Sometimes, things you never intended to have happen, happen anyway. And sometimes, there are consequences. Sometimes, these consequences are tragic, and at other times, a new beginning, chance for something wonderful to happen.
Every now and then, they are weapons grade adorable.
This is deeply rooted (Get it, rooted?) in the Weedverse. Without reading The Weed, and having some small knowledge of the 'verse in general, it might be difficult to understand what is going on.
Pursing her lips, Twilight Velvet looked up at her loyal assistant and trainee, Wormwood. He would make for a fine foal fetcher, someday, but today was not that day. He appeared distracted and out of sorts. He lacked his usual sense of professionalism, something she treasured.
“Mister Wormwood…”
“Yeah Boss?”
“Mister Wormwood,” Velvet began again, this time in a more firm tone of voice. “If you would please just call me Twilight Velvet or even just Mrs. Velvet.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Frustrated, Twilight Velvet let heave a sigh as she looked up at the enormous draconic pegasi standing beside her. He looked a little sweaty. Instead of irritation, she began to feel some concern. “Mister Wormwood, is something going on that is affecting your job?”
“No, Boss. Everything is fine, Boss.”
“Out with it, Mister—”
“Everything is fine, Boss.”
“Wormwood!” Velvet snapped, losing her patience.
Right away, she felt sorry. The big brute of a lunar pegasus recoiled and then shrank away, looking very much like a stepped on puppy. For being so big and so dangerous looking, he sure was a big softy. Guilt gnawed at her insides and she had memories of scolding Twilight Sparkle when she was little and oh so curious.
“Everything's not fine, Boss.” Ears drooping, Wormwood rubbed one foreleg against the other. “I’m nervous, Boss. Hearth’s Warming. Family. It’s a lot to take in.”
“The holidays can be very overwhelming, Wormwood. When we’re all done with this job, you and I, we’ll talk, and I’ll see what I can do to make this easier for you somehow.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was soft and gentle now, as she had slipped into her ‘foal services’ equona. “It can be hard adjusting to civilian life after so much time spent in service.”
There was no response from Wormwood, he just began to pace back and forth in the small room, treading what little bit of floor space he had. The room wasn’t very large, but it was well furnished, comfortable, and was decorated in such a way that it was sure to make a foal feel better. There were Wonderbolts posters on the wall. A painted portrait of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna hung next to a small round window.
Peering out the window, one could see that the Crystal Empire was preparing for the holidays. An army of helpful sorts put up decorations, garlands, lights, and enormous eight foot candy canes built to stringent government regulations. Snow was falling, but it did nothing to slow down or stop the army of decorators that had invaded the city.
“Wormwood, I’m not angry, but did you read the casefile?” Twilight Velvet asked.
“No, Boss. I’m sorry. Silver Lining wanted my attention before I left again. It’s hard on her.”
Hearing this, Twilight Velvet’s heart softened and she gave a knowing nod. “It’s okay, Wormwood. Let me go over what we know, okay?”
“Okay.”
She blinked. That was a good sign. The big lug might be relaxing a bit. It would be a relief to have her coworker and friend back to his usual, jovial self. “Our case is an unusual one,” Twilight Velvet began, “hybrid, descends from manticore and equine stock. By all accounts she is very sweet, a little shy, and according to my son, Shining Armor, she has weapons grade adorableness.”
“An adorable manticore spawn?” Wormwood blinked. “Uh, I’ve fought a lot of manticores and none of them have ever been… adorable.”
“My son doesn’t lie… much.” Twilight Velvet let out a little, polite laugh. “He never lies when it matters.” For a moment, the older mare appeared to be lost in memories and nostalgia. “Come to think of it, he was a little liar… always covering for his sister.”
Wormwood chuckled as he paced, just as Twilight Velvet predicted that he would.
“She is intelligent, capable of speaking, but needs education. She has been vaccinated and has spent a little time in quarantine, so she is bound be a little out of sorts. Up to this point, she was a feral creature.”
“How did she end up here?” Wormwood asked, getting into the swing of things.
Inhaling, Twilight Velvet felt a swell of pride for her daughter in law. “Somehow, she found out that Princess Cadance helps ponies who have problems with love. The poor little thing made a very dangerous journey here to seek Cadance’s help.”
“How did she know—”
“We don’t know, Wormwood.” The older mare smiled, and, tired of standing, she sat down in a worn looking chair that had seen better days. Poor Wormwood wouldn’t even fit into this chair and she lamented the fact that nopony ever took lunar pegasi into account when creating furniture. “The Crystal Empire is a beacon for broken hearts and at some point, every broken hearted creature comes here seeking Cadance’s aid. Dragons, griffons, diamond dogs, and now, a little manticore spawn that wants to meet her daddy.”
“Manticores eat their own young,” Wormwood said, shaking his head.
