//------------------------------// // Oson's Day // Story: Changeling Holidays // by CrimsonCowboy //------------------------------// Changelings. They live amongst us. They feed upon us. And like us, they have holidays. There is a reason there was a fairly sweet smell ever present in the old hives. Everyday, for some reason or another, there was a reason to serve cake. ------ Oson's Day ------ An alarm clock beeps. A green bubble of telekinesis yanks it out of the wall and throws it at the other. A gryphoness stirs next to the changeling in the bed. "Ugh..... What the fuck, Oson, why'd you set it so early..." She immediately perks up. She throws the sheets off the bed, and picks up Oson, twirling her about. "Oh my gods, it's Oson's Day! It's Oson's Day!" She plants numerous kisses on the barely conscious changeling's head. Oson shakes her head from inside the gryphonesses grasp. "Tami, I know.... That's why we made the cupcakes yesterday..." Tami is bouncing, Oson still in her clutches. "I'm gonna see a changeling name day! Oh my gods, I'm so fucking stoked for this!" Oson is still trying to wake up. "These happen every hundred days, Tami, they're special, but they happen three or four times a year.... They're not that special..." "Oh, hush you. It's really special, ok? I'm going to meet all the other Oson's and oh my gods, if they're all half as cute as you are?!" Tami squeezes Oson while making a distinctly girlish squee she would later distance herself from. Oson smiles before looking up at her girlfriend. "It's not all the Oson's, only the ones near Canterlot. But we'll be making a conference call to a lot of the others. "Plus we can expect a few other non-Oson's who don't have enough folks nearby to celebrate with on their own day. It's just a name-day, you know?" Tami squishes her face into Oson's and nuzzles her. "Don't care. My first time seeing one, and I'm your's to show off. Oh, for fuck's sake Oson, take some pride in this!~" Tami picks Oson up, twirls around with her, throws her into the air, and catches Oson on her back. "This is going to be so cool. Name day, cupcakes, and me. Oh my gods, Oson. I'm so super stoked for this shit." Oson nibbles affectionately around Tami's left ear, causing Tami to giggle. Oson speaks quietly, "We can expect them to come by in a about an hour. My saddlebags already have the notes I wanted to share inside them." Tami runs out of Oson's room, while Oson pulls their saddlebags along with her magic. They stop in the kitchen for a quick snack of Toaster Strudel things and for some high grade caffeination - ie, a jar of instant coffee with water poured into it. Tami takes most of it, but Oson takes a cringeful sip. She prefers her coffee beverages to be relatively weak and very sweet, so she doesn't enjoy Tami's creations. They head back upstairs to brush their teeth, have a not very brief but sufficently quiet shower together, and then prepare to head out. They nearly forget the cupcakes, but grab them and a bunch of napkins on their path. It was Oson's Day - the second day in the changeling Name-Day paradigm, after Naught's Day - which was typically held at night. There would be the ever so common questions about how the numbering system started or ended which all to often came to naught. Oson takes a peak outside of their living room's curtains, and notices something is amiss immediately. She immediately flies to her filing cabinet inside her room before returning. "Tami, we've got a party related emergency. We haven't even started yet, and there are already fifty people outside." She presses a pink file folder into her girlfriend's talons. Tami looks at the folder, then at Oson. "Contingency plan?" Oson nods. "Contingency plan. We can make this work. But I need you to get Java up and brewing, and if Quantum can shift those items from Screwdrivers to our front yard, we should be solid. I need to get a feel for what the folks below are doing, and I need you so very muchly to deliver those notes with explanation to our neighbors and the guard." Oson quickly pecks Tami on the cheek, and rushes outdoors, speaking in the ultrasonic language unique to changelings of "Highspeak". Oson is trying to gauge the party goer's emotions. Every minute seems to bring another one. Tami pounds on Java's door. He stumbles, drunkenly out of the door. "Hey Tami, what's up?" Tami shoves a note from the folder into Java's view. His eyes, hidden behind his bangs, never the less scan the document. He raises his head. "This, um, this legit? We're at this level of participation?" Tami gestures at the window. Java looks out of it at the growing crowd. "Aw, crud. OK! Man, I always wanted a real cooking challenge! This is going to be FUN!" Quantum Shift, hearing an excited Java Stout, is notably worried, as many of the