//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Tales from Tinies: Pupa's Purpose // by Pixel Berry //------------------------------// Back at the peaceful shed of the secret changeling hideout in Ponyville, Doomy was sleeping, Web-Head was reading a book she ‘borrowed’ from a rather cute stallion she came across, and Eyeballs was busy doing his own work. Everything was peaceful and quiet… Until Pupa literally slammed the door open. All three jumped. “WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!!” Doomy screamed. “THEY FOUND US!!! BATTLE STATIONS!!! RED ALERT!! WE'VE-” Web-Head knocked him out with her book. “That takes care of that.” She smirked before turning back to Pupa. “Welcome back, your highness. Did you get some Tinies, ponies, or pony-people?” She didn't answer as she went to her bag and started looking for something. “Where are they?” She spoke in a not-so-friendly tone. “Where are who?” “And let's avoid playing the pronoun game.” Eyeballs added. “The freaking scarabs! Where are they?” She said as she threw her bag beside her and used her wings to fly into Eyeball’s room to see if he had them. “Whoa! What's going on? Woke up on the wrong side of the cocoon this morning?” She didn’t answer as she found the scarabs and flew into her own room, slamming the door shut and started preparing the scarabs to call her ‘mother’. ‘She has a lot of explaining to do.’ She thought. Knocking came to her door. “Pupa? Is there something wrong?” Web-Head asked. “Yes.” She plainly says. Web-Head opens the door the same time the scarabs activate and it does it little magic show before the green screen formed. Doomy and Eyeballs were right behind Web-Head. “Ow… what happened?” Doomy asked, rubbing his head. “You acted like an idiot and she knocked you out.” Eyeballs answered bluntly. The image came, but it was dark, with some green. The darkness was lifted, only to reveal that Chrysalis was sitting on it. “Ugh! Who placed it on my throne!?” She demanded. “You're an idiot if you did that!” She cleared her throat and turned to Pupa. “I wasn't expecting you this early. So, have you found the minimum?” “No mother, but I did find something out.” She still had that glare, it being somehow more intense as she was looking at her mother. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth!?” She suddenly asked. Chrysalis looked at her confused. “What truth?” “That I’m actually a tiny!” She said, her not-so-happy tone into one of more anger and hurt than anything else. “... Oh no, you're not a Tiny. Just a different Changeling is all.” “Just quit it with the lies! I know that you wanted to be just another changeling, but I was too slow.” She said. “I know you used a spell to make this happen.” “What spell? The only spell I do is make eggs.” “And turn ponies into changelings.” She said as she stomped her hoof. “How could you lie to me? Right in my face. I never had a egg shell to begin with, and there were no other creatures that died.” She said. “I… I saw that their were others… like me. B-but they were colorful just like those other changelings. They told me that Thorax used that spell on them to keep them alive. Just… why couldn’t you tell me the truth?” Her angry look changed to one of hurt and heartbreak. Chrysalis blinked then hissed loudly. “YOU WENT TO THAT TRAITOR!?!?!?” “I had no choice! I was trying to ‘socialize’ with the tinies, but two of them went into Twilight’s bag. I got them out and I couldn’t escape without being caught! I tried to stay hidden, but what they said about you, saying that you were weak and that your pride ruined the hive. He saw my reaction and knew that I wasn’t who I looked like. He… he told me everything.” She looked away as her pointed ears went down. “THORAX IS THE WEAK ONE!!! ALL THEY SPEW OUT IS LIES!!! YOU ARE CLOSE TO BECOMING A TRAITOR YOURSELF, PUPA!!!” “And how do I know you’re not lying about that because of your pride mom!?” She shouted back. “When I went there, everything was colorful. There was life every angle I looked. And unlike you, he didn’t have to yell at his subjects to do his bidding!” Her eyes started to glow a neon green. “For all I know, I could’ve been kidnapped by one of your bug-brain of a soldier! So why don’t you tell me the truth instead of filling my mind with lies!” “TRAITOR!!!” “YOU’RE THE TRAITOR!” Chrysalis smashed her side, cutting off the message. Eyeballs and Doomy hissed at her, though Web-Head was pained by what was going to happen. “We're sorry… Pupa.” She whimpered, turning around and covering her ears. Doomy and Eyeballs pounced onto her, hatred burning into their eyes. Pupa’s ears were still down as she covered her face and fell to her knees. She started to tear up as she began to sob, hating that her mother would lie to her… and that she was called a traitor to her own mother. Then a shot of pain erupted in her body, as the sharp tip of Doomy’s fangs pierced her body, ejecting venom into her, and being tossed to a wall like a doll. Pupa screamed in pain as her back connected with the wall, bending one of her wings as she fell down and was now limp on the floor. She was still alive, but paralyzed by the venom. She could only feel and look as her shirt was stained in black blood, the blood coming out through her mouth as well. Tears were mixing with the blood as she was now being treated like a traitor by her used-to-be caretakers, more so on the one that tried to lift her spirits yesterday. She fought through the venom as she slowly lifted her upper half, touching the wound that was his two fangs that went right through her. She could only look up at the three changelings, each giving their own look of anger or disgust. “I…I’m...s...sorry.” She barely spoke before the venom was too much and she finally went unconcious. “You had the chance.” Eyeballs spoke, picking her body up. He walked outside, in disguise, and put her limp body in a trashcan. “You