“Only sometimes,” Twilight Velvet replied. “Look, Wormwood, I know how Gloomy found Silver Lining. Don’t let your own feelings and biases cloud your judgment here.”
“Of course.” Wormwood slumped, his back sagging, and he began to scratch his chin with his wing. He began to hum to himself and he shifted his weight from side to side, trying to entertain himself in a room with no furniture big enough for him to get comfortable in.
Pulling out a crossword puzzle book from her bag, Twilight Velvet settled in to endure the wait.
Hearing a click from the door Twilight Velvet raised her head from her book, which she closed and tucked into her bag. The door opened, a mare’s soft voice could be heard, and then, something small was pushed through the door, something much smaller than she expected. Twilight Velvet peered over the top edges of her reading glasses to have a better look at the little hairball staring back at her, silent and terrified.
The first and most obvious thing was the poof of dusky red hair protruding from the top of her head, forming a natural mohawk that stood up several inches, with the hair curling into ringlets near the tips. The foal—cub—whatever a manticore and a pony made when they bred, had a coat that was a distinctive shade of chocolate brown, a very distinctive shade of chocolate brown, and Twilight Velvet could only think of one pony that had a pelt like that. Fiery orange eyes, wide and fearful, stared up at her, and Twilight Velvet felt her heart begin to thump.
“Nothing alive should ever be that cute,” Wormwood breathed, sounding as though he was being strangled. “Alicorns preserve me, it hurts, it hurts!”
Twilight Velvet was surprised to note that there seemed to be no poisonous scorpion tail, but there were wings, leathery, draconic wings, wings very much like Wormwood’s. The adorable little fuzzball appeared to be a good mix of pony and lion characteristics. No hooves, but four little paws, broad and wide, connected to long, slender legs and a body made for running.
Again, Twilight Velvet could think of only one pony that could be the father. Long legged, tall, skinny, a natural born sprinter if ever there was one. The little… cub? Her mohawk continued halfway down her back, standing up and sticking out in all directions, a dusky, smoky red stripe that stood out in sharp contrast against the chocolate brown fur covering her body. Her face… her face wasn’t quite a pony, nor was it a lion. It was feline, but also equine. She had whiskers.
“Hello,” Twilight Velvet said in as soft of a voice as she could muster.
“Hi.”
The little cub, yes, Twilight Velvet decided, it was a cub, became distracted by her own tail, which was long like a lion’s and had a dusky red tuft on the end of it. She swatted at it with her paw, which her tail seemed to ignore as it evaded her attempts to make it behave.
Wormwood let out a wheeze and appeared to be having trouble breathing.
“Do you have a name, little one?” Twilight Velvet was pleased to note that her son had not lied, not when it mattered. She felt a strange tightness in her chest. For being a little monster, this little fuzzball was adorable. “My name is Twilight Velvet. This is Wormwood.”
The cub lifted her head and looked the older mare right in the eye. “Megara the Lioness.”
“And you came to Princess Cadance for some help to find your daddy?”
The little cub nodded, blinked, and her bright orange eyes flashed with brilliant inner luminescence, which looked like flames reflected in stained glass. She managed to catch her tail and squish it down to the floor with her paw. To Twilight Velvet’s eyes, the small cub almost appeared to be on fire, with her deep, dark red hair that rose in curly spikes off of her head.
“Do you have any questions, Megara?”
Blinking, the cub looked quite sad. “What if he no want?”
“What if he doesn’t want you?” Twilight Velvet said, offering gentle correction. “I know your father, and I know that he wants you. I’m going to take you to him. We’re going to take a train. It will give me some time to get to know you.”
“But what if he no want?” Megara’s eyes began to water and tears threatened to fall.
“Megara, you have to trust me. I know it is difficult, and you don’t know me, but everything is going to be fine.” Twilight Velvet rose from her chair, eased herself down to the floor, and made her way over to Megara, who shied away.
“I runt. Not wanted.”
“Megara, darling—”
“Not wanted. Runt. Brothers and sisters tease. Bite. Claw. Chew on. Hurt.”
With a very concerned look, Twilight Velvet stared into Megara’s fearful orange eyes. “Megara, darling, can you tell me how you learned to talk so well?”
“Manticore talk,” Megara replied as she leaned closer and sniffed Twilight Velvet. “Much time listening at food talk. Hear word, make word. Keep talk. Too much talk. Make brothers and sisters mad. They mad and chew on head.”
“Food talk?” Twilight Velvet shuddered at the thought. She didn’t like the implications, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Megara was a feral creature from the wilds, but a smart one. She had made the choice to come to civilisation.
“No like when food talk. Feel wrong. Bad. Bad Megara.”
Twilight Velvet let out a sigh of relief. The knowledge that it was wrong was a good sign. Megara appeared to be more equine than manticore. She didn’t even have a stinger tail. “Megara, what made you come to us?”
