//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Ponies are Vegans?!?!?!?! (Edited June 15th, 2021) // Story: Broken Family, Healed Family // by Amos Anon //------------------------------// As it turns out, I did know Applejack’s invited friend, but to say that I expected to see a famous singer- within Equestia, at least- dining with my family... That turned out to be a bit of a surprise. “So Rara, how’ve you been?” Applejack inquired. “Ah don’t think ah’ve seen ya since ya went and fired that awful manager of yours.” The off-white mare with the loosely curled dark blue mane lowered her cup of apple juice, and winced slightly at that particular memory. “I’ve been pretty free lately, actually. Songbird Serenade has taken the music industry by storm, so Sapphire Shores and I have taken a bit of a back seat. It’s one of the reasons why I finally had time to come and visit you.” Applejack rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. “Ah’m awfully sorry ta hear that.” “Oh, don’t be.” Coloratura waved her off. “Songbird Serenade is a fantastic singer. She deserves her time in the limelight for a little while. It’ll pick up for Sapphire Shores and I pretty soon again, and besides...” She lifted her cup of apple juice, and took a sip. “...it gives me an excuse to get some quality time in with my friends.” She placed her cup down again, and glanced over at Starlight Glimmer, who'd just walked through the farmhouse door. “Although it seems that there are quite a few new faces here that I haven’t seen before. Would you mind introducing them to me?” Applejack chuckled nervously. “Ah would, but ah don’t know everyone’s names yet. How ‘bout we go ‘round and introduce ourselves instead?” She then pointed at my youngest brother. “Why don’t you start?” We took it in turns to introduce ourselves, and Coloratura acknowledged each of us in turn, until it was Starlight Glimmer’s turn. “Hi everyone. I’m Starlight Glimmer. Reformed villain and former student of Twilight Sparkle.” The room went unnaturally silent at this proclamation, and I facehooved while Starlight grinned at me evilly. Dang it, Starlight. Rara blinked, but quickly recovered, and extended a forehoof. “It’s very nice to meet you Starlight Glimmer. Wow, she recovered faster than I thought she would. Gotta hand it to her, that takes some guts. “Soup’s ready everyone!” Eren Stepped out of the kitchen, along with Panara and Granny Smith, who’d been busy with meal preparations for most of the morning. “Now don’t y’all be comin’ in all at once, ya hear me?” You tell em, Granny. “Y’all strappin’ young bucks can just wait yer turn! Young ‘uns and their parents go first!” Chatter resumed as the main six, my family, Starlight Glimmer, and Coloratura lined up with bowls in hooves to enter the kitchen. I ended up in front of Coloratura, with Otto behind her, and Panara taking up the last spot in line. “So I hear you’re a singer here in Equestria?” Coloratura turned to look at my father. “That’s right, although I also write music and play the piano.” This got Ixisten’s attention, who was in front of me. “You can play the piano?” Coloratura nodded. “I use it to help me compose my music and come up with harmonies to the melody.” I decided to chime in; “Uh... How do you play the piano with hooves?” Everyone looked at me in confusion. “What? I just asked the question you all were thinking.” Ixisten blinked. “I think we all assumed that since you know so much about this world that you’d have at least some idea .” “Just because I watched MLP doesn’t mean that I know everything.” Coloratura tentatively lifted a hoof in confusion. “Um... Are you folks not from Equestria?” I began to chuckle. Darling you have no idea. Otto ignored my amusement, and turned to the baffled mare. “No, we’re not from Equestria. We’re actually from a different dimension.” “... uh...” Rara.exe has stopped working. Seeing Coloratura’s expression, Otto quickly tried to explain; “We're not crazy. Please don't think we're crazy." Otto turned to Starlight. "Please, Twilight, tell her we're not crazy." Starlight smirked, and I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. Please don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. Just before she opened her mouth, Starlight caught my stern expression, and the slight shake of my head. She pouted, but sighed. "Oh, fine. I was going to say that you're all crazy just to see your reactions, but no; they're not crazy. Also, my name is Starlight, Not Twilight." "It's not my fault all your names sound so similar" “Twilight and Starswirl decided it would be a good idea to tamper with their portal thingy, and now we have 16 aliens running around." I sighed. "What Starlight was TRYING to say," I glared at her "is that Twilight and Starswirl altered their dimensional portal to open in our dimension rather than the one that it was originally set to. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time to cross over. