//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Rarity's Special Gift (Re-Written) // Story: A New Home // by APoeticHeart //------------------------------// The Crystal Empire As morning rose in the Crystal Kingdom, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor were in the dining hall enjoying a nice, warm breakfast when a guard trotted in. He bowed his head “Your majesties, a letter has arrived for the both of you.” He held the letter in his magic as he levitated it over the two royals “It is from Princess Twilight Sparkle.” “Thank you my good Sir.” Shining gave a nod toward the guard, which he returned before turning to trot back out of the dining hall. Shining looked curiously at the letter “What do you think Twily would have sent us sweetums?” He glanced at Cadence with a raised eyebrow. Cadence levitated a letter opener over to open the envelope “I don’t know Shiny, but let’s just hope that her and her friends aren’t in trouble.” A look of worry etched across the princess’ face as she unfolded the letter and began reading it. Dear Shining & Cadence, How are my big brother best friend forever and sister-in-law doing? One day, we should plan a day out together, just the three of us so we can enjoy each other’s company. However, that isn’t the reasoning for me writing you both this letter. Two nights ago, my dear friend Fluttershy discovered something very unusual in a small basket at her front doorstep. It was a young child, a young human child! His name is Toby Mason and he is such a young gentleman, but when myself and the other elements took him to meet Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, we discovered that there is something deeply bother the poor dear. We decided not to bother pushing the matter though, because we believe it would be best for him to tell us when he is ready. For now, I would like to invite you two to a party that we are having at Canterlot Castle to welcome Toby to Equestria. If you decide to attend, you may bring any food or party supplies if you would like to, but if not, that is okay. We hope to see you there! Your little sister best friend forever & sister-in-law, Princess Twilight Sparkle “Oh Shiny dear, this sounds like it would be fun! I never heard of a human before, but Toby sounds like such a cute little thing!” Cadence giggled as she looked at Shining Armor “Oh honey boo, can we go to the party, please, pretty please?” She held her hooves together in a pleading manner. Shining couldn’t help but chuckle at her wife’s persistence “Yes sweetheart, we can go, but who will be here to watch the castle while we’re gone? Who will keep watch over the Crystal Empire?” He looked at her a bit concerned. “Oh don’t worry dear, you know that our people will be okay without us for at least one night. Besides, when was the last time we spent away from here.” She traced her shoe cladden hoof across the table with a pouty look on her muzzle. “Awh… you know I can’t stand when you do that Cadence.” Shining rolled his eyes “Alright, we’ll go to the party.” He chuckled suddenly as he saw elation on Cadence’s face. She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly around the neck “Oh thank you, thank you dear! I promise you aren’t going to regret it! We are going to have so much fun in welcoming this new addition to our land.” She giggled as she let go of the hug “I’ll get our bags packed!” She galloped off out of the dining hall. “But honey, we are just going to be gone for... one... day.” He sighed heavily “Well, there she goes. I guess I should get ready as well.” He shook his head softly, chuckling to himself as he trotted out of the dining hall next. Carousel Boutique “Rarity, I’m here!” Sweetie Belle arrived at the boutique noticing that it was quiet “Hmm.. that’s weird, Rarity should already be up.” The filly placed her saddlebags near the door as she could hear the distant sound of snoring, causing her to giggle “Oh, she must have been working late last night. She only snores if she had a long night.” She trotted toward the stairs and sneaked up step by step. Sweetie Belle opened the door to peek in and saw her older sister sleeping, sprawled out on the bed. She giggled at the sight, but quietly trotted in until she was up near the bed “RARITY!” “AH! Rarity leaped up from the bed “Wh-who’s there?” She looked around to see Sweetie Belle grinning from ear to ear “Sweetie Belle, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?” She