“Mama talk about daddy. Say he nice. She let live, not eat as do other daddies. She say me like him. She make me go. Say Megara too weak. Megara sent far off to live with food.” Extending a hind leg, Megara began to scratch behind her ear, and as she did so, her tail escaped. The cub let out a yowl of annoyance and right away, she tried to catch it again, swatting at it with her front paw while she continued to scratch behind her ear with her back paw.
“Oh, Sweet Celestia, I can’t stand it!” Wormwood said in a low shout. “I want to hug her so bad! It’s unnatural! What foul thaumaturgy is this?”
“So says the father of a mouse eating hairball.” Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes and then returned her attention to Megara, who looked a little scared. “Wormwood doesn’t mean to scare you, if he is. He’s… he’s just excited at the moment, because, well, let’s face it, you’re cute.”
Eyes wide and glittering with their strange inner luminance, Megara stared up at Twilight Velvet with her feline ears pricked up. “Cute? This new name? I hear this. Lots.”
With a ball of yarn, this cub could cause others to drop dead. Twilight Velvet began to fear for the safety of ponies everywhere. As she tried to think of what to say, there was a crash behind her as Wormwood’s backside fell to the floor and he sat down. Turning her head, she glared at him with a raised eyebrow, but he ignored her.
“Megara scare some, some say cute. Why?” The curious feline-equine tilted her head off to one side and then let out a strange whinny-mewling sound.
The upper half of Wormwood’s body hit the floor with a ‘whomp!’ and he cried, “Mrs. Velvet, make it stop!”
“Megara, darling, the train leaves in just a little while. We still need to walk to the station, but we need to hurry. Wormwood is going to pull himself together, and he is going to carry you on his back. I’m going to bundle you up, because it is cold outside. Are you okay with this?”
“We go see daddy?” Megara asked.
“Yes, we shall go and see your daddy,” Twilight Velvet replied. “And your new family. You have a mother, and a sister, and more are on the way.”
“What if them no want?” Megara’s glowing orange eyes were fearful.
“Oh, trust me, they’ll want you, Megara. We just need to get you home.”
Even though the snow was swirling around overhead, it wasn’t sticking, much. It was still cold though, and Twilight Velvet was thankful for her heavy coat. She heard Wormwood grumbling and it was with no small amount of amusement that she chuckled about everything that had just happened.
“Real funny, Boss.”
That earned a chuckle too. Upon being exposed to the out of doors, Megara had bolted. Now, Twilight Velvet could have used her magic to end the chase right then and there, but what was the fun in that? The poor cub had been cooped up for quite a time and Wormwood, well, alas poor Wormwood, but he needed experience in catching wily foals. Or cubs, as the case may be. It was funny watching the big brute trying catch the giggling little scamp that evaded him with ease.
Standing on the train platform, Twilight Velvet waited to board. She and Wormwood had their own train car reserved, and it was a good thing, too. Megara was a little leery of other ponies, and ponies, for the most part, were a little leery of Megara. Some thought she was adorable, others hurried away, wide-eyed and spooked.
The little hairball was now sitting on Wormwood’s back, wrapped in a heavy dark blue blanket. Her unruly tuft of hair that stuck up off of her head waved in the light breeze. She watched everything around her, trying to take it all in, trying to see the sights. Only Twilight Velvet, with her years of experience, could see the fear upon Megara’s face.
“You’re lucky that you’re cute, Meg, otherwise, I’d clap you in irons for what you did—”
“Wormwood!” Twilight Velvet shook her head and clucked her tongue. “We put proven delinquents in irons, not adorable little scared cubs.” She laughed at her own joke, as it seemed that laughter put Megara at ease.
“We need to make a note in her case file that she is boneless.”
“Wormwood—”
“You try grabbing her, Mrs. Velvet. Boneless.”
Unable to stop herself, Twilight Velvet laughed a little more. Megara was difficult to grab and hold on to. She was lithe in a feline sort of way, and Twilight Velvet could understand why Wormwood had called her boneless. No doubt, Megara could make herself comfortable in a basket, a bed, or a bowling ball bag.
A worried looking mare hurried away, her eyes never leaving Megara, and she stood on the other side of the platform. Twilight Velvet said nothing, made no response, but Wormwood scowled and a low, throaty rumble could be heard coming from him.
“Mrs. Velvet, I don’t much care for this part of the job.”
“Neither do I, Wormwood, neither do I.”
The conductor, a crystal pony wearing a fine suit, made a gesture with his hoof. “Right this way, we have you in the caboose. It’s small, but comfortable.”
“Oh, why thank you so very much.” Twilight Velvet’s voice had a sincere graciousness that was lacking in so many others. “Come, Wormwood, we must away.”
“Ooh… mercy…” the conductor staggered backwards and was forced to adjust his short ribbon tie. “That’s… cute.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Twilight Velvet asked as she walked towards the caboose.