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, it's not really a good idea to go back right now." "Yeah, yeah, and don't forget to mention your creepy knowledge of all of us because of some kid's show in your dimension that shows literally every detail of our lives, and..." “UNFORTUNATELY...” I interjected, “My knowledge of Equestria is fairly lacking. I only know what’s happened here since Twilight first became an element of harmony bearer, and only the important details at that. So, no, I don't know everything about your life, but I do know a little bit to kinda guide us along. I still have no idea how the portal even worked or how it ended up in my basement in a dresser mirror, but... well, we're here now, and we're making the best of it." Coloratura shook her head in disbelief "Are you guys serious?" we nodded, and she inhaled sharply. “That’s... wow. Um, yeah." Yep. Time to change the subject. “Enough about ourselves. I want to hear more about Equestria! So how exactly DO you play the piano with hooves?” Please, just let it go. "I'm sure my husband would like to know that, too. Who knows, maybe he'll be able to play guitar here." We all turned to see Anima trotting up with Chwerth and Vivid in tow, balancing a few bowls of soup on her wings. Coloratura broke out of her stunned trance, shaking her head. “I... I’m around for most of the week, so maybe in between your chores I could show him? I’m not very good on the guitar, but I know some basic chords.” My jaw dropped. “That’s... very generous of you.” “That’s my line!” Rarity yelled from further up the queue. Coloratura chuckled. “I’m not doing this out of generosity, to be honest. I’m indulging my own selfishness with this offer.” She tilted her head in thought. “Not that I hate being on vacation, but watching you all work would just drive me to restlessness, and since I can’t help out because I have a show next week and I can't afford to risk any injuries, I might as well help you all become accustomed to this world.” Modesty in a celebrity? Never thought I'd see the day. The line moved ahead a few paces, and my stomach grumbled. Coloratura smiled. “So how many of you are musical? I know that... um, sorry, what was your name again?” Heh. We might have to start wearing nametags. “Ixisten.” “Right, Ixisten. Sorry, I’m not good with names.” You too, eh? “Anyways, I assume Ixisten can play piano, and I know that whatshisface can play guitar...” “You mean Maelstrom?” I smiled. “Yes... him. Are there any other musicians in your family?” Panara smiled and jumped into the conversation. “Pretty much all of us are musical to some degree. Tumak, Karra, and I all play the piano with differing degrees of skill. Hawk can play keyboard, Maelstrom Plays guitar, Otto here sings, along with Percy. Motodrop plays the drums and sings, and Ixisten plays the piano and sings.” The line moved forward until I was level with the entrance to the kitchen. I eyed the bowl of soup in Tumak’s hoof as she passed by me into the dining room, closely followed by Grove and Hawk, who was holding Ente. “Wow. Do you guys sing together, then?” “Otto, Percy, Motodrop and Ixisten sometimes sing together as a quartet with myself playing the piano. Sometimes we’ll get Maelstrom to join us on the guitar.” “...That I’d like to hear. What do you usually sing?” “We used to sing quite a few different styles and genres. Unfortunately, our sheet music didn’t make the trip through the portal with us, so we can only sing what we have memorized.” “I'm sorry to hear that, though I’d love to hear music from a different dimension. I’m mostly aquainted with the music from Equestria, so it’ll be nice to hear something different.” The line moved forward again, and I made my way into the kitchen, holding out my bowl while Granny Smith doled out a generous portion of soup into my bowl. She winked, and pinched my cheek with her hoof. How does one pinch a cheek with a hoof? “Young feller like yerself needs lotsa grub to build up them muscles. Gotta attract them young mares, ya know.” I tripped, nearly dropping my bowl of soup in the process before I quickly recovered, and turned to glare at Granny. I’m in Equestria for what... three days? And already I’m getting comments from my elders about getting a girlfriend. I shook my head, and sighed. She's just trying to look out for you, drop it. I thanked the old mare before making my way back into the dining room. I sat between Blaze and Ixisten, and set to consuming the delicious mixture out of my bowl. I took my time, savoring the flavor. Could use some meat... Wait a minute, horses don't eat meat... Does that mean that ponies don't eat meat, either? Oh my goodness, I hope Percy doesn't know yet. Panara and Otto took their seats across the table, and I raised my glass of apple juice. “My compliments to the chefs.” “Hear hear.”, concurred Rainbow Dash from across the room, moving over to make room for Coloratura next to her. The chatter in the room quickly died down as everyone enjoyed their meals, the sound of slurping and hums of satisfaction taking its place. I finished my bowl, making sure to lick it clean, and set it to the side. “So, Moto. I can't help but notice all the girls here.” I raised my eyebrow at my mom. "... And?” “So, have you had your eye on any one of them?" I nearly spat out my drink. "What? Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that kind of stuff? We've only been here a few days!" Panara shrugged. "So? If not now, when?" She tilted her head toward Coloratura. “She seems nice." Oh, you can’t be serious. “Mom. She’s a pony.” “Yeah, we all are.” ... She has a point, but still... “Mom... That would be a little weird. I may have the form of a pony, but I still think like a human. It's just... too soon.” I looked over at the white mare in question, and found my eyes lingering just a little too long. “...A- Alright, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find her somewhat attractive, but I’m not ready for that kind of relationship. Besides, do you know how famous she is?” Panara hummed in thought. “Nope.” I facehooved. “Mom, You know Lady Gaga? Sia? Kelly Clarkson? That kind of famous.” “Oh.” Panara regarded the mare in question, who was busy conversing with Rarity, likely over something related to fashion. “Who’s Lady Gaga, Sia, and Kelly Clarkson?” "... You know what, never mind. I don't want to talk about this." I picked up my empty bowl, and fled from the table before the conversation could go any further. I made my way over to the kitchen, and dropped my bowl in the sink. Ixisten and Percy came in behind me, and followed suit. The three of us lingered by the entrance to the kitchen, all of us seeming to be thinking the same thing. I glanced over at Percy. “Someone was trying to set you up, too?” He nodded. “Anima kept trying to get me to talk to Rarity.” HA! Rarity is waaaaay too high maintenance for you, bro. Ixisten rubbed his brow. “Yeesh. Karra was trying to set me up with Fluttershy... What about you, Moto?” “... Coloratura. Mom and Dad.” The other two winced, and sympathetically rubbed my back. Is there something in the air here in magical pastel ponyland that makes everyone think of love or something? “You know, If we do the dishes, we won’t have to go back in there.” “...” “...” “I’ll wash.” The sound of clinking dishes filled the kitchen as the three of us brothers cleaned up after the meal. “Can I lend you a hoof?” We turned to see Starlight enter the room. I smiled, and gestured to a tea towel, which she levitated with her magic. She began to dry the dishes that Ixisten and I had washed, while Percy put the dried dishes in their respective cupboards. There was a moment of silence as we all worked. “So Starlight, where’s Trixie at? I haven't seen her around since we came to this world.” She paused. "You know, that's kinda creepy, you knowing things about us. Twilight has been going around talking about you like you're some kind of anomaly." She waved the dish in her magic above her head. "The creepy one that knows stuff about us." I coughed. “Is that how Twilight phrased it?” “Yep.” “That mare needs to learn how to curb her words.” “You have nooooo idea.” “Actually, I do.” We shared a chuckle at this, while Ixisten and Percy just rolled their eyes. Starlight set the dish in her magic onto the counter, and picked up another, beginning to wipe it with the towel. “But to answer your question, Trixie is currently on tour. Apparently ‘The Great and Penitant Trixie’s Apology Tour’ was such a smash hit that she decided to take it to multiple cities.” I could pretty much taste the sarcasm in her words. “It’s that bad, huh?” “She tried to practice a card trick on me, and it failed... Multiple times...” “Ouch. So she’s no Penn and Teller, then.” “Who?” Ixisten began to laugh, his sides heaving in mirth, and Percy whacked me on the back of the head. “Moto, stop making references only we know about." He turned to Starlight. "Sorry about that. Penn and Teller were two very famous Illusionists. They used to have a show where they would invite other illusionists to come and try to fool them." “Huh. So your world had illusionists, too.” I chuckled. “Just don’t tell Twilight. She might decide to write a scientific journal about it.” Starlight giggled. “That she might. Twilight can get a little... obsessive over stuff like that, and don’t get me started on her adoration for Celestia.” “You don’t have to tell me.” “Oh, I know. I’m saying this for their benefit.” She gestured with her head to Percy and Ixisten, who were both staring at us with glazed-over eyes. ...Sorry, guys. At that moment, Pinky decided to stick her head into the kitchen, observing our smiles. “Ooh, are you guys all having a party in here? DISHES WASHING PARTY!” Oh dear goodness me, no. ANYONE but Pinkie Pie, please. “Hi Pinkie. Nope, no party in here.” “Okie dokie lokie!” And she was gone. I nodded my thanks to Starlight, who just shrugged. Thank goodness. I need a few alcoholic beverages before I can deal with that amount of energy.