Hey I may have been shot down, but I'm not out yet." Puck replied, not looking dismal.
"Wait you mean you're still going to?"
"That's right. I haven't given up yet." Puck answered.
"You're sure persistent." Spike admitted.
"I know." Puck nodded as they went to join the rest of class in phys ed.
As they were doing their exercises, Spike saw through the gymnasium doors was Rarity walking with Twilight and Pinkie Pie, "Rarity." Spike swooned. Suddenly the sound of a whistle rang in his ear, snapping him out of it.
At his side was Coach Iron Will, "Is there something you got on your mind, cadet Spike?" he asked roughly.
"No coach. Nothing at all!" Spike answered quickly for fear of what may follow.
"Good," Iron Will smirked, "Then you can drop and give Coach Iron Will twenty, soldier!"
Spike cringed, before sighing, "Yes coach." he got down and started his push ups.
After a few exercises later, the two headed for the cafeteria. They took a spot at a table, until Featherweight came over with Sweetie Belle, "Guys guess what? Sweetie Belle agreed to be my valentine!"
Spike and Puck looked flabbergasted, "Really?" they asked.
"Oh yeah." Featherweight answered, as Sweetie laid her head against his shoulder.
"Congrats you guys. I'm happy for ya." Puck said as he high fived Featherweight, with Spike doing the same.
"Thanks guys." he replied.
"So have you two picked anybody yet, or rather have you, Puck?" Sweetie asked.
"Why ask only me?" Puck asked in confusion.
"Because I already know Spike's heart belongs to my sister." Sweetie smiled, earning a blush out of Spike.
"Sweetie, please not so loud." Spike pleaded.
"Sorry. So did you ask her yet?" she wondered with hope.
"Not yet." Spike answered with a sigh.
"Well you better ask soon, because many of the male students have been asking her already." Sweetie warned him.
"What?" Spike asked in shock.
"Yeah, but she keeps turning them down. Maybe she's holding out for you?" Sweetie suggested.
"I'd wish." Spike replied with doubt.
"Hey you haven't even asked yet." Puck reminded him.
"After hearing Rarity get asked by every male student, I might push her buttons if I ask her now." Spike said in worry.
"Hey you'll never know until you try." Featherweight encouraged him.
Spike looked up at the three with renewed hope, "Yeah. You're right guys."
Sweetie looked back at Puck, "So what about you, Puck?"
"Well Silverspoon told me to get bent." he answered.
"Why am I not surprised?" Sweetie asked in sarcasm.
"But he hasn't thrown in the towel." Spike noted.
"You haven't, Puck?" Featherweight asked.
"Not on your life," he answered, "I'll make her my valentine even if it takes me all day."
"You should watch what you say." Sweetie warned him.
"Hey guys!" a voice called as they saw Rainbow Dash, and the girls, minus Rarity with them.
"Hi girls." Spike and his boys greeted them.
"How're yall doing?" Applejack asked.
"Doing great, A.J." Spike answered.
"Good, because we got something for ya." Pinkie cheered as she, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy each gave Spike a valentines day card.
"Happy Valentines day, Spike." they smiled.
"Wow, thanks girls," Spike said as he blushed before noticing their group was short one member, "Hey where's Rarity?"
"She's dodging her fan mob wishing to make her their valentine." Twilight explained.
"Poor girl." Spike sighed knowing it must be rougher on her than it is for him wanting to ask her.
"So how're you bachelors doing?" Rainbow smirked as the three boys.
"Well Sweetie Belle's become my valentine, and Puck got shot down." Featherweight answered.
"Who did you ask?" Fluttershy asked Puck.
"Silverspoon." he answered.
"Well being shot down like that sounds expecting from asking such a girl like her," Applejack stated, "Applebloom tells me every day the kind of stuff she and Diamond Tiara say to others around the school."
"That's why I was hoping to break that habit with her," Puck answered, "But I'm not giving up so easily."
"You're still gonna try?" Twilight asked in surprise.
"Of course. The day is still young." Puck smiled with pride.
"Well good luck, partner." Applejack replied.
"You'll need it." Rainbow put in, before the girls left.
And so the group continued with lunch, until it was back to class. Spike walked through the halls wondering what to do next, until a voice called, "Hey, Spike! There you are."
Spike looked behind, and saw Vinyl running over to him, "Oh hey Vinyl, what's up?"
"I'm glad I found you. I wanted to give you this before I had to get to my next period," Vinyl began as she pulled out a valentines day card, "Happy Valentines day, Spike."
Spike was surprised, and accepted the card, "Wow. Thanks, Vinyl. And here," he handed her a card as well, "Happy Valentines day."
"Thanks," she accepted it, "Did you get any for the others?"
"I gave mine to Twilight's this morning, and left each of the others girls one in their lockers." he answered before looking depressed.
"What's got ya down?" Vinyl asked.
"Well I haven't been able to asked the one girl in school who I want to be my valentine yet." he answered.
"Oh I see," Vinyl smiled knowing what he meant, "Well don't give up. I'm sure if you just ask with confidence you'll get the answer you wish."
"That'd be nice." Spike admitted.
"Well I better get to class. Catch you later." Vinyl said with a wink, as she and Spike parted ways.
Later on the school was clearing out, as the students were taking their leave. Spike left the building looking dismal. He hadn't been able to catch Rarity at all through the halls, and felt she quickly split before more of the male student body could ask her. He reached the bottom of the stairs and spoke to himself, "Maybe I should call her." he was prepared to grab his cellphone, only to get pulled aside and behind the stairs. When he saw who did it, he was shocked to see it was Rarity, "Rarity?"
"Shh," Rarity shushed him before looking around seeing no one spotted them, "You wouldn't believe the mob I've had to dodge all day."
"I can only imagine." Spike answered, having a very good idea.
"But I'm glad I caught you, Spike." Rarity said in relief.
"You are?" Spike asked curiously.
"Yes. I've been wanting to see you all day, but as you've been aware I've had my hands full," she continued, "I wanted to give you this," she held out a valentines day card for him, "Happy Valentines day, Spike."
"Rarity," Spike gasped as he accepted the card, and remembered, "Oh that's right," he reached into his backpack and pulled out one as well, "Happy Valentines day, Rarity."
"Oh Spike, thank you." Rarity said as she accepted the card.
"And listen, Rarity," Spike began acting nervous, "I know you've probably have had enough of this for the day, but I just want to ask you something."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Rarity, would you be... my valentine?!" he asked finally getting the words out.
Rarity blushed and saw how Spike confessed to her. Most of the other boys in school just tried hitting on her like they were tough and macho, as if they were trying to make an impression on her. But hearing Spike just ask her normally like a person instead of trying to be all cool about it, touched her heart, "Oh Spike, I... I would love to be your valentine."
"Really?" Spike gasped in surprise at her answer.
He suddenly received a warm embrace by the object of his affection, who whispered into his ear, "Really."
Spike blushed as he smiled seeing his mission was a success, but new it didn't end there, "Well in that case, you wanna grab a milkshake with me at Sugarcube Corner?"
"I'd be delighted, Spike." Rarity answered with a bright smile.
"Then shall we go?" Spike asked.
"Let's." Rarity nodded as the two walked off together.
Soon enough the two were at Sugarcube Corner, where Rarity was sitting at a table, while Spike was at the counter getting their milkshake. Mr. Cake handed him a milkshake with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, "Here ya go, Spike."
"Thanks, Mr. Cake." Spike answered as he paid for it.
"You enjoy it with your lady friend now." Mr. Cake nudged and winked at the young man.
"I will," Spike nodded, with a blush. He went back to his table and smiled at Rarity, "Here we are."
"Oh my. It looks so delicious, Spike." Rarity gasped.
"I know." Spike smiled as they each took a straw and drank from it. After they got a majority of it, they each started feeding each other spoonfuls of the cream with the bits of sprinkles.
"Mm, this is good." Rarity smiled brightly.
"I know." Spike agreed.
"I'm glad you asked me out here, Spike." Rarity said.
"Well I'm glad you accepted." Spike answered.
"Why wouldn't I? After all you got something, that the other boys at Canterlot high don't have." she explained.
"What's that?" Spike asked in interest, but suddenly found Rarity playing with this face.
"Your cutest little chubby cheeks!" she cooed at him, until she let go and Spike rubbed his face.
"Is that all?" he asked dryly.
"Of course not, darling," she continued, "You also happen to be one of the sweetest and nicest boys ever. Why I can't even imagine how I'd be if I never met you."
"Really?" Spike asked.
"Yes. I'm so lucky I met you last year." Rarity smiled.
"I'm the real lucky one, Rarity." Spike answered as they gazed at each other.
"Hey lovebirds!" a voice spoke up as they jumped and looked seeing Puck watching them, with a girl at his side. The girl had violet eyes, and grayish hair done up in a braid. She wore teal glasses, a teal pearl necklace, a purple and pink dress with the blouse purple and the skirt pink. The blouse had a silver spoon insignia on it, and finishing the ensemble were healed boots with a teal colored bow on each of them. She was Silverspoon, the girl who Puck was trying to win the heart of all day.
"Hey, Puck," Spike greeted him, and saw who he was with, "Uh hi, Silverspoon."
"Hello, Spike. Rarity." Silverspoon greeted.
"Well don't you two look happy?" Rarity teased, while Silverspoon blushed, and Puck smiled.
"Puck, you actually?" Spike asked in shock.
"Uh-huh." Puck nodded in confirmation.
"How?" Spike questioned his friend.
"I've been helping her out with some errands when classes ended. She was so grateful to me she agreed to be my valentine." Puck said feeling smug.
Silverspoon turned to him and began ranting in denial while blushing, "Don't act all smug, hockey boy. I was just repaying your favor by agreeing to be your valentine. Nothing more." she denied it.
"Keep talking." Puck smirked, resulting in Silverspoon to huff before pouting at his teasing.
"Well we hope you two have a wonderful Valentines day as me and Spike are." Rarity hoped.
"We can tell you two are," Puck turned to Spike, "Congrats man, I knew you could do it." the two fist pounded.
"Thanks, man." Spike thanked him.
"Well come on Silver, let's get us some ice cream," Puck suggested, "And after we can catch a movie. My treat."
"Your treat?" Silver asked in surprise.
"Of course." he smirked knowing how to get the girl to follow along with him.
"Well thanks." she blushed while trying not to make eye contact.
So the two left Spike and Rarity to themselves once again, "Don't they make a cute couple, Spike?" Rarity asked him.
"You know, they actually do," Spike admitted while thinking to himself, 'I wonder if she'll just be his valentine or something more?' he pondered. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when he realized Rarity leaning over the table close to his face, "Oh, Rarity."
"Yes?" she asked while smiling and batting her eyelashes.
"You look..." Spike blushed, "Really pretty."
"Why thank you, cutie. And you look handsome." she replied.
"What, really?" he asked being modest.
"Of course. You always have, and guarantee you always will be." Rarity finished before she leaned in making her lips connect with Spike's. The two kissed passionately, while savoring every moment.
When they parted, the two smiled at each other as Spike spoke, "Happy Valentines day, Rarity."
"Happy Valentines day, my love." Rarity smiled back at him.
Watching from the shop window were Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack, "Awe!" they said collectively. |
Freshman Blues | Applejack's Date | One day at Canterlot High, Spike, Puck, and Featherweight were on their way to the cafeteria, "Man I totally bombed that surprise math quiz." Puck grumbled.
"I thought I did rather well," Featherweight admitted, "What about you, Spike?"
"I say I did ok. I mean the stuff we just covered was on it." Spike admitted as they entered the cafeteria.
After grabbing their food they went to their usual spot and had their lunch. Halfway through, they saw Applejack approach, "There ya are, Spike. I was looking for ya."
"You were looking for me?" Spike asked in confusion, while Puck and Featherweight were just as surprised.
"Yeah. Can I talk to ya, privately?" she eyed his two friends giving them the hint.
"Sure," Spike answered and looked to his boys, "Guys could you?"
"Ok, we're splitsville." Puck said as he took Featherweight with him elsewhere.
Applejack took a seat next to Spike, as the boy spoke up, "So what'd ya need to talk to me about?"
"Well ya know mah cousin Braeburn?" she began.
"Yeah." Spike answered wondering what one of Applejack's relatives had to do with her needing him.
"Well ya see his wedding to his girlfriend Little Strongheart is this Saturday." Applejack explained.
"Really, that's cool." Spike admitted.
"Yeah, but the real reason I'm telling ya this is because I was wonderin' if ya'd be..." Applejack trailed off.
"Be what?" Spike asked in confusion at her pausing.
"If ya would be my date?" she spat the words out.
Spike was taken aback by Applejack's request, "Your date?"
"That's right." applejack nodded.
"Wow, I mean I'm flattered you came and asked me Applejack, but out of all the guys you know why choose me?" Spike inquired.
"Well I feel much closer to you than any other guy here at the school." she explained.
"Though why do you need a date, is it mandatory?" Spike wondered.
"Well not exactly," Applejack admitted, "See every family gathering some of mah relatives keep hounding me if I found someone yet. That way if you come hopefully they'll get off my case about it."
"In other words you need me as a buffer?" Spike said getting what she meant.
"Not like that, Spike. Believe me I wouldn't wanna use you like that. I just couldn't think of anyone else better to join me. Plus mah family adores ya."
"Well I'll give ya that." Spike admitted.
"So whadaya say, Spike?" Applejack asked hoping for a good answer.
Spike pondered on it before answering, "Well I don't have plans this Saturday, and I haven't been to a wedding since Shining's and Cadence's. So yeah, I'll be your date."
Applejack's face brightened up with a smile, "Thanks sugarcube. I knew I could rely on ya." he hugged the boy making him blush.
"No problem." Spike answered, while blushing from such close contact with the girl.
"Of course we'll need Rarity's help for getting us ready." Applejack noted.
Spike remembered, 'Rarity, how will she take this?'
Soon enough at Rarity's shop, Rarity was briefed beforehand on what Applejack asked Spike, "Applejack said she needed a buffer from her annoying relatives." Spike explained.
"Yes she told me and the others the same thing before lunch," Rarity replied, "I admit I was shall we skeptical of her asking you to join her, but it's just so she doesn't have to look like the only one there without a date."
"So then you really are ok?" Spike asked hopefully.
"Yes. Because I know you'll always be mine, and as a generous friend of Applejack I'm loaning you to her just for the occasion." Rarity explained.
"Thanks, Rarity. I'm sure Applejack appreciates this. I appreciate you doing this for her too." Spike answered.
Rarity smiled, "That's what a friend is for, Spikey-boo." she hugged him.
