//------------------------------// // 12. Business In the South // Story: Dear Small Pony Book // by Carapace //------------------------------// Dear Small Pony Book, I’m back! I apologize if I press the tip of my pencil too roughly into your pages, but I’m just so excited! A lot has happened today! My hosts, Sunburst, even my overlady had the most wonderful surprise planned for me! This southern business was most definitely to my benefit! Where are my manners? Allow me to pick up where I last left off—the train. I was awoken by a familiar feeling. I felt like I was falling. My eyes blinked open and I jerked up straight, my back arching against a soft, featherlike embrace. My chest heaved, startled at my sudden exit from a rather lovely dream—the very same Princess Luna and I had discussed the night before. Only this time … she was there. I don’t quite mean her being there as in … she spoke with me, more that I saw her, sitting with Princess Cadence while playing with Flurry Heart. At her side, of course, was Princess Celestia, in all her splendor, with a smile as warm as sunlight itself upon her face. A wonderful dream, ruined by my fall. An amused snort drew a flick of my earfins. I turned to find Sunburst and Shining sitting across from me, the former glancing up from a thick text on magical theory, while the latter flipped a manilla folder shut. Curiously enough, I thought I saw a new word on one of the pages. A word which began with “sch”. Germane, perhaps. “Good morning, sleeping bug,” Shining teased softly. My face must have betrayed my confusion, as he gave a meaningful glance to my left. I turned slowly, my heart promptly leapt into my throat when I came face to slumbering face with my other host, the ever generous and loving Princess Cadence. Her eyes were closed, her soft lips curved into a contented smile as she held her sleeping foal in her hooves, with one gorgeous pink wing curled around the babe, the purple tips of her feathers caressing Flurry like a blanket. Only then did I notice her other wing, too, was unfurled. I followed it up the joint, around my shoulders until I felt a tickle against my side. Princess Cadence stirred, mumbling something unintelligible as her wing tugged me closer, all but pressing me against her side. “—Back to sleep, Thorax.” My cheeks burned hotter than dragon fire, which promptly spread to the very tips of my earfins when Shining sputtered and stuffed his hooves in his mouth to muffle his mirth. Though that did little to diminish the merry glimmer in his eyes. To Sunburst’s credit, he didn’t tease. He simply shook his head and smiled. “We’re going to have to wake her up soon anyway,” he murmured just loud enough for us to hear. “You know she’ll be upset if she doesn’t have the chance to get ready to greet Princess Twilight.” “I’ll wake her soon,” Shining replied, his gaze flitting to his slumbering wife as a fond smile spread across his face. I’ve long learned that Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, despite dating for years and being married for several more, were still in that tender, almost puppy love stage in some regard. The most powerful sort which tastes more delicious than any other and binds the pair forever. A notion, I confess, I find most gratifying for reasons I don’t quite understand. Stability, perhaps. He continued on, “She could use a few minutes more.” Of that, I had little doubt. Ruling over a protectorate of Equestria on top of being a mother and dealing with, well, me, a changeling who tripped over his own hooves nearly every time he tried to interact with ponies, must have been taxing beyond anything I could comprehend. This trip—both the visit to her aunts and whatever this business must be—would hopefully allow her some small respite. Another jostling bump of the train’s wheels made her stir once more, her wings tightened around Flurry and me as though she were fearful we might fall from her grasp. Memories of days with my brother, Pharynx, flitted through my mind, how he would chase away all the nymphs who tried to bully me, then push me around himself until it was time to sleep. Then he’d take me back to our cocoon, right beside our mother’s pod, and we would rest together. His strong hooves would hold me tight, his body facing outward as though he sought to hide me from all the others. Upon reflection … It was almost similar. However, I do not know if you’d have liked him, Small Pony Book. Pharynx could be very … combative. But caring in his own way, I suppose. Even if he did make me hit myself a lot. That aside, my curiosity was piqued even more so than before. Whatever business we were on must be important if Shining wanted Princess Cadence to rest, even if only a short while longer. There was something else though. I was unused to my hosts playing so coy with me. Ponies, after all, weren’t supposed to be coy and secretive and mischievous. That was our thing. The changeling way. Ponies were colorful, happy, loud, and showy with their feelings. Yet the way Shining laughed upon noticing the questioning look on my face had me thinking otherwise. These ponies could be quite mischievous in their own right. And they delighted in our classic game of knowing something others did not. It’s quite odd to be on the other side of that, and though I seem to have made permanent residence