Chapter 3
The sun rose slowly over the mountains east of Ponyville. Few ponies roamed the streets as most were still happily abed. A few birds had begun their morning chorus, their soft twittering gracefully rousing a few of the town's lighter sleepers from slumber. A gentle breeze blew through the streets, promising a cool day ahead. All was peaceful.
"AR-AROO-AROOOOOOOO!!!"
As such, no-one could blame Autumn for waking up with thoughts of murdering the local rooster menace.
She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, grumbling about roast chicken. Note to self, find out whose bird that is and pay them to let me kill it. Sighing, she threw off her blankets and rolled out of bed, landing on her paws. Her jaw stretched in a silent yawn as she walked over to her new dresser, rearing up and placing her forelegs on top. She blinked blearily at the orange face before her, rubbing her eyes a few times before looking again and sighing at the fox that starred back. "Every time," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Every time I get a new bed. It'll take a week before I can keep from transforming every night." She did her best to clear her mind, wiping away the morning grogginess and the desire to commit poultricide. She filled her mind with a single image: that of a sky blue pegasus with a yellow mane and tail and an oak leaf cutie mark. She felt the familiar sensation of her body changing, her muzzle shortening and thickening as she grew incisors and molars, her legs and torso expanding as she grew upwards, and her shoulders rearranging themselves as a pair of wings grew from her back. When Autumn opened her eyes again, she smiled at the orange pegasus that greeted her in the mirror.
"Morning, foxy," she said, flashing her canines in a grin. "Ready for your first day in town?" She replied to herself with a wink before turning to her door, unlocking the lever handle lock along with the recently installed deadbolt and chain lock. Despite Ditzy's claims that the extra locks were excessive, Autumn was determined to not take any risks.
Finally getting her door open, Autumn trotted out of her room and down the hall to the stairs, sniffing a few times as the scent of breakfast reached her nose. Mmm, waffles. With blueberry syrup and... more muffins? She shook her head, chuckling as she walked down the stairs. Guess I know what this family's favorite food is.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she turned and walked across the hall to the large kitchen that doubled as a dining room. Amethyst was already sitting at the table, her brow furrowed as she read a book held in her magic. Ditzy was over at the counter, watching over a waffle iron as she stirred a pot on the stove. "Morning, everypony," Autumn said, taking a seat next to Amethyst.
Amethyst grunted a greeting while Ditzy spat out her spoon, grinning over at Autumn. "Good morning, Autumn. I hope you slept well."
Autumn shrugged. "Well enough. I always have a hard time getting used to a new bed." Her face morphed into a scowl and a soft growl escaped her throat. "Not to mention being woken up by a feathering rooster. If I find that bird, Geralt's going to be cooking up his cousin."
Amethyst snorted, looking up from her book. "Good luck with that. The Apples' rooster has been menacing this town for months. They've said that anyone who catches it off Sweet Apple Acres can do what they want, but they won't let anypony hunt him on their property, and the stupid bird knows it. He runs straight there after his first crow of the day. Nopony's been able to catch him yet."
"Yeah well, I'm not just anypony," Autumn grumbled. "Give me a week - ten days tops - and we'll be sharing chicken sandwiches at the Hayburger."
Ditzy grimaced, turning back to the pot. "Pass."
"You know what?" Amethyst grinned. "You're on. You manage to catch that stupid bird, and I'll let you introduce me to meat. Least I can do to get back at that featherbrain is take a bite out of him."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Autumn said, holding out her hoof. She grinned as Amethyst bumped it with her own. "Now I'm really motivated. That bird is going down!"
Ditzy rolled her eyes as she removed a batch of waffles from the iron, pouring in the last of the batter before closing it again. "Congratulations, Autumn. Your first morning here, and you've already corrupted one of my daughters." She gave the syrup another few stirs before trotting into the adjacent workroom. "By the way, we've got a really light load today. How do you feel about flying a couple of packages out to the outskirts of town?"
"Probably better than trying to find my way around with the general mail," Autumn admitted. "I was actually planning on just walking around and getting a feel for the layout of the town today, but I think I can handle a package or two."
"Great!" Ditzy walked back in, a mailbag in her mouth. She set it down by the table before turning to check on the waffles. "We got a few packages in for Fluttershy. She's the wildlife manager for Ponyville, along with handling pet adoptions, taking care of the local critters, and generally keeping an eye on the animals around here. She lives in a cottage south of town, right near the Everfree."
Autumn blinked. "The Everfree? As in, the Everfree Forest?" Her eyes widened and her ears wilted. "As in, the place where monsters roam and nightmares run wild? The forest of beasts that even Tartarus couldn't hold? The Gaping Maw from which nopony returns?"
Amethyst nodded, turning a page. "Also known as the Doom Wood, the Forest of Fear, the Unending Run..."
"The Place of Lost Hope," Ditzy added, removing the last of the waffles and bringing a huge stack of them to the table. "The Feywild, the Breading-Ground of Terrors..."
"The Haunted Crypt of Nature."
"The Path Unwalked by the Living."
"The Forest of Death."
"Lifebane Hollow."
"Neversleep."
"Hunt of Haunts."
"Ghost-Realm."
"Fold of the Fallen."
"Mother of Tartarus."
"Father of the Nightmare."
"And Those-Darn-Creepy-Woods-That-Twilight-And-Friends-And-The-CMC-Keep-Going-Into-For-Some-Reason." Amethyst snickered as Ditzy set the pot of blueberry syrup on the table. "Honestly, anypony but them can barely step inside without facing a pack of timberwolves or a manticore, but those nine never have any problems."