It was the middle of the week, and Spike and Applejack were at the boutique trying on outfits for the wedding. Applejack stood wearing a long green dress with three apple symbols at the bottom. Spike was wearing a purple suit and pants, with a light green dress shirt, and a red tie, "Well what do you think?" Spike asked his girl who was studying the two of them.
"Spike, you look fabulous," Rarity smiled on how handsome he looked, and looked to Applejack, "Hmm, perhaps we should shorten the bottom, you know show a little leg?" she slightly lifted the dress up a bit showing off more of Applejack's legs.
"Rarity, I'm going to mah cousin's wedding, not a bar." Applejack reminded her in annoyance.
"Oh I know. It's just you'd look just as gorgeous with a little more exposed leg." Rarity said being her fashionista self, while Applejack rolled her eyes.
'No kidding,' Spike thought, 'And I thought Rainbow had good looking legs.' he quickly shook the idea out of his head before one or both of the girls caught him looking like he was having fantasies.
Soon it was Saturday, and Spike was up getting ready for when Applejack and her fam would pick him up. After a shower, he dried off and got into his suit. For a little added touch-up he added gel to his hair and a little cologne. He then stood in the living room looking ready as Twilight noticed him, "Well Twi, how do I look?" he asked wanting her opinion.
Twilight smiled, "You look perfect, Spike. Oh, just a minute," she fixed Spike's tie so it was straight, "There. Perfect."
Suddenly Spike got a text and checked seeing it was Applejack, "That's Applejack, she and her fam are outside."
"Have a good day, Spike." Twilight bid him farewell.
"Thanks, Twilight." Spike said as he left the apartment.
After a car ride with Applejack's family composed of her little sister Applebloom, her older brother Big Macintosh, and their grandmother Granny Smith, they arrived at the chapel. Soon they were inside, with Spike sitting next to Applejack with the rest of her family on the groom's side of the church, and watched her cousin Braeburn and his lover Little Strongheart be wedded. As Spike watched the ceremony he would envision himself and Rarity up there. Even though they were still young and couldn't determine what the future held for either of them, he still wanted to envision him and her up there one day.
After the ceremony everyone was at the reception where everyone was getting their grub on at the buffet line. As Spike was sitting at a table with Applejack, her sibs, and grandmother, he noticed three of her relatives come over. They were Apple Rose, Auntie Applesauce, and Candy Apples, "There you all are." Auntie Applesauce greeted them, "Wasn't that a marvelous ceremony?"
"Ya darn tootin it was." Granny Smith nodded.
"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded in agreement.
Apple Rose then noticed Spike amongst them, "Oh and who might this young man be?"
"This is Spike. He goes to Canterlot High with rest of us," Applejack began and introduced them, "Spike, meet Apple Rose, Auntie Applesauce, and Candy Apples."
"Nice to meet you three." he shook their hands.
"And very nice to meet you too young man." Applesauce greeted him.
"We're so glad you could join us Apples." Apple Rose added.
"Yeah, so are you and Applejack..." Candy Apples was winking at him and Applejack making the two blush.
"Now Candy Apples, don't embarrass my guest." Applejack lectured feeling more embarrassed than Spike was.
"I'm just teasing you guys, relax." Candy Apples chuckled while Spike started to realize what A.J meant by some of her family members being annoying.
Soon enough it was time for the bride and groom to lead the first dance. Braeburn and Little Strongheart slowly danced to the song they selected for the wedding, and soon other couples and dates started joining them on the dance floor. Spike seeing everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves looked to Applejack before getting out of his seat and offered her his hand, much to her confusion, "Let's dance." he offered.
"Spike?" Applejack gasped in surprise.
"Come on, as long as I'm here at a wedding I should make the most of it. Besides you know how good I can slow dance. I helped you remember?" he reminded her.
Applejack blushed at his logic and the memory of him teaching her how to dance, before looking over at Granny Smith and Big Mac who nodded and nudged her to go on and accept his offer. Applejack smiled as took Spike's hand and got out of her seat, "Let's dance partner."
And so the two joined the other dancers on the floor, who were making space for them. They stood facing each other as Spike wrapped his right hand on Applejack's waist, while his left hand held onto her right hand, and Applejack laid her left hand on Spike's shoulder. The two danced happily as the music played.
Applejack feeling so happy that Spike could join her at the wedding embraced him while resting her head on his shoulder, while he wrapped both his hands around her waist as they continued to dance. They stopped for a moment and looked at each other, "Thanks again for coming here as my date, Spike."
"Hey it was the least I could do for a friend." Spike smiled.
"Yeah. You're a true friend." Applejack answered, and pecked Spike on the cheek making him blush.
"Uh well, that was a nice gesture." he stammered.
Applejack giggled, "Don't worry ah won't tell Rarity I did that."
"Thanks, A.J." Spike said in relief.
"Yer welcome, sugarcube." Applejack answered as the two went back to dancing with the rest of the wedding guests. |
Freshman Blues | A Challenge Made | One afternoon at Canterlot High, Spike and Featherweight were walking through the halls heading for class, "So I'm thinking of taking Sweetie Belle out for ice cream after school," Featherweight began explaining to Spike, "Wanna invite Rarity, and we'll double date?"
"Can't, Featherweight," Spike answered regretfully, "Twistin' gave me this new remix CD and wants me to listen to it and practice some dance steps to it. After all Spring Fling is right around the corner, and I wanna have some new dance moves to show off."
"Point taken." Featherweight nodded.
Suddenly they were blocked off by Fido, Rover, and Spot, as the leader spoke, "Well afternoon geeks."
"Yeah afternoon." Spot joked.
Featherweight looked nervous, while Spike scowled at the three, "What do you guys want?"
"We're collecting hall fee." Fido answered.
"Hall fee?" Spike asked, while crossing his arms.
"That's right," Rover nodded, "We're collecting fee to all those students who have to come down this hall for classes."
"Are you serious?" Spike asked in annoyance.
"What do you think?" Rover asked as he got into their faces.
"That looks serious to me." Featherweight answered nervously.
Spike frowned as he got into Rover's face, "We ain't paying."
"What did you say?" Rover growled.
"You heard me." he smirked.
"You got balls talking to me like that, shrimp." Rover said firmly.
"I've dealt with worse than you before in my life." he replied.
"I'll bet." Fido shot back skeptically.
"What is going on here?" a voice spoke up, breaking the group up. They looked and saw a woman with long blue hair approach. It was Vice Principal Luna, the Vice Principal of the school and younger sister to Principal Celestia.
"Vice Principal Luna!" the five gasped, while the three juniors were in bigger shock to see her.
"I'll say again, what is going on here?" Luna asked while crossing her arms.
"Oh nothing, Vice Principal Luna," Spike answered cooly, just the way Twistin' taught him when faced with problems, "These three were just clearing the way for Featherweight and I to get to class."
Luna looked to the three, "Is this true, boys?"
The three were trembling before her. As scary as Principal Celestia could be whenever you were sent to her office for disciplinary reasons, her little sister was just as scary. Rover answered, "Yes, Vice Principal Luna."
Luna gazed at both groups before speaking in a sigh seeing no harm was around, "Very well get to classes." she dismissed them.
Spike and Featherweight walked on down the hall leaving the three juniors to grumble.
As Spike and Featherweight walked to class, the tech boys spoke up, "Spike, you truly were something back there."
"Thanks. With Twistin' and Rainbow giving me some confidence boosts I've learned not to run and cower, but to stand up to tormentors." Spike replied.
"By the way is it true what you told Rover, that you've put up with worse than them?" Featherweight asked curiously.
Spike looked to Featherweight with weary eyes and answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Huh?" Featherweight asked wondering what suddenly got him all dreary about it.
"Bad memories." Spike answered. Rather than pry on it, Featherweight decided to let it go.
After school, Spike was walking home with his new CD from Twistin'. He walked through the city, until he suddenly heard mocking laughter coming from down an alley. Curiously Spike went down to investigate it and came across a shocking sight.
He saw three seventeen year old boys, ganging up on a younger boy. The first of the three older boys wore jeans, sneakers, and a red hoody, and had orangish hair, the second boy had blondish hair that covered his eyes, and wore sneakers, black slacks, and a purple shirt with a pocket on the chest part, and finally the third boy was a big chunky boy, with a bald head, and was wearing sneakers, jeans, and a brown shirt. Spike frowned as he approached them, "Hey jerkwads!" he called.
The three older boys looked over to Spike, and the one they were tormenting ran for it. The one in the red hoody spoke up, "Well-well, if it isn't our old little rookie Spike."
Spike scowled and motioned to the one I the hoody, the blonde haired one, and the chunky one, "Garble, Rad, and Glut. Still tormenting the helpless I see."
"This one deserved it." Garble answered.
"Three against one, that's awfully fair." Spike retorted in sarcasm.
"Well who asked you?" Glut asked as he used his size to try and intimidate Spike.
"Yeah why're we even talking to you? You betrayed us, bra." Rad spoke in a surfer like accent.
"You asked me to steal from an old man!" Spike reminded him.
"It wasn't personal. It was part of your initiation!" Garble shot back.
Spike growled in frustration, "Why did I ever think joining the three of you was a good thing?!"
"Because you wanted to be somebody." Garble replied.
"Yeah I mean you were nothing back when we knew ya, and you know what you probably still are." Glut mocked him, and the other two laughed hysterically at his joke.
"How wrong you are," Spike answered firmly, making them shut up, "I'm not the same Spike from Junior High that you could easily manipulate. I'm better than I ever was. And smart enough to know the biggest mistake of my life so far was thinking you three were where I belonged with."
"I'd watch your tone, Spike. Otherwise I might get angry, and you know what I'm like when I get angry." Garble warned him while clenching his teeth.
Spike scowled before answering, "Whatever, talking to you three cramps my style." he walked off.
"You never would've had style if it weren't for us!" Garble exclaimed, but Spike didn't even turn around to dignify his claim.
Soon Spike arrived back home, and entered the apartment. He saw Twilight on the couch, while enjoying a bottle of soda, "Hey Twi." he greeted her.
"Hi Spike, welcome back," Twilight greeted him, but noticed he looked as if he was just got dumped, "Are you ok?"
"Fine, just ran into some unwanted faces." Spike answered.
"Who?" Twilight asked.
"Garble, Glut, and Rad."
Twilight gasped, "Those three again? Spike, I hope they weren't trying to get you to join their gang again." she said hopefully.
"No nothing like that," he replied, "I just saw them, said hello, and left."
Twilight sighed, "I know you moved on from those three, Spike, but sometimes I worry about you getting drafted back into the wrong crowd again. You remember what happened when you ditched them?"
"Of course I do," Spike answered as he recalled the memory, "They beat me like hell and I came home with a black eye."
"You're lucky mom didn't call the hospital!" Twilight noted.
"I know. Well don't worry Twilight I'm never associating myself with those three again." Spike promised her, as he left for his room, while Twilight watched recalling how beat up her brother looked when he came home that night.
The very next day after school inside the Hip-Hop club's room, Spike was practicing with some of the other members, with Twistin' leading them on, as Vinyl was playing some beats. Soon the music stopped and the club members caught their breath as their president spoke, "Well that about concludes today's lesson folks. Club dismissed, and keep practicing."
The members nodded and started leaving. Spike was packing his stuff as Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity entered, "Hey, Spike!" Rainbow called.
"Hey girls, what's up?" Spike asked.
"We were planning on grabbing a drink, and we were wondering if you'd like to join us?" Rarity offered.
"Sounds cool to me," Spike admitted and turned to Twistin' and Vinyl, "I'll catch you to tomorrow."
"Later, Spike!" Vinly called as she and Twistin' waved.
So, Spike, his sister, his crush, and his parkour instructor were on their way to Sugarcube Corner, "So how was your club activity today, Spike?" Twilight inquired.
"Never better. With the moves I'm learning I'm gonna party hard at the Spring Fling." Spike answered.
"That's gonna be an awesome sight." Rainbow noted as she playfully punched Spike's shoulder, as he chuckled.
"Quite so." Rarity agreed, until they started hearing the sounds of fighting.
"What the?" Rainbow asked, as they heard the sounds.
"Sounds like a riot." Twilight noted, while Spike could tell full well the grunts sounded like to him.
"Oh no!" he gasped, and bolted for the nearest ally.
"Spike!" the three girls cried as they ran after him.
Spike came to a halt and spotted Garble, Rad, and Glut pounding on who else, but Rover, Fido, and Spot who looked like they were caught in a prison riot, "Hey!" he shouted, grabbing their attention.
Garble seeing him chuckled, "Spike, you just can't stay away from our work can you?"
"What the hells going on here?" Spike demanded as he saw the three juniors from school trying to get up.
"These guys crossed into our territory." Glut began, while motioning to the three.
"We told them to leave, but they refused." Rad added.
"So we challenged them to a little spar, and they lost more than their matches. They lost these." Garble held up three wallets.
"You jerks!" Spike shouted as the three girls arrived.
"Spike, what is?" Twilight gasped, as she saw the three boys Spike tried to pal around with.
"Well look here boys, if it ain't Spike's namby pamby sister." Garble mocked as the two laughed hysterically.
Spike frowned, "Don't you dare talk that way about my sister."
"Oh yeah, what're you gonna do about it?" Garble challenged him.
Spike glared at Garble for a bit, until an idea crossed his mind, "You like contests right, Garble?"
"More than anything." Garble admitted.
"Well how about a contest between you and me?" Spike offered.
"What'd ya have in mind?" Garble asked in interest, while his boys and the girls were curious and confused.
Spike spoke, "A round of parkour between you and me tomorrow after school. We meet here."
"WHAT?!" the girls gasped, while the mutt trio were shocked.
"Parkour huh? Interesting choice," Garble smirked, "So what're the stakes?"
"If I win, you give those three their wallets and everything inside them back." Spike began.
"Very well, but if I win, which I will," Garble began, "You have to roll with us from now on, and this time there won't be any quitting."
The girls were shocked and worried at such stakes, as Spike answered, "Deal." he shook Grable's hand while, Garble tried to intimidate Spike with his tight grip on his wrist, but Spike gripped his hard as well.
When they broke, Garble turned to his flunkies, "Let's go." he walked off.
"Adios, ladies." Rad mocked Spike, the mutt trio, and the girls.
Glut let out a loud belch in mockery, as he followed Garble and Rad. Spike looked to the three defeated juniors and spoke, "You three better get home and come up with good excuses why you look like a mess."
"Why're you doing it?" Rover asked.
"Huh?" Spike wondered.
"Why're you challenging them just for us?" Rover asked.
"If you think we need rescuing then you're mistaken." Spot added.
"We don't need any of your pity." Fido put in.
Spike frowned, "You three seriously are so closed off in the mind! You think I'm doing this for you out of pity? I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do!"
"Right thing?" Rover asked.
