My nose tingled as I moved some stuff off my porch to save them from the coming storm, the tentacles in my back helping me multitask. “Ah….. Ahhh…..Achoo!” I sneezed, thick mucus dribbling down my face. “Ughh…” I groaned, feeling a little too hot despite the steadily strengthening winds.
“Dakota? Are you okay?” Alice asked in English, concerned for my well-being. “You're looking a little pale…. Well, paler than usual, and your cheeks are turning a little pink.”
“Ah’m fine….” I defensively replied snorting what I could and dragging the sleeve of my coat along my nose. “Jus’ a wittle cold, nuthin serious.” I shrugged as my tentacles finished with putting away the plastic chairs, eyeing the ever darkening clouds above us with a small amount of wonder.
“It's pretty cool how the weather ponies can do this. I mean, my world would kill for this kind of power. Hell, I wanna help do this sometime.” I thought to myself, smiling a little. “I wonder if they'd let me….”
“I think they'd let one enthusiastic filly help out for a day, it wouldn't mean the end of the world.” Nightmare chipped in, then groaned a little. “I think you're about to….”
“Urrp!....” I safely made it over to the side of my porch, losing my breakfast as the rain started to fall, my tentacles retracting and drooping out of my sleeves like limp noodles. “Yup… Ah’m definitely sick….” I blearily looked up, spotting Rarity and Applejack running for cover from the rain. I took a deep breath, deciding to help the both of them about. “HEY! OVER HERE!” I yelled at them, my throat burning from the sudden powerful shout in Equish.
They both looked at me and sprinted through the now pouring rain, taking only a few moments to reach my house and get under the meager shelter that is my front porch. I weakly smiled and was immediately had the back of my head slapped by an angry Alice, the girl giving me a worried glare.
“Thanks fer helpin’ us out, ‘Koda.” Applejack thanked me with a nod, then turned around to look at the rain, it coming down harder by the second. “Ah don't think ah’m gonna make it home in this storm, the weather ponies really outdone themselves this time.”
“Aw, just look at my mane!” Rarity whined, pointing out the dripping wet mass on her head. “It's ruined!”
“It's not the end of the world, Rarity.” Applejack deadpanned.
“It might as well be. Do you know how long it takes to keep it as fabulous as I do?” Rarity complained.
“It's fine. Just stay here for night.” I coughed, the Equish not really agreeing with my cold.
“Are you alright, Dearie?” Rarity asked, seeing me shaking a little as I kept myself steady with a hand on the metal table next to me, forgetting about her mane for a moment.
“Woah, you dun’ look so good.” Applejack pointed out, frowning a little in concern.
“She's sick, you moron.” Alice explained, saying that last bit to me in English and wrapping an arm around my shoulder to help me keep my balance. “Why didn't you tell any of us?”
“It wasn't this bad earlier.….” I weakly defended myself.
“Come on, let's get you to bed.” Alice sighed, shaking her head. “You two come on, too.” She told the duo, missing the glares they sent to each other.
Alice practically carried me in, gently dumping me into my recliner after a failed battle to get me up the steps, thankfully giving me enough time to shimmy my tail into a comfortable position. Ash and Trixie, who just finished washing dishes together, saw this and started to panic a little, not having a clue as to how to help a sick…. whatever being I classify as now. I focused on Applejack and Rarity for the moment, a little curious of the tension between them.
“Applejack, are you so uncouth as to track mud into your host's home?” Rarity stopped the cowpony at the front door and rudely pointed out, gesturing to her muddy hooves. “Go wash up some, if you don't mind.”
“If ah gotta spend another moment with that prissy little bi-!” The last of what Applejack said was cut off by a loud boom of thunder as she wiped her hooves off at the welcome mat. “There, ah’m done, ya happy now?”
“It’s...better, I suppose.” Rarity conceded with disdain, huffing a little. “Here's a proposition, we both try to get along in front of the others, especially in front of poor Dakota, agreed?”