had the potential to be a great leader.” He closed the lid. Within the unconscious mind of Pupa, she was dreaming that Chrysalis was walking away from her. Pupa began to tear up again as she ran to her and grabbed her hind leg. “Please mom, I’m sorry. I take it all back!” Chrysalis looked down at Pupa, her neutral expression changed to one of disgust. “Ugh, get off of me.” She shook her hoof as Pupa came tumbling back. “And don’t call me mom, creature.” The pain in her chest got worse as she only shed more tears. “No. Momma! Don’t leave me.” She got up and was about to run, but a different holed hoof got in her way. She looked up to see that it was Doomy. “The queen said that she wanted nothing to do with you freak!” His horn lit up as she was picked up and flung farther away from the two. She fell on her side as she could only watch the two fade into the darkness. She couldn’t hold it in anymore as she started crying out loud, her eyes shut as her tears dripped from the bottom of her chin. She covered her eyes again as the familiar voices of her changeling siblings echo through the black void of her mind. “Freak!” “Creature!” “Outcast!” “Traitor!” The last part was just a repeat of her mother’s final words to her. At this point, she felt that she didn’t have any reason to be here anymore. Her only family left her, and she had no one to turn to. No one would help her… cause she was nothing but a freak of nature. She wasn’t human or changeling. And she fell into a pit of despair and sorrow. “I'm sorry for what happened, but it's not over.” Luna’s voice spoke, breaking the darkness. She lifted her head from her hands as she didn’t have any expression on her face. “Yes it is.” She said in a tone that matched her emotionless expression. “If it were over, then I wouldn't be able to speak to you.” “That’s only cause you go into my dreams without even caring how I feel when a complete stranger is talking to me.” She replied as she placed her hands down, one of them covering the wounds in her stomach and below her chest. “It's because there are other ways that can bring peace, for you, us, and your mother.” “Queen Chrysalis isn’t my mother anymore...” She simply said. “And if the place I was raised in kicked me out and wants nothing to do with me, then how will the others to which I was told to stay away from do. I have no family… no friends… nothing.” She teared up again, but didn’t close her eyes or stop them from following the same path as the tears she shed before. “Maybe not now, but in the future, you will. And perhaps you should make contact with those you've tried to avoid; they may be more relatable than you think.” “You think they would trust a freak like me? I highly doubt it.” She said as she looked down at the floor. “And I’m still part ‘bad’ changeling. They must know about them and want nothing to do if I’m half of something evil.” “Thorax was born as a bad Changeling, but look at how he's changed.” “I don’t want to be like Thorax. I don’t even know if I can be like him.” She said, rubbing her hands together. “And it’s not like a different baby dragon is going to become my friend.” “Perhaps you can try it.” She shook her head. “Even if Queen Chrysalis sees me as a traitor already, I don’t think I would like being a sappy good changeling. I don’t even know if I could change like he did.” She said, thinking about how those changelings transformed into those colorful changedlings. “Even he didn't know if he would change. But what will you do? You need help with your wounds.” “... if I still had a cocoon that might’ve healed me.” She mumbled as she only placed her hands on the stained shirt. “It doesn’t matter anyways, I don’t even want to try.” “You need help. Perhaps Thorax can help?” “I don’t want help.” She simply said. “Especially from him.” “You don't want it, but you'll need it. Perhaps the tiny couple that's about to pass can help.” “Wait, what?” That caught her off guard. Everything vanished as she jumped up, wide awake… only to feel the pain again, followed by an awful smell around her. Everywhere was dark with the light that entered showed that she was on trash. “They… they threw me in the garbage?” Her ears went down as she was close to crying again. ‘I guess I really didn’t mean much to them...’ She thought as she banged her back against one of the walls of the garbage, it being a bad idea as she shouted in paid. “Son of a--!” “Is someone inside?” The voice of a woman asked. “Huh?” ‘Someone heard me?’ She looked up. “Y-yes. Please, can you help me. I… I’m seriously wounded.” She said as she banged the inside of the trashcan again. “Oh God! Jenny? A little help?” “I gotcha.” Another woman's voice spoke. Some grunting was heard, followed by the trashcan lid pulled right off, blinding Pupa momentarily. ‘Dang it, I have to change.’ She thought as she tried to use her magic to disguise herself, only to shout again in pain as the magic using actually hurt. ‘Wh-why can’t I change. Does… does the venom numb the magic as well?’ She thought. Peering in was the silhouettes of the two women, one with a ponytail and the other with pigtails. They both gasped at the sight of Pupa. “What is that!?” The pigtail one pointed at Pupa. “It looks like a Bug-girl.” The Ponytail one answered with some disgust in her tone. Pupa was actually hurt by the tone one of the girls sounded, her ears went down as she tried to back up, the movement making the wounds bleed again and she winced. “Agh...” She tried to cover them, but it was hard covering four holes, two in the front and two in the back. The pigtail one slapped her friend. “Jenny! Don't judge her by her looks!” “What!?” The other spoke. “You know I hate bugs!” “But are you going to hate bug-people now? She's hurt!” She turned to Pupa. “Don't worry, we'll get you out! I'm a nurse, so you're in good hands!” “Th… thank you.” She weakly said before she coughed and covered her