let out an exaggerated yawn “What time is it anyway?” She rubbed at her eyes with her fore hooves. “It’s eight o’clock, but it’s the weekend so..” Sweetie was immediately cut off with a shriek “EIGHT O'CLOCK?!” Rarity quickly jumped out of bed with a panic as she quickly trotted over to her workstation “Oh dear, oh dear, I’m going to be late!” She breathed at a heavy, worried pace. Sweetie Belle trotted up to her sister, looking worried  “Rarity, calm down!” She nudged at her sister’s shoulder with a fore hoof “What has gotten you all worked up?” Rarity placed a hoof to her chest as she calmed her breathing. She looked toward her little sister “Sweetie darling, it is a new special piece of clothing for a new arrival that I met at Twilight’s.” A smile of warmth crept across the fashionista’s muzzle. “Oh, who is it Rarity? Will I get to meet him or her?” Sweetie clapped her hooves excitedly with a wide grin. “Easy little sister, of course you will meet him.” Rarity chuckled softly at her sister’s eagerness “In fact you can come with me to Fluttershy’s, because Fluttershy has taken the little dear into her home.” Rarity patted Sweetie Belle on the head. She levitated a covered, tailored suit over to her “This is a special gift I made for the little darling, but Sweetie Belle, I need to tell you something, alright?” She gave the filly a firm look. “What is it Rarity?” Sweetie looked at her older sister curiously, but a little bit worried at the tone which Rarity spoke with. “This new arrival to Equestria is not quite a pony like us, but he is what is called a human. He is a species from another world, but Sweetie dear, he has a heart of gold, and his name is Toby.” Rarity felt her heart flutter by just talking about the little boy “However, there is something myself and the others believe is deeply bothering the child, but we have decided to not force the issue. We are going to wait until he is ready to talk.” She rubbed at Sweetie’s shoulder. A frown formed on Sweetie’s muzzle “Oh gosh Rarity! That sounds so sad, but I promise I won’t say a word to Applebloom or Scootaloo about Toby.I can’t wait to meet the little guy though, he sounds like such a cutie.” Sweetie giggled with a blush. Rarity shook her head softly “Oh, I know you will like him Sweetie, and also I appreciate you not saying anything to your friends. Maybe after a while, maybe you three could let Toby spend time with you.” She then looked at the clock “For now, we gotta get going so we can get to Fluttershy’s. Come Sweetie Belle.” She trotted out of her bedroom followed her younger sister. Fluttershy’s Cottage As the sun peeked in through Fluttershy’s window blinds, the pegasus slowly started to stir in her sleep as she let out a soft yawn. Her eyes fluttered open Mm.. what a peaceful sleep I had last night. She turned to look at the sleeping child underneath her wing and a warm, maternal smile crept across her muzzle I sure do hate to wake him up, but the little one does need to eat. She leaned her head close to Toby and nuzzled at his sleeping form “Toby sweetheart, it’s time to wake up.” She rubbed at him tenderly with her wing. Slowly the young boy started to awaken as he yawned gently, blinking his eyes open to look up into the warm, beautiful eyes of the pegasus “Good morning Fluttershy.” He greeted her with a soft smile. “Did you sleep alright last night Toby? Are you hungry, I will make you whatever you would like?” She nuzzled his forehead, continuing to rub at his form with her wing, but the sound of rumbling of his little tummy caused her to giggle “I would say that is a yes.” She booped her nose against his as she carefully lifted her wing off the child and climbed off the bed. Toby sat up on his knees on the bed, stretching out his little arms as he looked out the window in awe “Oh it looks very pretty outside Fluttershy.” He let out another soft yawn as he climbed out of the bed to stand next to Fluttershy “Fluttershy, could you make me some oatmeal like you did the first morning we met?” A hopeful smile formed across his face. “Of course dear. Would you like for me to add the milk and honey into it as well like I did last time?” She stroked his hair with a hoof, as she received a simple nod from the child. “Would you like to ride on my back Toby, or would you like to walk down the stairs by yourself?” She looked down at the child with a warm smile. “I think I’ll walk down by myself