//------------------------------// // We gain some, we lose some. // Story: From Under the Love Seat // by Lightstruck //------------------------------// Okay everyone; got another out asap so it might be disappointing compared to previous chapters. Please do enjoy anyway 6 Months Later Our favorite young changeling trots through Ponyville square, but does so cautiously. No he’s not worried about the ponies as they have grown used to him. Most even like him and greet him with friendly waves. Actually, this time around he is on lookout for his own father. He moves around with the bright, warm sunshine overhead. His goal, seen ahead, is producing the fresh baked goods smell that fills half of the town. Anyone entering its reach had a sudden bliss filled expression as their muzzle was raised skyward. A few pegasi had their own wings guide them to the source. Sugarcube Corner was a prolific dealer of baked goods and home to one very pink, very energetic, party planner and Baker. Chitter didn’t dislike the mare but he has had a bad dream of her at least twice he can remember. Something about grandma and a party? She was really nice and never once was afraid of him but something seemed off about her. But he was here to get her help, if she’s in that is. Pushing open the front door a little golden bell chimes. Taking a few steps in he was greeted by one of the aging owners. “Well hello there little Chitter.” The blue and pink mare smiled. “You here for something for your friends?” Cup Cake had know this little chitinous foal since his mother brought him in for his first cupcake. ‘That was like eight years ago.’ “Maybe your just here to get…” She waves her hoof in a lazy circle a few times. “Midnight Moon! Yes! You’re here to get her something, Huh?” She had seen their little group quite a bit and she felt like there was something up between them. “No Mrs. Cake. Is Pinkie Pie here?” “She should be. Let me get her.” She turns around to see Pinkie standing there expectantly. “Oh, Pinkie! Didn’t hear you come up front.” “Just bringing up the croissants.” She bucks her hips sending the rolls flying through the air. Each landing perfectly in the open display counter. “So what did you need Chitter?” “Wait, where did the pan go? It was on your back.” Chitter questions. “I put it away silly. I mean why would I just leave it sitting out?” “But you’ve been standing there the whole time!” “No, I put it away after putting the croissants down.” “But, but, but…” “So did you come to see Gummy? It is his birthday in a week.” “Actually, my dads birthday is today and I wanted to get your help for a surprise party.” “SHHHHHH! FOLLLOW ME.” She whisper screams, waving him behind the counter before disappearing through the dual swinging door. Mrs. Cake just shakes her head lightly. “Go ahead back.” “Thank you!” He runs around the counter to follow Pinkie. Chitter is thankful that he can change parts of him at will as he makes his hooves a little rubbery on the end. He takes the corner with a fair amount of speed that would normally make him slip with normal hooves. Pushing the door to the kitchen open he pokes his head in looking for the party pony. “Pinkie?” “SHHH, OVER HERE!” She was just sitting in the corner with a broom leaning against the wall in front of her. Chitter was starting to get worried, “Why do we have to be quiet? Is dad here?” He turns to check the front of the store to see if he had overlooked him when he came in. “No, but we have to keep it a secret.” “Why?” “Because if others know about it, it’s not a surprise anymore!” “But if dad doesn’t know, isn’t it fine anyone else knows?” “No nonononono! The more ponies that know the more likely it gets revealed.” “Oh, can you help me?” Chitter lifts his left cuticle wing and takes the bank head been carrying underneath. “I brought what I have.” He looks sadly at the orange ceramic piggy bank before offering it to Pinkie with a sad smile. “I hope it’s enough.” She gazes sternly at the pig before picking it up. She rotates it slot down, “Let’s see. I have 30 seconds to get as much out as I can. That will be my fee, ok?” Chitter is confused about why she doesn’t just remove the cork on the bottom. “If you want…” This is Pinkie Pie and he wouldn’t be surprised if she had the thing empty already. “Readyyyyy…GO!” She starts shaking the bank furiously trying to get the coins out. “Ten, eleven, twelve…” The changeling watches on in anxiety. The seconds tick by as she counts to thirty and his sight is glued to the bank. “Twenty seven, twenty eight,” a last coin falls out as she counts. “Twenty nine, thirty! That’s it folks. It’s all over. Let us take a look at what the final results are.” Pinkie sets down the microphone she had acquired at some point. Instead she picked it right back up, “Ooooooh, tough luck contestant! Looks like you won a single bit!” Chit has a questionable expression across his face. “A single bit? I’ve had a couple fall out by knocking it over.” She shrugs, “Hey, sometimes things don’t go your way.” She scoops the bit off the counter and pushes the pig back to him. “Guess I better get to work on that once I’m done here.” The emotion feeder tries to see what she is really feeling. What he can tell is… nothing. Her emotions are locked up tight from him, like she doesn’t have them. He knows she is random