mouth, when she moved her hand away, she saw the black blood and was quick to clean it before they saw. Jenny lowered her friend with a rope (which was actually floss), and she approached to Pupa. The first thing Pupa noticed was that the woman looked to be in her early 30’s, but was smaller to her. In her right hand was a medkit, while the left was a pair of gloves and a mask of sort. “... You're much bigger than I thought.” She commented, putting on the gloves and mask. “Name's Martha. Can I get your name?” “M-my name is-” She was cut off again by another coughing fit. “Ok, perhaps later. Alright, I'm gonna need you to follow what I say, okay? Just nod, alright?” Pupa nodded. “Alright, show me what's the problem.” She didn’t do anything at first, but she slowly gripped onto the bottom of her shirt before she lifted it up, showing the two serious puncture wounds, one of them going through one of her lungs without her knowing, hence, the reason why she was coughing blood. Martha kept her meal inside of her. “I-it's alright, you're gonna be fine.” She looked through her medkit and pulled some cloth, ointments, and a sewing kit. “Alright… this is going to hurt, but it's gonna be alright. Just don't scream.” She lathered some ointment onto the cloth and, without counting, stuck it into Pupa’s chest. The immediate stinging wanted to make Pupa scream, but she held onto her breath, instead tearing up with some muffled screaming. After what felt like forever, Martha began to stitch, breaking through some of her exoskeleton, followed by some more ointment. The procedure was painful for both parties, but Pupa began to breath much better. “Thank God for that Zebra!” Martha gasped, wiping some sweat from her forehead. “Are you alright? Feel a bit better?” Pupa only nodded as she rubbed the patched up wounds a little. Martha slapped her hands. “Don't touch! Just let it be and you'll be fine, ok?” Her ears perked up, before they went back down and she nodded. “Alright, glad to see you understand. It's probably gonna take all day for you to heal, and I doubt you want to be here, do you?” She only shook her head as she didn’t want to live in a trashcan forever. “Alright. I think you should live with my wife and I until you're all done. Unless, do you know anyone else?” She shook her head again. “I… I was kicked out.” She admitted as she looked away. “Kicked out? For what?” “Probably for inviting the roaches!” Jenny remarked. “Jenny!” Pupa’s ears lowered once again as she looked away. “N-never mind. You can just… leave me here, if you want to.” She couldn’t help but sniffle as she felt she wouldn’t be accepted by anyone. “What!? No! Please, ignore Jenny, she's been by my side ever since we were in the 3rd grade. She just wants me safe, that's all. You'll should know that yes, she can be a jerk, but she has a soft spot.” “Really? I thought it was super obvious.” She said sarcastically as she stayed looking away. “If I’m just going to be brought to your home just to make things weird or awkward, then you could just leave me. You’ve done enough already and I don’t want to overstep it.” She said as she looked back at her, only to look away again. “You're not going to overstep anything… metaphorically speaking.” Pupa couldn’t help but smile a little at the joke she was giving. “Are you sure? I don’t even think I could fit through the front door.” She blushed pink as it sounded a bit weird to be saying that since she was normally the small one. “You don't have to get inside, persay. In fact, we don't live near the village, to be honest. Right, Jenny?” “Don't tell her anything!” Jenny yelled. “Not unless she's a pollinator! Like a butterfly!” “Oh quit your overreaction!” “Wait, if you don’t live in the village, then where do you two live?” She asked, one of her pointed ears perked up as she tilted her head in confusion. ‘If they don’t live in a house in the tiny village, then that could only mean...’ She didn’t finish that thought as there was only one answer to the question she just asked. “We made our own place. Lucky for us, Jenny's a farmer, and we grow our own food. Yeah, it's kinda hard to eat only plants, but those hunters make pretty good bargains.” “And squirrels!” Jenny added. “Yes, especially the squirrels.” “Well, even if you don’t live in the village, I don’t suppose you made a front door big enough for me to go through.” She rubbed the back of her neck as she looked down. Martha smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, but no, not in our house. However, we have an old doghouse that we use to hold some things that may be worth a trade. There should be some blankets inside that you can use.” “A…a dog house?” She repeated, not too sure if they were serious. “Why a dog house?” She decided to ask as she felt they might be joking. “Like we said, it holds the junk that we'll sell later. Plus, you're not the first pony person. The first one was… well-” “Took a whole month to rebuild that entrance!” Jenny yelled. “Yeah… that.” “Are you implying that I'll break the front door?” She glared at her as her cheeks flushed pink as well, thinking of if she did and how embarrassing it might look. “Uh… no offense. B-but it doesn't mean we're being mean! It's just a precaution, that's all.” ‘Precaution my flank.’ She thought. She sighed, knowing that it was either the dog house or this trashcan. “Fine. I'll live in this dog house place, but don't even think of trying to treat me like a dog. I might be different but I still have feelings.” She crossed her arms as she glanced away. “I know, you may look different, but you're still a person. I'll just have to tell Jenny to treat you better. Can you walk, though?” “I think so...” She began to move one of her legs, it feeling a bit stiff, but she was able to move one leg. She did the same with the other and used the inside walls of the trashcan to lift her off her feet. When she thought she was going to fall back down with the garbage bag sinking by her weight, her wings were brought out to keep her balanced, but she didn’t see that one was bent in a weird angle. “Oh… uh… how much do you weigh?” “I, uhm… never really looked into that.” She blushed pink. “I was never really heavy in my family.” She glanced away with the blush only spreading on her cheeks. “Yeah, hold on for a sec.” She scaled the floss rope. “Tie your waist with the rope! We're gonna help pull you up, but you're gonna have to walk up, okay?” Pupa only nodded as she did as instructed, making sure to double knot it in case the floss wasn’t strong enough for just one. While she was making sure the floss was secured around her waist, she couldn't help but wonder why these two were even helping her. ‘They should’ve been running from the hills once they saw me, yet, they're still here… helping me and even giving me a place to stay...’ “Ready!?” She was snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh, uh, r-ready.” She gripped onto the floss as she placed one of her hooves on the trash can wall in front of her. Some grunting was heard as Martha and Jenny pulled Pupa up, but she followed, walking up the walls of the trashcan, even if it felt forever. She made it over the edge of the top, seeing the lid had become a slide for her. She gripped onto the edge of the trashcan as she climbed onto the lid and she slid down before her hooves met the end of the trash can lid. Of course, the sudden stop caused her to fall face first onto the floor. Martha ran and picked her left shoulder up. “Atta girl! You'll be fine in no time. Jenny?” The other woman groaned, marching to Pupa. “You and your morals.” She said, throwing some cloth over them before picking up Pupa’s other shoulder. While Pupa didn't know why there's a cloth over them, to anyone else, they'd look like a rock. But she was quick to remember that if a tiny isn’t in the safe haven that was the village, they were a free snack to any pony that found them. ‘Hope we won’t be spotted cause of me...’ She thought as she decided to look around from where she was standing. And even with her being bigger than the two, everything looked different if she was her regular size. Everything was bigger, but some things seemed smaller as well. ‘This is weird...’ She thought. “Can we get your name now?” Martha asked. She stayed quiet for a little while longer before she spoke. “...Pupa.” ‘Not like I have any other name to go by...’ “Pupa?” Jenny asked. “Thought it was something else like Buggy… or a regular name like Taylor.” “It's her name, Jenny.” Martha replied. “A name is just a name, nothing more, nothing less.” “Tell that to our pony hunters.” “Pony hunters?” Pupa spoke with a raised brow. ‘Tiny hunters make sense, but what’s a pony hunter?’ “They're ponies and they hunt us for a snack. Where have you been? Living under a rock?” “N-no. I just thought they would be called tiny hunters instead. To, ya know, hunt tinies?” She shrugged. ‘And you could say that.’ She thought, thinking that she felt like she was living under a rock. “... Touche`.” “Where is your farm anyways? If it’s not in the tiny village, that is.” She asked as she was a little curious on where it would be located. “And why don’t you two live in the village? Isn’t it kinda like a safe haven for you tinies?” “Have you seen how cramped those places are!? Yeah, it may be ‘safe’, but to feel Claustrophobic while having a high chance of being robbed does not work!” “And we don't want to be too reliant on the ponies for food and supplies.” Martha added. “But I'm pretty glad that the ponies respect private property, unlike some people.” “But wouldn’t they at least have some extra space to give you? Their houses take more space then that town. And I know you tinies don’t take a lot of space either.” Pupa said, a little upset that they were doing this to them. ‘Ponies are so selfish...’ She thought as she glared down at the floor. “Well, yes, they gave us plenty of space to grow and expand, but that's more or less our own fault.” “Damn politicians.” Jenny groaned. “Yeah. I think it was because of some sort of house marketing, prices… fancy things that people like to ruin instead of being simple.” “But it shouldn’t be that hard to get the supplies. I bet one of those bits is enough to make a cottage for you.” She said as she looked over at Martha. “Like I said, some weird political stuff. I pity for them, but it's really hard to build your own home when you can be snatched and swallowed by anypony at anytime.” “If that’s the case, then how were you able to live out of that village?” She asked, a little curious on if the found someplace in which ponies would never go to. “That doghouse served as our home, actually. It took a few months, but we made our own home with an operational farm. Isn't that right, Jenny?” “It smelt like wet dog in there.” Jenny simply answered. “Better there than in the gut of some pony. And yes, our house does stick out like a sore thumb, but everypony respects our privacy. The ponies aren't as cruel as you'd think.” “Yet their selfish enough to not give more space for the village.” She grumbled as her ears went down. “She just said it's our fault!” Jenny growled. “Jeez, you need to listen!” “Well I’m sorry if I don’t believe is all your fault. You aren’t the one that gave the space or the one that even started all this. Magic was the cause of all of this and I know tinies never had magic before they came here.” She said. “Equestria is a giant place, yet they apparently don’t have enough space for one of the smallest species in this world.” “... Do you know what Breezies are?” Martha asked. “What? Of course I do. What do breezies have to do with this?” Pupa asked. “Think of this; they're about my size, ok? Now, being small is one thing, but they have to collect pollen for their world, for reasons I don't understand, but won't ask. Sounds simple? Well, think of it as this; they're more reliant on ponies than us humans. They require a specific breeze to not be slow, nor too fast, require minimal sounds, can be easily taken off course, and, probably the biggest one, can die! If a pony steps on or eats us, we're gonna be fine. Annoyed, but alright. However, if that happens to a Breezie, it's lights out for them. What I'm saying is this: we may have it rough, but someone, and some creature, will have it worse.” Pupa only sighed as her ears were still down and she glanced away from the two. ‘But what about those who have life better than you?’ She thought. ‘They might say that some might have it worse then them, but I know that they would be better off without these selfish ponies.’ She decided to stay silent this time around since she felt that if this went on any further, the hive wouldn’t be the only thing that kicked her out. After some time of walking, they arrived to a barn that was on the edge of the town. The house looked makeshift, but it was much taller, wider, and welcoming, not like the other houses in the village. As she had heard, a doghouse was present, looking a bit old and rundown, but still standing. Jenny took the cloth off. “Home Sweet home.” Martha sighed in relief. “You made this?” Pupa asked, her ears perking up in astonishment at how much better the house was compared to the ones at the village she saw. “Like I said, it took a long time, and it may not be five stars worthy, but it works.” “But it looks so much better than the village’s houses.” She said as she got closer to the house, seeing that there was nothing wrong with the outside structure. “Thank you for that.” Jenny spoke, holding a shovel. “That's my handiwork. Now, don't destroy it, or else this shovel isn't just going to be used for digging up roots.” “Why would I want to destroy the place that I’m going to reside in? That’s kinda like menting your bits just to see how it looks in the end.” Pupa said as she looked at the front door. ‘Even the door looks better!' She thought with widened eyes. “Need I remind you that you're freaking huge and going to spend the night in the doghouse?” “Jenny!” Martha snapped. “She's a guest, and we're supposed to be gracious hosts. Please, feel free to explore, and be prepared for supper. You must be hungry.” “Well, I am a little hungry. But you don’t have to give me anything… maybe you could share some love instead. That might hold me off if you’re low on rations.” She said as her ears went down and she messed with her hands a little. “... Love? Wait… are you an orphan!?” Pupa didn’t say anything as she looked down. “Well… I was kicked out of my home… after I figured out the truth they were hiding from me.” She rubbed her hands together as her tail curled around her. “Oh my God… the orphanage kicked you out!? I… I don't know what to say.” “I wouldn’t say from an orphanage. But I thought they were my family...” Her ears lowered as she felt a small lump in her throat. She was meet by Martha hugging her leg. “Oh you poor dear, I'm just… just so… peeved!” “I-it’s okay. I think it’s better like this anyways.” She said as she lightly patted the tiny’s head. “And I know that soon karma will get them back like they always do.” She said. After she did, a lightbulb lit up in her mind as she had a rather backstabbing idea to get back at them. “All that matters is that I’m finally free from that place.” She smiled. “Yes, oh, you poor, poor thing.” She gasped. “Um… how would you like to live with Jenny and I for a long time?” Pupa was caught by surprise as her eyes widened. “Wh-what? I… I don’t know. I-isn’t that too much?” She asked as she wanted to say no, but she was offering and after everything they did for her, she wasn’t sure if she could get used to being cared like this. “I don’t want to take space. A-and your rations might be less because of me.” “Oh please, we have more than enough food for ourselves, and you'll be a greater asset, make life a bit easier on the farm. And who knows, Jenny may have the soft spot for you as she did with me.” “I heard that!” Jenny yelled. “But how will your friends and family even think about this? I know no one would be happy that you took in a creature like me.” Her ears wilted as she glanced away. ‘Are they even going to keep me as a secret in the first place?’ She asked in her mind. “Truth be told, we have no idea where they are.” Martha answered. “Lord knows that they're alright. And if you're scared, please, hide in the doghouse; you should blend in with the junk… no offense.” “None taken.” She mumbled. “B-but what if I outgrow the dog house? I wouldn’t have anyplace to live or hide.” She said with a pink blush, not really fond of saying that. “If that happens… well, you're pretty frightening to strangers, and that's a great thing if you ask me. Unless you somehow shrink, we're fine with having a large gal living with us.” She only blushed more at her answer as she really have any reason to reject her offer. She sighed before she showed a small smile. “Alright then. I guess I could live with you two.” She glanced away for a brief moment. Martha hugged her again. “Welcome to the family, our little Pupa.” “Oh great.” Jenny groaned. “Try not to cry when something bad happens, Jenny.” Pupa could only blush once again as Martha hugged a little tighter, it not really bothering the changeling hybrid. “Come along, I'll give you a tour of the farm before I make dinner. Good ol’ Chowder.” “What’s chowder?” She asked as she never heard of that before. “It's like soup, but thicker and tastier.” “What's soup?” She asked a different question. Martha turned to her, then sighed. “We're gonna have to be your teachers then. Jenny!?” “I got it!” Jenny yelled, walking around the corner and dragging a carrot that was her twice her size “This is just proof that even in a pony world, the education system is horrible!” “What's