Applejack spat on her hoof and held it out towards the fashionista, smiling widely. “Yeah, we're gonna be the best of friends tonight!”
“Eugh… So uncouth…. And disgusting.” Rarity eyed the wet appendage with a disgusted look, then glared.
I giggled weakly at their antics, knowing that they will most likely fight a lot tonight, my tentacles sending amused down their connection at the thought.
“.....Those two should just make out already.” Nightmare suddenly spoke up in my head, almost making me break down laughing at how suddenly and seriously that comment came from her.
“Huh…. You know what? I’d ship it.” I agreed with her after a moment of thought. “In some cases, opposites attract, and I'm a big sucker for those.” I admitted, remembering the binder of shame full of various DVDs hidden in my room.
“Dakota?” Alice's voice broke me from my thoughts, the girl holding a spoonful of purple medicine out towards my face. “Here, drink this.”
Sighing, I drank it, scrunching up my face in distaste. “Ugh, really? Ya grabbed that stuff?”
Alice shrugged unapologetically, then gave the others in the room a look. “Alright, everypony, try to keep it down.” She ordered.
“Ah'll be quiet, ah promise.” Applejack promised with a nod, then jerked her head towards Rarity with a frown. “Ah dunno about this drama queen though.”
Rarity bristled at the insult. “Drama queen!? You-!”
“Shut up!” Ash cut her off with an intense glare, making me blink at the purple aura growing around her, nobody else seeming to notice it. “I don't care about whatever kind of feud you two have at the moment, but as the both of you can see here….” She gestured to me with a hoof, taking a deep breath. “Dakota is in all of our hooves tonight. I don't want to worry about you two trying to kill each other over something stupid on top of that.”
Suddenly, Rarity and Applejack wrapped each other in a hug, putting on big smiles. “Feud? We're best friends!” The cowpony nervously assured. “Indeed, darling. I wouldn't ever dream of harming my friend.” Rarity followed suit, nodding as much as she could.
Ash gave them both a long look, then smiled and clapped her hooves together. “Great. Now, can I trust you two to get her a blanket or two from her room?” She all but demanded in the syrupy tone of her voice. “Be mindful of Moss while you're up there, she's been playing those game things all morning and I don't think she'd like to be interrupted.”
Alice leaned in closer to me. “How can Chrysalis play them again?”
“Magic, ah suppose. Those hooves aren't just for show, some kind of invisible force, probably magic, surrounds them and acts like a pseudo hand.” I quietly explained, remembering my exhausting tutoring with Twilight.
“Ah…”
“Last time I checked, Chrysalis was playing Super Mario Sunshine.” I informed with a glance at the time, sniffling a little. “If I had to guess….. She should be hitting the challenge bits right about now, the ones that made me wanna eat my hands outta sheer frustration.” I giggled a little, wishing that I was up there to witness Chrysalis’s torment.
Alice blinked in confusion. “You wanted to eat your hands?”
I shrugged. “Yup…..What? Have you ever been that frustrated with yourself? Knowing how to do the thing, yet somehow not making the jump you need far too many times to count.”
“No. But I think I understand.” Alice giggled at my admission, ruffling my hair with her chitinous hand. “I should probably help them. Chrysalis seems like she'd be a monster in more ways than one while angry.”
We both shared a look. “…..Nah.”
Switch to 3rd POV.
Rarity magically folded one of the two big blankets on Dakota's bed, grinning as she made sure it still looked clean. “It looks like she isn't a fan of being cold.” She noted out loud, noticing that they're thicker than the kind of blanket she usually sees.
Applejack snorted, smirking a little. “Well, that should make sense. She doesn't have any fur on ‘er aside from that mane of her’s.” She then leaned in conspiratorially, her smirk evolving into a confidant smile. “Twenty bits says she'll practically hibernate in here during the winter.”
Rarity gasped putting a hoof up to her mouth in shock. “Gambling? Applejack I thought you were better than that…..” She then smiled back. “You're on.”