and unusual most of the time anyway but even the Princesses have readable emotions. “Hello?” Pinkie asks him waving a hoof in his face. “Huh? Oh. I can’t stop thinking when you’re near.” Pinkie actually halts all movements for a few seconds. Slowly her head turns to him before a grin explodes on her face. “Sounds like this colt has a crush on me! Hehehehe.” “What? What does being flat with you mean?” “No, a crush is where you think you more than like someone who is not related to you.” He tilts his head without a single bit of understanding, “But that’s not what crush means.” With his mouth feeling dry he wraps his tongue around a fang then switches to the other. “Silly, it means two things.” “Oh. Why do you not have feelings?” The pink mare was getting a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. “Because I like you as a friend.” “That doesn’t make any sense! My friends, my family, Mrs. Cake, the Princesses all have feelings. Everyone in town I passed has feelings, why don’t you? There is nothing here?!” Pinkie's face lights up in realization, “OOOOHHHHHH! Right, changeling. I get it now. Sorry Chitter I forgot feelings mean something else to you. What did you mean by thinking?” He glares at her in frustration, “Why are things around you so…so… so weird?!” “Would I be as funny if they weren’t? Now when does your dad get out of work?” Pinkie asks while simultaneously changing the subject and grabbing a notepad from her mane. “He uh you… 4?” Scattered thoughts and bits came together in random combinations. “Thanks, bye!” He had to get out of there before his head explodes. Making a dash for the front door he left his bank behind without a care honestly. Stopping once he reached Carousel Boutique, he let out a sigh of relief. “She is weird.” ...... Willow Breeze rests in the tub to soak her aching hooves. In her distended belly she feels a kick. “I know little one. You’ll be here any day and get to meet your family.” She runs a hoof over the taught surface reassuringly. The last few weeks she’s been having “feelings”. It was something every mare who bears foals goes through. First it starts out with some fleeting day dreams and slowly develops into a recognizable phrase. That phrase gets broken down into a name the foal will carry with them for life. Her own daydreams started about 3 weeks ago. She lay in the warmth of Celestia’s sun on top of a large hill overlooking rolling green fields. The breeze blowing through her mane carried the scent of the mid summer flowers found in the field. Willow watched a filly rolling playfully in the grass in front of her. The phrase had come in loud and clear with that very first day dream. “In the heat of the summer sun, she plays.” Though it did take her a couple times to nail down the message the foal was giving her. After a few times of getting upset at herself for getting it wrong she had the eureka moment. “AHA!” She scared the living daylights out of Shield at the time as she and him read their various forms of literature in the living room. “Her name is Summer Sun!” Willow was waiting for her husband to come home so the family could celebrate his birthday. Hearing the door slam downstairs she figured her little changeling was back from wherever he had gone earlier. Parents in Ponyville never worry too much about foals old enough to walk to school on their own. The last form of mistreatment involving a foal was Chitter himself, and those two ponies are spending the rest of their lives in prison. The Princesses have always been overly aggressive when it comes to any form of abuse to a foal. The main reason nopony worried about foals is that they are under constant supervision by any and all adults around them. “Mom?” “In the tub Sweetie.” “Ok!” She hears nothing but the gentle sloshing of water after. Figuring now was a good time to get out she climbs the tub stairs that most mares use during pregnancy. She dries herself to the best of her ability before tracking down her son. She finds him shortly at the dining table with his book report. “Uh huh. What did you do?” He sets the pencil down, “I wanted dad to have a party.” “Why didn’t you ask me? We could do it.” “But that is small, I want many ponies to come.” His gaze drops. “Dad is stressed.” He just learned to read that emotion. “Will fun help?” “It might but this isn’t something really fixed by that Chit. But it’s sweet you want to help dad.” “I went to Sugarcube Corner to ask for help from Pinkie and she said she would.” Willow beamed, “Look at our little colt trying to do something special for his dad on his birthday! I’m so proud of you!” Chitter basked in the glow of his mother’s admiration. There was a fast knocking on the door that interrupted the mother son bonding. “That’s probably her huh?” “Dunno.” “Can you answer that for me Sweetie? Mom’s starting to have a hard time getting around lately.” “Okay!” He runs off to answer the door. “Hello?” “HI! Ready for the party?!” ...... The dark grey unicorn with light blue mane and tail wanders the dirt path of their road. He was a little wary of the fact that quite the number of denizens were missing from town. During prime shopping hours no less! He looked to the skies to see if he’d overlooked a monster or something: nothing. Wanting to get to some semblance of safety, just in case, he