Following along after Twilight Velvet, Wormwood adjusted his battered trilby hat and smiled at the conductor, revealing a mouthful of teeth that Princess Luna used to give dentists everywhere nightmares. He had lost a few teeth and the replacements were glittering, gleaming stainless steel. On Wormwood’s back, Megara smiled as well, revealing a mouthful of manticore teeth, and she waved with her paw, just like Twilight Velvet had shown her to do when a goodbye was in order.
“A little unnerving, but still cute,” the conductor said as he tugged at his collar.
The train moved forwards with a lurch and Twilight Velvet made herself comfortable on her seat. For once, somepony had thought about poor Wormwood, and there was a large, square cushion left on the floor that he could be comfortable on. There was, however, a problem, as Megara had claimed the cushion and was now taking swipes at Wormwood, all while making adorable little hisses.
Never one to back down from a fight, Wormwood reached down with his wing and just swept her away with no effort. He then sat down and tried to make himself comfortable as Megara retaliated. She lept, front paws out, slammed into Wormwood’s neck, and bounced. She tumbled away with a yowl and rubbed her head after bonking it on the floor.
Megara’s tail, mocking her, slashed around her ears. Incensed, Megara attacked, bringing both front paws to bear upon her tail, her claws extended. Where she sat, Twilight Velvet’s eyebrow arched in concern as Megara went after her tormentor. The claws were dangerous, no doubt, and protective measures might need to be taken.
After several failed attempts, Megara captured her ever-elusive tail, clapping it in her paws, and then, before Twilight Velvet could say anything or offer a warning, Megara bit down upon her hated foe with the intent to give it a good savaging.
Crying out in both pain and alarm, her eyes wide with shock and terror, Megara let go of her tail, lept to her paws, and took off at what seemed to be super-relative speeds. At the last second, she flattened herself down, tucked in her wings, landed on her belly, and slid right beneath the couch where Twilight Velvet was sitting. It didn’t seem possible for her to fit beneath there, but Wormwood’s boneless description held true and she cleared the gap that was no bigger than her head.
“Wormwood, not one word.” Twilight Velvet turned a stern eye upon Wormwood, who was shaking with laughter and fighting to hold it in. He snorted once, and Twilight Velvet cleared her throat while shaking her head to express disapproval. “Megara, darling, are you okay?”
“No!” cried a voice from beneath the sofa.
Another snort escaped from Wormwood.
“Megara,” Twilight Velvet began in a soft, patient voice, “you need to be mindful of what you bite.”
“No mock Lioness!” There was a pause, and then, “RAWR!”
“Megara, if your tail mocks you, then you must learn to be patient. You can’t just bite it.”
“Yes can!”
“Megara, if you bite it, you are only hurting yourself.”
“No mock Lioness!”
Twilight Velvet let out a sigh and then replied with, “Rawr?”
“RAWR!”
“RAWR!” Wormwood’s bellow made everything in the caboose rattle and left Twilight Velvet’s reading glasses askew on her face.
Beneath the couch, there was timid mewling punctuated by a worried sounding meow, that may or may not have been a question. Twilight Velvet didn’t speak felinoid languages very well.
“Wormwood, what was that about?” Twilight Velvet asked as she tried to put herself back in order.
Grinning, Wormwood’s took off his trilby and tossed it onto a nearby wooden shelf covered in snacks. “I’ve been teaching Silver Lining how to roar. She’s not very good at it, but I keep trying.”
Shaking her head, Twilight Velvet rubbed her temple and let out a sigh. “No wonder Ponyville is the way that it is.” As she spoke, there was another faint mew from beneath her couch. “Megara, darling, it’s okay. That was just Wormwood announcing that he is King of the Jungle, or at least the potted plant section in some department store.”
“Hey… ouch, Mrs. Velvet.”
“Megara, darling, do come out.”
“No.”
“Megara, be a dear, and do come out.”
“Nope.”
“Please?”
“Nuh uh.”
“Very well, Megara, you leave me with no other choice.” Twilight Velvet pulled off her coat and then set it on the couch beside her. She began to rummage through the pockets, searching through her emergency supplies. She had something for any troublesome occasion.
“What if not want? Where Megara go?”
It took several seconds for Twilight Velvet to sort out what was being said. Her eyes narrowed and a worried expression clouded her face. She glanced over at Wormwood, and saw that, he too, looked a bit concerned. She continued digging through her pockets and replied, “I assure you, you are wanted.”
There was a yowl of disbelief from beneath the couch.
“Come out from beneath there, Miss Lioness, and let me comfort you.”
“Neow.”
“Megara, was that a ‘meow’ or a ‘no’ that you just said? I’m having a bit of trouble.”
“Not know.”