"Yeah. I don't always need to be asked to do stuff for others. I have just as much beef with those guys as anyone they know. So go on home and get cleaned up. And show up here so you can see exactly what I intend to do."
The three turned to each other having nothing else to say but left. Spike sighed knowing he got himself into something really foolish. Twilight spoke up, "Spike, what were you thinking making a challenge like that?!"
"It's something that had to be done, Twilight." he answered.
"But against those three brutes? You could get clobbered." Rarity said in worry.
"How do you even know those three, Spike?" Rainbow inquired.
Spike looked up at the sports girl and spoke, "You really want to know? Well let's go to Sugarcube Corner and I'll tell you about the gang that almost costed me a good slate." he walked with the girls following him, concerned at how serious he was acting, while Twilight knew more about it than her friends. |
Freshman Blues | Parkour Match | Last time, Spike had a run in with three old faces from his past named Garble, Glut, and Rad, who had just finished pounding on the mutt trio. Angered by the three's never ending conquest to torment others, Spike challenged Garble to a parkour match with Spike agreeing to join Garble's gang again if he were to lose.
At Sugarcube Corner, Spike, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow were having an ice cream, until Rainbow spoke up, "All right Spike, how about you tell us exactly how you know those three back there?" she requested.
Spike looked at both Rainbow and Rarity who were curious. He then turned to Twilight who nodded, signaling he can trust them with what he told her years ago. He sighed, "Well this happened before I even knew you girls and the others."
Spike flashed back to his Junior high years in the seventh grade, and narrated, "As you could tell from the first time we met I wasn't exactly that much of a popular kid. Though I had a number of friends, I still felt as if I was a nobody. Then I met Garble, Rad, and Glut outside a 7/11. I tried impressing them by acting like I wasn't some weak junior high student. Eventually I got them to laugh, by embarrassing myself." he recalled how he tried leaning against a trash receptacle only to knock it over with him falling over as well.
"I thought they just thought of me as a joke, and they probably did. But my antic seemed to have been enough to get them to want me to stick around. So I shot the breeze with them, and after awhile they felt I wasn't so bad for a junior high student. Since then I spent a number of weeks hanging out with them, as they taught me a few things about pulling pranks. We'd mostly prank those who deserved it or were just being rude jerks. We'd almost get into trouble, but we'd split before anyone could alert the feds or anything. They even rubbed off on me, as I started behaving more like them, even in front of Twilight and our parents." Twilight sighed recalling how Spike would react stand offish to her when she tried to figure out what was wrong with him.
"It was a load of fun with all the laughs and camaraderie, but one day things took a nasty turn," Spike continued in a sigh, "They said that last weeks were to test to see if I was truly good enough to be officially inducted as their newest member. But all that remained was a final test. They wanted me to pick pocket from an old guy. I knew doing that was the wrong thing, but these guys would probably maul me if I didn't go through with it. The closer I got to him the more ready I was to grab his wallet, but something inside me told me to stop. I knew I couldn't go through with it, so I backed out."
"Eventually, the guys confronted me and chewed me out as to why I backed out. I told them I knew it wasn't right. For not following their order, the three ganged up on me and let me have it. They then left me there on the ground, bruised, beaten, and a black eye. I eventually pulled myself together and got home, where mom, dad, and Twilight comforted me and warned me about associating with the wrong crowd. Though I was grounded for three weeks for rolling with those three, I was at least thankful I was still alive even after taking such a beating. I didn't see those three since then, until now.
He stopped his flashback and spoke to the girls, "And that's the story of how I know those three."
"Oh my stars." Rarity gasped.
"Yeah, even wouldn't be desperate enough for popularity by joining a group like that." Rainbow added.
"I never saw Spike so beaten up in my life, and I'd never want to see him like that again." Twilight added as she held her brother close to her.
"And that's why I have to face Garble. Him and his goons have caused trouble one too many time, and I'm not gonna do nothing about it this time." Spike explained in determination.
"I still think the risks are too high." Twilight replied, still in worry.
"I agree, if you lose you have to join that horrible group of ruffians." Rarity noted.
"And it's a risk I have to take." Spike replied, sticking to his choice.
Twilight sighed knowing at this point there was no stopping him. Rarity still feeling worried hugged Spike, hoping he'd be all right, while Rainbow smiled, admiring his confidence, "Well Spike, all I can say is go for it." Rainbow spoke, making Spike smile.
The very next day after school, Spike, Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Rover, Fido, and Spot were leaving the building and headed for the exact spot they met Garble and his crew. When they arrived, they saw the three punks kicking back, until Garble saw them approach, "Well this is a surprise. I was thinking you weren't going to show up." he spoke to Spike.
"Now what kind of guy would I be if I make a challenge and back out?" Spike retorted smugly, just to annoy Garble.
"Whatever, can we get this challenge over with? I got a hair appointment today." Garble spoke.
"All right let's get to the roof." Spike replied.
Soon enough, both Spike and Garble were on one building rooftop, while the others were a few buildings away from them on a roof top as well that served as the finishing point. Spike turned to Garble and spoke, "All right the rules are simple. First one to make it to the finish line wins. But remember this is parkour so we must also use techniques and such while we race."
"All right." Garble agreed, as the two stood ready.
Rainbow Dash held up an air horn and used it, signaling the two could begin. And with that they took off running across the first roof top they were on. Garble vaulted over a chimney, while Spike did a roll underneath a bar, and got back up on his feet, continuing his run. Twilight, her friends, the juveniles, and the mutts watched as the two competitors were nearing the edge of the roof they were on.
Both Garble and Spike made the jump, and both made him, putting a look of relief on the girls to see Spike didn't fall. The two continued forward as Garble spoke, "Very impressive. How'd you get o good at such a sport like this?"
"I had a great teacher, thank you very much. A better teacher than you ever were to me." Spike mocked, as Garble frowned while they both continued onward using whatever parkour move they could while getting around poles, beams, ledges, etc.
Twilight and the girls cheered Spike on, while Garble's gang cheered for him, Rover, Fido, and Spot could only watch as the freshman continued with the challenge seeing how determined he was to win, and for them to boot, "Wow, he's good." Spot gasped.
"Yeah." Rover admitted.
"And to think we've been giving him such a hard time." Fido added.
Back with the two, as Spike somersaulted over a fan he saw they were nearing the edge of another roof. Spike thought, 'If I can make this jump I'll be that much closer to the finish line.'
Garble seeing Spike was neck and neck with him since the challenge started had to lose him. He smirked and rammed at Spike knocking him aside, "Nice move, Spike!" he mocked, before making the roof jump.
"Hey!" Spike shouted at his dirty trick.
Rarity going out of her character shouted, "BAD FORM!"
"Rarity." Twilight gasped.
"I think you're getting more into it than I am." Rainbow added, feeling creeped out.
"Oh sorry, I don't know what came over me." Rarity answered, while blushing in embarrassment.
"This is great." Rad cheered.
"No way Spike can make the jump or catch Garble now." Glut laughed, while the girls frowned.
"Don't count him out yet!" Rainbow called.
"That's right," Twilight continued, "Spike can take care of himself."
"Just you wait." Rarity finished as they all watched Spike get back up.
Spike seeing Garble had taken the lead frowned, "You dirty cheater!" he ran again and with all his might jumped from the ledge.
Everyone watched in concern wondering if he had enough force in his jump to make it. When they saw Spike was starting to fall, they looked in shock as the three cried out, "SPIKE/SPIKEY-WIKEY!"
Spike who was just about close enough to the other building's ledge, did a flip forward as his hands grabbed the ledge and flipped himself onto the building's roof, "HE MADE IT!" Rainbow cheered, as she and Twilight hugged each other.
"Oh thank goodness." Rarity sighed in relief almost as if she would've had a heart attack if he hadn't made it.
Glut, Rad, Rover, Fido, and Spot had agape jaws at Spike's stunt. Garble looked back seeing Spike made it looked nervous, but continued on confidently he had it in the bag. Spike took off once again, with determination, and thought, 'I can't let Garble win. Not now. NOT EVER!' he picked up the pace, and was now honing in on Garble.
"Look at him move!" Rad gasped, while Glut was in more shock.
Garble seeing Spike was right on his tail, tried running faster, but eventually Spike caught up to Garble, "What the hell are you, a speed demon?" he asked in shock.
"No. I'm Spike, the guy who's gonna win!" he took off, and passed Garble up as they made the last jump of the roof before reaching the building the others were on and Spike made it to the finishing point, followed by Garble.
"He did it!" Rarity cheered, as the girls surrounded him and hugged him in congratulations.
Garble watched in shock, "I-I lost."
"No!" Glut and Rad cried in despair.
Spike looked over to the three and spoke, "Fair's fair, Garble. I won. Now give these guys back their wallets with everything inside of them."
Garble seeing he was defeated fair and square, and was too tired to try and make a break for it surrendered, "All right." he took the three wallets out and dropped them to the ground.
Spike picked them up and gave them to the mutts, "Here you go guys."
The three checked their wallets, as Rover spoke, "It's all in here."
Spike smiled before speaking once again to Garble, "That dirty move you did back there, was uncalled for and downright dishonorable in the game of parkour, Garble. You deserved to lose," Garble was still too shocked at what happened to even retort, "Now the three of you take yourselves out of my sight, and I never want to catch you causing trouble like this again."
Glut and Rad surprised at what happened, and Spike's warning could only help the tired Garble walk. They started off to the building's exit, before Garble spoke up, "Spike, you did well back there. You really could've been one of us."
Spike feeling that was about closest to the nicest thing he was going to get right now replied, "Yeah, but I've got a better group."
Garble nodded in respect, before the three left them. Rainbow approached Spike and hugged him, "Spike, you were so awesome out there!"
"You were fantastic!" Rarity cheered, as she kissed him.
"I knew you could win." Twilight finished as she hugged him.
Spike smiled, until he saw the mutt trio approach him. He braced himself for whatever they were about to do, until he saw them hold out their wallets to him, "Take them." Rover stated.
"Huh?" Spike asked in confusion, while the three girls were just as confused.
"You won them in the match, so our money is yours." Fido explained.
"So please, take it as a token of our thanks for sticking up for us." Spot finished.
Spike looked at them before smiling, "Sorry, but I can't accept your money."
"What?" the three boys asked.
"I didn't win them for me, I won them back for you guys." he reminded them, while pushing their wallets back to them.
"I don't know what to say." Fido gasped.
"No one's ever done anything like this before for us." Rover added.
"I did it because it was the right thing to do." Spike replied, with a smile.
"Yeah you guys should try it sometime." Rainbow added.
"Indeed," Rarity nodded in agreement, "You boys could learn more from Spike." The trio looked at him with interest.
The very next day at school, Spike and the girls entered the school, and were heading for their lockers only to see Featherweight, accidentally lose his footing from carrying four boxes of supplies for the newspaper club. Featherweight seeing the mess sighed, before he could do anything he saw Fido, Rover, and Spot look down on him. Featherweight gulped, feeling they were going to make things worse, until they reached down, and Rover offered him a hand, "Here, let us help you with this."
Featherweight confused out of his mind, accepted the hand and was helped to his feet. He saw Spot and Fido were collecting some of the materials that fell out of one of the box he was carrying. He saw each of the three take a box from him and were willing to help him carry them to the club, "Hey thanks." he smiled.
"No problem." Fido nodded as the three followed Featherweight to the newspaper club room.
Every student present in the hall were in shock, seeing what the three had done without causing more trouble. Spike couldn't help but smile, seeing the three really have changed thanks to his one act of kindness. Puck who was close to him and the girls spoke, "This isn't real, is it?"
"Oh it's real, Puck," Spike answered, "It's very real for sure." he smiled. |
Freshman Blues | Getting Ready for the Dance | One afternoon, at the end of school hours, Spike, Twilight, and their friends were in the gymnasium setting things up for the Spring Fling dance that was two days away. Pinkie Pie and Twilight were blowing up some balloons and tying them up, Fluttershy and Rarity were spreading streamers from the ceilings, Rainbow and Applejack were sweeping up some trash with brooms, Twistin' and Puck were setting up some tables, while Spike and Featherweight were cleaning the stage up. Twilight looked around seeing how nice everything was coming along, "Looking good, guys. Keep it up."
"At this rate we'll be done in no time." Rainbow said, as she and Applejack took out some trash.
As Spike and Featherweight joined Twistin' and Puck, the older boys spoke to the three freshmen, "So guys, dance is in two days. Have you got your dates yet?"
"You bet," Featherweight answered, "Sweetie Belle said yes."
"And so did Silverspoon." Puck added.
"Seriously?" Spike asked in shock.
"Yeah. She thought it was going to end after Valentines, but I reeled her back in with my charm." Puck answered smugly.
"Way to go there, man," Twistin' chuckled as the two high fived, until he turned to Spike, "What about you, Spike, you ask Rarity yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm hoping to ask her today." Spike admitted.
"Why do you even need to ask?" Puck asked, "Isn't it logic that she'd want to go with you, or has all you've both been through the semester not meant anything to that degree?"
"Of course it meant something to us, Puck," Spike began, "But still it never hurts to ask to make sure."
"Guy's got a point, Puck," Twistin' admitted, "After all sometimes assumptions can be your worst enemy when it involves a girl you like."
Soon the whole gymnasium was perfectly decorated for the dance. The group weas sitting on the bleachers drinking bottles of cola on a job well done, "The place looks spectacular." Rarity smiled.
"It's better than I hoped!" Pinkie cheered, as she jumped up.
"Hey, to a success." Twistin' held his bottle up.
"Cheers!" they call clinked their bottles together before drinking from them.
They heard clapping, and saw Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna standing in the door way, "Principal Celestia! Vice Principal Luna!" Twilight gasped as they students stood up.
"Congratulations everyone. The place looks magnificent." Principal Celestia congratulated them.
"You all worked very hard to make it look so good." Vice Principal Luna added.
"Thanks." they thanked the two.
"And I assume you're all looking forward to the Spring Fling?" Principal Celestia asked.
"You better believe it, your Principalness." Twistin' chuckled.
"Well you all make sure to complete whatever schoolwork you have, so you'll be able to get ready for it on the day." Vice Principal Luna instructed.
"Yes, ma'am." Featherweight nodded.
"Well you're all free to go now." Principal Celestia dismissed them.
"Thank you, Principal Celestia." Twilight thanked her, as the two women left.
"Well come on, ladies and gents," Twistin' began, "Pizza!" The boys cheered, as the girls smiled and left the gymnasium and school.
Later at Tino's pizza, the group were sitting at a table, while enjoying pizza and soda, "I still can't believe we were able to decorate the gym like that." Fluttershy spoke up.
"Well I can, and do you know why?" Rainbow asked around, as Spike spoke up.
"Because we're awesome?"
"That's what I'm talking about!" Rainbow pulled Spike into a noogie.
