Creatures of Deception

by eggtosser

Chapter 8 - Interruptions

Author's Note:

Okay, so, it has been like over month since the last update. Now, I can do the normal thing like apologize, but that'd be a lie. You should know me by now (probably) I don't really have a schedule, and I hit a block half way through in creating this, so yeah...

Anyways enjoy and please don't kill me.

Anyways, enjoy life.

- King of Eggs

P.S. I'll TRY to get the next chapter as soon as possible. No promises, unless you pay me :P

"Welcome to The Dan Pan!"

So after a short walk through the heart of town, we end up on the doorstep of a building that resembles a lot like a hunts pony's cottage, dark and long logs making up most of the building with windows and small designs carved into it. It has a large sign bolted onto the front that depicts a pony in a chef's outfit shouting out the name of the restaurant in glowing neon lights. The diner looks to be relatively full with ponies coming in and out every so often, however something tells me that isn't going to be a problem.

"This is the place?" I ask, observing the design of the diner.

"My favourite! I come once or twice a week, they make some good food. So, you want to come in and get something to it?" My stomach replies with a loud grumble to answer Tremor's invitation for lunch. "I'll take that as a yes. come on."

Even without entering The Dan Pan, I can smell the food and feel the heat radiating from the inside. I can't tell what exactly I am smelling, but by judging how positively my noise is reacting to the new scents, I can only imagine what it'll be like inside my mouth. But there is no need to use my imagination when I discover that for myself soon.

As I enter, the diner reveals itself to be uncomfortably loud, although I should've seen this coming due to the fact it looks to be popular in this town apparently. Luckily there are many seats that are unoccupied near the back where it is quieter so I can eat in peace. The tabes are laid out in rows spaced, just over, a pony's width apart from each other. Everything is lit by the small lanterns hanging above from the ceiling and the blazing kitchen, providing a dim setting but a light atmosphere that is accompanied by the friendly, but loud, chatter from the other ponies.

I can recognize a few ponies who are dining here from interactions on the streets, although I can't recall any of their names, they have proven themselves useful in helping me navigate around Ponyville. They look to be enjoying themselves, which is making me question the quality of their food.

We take a seat in the more quieter area of the diner, where the tables are covered in salts and fluids left by the previous customers to our dismay. A few moments pass and I realize Tremor is oddly silent, his eyes trying to avoid contact with mine. I don't think anything of this behaviour, coming to the conclusion that it is just apart of his strange personality. He does this from time to time where he will go silent, as if he is too shy to speak despite always being so loud, so I will have to restart a conversation to get him to talk.

I still find it shocking that the ponies here alone is able to feel the diner with unbridled amounts of positive energy that makes The Hive's supply look minuscule compared. It makes me wish for a time where we changelings can finally live in peace with the ponies, never again will we struggle for that energy we crave. But no such a time will come.

"What is Cloudsdale like?" I ask, attempting to bring Tremor from his period of silence.

"Oh Cloudsdale? What is there to say about it? It is a massive cloud and everything is built into it, although they do a pretty good job at making things look fancy up there though. It's a shame your not able to since your an Earth Pony," he says sounding slightly disappointed.

"I guess so." I don't know if changelings are able to interact with the clouds like the pegasi can, but maybe I can try eventually.

"I kind of miss Cloudsdale, it is where I was born and raised and it holds some of my best memories, but I love Ponyvilled too much to leave. If you want to know more, you should probably ask Rainbow Dash, she'll glorify it for you even."

"I'm good." I tell him while trying to imagine what that may look like.

"So how have you found Ponyville? I hope it has been a somewhat enjoyable experience; I can assure you my first time was electrifying." He says, grinning.

"It was something alright." I reply, smiling as I look back through the chaos that has happened. "Although, it was fun. I'll have to say that Pinkie Pie is one of my biggest highlights here."

"Yep, even if she is weird, she has the ability to make everyone smile. Oh and also, about the party, we didn't save you cake." I don't know why but, after that comment, I feel slightly disappointed.

"Hello, are you are you ready to place your order?" says a turquoise unicorn mare. It is now that I realize that I haven't even touched the menus that still sit lifelessly in the center of the table, waiting to be opened.

"I'll have my usual. What about you?" Tremor asks.

"Oh, um, I'll just have what you're having."