Pulling out a length of lime green ribbon, Twilight Velvet prepared to take drastic measures. Armed with a brush, some lime green ribbon, and an endless supply of patience for the young, Twilight Velvet allowed a devious smile to show upon her muzzle. Many, many times she had outsmarted little filly Twilight Sparkle, and the little lioness would be no real challenge at all.
The cleverest mother alive, the mare who had completely restructured the Equestrian pyramid of politics by maneuvering her own offspring into positions of authority and power, the mare that had spawned a revolution without firing a single shot, a bloodless revolution, the kindly maternal figure that championed the cause of reform, did the most dastardly thing that could be done in this situation.
She dangled the length of the lime green ribbon down in front of her and made it wiggle in front of the couch, where Megara was sure to see it and be tempted. Twilight Velvet was rewarded with a curious, “Meow?”
The ribbon was bobbed up and down a few times, and, sure enough, a chocolate brown paw shot out from beneath the couch to take a swipe at it. She kept it out of Megara’s reach, holding it in her magic, and kept swinging it further and further away. Before long, Megara shot out from beneath the couch, hissing and trying to claw the ribbon.
Wasting no time, Twilight Velvet grabbed the little fuzzball, lifted her up, and plopped her down upon the couch. She didn’t let go, but held the cub in her magic with a firm grip. Using the brush, she went to work on Megara’s defiant shock of hair that stuck up between her ears with quick, fast strokes. The brushing did nothing to make the tuft of hair presentable, but it did leave it shiny. As Megara yowled, Twilight Velvet tied the length of lime green ribbon around the troublesome shock of hair that protruded upwards, determined to make it behave somehow.
“Reow?”
Twilight Velvet pulled a mirror from her coat pocket and held it up in front of Megara. “There, now you look pretty. When you give somepony a gift, it is thoughtful to tie a ribbon around it. Being thoughtful is a hallmark of being a good, upstanding citizen, and you want to be a good, upstanding citizen, don’t you, Megara?”
Face scrunching, Megara replied, “Huh?”
“You are a precious gift and I am taking you to meet your father. I am going to give you to him, and I have tied a bow around you. With your cute little bow, you are now irresistible and there is no way that your father could refuse you.”
Megara shook her head and with one paw, she touched her reflection in the mirror.
“It’s true,” Wormwood said from where he relaxed. “There are laws and everything. You can’t turn away a gift with a ribbon. You can’t say no. Thems the rules. That’s why we are civilised. If you break the rules, all of civilisation falls down and then ponies like myself have to step in and put it back together, and that’s a chore.”
“Oh.” Megara’s brows furrowed and she studied her reflection. “Rules.” She touched her reflection again and then learned forwards to get a better look. She waggled her ears, crossed her eyes, and then stuck out her tongue. “My mama, she—”
“Excuse me for interrupting, Megara, but does your mother have a name?” Twilight Velvet asked.
The cub fell back and leaned against Twilight Velvet’s side, but never took her eyes off of the mirror. “Margalo. Mama name Margalo. She tell stories some nights. Say daddy was soft. Little. He scream lots and she like that. Like music. Make her in mood. Screaming, roaring, ro-ro-romatic?”
“Romantic?” Twilight Velvet said in a helpful voice, while trying not to think about the chilling implications of what was said.
“Love mood.” Megara pulled back her lips for a moment and examined her teeth in the mirror. “Find mate that scream lots. But Megara no eat him. Just make scream.”
Lifting her head, Twilight Velvet glanced over at Wormwood, who looked more than a little disturbed. There were a lot of things that she wanted to say to Wormwood, but she couldn’t say them in front of Megara. She wanted to say that manticores had different values, and shouldn’t be judged. They had their own culture, their own way of life, their own way of doing things. But she knew Wormwood’s feelings about manticores.
She wondered, was Megara still a manticore to him?
“Miss Mama. She got mean. Hurt much. Stab. Claw. Bite. Make Megara go. Not feed.”
“I’m sorry, Megara. If it makes you feel any better, you’ll be getting a new mama. She’s very nice, but it may take you some time to figure that out.” Twilight Velvet slipped a foreleg around the cub and gave her a much needed hug.
“With ribbon, she keep?” Megara asked.
“Yes, Megara, she knows the rules. She’ll keep you.”
Looking out the window, Twilight Velvet could see the familiar sight of Ponyville. The journey had been a somewhat long one. It took a little magical touch up now and then, but Twilight Velvet kept the little manticore spawn looking adorable and her ribbon presentable. She was sleeping now, and unaware of just how much her life was going to change within the hour.
Missions like these made the job worth it. Some missions were unpleasant. Broken homes, broken ponies, broken dreams of what might have once been a family—those things made the job unbearable. Twilight Velvet gazed out the window and watched as her daughter Twilight’s castle grew larger. Not every family was perfect, not every family had a happy ending, not every family stayed together, sharing a state of domestic bliss. But, this case would have a happy ending. Oh, it might not be a perfect ending, but it would do. Megara was not some unknown princess, lost and stolen away by some terrible villain, now recovered to have a storybook happy ending.