"Ok-ok, easy on the spikes, Rainbow!" Spike chuckled, as he got out of her headlock.
"It was all a team effort." Applejack noted.
"Got that right." Puck agreed.
"And now that the gym's all set, we can starting planning for the dance." Twilight noted.
"Well if we're going to be going to the dance, then we need to look fabulous, girls," Rarity began, "So you'll all be coming with me to my shop after we eat." the girls nodded.
"In that case I'll be taking these guys to get tux fitted." Twistin' said, as he held Puck and Spike close.
"Can I trust you with my brother?" Twilight asked, suspiciously.
"Oh come on, Twilight. You know he's in good hands." Twistin' replied.
"After your guys night, I still worry about where you might lead him." Twilight answered.
"Give the guy a break, Twi. Twistin' knows what he's doing." Rainbow noted.
"Thank you, Rainbow." Twistin' thanked her.
Twilight sighed, but admitted that he was someone Spike had really looked up to since he started school, "All right, you got me."
"Well come on, let's eat up and Boo-Boo." Puck ordered.
"What does that mean?" Applejack asked, still wondering about it the first time Puck said it.
"You remember the one play Winter's Tale that Muse always talked about?" Spike asked and they nodded, "Well our favorite line from it was 'Exit pursued by a bear.'. We started coming up with other ways to make a line to use when we'd need to make a getaway. At first we went with 'Let's Yogi and Boo-Boo!'. Then we decided to roll with 'Let's Boo-Boo!'."
"Uh-huh." Applejack replied, while crossing her arms.
"I think it's clever." Pinkie admitted.
"Well they got a point," Twilight spoke up, "Let's eat and be on our way."
"Agreed." they all agreed, and continued eating.
When they finished the two sides were about to go their separate ways, until Rarity stopped, "Spike?"
"Yes?" Spike asked, wishing he could've asked her to the dance, but let her speak first.
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind being my date for dance?" she asked him.
Spike was taken aback, as the boys were surprised, "You're asking me to the dance?"
"Of course. I felt you needed a break from asking me for stuff, so yes will you be my date for the Spring Fling?"
Spike smiled and answered, "You know it!"
"Oh thank you, Spike." she hugged him, and he hugged her back.
When Rarity went off with the rest of the girls, Spike looked to the boys who were smirking, "How about that?" Twistin' asked.
"She asked you." Puck said.
"I know. That threw me for a loop." Spike chuckled.
"But isn't it natural for the guy to ask the girl to a dance?" Featherweight asked.
"Oh get out of the old school Featherweight," Puck replied, "I mean it's cool that some girls today can be independent enough to ask guys. Saves other guys the trouble of humiliating themselves or the awkwardness to ask them."
"Got that right.' Twistin' agreed.
"Well come on let's get going." Spike said, as the four took off.
Later at Rarity's shop, Twilight and the girls were trying out dresses, various makeups, jewelry, and other accessories to wear for the dance.
When they all stood in their dress choices, they were sitting around the boutique gossiping, "I just can't wait for the dance." Pinkie cheered.
"Same here. It's gonna be so cool!" Rainbow added in excitement.
"I sure hope Spike will be ready," Twilight began, "This is his first high school dance after all."
"Don't worry Twilight," Rarity spoke up, "As Spike's date I'll make sure he enjoys himself."
"We all will." Applejack noted, as Rainbow nodded in assurance.
Twilight smiled, "Thanks."
Elsewhere at a tuxedo rental shop, Spike, Puck, Featherweight, and Twistin' were getting themselves fitted into tuxedos. They each sat on chairs, as one came out and showed off how they looked in the tux. Whenever they were in a suit the others disapproved or felt it didn't look right, they'd shake their heads, until they came out wearing the right one, which they confirmed with a nod of approval. Once they were all fitted up, Spike spoke, "I can't wait for the dance. When I hit that floor I'm gonna party hard!"
"Same here. Say goodbye to those old boring junior high dances. Because on the night of the dance, we'll party like kings!" Puck declared.
"Amen, brother!" Featherweight called.
"Now that's the attitude of freshmen ready for the big time stuff!" Twistin' cheered before wiping away a fake tear, "You guys remind me of me when I first went to a high school dance."
"And to think we'll have another three years of this." Puck added, as Spike and Featherweight smirked in enjoyment.
"Hey guys!" a voice called out.
They looked over and saw Wildcard, wearing a tux, "Hey Wildcard!" Spike called over, as he approached.
"What're you doing here?" Twistin' asked curiously.
"Muse asked me to the Spring Fling, and you think I'd say no?" Wild asked.
"We should hope not." Spike replied.
"Exactly. I see you're all looking ready for it." Wild noticed.
"Ya got that right." Puck replied.
"Well let's be sure to have the best night of our lives." Wild said, as the five put their hands in before raising them up high.
Two days later, it was the night of the Spring Fling. Twilight and Spike stood before their parents, as their mom was taking picture after picture, "Oh you two look wonderful!"
"Thanks, mom." Twilight smiled.
"Oh Spike, let me fix that tie." Twilight Velvet said as she fixed her son's tie.
"Thanks, mom." he said as he straightened out his shirt collar.
"Well son, this is your first high school dance," their dad began, "Ya scared?"
"Not too much." Spike admitted.
"I'm glad. I felt the same during my first high school dance," he continued, "That's how I met your mom. We met by the punch bowl, after realizing someone spiked it. I'm glad we didn't drink it." the adults laughed.
"Remind me not to drink the punch there." Spike whispered to Twilight, who giggled.
Suddenly Twilight's phone beeped and she checked her text, "Flash is outside, Spike. Let's get going."
"Have fun you two." Their parents saw them off.
As the siblings reached the outside of their apartment, Flash Sentry was outside waiting for them by his car, "Flash!" Twilight called as she ran to him and they kissed.
"Hey Twi, you look beautiful." Flash greeted her.
"Thanks. You look great yourself." she admitted.
"Hey thanks," he smiled and saw Spike, "Hey Spike man. How's it going?" he asked, as the tow fist bumped.
"Doing great, Flash, thanks."
"Well come on you two let's get going." Flash suggested ,as they got in the car, with Twilight up front with Flash, and Spike in the back.
They drove off and pulled up outside Featherweight's house. Featherweight came outside all dressed up and ready, "Come on, Featherweight. Time doesn't wait for anyone!" Spike called from the rolled down window.
"I know." Featherweight answered as he got in, with both boys being in the center of the back seat.
"Next stop Carousel Boutique." Flash declared as he drove off.
When they pulled up, Rarity and Sweetie Belle exited the place all dressed up. Upon seeing them, both Spike and Featherweight were in jaw dropping amaze, 'Gorgeous.' the both thought of their respective dates.
Rarity and Sweetie got in on opposite sides so they were each sitting next to their respective dates, "Good evening, Rarity." Spike greeted her.
"Good evening, Sweetie Belle." Featherweight greeted his date.
"Good evening, Spike." The older girl greeted her date.
"And good evening to you, Featherweight." Sweetie finished.
"You two look real good." Spike admitted.
"The best." Featherweight added.
The sister smiled as Rarity spoke, "Thank you. Both of you look quite dashing yourselves."
"That's for sure." Sweetie agreed.
"Well guys, the dance is calling." Flash said, as he drove off for the school where they were all looking forward to having a great time. |
Freshman Blues | The Spring Fling | As Flash pulled up in front of the school, they saw the rest of the girls waiting for them, "Hey, girls!" Twilight called as she and the others got out of Flash's car.
"Spike, Featherweight!" Puck called, as he ran to the two, and pulled them into headlocks, "You guys are looking smooth."
"Likewise, Puck." Featherweight replied.
"Come on, everybody. Let's go in." Applejack said, as they all went into the building.
As they reached the auditorium, they saw just about everyone from school there having a good time, "Oh sweet!" Spike cheered.
"Our first high school dance." Featherweight added, while feeling excited.
"Yo guys!" a voice called, as the group saw Wild, Muse, and Twistin' walk over.
"Hey you guys!" Spike cheered as he fist bumped with Wild and Twistin'.
"You all look great." Muse smiled at the girls.
"Well of course." Silverspoon answered, only for Puck to eye her.
"Silver, no need to boast." Silver rolled her eyes.
Spike looked and saw Vinyl at the turntable, scratching records, "Man, Vinyl makes it look like an art."
Flash spoke to Twilight, "Well me and the guys don't have to perform until the dance is halfway. So wanna dance?"
"Of course." Twilight smiled, as they went to the dance floor.
"I'm getting out there myself!" Spike cheered as he went to the dance floor.
"Wait for me, Spike!" Rarity called, as she went after him.
Eventually the rest of them went to the dance floor and began partying as well. As they all danced it out, Spike was doing just as he promised, by showing off his dance moves he had been working on in the hip hop club. He looked over at Rarity and took her by the hand and started dancing with her. Rarity blushed as Spike was leading her in the dance.
Soon the music stopped and they were all cheering and catching their breath, "Spike, I'm going to the powder room with the rest of the girls."
"Ok, I'll be waiting." Spike replied as he went to kick back by the refreshment table. He saw Puck and Featherweight join him, "Your dates go to the bathroom as well?"
"Uh-huh." Featherweight answered.
"Those girls, always needing to paint their faces." Puck rolled his eyes.
"Hey you have any idea what girls would look like if they never had makeup?" Spike asked.
"Don't say it, Spike. I'll be scarred for life!" Featherweight cried.
"Ok, I won't. Point is the girls need to look their best just as much as we guys need too," Spike answered, "Believe me, watching countless High school sitcoms and comedy's have taught me a lot about the high school world."
"Won't deny that," Puck agreed as he grabbed a cup of punch, "Come on guys bring them up."
Spike and Featherweight seeing where this was going, smiled and grabbed a cup of punch each, "To our first high school dance." Spike began.
"And many more to follow." Featherweight finished ,as the clinked their cups together, and downed the punch.
"Hm, not spiked," Spike tasted the punch, "Well scratch one thing off the list of high school dance tropes."
"Oh they let you three juveniles in here?" a voice asked, and the three looked seeing the principals' nephew Blueblood standing by the table.
"And they let you in here?" Puck asked, while frowning at his insult towards them.
"Well why wouldn't they let me in?" Blueblood asked in a haughty tone.
"Because you're a bore at party's." Spike answered, recalling how he was to Rarity.
Blueblood just stuck his chin up, feeling too proud to even retort. He eventually spoke up again at Spike, "So I noticed you came here with Rarity."
"Yeah, so?" Spike asked as he eyed him.
"Surely even a freshman like you would have better options." Blueblood continued.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Spike asked, knowing he wasn't wasting any time to bash Rarity.
"Oh you haven't heard?" Blueblood asked, with a smirk, "Well then I'll enlighten you. You remember the party at Joe's last December? Well I was accompanying Rarity there being as charming as I can be, and how did she repay me? She shook cake frosting all over me!" Spike frowned, as the older boy continued to color the real truth about what happened that night, while Puck and Featherweight could see Spike was getting angrier by the minute. Blueblood finished, "So if I were you I'd be careful on this date of yours. You may wind up covered in frosting as well, or possibly worse."
Spike had enough as he grabbed another cup of punch and threw it in the boy's face, "Shut up!"
"Blah!" Blueblood cried, as the punch covered his face, and stained his white suit. He saw what the drink did and frowned, "You ruined my suit!" the other party goers heard his cry, and looked over seeing what was going on.
"Looks like the only one covered in something tonight is you, Bluey!" Spike mocked.
"You little..." Blueblood growled, until Spike held a hand up to stop him.
"I'm not finished, man!"
At the entrance of the gym, the girls returned and looked ahead seeing Spike and Blueblood staring each other down, "What's Spike doing?" Twilight asked.
"Is he actually getting into a fight with Blueblood?" Rainbow asked them.
"Oh no, Spike." Rarity gasped.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Fluttershy asked her friends.
"Not just yet, sugarcube," Applejack replied, "Let's just see what he'll do."
"Yeah, Spike can handle himself." Rainbow agreed, while Rarity and Twilight were still worried.
Back with Spike, he continued to chew Blueblood out, "All you told me was nothing but lies! You didn't show Rarity any respect or were charming in the least bit. And you only got covered in cake frosting, because you used her as a shield to protect yourself from the confection. If that's the way you treat women, then you are by far a lousy excuse of a man!"
"You dare talk to me in such a tone? Do you have any idea who I am?" Blueblood asked as he got angrier by Spike's opposing.
"Nice try, but that's not going to save you this time." Spike answered.
"Then do you want to take this outside?" Blueblood asked, as he was about to grab Spike, only for two hands to grab his own shoulders. He looked back and saw the ones restraining him were Twistin' and Fido, with Spot, Wild, and Rover as well.
"Touch our friend, and we're gonna be the ones to take it outside." Twistin' warned him.
"Fight! Fight!" some of the students began ranting, until they were broken up by Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna.
"There will be no fighting here." Celestia ordered.
"Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna!" Blueblood cried, "Look what that juvenile delinquent did to me and my suit!" he put on a sob fest.
"What a whiner." Featherweight mumbled to Puck, Rover, and Spot.
"You know who whines... Babies." Rover replied, and they nodded in agreement.
Blueblood continued to spout lies about what happened between him and Spike, only for Vice-Principal Luna to speak up, "That's enough Blueblood, we heard and saw everything."
"And while it was unwise of Spike to get punch on you, your words of disrespect to both Spike and Rarity were uncalled for," Celestia continued, "Furthermore, lying to your aunts faces like that shows how little respect you have for us as well."
"And we can't let this go unpunished." Luna added.
"So we're gonna have a little family talk." Celestia finished, as the two sisters each grabbed Blueblood's ears and he groaned and cried.
"OW! OW! Not the ears!"
"Come with us." Luna said, as they dragged the groaning teen off, while all the other students were laughing at his misfortune.
"Everyone continue with the party!" Celestia annoucned, and they all went back to their thing.
Spike let out a sigh of relief, seeing it wasn't going to get too ugly, "Hey, you ok?" Puck asked him.
"I'm fine." Spike asnwered.
"Ya did good there kid." Twistin' smirked, while patting his shoulder.
"Not many would risk calling out Bluey like that with him being the principal's nephew." Rover noted.
"That gives him no excuse to treat others like garbage." Spike answered.
"Spike!" the girls called as they ran over.
"He didn't do anything to you did he?" Twilight asked as she checked her brother over for any injuries and such.
"I'm fine, Twilight. Take it easy." Spike said, as he straightened his jacket.
"Did you really knock punch at Blueblood?" Pinkie asked.
"I did do that." Spike admitted.
"I would've preferred you dumped the whole bowl over him, but what you did was cool too." Rainbow admitted.