gallops home. He pushes open the door failing to realize it’s near black in the house. The lights flick on, “SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Shield nearly wet himself as they scared him. It looked like most of the ponies of Ponyville were here to celebrate. “Oh sweet Celestia! That nearly scared my tail off!” A bunch of ponies in the crowd laughed at this. “Welcome back dear.” “Happy birthday dad!” The look of joy that was on his muzzle was picked up by everyone in attendance. “So who set this up?” “Pinkie Pie did, with recommendation.” Willow subtly nods to the colt to her left so he couldn’t see. Shield looked around at various other ponies in mock search. “Hmmm, who would do such a horrid thing like setting up a party? Ah!” His face brightens, “So it was… YOU!” He jerks his head really quick towards Chitter to surprise him. “You set this up for me buddy?” He looks over the sparse decorations. The room had a big yellow banner proclaiming “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Little streamers of various colors were draped over a few cabinets, on the banister, and over the chandelier. Enough treats and punch covered the table to block the confetti underneath. “Uh huh! You need rest dad.” “Yeah and how did you get her help?” Willow leans over and whispers, “I kept her from overdoing it.” “I gave her bits from my piggy bank. I wanted you to be happy again.” His look pleaded with his father. “What do you mean Chitter, isn’t there happiness in my emotions?” “Well it is, but it’s fading everyday. Mom’s is too.” His eyes roam between his parents, “Why aren’t you happy anymore? Did I do something bad?” “Chitter, Sweetie. You want to know why we’re less happy? It’s because we’ve got a little filly on the way.” She pauses with a sigh, “We aren’t unhappy, just getting worried about her and you. You haven’t done anything wrong Sweetie.” “Your mother is right. It’s just nerves and any day now it’ll all be over. Now how about the party? We wouldn’t want to waste the bits you saved.” Shield pulls his son to the center of the room. “Lets dance Chit!” “Yeah!” He exclaimed almost instantly letting it go. The two danced like a couple of fools for a while before Pinkie joined in which drew others to join in. Music bumping, ponies jumping (minus Willow), snacks munching, and punch, well… punching? Willow grabs Pinkie's attention after some more time has passed with a wave. This causes her to front flip over the crowd and land like a stone in front of Willow. “Yeah?” “You think I could get a slow song?” Pinkie beams, “Of course!” She bounds to the record player as the song finishes. Lifting the record from the table she flips it over about a hundred times before replacing it. A familiar song fills the air catching Shield’s attention. Willow walks up to her husband parting the crowd as she does. “Excuse me but can I have this dance?” She motions for Chitter to let them have a moment. “It would make this mare just so happy if she could.” Shield bows his head, “If it would please the lady, I would be honored to.” Unseen by either pony, Pinkie rushes around clearing a space for the couple. They take each other’s left hoof whilst pressing their foreheads together. “Forgive me if I’m a bit rusty.” They echoed causing both to smile. Mirroring each other they took three steps back, turned a right angle before stomping their hooves twice. Pivoting right again though only about 80° where they each took seven steps backward bobbing to the beat. “HEY!” They were now slightly off center to the other. Facing again they grabbed right hooves to pull the other into a chest bump. “You’ve still got it hon.” Shield whispers. “So do you.” Letting go they face left and move to be even before prancing a tight circle. Willow stops suddenly making Shield run into her. “ Did you forget how it goes?” Willow’s eyes are wide and slightly frantic, “Shield we need to leave now!” He is baffled till a warm wetness surrounds the tip of his left fore hoof. His eyes shoot open in realization, “Pinkie, stop the party!” The record scratches as the music stops. “Willow remember to breath, I’ll get the bag! Chit head to Slick's like we planned, ok?” “Ok dad. Is it time?” “It is, now get moving.” “Right!” He turns tail and sprints out the door. Moving Willow and himself to the front door he grabs the prep bag from under the door side table. “Sorry everyone! We need to go now.” The couple move as fast as they can/dare to the closest hospital. ...... Willow now rests on the delivery table with the long awaited time now looming. “Come on hon. Just breath.” Shield stayed towards the head of the bed with her squeezing his hoof tightly. “I remember Shield but she’s not going to be here for a while still. For now at least it’s just uncomfortable. Soon however; she’s gonna want out.” She lets out a muted chuckle. “Honestly I’m hoping sooner.” Just as she finished her sentence her face scrunched in pain as if a wish had been granted. “HHHNNNGG!” “Well you got you wish dear.” “Not the time Shield!” She roped in her voice but only just. “Get a nurse!” Shield rushes to a call button on the wall as told. Within a minute Nurse Redheart calmly pushed open the door. “Is everything alright?” “It’s started.” He points a hoof to his pained wife. At that moment he noticed that the sheets