“Ggggrrrrraaahhh! This bucking game!” A filly screamed from the room across the hall, earning the duo's attention. “Stupid hooves!”
They both shared a look and went to investigate, finding Moss on a cushion with a controller in her hooves. She looked about as angry as the abridged version of a certain sayian did when he couldn't find the one Namekian Dragonball he needed, her face a bright red as the fat plumber on the screen fell to his death once more off a giant sand bird.
“Buck, Buck, BUCK!” She screamed, throwing the controller, it embedding itself into the TV with a loud crash. “I'M DONE! BUCK THIS GAME AND BUCK THE SADIST WHO THOUGHT THIS LEVEL WAS A GOOD IDEA!”
“Language, dearie.” Rarity cautiously spoke up after the rant, a little fearful of the filly in front of her. “And you really shouldn't break Dakota's things.”
The filly went quiet, slowly turning her head to silently scowl at them. “..... I don't care.” She finally said after a moment, her eyes seeming to glow red for a moment, smiling widely as she ripped the disc out of the console and snapped it in half. “Now I feel much better. Now, what's going on?”
“Er…..” Rarity hesitated, getting a bad feeling from the filly. “Dakota is sick.”
“Oh, well then, I suppose I should help take care of her.” Moss blushed a little at the thought, some romantic fantasies running through her mind. “Just, eh, let's keep quiet about my little…. tantrum, okay?” She smiled a little too sweetly at them.
“Alright, ah suppose.” Applejack agreed for both her and Rarity, catching the vibes the filly gave off and giving the fashionista a pointed look.
“Agreed.”
Half an hour later. Back to Dakota's POV.
I smiled a little as I snuggled a little deeper into my blankets, content with watching the movie Alice put on, chuckling a little as the big white robot did its little hello.
To my left, Applejack and Rarity unhappily sat next to each other on the couch, it forced upon them by a very stern Ash. The both of them tried to argue against it, but eventually accepted their fate, quickly becoming engrossed in the movie once it started.
To my right, Alice and Chrysalis sat on some cushions, a big bowl of popcorn to share with the both of them. Fluffy, the Lagombi, was seated in between them, quietly sneaking armfuls of popcorn from the bowl when she could.
“Where's Nocturne?” I thought to myself, looking around for the sneaky little bat wyvern, before being surprised by him jumping up onto my lap. “That answers that, I guess. Hmm…. I wonder what will happen once he hits full size?” I frowned as the thought came into my head, gently petting my odd pet.
Nightmare snorted. “What do you mean ‘full size?’ Surely it can't get that big.”
“Nighty….. It can, and will, grow to be as big as a house. The same goes for the Lagombi over there. And, if it grows to be a Snowbaron, it can throw snowballs bigger than itself.” I shrugged, another stray thought coming to me. “And, god forbid, if she can breed with normal rabbits….”
“Nighty?”
“That's the only thing ya caught? Fine, it's a mouthful to keep saying your full name, and I think we're buddies now. So I've given you a nickname, do ya hate it or somethin’?”
“Not at all……” Nightmare said, her presence in my head briefly growing a little warmer in response. “It might be pretty amusing to see how equestria would react to giant rabbits suddenly popping up. What about your…. Nargacuga, am I saying it right?”
“Yeah, you're saying it right. Well, about the Nargacuga thing. I'm not too sure. It could be able to breed with a dragon. And since it's pretty young, it's too early to tell if it could be a rarer subspecies of its kind.” I scratched my chin. “It’s definitely not the green one, though. It could even grow into that moon one, given time.”
“Moon one?” Nightmare asked, the word gaining her attention.
“Ugh, I can't remember. I do know that moon is in its name though.” I grumbled a little to myself, knowing that it's gonna bug me all night. “I wonder if my appearance made more than these two to show up….. If there's a Zinogre out there, and it’s friendly, imma pet it.”
“Whatever that thing is, I don't like the sound of it.”
