//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Early Morning Visitor // Story: Silver Spoon Adopts a Naga // by Halira //------------------------------// The sound of the alarm clock woke Silver with a start, and the darkness of the room left her momentarily confused about whether it was morning or evening. A vague sense that she was supposed to be up doing something flirted across her mind, but she was having trouble focusing on it. After a late night, morning had come far too early.  "Urgh, turn that thing off, Silver," Twist groaned as she pulled a pillow over her head. Silver reached over and gave their alarm clock a strong bonk of her hoof, silencing the annoying mechanical device. She tried to remember why she had set her alarm to go off so early, all the while fighting the strong urge to just go back to bed and spoon her wife. The only thing keeping her up was the nagging certainty that she had set the alarm for some other reason than to have her beauty rest brought to an abrupt and annoying end- as that didn't seem like a goal she would set at all.  Her eyes went wide as it finally came to her. She needed to take care of Sisstet! Her hop out of bed caused it to shake, and Twist grunted further displeasure at having her sleep disturbed. Silver hurriedly put on her glasses and didn't even stop by the mirror to brush her bedmane out; she just went straight out to the living room.  Spotting Sisstet still asleep on the couch was enough to let her to sigh with relief. There had been a small fear that he'd have gotten up and tried to run away yet again while she was sleeping. She wasn't about to wake him yet, but she had plenty to do still.  Content that she still had her young charge on the couch, she decided that she could take a few minutes to tidy herself up so she looked like a civilized pony instead of one of her pasture dwelling ancestors.  She took her glasses off and went to the bathroom. After a brisk shower and a quick brush of her mane she looked herself over in the mirror to determine if she looked decent enough to be pleading with important creatures today. She briefly lamented that years ago she had cut a lot of the poof out of her mane. Her attempts to keep a high class mane style through the first week of college she had learned exactly how much work her parents' servants put into styling what she had felt at the time was a very basic mane style, and gained new appreciation for what the 'help' went through for the sake of their paychecks. After the first week there she had gone to Applebloom's Manehatten cousin and had it all trimmed to something more manageable. She'd kept it fairly basic since then, but it would be really helpful today if she still had her old mane style from when she was a teen. She really wanted to put her best hoof forward for whatever authority figure she was going to plead her case for keeping Sisstet.  After leaving the bathroom she stopped by the bedroom to put on her pearls before returning to the living room and putting on her glasses. Sisstet was still asleep, and she decided the next thing to worry about was making sure he started off his day with a healthy breakfast… which she may or may not be able to provide since she only knew some of his dietary needs. She mentally added asking somecreature more learned than her what exactly he should be eating and in what portions. For today she was just going to go with some basic cereal and juice. He'd eaten the equivalent of that at the school, so it couldn't be that bad a breakfast.  She was walking to the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door. She gritted her teeth as she looked quickly at the couch to see if the knocking had disturbed Sisstet, but he didn't show any signs of stirring. Wondering who could be visiting this early in the morning, she hurried to the door and opened it  Standing on her doormat was Sweetie Belle, with her young son all by laying against her where he stood. The unicorn mare gave Silver a sheepish smile. "Hi, Silver. I'm glad to see you're already up. I need a big favor." Silver blinked, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was. "Um, what can I help you with?" Sweetie patted a hoof on her son's horn. Before beginning her frenzied explanation. "I reeeally need a last minute foalsitter for little Silk. Starlight has drafted me into helping with some emergency magical research involving Candy Apple's condition, in addition to me needing to help with the School of Friendship graduation ceremonies, plus dealing with Flurry Heart- she just showed up out of the blue the other day and has already blasted a hole through one of the school walls, and little Silk's father- big surprise here- has told me he's too busy this morning- again. I'd normally ask Scootaloo or Applebloom, but Scootaloo is busy helping Rainbow Dash with something, and I think I'd die if Applebloom's water broke while she was trying to watch little Silk. Can you pleeease foalsit little Silk?" "Sweetie Belle, today is-" She was cut off by Sweetie Belle using her magic to grab Silk Sheen out of the flower bed. She hadn't even seen the colt wander away. "No! We do not take naps in other creature's flowerbeds! You're going to get your fur all dirty doing that, and mess up her flowers. I know you're tired. It will be just a little longer before you can lay back down for a nap, okay?" "But Mommy-" the ivory furred colt began (he could have been Rarity's son instead of Sweetie Belle's with his coloration), as his eyes started to build up for an epic temper tantrum. He was three years old, and from Silver's experience he was quite prone to dramatic temper tantrums. Sweetie said he inherited being overdramatic from his aunt.  "As I was saying," Silver cut back in. "Today is not a good day. I actually need to find a foalsitter too. Sorry, Sweetie Belle." Sweetie Belle let out a groan as she set her son back down. Silk Sheen seemed to lose interest in his temper tantrum as she released him, perhaps because he no longer had her attention for it.  "Great," Sweetie Belle mumbled, and slumped her head in defeat. "I guess I really should just hire a full-time nanny. I've got the money for it. It's just that I've always wanted to avoid looking like a stuck up rich pony that had servants for everything. However, it seems like the only way I'll ever end up stopping having to worry about last minute foalsitters." The unicorn turned to her again. "Do you have any suggestions on where I even go to do that? I know it was technically your parents that had servants, but you must have seen them doing that at some point." Silver shook her head. "Honestly, no. I don't have a clue." It occurred to her that she'd need to be telling her parents she was adopting a naga. That conversation might not go well. Her parents found something to object to about most of her choices- although rarely the objections she anticipated. "I'll be talking to them sometime this week. I'll try to remember to ask about it." Sweetie Belle nodded glumly. "No matter what I'll have to go check with somecreature else for today." Her brow furrowed as she looked back at Silver. "Why do you need a foalsitter though? Are you helping with one of your students?" Silver shuffled her hooves nervously. "You could put it that way. I was actually going to need to either visit the mayor or Starlight Glimmer about that. I'm trying to take legal custody of Sisstet." "What?!" Sweetie Belle shouted in dismay. Silk Sheen jumped backwards, now fully awake, and landed on his rump.  "Hush!" Silver whispered through her teeth. "He's asleep on my couch. I don't want him waking up until I can give him my undivided attention." Sweetie Belle looked to each of her sides quickly before returning to the conversation. "Was he being abused? You weren't there, fighting in the Naga War. I wouldn't put it past those naga to-" Silver shook her head. "It wasn't abuse. It's something else. Let's call it neglect. It's more complicated than that. I do need your help though. You personally know the princess, and she gets to make all the decisions regarding the naga living in her realm. I need your help to plead my case for adopting him." The other mare gaped for a moment before replying. "I'll help you, if you're sure this is what you want to do, but I think you really need to think hard about this. Naga aren't like other creatures-" "He's a kid like any other kid,," Silver hissed defensively. "He just needs a good and nurturing home." Sweetie raised up a hoof defensively. "Look, I agree he needs a good and nurturing home, and I don't doubt for a second that you would do everything that you could to provide that. Your heart is in the right place, and I'm really happy you care so much about him, but my point still stands; naga aren't like other creatures.  Silver snorted. "I don't see where he's that different." The Crusader frowned. "Okay, let me go over some things. Are you going to be able to explain to him the changes his mind and body are going through when he gets older? They aren't the same as what happens with a pony, and will be very hard for you to empathise with when they're happening- maybe even just as frightening to you as for him. Are you going to get a bigger house for when he starts to grow? He isn't going to stay this small forever, and this house isn't built for somecreature that big to live in comfortably. I'm sure you stick up for him as a teacher now, but what about all the stuff that he is going to endure outside of school? What happens when grown adults start treating him badly? Those same grown adults you have to teach the kids of? What are you going to do in that situation?" "What do you think is better?" Silver half-growled. "If you think it's such a bad idea, then what is your alternate?" "Maybe you should-" Sweetie paused and grabbed Silk from the flower bed with her magic, setting him back down beside her. "I think you should consider the school that Princess Cadance set up. Naga are similar to ponies in one way, they tend to do things together in groups- clutches. He would be surrounded by naga his own age. Naga who will be dealing with the same kinds of issues as him. The staff there has been specially trained in dealing with all things naga, and won't be caught off guard by his differences in development. It could be a good experience for him, and provide the best care. I thought from the start Princess Cadance's program was better than Princess Twilight's, and I still do." Silver sat back on her launches and sighed. "What if I went and visited the school? They could give me advice. He has friends here, and I don't want to take him away from them." Sweetie grimaced and looked out to where the sun was rising. "That might work. If you're a hundred-percent committed I'll argue to the princess to let you keep him… I feel simply dreadful for not knowing this, but what's his name again?" "Sisstet." "Sisstet," Sweetie repeated, then floated her son onto her back. "I really need to get going; I'm running behind as it is. Just think about what I said, and make sure you are doing this for him and not yourself." Silver didn't get to ask what her friend meant by that last part before Sweetie Belle went hurrying off. She gently closed the door and gave a start when she turned around and found Sisstet staring at her. He was down on his arms, and his coils stretched back behind him towards the couch.  She took a deep breath before smiling at him. "You're awake. I'm sorry if my conversation woke you up. I was trying to let you sleep some more before serving you breakfast." "You want me sstay with you, Miss S-Silver S-Spoon?" Sisstet hissed out with far more feeling than she'd heard from him before. She hurried over to him and gave him a hug. "Yes, yes I do. I'm sorry I ended up running away yesterday. I was just in shock." "Sso, you'll be my new guardian?" Sisstet asked. That was still in flux, and she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep. So far there were a bunch of doubters, but she wasn't going to back down just because they said it wouldn't be easy.  "If I have my way, then yes. I'm going to do everything I can to become your new official guardian."