were red tinged. “She’s bleeding!” “Shield, that happens during birth. It's completely natural but I will get a doc in here for verification.” After some time and various checks a doctor finally comes in to complete the procedure. “Alright Mrs. Breeze the rest of this is really on you and your filly. You seem to be bleeding a bit more than we expected but there’s not much we can do till she’s out I’m afraid.” Willow shutters and calls out. “They’re getting closer. Get ready for the foal, nurse. Anytime now she’ll be here.” The rest happened fairly quickly as does most ponies. Their daughter was born, a beautiful little yellow unicorn with a faded blue mane like her fathers. But even with the hard part over there was still a lot of activity going on around Willows… lower half. “Mrs. Breeze, I know you’re tired but I need you to hang on for me. Do you have anemia or been taking blood thinners?” She weakly shakes her head, fighting the urge to sleep. “We need you to stay awake Ma’am.” The nurses took the filly away to be washed and cleaned. Shield nearly protested but held his tongue, ‘They’re professionals. They know what they’re doing.’ “Gauze and lots of it. We have to get this bleeding to stop.” The doctor was looking very serious while his words were firm and unforgiving. “Ma’am this is going to be intrusive. There are no two ways about it.” …… Chitter waits in the waiting room like the plan that had been set up with Slick's family wanted. “What colors do you think she will be Mrs. Harvest?” “Oh I don’t really have a guess but I do know your little sister will be pretty.” A voice called out, “Chitter?” “Here.” “Please follow me.” “Okay. Bye Mrs. Harvest!” “Goodbye Chitter. Have fun with your new sister.” The nurse leads him to a door like any other in the hallway. “Go on ahead in.” Her emotions were filled with sadness which confused the small changeling. He enters the room and the feeling of sadness filled the air. There was happiness, anger, sorrow, excitement all floating around in the sea of sadness. “What’s wrong?” “Hey buddy. Go talk with mom and meet your little sister.” His eyes never left his wife and daughter. “Mom?” “Come on up Sweetie.” Her voice was strained while her feelings led to sadness. “Come meet you sister.” She revealed the unicorn filly to him. “She’s so pretty! What’s her name?” “She’s Summer Sun.” “I like it!” “Shhhh, let her sleep.” Everything turned weird when Mom lifted a gold chain with a plaque on it. “Chit, my little colt, I was going to give you this when you were older but it needs to be done. You already know you’re adopted so we don’t have to explain that. This was found with your biological father. The Princesses wanted you to have this.” She puts it into his hoof. “Shield can you take her now?” Mom sniffles. “Chitter, Sweetheart, Mom loves you soo much.” She hugs him with what little strength she can summon. “I need you to be strong Sweetie. Can you promise me that?” Tears of sorrow filled her eyes. “What’s wrong mom?” “Please promise me that you will be strong.” “I promise. I love you Mom.” “Thank you Sweetie. Momma loves you very much. I’m so proud of you and I always will be.” She lets him go, “Shield… please, like we talked about. I love you my little love bug.” She sniffs. He nods quietly, “Buddy can you go get Red for us?” “Um, ok? Love you mom! Love you dad!” “Go ahead it’s important.” Shield shooed him out. Chitter exits the room into the bland white hallway with its grey floor tiles and wooden railings. He looks for an information desk to ask for his moms friend. Instead he just went back the way he came in and found his target seemingly waiting for him. First thing he noticed about her is that she wasn’t wearing the uniform. Second thing he noticed was that she was sad too. “Dad said it was important I get you.” He looked her up and down, “Why is everyone sad?!” “I’m sad because I just finished a sad book.” She said trying to be convincing with the fake laugh. “We’re supposed to go get something for them for your sister. While we’re out do you wanna get some ice cream?” She prayed to Celestia she could distract him long enough for the inevitable to occur without him. “But isn’t it important?” “They already talked to me about it. It’s just small stuff they need just not immediately.” She lied to him knowing the truth behind it all. His parents were saying their last goodbyes and didn’t want him to be there for the final moment. Red was more than glad they asked her to take him away for a while. She herself wasn’t holding well and if she had stayed much longer wouldn’t have been able to control herself. During the earliest stage of labor something happened with the filly resulting in a bad gash along the uterine wall. The doctors weren’t able to get at it till it was far to late, even with a blood transfusion. She had been severely bleeding since her water broke and the placenta had been holding back but just a trickle of blood which masked the problem. She wanted to be there with her best friend but this was a time for what remaining family she had. They wanted Chitter to not know that was the last time he was going to see his mother and leave him with better memories. For now she would fill her promise and keep him away. “Lets go get some ice cream on this sunny day. Maybe we'll even go to the park.”