on that side of late, I am not certain I like it much. Still, it’s better than the alternative, and they never seem to have anything but my best interests in mind. Aside from my changeling pride, that is. “Where are we heading?” I asked, taking care to keep my voice as low as possible, lest I disturb the slumbering princesses. “You’ll see soon enough,” came his reply. His bright blue eyes never so much as flitted away from the mares of his life. I frowned. My host was being quite obstinate. Were he anypony else, I might think to stick him upside down from the ceiling for a few hours to see how he felt after some thought. But, as he was deserving of my respect, I opted to simply press further. “Why can’t I know now?” I jerked my chin toward Sunburst. “He knows.” “Because it’s a surprise,” Sunburst said, glancing up from his text again. He raised his brows. “A good one, I should add.” A good surprise. Well, Sunburst hadn’t steered me wrong before. Though he had dragged me before my hosts upon the discovery that I’d been sick. Another groggy mumble sounded from the mare holding me. Princess Cadence began to stir, I felt her shift and lay her head atop mine, the burn in my cheeks began to spread to my neck. “Shiny,” she called sleepily. I couldn’t tell if she even bothered to open her eyes. “How far out are we?” I watched helplessly trapped against her side as Shining leaned over to peek at something through the window. His ears twitched and stood erect. A grin I knew Princess Cadence so loved to call his “giddy little colt grin” spread across his features. With a deft flick of pink magic, he banished his folder back to the safety of his carry-on luggage. “Not long at all. I’d say about a twenty minutes, tops.” The Princess of Love jolted awake, an act which promptly brought forth a most adorable yawn and owlish blinking of Flurry’s big blue eyes, and a sleepy smile. Princess Cadence, however, aimed a frown at the stallions. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” Shining didn’t so much as bat an eye. “You’ve been tired,” he replied with a casual shrug. “So I thought you might like a bit of extra rest.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her purse her lips as if she wanted to argue the point. But she took a deep breath and turned her gaze down to aim a tiny smile at her daughter, then dot her with a kiss. “Thank you,” she said softly. Then, glancing at me, Princess Cadence fixed me with one of those looks that could bring the delectable sweetness of her love to the tip of my tongue without a need to draw in. “And how did you sleep, Thorax?” Ducking my head served little purpose to hide my cheeks, in fact, it only brought my snout into contact with her coat and made things worse. “Quite well,” I mumbled. “Thank you for asking.” Pausing a beat, I added, “And for letting me lay on your shoulder.” “You’re welcome.” Her wing left my shoulders, and suddenly everything felt cold. Princess Cadence rose from her seat and passed a giggling, squealing Flurry Heart over to her father, then leaned down to kiss him sweetly. “Hold her while I clean up my mane?” “Of course,” Shining replied. As she made to leave, I was caught by a sudden bout of daring, perhaps caused by the familiarity with which they so often addressed me, or maybe it was how Princess Cadence let me lay my head upon her shoulder and wrapped a wing around me while I slept. Whatever it was, it was enough. Enough to make me forget myself long enough to reach out and lay my hoof on her delicate pink side to stop her. Princess Cadence turned sharply, gaping at me for a moment. I felt my heart leap into my throat, visions of all those times Queen Chrysalis’s hoof caught my cheek or fangs sunk into my neck filled my head. Then, slowly, a smile settled across her beautiful features. Almost as though she were … pleased. She was pleased that I would show such daring? Ponies make no sense. “Is something the matter, Thorax?” she asked. I retracted my hoof as if a jolt of electricity had bitten me and promptly averted my eyes. “I, um … was wondering …” A nervous buzz echoed in my throat. “Shining won’t tell me where we’re going … why can’t I know?” “Ahhhh.” Her feathers fluffed gaily. Cadence swished her tail, then turned to share a wink with the others before waggling her ears at me. “Twenty minutes, you silly, impatient bug. I’m sure you can wait.” Wait? My mouth dropped. Changelings don’t like waiting. Sure, for pouncing or hunting and things like that, waiting was fine because it was part of the thrill, but for things like … like … nice, happy things? No! Especially when everyone else knew! Across the compartment, Flurry Heart blew a raspberry and squealed. “Tora, wait! Tora, ‘prise! Happy Tora, yay!” Even my overlady had turned against me. I had no choice. With a discontented little grumble, I settled down in my seat and laid my chin upon the cushion, huffing a breath through my nose at their laughter. Twenty minutes. It might as well have been an eternity. Although there was something I noticed, something that nagged at the back of my mind as I saw a wooden sign pass by our window, like an old line from a story which tried so hard to leap to the tip of my tongue. It was an old wooden sign, the black lettering faded with age, but quite easily read. One would have had to be blind or illiterate