Autumn stared in shock, her mouth hanging open. "I... didn't know about most of those," she admitted, shaking her head. "So, is it really as bad as they say?"
Ditzy waved her off. "Nah, most of it's just exaggerated. Sure there's a lot of monsters in there, but they mostly keep away from the edge. You've just got to be careful of timberwolves around Zap Apple season."
"I see." Autumn swallowed nervously. "And you're sure it's safe for this Fluttershy to live so close to the Deathtrap of Equestria?"
Amethyst grinned, thumping a hoof on the table. "Knew we were missing one! But yeah, she's fine. Nopony can handle animals like Fluttershy. She knows how to keep the more dangerous ones away."
"If you say so. Hopefully they'll stay away while I'm theYIP!" Autumn scowled over her shoulder at the gray unicorn filly who had glomped her tail. "You're going to do that every time, aren't you?"
"So fluffy!" Dinky giggled before snuggling deeper into the mass of orange.
Autumn held her glare for only a moment before it broke into a warm smile. Dang it! She's just too cute to stay mad at.
Dinky Doo, Ditzy's younger daughter, had first introduced herself to Autumn the exact same way. Autumn had been talking with Ditzy about the layout of Ponyville at the table when she'd felt a sharp tug on her tail. A quick investigation had revealed an adorable unicorn filly with her mother's colors nuzzling it, squealing about how fluffy it was. After a quick introduction, and a slightly longer chastisement from her mother, Dinky had bombarded Autumn with question after question regarding her travels, he likes and dislikes, and whether she had a special somepony. By the time Amethyst had arrived home from work, Dinky was half-way through a long and often tangential account of her life story.
"Yeah yeah, her tail's a big, fluffy fuzzball," Amethyst said, rolling her eyes as she levitated her sister off of Autumn's tail. "But how about you find a different way to greet Autumn. One that isn't this." She reached forward and bit Dinky's tail, giving it a quick tug before plopping her down in her seat.
"Ow!" Dinky rubbed the base of her tail, glaring at Autumn. "Mooom! Amy's being a brat again!"
"Well, she is your sister," Ditzy replied, sitting down as she rolled her eyes. "But she does have a point. Why don't you think of a nicer way to say 'good morning' to Autumn?"
"Hm..." Dinky looked down and tapped her chin, her face scrunched in serious concentration. After a few moments, her eyes lit up and she grinned at Autumn, eyes closed and ears perked. "Good Morning, Miss Autumn! Can I pretty please hug your fluffy tail?"
Must. Resist. Urge. To. Glomp. Cute. Unicorn. Autumn reached over and ruffled Dinky's mane. "Maybe some other time," she said. "For now, let's just enjoy this wonderful breakfast you mom's prepared."
"M'kay," Dinky replied, grabbing a couple of waffles from the stack. She turned and narrowed her eyes at Autumn's tail, grinning evilly. "You won't escape, pretty tail," she whispered as her mother spread blueberry syrup over her waffles. "Nopony escapes Dinky Doo's hugs. No-tail, either."
"Should I be concerned that she's talking to my tail?" Autumn whispered to Amethyst.
Amethyst shrugged, taking a huge bite of her waffles. "I think she's been hanging out around Pinkie Pie too much. Don't worry, your tail will be fine." Her horn lit up as Dinky lunged for Autumn's tail again, only to come to an abrupt stop as her own tail was enveloped in her sister's purple magic. "I'll make sure of that."
"Hey! No using magic on me!" Dinky shouted, rubbing her tail again. "Stop being a brat!"
"I know you are, but what am I?"
"I know you are but- hey! That's my thing! Mom!"
"So you'll want to fly straight south out of town," Ditzy said as she cut her waffles, happily ignoring her two daughters as their bickering escalated. "There's a road there that forks after a few hundred feet. The western curve leads to Sweet Apple Acres, and the eastern curve leads to Fluttershy's house.
"Should be easy enough," Autumn said, raising an eyebrow as Dinky and Amethyst started blowing raspberries across the table at each other. "I, um, I guess I just need a uniform, then."
"I put one of my spares with Fluttershy's packages in the cart out back," Ditzy replied. "It'll do until Rarity - she's the seamstress in town - finishes up your uniforms tomorrow. She'll want to see you sometime today to get your measurements, so stop by her boutique on your way back. It's the one that looks like a giant carousel."
"So that's what that place was."
Ditzy nodded before glancing at the clock. "Girls, if you don't finish soon, you'll be running late."
Dinky and Amethyst broke of their tongue-sticking-out contest (Amethyst had been winning) to look at the clock. Both of them gasped and began shoveling food into their mouths while Ditzy got up and went into the workroom. She returned dressed in her uniform and was just slipping her bag over her shoulder when Amethyst finished off her milk and whisked her and Dinky's dishes into the sink with a wave of her horn. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom," she called as she rushed out of the room. "See you, Dinks. Autumn, Dinky has a crush on Rumble!"
"Wha- Bu- AMY!" Dinky's cries of indignation were cut off as Amethyst slammed the front door shut. Her gaze slowly turned to Autumn, who bore a downright predatory grin. She let out a few weak chuckles. "Um, you can just forget about what Amy said, right?"
"Don't bet on it, Muffin," Ditzy said, setting Dinky's small saddlebags on her back. "Come on, let's get you off to school." She tipped her hat to Autumn before leading Dinky out after Amethyst.
Autumn chuckled to herself as she got up and started washing the dishes, figuring she'd do something nice for the family that had taken her in. Good girls, all three of them, she thought. Her cleaning slowed and she sighed, staring down at her orange hooves. Let's just hope they don't mind when they find out they're living with a monster.