Fluttershy, but thank you.” He returned the warm smile up at her as he saw her start to trot toward the staircase. He followed behind as he saw her easily trot down the steps, but he carefully stepped down one step at a time. As they reached the bottom, they were greeted by all of the critters under Fluttershy’s care “Good morning everyone, how are you all?” Toby greeted them with as they chittered and chirped in return. Fluttershy smiled at the interacting between her animal friends and the child, until a thought came to her. She looked down at Toby curiously “Um… Toby sweetheart, while I fix your breakfast, how would you like to feed them?” She stroked at his shoulder with a hoof. “Oh, I would like that Fluttershy!” He looked up elated at the request as he watched Fluttershy trot over to a few bags set up against her fireplace. Fluttershy smiled warmly at the boy at his excitement, waving him over with a hoof “Come over here dear so I can show how I divide the food up among them all.” Toby nodded as he walked over to her as she motioned at the bags “Um… now as you can see Toby, I have written the animal on which food bag they eat. Just use each of the cups that I specifically measured for each one and I’ll call you when I am done with your oatmeal.” She kissed his forehead before trotting into the kitchen. Toby smiled as Fluttershy went into the kitchen and turned toward the animals “Alright, who’s hungry?” He asked as excited chatter among them erupted, earning a chuckle from the child. He looked at the food bags, took a deep breath I hope I’ll be able to do good job. He started to measure each of the cups first before starting to feed the animals. Meanwhile, as Fluttershy was fixing the boy’s oatmeal, there was a knock at the door Oh, I wonder who that could be this time of morning. She placed the bowl on the counter so she could trot into the living room “I’ll get it.” She trotted in to see Toby feeding the animals with joy not only on his face, but also the animals. She walked toward the door “Um.. yes, who is it?” “Good morning Fluttershy darling, it’s Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” Rarity smiled warmly as she looked at her sister “Now Sweetie Belle, when you meet Toby, don’t become all hyper or excited, you don’t want to scare the precious dear.”  She gave Sweetie Belle a firm nod “Understood?” “I won’t scare him Rarity, I promise.” She rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. The door opened to reveal Fluttershy with a warm smile on her muzzle “Um… good morning Rarity and Sweetie Belle, please come in.” She stepped aside to let the two unicorns in “I was just fixing us a little breakfast, would you both like some?” “Oh no dear, but thank you.” Rarity nodded softly as she looked over to see Toby feeding the animals “Well good morning Toby darling, how are you feeling today?” She trotted over to the child, placing a foreleg over his shoulder and nuzzling the top of his head. The child let out a giggle as he looked up at her “Good morning Rarity, I am feeling great today, how are you?” He smiled warmly as he was feeding the last few animals “I am just helping Fluttershy feed the animals while she fixes me some oatmeal.” “Well, you are doing a mighty fine job feeding them dear.” She then suddenly heard her sister clear her throat ‘Oh right. Toby, I would like for you meet someone special to me.” She waved Sweetie Belle which the filly obliged “This is my little sister, Sweetie Belle.” She then looked at Sweetie “Sweetie Belle, this darling child is Toby Mason.” “Aww.. aren’t you a cutie!” Sweetie Belle gushed as she carefully trotted closer to him, and wrapped a foreleg around him in a warm hug “It is nice to meet you Toby!” She nuzzled his cheek. Toby was taken aback by the sudden embrace by the filly, but returned the hug as he blushed at the cutie comment “Thank you Sweetie Belle. It is nice to meet you too.” He giggled as they released the hug. Rarity smiled at the two “Toby dear, I have brought you something new to wear.” She levitated the new design over to the child “Now I have it covered, because I didn’t want it to get dirty while we were on our way over here.” She stroked the top of his head “Oh, I know darling, how about we start you a bath while Fluttershy fixes your breakfast, and after you’re done, then you can try on your new outfit?” She gave the child a gentle wink. “I would like that Rarity.” He looked up into her