“Heh, you don't know how to have fun. I'd probably try to ride a Gammoth if I had the chance, screaming ‘Bring me closer, Grumpy! I wish to hit them with my sword!’ while it stomped around town.”
“.....You're insane.” She deadpanned with a laugh.
“Hey, life tends to be more interesting if you allow some insanity into it.” I sagely nodded at my little piece of wisdom. “Even a few geniuses back home were called insane.”
Nightmare snorted. “And would you call riding a massive carnivorous lizard genius?”
“.......Yes.” I said after a moment of silence.
“Well, good luck with that.” She giggled at me.
Next thing I knew, the movie has been over for a few minutes. Blinking a little as I became a little more aware of my surroundings, just now realizing that everyone was playing truth or dare just in front of me. Each of them taking a seat around my coffee table.
Trixie smirked triumphantly once her turn came around. “Alright, Alice, truth or dare?”
Alice tapped her chin, faking indecisiveness. “Dare, bring it on.”
The magician pointed her hoof in the direction of the kitchen. “Trixie, er, I dare you to grab a handful of ice and hold it till it melts.” She said with an evil smirk. “How's that for my worst?”
“It isn't all that bad, all things considered.” Alice shrugged nonchalantly, headed towards the kitchen to grab the ice.
Shaking my head, I smiled, sneezing once before gaining their attention. “Hey, what about me? I want to join.” I spoke up in Equish, coughing a little. “I no do dare, jush trush. I no think I can get up wishout getting sick on fIoor.” I grimaced at the sudden wave of nausea, placing a hand on my belly.
“I suppose that's fine. Just let Alice translate for you, okay? Looks like Equish doesn't help your throat any.” Ash hesitantly allowed, her wings shifting a little. “You were completely out of it for that movie… So, if you get any worse, I'm flying you over to the hospital, storm or no storm.”
I weakly giggled at the serious look she gave me. “I be fine. Jush a cold, shoul’ be better in mornin’.” I shook my head, noticing that Alice returned with the ice. “You're gonna be translating for me.” I informed her, shuffling in my chair a bit to wrap myself a little tighter in the blanket.
“Oh, I've heard.” Alice smiled evilly, then pointed at me. “Dakota, what is your greatest weakness?”
“Kingdom Hearts.” I said without hesitation, giggling a little at everyone's blank looks. “Yeah, yeah, I know that you girls don't know what that is. But it is my greatest weakness, even though the plot of the whole thing is complicated as all get out.”
“What is Kingdom Hearts?” Applejack asked once I finished my little explanation.
“It is a story for another time. Now, since it's my turn, Applejack, truth or dare.” I smirked evilly, Nightmare laughing uncontrollably at my plan if she chose dare.
“Awww, ah guess ya will have to tell me later. Dare.”
“I dare you to kiss Rarity…… On the lips.” I stuck my tongue out at her, Alice barely managing to translate over her own laughter. That stunned everypony into silence, Alice and I's giggles being the only noises in the room.
Applejack’s eye twitched, her mouth still hanging open in shock. “Nope, ah’m not doing that.”
Ash snickered, hiding her grin behind a wing. “You have to do it, it's the rules.”
“Not helping.” Applejack grumbled, leveling an unamused glare at the offending pony.
“Not trying to.”
Rarity chose this moment to snap out of her stupor. “What!? I'm not agreeing to this! I'd rather kiss a diamond dog!”
“Not your dare, besides it's just a kiss.” Ash happily pointed out. “Back home, my friends and I used to do much worse.”
“Still not helping.”
“Still not trying to.”
Applejack turned her glare towards me, then deflated with a small smile at my giggles, deciding to make a joke. “Ah guess this takes a whole new meanin’ to kiss an’ make up, huh?”
Almost everyone started to laugh like crazy, the almost meaning that Rarity was stunned back into silence at how lightly everyone was taking this, her face turning a bright pink despite her thick fur. “Uh, uh, uh…..” She tried to speak, only for her to be unable to form words.
