//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: All Part(s) of the Show(Part 3): The Rest of the Side Characters // Story: A Time to Think // by The Sonic Mage //------------------------------// “It’s really nice to meet you, uh…?” “Iris, Ms. Fluttershy, my name is Iris.” The Changeling gardener shook Fluttershy’s hoof. “R-Right, Iris. Sorry for-” “You have nothing to apologize for Ms. It’s all good.” “Of course,” Fluttershy was still trying to get over the nervous feeling she got when meeting new ponies, or Changelings in this case. Granted, it was nowhere near as bad as it used to be, but still. “So, uh, if it’s alright to ask…” “Hmm?” “W-What’s it like curating the garden?” Fluttershy asked. Much to Fluttershy’s confusion, Iris laughed a little at the question. “You flatter me, Ms. Fluttershy. However, I’m not Head Curator.” “Oh,” Fluttershy’s ears drooped a little, she felt a little silly, “So, who is the Head Curator?” “Meeeeeeeeee!” said a sing-song voice. A baby blue Changeling swung open the door. She wore a white apron with a flower pattern. The apron and herself were smudged with dirt, grass blades, and a variety of flower petals. Fluttershy was a bit shaken by the Changeling’s sudden entry. “H-Hello…” “Ms. Fluttershy, this is-” Iris was cut off by the new face in the room. “You must be Fluttershy! I’ve heard so much about you.” “T-Thank you,” Fluttershy stuttered, “And you are…?” “Oh, of course, how could I forget?” The gardener Changeling outstretched her hoof in welcoming, “My name is Proboscis, Head Curator of the gardens, and it is wonderful to meet you.” Fluttershy felt a little more comfortable knowing the Changeling’s name, “It’s nice to meet you to.” Proboscis looked to Iris, “Say, you wanna come along?” “I would love to, but I have to go check on the rose bushes in the green house. Maybe later on.” Proboscis just smiled, “Suit yourself. See ya later!” She waved as Iris left to attend to the roses. “So, what’s it like being Head Curator?” Fluttershy asked, now knowing that this was the right Changeling to ask. “Oh, it’s a ton of work, what with hunting down weeds, trimming everything to make sure nothing takes up too much space and sunlight, and making sure every blade of grass is healthy. But it’s completely worth it,” Proboscis went on, “All the flowers, and trees, and swirling colors, it’s like growing a painting!” The description had Fluttershy hanging on every word. “Oh my,” Fluttershy said, “Is it really that?” “Yes!” Proboscis exclaimed with cheer. “Oh, but don’t just take my word for it.” She put a hoof around Fluttershy’s neck and began leading her through the room ahead, “Let’s go see it for ourselves!” Their pace had speed but wasn’t rushed. There was time to properly see and register the surrounding area. And in Fluttershy’s opinion the contents of the room were very interesting. All along the shelves and tables there were many plants. Some were familiar and some were completely new to her. Almost every plant was either in a strange kind of pot or had an assortment of glass tubes going into its soil. A whole host more were hanging from the ceiling. As they continued, Fluttershy gazed through several windows into another room, that had several greenhouses in it. Iris could be seen in one of them, tending to the roses within it. “Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy was amazed by the strange assortment of potted plants, “What is all this?” “This is where we cultivate new plants, test out new plant feed, and get the new seeds ready for the big garden.” Proboscis explained. “Speaking of which…” The had made it to a small door on the other end of the room. “This is our secret entrance to the garden,” Proboscis said, trying to contain her excitement. Fluttershy stood there, admiring the door. It was just a simple door and she liked that about it. Proboscis nudged her shoulder. “Well,” the Changeling gardener insisted, “Open it.” Fluttershy stuttered, “M-Me?” “Well of course,” Proboscis cheerful encouraged, “You're the guest who's never seen it, so you should open the door!” Proboscis nudged Fluttershy forward another inch. “Go on, open it!” “...O-Okay.” Fluttershy took a deep breath. She grasped the knob of the door and twisted it. The door opened and the most beautiful sight in the world graced her eyes. “...Oh…my…” >~~~~~~~~~~~~~< “Company, begin!” A Changeling sergeant ordered. The pony trainees followed the command immediately, rushing up to the obstacle course, climbing, jumping, and crawling through. As the troops went about following orders, two military leaders looked on. Shining Armor looked at the the ponies with a smile. They showed discipline and strength. “Looks to me like you’ve been doing a good job,” Shining said, giving praise to his Changeling friend, “Behavior wise, I can barely recognize them.” “Well, I do try my best,” said Pharynx. ‘I swear, if the majority of these numskulls go back to their usual antics when he’s gone, I will brutally hurt them.’ Naturally, he kept that thought to himself. As the two military leaders slowly walked through the courtyard, a pony trainee going through the obstacle course, wearing an odd set of equipment, caught Shining’s attention. “Pharynx,” Shining pointed in the direction of the pony in question, “That one over there, what’s his story?” “Ah, Private Aster,” Pharynx remarked as he watched, “He’s a special case that one. Very intelligent, can very determined, but he doesn’t always believe he’s any good. “Especially when it comes to physical training. I’m having him do extra exercises to build up strength. And that equipment is meant to help him better maneuver obstacles. A temporary aid.” Pharynx smiled, seeing young recruits succeed filled him with pride. “It’s good to see you’re taking care of them,” Shining said, “I was afraid that I would come back to a pile of worn out, broken bodies.” The two had a small laugh over that. They continued to watch the recruits, until they had completed the course. “Form Companies!” Shining Armor ordered. The troops did so as quickly as they could. They lined up in front of the two commanding officers, quietly awaiting orders (That or a grilling). “So, Captain Shining,” Pharynx asked, “Do these results satisfy you?” “You have done an exceptional job, General Pharynx,” Shining complemented. Pharynx bowed his head, “Thank you, Sir.” Shining then looked to the pony trainees that he had left to Pharynx. “That goes for all of you as well,” he announced, “You have all made great amounts of progress in your training. You truly make me and the rest of Equestria proud. The the foreign exchange recruits saluted Captain Armor. Some cracked small smiles, and others got wet eyes. They all gave a collective and hearty: “Sir, Thank you, Sir!” Pharynx turned to look at the Changeling officer who had taken over for the day. “Officer,” Pharynx instructed, “Get these troops back to their drills.” The officer simply nodded and said, “Yes, Sir”. He set the trainees back to work on that day’s drills and exercises. “So, Shining,” Pharynx said, “I was wondering if you would like to do a bit of sparring.” Shining looked at the Changeling General with some initial surprise. However, as the idea stirred in his head, he smiled. While it was amusing to watch his troops go about their routine, it would be a whole lot more fun to have a friendly duel with Pharynx. That, and he was getting rusty and a little out of shape(but he would never admit that). “I’d be more than happy to,” the pony Captain of guard said, “Where to?” Pharynx started leading Shining back towards the Hive. “We have a small fighting ring inside. We can-” The General was interrupted when a blue, feathered form hit the ground and slid across it, landing right in front of the two military leaders. Rainbow Dash lay dazed, groaning as her entire body ached(If you squint and use your imagination, you could see little Changelings flying around her head). The cyan pegasus slowly leaned up, holding her aching head. However upon opening her eyes she found herself looking right into the eyes of Pharynx. “Dash,” the General asked, “Were you trying to get the Chief Air Marshal to race you?” Dash pouted, turning her head away from Pharynx. “Maybe,” She said with an air of annoyance. “...By nagging and heckling him?” Pharynx continued. Rainbow Dash continued to act like a child. She didn’t want to admit that she had gotten thrown through the air like a hoof-ball. So naturally her response was, “Maybe”. She glanced at Pharynx for a moment. Which turned out to be a big mistake. Once she made eye contact, she was frozen in place. The ice cold stare that the General delivered held Dash’s attention. For some reason, the whole world seemed to get a lot colder. “Rainbow Dash,” Pharynx said in a flat tone that made it very clear what mood he was in. “Yes?” Dash said somewhat meekly. “Get on that obstacle course,” the General ordered, “Now.” Sweat was starting to form on the pegasus’ forehead. She quickly darted off to do that course that all the other ponies there were doing. Shining Armor marveled at what he had just seen. “That was really cool!” He said, completely amazed. “Now,” Pharynx returned his attention to his guest, “About that sparring match.”