"Spike," Rarity began, as she hugged him, "I'm happy that you called him out about how despicable he is, but I'm more grateful to see you weren't hurt."
"We made sure of that." Spot spoke up, only to be hushed by Twistin'.
Rarity looked at Spike, "Though please promise me you won't try and get into trouble like that again. I wouldn't want to see you getting hurt, or possibly expelled."
"I won't." Spike promised as he hugged her.
"Hey there!" Vinyl called, as she walked over, "I saw what happened from the turntable equipment. Spike, you really knocked that guy down a ton of pegs." she chuckled, while patting his shoulder.
"Vinyl, shouldn't you be back at your position?" Fluttershy asked.
"Don't worry I'm on a break for now." Vinyl assured her, and spoke to Spike, "So first dance and already getting into squabbles with older guys. How do you feel?"
"Hyped up." Spike admitted.
"Well channel that hyped up energy into dancing, because when I get back to my post I'm gonna play some more good jams." Vinyl promised.
"Excellent." Spike smirked.
After Vinyl delivered some more remixes, Flash and his band were on stage performing for the party goers. Spike was even starting to lead Puck and Featherweight in a three way performance, which started giving Puck and Featherweight good reputations. Soon slow dance music started playing as all the students who had dates began slow dancing. Puck took Silverspoon, Featherweight took Sweetie Belle, while Spike had Rarity.
As they danced, Spike spoke up, "Takes you back to New Years eve doesn't it?"
"Oh yes, Spike. That was a wonderful night." she agreed.
As the students danced, Discord offered his hand to Principal Celestia who smiled and accepted his offer to dance, while Coach Iron Will danced with Luna. As everyone continued to dance, Spike and Rarity looked over and saw Rainbow Dash was leaning against a closed up bleacher looking bored. Spike noticed that Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack while not having dates per say were still offered to dance by other boys.
"Rainbow sure looks dismal." Spike noticed.
"You're right. We should go talk to her." Rarity suggested, as the tow went over.
"Rainbow?" Spike asked.
Rainbow saw them, and put on a fake smile, "Oh hey guys. Why aren't you out there dancing?"
"We saw you looking lonely here and wanted to see what was wrong." Rarity replied.
"Nothing's wrong. I just like kicking it back here is all." she answered.
Spike spoke up dryly, "You're a terrible liar, Rainbow. You know that?"
Rainbow seeing the two saw right through her facade sighed, "Ok I admit it, I'm depressed. Yeah I said it I can be depressed too."
"We didn't say you could never be," Rarity noted, "But what's got you so depressed?"
"No one's asked me to dance with them." she answered.
"That bothers you of all people?" Spike asked, while feeling flabbergasted.
"Yeah! I may be a tomboy, but I'm still a girl!" she snapped.
"Rainbow, relax." Rarity instructed her, before she would start a scene.
"You're right I'm sorry, Spike." Rainbow apologized.
"You don't need to. And you're right. You deserve to have fun like this." Spike replied.
"Yeah, but with who?" she asked as she sulked.
Spike was torn to see Rainbow of all the people he knew like this. He wasn't sure what to should say or do, until Rarity put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her curiously, as she smiled and nodded to him. Spike was shocked, until she lifted a finger up signaling what she meant by that. He nodded and held his hand out to the rainbow haired girl, "Rainbow Dash, would you like to dance with me?"
"Huh?" she asked.
"I'm asking you to join me for a dance." he repeated.
"What? Are you doing this out of pity, Spike? Because let me tell you I don't need it." she explained, wanting to preserve her pride.
"This isn't about pity. This is about doing something nice for a good friend of mine." Spike answered.
"But Rarity..."
"I'll allow it so long as you don't try putting any moves on him." she warned the sports loving girl.
Rainbow blushed, and answered, "Well I wouldn't think of it."
"So about my offer?" Spike asked as he felt like his arm was getting tired from still being extended to her.
Rainbow looked at him and smiled, "Let's dance." she took it, and they went to the dance floor. Rarity watched seeing once again her generosity has once again made someone very close to her happy, but made sure that Rainbow didn't put any unnecessary moves on him.
As Spike danced with Rainbow, he wrapped his arms around her waist, while she wrapped hers around his neck, "You're a real pal, Spike." she said.
"I know." he admitted, and found himself embraced by the girl.
"I know this is unlike me, but I'm glad you asked me to dance with you." she said.
"You're my friend, Rainbow Dash. I'd do anything to help my friends."
Rainbow smiled, "Twilight's lucky to have someone like you for a bro."
"I hear that a lot." he chuckled with her.
"Seriously though, thanks," Rainbow smiled. Spike responded as he twirled her, "Nice touch." she admitted. As they continued to dance, she thought, 'Spike once again impresses me to no end, in both parkour and real life. Wish I could meet a guy like him, or maybe... No-no I can't think that! If I think about Spike in this kind of sense I'd be betraying my friendship with Rarity. But still, these moments and fun times I've been having with Spike since the year began has been some of the best fun I've had with a guy. Even for being the brother of my egghead friend. Guess I should try and make the most of it." they continued to dance.
Later, Celestia and Luna went on stage, as the principal spoke up, "Attention everyone! It is now time to announce the winner of the year's Princess of the Spring Fling. All your votes from the last week have been counted up and we finally have a winner," she took the envelope and opened it, "And the winner for Princess of the Spring Fling is... Rarity!"
The student body cheered with applause, as Rarity hugged her friends in excitement, while they were all happy with her. Rarity straightened herself up and proceeded onto the stage. Vice-Principal Luna presented the Spring Fling diadem to her sister, as Celestia crowned Rarity. In the crowd, Spike smiled seeing her look so happy, and that the diadem make her look all the more beautiful, like a real princess.
"Thank you, everyone. This means so much to me." Rarity declared to the student body, "But the real treat here isn't just being voted for Spring Fling princess, but because I got to be here with someone very special to me. And I would like that special someone to join me in this dance." she walked off the stage as she stood before Spike, and offered him her hand, "Dance with me, Spike?"
Spike blushed, but pulled himself together and answered with a smile, "Delighted." he took her hand and they walked to the center of the dance floor. As slow music began playing, the two happily danced, while the student body watched them. Many of the girls started growing envious of Rarity, while many of the boys started feeling envious of Spike.
Spike's boys watched with their dates, as Puck spoke, "That's our Spike taking care of business."
"He is good." Featherweight admitted.
Twistin' watched with a smirk, "That's my boy." he said to himself, feeling proud.
Twilight and the girls watched, as Fluttershy said, "Rarity looks beautiful in that diadem."
"And she sure looks mighty happy with Spike." Applejack added.
"She sure does." Rainbow admitted, while feeling happy to see her friend happy.
After the dance, most of the guests were clearing out, or went to hang out in the parking lot of the school. Spike, the girls, and Flash went to the empty soccer field behind the school, and sat down on the bleachers while looking up at the star filled sky, "It sure is beautiful, huh?" Flash asked the girls, especially Twilight.
"It sure is." she smiled and they kissed.
As Rarity and Spike sat further up from where the others were sitting, the freshman spoke to his date, "That crown looks good on you, Rarity."
"You really think so, darling?"
"Cross my heart." he answered.
She smiled, "Thank you, Spike. And I'm so glad you were my date to the dance." she leaned in and the two kissed.
Rainbow watched them, while sitting next to Pinkie and Fluttershy while thinking, 'Could I really be falling for Spike? If so, then what do I do? Maybe I should spend Spring Break trying to figure out if he feels the same, or if he even sees me as a girlfriend,' she suggested to herself before smiling and kicked back on the bleachers, 'Well tonight I'm just gonna enjoy the feeling of being here with my friends.' |
Freshman Blues | Wonderbolt's game | One afternoon on Saturday, Spike was kicking back in his bedroom while reading a comic book. He turned a page and laughed, "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I love spring break. A whole week of fun and relaxation. Two things I absolutely love about as much as the next guy. And there's so many possibilities to do over this break I don't even know where to begin."
Suddenly his bedroom door opened up revealing Rainbow Dash, "Hey, there's my star apprentice!"
Spike wobbled on his bed, feeling startled, before sitting up, "Rainbow Dash, you ever hear of knocking?"
"No, what is that?" Rainbow joked, while Spike rolled his eyes.
"What brings you here?" Spike asked, "Come to mooch off Twilight?"
"Nothing like that," Rainbow answered, perking Spike's curiosity, "I actually came here for you."
"For me?"
"Yeah," she walked in and closed the door, "I was wondering if ya had any beginning plans now that it's spring break?"
"Well actually I was filled with plans, but I don't even know where to begin. So I'm at a blank." Spike admitted.
"Good," Rainbow smiled, as she stood before him, and laid her hands on his shoulders, "Because tomorrow I wanna take you someplace really special."
"Taco Kingdom?" he asked, thinking she was referring to one of the best fast food joints in the city.
Rainbow smirked, "Even better," she pulled out two tickets, "You know what these are?"
Spike eyed what she had, until his eyes lit up in shock, "Are those tickets to the Wonderbolts match?"
Rainbow smirked at his answer, "Ya got that right."
"But the Wonderbolts are the greatest parkour team in Canterlot city." Spike explained.
"Rivaled only by their arch rivals the Shadowbolts." Rainbow put in.
"How did you get tickets for their match, I thought it was sold out for months?" Spike asked, feeling flabbergasted.
Rainbow snickered, "Wild won them in a little poker game yesterday with some of his buddies. He had other plans that night so he gave them both to me."
"And you want me to come with you?" Spike asked.
"Of course."
"But why choose me and not one of the girls?" Spike inquired.
"Because this is one of the best parkour teams in the world, and it's time you saw true professionals up close." she explained.
"Well ever since you got me into the sport I've always wondered how professional teams do it in person." he admitted.
"So will ya come?" she asked hopefully.
Spike smiled, "You bet."
"Oh thanks, Spike!" she noogied the spike head, while he tried wriggling out. She eventually let him go and handed him his ticket before speaking, "I'll see ya tomorrow." she left the room.
Spike looked down at his ticket and smiled, while thinking, 'Wow, seeing the actual Wonderbolts perform up close. I bet I could learn a lot just by watching them. Well looks like I got my first spring break activity all set.'
The very next day around 6:00 P.M, Spike was in his room getting ready for when Rainbow Dash would pick him up to take him to the Wonderbolts match. When he slipped into his sneakers, he checked his phone and saw a text from Rainbow saying she was outside waiting. He grabbed his jacket and ticket, before exiting his room.
"I'm heading out!" he called to his parents, and Twilight.
"Hope you have fun." Twilight said, as she was reading a book.
"So do I." Spike replied, as he left the apartment.
When Spike was outside, he saw Rainbow in her car. He opened the car door and got in before closing it, "Hey, Spike. All set?" she asked.
"You know it." Spike confirmed.
"Well then let's go!" Rainbow called, as she drove off.
Rainbow drove through the city becoming coming to the parking lot of a building. The two looked out the car windows, and saw the building, "Ah the good old Cloud Stadium, home of Canterlot's Wonderbolts." Rainbow said, while feeling nostalgia.
"This is so exciting." Spike said, while grinning.
"Come on!" Rainbow ordered, as they got out of the car and headed to get in line.
So the two permitted their tickets at the entry, and went in to find their seats. Once they found them they went to get snacks. Soon they were sitting in their seats, with Rainbow Dash having a huge slice of pizza, a corn dog, and a drink. Spike had a hotdog, a bowl of nachos with dipping cheese, and a drink. They looked onto the arena seeing it was designed like an obstacle course for parkour practitioners. Suddenly a voice spoke on an intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cloud Stadium! And now here they are, your Canterlot Wonderbolts!"
The crowds cheered as they saw their home team run out onto the arena waving to the crowd. Spike and Rainbow jumped out of their seats with the fans cheering. Rainbow spoke, "OMG there they are!"
"The Wonderbolts." Spike gasped in amaze.
"And there are their top three members," Rainbow pointed out, "Fleetfoot, Soarin, and Spitfire."
"Wicked." Spike said, as he watched the team take their position.
"And now their opponents, all the way from Dark City. The Shadowbolts!" the announcer announced ,as the rivaling team ran out onto the arena, as they received cheers from their fans, and boos from the Wonderbolt fans.
"Boo, you stink!" Rainbow called.
"Go back home!" Spike called, as he played along and received a playful punch to the shoulder by Rainbow who nodded.
So the fans were back in their seats as the game began with each member being pitted against an opposing player. Each member from both teams were going through the obstacle course while showing off their stunts with the objective of reaching the point from which they started. Spike and Rainbow watched with in amaze, while taking notes on how the team gets through obstacles.
When it reached half time, the remaining players went to plan on what to do and get in some last minute stretches, while the fans were free to relax a bit and get some more food or visit the facilities. Spike looked over at Rainbow, "Thanks again, Rainbow, for inviting me."
"Hey no problem. I wouldn't have asked any other guy." she replied.
"And I'm glad to see how this game's going," Spike added, "The Wonderbolts are still leading in points."
"I know. If they keep this up they'll win." Rainbow added, in equal excitement.
"And that will be something to celebrate." Spike noted.
Soon enough half time was over and the matches continued with both teams giving it their all. Soon it came down to the final players between Soarin and Descent with the score all tied up. Both players too their position, and when the shot was heard they took off through the obstacle course. Both Soarin and Descent went through the course like true pros, while showing off flips and jumps, "Go Soarin!" Rainbow and Spike called with the other fans.
As the two players were nearing the finishing point, they were both picking up the pace and with a dash of fate, Soarin reached the goal before Descent. Seeing this, the Wonderbolt fans jumped out of their seats and cheered their hearts out, as the announcer called, "The Wonderbolts win!"
"YES!" Rainbow and Spike cheered, as they both locked hands and jumped around in excitement. When they realized what they were doing, they ceased it and acted cool like it didn't happen.
After the match, the fans were lining up to receive autographed posters of the Wonderbolts themselves. Rainbow and Spike were in line waiting, before they reached the desk where members such as Fleetfoot, Soarin, and Spitfire were sitting, "Welcome." Spitfire began.
"You guys were so awesome!" Rainbow said while her face crunched up in excitement.
"Yeah you rocked out there, and Soarin wicked moves." Spike congratulated him.
"It's a talent." Soarin said, as he ate a slice of apple pie.
"So who do we make these out to?" Fleetfoot asked, as the members pulled out two posters.
"Rainbow Dash."
"And Spike."
So the three started signing each poster for both of them, as Rainbow spoke, "You know you guys have been such an inspiration to me I started to learn parkour myself."
"Really?" Soarin asked.
"Yeah, and this guy right here is my apprentice." Rainbow said, as he held Spike close.
"You don't say?" Fleetfoot asked, while raising a brow.
