//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 — Tastes of Legends // Story: In Sheep's Clothing // by Kydois //------------------------------// Nymph One good thing about trying to find Lily, since Crystal is essentially casting or channeling or doing whatever she does to turn Lily into an earth pony, we always had a direction to follow, and we could just follow the fishing line all the way to our fish. Part of me wished that wasn’t such an apt metaphor. It was just a bit of a shame that I didn’t have the time to truly appreciate the beauty of the Canterlot Central Park in summer. It was a place I could see myself relaxing, especially with the more private areas, alone with just the soothing sounds of the wind and the birds. However, I was not in any of those spots. Standing in front of the park’s enormous fountain and trying not to pay attention to the wide berth the ponies were giving the area, I massaged my forehead, already feeling the headache coming. “Lily, what are you doing?” Lily looked at me with a huge grin on her face from where she was hiding behind the centerpiece statue, some nondescript alicorn rearing up in battle. “Jus’ playin’ with a bird I found! Real pretty one she is!” The bird in question was, true enough, a real pretty one. Its slim, feathered body was covered primarily in red with some orange making up the feathers of its head and tail, but if I shifted my head slightly, it was possible to see a blend of both colors in each of the feathers, giving the bird a breathtaking shimmering effect and making it appear as if it was aglow with soft embers. Its large curved beak clearly marked it as some sort of bird of prey. It also breathed a small jet of flame at Lily, who quickly ducked underwater for a moment before bursting back up again with a giggle. I blinked. “That’s not normal.” “That’s not normal,” I echoed, still staring at it in awe. “Normal birds don’t double as flamethrowers.” The bird squawked at me and silence ensued. Though it was difficult to tell exactly what it was thinking, I got the sense that it was a lot more intelligent than any random bird in its unflinching gaze and I could feel its curiosity, the familiar taste of peaches. At least, until Lily tried to splash some water up at it and it returned to firing off puffs of fire at her. “I should clarify. That is a phoenix. Phoenixes very rarely venture far from the warmer Dragon Lands, and we are one ocean and half a continent away from the Dragon Lands and on top of a mountain.” I still kept my eyes on the phoenix. While very much a fire hazard and probably dangerous to boot, it was still a fire-breathing bird and therefore extremely cool. “Maybe it’s some noble’s exotic pet?” “Hmm, there is one perhaps that might go up around here, but she belongs to…” I froze. Something huge was approaching on my empathy sense, and there was only one being who could possibly have a signature that large. I looked up into the sky as Princess Celestia fluttered down in front of the fountain, accompanied by two Royal Guards. The phoenix chirped at the Princess’s approach, fluttering over to land on the alicorn’s raised foreleg. “Cor, it’s the Lightbringer!” Lily exclaimed, splashing through the fountain towards us. “‘Ello, Celestia!” “Ahh, Lily!” Princess Celestia said with radiant friendliness, like a wave of a fresh summer breeze brushing over my empathy sense. “Oh, and Miss Overwatch too! I see you’ve met Philomena.” I quickly dropped into a bow. “P-Princess! What are you doing here?” The Princess nuzzled the phoenix, who affectionately returned the gesture. “Please, there’s no need to bow. I was bringing Philomena around on my visit to the foals at the hospital, but it looks like she’s found something more interesting to play with. I have always had a hard time keeping up with her, especially when she gets on her mischievous streak.” “To visit the foals?” I said, straightening up with an inquisitive look at Philomena. “Isn’t that a bit uhh… dangerous?” “Course not!” Lily pitched in, still sitting inside the fountain and dripping all over the sides. “She was doin’ the flame-y thing from ‘er mouth at me, but I’m still peachy!” The Princess shot a stern look at the phoenix, who was pointedly looking away from her. “Philomena, did you try to set this mare on fire?” She received a squawk in response. “Oh pish posh, it’s fine! We were jus’ playin’,” Lily said, flicking a little water about in demonstration, “‘Sides, I don’t usually see fire where I come from, and she’s got some really lush stuff!” Celestia’s eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. “Of course, that makes sense, considering your origins.” She paused a moment, exchanging a look with Philomena. “I wonder, if you enjoy playing with her so much, would you be willing to spend some time with her every so often? I’ve noticed she’s been getting a little bored trying to amuse herself with the castle staff recently, and I think she’d be happy to have someone else to play with.” The Princess lowered herself to Lily’s level, whispering loudly. “Also, I think the castle staff could do with a bit of a break. They’re starting to jump at the sight of red, and I think she’s been leaving her feathers around on purpose to spook them.” Lily saluted with a sharp snap of her hoof. “I gotcha covered, Miss Lightbringer!” “Ask her how old Philomena is.” I started a bit at the sudden request, but quickly said, “Sh-she’s a really beautiful bird, and really… nice and… stuff.” I cleared my throat. “I was just wondering how old she was.” Celestia straightened up and hummed in contemplation as Philomena transferred over to Lily’s head. “Well,” she said slowly, “I do suppose most phoenixes can live upwards