Chapter 6
Brains Before Brawns
As we left Saffron's apothecary, the lime pony was studying the leaves of a flower that her visitor had asked to study. When asked about where we should first stop to meet with the townsfolk, she mentioned something about the council hall in the middle of town. She then returned to pluck a petal off the flower and place it on a slide and held it up to the sunlight.
Me and D4 looked at each other and left the plant pony to her work. We trotted along the sunny road, our desitination vague and our hopes high. We trotted along the dirt roads, our destination vague at best. The sunlight glistened off my orange coat, and we noticed the old mare from before sitting on a porch of one of the houses, the clicking and clacking of her sewing needles paused their work as we cantered closer.
"Well well, if it isn't the newcomers! How're you folks liking the town so far?" she called out from her place on the rocking chair. She sat in human fashion, which was odd, when you considered their anatomy.
"Just fine, Summers. We're actually just wandering around looking for something to do. Do you have anything you need help with?" I pointedly ignored D4's burning gaze as the old mare sat with a hoof raised to her chin.
"Well, I don't need anything done per se, but I heard that there was going to be a beach dinner party today and the ponies needed some help setting up. It's a good thing you came with all the hay, too. We can make some proper hay frys and burgers!" Hay burgers? I knew there were hay fries, but burgers? It just wasn't the same without the meat.
D4's gaze was burning through my temple as I asked, "Are you going to be coming along with us?"
"Oh how I wish I could, but I must finish repairing Angler's hat when he comes back with the rest of the fishers. I'm sure you wouldn't want an old stick in the mud at a young pony party, anyways."
"Sorry to hear, hope you finish that hat soon and join the feast!" I waved at the smiling mare and started to trot off.
"I'll hold you to it, Lucky!"
I chuckled as we trotted away, D4 followed every step like a silent shadow. Once we were out of hearing she stepped in front of me with a scowl on her disguised stallion face.
"Stop being so damn nice."
"No." I stepped around her, wanting to continue on our journey.
"Seriously, we need food and you're not helping. I probably could have started to feed already if you would just make them angry!"
I sighed, "We went over this, D4. We have to get to know everypony before getting them mad. Starting fights is a good way of collecting anger, but it's also a good way of getting ponies thrown out and left to starve. Last time I checked, that's exactly what's happening to your hive."
D4 stopped walking with a shock, then she drooped her head and walked up to my side with sorrow on her face. "You're right."
I nodded before lifting her head up with a hoof, and gave her a small smile, "That doesn't matter, what matters is getting you guys fed. We can only do that if we know how to lightly tap their buttons, and not to mash them repeatedly. Nobody likes to play with buttonmashers."
"What?"
"Nevermind, we have a party to set up!" I yelled, my hoof pointed forward in a dramatic pose. With that I ran off towards the direction of the ocean, D4 running alongside me.
We reached the beach where the kids playing with the beachball were starting a new game. I noticed a few new arrivals as well, there was a couple over to the side relaxing in the sunlight together, and a group of ponies were setting up what looked like a bonfire. It would have been a perfect setting for summer, but despite the chilly winds and water, the sun was beating down rather heavily on the beach. It wasn't hot, but it was definitely relaxing with the calm ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun on our fur.
I was content on watching other ponies have their fun while I sat in the background, ready to help somepony if they needed it. A few ponies started building sand castles that were rather large and extravagant, at least, until the tide swallowed them up. And then, I kid you not, somepony brought out a frisbee and started tossing it back and forth, trying to catch it with their mouths. Fans of the 'indirect kiss' would have gone wild if they knew.
After a bit of cajoling, me and D4 started to play frisbee as well. Swapping saliva fears be damned, frisbee was a fun game no matter what species you are. More ponies showed up and after what seemed like hours have passed the ponies have brought in the food. There was hay fries and burgers, with a few salads and pasta dishes from Jack Flash himself. There weren't many ponies here, but given how a tenth the population of the town was here, it seemed like a fairly decent turnout.