"Yeah, though he may not look it, but this guy certainly does have moves," Rainbow boasted, "At least descent compared to my skills."
"Well you two keep at it, and continue supporting your Canterlot Wonderbolts." Spitfire said, as she handed the two their autographed posters.
"We will, and thanks." Spike said, as the two walked on.
Soon Rainbow and Spike were in the car, while driving back through the night, "Oh man, did you see how Spitfire blew Nightingale away like that in her match?" Rainbow asked Spike, in excitement.
"Or Fleetfoot show up Haze?" Spike asked excitedly.
"That was a great game." Rainbow sighed, as she continued driving. She then looked back at Spike, and spoke, "Thanks again for coming with me, Spike."
"Hey, spending time with you doing something we both enjoy is cool. Plus after watching that I feel more confident in my parkour skills than I ever was."
"Me too." Rainbow agreed.
Rainbow parked outside Spike's apartment, and spoke, "Well here you go."
"Thanks, Rainbow. We should really do stuff like this more often." Spike suggested.
"Hey Summer's three months away. So anything's possible." Rainbow noted.
"Then if you need another guy looking to have fun, give me a call." Spike admitted.
"You got it, and Spike?" she began, as Spike turned to her, and found himself in an embrace, "Thanks for the fun night."
"Anytime." he answered, and suddenly found himself getting a quick peck on his cheek which turned his face red.
Rainbow smiled at him, but gave him a stern look, "Tell Rarity, your pals, or any of the girls I just did that and you're gonna be running parkour exercises for a whole day."
"Understood." Spike answered, feeling shocked at what she did and nervous at her little threat.
"Good. Well catch you around." Rainbow bid him farewell.
"Later," Spike jumped out of the car, and Rainbow headed home. Spike watched as she drove off, while feeling the cheek in which she pecked him, "Awesome." he said in shock. |
Freshman Blues | It's a Date | One afternoon out in the city, Spike, Puck, and Featherweight were running for their lives, before pulling to a halt in the park and laughed hysterically, "Oh man, did we lose those girls?" Spike asked his friends.
"I hope so. How the hell did we acquire such a large fan club?" Puck asked the two.
"Well let's look over the basics, shall we?" Featherweight began like a scientist, "First we have Spike; youngest member of the hip hop club with skills included, and currently seeing C.H.S' very own Fashionista Rarity."
"Guilty." Spike answered with a smug look.
"Then we got you, Puck. Hockey champ of our school's team, and currently seeing Silverspoon."
"No denying." Puck replied.
"Then there's yours truly, me," Featherweight said as he presented himself, "Editor of C.H.S Daily, and am seeing the girl with the voice of an angel, Sweetie Belle."
"Now I can see how we attract such a fan club." Puck replied.
"Yeah, let's just hope we don't run into another today." Spike said, and they laughed.
Featherweight checked his cellphone, "Oh great. Sorry guys, but I gotta run."
"Where ya runnin'?" Puck asked.
"My mom needs me to pick up groceries for dinner tonight."
"Ouch." Spike cringed.
"I know. Catch you guys tomorrow." Featherweight said, before taking off.
"So what now?" Spike asked Puck.
"Well we could..." he was cut off as his phone rang, "Hold that thought. Hello?" he answered his phone, "Really, now? All right I'll be there." he hung up.
"And?" Spike asked.
"That was my dad. One of his friends who's a hockey fanatic says he wants to show me some of his collection of hockey memorabilia. Thinks it might encourage me to train even harder so one day I might end up like all the good pros."
"So you're bailing out too?" Spike asked, with a hint of disappointment.
"Sorry, man. But this is an opportunity for me. You understand, right?" Puck asked.
"Sure, after all hockey is your thing." Spike answered.
"Thanks, man. Catch you later." the two fist bump, before Puck headed off.
Spike realizing he was alone now sighed, "Well, may as well try and find something to do since I'm going solo for the rest of the day." he started walking.
Not too far from his location, Rarity was also out and about looking a tad down as well, "Oh it's such a shame the girls are too busy to join me for the day. And I really could use some help in picking out some new fabrics and all. But I suppose today's a solo day."
The two continued walking by themselves looking dismal until they passed each other, while sighing simultaneously. Hearing each other they spun around and saw who they passed.
"Rarity!"
"Spike!"
They ran back to face each other, "Oh, sorry darling. I didn't see you there."
"Well I didn't see you either. I was caught up in thought." Spike added.
"What brings you out on a day like today?" Rarity inquired.
"I was with Puck and Featherweight, until they had to split," Spike admitted, "You?"
"Well, I did have some things I need to take care of, but other than that I've got nothing else."
"Well, since I've got nothing else going on for the day, maybe I can help you?" Spike suggested.
Rarity looked joyed at his offer, "You mean it?"
"Hey, why should both of us have to spend this day alone. Consider me at your service." Spike smiled.
"Then it's a date!" Rarity beamed, "Come on, let's go!" she locked arms with Spike and they hurried off with Spike chuckling at her enthusiasm.
Soon the two arrived in one of the malls, and Rarity led Spike into a shop where she was picking out some new fabrics to use for some orders she had. Spike would give her his honest opinions about what he preferred, and Rarity took his word to account before deciding what she wanted. After she collected her stuff, the two went into a clothing store where Spike sat on a stool watching one of the closed changing rooms, before Rarity stepped out wearing purple sneakers, black short jean shorts, and a violet top. Spike's eyes lit up with hearts in them before applauding and whistling his approval.
Soon Rarity was sitting on a stool waiting for Spike to come out of the changing room. He came out fashioning a Hawaiin style. Rarity with a hand to her chin studied his look before shaking her head in disapproval. So Spike jumped back into the changing room to try something else. He came out again wearing biker clothes complete with a leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and a bandanna tied around his head. Rarity once again shook her head in disagreement. After two more disagreeing outfits for Spike, he stepped out in another outfit. This time he was wearing blue cross trainers, silver jeans, a white buttoned up short sleeved shirt, and a pair of blue lens sunglasses over his eyes.
Spike posed hoping to finally get a good approval from the fashion expert, and to his joy she smiled and nodded in agreement. Spike smiled at her agreement. The two paid for their outfits and started walking the mall while wearing the outfits they just bought.
"I'm so glad you asked to join me today, Spike." Rarity told him, as he walked at her side.
"Hey, we both had nothing else to do and we didn't wanna spend the day alone. So why not?" Spike asked.
"So what were you and your boys doing today?" Rarity asked curiously.
"Well, we were hanging out around Sugarcube Corner enjoying their milkshakes, and then we were ambushed by a stampede." He explained.
"A stampede?" Rarity asked in confusion, "Stampede of what?"
"Raging fangirls." Spike answered, with a tremble.
"Oh dear." Rarity gasped in concern.
"Yeah, they chased us for three blocks, until we lost them. I think I lost about ten pounds from so much running. Featherweight even looked ready to puke from running so fast."
"Goodness."
"But we escaped them in tact and scar free." Spike answered.
"That's so relieving to hear." Rarity sighed in relief.
"Yeah, I tell ya I didn't know being popular like that would be so tiring." he admitted.
"Don't I know it." Rarity replied.
"Well, if it isn't dear Rarity." a voice spoke up.
The two stopped in the tracks and saw two adults approaching them. The first was a blue haired man with a small mustache, and dressed in a suit and tie with a monocle covering his left eye. Accompanying him was a beautiful woman wearing a white dress and had pale magenta hair.
Rarity gasped seeing the couple, "Mr. Fancypants and Ms. Fleur!"
"Smashing bumping into you here, wouldn't you agree?" the man identified as Fancypants asked.
"Oh yes, indeed it is," Rarity agreed, until she noticed Spike looking confused, "Oh right, Fancypants, Fleur allow me to introduce to you one of my best friends outside the girls. This is Spike; Twilight Sparkle's little brother."
"Hello." spike greeted them.
"And Spike, this is Mr. Fancypants and Ms. Fleur de Lis. They're both some of my best customers." Rarity explained.
"Charmed and delighted to meet you, Mr. Spike." Fancy shook hands with Spike.
"Quite so," Fleur agreed, as she got a good look at Spike, "You're quite the handsome one, if I do say so myself." this resulted in Spike blushing up.
"That he is," Rarity agreed, as she held him close, "So what brings you two out here to this mall?"
"Well, while we may be more upper class it doesn't mean we can't enjoy more simpler things, can we?" Fancy asked.
"Why, not at all." Rarity agreed.
"And what of you two, out on a date?" Fleur smiled.
Spike blushed, along with Rarity, until the girl answered, "Actually, yes."
"Well, we're glad to hear," Fancy replied, "You two do look like the happy couple."
"Thanks, you two look like a good pair yourselves." Spike admitted.
"Why thank you." Fluer smiled warmly.
"Well we best be off, wouldn't want to hold you two up." Fancy told them.
"Right, well it was wonderful to run into you two." Rarity replied.
"And it was great meeting the both of you." Spike added.
"An honor for us as well, Spike." Fancy replied.
"Very nice." Fleur agreed, as the two couples went their separate ways.
"They sure are a nice couple." Spike told Rarity.
"Indeed, they are," Rarity nodded, "Like I said they're some of my best customers, because they pay me very handsomely for making and repairing their outfits."
"Well picking you over anyone else means they have good taste." Spike put in.
"Oh, Spike." Rarity giggled.
"Hey, I'm getting hungry. How about you?" Spike asked.
"I am feeling a bit famished myself," Rarity admitted, "Let's break for lunch."
"Sweet!" Spike replied, as they went to the food court.
Soon they were sitting at a table, with Spike having a slice of pizza and a cola, while Rarity had a big ice cream sundae and a lemonade. As Rarity took spoonfuls of her sundae and ate it, a thought popped into her head. She scooped a bit into her spoon, "Oh, Spike. Try some of this." she held the spoon out to him.
"Sure, Rarity." Spike opened his mouth, as Rarity fed him.
"How is it?"
"Delicious," Spike admitted, "Though not as good compared to the Cake's ice cream."
"No denying that." she agreed.
"So has Twilight told you about what we have planned for the end of Spring Break?" Spike wondered.
"Not yet, but I'm sure she'll tell us tomorrow since we're nearing the end of Spring Break once the weekend is up."
"Well Shining Armor and Cadence plan on bringing us out to our family's lakeside cabin for some relaxation."
"Really?" Rarity gasped.
"Oh yeah." he nodded.
"How wonderful! What a perfect way to end Spring Break."
"Uh-huh. I'm even gonna see if I can get Puck and Featherweight to come."
"And I'm certain Sweetie Belle and the others would love to join as well." Rarity noted.
"Twi may tell you tomorrow, so try to act surprised and not like I already told you." Spike insisted.
"It's our little secret." she tapped his nose, and the two laughed together.
Soon it was nighttime, and Spike walked Rarity back to her home/shop, "Thanks again for spending the day with me, Spike."
"No trouble at all, Rarity," he answered, "And thank you for helping me pick out this new outfit."
"It was my pleasure, darling," she answered, "Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, until then." Spike added, as they leaned in closer before kissing under the house's outside light.
When they broke, they smiled before Rarity went inside and closed the door behind her. Spike smiled brightly before turning around and began running off while dancing and singing about it always being a good time.
He sang, danced, and run all the way through the city, while passing others walking by, with the street lamps lit up above him. He made some jumps from sidewalks to the street, and hopped over some hedges feeling as if he was on top of the world. When he reached his apartment, he skidded to a halt before it declaring to himself, "It's always a good time." And with that he went inside knowing tomorrow was yet another day. |
Freshman Blues | Up at the Cabin | Out on the road, Shining Armor was driving an RV with Cadence in the passenger seat. While in the back was Spike, Twilight, and their whole crew along with Neira. Just as Spike told Rarity, Twilight told them of Shining and Cadence's idea of wrapping up Spring Break with a trip to their family cabin by the lake.
"Oh this is gonna be so awesome!" Rainbow cheered.
"Cool your jets, girl. We're not even there yet." Applejack calmed her.
"Can't be much farther." Featherweight deduced.
"I can't wait to hit the beach." Scootaloo said in excitement.
"You and me both." Puck agreed.
Shining spoke while driving, "Just remember to behave yourselves, guys. Cadence and I are responsible for all of you."
"We known, Shining." Twilight replied.
"Hey, thanks again for doing this for us." Spike added.
"Well, we all needed a break." Cadence admitted.
"Plus the end of the semester is almost upon us, we need this before thinking about finals." Featherweight noted.
"Dude, don't say it." Spike warned him.
"Yeah, that's the last thing I want to think about now." Rainbow agreed.
"We're here." Shining called back.
"Yeah!" the teens cheered.
Shining parked the RV outside a cabin that had three floors and a few balconies. They all got out and unloaded their luggage before bringing them inside the place. The interior design of the cabin had the standard fireplace with wood, a bear skin rug, and moose head trophy. Upon seeing the rug and head trophy, Fluttershy looked ready to pass out, until Twilight calmed her.
"Relax, Fluttershy, they're not real."
"That doesn't make me any less shocked." she replied.
"All right guys, pick a room and get settled." Shining ordered.
And so they picked their room. Shining, Cadence, and Neira had one of the rooms upstairs. Spike, Puck, Featherweight, and Wild shared one. Among the girls two rooms were reserved for them and divided up five on one and six in another. In one room was Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo. In the other was Twilight, Fluttershy, Muse, and Pinkie.
As the boys brought their luggage into their room they each claimed a bed with Spike and Puck grabbing the two beds closest to their room's balcony sliding screen, "Man, is this gonna be cool or what?" Puck asked as he plopped onto his bed.
"It's gonna be sweet." Wild admitted as he unloaded his bag.
As Spike kicked back he heard noises coming from his wall. He put his ear to it and gasped, "Of course, I almost forgot."
"Spike?" Featherweight wondered.
"You can hear what's going on in the next room where the girls are." Spike explained.
Wild and Puck ran from their beds to the wall and listened in along with Featherweight. From the other side they could hear the girls chatting.
"Is that what you're wearing at the beach, Rarity?" Applejack's voice came.
"Why of course. Do you think it's too much?"
"Well it's you."
"Why thank you."
"Ooh, I can't wait to get to the water I'm just gonna run and throw my arms around and cheer!" Pinkie cheered.
"This could come in handy." Wild whispered to the guys, who nodded.
Shining entered the room, "Hey, guys?" the four jumped at being startled before taking their ears away from the wall.
"What?!" they asked in shock.
"What're you guys doing?" Shining asked, confused at their jumpiness.
"Nothing." Spike answered, while pretending to have nothing to hide.
"Ok... Well everyone's getting ready to head for the beach, so get your stuff and be ready in thirty."
"We'll do that." Puck assured as the oldest left the four.