Nope, she was just an unknown daughter, created from tragic circumstance long ago. She was going to meet her father, who would embrace her, and a stepmother that would love her without hesitation. For Twilight Velvet, this was, for all intents and purposes, a storybook ending. Perhaps not perfect parents, but good enough parents, parents who would never stop trying to make things right.
The train slowed a little more and the thatched roofs of Ponyville were a welcome sight, as always. She looked over at Wormwood, then at Megara, and then back to Wormwood. There was another parent that would never stop trying to make things right. Wormwood, Gloomy August, and Silver Lining were as perfect of a family as one might hope for. Tragic circumstances had once more transmuted into something wonderful, something special.
“Megara, darling, it is time to wake up.” Twilight Velvet spoke with tender words—she had grown fond of Megara during the trip—but she grew fond of most of her clients. Sometimes it was difficult to let go. Indeed, letting go was the hard part. In Megara, she saw endless potential. The little cub was smart enough that she would learn quick, she tried to be gentle, but her enthusiasm might mean a few scratches here and there. The little cub loved to sing and Twilight Velvet hoped that her parents would see past her yowling and recognise the voice that needed schooling, nurturing, and guidance.
Lifting her head, Megara yawned, revealing that she had the typical manticore underbite. Her long, sandpapery tongue lolled out of her mouth, and her tail swished from side to side, as it too, awoke from its slumber. As she woke up, she flexed her little toes, her claws became visible for a moment, and she stretched her still developing wings.
“You are almost home, Megara.” Twilight Velvet gestured at the window with her hoof.
The little cub stood up on her hind legs and rested her front paws on the window sill. She pressed her nose against the glass and watched, wide eyed, as more of Ponyville came into view. After a moment, Megara pulled her face away from the window and looked at Twilight Velvet.
“How do… love?” Megara asked.
“How does one love?” Twilight Velvet clucked her tongue. “Oh dear, how I wish Cadance was around.”
“Not know… love. Ask pink pony. Not know she words.”
It took a few seconds for Twilight Velvet to piece together the cub’s words. “So, you don’t know or understand what love is, you asked Princess Cadance, but you didn’t understand what she had to say?” Paraphrasing was important, it helped a foal, or in this case, a cub, feel as though they were being listened to.
Megara’s face scrunched up and the little cub had to concentrate on Twilight Velvet’s words. After a moment, she shrugged, then nodded. “She nice, pink pony. Find her, ask for daddy. Her know.”
“Yes, Cadance has a remarkable ability to mend broken hearts and set things straight.” Twilight Velvet let out a sigh, glanced at Wormwood, and then returned her attention to Megara. “Love is both easy and very hard. For you, Megara, I think that all you’ll need to do is just give your new father a chance. He might make a mistake or two, but I know him. He won’t give up and he won’t quit. Just let him hold you and pet you and get to know you.”
“Megara the Lioness… not pony.”
“Oh, Megara, that doesn’t matter as much as you might think.” Wormwood stuffed his beat up and battered looking trilby down upon his head. “My stepdaughter is a griffon. Gloomy, my wife, she makes no distinctions about kind. Little Silver is hers… now, it might matter to some, but not to Gloomy, and not to myself. For some reason, ponies keep their opinions to themselves around me. Don’t know why.”
There was a soft chuffing sound as the brakes brought the train to a halt. The train lurched, but Megara kept her balance. Staring at the cub, Twilight Velvet, who had spent some time getting to know her, saw a little more equine in the cub than she had first thought. Sure, she had paws, and a lion’s tail, and she had peculiar glowing orange eyes that burned like two lanterns in the dark—that was bound to cause a few scares—but it was Megara’s mannerisms that brought out her equine side. Her thoughts, her actions, her gentleness. When she had scratched Twilight Velvet and drawn a tiny drop of blood, she had melted down and sobbed for hours, inconsolable.
No, Megara wasn’t fit for the wilds, not at her current age and state of development. She would never survive growing up in the wilds, which might be considered ironic, given who her father was. No doubt, he would teach Megara a new way of thriving in the wilderness. The thought made Twilight Velvet smile.
“Come, Megara, it is time to go home. You be a good cub, and don’t you go running off when we get off of the train, okay? Wormwood will be very cross if he has to chase you again.” Twilight Velvet reached over, pulled Megara away from the window, and gave her a little hug.
“Reow?”
“I mean it.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was firm. “You want to look nice for your new family, don’t you?” That did it, in Megara’s eyes there was a glimmer of recognition and understanding. Twilight Velvet smiled, the cub was a smart one.
It was unknown if it was a feline sense of pride or an equine sense of herd, but Megara wanted to belong. She wanted love, acceptance, she wanted to belong to something greater than the sum of its parts. She needed more nurturing than a manticore family had to offer. Perhaps it was wrong of Twilight Velvet to think this way, but she believed that an equine family had more to offer Megara than a manticore one. A manticore mother tended to eat her spawn if they overstayed their welcome.
