Cloud sighed happily as he snuggled up to the changeling beside him. He and Pandora were just lying beside each other, nothing to worry about. Except the possibility of discovery seeing as how Pandora wasn't wearing her disguise. But fortunately Beat offered to stand guard for them. Aqua had vanished to get some snacks and had yet to return. Cloud wasn't too worried though, if something would have happened he would have heard it by now. One upside to what happened was that he, Beat, Pandora, and Aqua had been registered in the spell formula for the changeling detection spell so they never had to worry about someone discovering them that way. Pandora sighed before saying,
"This is nice. It's been so long since we just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company without rushing around to do something or go somewhere." Cloud nodded before hugging her gently and resting his head on top of her's. Pandora looked up at him and then at the door.
"I wonder when Aqua will be back. If we're going to be looking after him from now on we should probably keep a closer eye on him." Beat laughed.
"Ya kidding? The kids probably off eating way too much candy and stealing stuff. You guys are terrible parents." Cloud threw a pillow at him.
"Shut it! I'm trying to enjoy the moment and listening to your snarking isn't helping." Beat simply stuck his tongue out before Pandora said,
"I don't know, maybe he's jealous he doesn't have a pony to cuddle with." Cloud laughed as Beat shot her a glare.
"I'm not jealous! Honestly I don't see how you're attracted to a pony, they're too cute and cuddly to be sexy." Cloud pointed at him.
"Aha! You do want to snuggle with a pony!" Beat turned towards him and started floundering,
"What! N-no! Ponies are lame! Sooooo not metal and if you haven't noticed I'm waaaaaaay to metal for that gay stuff." Pandora giggled while Cloud and Beat exchanged glares. Cloud smiled before saying,
"Whatever you say. But seriously, what's taking Aqua so long."
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Aqua hummed as he trotted down the corridor. He'd been searching for the kitchen for a while, but hadn't found it yet. As he turned a corner he entered a room with a plaque on the door that read "break room." Inside was a group of mares sitting on a couple comfortable looking sofas. His eyes widened when he saw one in particular. She had a midnight blue coat so dark it was almost purple, a silver mane, fangs, and batwings. Also she had cute little ear tufts.
"Whooooa." At Aqua's sudden vocalization, all the mares jumped and looked at him. The only thestral present, Gleaming Silver, quickly stood and glanced suspiciously at him and called to a unicorn mare,
"Hey, check him real quick." When the spell came up negative, Silver breathed a sigh if relief. She turned to the small colt and have him a questioning stare.
"Hey kid, what are you doing here." Aqua continued staring at her before saying.
"I was visiting Mr. Cloud when I got board so I asked if I could walk around and they said yes so long as I don't leave the castle so I git lost and then I walked in here and then I saw you. Can I touch your wings?" Silver blinked at the rapid response before expressing her thoughts on the matter.
"...Huh?" Aqua trotted over and sat on the couch next to her, looking her up and down with wonder. Silver sighed, deciding to nip the next question in the bud.
"And before you ask, no, I'm not a vampony. I'm a thestral. Also, please don't call me a batpony, it's pretty insulting." Aqua cocked his head in confusion, ears flopping to the side as he looked her in the eyes. He was surprised to see they were gold in color, and the pupils were slits.
"Well, of course you're not a vampony. You're too pretty to be a scary monster." Silver looked taken aback while the other mares started giggling. One joking said,
"Oooh, looks like somepony's got a crush on you Silver, and he's such a little charmer." This prompted a glare from Silver and more laughter from the mares. Silver felt a gentle touch on her wing and looked down to see Aqua gently running a hoof across the flight membrane.
"It's so soft." He said. He looked at his own back and then absentmindedly touched one of his ears.
"I wish I was a thestral, not a unicorn." Silver's heart practically melted as all the mares gave a quiet "daaaaw." Silver wrapped her wing around him and pulled him into a hug, feeling him quickly hug her back.
"You can stay here for a bit if you want, probably better than wandering around." This was met by very enthusiastic nods from both Aqua and the other mares. The unicorn who cast the spell practically squealed,
"Can he sit with me next? I wanna hug him."
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Cloud started when he heard Beat give a quick whistle, the signal that someone was coming. Pandora quickly got back into disguise and a voice said,
"I know you migh not wish to see us, but this is important." Without hesitation Cloud replied,
"Cone in." In walked the princesses, Shining Armor, and the mane six. They all sported nervous smiles and both Beat and Pandora were glaring at them. Cloud squinted at them, unsure of why they all looked so familiar.
"Have we met bef--" he was cut off by a sudden bust of sensations flaring inside him. Pain. Cold. They were there. Pain. Smelled like blood. He saw Shining throw him into the cell wall, a manc look in his eyes. He saw the steely hatred on the princesses' faces. He saw the looks of disgust. He remembered.
Cloud's eyes widened and he scooted away from them, ears pinning back. Shining stepped forward prompting a flinch and a quiet whimper.
"N-no s-stay away!" Pandora wrapped him in a hug as Beat stood between the two groups.
"I thought we made our thoughts perfectly clear. Get. The f#*!. Out." The ponies all flinched at his language. Cadence stepped forward.
"That's why we asked if we could come in, to see if he was fine with seeing us." Beat growled.
"He apparently didn't remember who you were until now, given his sudden reaction. Oh! Maybe you didn't hear. You know all the times you bashed his head into stuff? Well now he has memory loss. And there's a good chance he'll always struggle to focus and remember stuff. So if you would please, leave until he is completely ready to see you. If ever!" The group of ponies left, discouraged. As the door closed behind them, Luna addressed the entire group.
"Fear not, I have sent for some ponies who will help poor Cloud though these trying times! They should be arriving about midday tomorrow. With their help, we can hopefully increase his recovery!" Everyone perked up at the news. Twilight asked,
"Who are these ponies?" Luna winked at her before responding,
"Tis a surprise."
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Meanwhile, Aqua was having the time of his life. As he was passed to another mare, he laughed as she tickled his belly eliciting adoring "Aaaaaw"s from the others. As he hugged her around the barrel he couldn't help but wish the afternoon would never end. For years he'd wanted to meet a pony. And now he was getting hugged by a whole bunch of them. He snuggled his cheek into his current holder's fur, enjoying how soft and comfy it was.
I never ever wanna go back to the Hive ever again!