While everypony mingled and talked and ate, me and D4 hung out in the background, watching everypony go about their business. This is where I always felt most comfortable in social gatherings, and being a changeling hasn't changed (pun intended) that fact. A few ponies tried to start a conversation with us, and I complied with talking a little bit before noticing that ponies had stopped and listened in on our words, perhaps hoping to get a gleam of information about the two strangers from so far away. After that I just stared at the sand and stopped talking, I apologized to the pony I was conversing with and backed away until I felt comfortable again.
A few ponies tried getting me to talk again, but I didn't want another repeat of last time so I politely declined. I continued watching the conversations and listening to a few snippets for two reasons; one to collect information and gossip about other townsfolk to complete the objective, and two because I genuinely wanted to know these ponies, and I really wanted to have a conversation with them. But they continued their conversations and paid no mind to the silent pegasus in the corner, and I was reminded of how I didn't have many friends back on earth because of this stupid and incessant fear.
I shook my head, not wanting to go back down that road again. I noticed the sun had dipped a lot further into the horizon that I had thought, so I gave a nod to D4 that it was time to split, and we left the fifteen or so ponies to continue whatever it was ponies did when they wanted a beach party to continue. As I turned back my question was answered by a small plume of smoke and a red glow from the middle of a circle of ponies.
As we trotted to our second and last, destination of the town, D4 gave me that 'trying to figure you out' stare that I've so recently have become accustomed to. "You talk quite a lot, did you know that?"
I was kinda stunned at this, I've never thought of myself as one to talk, but before I could rebuke her accusation, she continued, "You like to talk, but you never really talk when your the center of attention. It's kinda hard to have conversations while trying to stay on the sidelines, you know?"
"Alright," I replied, "I don't like crowds. I can deal with ponies in small numbers, but when suddenly there's a whole group of them I don't like being the one talking. When I'm in a group, I would rather listen than talk. I don't know why, I just do. It's something I've had to face my whole life, ok?"
"Your whole life?" I nearly smacked myself for not watching my mouth closer, "You were hatched only a day ago, what life could you have possibly had in that amount of time?"
"It's a long story," I growled under my breath, angry at myself, "let's just continue as if I hadn't said anything, alright?"
D4 didn't seem to like that one bit, but she kept her silence. I wouldn't be surprised if I had gotten brain damage from the holes she kept staring into my head. Eventually, we reached out last stop - The Serpent's Cove. It was a small building that was nestled in the corner of the town, facing away from the ocean. The evening sun shadowed the sign that depicted a sea serpent holding a mug and having a generally good time. Our cart was just to the side of the building, now vacant of any hay.
The entrance was an old school western style swinging door, which swung noiselessly as I took a gander around the inside. I expected some sort of standoff here, with the patrons of the bar and the newcomer silently judging each other before returning to their drinks. What I was greeted with was one pony in the corner drowning his sorrows in a pint, and a few players of a card game. And Tender as he watched us from his position behind the bar.
I trotted up to the bartender with a confused expression on my face, "I thought this was a salt saloon?" I asked as I pointed a hoof at the drinks.
Tender smiled causally, "Salt's only part of the saloon, alcohol is the other half of this place. You'll find most taverns sell both salt and alcohol, both are accepted ways of relaxing and enjoying the day. Why not have a few drinks on the house, being travelers and all I don't expect much of a tab from you two."
Huh, so salt wasn't the substitute for alcohol. So what exactly was salt to ponies? My imagination conjured up a pony trying to straw some salt, but found the idea ridiculous. The pony inebriated on salt on the show clearly asked for a glass of water, making the point that salt was ingested through the mouth.