not to read the four words painted upon its face: Ponyville Station - Five Miles Ponyville? From memory, I recalled that it was some rinky-dink little town on the edge of the Everfree Forest, of minimal importance to the hive. But there was something else. Something that made me itch beneath my carapace. I’d heard it somewhere else. Where in the First Mother’s name had it been? I couldn’t find the answer, no matter how hard I racked my brain. I even tried guessing but to no avail. My guesses were too vague to garner anything resembling a proper answer. Or, more aptly, my guesses enabled my hosts and Sunburst to be maddeningly vague in reply. Was Ponyville a larger or smaller town? “Oh,” Sunburst said,” it’s sort of on the medium side, in my opinion.” Unhelpful. Did it have any landmarks? “It’s quite known for its farming community. And happens to be one of the largest producers of apples in Equestria,” Shining replied. “Sweet Apple Acres, specifically.” I didn’t know the name, so it held little significance to me. Perhaps something more precise. Such as whether it held any sort of historical prominence. “Definitely,” came Shining’s reply. “And many times over.” At that, I sucked in a sharp breath. Well, if that was so, did they know anypony who lived there? If anything, that question only served to broaden their grins and bring a swish to their tails. “Why, yes,” Princess Cadence all but crooned, “we do.” And then they quieted down and just … waited. Waiting. For twenty minutes. I confess I was ready to either climb the walls or bite the train for daring to go slower as we neared the station. Such insolence could only be meant as the most deliberate of slights, a fact which drove Shining into a coughing fit which sounded suspiciously like laughter. I failed to see what could possibly be so amusing about the situation. Do you, Small Pony Book? Ponies are quite odd. But I think I like them that way. It makes things interesting. The accursed train seemed to crawl to a halt inch by screeching, creaking inch. My earfins laid flat against my scalp, a discontented murr built and voiced itself through my lips as I glared at the surrounding walls as if it might silence the silly thing. When it refused to yield, I huffed and turned my eyes to the window so I might busy myself watching the engine smoke roll over the platform with a hiss. Then … then I saw. And I knew why my hosts had been so delighted to watch me struggle to find the answer. I don’t remember getting out of my seat or walking over to the window. But I do recall how my knees shook and my stubby tail wagged. There were seven ponies and three small fillies awaiting our arrival. Two unicorns, three earth ponies, and three pegasi. I’d only seen a few of the mares once before—in the midst of the chaos of the invasion of Canterlot. But there were two I recognized and knew quite well from my first meeting with my hosts. They’d been there that fateful day in the Crystal Empire. If I lived to be a thousand, I could never hope to forget them, how their smiles spread across faces of mulberry and violet, or how those soft feathers on the tallest mare, the youngest of the princesses, fluffed merrily. Starlight Glimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Twilight beamed and waggled her ears at me, then offered a small wave which I returned dumbly, and with only minimal attention. For my focus was … somewhere else. Specifically, at a point slightly to her right and up to her shoulder if I were being generous. I did make sure to express my apologies for my rudeness once we’d settled in. Fortunately, Twilight simply waved my worries away with an understanding smile. She knew. I suspect there wasn’t a pony present who didn’t. The instant my eyes fell upon those deep purple scales and fins as green as changeling slime, matching slitted eyes, and that eager, yet nervous grin stretched across the tiny baby dragon’s face, my heart soared! My hooves—they betrayed me!—my hooves began to bounce and prance in place of their own volition! An urge, an insurmountable need to give into instinct filled me. Of all the violence in my former hive, there were most certainly ways to display affection. One of which was shared by friends, family, comrades, and mates alike. A sort of greeting meant for moments of utmost joy. Such as now. But first … I needed their leave. I turned to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence with a wide, fanged grin nearly splitting my face. Tears of joy welled up and stung the corners of my eyes as I struggled in vain to give voice to my want, my need. Princess Cadence knew, though. She and Shining had been on the receiving end of my affections once before after a weekend trip to Canterlot for Dams’ Day. She nodded once, stepping aside to grant me a clear path to the door. “Go get him,” she said softly. No sooner had the words left her mouth than I dashed out of the compartment, around the corner, and then, nearly running into the poor, startled conductor as I passed him by on my way through the open door and onto the platform. My hooves thudded and scraped against the wood as I turned myself to take a flying leap at the surprised little dragon. He barely had the chance to yelp and get his claws up before I pounced him, sending us both into a brief tumble before I came out on top. His