times Java has been excited have resulted in property damage or physical harm. She pokes her head out of her room. "What is it this time?" Tami shows Quantum the document Oson had left her. Quantum looks it over, then looks out their window. "Why didn't I hear them? There are like, dozen's of 'em already." Tami smiles. "Highspeak. Between changelings, they communicate in ultrasound. It's what makes up the hive-mind mythos - they can just share data wicked fast and undetectable to us." Quantum is rubbing her eyes. "You know this how?" Tami lightly boops her on the snout. "Why is it only me you hear yelling when...." Quantum raises her hoof to silence the smirking griffoness. "OK! OK! That's quite enough, just what do you want me to do?" "This is a list of items we need from Screwdrivers. We can probably count on Java for the cooking bits, but we need some seating, some tables, and a keg or two." Tami shakes the folder, and notices it's jingling. "Woah, she left some bits in here." Quantum accepts the folder. "OK, and what are you going to be doing?" Tami smiles, and points at a single item in the file folder. "Winging it over to the guard with intent to announce an impromptu block party, sending messages to relevant parties, and then winging it back here to invite all the neighbors so they don't feel left out. Should only take an hour." Quantum holds her head. "Try to get something cater-y while you're out there. Java's amazing, but I know he won't be able to make enough to feed all these..." A yell is heard from the kitchen downstairs. "HA HA! All of the rice! I'm picking up where I PILAFFED!" The hiss of rice meeting hot oil is heard, followed by sounds of stirring, crackling, and cackling.. She shakes her head. "Though he is damn well trying." ----- The party was an unanticipated success. When Quantum showed up with the four-by-fours on her back and two kegs mounted to her side, cries of joy went up. Benches were set up with the planks. One of the tables was moved outside to hold the items Java was cooking and a few speakers to supply sound. Java was looking progressively happier, drunker, and more filthy as the night progressed. Last, and not least, a number of other residents of their street took up the option to join the festivities, bringing over some drinks and chips. It was a perfect evening - and then a final guest arrived as Java was bringing out a fresh batch of pretzels. A stocky pony with a small cart of donuts and airpots full of coffee entered the yard. It was none other than Donut Joe. Java tilts his head. "Dad? Why are you here?" Donut Joe gestured at Tami. "Heh heh heh, this one right here said ya' guys were having a party. I know yer mum doesn't really go in for parties, so she's mindin' the shop. Figured I'd deliver these by hoof. Come'r, kiddo!" They hug, the familial love positively rippling off them to the benefit of all the changelings gathered. They break the embrace, and make short work of distributing the confections. They settle back with a beer and one of the pretzels. "I see y'er cooking's just as good as always, kiddo. You should come by the shop, say hi to y'er mum, maybe even give us a few pointers!" "Yeah, I'd like that. I haven't been there much since last summer." Java takes a long slurp of beer. "I don't think I'll need to work there next summer, though. We got a really big grant for all this research we're doing. I mean, if it'd help you guys out, yeah, I'd be glad to." Joe slaps Java's back and chuckles. "Nah, don't worry 'bout that. The new kid is workin' juuust fine. I'm glad you're enjoying what y'er doing so much - we just want ya' ta be happy. Yer mum's still a bit concerned with, well, your drinkin'. Ya probably should do somethin' 'bout that, ya' know?" Joe tilts his head, a small sad smile gracing his face. Java looks down. "You're probably right, dad. Maybe I should finally build that breathalyzer, keep track of this stuff... At least I haven't been arrested recently. Oh! That reminds me. Did you know I graduated?" Joe nods. "We got yer' diplomas on the wall, next to the health department certificates." Java's expression grows to one of extreme concern. "Wa... why didn't you tell me?" Joe throws his head back and laughs. "Me an' your mum, we had a bet on how long it would take you to notice! It's an even numbered year, so I guess she won!" Java breaks into laughter at that. The two continue to catch up on each other's lives, as the party continues. ----- Oson is introducing a few changelings to Tami. "Tami, this is Twefy fo' Oson, Twefo o' Oson, and Ehtyn ni' Oson. Osons, this is my girlfriend, Tami Owlson. Twefy fo' Oson is an art student, Twefo o' Oson works in the library, and Ehtyn ni' Oson has been a lecturer in electrical engineering since before the Wedding Invasion. You might know her