My wandering mind was corralled back into my head as I ordered us both a Salty Dog, and I watched as Tender added a bit of salt and mixed it with the gin. I tossed it back, and I cringed as I felt it burn all the way down my throat and give me a warm feeling in my gut. I wasn't much of a drinker in my days, but I liked to get buzzed every now and then. I thanked Tender and watch D4 take a taste of the cocktail. On her first sip, she nearly gagged on the alcohol and salt, but swallowed it nonetheless. The next few sips weren't as dramatic, and eventually she finished off her Salty Dog as well.
She gave me a frown and I chuckled at her discomfort. Me and D4 chatted with the purple bartender about random things, but mostly about the town and its inhabitants. Tender was even kinda enough to supply a couple more drinks for the company.
He told me that the fishermen of this town usually go out and get a great haul of fish, but as of late the amount of fish coming back was growing smaller and smaller, and everypony was getting worried that there wouldn't be much fish left. From there I thought about what that could mean for the town; the trade would disappear when Minnow's Rest have nothing to offer, and without that small bit of trade the town's small economy would vanish and the town would essentially be dead.
That was definitely a nugget of info I'd like to use, but the contented buzz I was feeling threatened to make sure I remembered nothing of this if I kept drinking. I started to wonder just how strong salt was when I looked over at D4. It was clear she never had a drink before in her life, but it looked like she was handling it quite well. She stood mostly to my my side as me and Tender started talking about something about different types of mixtures, but I couldn't remember what. She pulled me to the side with a wide eyed look on her face and fear in her eyes, and I felt the haze lift a little at how severe D4 was making the situation.
"Lucky, whys'the world shpinning? I feel... like it's gonna topple me over and shpin away."
I sighed a bit of relief at her statement. I assured her that everything is fine and she just needed to lie down. She complied as she plopped herself onto the hard sticky floor, her disguised chest rose up and down evenly. I suppressed the urge to giggle and bent down to pick her up with one foreleg around her, she leaned heavily on my shoulder in response. I bade my farewells to Tender as he went back to work and left the bar.
It had apparently turned dark, and I realized we must have been in there for a while. I needed to get back home in order to release the disguise. I wouldn't want to have to change back in the middle of the street. I walked down the dimly lit road for a moment, not quite sure where I was headed, when I accidentally bumped into another pony. It was strange, because I didn't see this pony before he was there, but now he was. He looked kinda familiar, but my hazy mind couldn't picture where I've seen the colt before.
"Looks like your friend is out cold, miss. Let us gentlecolts take you home." Once he spoke, more stallions came out of the wood work. Soon three more stallions surrounded me and D4. I sensed something was off, these ponies were drunker than I was. I could even see one of them wobbling where he stood. Poor guys just couldn't seem to *hic* hold their liquor.
One of them approached me and tried to lay a hoof on me. I slapped it away and stumbled a little to face the offending toucher. "Don't touch me, motherfucker," I said in my best Tommy Wiseau impression.
That did it, all four of them started to jump me. Luckily I saw that coming and did the only thing my drunk flank could do at the moment. I ran as fast as I could with D4 on my shoulder, the sudden burst of adrenaline cleared my mind. It was only a short burst, only enough to get away from their jump. I looked back and saw them tangled in a mass of limbs and drunkenness.
One of the colts turned his head and saw me. I stuck my tongue at him and blew a raspberry, then ran off laughing with D4 slumped against me. Fine time to be unconscious, D4. As I ran, I noticed a small alleyway not far ahead of me. I got inspiration for an idea, and it just might work. If the ponies didn't catch me in the act, that is.
"GET HER!" I heard the colt yell behind me, which only added fuel to the fire at my feet. I ran as fast as I could without tripping or stumbling. I immediately dashed into the alleyway and spotted a dumpster, where I unceremoniously threw D4 into. I heard a groan and a mumble from the changeling in question. I would have to apologize, but at the moment I needed her to be out of sight.
I turned and faced the entrance, ready for my pursuers. "Hey guys, I think she went in here!" I heard another colt yell.
They charged in after me, and stopped short, their stares were one of fear and confusion. "What are you boys doing here," I responded, my gruff and deep voice throwing me off a little.
