//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Smell Apples, Eat Apples // Story: The Star Child // by Joeycrick //------------------------------// "Come on..." Applejack grumbled underneath her breath as she took another glance around the park. "They should've been here by now! What's takin' 'em so long?" Rarity lifted her sunhat, glancing out from her resting spot at the base of a nearby tree. "Do be patient, Applejack," she replied as she levitated out a hoof filer. "I'm sure they'll be here soon." "But it's not like Twi to be this late to one of our get-togethers," Applejack pointed out as she gave up her search and returned to the picnic area. "I highly doubt she just forgot about it, and even if she did, she should've been rushin' up here by now after Rainbow reminded her." "I wonder what happened," Fluttershy murmured, scattering some seeds around for the nearby birds to feed on. Pinkie Pie suddenly zipped up to Fluttershy in a flash, causing the birds to scatter and Fluttershy to give her an annoyed look. "Maybe Twilight was visited last night by an extra-terrestrial!" Pinkie blurted out. Everypony in the vicinity simply stared at Pinkie Pie with blank looks on their faces. Rarity rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, darling," she sighed. "What even gave you that idea?" "Just a hunch," Pinkie simply answered, pointing her forehoof at the bridge across from her. Everypony else looked in that direction, and started grinning upon seeing two approaching figures. "Twilight! Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called out, waving her forehoof. "Hey guys!" Twilight called out, trotting up to the picnic area with Rainbow Dash and Spike beside her, and saddlebags hanging from her sides. "Sorry we're late, I got a bit caught up in something." "Yeah... something BIG," Rainbow Dash added. "Is that so?" Applejack replied with a smug grin as she held up a basket. "Well then, how about you tell us about it over-" "Yoshi!" That sudden squeal resulted in a small yelp from Fluttershy, Applejack dropping her basket in surprise, and Rarity accidentally scuffing up her hoof with her filer, her eyes widening in horror. "What in tarnation was that?!" Applejack exclaimed. Twilight simply chuckled and tilted her head sideways, revealing the source of the noise: a small, green creature riding on her back. "Guys, meet Yoshi the Dinosaur," she said as the others slowly approached, looking on in awe. "Uh... Yoshi?" Applejack muttered with a puzzled look. "Is that thing wearing... shoes?" Rarity remarked, pointing at Yoshi's feet. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest!" Fluttershy zoomed up to Yoshi, grinning widely as she leaned in closely, petting the dinosaur's head. "I've never seen a creature as adorable as you before!" Yoshi giggled in delight as Twilight slowly levitated him off her back and onto the ground in front of Fluttershy. "Yoshi!" he squealed again. "Awww!!! And his voice!" Fluttershy giggled as she crouched down to eye level. "That's just precious!" "What kind of creature is that?" Applejack asked Twilight as the animal caretaker continued gushing over Yoshi. "Some sort of dragon or somethin'? Where'd he even come from?" "He's a dinosaur," Twilight explained. "He showed up at the library last night in an egg, and he just hatched a short while ago. As for where he came from... he's from a completely different world, actually." "I knew it," Pinkie muttered. "A different world?" Rarity repeated, her eyes widening. "But what's he doing in Equestria?" "His home world's under attack," Twilight told her. "His parents sent him here to protect him, since he carries an incredibly powerful magic inside of him. The Princesses already know about him, actually. They dropped by the library earlier." "Who's a cute dinosaur? Who's a cute dinosaur?" Fluttershy was playfully tickling Yoshi's belly as he lay on his back, laughing and waving his arms. "Well, ain't that just the sweetest thing," Applejack replied with a warm smile as she watched the two of them play. Then suddenly, Yoshi stopped squirming as he sat up straight and began looking around him, with a slightly puzzled look on his face. "Oh dear..." Fluttershy's playful expression turned into one of concern as she leaned in close. "Is something wrong, Yoshi?" "Yoshi," the dinosaur simply said as he continued looking around. "Do you know what's happening with him, Twilight?" Rarity asked nervously. Twilight shook her head. "I couldn't find anything at all about him," she said. "I don't know if it's a species-related thing, or if his power sensed something, or-" *grumble* Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, you're just hungry," she said gently, touching Yoshi's stomach and feeling the rumble underneath her forehoof. Yoshi's response was a nod of his head. Twilight slapped her forehead. "Oh right... you haven't eaten yet, have you?" "But what does he even eat?" Spike wondered out loud. "I don't think that letter said anything about that, did it?" "Ooh! How about some cupcakes?" Pinkie Pie was about to reach into the tree and grab a hidden stash, until Twilight pulled her back with a disapproving look. "Not until we learn more about his species' diet," she replied sternly. "You don't have anything on him, remember?" Rainbow Dash scoffed as she reached into Applejack's dropped basket. "How else are we supposed to figure out what he