beautiful, sapphire eyes with a warm smile, and then looked over at Fluttershy “Would that be okay Fluttershy?” “Um.. of course it will be okay sweetheart. I’ll be making your oatmeal while you are taking a bath, and it will be nice and warm when you get out.” Fluttershy stroked the top of his head. Rarity gently laid a forearm around the boy’s shoulders “Come darling, I’ll help you get your bath ready.” She allowed the child to lead the way as Toby climbed the steps, with the unicorn right behind him to make sure he is careful. As they arrived at the washroom, Rarity used her magic to turn the water on, and trotted over to the tub to put your hoof in it to check the temperature. With a satisfied smile, she allowed the water to run a little bit as she hung the new clothes on the hanger on the wall “Now darling, I’ll be downstairs with Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle when you are done.” She turned to rub at his shoulder “I can’t wait to see you in your new outfit!” She beamed as she turned to trot out of the washroom to allow the child to take his bath. Rarity trotted back downstairs to see Fluttershy giggling “Well, well, well, what did I miss that is quite funny dears?” She bashed her eyebrows. “Oh, I was telling Fluttershy about the time me, Applebloom, and Scootaloo tried our hooves at candy making when we visited Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner.” Sweetie Belle blushed “I told her how all three of us ended up in the taffy machine.” The filly started to giggle as well. “Oh gosh, not that story again.” Rarity face hoofed “Fluttershy darling, you don’t understand how hard it was to get that sticky gunk out of Sweetie’s mane.” She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle herself “It took over two hours to finally get it all out.” She sighed heavily. “Um… I’m sorry Rarity, but um… haha… I couldn’t help but laugh at the story.” Fluttershy placed a hoof to her lips to try to stifle her laughing. “It’s okay dear, Sweetie Belle learned to never try her hoof at candy making again. Isn’t that right Sweetie Belle?” Rarity raised an eyebrow at her younger sister. “Yes Rarity, I promise I will never mess with making candy unless Pinkie Pie or The Cakes are watching over me.” She rolled her eyes with a sigh of her own. Moments later, Toby came downstairs wearing his new outfit, but there were tears in his eyes “Rarity?” He spoke in a soft, gentle tone. Rarity looked toward the stairs “Yes Toby darling?” She then gasped as she saw him in tears “Toby dear, what’s the...oof!” She suddenly felt the little child run into her, burying his face into her warm, soft chest fur. She felt his little form shaking, but gently wrapped her foreleg around him in a tender hug, and lightly rubbed his back. Fluttershy looked on concerned for the child, along with Sweetie Belle. A frown crept across Fluttershy’s muzzle Oh no, I hope he is okay. Rarity continued to rub along his back tenderly for a few more minutes until she felt his crying start to calm. She nuzzled the top of his head, lightly cooing to him “Shh… it’s okay darling.” She unwrapped her foreleg from around him as he slowly pulled away. She looked down at him concerned “Now Toby dear, what’s the matter? Is there something with your new outfit?” She reached up to rub at his shoulder gently. “N-no Rarity, I love my new clothes.” He sniffled as his breathing came to a steady, calmed pace “Thank you so much Rarity for this!” He placed his hand over his heart where his locket was sewn into the outfit. It consisted of a royal blue hoodie, the locket sewn on the left side of the chest, and a pair of matching royal blue jogging pants. Toby looked down at the locket “My Mommy made this for me to give to me on my fourth birthday.” He carefully opened the front of the locket to show the three ponies “She took this picture of me when I was a baby.” He sniffled as a shallow swallowed traveled down his throat “She told me that she will always be in my heart and will always be there for me if I just hold this near me.” Oh my, I wonder if… Fluttershy felt tears in her eyes after listening to Toby telling about his locket, but tried to calm herself to quiet her thoughts “Well, that was a very beautiful gift that your Mommy gave you Toby.” The pegasus sniffled, wiping away her own tears. He nodded in agreement to Fluttershy “I always make sure I keep it close to me, but thanks you to Rarity, I always will.” He