The mare smiles and nods, but instead of leaving with out orders, she leans into Tremor's ear and whispers something into his ear. His face lights up in a light shade of red. "Lyra, you are thinking a bit too far." he lets out a laugh as he waves his hoof at her.

"So you admit?" Tremor shrugs in reply. The mare lets out a high pitched squeal before whispering something else in his ear, but this time staring at me a, uncomfortable, smile.

I give a confused look, baffled by their actions, and especially that mare who keeps looking at me with her goofy smile of hers. Before I have a chance to question, the unicorn leaves, leaving me with Tremor who's face is beet red with embarrassment. I stare at his red head as if it is some sort of code I am meant to decipher, even if those two were just exchanging petty words between each other, I find intriguing none the less that she is able to leave him flustered like this.

It is sort of strange, I didn't plan attempting to befriend ponies or make contact with them unless necessary. But now, here I am having lunch with somepony, who I can consider a friend, after having a party with the elements - the same one I told myself to avoid at all costs. I am grabbing everything I said that I shouldn't do and then tossing it out a window. Maybe its this town rubbing off on me, an affect of living here a few days too long. Heck, I am even considering on moving here for good once the rebellion is over. The real question I should be asking my self now is: Is it worth it?

Choosing to leave that topic for the near future, I focus on what is happening now.

"Who is she?" I ask, grabbing his attention back after dozing off into his own world.

"Oh, uh, she's Lyra, a friend I met when I first moved here," he says. "There isn't that much to, well, to tell about her. She plays a lyre and has a part time job here. She doesn't play professionally but ponies every once in a while do request for her to play at parties or small concerts."

I hum in response before letting my eye's gaze to wander around, but there isn't much to see so I quickly turn to play with my hooves while waiting for our food to arrive. Neither of us says a thing, building an uncomfortable silence over large racket. I want to say something but I don't know what exactly to say that can make the situation less awkward (if that's the right word to use). Even with my experience in pony society, I have found that I can be socially awkward. Tremor is trying to avert his eyes everywhere else but at me again, but I simply allow it instead of trying to question his actions.

As minutes pass by in silence, the same mare who was previously taking our orders comes back with two plates of food floating to our table before releasing it from her magic grasp. A large slices of pie, leaking with a pale gooey substance with chunks submerged in it which is contained in a golden crust. Lyra hoofs them between the two of us before going off to attend to the other customers, this time not pausing to stare at me or whisper into Tremor's ear.

Tremor brightens after realizing that it has finally arrived, his face contorting into a grin as he licks his looks.

"What's this?" I ask, poking at it with a hoof.

"This my friend, is a apple pie. One of the best, although not as good as the Apple Family's Apple pie, oh how I'd die for those." he says, his mouth literally beginning to water.

I stare at the 'apple pie' in front of me. I have had an apple and a pie before, but never an apple pie, the two put together actually doesn't sound to bad. Hopefully it is as good as he is making it out to be. Lifting the fork that came with it and slicing out a small chunk of the pie, I take a tentative bite out of it.

Oh my, this is something else. This is delicious! Who knew that such a combination would make for such a delectable combo, as if the two were created to be mixed together. It is like chemistry sort of, you have ingredients and you just add them together until they all balance out to create a perfect and stable dish. Okay, maybe that analogy doesn't truly apply, but they both are similar in the sense that you can only add what is needed, and no more or less.

My fork rockets back down to get another piece, only to find crumbs replacing what was the apple pie.

"That was quick, you're either really hungry or it was that good. My guess is both," he says smirking.

Did I just eat it without myself realizing? I don't if that is a side-effect or I'm developing a problem, hopefully it isn't the latter.

"How do you do, you two? I was hoping to have a speak you with you," a cloaked pony, or should I say zebra, says underneath their brown and unkempt cloak that is covering her body and facial features. "Though there is no time to explain, but there is a lot to find on the plains. I will explain on the way, but we must not delay," Zecora says urgently, fidgeting in place.

I turn to Tremor, who shrugs, as he starts getting up from the table, though eyeing is unfinished dish longingly as he does so. She must've found something big, I can feel the agitation inside of her building the longer we're here and not on the move to wherever that may be. If it is the changeling camp that she has found, then I don't believe that there is much I can do but hope that she doesn't warn the elements. However, if she hasn't, then maybe there is a chance that I will run into them before either Zecora or Tremor can.