And so the boys got ready and came downstairs. Spike was dressed in purple trunks, Featherweight was in a blue pair, Puck was wearing a red pair, and Wild's were decorated in poker card images in a collage. They were each wearing unbuttoned shirts, and were carrying towels. Shining was waiting downstairs and was wearing a pair of dark blue trunks, and carried some supplies as well.
"When will the girls be done?" Featherweight asked.
"Rushing them in this field isn't a good thing." Spike noted.
"No kidding." Wild agreed.
Soon they looked up and saw the girls coming down with their own supplies, and in their swimwear.
Twilight was in a magenta tankini top with the bottoms being high waisted. Rainbow Dash was in a red, orange, and yellow mixture two piece with the top being bandeau and the bottoms being brazilian while posing athletically. Pinkie was in a hot pink two piece with the top being triangle and the bottoms being hipster. Rarity was wearing a white and purple two piece with the top being bandeau and her bottoms being brazilian, which Spike salivated over. Fluttershy was in a pale yellow one piece while standing with her legs crossed in modesty. Applejack was wearing an orange two piece with apple designs with the top being halter and the bottoms being high waisted. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo were each in a one piece with Sweetie's being a mix of pink and white, Scoots being orange, and Applebloom's being yellow. Muse was in a halter with a skirted bottom colored rose pink with black flower patterns. Cadence was in a two piece colored pink and red with the top being underwire and the bottoms being hipster. Finally Neira was in a little bluish one piece with frilly sides.
Naturally, Spike, Wild, Featherweight, and Puck were ecstatic to see how gorgeous the girls looked, and were eager to see them out on the beach, "Everyone ready?" Twilight asked the boys.
"All set, Twi." Spike answered.
"Then let's go." Rainbow said, and they all headed out.
So they left the cabin and headed to the beach area preoccupied by other spring breakers. Once they found a spot, they set up their things with laying their blankets down on the sand. Spike stretched his arms, "Now this is a beautiful day to be here."
"Ya got that right." Applejack agreed.
"Well I know where I'm going first!" Pinkie beamed as she ran for the water.
"Hey Pinkie, wait up!" Rainbow called, as she raced after her.
"Come on, girls." Applebloom said, as she and her friends followed.
"Let's go, boys!" Puck said as he, Spike, and Featherweight went for the water.
As they went for the water, Applejack was kicking back in the shade while guzzling some fizzy apple cider, while Twilight was next to her reading a book. Fluttershy was collecting shells and Rarity was tanning. As Cadence was bringing Neira to the shallow part of the shore so she could stand in the water Shining was starting up the barbecue.
Soon the group came out of the water, and joined the others for some barbecue. As Spike sat next to Rarity and Rainbow, he noticed all the shells Fluttershy collected, "That's a lot of shells, Fluttershy."
"You think so? Well I collected them because they would make good additions to some of the animal shelters aquariums."
"And I'm sure the aquatic animals there will love them, darling." Rarity agreed.
"Here ya go guys. Nice and hot." Shining said as he brought over a huge plate of BBQ foods.
"Oh this looks good." Puck said, as he grabbed a burger.
"And it'll taste even better." Rainbow added, as she took a hot dog.
As they all enjoyed lunch, Shining spoke, "You know we heard what happened at the Spring Fling, Spike."
"Did you now?" Spike asked.
"Yes, Twilight told us how you stood up to the principal's nephew." Cadence added.
"Hey, he was being a douche so I let him have it." Spike replied.
"I'm just glad you didn't get thrown out." Twilight replied.
"Hey one cup of spilled punch is nothing compared to the stuff Blueblood said about Rarity, and who knows what he thought about all of you."
"That's our Spike always looking out for us." Rainbow said, as she playfully punched his shoulder.
"Well what you should be looking out for is finals." Twilight warned him.
"Not this again, Twi." he groaned.
"Spike, finals are inevitable."
"Yeah, but finals aren't the only thing I have to worry about."
"What do you mean?" Cadence asked.
"Our Hip-Hop club's having an end of the year competition, and Twistin's been drilling us into practicing harder. I think he's gonna be having me participate in it."
"Well hoo-wee, that sounds like an honor." Applejack said.
"Yeah, from one point of view, but it also means I got extra stuff to work on. That and finals, and I don't need any more reminders on either."
"Well, what you'll need is scheduling." Twilight replied.
"Right..." Spike answered dryly.
And so the group went back to having their fun. Soon after Spike finished helping Neira and Cadence build a sand castle, he was playing a game of volleyball with Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Applejack as his teammates, while on the other team was Puck, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle.
They were all giving their all, and as Applebloom got the ball over the net, Rainbow knocked the ball up, and Spike spiked it, giving him team a point, "That was awesome, Spike!" Rainbow high five Spike.
"That was a good shot yourself, Rainbow." Spike replied.
Soon the game was finished, with Spike and his team winning 5-4. As Spike took a drink from his cola, Rarity called over, "Oh, Spike."
Spike looked over to see Rarity lying down on her chest on a blanket. He went over to her and asked, "What's up, Rarity?"
"Spike, could you be a sweetheart and rub some sunblock on my back?" she looked up at him with a smile.
Spike started to blush and let out a pant, before getting himself together, "Sure, I'd love to."
So Spike was given a bottle of the stuff, and began lathering some of it in his hands. He brought his hands down on Rarity's back and began moving them around in a fashion, making sure to get all of her back covered. Rarity moaned, "Ooh, Spike, that feels absolutely marvelous!"
Spike blushed, and replied, "Well, I'm glad you're feeling comfortable."
As soon as Spike finished with covering Rarity's back with sunblock, he sat down next to her, but suddenly Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Hey Spike, how about rubbing some of that on me?"
"Yeah, me too partner?" Applejack asked.
"Ooh, and me!" Pinkie finished.
"Huh, why don't you three do that to each other?" Spike asked, while glancing from Rarity to them.
"Because you got the magic hands." Pinkie answered with a smile.
Spike was still cautious, but saw Rarity looked as if it wasn't bothering her, "Well go on, Spike. You shouldn't keep ladies waiting."
"Uh, sure." Spike answered, as he took the bottle and got behind Rainbow Dash before rubbing it on her back.
As Spike did so, Rainbow moaned, "Oh, yeah. That hits the spot, Spike."
Spike blushed, but remembered to keep a cool and clear head. When he was finished with Rainbow, he moved over to Applejack who received the same treatment, "Ooh, that does feel good." Applejack panted.
"Well, glad you like it, A.J." Spike admitted, while he himself mentally enjoyed doing it.
When he finished Applejack, Pinkie pulled him over and lied down on her chest waiting for him. When Spike's hands came in contact with her back, she giggled, "Careful, Spike, I'm ticklish!"
"Sorry." Spike said as he still did what she wanted him to do.
Once he was finished, he sighed in relief before going back over to Rarity to enjoy himself. Suddenly Puck spoke up, "Hey guys, I got a great idea."
"What is it, Puck?" Applebloom asked.
"Let's bury Spike in the sand."
"What?" Spike gasped.
"That sounds neat." Rainbow smirked.
"And funny." Pinkie agreed.
"Oh, dear." Fluttershy gasped.
"Hey-hey, don't I get a say in this?" Spike asked.
"Grab him!" Puck ordered, as they all grabbed Spike and brought him over to the sand.
"Come on, hold him still!" Rainbow ordered.
"Let me go, you fools! Let me go!" Spike demanded as he struggled.
And so they all started burying him in the sand, and the next thing Spike was buried in the sand with his head sticking out of the sand like a daisy. They all posed next to Spike as Cadence took a picture, "That was a good laugh." Featherweight chuckled with Sweetie Belle.
"Har-har, now can ya dig me out of here?" Spike asked.
Suddenly Puck looked over and saw a vendor selling ice cream, "Hey let's go get some ice cream." he suggested and they all agreed.
They got up, while Spike called, "Hey guys, don't leave me here!"
"Don't worry we'll be right back." Pinkie assured him.
"We'll get you your favorite, Spike, just stick around here." Twilight added, while Rainbow laughed at her choice of words, before they headed to the vendor.
"Guys!" he called, but knew they weren't going to be back until they got their ice cream, "Well it can't get any worse," he said sarcastically, until he looked over and saw a crab waddling in his direction, "I hate Murphy's law!" he grumbled, but saw it was still waddling over, "Guys! Guys, come over here!" he cried, and began blowing at the crab hoping it would divert it from its path towards him. He started sweating thinking he was gonna get crab pinched, until Fluttershy who came back picked the crab up and sent it waddling in a different direction away from Spike.
"There we go." she said.
"Fluttershy, you are a life saver." he answered.
"You're welcome." she smiled.
"Now how about digging me out of here? My whole body is starting to fall asleep."
"Sure." Fluttershy answered, as she started digging Spike out.
By the time, Fluttershy finished digging Spike out of the sand, the others came back with ice cream, "Nice to see you out of the sand, Spike." Puck said.
"Yeah, no thanks to any of you." Spike shot back.
"Sorry. You want your ice cream?" Twilight offered him his cone.
"Yeah, just as soon as I wash all this sand off." Spike said, as he went to the water and soaked his body into the further end so all the sand would wash off.
As the day came to and, end they all went back to the cabin. They were all around the fireplace that was burning bright, as the radio was playing, and were munching on pizza they ordered from the closest take out, "I still can't believe a crab almost waddled up to you." Rainbow chuckled at Spike.
"It wouldn't have if you guys didn't leave me. Luckily, Fluttershy came back and stopped it." Spike said, in annoyance.
"We're really sorry, Spike." Twilight apologized.
"Well the point is I got out of there in time." Spike admitted.
"Yeah, so let's kick back and enjoy the rest of the night, huh?" Puck asked, as he was sitting on the floor with his back up against a wall, before eating a slice.
Suddenly the radio's next song came on playing Forever Young, which got Spike's attention, "Oh yeah, I love this song!' he got up and went to the center of the room, "Rarity?" he offered his hand.
"Yes?"
"Come on, get over here." he said.
"Oh." Rarity gasped, and blushed as she joined Spike. The two started dancing, until Shining offered Cadence his hand, which she accepted and they joined the two. Eventually Featherweight offered his hand to Sweetie Belle, who accepted, and Wild offered his hand to Muse who took it.
Puck looked and saw Neira was looking longing to be out there, and smiled, "Ok, come here you little rascal." he picked her up and began dancing with her, as she giggled.
Rainbow Dash watched Spike dance with Rarity, before smirking. She stood up and slid over, "Cutting in." she said, as she took Spike's hand, and the two began dancing together.
Thinking Rainbow got more than enough time to dance with Spike, Applejack slid in, "Beg pardon." she took Spike's hand, and the two were dancing just like they did at her cousin's wedding. Soon the rest of the girls just went to the floor and danced around just for the fun, until they danced themselves out.
Later the boys were in their room playing cards, with Wild as always besting them, "Read em and weep boys." Wild collected his winnings.
"This stinks." Puck grumbled.
"Yeah, I lost a good chunk of my allowance." Featherweight sighed.
"So then what else do you guys wanna do?" Wild asked.
Spike looked around and smirked as he grabbed a pillow off his bed and threw it at Puck who didn't see it coming, "Hey!"
Spike smirked, "That was for you suggesting to everyone to bury me in the sand."
"Oh, so that's how you wanna play, huh?" Puck asked as he grabbed a pillow off his bed and threw it in Spike's direction.
Spike however dodged, and the pillow nailed Wildcard. Puck's eyes widened seeing he didn't get his designated target. Wild looked around before announcing, "Pillow fight!" and so the boys started grabbing pillows from their beds and started pummeling each other with them, sending feathers flying everywhere. As the boys continued their attack on each other, they were unaware of the girls watching from their open doorway.
When the boys finally felt as if they were being watched, they stopped and looked at the doorway seeing the girls watching them. They realized their situation and that they were also covered in pillow feathers making them look like mutant chickens, "Please, don't stop on our account." Rainbow joked.
"No, this is not what it looks like." Featherweight reasoned.
"We're just uh..." Puck tried to find an excuse.
"Testing to see how strong our pillows were." Spike spoke up.
Going along with it, Wild spoke, "Yeah, darn cheap pillows."
"Right," Twilight said dryly, "Well if you boys are done killing yourselves, you wanna see something worth seeing?"
"Uh, sure." they answered.
"Then come on." Twilight said, as the boys followed the girls out to the balcony.
They looked up and saw the sky filled up with stars, and the moon glowing brightly with its reflection casting off the lake they could see in the distance, "Wow." Puck gasped.
"Now this is a sight." Spike gasped.
"Oh, yeah." Applebloom agreed.
"It's beautiful." Sweetie Belle smiled.
"Sure is." Featherweight agreed as he held her hand, making her blush.
"I'd say this has been a great Spring Break, hasn't it?" Spike asked the group.
"It has." Twilight agreed.
"And it's better because we got to spend it together." Pinkie added.
"Uh-huh." Applejack nodded.
Spike smiled, until he felt himself get pulled closer. He looked up and saw Rarity had her arm wrapped around his head making him lean into her. He smiled as he enjoyed it, until she started stroking his hair to make him relax more. He knew deep down he was truly gonna remember this Spring Break for the rest of his life. |
Freshman Blues | Hip Hop Competition | At C.H.S after school inside the Hip Hop Club's room, Twistin' was standing before all club members, "All right, yo, listen up. As you know this weekend is the big end of the year Hip Hop competition between our school and Northwestern. This years competition will not be easy, but I have confidence in the lot of you we can pull through."
"Yeah!" the students cheered.
Twistin' looked at the members, before his eyes fell on Spike, "Spike."
"Uh, yes?" he asked, as he stood up.
"While I normally don't risk putting newbies in such a yearly competition, I am willing to bend my own rules."
"Huh?"
"I want you to be one of our representatives in the competition." he stated.
"Me, are you serious?" Spike asked in shock, seeing his hunch about Twistin' planning to select him to participate was accurate.
"You've proven us all time and time again you got the moves. With those moves we are a definite shoe in to win. Last year we came this close to blowing it, but with your fresh talent we can do better." Twistin' explained.
"Wow, I don't know what to say." Spike gasped.
"But I can't force you to do it against your will. So what is your answer?"
Spike pondered on the idea, before reaching a decision, "Count me in."
"Are you sure?" Twistin' asked, "Keep in mind you're going to be facing pros who've practiced since the day they wore diapers," Spike wasn't sure whether to take Twistin' seriously or roll his eyes. Rather he continued to listen, "If you want to stand a chance you'll have to practice like never before. Push yourself to your limits. Do you think you can do that?"
The other members looks to Spike, knowing that's a lot of pressure to put on their newest member. Spike who was at first shaken up by Twistin's warnings didn't want to look like a wimp, so he put on his brave face and answered, "I know I can."