shoulders pinned beneath my hooves, I let out a happy chitter and leaned down to nuzzle his face, his neck, his fins, everything I could reach, making sure to brush the tips of my fangs over his scales. An important and meaningful gesture, Small Pony Book. For a changeling to touch another in such a way with their fangs is tantamount to claiming possession. Not quite in the sense of “this thing belongs to me” but more “this is important to me and I am delighted to have it.” In a sense. It’s not an easy gesture to put into words. However, I found it served another purpose. One tangent to my instincts, but quite enjoyable in its own right. Who am I kidding? Even if it weren’t part of our way, I’d do it solely for the second thing. You see, ponies and baby dragons don’t have hard carapaces like we changelings. They have soft bellies and necks, which make it all the more easy to poke, prod, and nuzzle. Each of which is a rather effective method of tickling. I have it on good authority from both my hosts and overlady that my fangs do the job in a way that none can resist. Not even Spike. My first friend wriggled and howled with laughter, helpless to fend off my affections. He batted at my face with his tiny claws, though I sensed great care in his movements so to avoid scratching my nose. “Th-Thorax! Cut it out! Th-That tickles!” he pleaded. “Twilight! Starlight! Somepony do something!” They were doing something, Small Pony Book. In fact, there wasn’t a pony on the platform who wasn’t doing that same something—namely, laughing. I drew back, beaming in satisfaction with my efforts to relay my affections. I watched his chest rise and fall as he struggled to bring his mirth under control. My thoughts came forth in a most entangled rush. I thought back to the day we’d met, how he defended me and promised to be my friend, to the letters we’d exchanged in the interim, to the lovely gift he’d sent me for Hearth’s Warming. My earfins twitched. I all but leapt off of him and scuttled over to my hosts, skidding to a halt when I was face to grinning face with Princess Cadence just as her hooves settled on the platform. Her horn was already wreathed in a bubbling, shimmering cerulean glow, the small brown bag from the comic book store held aloft in her magic. She knew me well. My thanks came out in a babbling chitter as I plucked the bag from her grasp, then, with my gift held safely in my mouth, hurried back over to Spike as he made to rise. I dropped it into his lap, my wings buzzing eagerly. “I’m sorry it’s late,” I babbled. “I didn’t know what Hearth’s Warming was or that gifts were meant to be exchanged, so happy very late Hearth’s Warming, Spike!” Blinking, he tilted his head and slipped his claw into the open bag. I saw his eyes light up when he touched the edge of his comic books, my hooves tingled and begged to bounce and prance in place again as he retrieved them and began eagerly looking over the titles. Then he came upon the cover of Out of the Mist Issue One and hummed, curious. “I’ve never heard of this one,” he said. I felt the heat return to my cheeks. “It’s about a pair of heroes. Nightfury, the dragon, and Changeling, a, well …” I shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. “Changeling.” The wide, toothy grin spread across his face told me my choices had been well-made. That he leapt up and caught me around the neck in a tight embrace, pressing his snout against my shoulder only accentuated the fact. My eyes flitted up to meet the deep purples of Princess Twilight Sparkle, which shone with delight and no shortage of amusement. “Well,” she said, her voice tinged with barely restrained laughter, “it’s good to see you again, Thorax.” Again, my earfins perked up. Yes, it was good to see her again as well. Which meant there was only one thing to do. I turned to face her fully, gently nudging Spike so he knew to release me. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him squint in confusion for a moment then jolt upright as he put it all together. Then he collapsed in a laughing heap. I must compliment his ability to extrapolate my intent on body language alone. Her eyes flitted down, I saw the way her wings twitched at the way my knees bent, then widened. Princess Twilight took a cautious step back, comprehension dawning across her face. Clearly, my hosts had informed her. Or she too had gleaned what Spike had. “Now, Thorax, I think you and I both know that’s not necessary.” If she had truly listened to what they’d told her, Princess Twilight would know that it was entirely necessary. While not as close as Spike, she, too, was a friend. Which meant my gleeful chitter and pouncing as she tried to summon her magic, only for her horn to impotently fizzle magenta and pink sparks, was all the sweeter when her shoulders hit the platform. She protested and squealed and laughed even harder than Spike. Fitting, given the difference in sizes. Then it was Starlight’s turn. I caught her just before she reached the door. With the help of a suspiciously familiar spark of pink wrapping around her horn before she could catch me in any spells, that is. The same shade of pink which had sparked from Twilight’s. Shining Armor’s smile was just a tad too innocent to escape either mare’s scolding. I shall have to help him learn the proper way in exchange for his assistance.