The three of us hastily exit the diner, Tremor throwing bits onto the counter before leaving. Instead of going into the Everfree, she leads us around it and into a hilly field. It is an expansive patch of green that is empty of any tree or pony-made structures, the only things present being the wildlife of bunnies and butterflies. However, something looks odd in the near distance: a line of puffy black smoke from, what I can make out is, a small out campfire.

We stop in front of it, and it turns out that I'm right. What was a campfire has now been reduced to black and white ash, however it is definitely recent as I can feel the last dying embers burning off the remaining heat.

My eyes drag across the ash covered ground to follow the trail of black and grey circles that disappears straight into the Everfree. Wherever they are, it is most likely that the owner is taking refuge within the darkness of the jungle like forest. Although, it is more like walking into your own death than anything else.

"Do you think this is them?" Tremor says as he pokes his head into the bushes that separate us from what is in there.

"I am not very certain, they are hidden behind the forest curtain. We must go in to be sure, but we must be well aware not to detour." she explains.

We silently agree on her terms before following Zecora into the darkened and ominous forest, the warmth leaving my body underneath the shadows that surrounds. It still feels wrong despite already having dared myself venture into here, but at the same time I don't feel as shaken as before. But, I'd rather not be here at all if given the choice, and if it weren't for the fact that Zecora had picked up a trail left by a changeling. Even if there is no confirmation that it is even a changeling, no one in the right mind will attempt to even come close unless they're insane enough or probably under orders.

I still find it strange how anything that is meant to be, isn't. There have been rumours spread across the hive about how the Everfree became what it is today, some say that it was always like this while others believe it was the making of another changeling hive. I believe that when Nightmare Moon was birthed, her darkness tainted the once lush forest which transformed it into the last remnants of what was the fall of the Lunar Republic. Maybe that's why it is always shrouded in eternal darkness no matter what time of day it is.

All around me feels so empty, not a single creature in sight to prowl through or guard their dangerous habitat. It is as if everything has evacuated and we're travelling through the remains of what was. But that is probably the case.

I am beginning to pick up something familiar, something that isn't natural. Something changelingy. It is also very recent, I am guessing at most on hour at most. I can even see the trail they left in the dirt, though it is very faint, by the green goo that is camouflaged next to the unnaturally dark grass, that is somehow swaying sluggishly left and right despite there being no breeze.

They can't see the trail I can see, and are going in the wrong direction in a random attempt to find the changelings. For now I'll keep following them until I can detach myself from them.

"I still think this place is creepy," Tremor mutters to me. "I wander if we can go camping here."

"You can be insane sometimes, I don't trust being here for a single second," I reply.

He snickers to himself, slightly nudging me in jest. "This place isn't that bad once you look past all of the things that can kill, it turns out you can find some of the best pranking plants here," he says trying to make the most dangerous area in Equestria sound somewhat pleasant. "One time I managed to get Carrot Top with some poison joke; I have never seen her so orange in my life!" he quietly laughs, giving his best to keep quiet.

I roll me eyes, "you're weird."

"Thank you," he proudly responds as if he won an award.

What a strange pony, he's unlike anyone, although he is strangely likable because of it. Though, I'm only able to spend time with him because I built a level of immunity to his antics. Even being in the center of who knows what, he can joke around as if it is a normal day to him. He is kind of like Zecora, but he is actually understandable and straight to the point, and much funnier.

Zecora continues to lead us, still unbeknownst to her that we are actually going down the incorrect path. The incorrect path leads us to a cliff overhang. The ground underneath is devoid of all vegetation, the ground is almost sludge from the dripping water above. It is almost impossible to make out anything else through the blackness; this area is untouched from any changelings. Zecora lets out an inaudible sigh before turning around in defeat.

"It seems we have no choice but to turn, we have lost the answer that we yearn," she says, her voice leaking with disappointment.

With that, we start backtracking out of the Everfree, following the same path we took to end up where we have. I purposely place myself behind the two pony crowed, slowing down until they are out of sight and shielded behind the shrubbery and ferns. Quickly, I divert my course and begin following the trail of goo I discovered. Whoever they are, they're still close, I can sense them, and there is no doubt they can sense me if they try.

I'm not entirely certain about what I'll do when I get my hooves on them, but I don't think it is going to be anything delightful.