eats?" Yoshi's head suddenly snapped upwards, catching everyone's attention. "Okay, now what's he doing?" Rarity asked. "What is it, Yoshi?" Fluttershy said, looking at the dinosaur in concern. Yoshi remained motionless for a few more moments, until suddenly, his nose began to bulge slightly, accompanied by... "Ooh!" Fluttershy let out a grin as she suddenly realized what was happening. "I think he smells something!" Sure enough, Yoshi's giant nose was sniffing the air, having picked up a delicious scent. He began wandering around, following the smell as everypony watched. Suddenly, his head snapped in the direction of Rainbow Dash, and he slowly approached her, continuing to sniff. "Uh... what's he doing?" Rainbow Dash asked with a nervous look. Suddenly, Yoshi's nose stopped twitching, and his eyes widened. "Yoshi!" he squealed, pointing at Rainbow Dash... or more specifically, the apple she was holding in her forehoof. Rainbow gazed down at the object she was holding. "You mean this?" she said as she began moving her forehoof around. Yoshi's gaze was firmly locked onto the apple as it moved, his lips smacking and drool coming out of his mouth. "Of course," Applejack chuckled as she shook her head and reached into her basket. "Who doesn't love the freshly-picked goodness of Sweet Apple Acres? Hold on a sec while I get you-" *SLURP! CHOMP!* Everyone's jaws dropped as they began looking back and forth between Yoshi and Rainbow Dash's now-empty forehoof. The cyan pegasus's pupils shrank to the size of ants as she continued staring down at her hoof, still trying to process what just happened. "Did he just...?" Twilight muttered slowly. "Uh..." Applejack's hoof was still in her basket as she very slowly pulled it out, staring at Yoshi the entire time. Keeping her hoof steady, she held out an apple. Yoshi looked at it for a few seconds, then his mouth opened... ...and a long tongue snatched the apple right off Applejack's hoof and into his mouth, swallowing the entire thing in one gulp. Applejack quickly pulled her hoof back. "Whoa nelly..." "That's a LONG tongue..." Rainbow Dash muttered as she grabbed another apple from the basket. She raised it to her mouth... *SLURP! CHOMP!* ...and bit down on nothing. "What the...?!" she blurted out, turning towards Yoshi with a glare. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" she challenged as she grabbed another apple from the basket, only to have Yoshi snatch it up. "Pfft..." Twilight giggled as she pulled a notebook and quill out of her saddlebags and began jotting down notes. "'Loves... apples...'" she muttered, watching as Yoshi kept eating apples right out of Rainbow Dash's hooves. "'Has a... huge... appetite...'" "How'd ya like them apples?" Applejack teased as Rainbow lost yet another apple. Eyes narrowing, Rainbow Dash snatched up the basket and flew up to the tree branch above her. "Ha! Let's see you eat these now!" she taunted as she held out an apple, before taking a huge bite out of it and tossing the core aside. Puffing up his cheeks, Yoshi jumped as high as he could, but not high enough to reach the branch. He tried a few more times, but kept falling short. An annoyed Rarity crossed her arms. "Seriously, Rainbow Dash?" "Hold on a sec, Rare..." Applejack nudged the fashionista's shoulder and pointed to Yoshi, who was still trying to jump onto the branch. This time, though, he was waving his arms and legs wildly. And somehow, not only was he floating in the air, he was slowly rising. "Hey Twi... get a load of this," Applejack muttered, nudging the alicorn's shoulder. Twilight looked up from her notebook and her eyes widened. "Whoa... how's he doing that?" she gasped. "Keep it down, Twi," Applejack interrupted, a mischievous grin on her face. "Don't spoil it yet." Rainbow Dash, oblivious to what was going on, snickered as she threw aside another apple core, her eyes closed in satisfaction. *SLURP! CHOMP!* Rainbow Dash reached into the basket for another apple, but felt nothing. Her eyes snapped open as she picked up the container and found it completely empty. "How in the...?!" she yelled out. "Yoshi!" Rainbow's eyes widened as she slowly lowered the basket and found the culprit: a small, green dinosaur standing in front of her, smiling as he patted his stomach. "You've gotta be kidding me," Rainbow deadpanned. "Alright, that's enough," Twilight chuckled as her horn lit up and she gently levitated Yoshi onto the ground. "Well, we've learned a bit about you, little guy!" she said as she gestured to the notebook with a smile. *BELCH!* "Yoshi!" the dinosaur exclaimed, returning a smile of his own. Then suddenly, he let out a loud yawn. "Wow... poor guy must be tired," Fluttershy said as she watched Yoshi curl up on the ground, his eyes closing as he began drifting off to sleep. Twilight pulled a small blanket out of her saddlebag and gently draped it over Yoshi's body, taking care not to wake him up. As she stepped away, a giant bubble appeared at the edge of Yoshi's nose, pulsing with a steady rhythm as he slept, just like his egg did. "I have to admit..." Rarity murmured quietly. "The little fellow manages to look adorable even when he's asleep." "Yep, he sure does," Twilight answered, smiling as she gently kissed the dinosaur's head. "Sleep tight, little star." "Please tell me we still have more food left." "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash... Pinkie's got ya covered!"