from that that microcontrollers course we took." Tami offers her talons to the changelings with a worried smile. They notice this and start to react, before Tami in turn notices their actions and waves her talons. "No, no, I'm not offended by changelings." She points at her Oson. "I'm dating that one, after all. I just... I didn't realize what it meant, that you were all named Oson. I'm... gonna get confused really fast." Twefy fi' Oson slaps her forehead with a hoof. "Tami, it's a name day. That we all have the same last name is kinda the point." Tami awkwardly smirks. "It didn't occur to me? I was just so excited, alright?" Ehtyn nods. "It's a common enough problem." She reaches into her saddlebags and pulls out a rather large number of rolls of colorful electrical tape. She says something in highspeak, and the other three changelings nod. Twefy fi' Oson says to Tami, "Ehtyn's been around a fair bit, and she has a solution that is both attractive and really clever." Ehtyn begins placing small strips of colored tape on the three other changelings, and then her self. Tami immediately recognizes what the color coding means. "Red Green Green Black Brown. Two Five Five Zero One. Twify 'fi Oson." She picks up her Oson and hugs her. "I fucking love you nerd-lings so much." Oson nuzzles Tami back. "Resistance is useful." Ehtyn takes her leave to distribute tape to the other changelings who don't have some kind of distinctive clothes and who are interested in being a bit more memorable to the assorted species present. ----- Quantum Shift, meanwhile, has made another run to Screwdrivers, to retrieve parts for an idea a Twefo nin' Oson suggested. He elected to join her and help carry back some of the lighter items, while she carried the heavy wood. And the paint. And the metal rods. And the brackets. And another two half kegs. Quantum was rather large for a female earth pony. And she exercised regularly. She was not of the sort, though, to really enjoy large parties. Meeting Twefo was a nice break, and the idea he had was both extremely generous and would get her away from the party proper for a few minutes. Once they returned, she called out, "Hey, any of you guys work in construction?" A few changelings and a pegasus flew over to her. "I need these cut on those lines, sanded, sealed, and painted, and then bolted to those parts." A changeling nods. "Clever. I think we can probable get one of the artsy-fartsy folks to do that trick - that paint drying spell, I'd bet some of 'em know it." Quantum smiles. "Let's do this." In the span of half of an hour, it is complete. A pair of see-saws, strong enough to even hold up Quantum. The little ones from around the block present at the party rush towards it. Twefo helps sorting them onto it, making sure that everyone gets a fair turn. Quantum idly muses to herself. "I wonder what would happen if we applied a spatial contraction field to that... I'll just make a note of that, I really don't think we should warp space around a play thing. Maybe a smaller test... Or just after all the kids are gone..." She pours herself a beer, and fails to mingle. She pours herself another beer, and continues to fail to mingle. She begins to assemble a small structure with the clean cups. An idea hits her. And then she frowns. She shouts, "Hey, anyone still sober here?" A few changelings and a diamond dog raise their hooves and paws. "I've got an idea, but there are breathalyzers on the power tools at Screwdrivers. I think I'm a bit too drunk to get them to work, and I could use your help." One of the changelings nod, as does the diamond dog, and they make another journey to Screwdrivers. Heavy metal conduit and large bolts are purchased. Time is rented on the anvil and the drill press. Once everything is prepared, they load up Quantum and return to the party. Quantum and her two helpers make short work of assembling... A large metal dome frame. Twefo heaves a sigh of relief as the lines for the see-saw's vanish to play on the dome. Quantum smirks. She pours herself a beer, and fails to mingle. She gets an idea. ----- As the last party attendee leaves, Tami surveys the damages. There are bits of trash strewn about the yard. There are stains on the speaker system that will probably come out with a bit of elbow grease. There is a Java Stout, picking up debris and only occasionally sipping from a cup. There is an entire park's worth of playground equipment strewn about the yard and street, with tags on them indicating who either purchased them or won a raffle. There is a Quantum Shift, rebandaging her hoof, injured when she attempted something with the seesaw. There is a beautiful changeling quietly snoozing on her back, drunk on beer and the good cheer that this one party had brought to the entire block. "Happy Oson's Day."