that?” She asked as she picked up the carrot on the other end and picked up Jenny who was still holding it. “Something you'll understand in the future. And please, I don't need your help.” “O-oh, sorry...” She let go of the carrot as it fell back down on the floor, bringing Jenny down as well. Jenny dragged the carrot into a cellar, but put on an apron and a wielder mask, and a large saw. Pupa watched her do this before she remembered what Martha said. “Wait, teachers? Does that mean I have to learn more stuff?” She couldn’t help but groan as she laid down on the floor. “Why can’t I stop learning..?” She mumbled to herself. “I don't know what you learned,” Martha spoke. “but you're gonna need to learn how to function like a person… albeit, a tall person. I just have one question: how do you learn?” “By going to school?” She shrugged as it was a bit obvious. “I was first taught by my family, then I spent one day in that pony school.” She rubbed her arm a little. “... Huh… I guess I'm gonna have to talk to Cheerilee about this.” “What?” Pupa was confused. “You know Miss Cheerilee?” “We may avoid being eaten by our larger neighbors, but that doesn't mean we flat out avoid them. We're both friends with some ponies, though I'd say I'm more of the social butterfly than Jenny.” “I only approve Applejack!” She yelled before getting back to her job “But…why are you talking about Cheerilee?” She asked as she brought her legs together as she sat down on the floor. “You said you went to school over there, and I would like to say that you're skipping class, but seeing you like that… well… I'm certain she will understand and not lower your grade.” “Well, I was only going to be here for a little bit, but I guess something came up.” She said, referring to her being kicked to the curb. “Wait… you were with a traveling orphanage?” “Sounds more like kidnappers!” Jenny yelled. “I was only supposed to be here for a week. But I guess this trip was just meant to be a disaster.” She looked down. “I even accused them of kidnapping me when I was a baby. But they didn't answer and called me a traitor for going against them.” She added. “Called it!” “Oh… that must be the most messed up orphanage you had to live in.” Martha spoke “But don't worry, you'll have a new, much better family.” “Yeah…” She mumbled as she looked away. ‘Why couldn't they have told me the truth?’ She thought as she looked up at the sky. “Come along, we've got a lot of stuff to cover.” “But where do we even start?” Pupa asked looking back down at Martha. “Just your general knowledge, see where you need work on. I'm not sure about history, so we'll leave that out for now.” “I know a bit of Equestria history.” She said as she glanced away. “Well, that's better than what we know.” She lead Pupa into the doghouse. Inside was practically junk everywhere: various books, old electronics, various tools, blankets and pillows, and a truck. “I know, it's a mess, but we'll be able to fix it up in a few days or so.” “Well, I've never seen so many stuff…that I don't know what they are.” She said as she looked around and was quick to pick up one thing, only to put it down and pick up another thing. “Well, you get yourself associated with these objects. Who knows, we may keep a couple for you. Saves some time and money from getting toys.” Martha walked into the house. “Get the pot ready, Jenny!” Pupa continued to explore the dog house and just try and figure out what they were and what they were meant to do. She could only imagine how much different they'd be if she weren't so huge… and what the heck a toy was. ‘Heh, imagine tinies hearing me wanting to be smaller.’ She smiled as she was putting her hands (Or, fingers) in a plastic bowl. At least she knows what that's called. She turned to see both Martha and Jenny setting up a large campfire outside of the doghouse, followed by carrying a large cauldron filled with water and diced vegetables in it. “Hey, do you need any help?” She asked as she crawled out from the dog house. “Yes, please.” “No.” Jenny answered bluntly, rubbing two sticks on one of the logs. “O-oh…okay.” She mumbled as she only sat down and watched since Jenny didn't want help from her. A flame came from the logs. “Jenny,” Martha spoke in an annoyed tone. “Let her help.” “Not unless she can make water boil faster.” Jenny replied. Pupa didn’t say anything as she looked down, her ears going down as she could barely do anything without her magic. Martha sat next to her. “Well, I guess we can chat more, if you want. Anything you want to talk about? Learn some of the objects, maybe?” She turned her head to the inside of the dog house, but her eyes averted to the sky. “What’s that?” She looked up at the twinkling lights in the sky. “Those are stars, Pupa. Balls of gas burning light years away, giving us some light in the dark night. But, that's back home, I'm not too sure how they're like around here.” “Why are they even up there? Do they have a reason?” She asked as she continued staring at the stars. “Not sure in Equestria, but back home, they were other suns that hosted other planets. But, we were never able to get out of Earth, all thanks to our lack of technological advancements.” “Damn politicians.” Jenny growled, pouring in some milk into the cauldron. “If there isn’t a reason for them, then why are they even there?” She asked as she glared up at the stars. “They’re useless...” “Not really,” Martha continued. “back then, sailors used the stars as a map to know where they're going, as some seemed connected together, forming basic pictures of different things, all with a story. Plus, it just makes the night a bit more beautiful.” “Is that more stuff from your tiny world?” She asked. “And beauty is useless since it has no purpose...” She said, looking down at the floor as she was talking more about herself. “Yes, but I have a feeling that it's relevant here. And what do you