Twistin' put his hands on Spike's shoulders, getting into his face, "You've made a wise choice my friend. Come Saturday, we'll see the fruits of your extensive training. Until then, everyone let's get busy!" he announced. And so for the next hour or so the group had been practicing.
When the club meeting was over, everyone started clearing out for the day, while Spike was the only one left. Once he got his bag, he left the building to see his sister and the girls sitting on the steps of the school, "Hey, Spike." they greeted them.
"Hi, girls." Spike answered as he walked down the steps to join them.
"So, how was today's meeting?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, I was right. Twistin' chose me to be a participant in the end of the year hip hop competition." Spike answered.
"Really?" Pinkie asked.
"Uh-huh."
"Spike, that's great!" Twilight smiled.
"Congratulations." Fluttershy clapped a few times.
"How wonderful, darling." Rarity hugged him.
"We knew ya had it in ya." Applejack playfully punched his shoulder.
"That's awesome!" Rainbow finished.
"Thanks, girls. Though this week I'm gonna have to be staying afterward for extra practice. Twistin' expects us all to be at the top of our game."
"Hopefully not too late," Twilight stated, "You know how mom and dad can be."
"Yeah." Spike nodded.
"Well come on, let's grab a sundae." Pinkie suggested, as they headed off to Sugarcube Corner.
Once there, they were each having an ice cream while talking, "So how tough have the hip hop competitions been?" Spike asked, wanting to know their thoughts.
"Very-very-very challenging." Pinkie answered.
"The competitors that have partook in the event have proven to be real professionals." Twilight added.
"The stuff they were capable of could've landed them on TV for the big leagues." Rainbow put in.
"And you can sure this year's gonna be tougher than last year." Applejack stated.
"Uh, girls." Fluttershy spoke up, as they looked seeing Spike was trembling and unable to keep his spoon in his hand.
"Oh my gosh, Spike!" Twilight gasped, "We're so sorry. We didn't mean to scare you like that."
"Yeah, I mean so what if the competition's gonna be big this year?" Rainbow asked, "We know you can pull it off."
"Yeah, and we'll be there to root for ya." Applejack promised.
"Thanks, girls." Spike said, as he started calming down, "I'm gonna need all the support I can get for this."
"Being supportive is what Pinkie Pie's do best," Pinkie began, "Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
"I'm glad to hear it. If Twistin' believes me to be ready then I won't disappoint him or my fellow club members." Spike said.
"That's the confident Spike we know." Applejack stated, and they all smiled at him.
The very next day after school, Spike and the club members had gotten in their practice and soon left. Spike however had stayed afterward to practice some more. When he stopped dancing he took a bottle of water from his bag and drank from it, before seeing Vinyl in the doorway, "Oh, you're still here?" he asked.
"Yeah, strange you were too." Vinyl noted.
"Just getting in some extra practice." Spike admitted.
"Clearly." Vinyl replied.
Spike sighed, "With the competition this week I can't afford to slack off. Twistin' believes in me and I'm not gonna let him down."
"Well, not much practice will help if you strain yourself." Vinyl warned him.
Spike sighed, "Yeah, you're right."
"Come on, let's get out of here." Vinyl said, with a smile. Spike smiled and followed her out of the school.
When they stood by the curb they waited for the walk signal, until vinyl spoke up, "Hey, Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"How about I show you a few moves of my own?" she offered.
"You know moves?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, I mean not break dancing, but how about I show you how I walk it out?"
"Well ok." he admitted.
"Good." she pulled out her MP3, and the moment the walk signal came she turned it on and it started playing dubstep. She was rocking here head a few times before walking the crosswalk strutting it out in a dance style.
Spike followed her while feeling impressed on how the music could move her, "Wow Vinyl, that a good way to walk."
"This is the only way to walk," she smirked, "Come on, join me."
"Well, all right." Spike said, as he got into the dubstep beat and started walking it out the same as Vinyl.
Vinyl watched as Spike was strutting it out like she was, "That's right, Spike! Feel the rhythm. Feel it and walk it out like a boss!"
"I'm feeling it all right." Spike admitted, as he walked it out feeling like a boss.
As the two continued to dance it out with their walk, a lot of pedestrians noticed them and felt impressed at how perfectly in sync they were with their dance walk. When they finally reached Spike's apartment, they stopped and Vinyl turned off her MP3, "How was that?" Spike asked the D.J.
"In the words of Rainbow Dash... Awesome!" Vinyl answered.
"Thanks, and that did help me get into a better mood." Spike admitted.
"I'm glad."
"Hey, Vinyl, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Of course."
"Well I was wondering if you could stay behind an extra half hour or so to help me practice for the competition?" he requested.
Vinyl smiled, "I'd be delighted to help you."
"You will?" Spike asked in joy, and the girl nodded,
"Yeah, I could use it as a chance to work on my remixes for the competition."
"Thanks, Vinyl!"
"No problem." she answered, as she turned her MP3 back on and danced off, leaving Spike to head inside.
The day afterward, Spike stayed after the club meeting with Vinyl who was helping him with his practice. She was working some remixes on the turntable, while Spike was working his moves. Suddenly he stopped dancing, "Hold it, hold it. Vinyl, stop the music."
Vinyl did so, "What's wrong, Spike?"
"It's this music. No offense, Vinyl, but this beat isn't moving me like yesterday's one." Spike explained.
"None taken, personally I feel this beat isn't my best either. Let me try another," she started mixing in some new beats, "How's this one for ya?"
"Much better." Spike admitted, as he started getting the rhythm back.
"Thanks. Twistin' also told me to practice with my remixes. It's one thing for the competitors to have their moves down by Saturday, but unless they have good music to go with their moves it won't matter."
"Logic." Spike admitted, still not breaking focus.
"As you can see, we both have something to work on for this weekend." Vinyl continued scratching records.
Soon they ceased their practice and called it for a day. They stopped in at Sugarcube corner, and were sharing some banana cream pie, "Boy, this is good." Spike admitted.
"Got that right." Vinyl agreed.
"Thanks again for sticking around to help me out, Vinyl."
"Well, thank you for giving me an honest opinion about the remixes I'm working on." she replied.
"No sweat." Spike said, as Pinkie slid over.
"Hey, guys. How're you?"
"Hey, Pinkie, we're doing great." Spike answered.
"You liking that pie?" Pinkie asked them.
"Sure do." Vinyl nodded.
"So, what've you two been up to?" the party girl asked wrapping her arms around the two.
"Practicing for the Hip Hop competition, of course." Spike reminded her.
"Oh, right. How's that going?" Pinkie asked.
"Very well," Vinyl began, "Spike's getting his groove to its peak, and I think by Saturday he'll be more than prepared."
"I can believe that," Pinkie smiled, and noogied Spike, "We'll all be ready to watch Spike in action!"
"Ok, ok, Pinkie! The hair!" Spike called, as she released him.
"Sorry." she smiled sheepishly.
"It's ok." he answered.
"Well, I better get back to work. See you tomorrow." Pinkie said, as she went back to help the Cakes. After they finished the pie, they paid and headed back to their places.
Spike entered his apartment, stretching. Twilight seeing him enter spoke, "How'd practice go today?"
"Couldn't have been better. Of course Vinyl had to perfect a good beat for me to work with, but it wasn't that hard." he admitted.
"That's good. Just don't overdo it or your feet will fall off." she joked.
"Har-har." Spike sarcastically laughed, before heading for his room.
He plopped onto his bed to relax, "Only a few days before the competition this weekend. Hope I'll really be prepared for it. Well with Vinyl helping me, I know I can make it." he smiled to himself.
Over the next few days, after school Spike had practiced with the rest of the club, and stayed behind an extra hour or so with Vinyl so they could help each other. When Spike got home he made sure to get his homework done before dinner, leaving him plenty of free time to relax.
Before he knew it, it was Saturday night. At C.H.S, everyone was inside the cafeteria that was cleared of many tables to give the competitors some dancing space. Celestia, Luna, and more of the faculty sat with the principal of the rival school, while others were set up to be judges, and next to the judges was Vinyl standing at her turntable.
On one of the cafeteria was the Hip Hop club from C.H.S, and on the other side was the club from the Northwestern school. The audience watched from a good distance. Among the audience included the girls, Muse, Wild, Spike's friends, even his parents, Shining, Cadence, and Neira. Celestia stood up and spoke into a mic, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to C.H.S's annual end of the year hip hop competition." she began and the audience cheered.
"Our students from both school's clubs have worked hard this last week, and now we shall see the fruits of their labor," she continued, "Each team will have five contestants represent them for each match. The team with the highest score wins. And now let the dances begin!" the crowds cheered again.
Twistin turned to his club members, "All right, guys this it. There's no backing down now. I want you to know no matter what happens here, I couldn't be more proud of each of you. So let's go out there and show them what we're made of!"
"Right!" they agreed.
And so the competition began, as one competitor from each side stepped up they each showed off their stuff. Vinyl played a beat on the turntable. Once each competitor got the chance to show off their skill, the judges held up a score card determining which one the round. Spike watched as each competitor took their turn to show off their stuff. As he watched each of the opposing school's club members show off their stuff he started developing butterflies in his stomach.
As the fourth match began, Spike spoke to Twistin', "Twistin', I gotta step away. Call of nature."
"Ok, but make it quick, because you're up next." Twistin' replied.
"Right." Spike said as he hurried off, while the girls watched in confusion.
When the fourth match ended the score was all tied up. After the final competitor from the opposing school approached, Principal Celestia called up, "And now representing C.H.S, Spike!" they all cheered, but saw Spike wasn't there, "Uh, Spike?"
The girls saw Spike wasn't back yet, which made them worried. Twistin' not wanting his buddy to be disqualified spoke up, "It's all ok, Principal Celestia. Spike's just in the john. I'll go get him."
"Well be back here soon. Because is Spike doesn't show up in ten minutes you will be forced to forfeit the competition to them." She warned him.
"Yes, ma'am!" Twistin' rushed out of the cafeteria, with the girls following.
They went to the restroom outside the cafeteria, but Twistin' stopped the girls before they could follow him further, "Whoa, girls. Sorry but this place is off limits to you."
"He's right." Rarity agreed.
"Don't worry I'll talk to Spike." Twistin' assured them.
"Well ya better make it quick." Applejack said, and Twistin' nodded before entering.
He looked around the men's facilities seeing no sign of Spike but knew he had to be in a stall. He saw his legs at the bottom of one and knocked on it, "Spike! Come on, Spike, get out of there!"
"I'm really busy." he answered.
"I'll bet you are," the older boy answered in skepticism, "Spike come on out so we can talk."
"Twistin', I can't do it!" he cried from inside the stall.
"What do you mean can't do it?"
"I can't go through with my match. I don't stand a chance against any of those guys!"
"Spike, this is no time to get cold feet."
"I can't help it. Sorry, but I just can't bring myself to do it!"
Twistin' sighed, "Spike, come out so I can talk to your face," The stall door opened, and Spike stepped out, "That's more like it. Now listen, it's all right to feel nervous, but you can't let it get the best of you. I've secretly watched you every day this week practicing with Vinyl. When I watched you I felt as if I was watching you go from a boy and into a man. You've proven you were capable of seeing it through juts like the rest of us. Now I didn't bring you into the Hip Hop club for you to suddenly turn into a coward."
"I know." he answered, feeling ashamed.
"When I first met you at the start of the year, I could tell you had talent. I wanted you to show that talent to the school, and make an image for yourself. If you back out of this now, no one in the school is going to let you live it down. I have faith you can do this Spike. We all do."
"But what if I lose?"
"At least you did it trying instead of chickening out. So come on, for all of us, and future members who will join our glorious club?" he pleaded.
Spike after hearing Twistin's speech had his confidence restored, "All right!"
"That's my buddy!" they fist bumped, "Let's go!" they exited the restroom.
The girls seeing Spike looking pumped made them look relieved, as they headed back to the cafeteria. With a minute to spare, Spike arrived, "Hey, sorry I'm late. I had personal business." the girls chuckled.
"Well next time try not to cut it too close." Vice Principal Luna stated.
"Right." Spike answered sheepishly.
And so Spike's opponent took his turn, and after Vinyl finished the beat for him, his score was tallied up receiving three nine's and two eights making his total forty three. After his opponent stepped off the spot, Spike took a position. He looked at Vinyl who gave him a nod of confidence and he smiled.
When Vinyl started up a beat for Spike, he slowly let the music flow through him like a river as if guiding his every move. He started busting it out and breaking it down for the judges and the audience. As he danced the opponents from the other school watched feeling impressed by his moves, while the judges themselves looked intrigued as well.
Eventually Vinyl finished her beat and Spike who was break dancing jumped to his feet and struck a pose. The audience cheered and whistled with Twilight, her friends, and Spike's pals cheering for him the loudest. Spike smiled and walked back over to his team, while they waited for the judges to tally his score. Finally the five judges revealed their individual scores which was two eights, two nines, and a ten giving him a total of forty four points.
Seeing his score was higher than his opponents, Spike's fellow club members cheered him on his success, before they were silenced by Principal Celestia, "Well the votes have been tallied, everyone. And this years winner of the Hip Hop Club competition is... Canterlot High!"
The audience cheered, as the two teams approached each other with each member facing their opponent. They each shook on it for good sportsmanship before taking their place at their spot. Soon the winning team stood before Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, as they held a trophy, "Congratulations to all of you. You performed magnificently. You deserved this victory." the principal said.
"It was a team effort, Principal Celestia." Twistin' replied as he held Spike close. The club stood together holding the trophy, as Photo Finish took a picture of them which would be set up with the trophy in the display case.
As everyone was clearing out, Spike was bombarded by everyone, "Spike, you did it!" Twilight hugged him.
"Congrats, bro!" Shining said, while patting his shoulder.
"We knew you could do it." Cadence agreed, as she and Neira hugged him.
"Bravo, son. Bravo." Twilight Velvet congratulated him.
"You made your club proud, son." Night Light congratulated him.
"You were awesome to the core!" Rainbow cheered.
"We knew ya could do it." Applejack smiled.
"You were super!' Pinkie cheered.
"You were wonderful!" Rarity kissed him.
"Congrats." Fluttershy smiled.
"You rocked out there, man!" Puck cheered, as he and featherweight bombarded him with pats.
Vinyl came out, "Way to go, Spike. I knew you could do it!"
"I didn't do it alone, I had help from you, Twistin' and everyone else who supported me." Spike admitted.
"Well Twistin' wanted me to tell you the club's going out for pizza. You wanna join us?" she asked.
Spike looked over at his friends, and family, as Twilight spoke, "Go on, Spike. You've earned it." his parents nodded in agreement.
"All right. I'll see you at home." Spike said, as he ran off with Vinyl to join the rest of the Hip Hop club to celebrate their victory. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.