After a few moments of laughter, Applejack then turned back to Rarity and leaned across the table and gave her a hard look. “Now, don't tell anypony about this.” Was all she said before mashing her mouth against the fashionista’s, the act making Rarity practically melt at the intensity of it.
After about a minute, Applejack detached from her and sat back down, breathing heavily and giving me a satisfied smile. “That good enough fer all y'all?” She asked after a moment, heartily laughing at my surprised look.
Rarity’s seemed to glow red at this point, her eyes glazed over and her mouth still open. Then she fell over, her head safely landing on a pillow that Trixie quickly placed down. Ash openly gaped at the scene, a deep blush on her cheeks. “I don't suppose you'll want to get a drink sometime?” She curiously, her wings flared out and stiff.
“Ah’ll think about it.” Applejack giggled, sending a wink her way.
Meanwhile……
A dark figure shimmered into existence outside Dakota’s home, staring at the human through the window. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it flickered, reappearing many miles away and into the cultist chamber in the caverns below Canterlot. Like a spider stalking its prey, it snuck up on the famed Solaire, the pony going over a few things on his special podium.
“Boo!” The shadow growled out from behind the pony, earning a few golden spears through its body in retaliation.
Solaire calmly turned around and examined the thing that dared to intrude upon the sanctity of his chamber. “Nice try, servant of the darkness, you'll need to try better than that.” He sneered, the spears flaring a bright gold.
“Hehehe….. That would've hurt, if there was anything to harm.” The shadow laughed, confusing the pony. “Nevertheless, I come with an offer that might appeal to you.” It said as the spears fell through it's constantly shifting body.
Solaire frowned and attempted to throw more spears at his target, being interrupted by the shadow grabbing him by his throat and lifting him up. “Wh-what?” He choked out, uselessly flailing his hooves at the thing.
“Listen!” It commanded, squeezing harder. “Would you rather I just hollow you out and use you as my meat suit?” It threatened.
Solaire quickly stopped struggling, the shadow dropping him once he did so. “A-Alright, what do you want?”
The shadow would've smiled, if it could've. “I want Dakota, alive, and the items that Luna has on lockdown. If you do all that for me…. Well, let's just say that I will grant your greatest desire.” It informed sinisterly, a black sun forming in its clawed hands. “Being an equal to your precious princess.”
Solaire looked greedily at the sun, then raised a skeptical brow. “How will you do that?”
“Once I have her back under my control, making you a king is well within my power.” It assured.
Against every feeling he had about this being, Solaire held out a hoof. “I suppose I'll agree. I'm Solare, head of the royal guards. What should I call you?”
The shadow shook the hoof. “Dust. Just call me Dust.”
Here's a little short, because I feel like it.
With a wide smile, I delicately helped my tentacles shape some clouds in the shape of reindeer, cloud reigns attached to the sleigh behind them. Humming a little Christmas song, I didn't notice Alice come up behind me, dressed as an elf.
“Hey, what are you doing?” She curiously asked. “Making Santa's sleigh?”
“Yup. This world doesn't have Christmas, though it does have this thing called Hearths Warming, which I think is pretty cool with its history and all.” I shrugged and continued with my work.
Alice nodded. “Yeah, I knew that. But why are you doing this?” She then noticed that one of the finished reindeer moved. “You aren't…..”
“Yup.”
“No. You are not.” Alice denied me, crossing her arms. “You aren't even all that sneaky, you're just gonna make everyone freak out over you breaking into their homes!”
“I totally am.”
“....you've been planning this for a while, haven't you?”
“Yup. Now go and let me have my Nightmare Before Christmas moment.”
“You know what? Fine, just let me join in.” Alice sighed.
The next day, everyone in ponyville woke up to a decorated pine tree in their home, about three presents per pony sitting just underneath the tree. There was mass confusion for a bit, but eventually they all accepted that particular brand of weirdness as harmless, seeing as they all magically got what was on the top of their wishlist.