“If you run, you little scamp, I really will be cross with you. No joke.” Wormwood stood up and one of his eyebrows arched. “I’ve been cooped up in this caboose for too long, my legs are all cramped up.”
Megara turned her bright orange eyes upon Wormwood and gave him a devastating stare. Her lower lip protruded and her little whiskers quivered. She folded her ears back against her skull and the overall effect borderlined on lethal, weapons grade adorable, just as Shining Armor had stated.
“Eh, I’ve been inoculated. I’ve seen sad little griffon cub faces. But that’s impressive.”
When she saw it had no effect, Megara let out a meow and then slumped against Twilight Velvet, who gave the cub another squeeze. The sounds of pony voices could be heard outside as loved ones reunited or said their goodbyes.
“I wonder what makes her eyes glow like that,” Wormwood said to himself in an absentminded voice.
“Ready to go?” Twilight Velvet pulled Megara around to look into her eyes.
“What if no want?” Megara blinked and the overall effect was almost heartstopping.
Sighing, Twilight Velvet shook her head. “I suppose there is just no way to prove this to you. Come, my silly little Nutmeg, and let me introduce you to the father that is never going to let you go.”
An older looking house came into view. It stood on the northern edge of Ponyville, a relic of another era, another time, a house almost as old as Ponyville itself. It had started off as a barracks constructed of stone, but over time, wings and additions had been added, and now, it was a large, rambling house. It had a fence around it, the yard was filled with all manner of peculiar, and some might even say, dangerous plants. The two needler cacti near the front gate certainly gave ponies pause.
But not Twilight Velvet. She marched right up to the gate, with Wormwood following behind her. Megara was riding on his back and taking in all of the sights. There was a light dusting of snow upon the stone fence, but none was falling now. As Twilight Velvet approached, the gate opened, moved by some unseen force. The old wrought iron hinges creaked a little.
When the vines near the gate wiggled a bit, Twilight Velvet stopped to give them a good stern stare. They retreated from her baleful gaze and she raised one eyebrow at them. A snow dusted topiary of a large minotaur turned to look at her and Twilight Velvet cleared her throat.
“I am expected,” Twilight Velvet said in a loud, clear voice. “Delay me at your own peril.”
“You may pass,” the minotaur topiary replied in a voice that sounded like leaves in the wind. “Mrs. Velvet, we have been expecting you. Do come in, the door will open.”
Clucking her tongue, Twilight Velvet wondered whose bright idea it was to allow a druid and wizard to live together under the same roof. And not just any druid, the druid. His command over the flora was alarming. She felt the fine hairs of her pelt standing up along her spine beneath her jacket. Even now, she could feel eyes upon her as she approached the door. There were guardians here, powerful ones, and not all of them could be seen.
Megara would be safe here, and Twilight Velvet had a peculiar thought; her father might just give her a jungle to roam. It was within his power to do so. The fine web of vines covering the front door pulled away as she neared and the large, heavy wooden door swung open, inviting her inside. The old barracks had an entryway, a small room just past the door, and a second door awaited.
She stepped into the small room and so did Wormwood. The door behind them shut and then the door in front of them opened. This wasn’t a home, it was a fortress, made by one incredibly paranoid pony who had made far too many enemies. Again, Twilight Velvet thought about how Megara would be safe here. She would be free to roam these halls, to grow, to learn, and to adjust to how ponies did things. This would be an excellent place for her to come into her own.
Smiling, she stepped through the inner door.
“Hello again, Mrs. Velvet. I’ve been looking forward to your arrival.”
Twilight Velvet leveled her affectionate gaze upon the pony addressing her, and she felt pity. His eyes were red, bloodshot, and looked like he hadn’t slept for a while. No doubt, he had spent the long nights pacing the floor, waiting for something precious to him to come home. The room was filled with a small herd of ponies and she worried that Megara might be overwhelmed.
“Mister Teapot, it is always a pleasure to see you. You’ve done quite a bit to fix this place up. I am impressed.” She saw a weary smile cross his lips.
“I have to keep what I treasure safe.”
“So you do, Mister Teapot, so you do.” Twilight Velvet felt Wormwood brush up against her side. “I have brought you another treasure, Mister Teapot. Might I introduce you to Megara the Lioness…”
Using her magic, she lifted Megara from Wormwood’s back and heard a faint mewling sound. Twilight Velvet felt many eyes upon her as she levitated the cub over to her father. She knew these ponies, all of them, she loved them, trusted them, she was quite fond of all of them.
Pebble stood near her father’s side, her expression unreadable. Maud, Pebble’s mother, also stood near her husband’s side, her expression also unreadable. A short distance away, Octavia sat on an ancient looking chaise lounge, and Vinyl Scratch stood with a camera.