hugged at her chest again “Thank you Rarity so much!” A smile of warmth crept upon the child’s face. “Aww… don’t mention it darling, it was my pleasure to make it for you.” She tenderly kissed the top of his head “Your Mommy done a marvelous job with such a wonderful gem as that, but I think she has done an even more wonderful job on such a precious dear like you.” She smiled and hugged him close to her. Fluttershy cleared her throat “Um… Toby sweetheart, how about you go eat your oatmeal while I talk with Rarity for a little bit?” She gave him a warm smile. “Okay Fluttershy.” Toby walked to the kitchen, and climbed up into the chair at the table. “Sweetie Belle, how about you go join him?” Rarity looked at her sister who trotted into the kitchen to sit by the boy. Rarity then looked over at Fluttershy “Fluttershy darling, what would you like to discuss?” A curious looked etched across the unicorn’s face. Fluttershy trotted over to her sofa, motioning Rarity to follow “Um… well Rarity, I was thinking of how we can maybe find out what is truly bothering Toby.” She bit her lower lip nervously. “Hmm… what could that be darling?” Rarity placed a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder to keep her calm as she spoke. “Um… well I was thinking when we get to Canterlot Castle and finish with the welcoming party for Toby, I would ask Princess Luna if maybe we could..um…. Well.” Fluttershy turned her head to the side shyly. Rarity rubbed at her shoulder carefully “What is is darling? Wait… are you thinking about asking Luna to allow us to venture into Toby’s dreams?” Her eyes grew wide at the thought, but was met with a slow nod from her friend “Now Fluttershy dear, I am deeply bothered by what is bothering the poor little boy as much as you, but going into his dreams is well, kind of intrusive.” She gave a small frown. “Um… I know Rarity, but I think maybe if we go inside his dreams, maybe we can slowly get him to talk to us about what is bothering him.” Fluttershy sighed heavily as she looked over into the kitchen at the child “Um...will you support me on this Rarity when I tell the others?” She looked at the unicorn with a hopeful smile. “Of course dear, I’ll support you.” Rarity rubbed at her shoulder some more “And you should know that the others will fully support you as well. “ She gave Fluttershy a wink. “Alright cutie, just hold on okay?” Sweetie Belle giggled as she came trotting back into the living room with Toby riding on her back “Wow Toby! You are light as a feather!” The filly giggled as she lifted her gaze up at the child on her back. “This is fun Sweetie Belle, but are you sure you don’t mind carrying me on your back?” He giggled, but also had a concerned tone in his voice. “Of course not cutie, it is fun for me too. If I start to go too fast, let me know and I’ll slow down, okay?” She turned her head to nuzzle at him. “Oh my, well aren’t you two having a fun time.” Rarity chuckled “Are you both ready to go to Ponyville Station?” She trotted up to her sister to nuzzle at the child “We are going to be taking you somewhere special darling? We believe you will enjoy it.’ She winked at Toby. “That is right sweetheart, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, her friends, and our friends will all be coming with you.” Fluttershy then turned to Angel Bunny was standing right by her side “Now Angel sweetie, you are in charge of the house while we are gone, okay?” Angel gave a firm nod and salute. Fluttershy leaned her head down to kiss between Angel’s ears “That’s Momma’s boy!” She lifted her head to look at the three “Um.. I’m ready to go if you all are.” “Next stop Ponyville Station! Hold on cutie, I’m going to show you a real fun time!” She giggled as she felt the boy hold onto her mane, and with a starting step, she started to gallop at a light pace. “Sweetie Belle! Don’t scare the poor dear!” Rarity sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, following after them. Fluttershy exited the cottage last, shutting the door behind her. She took in a deep breath and exhaled Toby tonight is for you, but I hope you won’t be too upset with us when we go into your dreams. We just want to find out what is bothering you. Fluttershy sighed heavily as she followed the three on the trek to Ponyville Station. I know he isn’t a pony, but after the time I have come to get to know him and take care of him, I grown to love him each day more and more.