mean by that? If you mean looks, I can agree to an extent, but there's other ways for beauty to shine.” “How can beauty be so important? It doesn’t help you in the long run.” She stayed looking away as she wasn’t used to this much conversion. “Of course, not outer beauty, but inner beauty, and I don't mean just being healthy.” “...so what else do you mean by that?” She asked with a raised brow. “A good soul, Pupa. Knowing what's right and do them, even if it's near impossible to do. Everyone has their screw ups, but we need to learn from them and better ourselves. Trust me, nobody's perfect, and neither am I.” “I guess that makes sense...” She mumbled. “But what’s...” She stop mid sentence as her ears perked up and she thought she heard something from a distance. “What's what, Pupa?” Pupa was still quiet, but once she didn’t hear anything anymore, she snapped out of it. “N-nothing. Never mind. I… just forgot what I was gonna ask.” “Aw, very well.” “And it's done!” Jenny announced, getting herself a bowl full of the thick liquid that had a lot of vegetables in it. She took a deep whiff of her creation and let out a deep sigh. “Ahh~... Just like Grandma used to make… before the retirement home kicked her out.” She chuckled, handing it to Martha. Martha held the bowl to Pupa. “You have to try Jenny's Chowder, Pupa! If it were possible, your tastebuds would sing. Careful though, it's hot.” Pupa couldn’t help but tense up as the bowl was offered to her. “N-no, it’s okay. Jenny handed it to you, s-so it’s obviously meant for you.” Her ears went down as she could smell the unfamiliar scent of the meal and wasn’t sure if it was safe to eat. “Pupa, you have to try it. We have all night.” “Do… do I have to?” Her ears went down more as she glanced away. “Pupa, do want to go to bed on an empty stomach?” “...no.” She grumbled. “Then try it. You don't want Jenny to be angry at you, now do you?” Pupa looked to Jenny, who glared at her. “I think she was angry with me as soon as I was brought here...” She mumbled as she looked away again. Martha glared at her. “Eat.” Jenny ordered bluntly, pouring another bowl. Pupa huffed before she snatched the bowl away. “Fine.” She glared at her before she turned away and merely looked down at the bowl. ‘Looks like a pile of lumpy goo… kinda like the expired slime in the cocoons. Except this isn’t black.’ She thought as she nearly gagged at eating something related to that. ‘Why did I even think that..?’ “Pupa?” Martha spoke, tapping her foot rather impatiently. “Eat.” “Alright, sheesh.” She wasn’t in much of a good mood anymore as she was now regretting on taking their offer. ‘If this is how they're going to treat me, perhaps I should try and return it.’ She thought. She didn’t waste another second as she didn’t want to see their dumb angry faces anymore, taking the chowder as if she was taking a big sip of water. Almost like a large dosage of a medicine she was being given. She barely had any time to really think about how it tasted before she swallowed it. “There, happy?” She put the bowl down beside her as she was feeling the inside of her mouth with her tongue, trying to find some form of flavor that she missed. “So how was it?” “It’s… okay, I guess.” She rubbed her arm as she wasn’t quite sure what to say. ‘I guess I would eat it if there were no other options, but if I had better choices, I’d choose them.’ She thought. “Okay?” Jenny asked. “Just okay!?” “You shouldn't have said that.” Martha spoke, taking a step back as Jenny marched to her. “Alright, Missy!!! You should know that while I may be hard to work with, no one, and I mean, NO ONE INSULTS MY COOKING!!! IT'S MADE WITH LOVE!!!” She brought a bowl to Pupa. “Eat it again. And tell me it's better than ‘Okay’.” Pupa couldn’t do anything but whimper, now being more than scared of this tiny. Her ears folded down as her body was also low, like a scared dog with even her tail tucked between her legs. When the second bowl was offered, she didn’t complain or even tried to avoid it as she ate it at the same quick pace. This time she did taste the flavor, and she even began to think it was better than okay. “Go on… chew, and then swallow.” She did as told as her mouth was once again void of any remaining flavor of the chowder. “Well… how is it?” “I-it’s better than okay.” She said in a scared tone as she slowly backed away a little. Jenny raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that it?” “I’m s-sorry. I n-never tasted a-anything like this...” She stuttered as she glanced away, her head close to the ground as she was now able to look up at her for once. “S-so I d-don’t even know if I l-like it… b-but I could t-taste the l-love in it.” She added. “... Alright, I'll take that as a compliment.” She began to drink from her bowl. Pupa only stayed quiet as she curled close to herself, not liking this one bit. ‘So is this going to be my life now? Being put in a dog house with unknown items, made to eat whatever they cook, and even forced to say nice things about it… while being looked down upon by one of them?’ She felt the familiar feeling of a lump in her throat as she only wished the next day will quickly arrive. Martha gently placed her hand on her arm. “Hey, it's alright. Would you like me to be with you for tonight?” Pupa didn’t answer as she even tensed up at Martha’s touch. “I don’t think Jenny will like that.” She mumbled as she looked down at the ground. “I will deal with her tomorrow. For now I think you need some shut eye.” “...okay.” She mumbled as she also nodded. Martha lead her into the dog house, placing a bunch of mattresses on the floor, and followed by pulling all the available blankets out. “I'm going to have to sew these blankets together tomorrow, Pupa. Sorry for the inconvenience.” “I-it's okay. I have a feeling you'd never expect this to happen.” She couldn't help but smile as she knew that was true. She was then guided by Martha to sit on the stacks of mattresses. “How did you get so much of these anyways?” “Some people leave their stuff out in the open before finding their way to a village, or, more than likely, get swallowed by somepony. We take this stuff and sell them to other travelers, mostly for food and other supplies.” “Do you ever try to return the stuff?” She asked, laying down and curling close to herself as she brought some of the quilts over to her. “... No. I mean, we don't know who left what behind, and we need some sort of payment. Yes, it seems wrong, but you sometimes have to perform the necessary evils to survive. But try not to think about it, most of these people already forgot about this stuff.” Pupa didn’t ask another question as hearing the ‘necessary evils’ made her think on if her mother lying was necessary. If she told her the truth, would she want to find her real family… does she even have a real family? It was interrupted, however, as Martha kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, my sweet Pupa.” She walked back into her house, turning off whatever light was on inside. Only the campfire was still present, though Jenny scooped what was left of the Chowder into a small container, probably saving it for later. She left the area, entering her house, leaving only Pupa with the campfire. Pupa was stunned in shock over the kiss. She didn’t even know what that was, but… she knew that a kiss was a sign of affection. ‘... M-mother never showed me affection… not like that.’ She blushed pink as she placed a hand on the spot the kiss was, feeling the love from it as it only made her blush more, and even smile a little. She closed her eyes, figuring this was going to be a good change of life. Pupa found herself on a beach, hearing the waves crashing nearby. On her left, Luna sat under an umbrella, wearing sunglasses and reading a book titled ‘Seashells 101’. Pupa didn't say anything, but looked away as she made her hooves dig deep in the sand she was sitting on. “So, you didn't need any help?” Luna asked, still reading from her book and not turning to her. “Looks like help found you with an odd couple. Perhaps it'll make a great difference in your life. Or maybe you finally found the family you never thought of. But knowing you, it's something else. Is it?” “I’m not going to stay there for long. I have no need for them to push me around. I am the former princess of the changelings and will not lower my standards just cause they see me as a traitor. I will get back at them, and I’ll make sure they’ll know it was me.” She smirked as she rubbed her hands together. “They’ll pay for what they did.” “Are you sure about that? If my Changeling knowledge is correct, thanks to Thorax, but if you're classified as a traitor, then you're no longer entitled to whatever role you came as, including royalty? And they didn't seem to lower their standards to you.” “You think I don’t know that?” She glared at the princess. “I know that I’m not going to be a queen anymore, but I will still show them that I will not take what they did. I will show them that I’m not some prissy pony or tiny like your subjects. They don’t know that I’m alive, therefore, I can get back at them without them knowing.” She walked over to the ocean with an evil gleam in their eye. “And I have a feeling that only the queen and those three changelings know of my so called ‘traitorous actions’. So this’ll be as easy as taking love from a foal.” She stepped her hoof into the water as it changed from a clear blue to a mixture of blood red and oily black. “And if this is my purpose to rid of those lying creatures, then so be it.” “... This is not going to end well for you, physically, psychologically, emotionally, and morally.” “I do not care for my sake. If you came here to try and find a good side to all this, then this is your good side. I’ll expose those changelings, give you the location of her hive, and you can get all the changelings you want. And if they don’t want to redeem themselves, then I guess they better get cozy in the dungeon. And make sure that Queen Chrysais’ is the darkest, dirstiesnt, and coldest cell you got. It’ll match her cold and dead heart.” Her hand opened up as the goo that was part of the cocoon formed in her hand and changed to a figure of the changeling queen. “And I want to see her face once she realize she made the horrible mistake of lying to her only daughter.” She crushed the figure as her eyes glowed green, not seeing that the bump on her head was growing and forming into a black tiara with a green orb in the center. “And become the thing you want to destroy in the process?” “You should know that things should be sacrificed for the greater good of Equestria. Or more like your sister knows that feeling.” She smirked. “And if I cannot be Queen of the Changelings, then neither can she.” “... I pity you, Pupa. Seems the cycle will only continue.” “It won’t continue. I’ll stop it once all those changelings are behind bars.” She looked back at her. “And I know that you also want to have a little talk with the queen after she kidnapped you and your sister.” “Hmm… you must tread carefully, Pupa. If you are to falter, then you will become just like, if not, worse than your mother.” “Don't worry about me. It's just baby steps.” She smiled. “And as ponies say: like mother, like daughter…to a certain extent.” She said as she saw the area around the two waver. “Seems like our time is up. I know you also want to show her how much of a princess you are to that vile creature.” “I do, but not out of vengeance. But you need help. A hero.” “I don't need any hero. I'm not some damsel in distress, I can take care of myself.” She flicked her tail at her as she turned away. “Not to save you, but to aid you. You will meet him in the tiny village.” “Him?” She raised a brow. The dream faded… followed by a familiar clucking noise, and a scream.