of a century. I don’t have a number for her age, but Philomena’s been with me for a significant part of my life, and I love her dearly.” In the background, Lily was swimming in circles in the fountain—surprisingly agile for not having any fins—with Philomena perched atop her head like a captain of a boat. The Princess chuckled at the sight, though the silence from Crystal was audible. “For now, however, I need to get back to the castle,” Princess Celestia spoke up, waving the merpony back. “I do let Philomena roam freely, so as long as it’s alright with you, Miss Overwatch, she might come by to visit you two every so often. If either of you have any concerns you want to address to me, feel free to send a message back with her.” “Can do, Miss!” Lily replied easily, and Philomena fluttered over to Celestia’s back. I gave the imposing alicorn a bow. “O-of course, Princess Celestia.” The Princess gave us both a warm smile before spreading her wings and taking off, and I could only stare after her, not quite comprehending what just occurred. Crystal, however, seemed much more willing to speak up. “By the sands, Lily, what did you tell her yesterday?” “Lily, get out of the fountain. You’re not supposed to go in there,” I said in somewhat of a daze. The merpony flopped out of the fountain with as much grace as a fish out of water, but she found her footing quickly and snapped to attention like a doting puppy. “What’cha mean, Crystal?” “I mean, why is Princess Celestia this interested in you of all ponies. She knows you are a merpony, that much is obvious, but that’s suspiciously friendly.” “Well, maybe she’s treating her like a foreign diplomat?” I said, watching as the ponies in the park, now that the phoenix was gone, hopped out and craned their necks to get a look at the departing princess. Perhaps they also had a sort of empathy sense, since it seems that meeting Princess Celestia does not just put changelings like me into a doozy. “Lily is at best a tourist from a seclusive nation and certainly not worth direct correspondence with the immortal ruler of one of the most prosperous nations in the world, and, if my hunch is correct, with the Philomena as a courier. I am baffled. The most I can think of is that she wants to prevent another disaster with sirens.” “Well, I do technically ‘ave an ‘eart Gem now!” Lily interjected, beaming. “Maybe ‘at makes me a Songweaver now!” “Please do not refer to me as your Heart Gem.” I began trotting off in the direction of home, already a slight bit uncomfortable being the center of attention as Lily was wont to be. Making sure my merpony friend was following along, I asked Crystal, “You mentioned the Philomena? Is she supposed to be special or something?” I paused. “Beyond being a phoenix. And Princess Celestia’s pet.” “It might be little more than speculation, but I noticed that she radiated magic, as I have no doubt you noticed, but those were beyond what I expect from a normal phoenix, and Celestia’s response to her age only deepened my suspicions.” “So what about her?” I asked. “Well, the original Philomena essentially ended a war between the dragons and ponies. Granted, it was over a millennium ago, but she helped to win a lasting peace with the old Dragon Lord that has persisted until now unless something has happened over the last century. She’s a legend, and it is entirely possible that she stood before us.” “Cor, she’s pretty lively for bein’ so old!” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Say what? She stopped a war?” “So the legend goes, assuming they are the same bird. There are bound to be exaggerated portions of the tale, but the core of it was true. Philomena, She of the Flaming Horizon, ended the draconic war with the ponies.” Lily let out a long whistle. “You mind tellin’ it sumtime, luv? Sounds like a doozy!” “I would not mind. It will not take too long regardless.” I hummed doubtfully, pursing my lips. “It does sound a bit unbelievable though, doesn’t it? A phoenix stopping the dragons? “Reality can be more unbelievable than the stories you love to read. Myths often disregard that which we think is rational.” “But to be a legend is…” I trailed off, uncertain of how exactly to word it. “Ugh, I can’t imagine how one would even become a legend.” “You will not find the answer in your novels, but to be a legend is… I imagine it is to possess something that can elevate you to being extraordinary, extraordinary enough to be memorialized, whether it be motivation or drive.” I huffed. “Wish I had something like that.” “Hmph. You know you’re extraordinary, Overwatch.” “If being unable to cast any of the spells I should know is extraordinary, sure,” I grumbled. “Lily’s extraordinary. She’s the one who managed to become pen pals with Princess Celestia.” “Do not try to deflect this. While Lily has been particularly gifted in that regard, her motivation is little more than curiosity, and if you want to get through this, you will need to work on your motivation yourself.” I stuck out my tongue in disgust. “I don’t even want to be here, and you want me to be motivated?” “Need I remind you that you have little choice but to face down rival changelings? Rival changelings who have demonstrated they have no qualms about killing you when given the chance?” A chill ran down my back. “I… I suppose that’s true,” I begrudgingly accepted. “Still, we are not in imminent threat at the moment, so we can use this time to start training you up. Every skill learned is another that can protect you from death.” “Why do I not like where this is going?” I said with a grimace. “Because we are going to start with the first thing you need to improve as an infiltrator among ponies: your social skills.”