“Megara, this is Tarnished Teapot.” As Twilight Velvet spoke, she could not help but notice the matching shades of chocolate brown. Oh, there were a lot of brown ponies, but Tarnish was a very distinctive shade of silky dark chocolate, as was Pebble. “Mister Teapot, this is your daughter, brought home at last.”
“Hi,” Tarnish said as Megara was set down on the floor in front of him. He sat down with a plop and lowered his head so that he could be closer to her, down at her level.
Looking shy, Megara just sat there, unmoving, staring up at the father she had never met. There was a flash from Vinyl’s camera, which made Megara blink her bright orange eyes, and the cub’s tail swished around, behaving as though it had a mind of its own.
“When I found out, I cried a lot.” Tarnish held out his right front hoof, but did not touch Megara. “I didn’t know… I didn’t realise. I wish I had known… I wish I had known…”
Lifting up her own paw, Megara reached out and touched the extended hoof. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the hoof that her paw rested on. Her ears pivoted around as she concentrated, and keen feline-equinoid intelligence could be seen upon her face as her whiskers quivered. “We same.” The cub looked over at Pebble, then back at her own paw, and then up at her father’s face. “Same.”
“I like things that are brown,” Maud deadpanned.
Where she stood, Vinyl had changed cameras, and now, she was recording this moment on film so it could be watched later. Twilight Velvet smiled and leaned up against Wormwood. Without even looking at his face, she knew that he was crying, because she could feel his sides hitching as he tried to hold it in.
“Can… can I hold you?” Tarnish asked in a hesitant voice. “I’m so scared that I’ll make you uncomfortable or scared… I’m a stranger to you.”
“Scared?” Megara asked.
“Yes, I’ve been scared for a while now. I’ve driven everypony around me crazy, asking them what do I do if you don’t like me… I think they’re all a little fed up with me.”
“Only just a little,” Pebble said in a deadpan that matched her mother’s.
“You have something in common, Mister Teapot.” Twilight Velvet’s voice held a mother’s reassurance. “Megara here has been scared this whole trip, fearful that she would not be wanted. She has been beside herself.”
A large tear rolled out of the corner of Tarnish’s eye, down his cheek, and then splashed onto the floor, leaving a tiny puddle. “I’ve felt so bad… I hate my father… he’s a deadbeat. And when I learned about you… I… I…” Tarnish’s words trailed off and he shook his head.
Megara stepped forwards, closer to Tarnish, and sniffed him, her whiskers quivering. Reaching up, she placed one paw upon his neck, pressing it against him, and then, closing her eyes, she rubbed her face and ear against his neck in a display of feline friendliness. “Hold Megara.”
“Okay.” Tarnish swept the cub up and wrapped his foreleg around her, content to sit on the floor and hold her close. He felt her tail curl up around his foreleg and he held her just a little closer, almost squeezing her. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know… I didn’t realise that manticores and ponies could…” He fell silent, unable to finish what he had to say.
“You want?” Megara asked.
Tarnish did not reply, not right away. A pained expression crossed his face and he squeezed his eyes shut tight for a moment. When he opened them again, more tears spilled out. “I want…” he began, “I want a chance to make things right. I’m never letting go of you, Megara.”
“Well, Wormwood, our work here is done.” Twilight Velvet gave a sidelong glance to her sniffling companion. “Mister Teapot, there are some papers, and yes, I know how you feel about bureaucracy. I’ll return at a later time so that we might go over them and sign them. Right now, you need time to get to know your daughter. If you want to win her affection, I recommend canned sardines, Mister Teapot. She adores them.”
“Oh?” Tarnish looked up, blinking away tears.
“Come, Wormwood, pull yourself together. Happy endings are our business and our business here is done. Let us get you home.” Twilight Velvet turned her head and looked at Maud. “Thank you, Mrs. Pie, for making this easy. You’ll need to sign a few adoption forms to be listed as her legal mother. It takes considerable moral fibre to agree to adopt sight unseen.”
“I like what I got.” Maud’s voice was flat. “She’s brown and fuzzy, like a rock covered in lichen. What’s not to like?” The stony mare moved closer to her husband and placed her muzzle close to his ear. “Look, somepony thoughtfully included a ribbon on your gift, Tarnish. We’ll have to keep it.”
“Ready to go, Wormwood?” Twilight Velvet’s hooves clattered upon the stone floor as she turned to face her companion. “Do you need a hanky, Mister Wormwood?”
“Nope, I’m fine.” Wormwood sniffled and wiped his eyes with his wings. “Nothing wrong with me. All these plants, allergies. I need some fresh air, Mrs. Velvet.”
“Very well, Mister Wormwood. Let us away… this story has a happy ending, and we have other stories to work on, like your own. I should very much like to see little Silver Lining.”