"Oh buck me, a Royal Guard!" One of the ponies whispered under his breath.
"Ah, we, we were just looking for a girl that ran off. I was afraid she might run into trouble so we went looking for her." the lead colt who first approached me answered.
"Well then, get going. I wouldn't want any harmless citizen to get herself hurt. Especially with all the young colts thinking they own the world around. I'm glad you four wouldn't want to hurt her in any way, right?"
They hesitated for a split second. When they didn't answer, I yelled, "RIGHT?!"
"Yes sir!" all four shouted in unison.
"Now scram!" I shouted, all four ponies turned and scampered off with their tails between their legs.
I stood there in complete shock, the silence deafening me. I waited for a minute before letting out a chuckle, which turned into a bellowing laugh. I let go of my disguise, and let my laughter turn into buzzing notes of mirth. That worked, I couldn't believe it! I was extremely glad I kept my sharp wit even when intoxicated.
That certainly made my day, and I reveled in my roguish wit for the next ten minutes as I waited for mt shape shifting to cooldown. I hated waiting ten minutes in order to shape shift again, but the sheer fact that shapeshift can prove that useful overrode my annoyance.
During my waiting period, I smelt something that wasn't trash. It was a kind of sweet smell, but I couldn't describe it any further if you asked me to. It was a haunting scent, if scents could have a haunt feel to them. I looked out of the entryway again and saw a little black cloud, just barely visible and hanging in the air motionless.
I trotted up to the cloud and let the aroma fill me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to get as much of that beautiful scent. When I opened my eyes, the cloud was gone. I was a bit confused at first, I looked around to see if it drifted off anywhere only to find myself alone in the alleyway.
I also felt rather... full for the first time since I came here. After a bit of weary thought process, I recalled about the different types of emotions changelings fed on. Perhaps that cloud was an energy left by an emotion? Then what... of course, the colts! They must have been frightened of the sudden appearance of a royal guard. Then I sat on my rump, realized what all this meant.
I feed on fear.
I sat in a lull, unable to truly comprehend just how or why I feed on such a reactive emotion. Fear was definitely a strong emotion, and it wasn't hard to provoke if you knew what you were doing, but still... Having to scare ponies in order to feed was rather heartbreaking. I wanted to make ponies happy, not make them so scared of me they shunned me forever.
But they wouldn't know it was me, a small voice in my head said, they'll be afraid of whatever pony you turn into, and they will shun that disguise forever. But if you were another pony they cared about, you could still make them happy.
The sudden voice in my head was right, I thought. I could still make them happy, I only needed them to get that fight or flight reaction, then everything could go back to normal. I wouldn't become a terror to ponykind... right?
A groan from the dumpster brought me out of my trance, and I hauled the poor unconscious changeling out. I picked off the few pieces of trash that stuck to her disguise. I didn't even want to know what sort of trash some of it was, but I was too busy thinking about my current situation and what my given choice of emotion to feed on would cause to care what D4 reeked of anyways. Once she was mostly clean, I became Lucky again and we went on our way.
When we reached Saffron's house again, we found that she was still working on whatever she was working on when we left. I rolled my eyes and told her to get some sleep. She seemed surprised at how late it was then bade us both a good night. Trotting upstairs, I dumped D4 into her bed again before clamoring into my own. I locked the door and let my disguise go once again. I thought what happened since I got here, hard to believe I've been here for only 24 hours and I've had a more eventful life than I've had from my time on Earth.
I wanted to continue the whole figuring out what to do now, but with the events of today all weighing down on me my brain decided to slip into sleep mode without my body just yet.
As my eyelids grew heavy with fatigue, I recalled my last thought was 'I'm starting to really like it here.'
~~~
I was woken by shouts and cheers from the pier, and as I looked out the window into the early morning, I saw that there were a lot more boats and a lot more ponies than there were yesterday. The fishermen had come home.