//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: Getting things squared away. // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// “Nothing.” Lofty said looking in the cold storage cabinet when we’d gotten to Scootaloo’s home. The cold storage cabinet was a rather ingenious device in which cloud material was stuffed into a lining that was further insulated from the outside room. Imagine a refrigerator that doesn’t need electricity, coolant, and has no moving parts. All it ever needed was some fresh cloud stuffed into the lining every now and then, and the application of magic, heck it was magic, to begin with, and it only needed to be refreshed once or twice a year. Lofty closed up the cabinet. “We’ve some milk at our house. Come on then, I’ll just have to get more later.” “Yes Miss Lofty,” I replied. “Scootaloo, you want to join our slumber party? I mean it’s that, or stay here by yourself.” “She’ll be joining.” Lofty interjected before Scootaloo could say yay or neigh. “Come on Scootaloo, get your school assignments, along with anything else you want, and let's get going.” 🛌 “Nova, your bed looks kind of small for all of us?” Sunset pointed out shortly after arriving home. In deed I was staying in a small bed intended only for the occasional overnight of a single occupant. “Not to worry, there’s a new bed being delivered.” Lofty offered. “And we can, I guess the old bed can be pushed to one side? Can we fit both I wonder and still have room to get at the wardrobe? I mean, there are five of you now.” “Good thing I’m not adult-sized right now,” Luna commented. “What about Silvereagle and Brightwing?” I ask? “Don’t worry about us.” Brightwing offered. “We’ll be staying in the local barracks, and someone locally will cover the night shift.” “There’s a barracks?” I ask. It was news to me. “My understanding is there are some rooms in the basement of the Courthouse that are sometimes used by visiting guard.” Lofty offered. “All the local guard post has is a cell for locking up the town drunk. And they had to hire a pony to be the town drunk. - Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to run a quick errand and don’t go anywhere until after the bed is delivered. Be back in a bit.” I watch Lofty go and then find a place to sit. Silvereagle and Brightwing find a place to sit. “So aaaa…?” Sunset said sounding like she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted as Scootaloo dropped down next to me. I can't quite wonder if it's because she's accustomed to my presence now? That and I am technically her cousin now. “Might just as well put your luggage in the corner.” I offer. Cadance moves her luggage and comes over to sit on the other side of me. “She’s such a little cutie,” Cadance said in a soft voice in reference to Scootaloo. “Ah, she and I are practically the same age,” I reply. "I know, "Cadance replied with a smile that suggested she was up to something." "What's she talking about?" Scootaloo asked while giving Cadance a wary glance. "Something tells me you don't want to know," I offered. “And I’m bored,” Sunset announced. “I suppose I could stay here if you wanted to go explore the town there’s no reason you couldn't,” I suggested. “One of us will have to go with you.” Silvereagle pointed out. “I don’t see why you both can’t go?” I asked Silvereagle. “I mean, this is Ponyville. Nothing ever happens here. Outside of the occasional monster wandering in from the Everfree.” “Seriously?” Sunset asked. “She’s just pulling your tail.” Cadance offered. “From what I hear, she might not be.” Bright wing offered. “To be true I think it has something to do with the proximity of the Everfree. Troublemakers who go in there thinking they can set up a hideout don’t often come out again. That leaves the community itself, and Ponyville is kind of self-policing.” “She’s not pulling your tail, we really do have monsters wandering in from the Everfree,” Scootaloo informed them. “Listen, I kind of need to do my homework, might as well do it now.” Scootaloo offered. “We were warned that the locals don’t take kindly to scofflaws and ne’er-do-wells.” Silvereagle offered. “Or outsiders.” I offered. “Took a while for the residents to get used to me. Cadance, take my cloak. Not so much that you won’t stand out, but so that the ponies who know me will know we are friends.” “Even so, one of us needs to stay here with you,” Brightwing informed me. “What with the delivery of a new bed expected.” “Suit yourself then,” I replied. “Not like anything is going to happen. So who’ll it be?” Who gets to stay behind and be board out of your mind?” “It doesn’t bother you to just sit there?” Sunset asked. “There is something to be said for quiet contemplation.” I offer. “I’ll stay.” Brightwing offered. “You sure you want to stay?” Silvereagle asked. “Sure,” Brightwing replied with a smile. “You go, and then it’ll be my turn the next time.” “Oh that’s the way of it,” Silvereagle replied with a smirk. “Alright then, princesses, shall we go?” “Might want to stick to ‘Miss’ and ‘Fillies’ while in town,” I suggest as Cadance gets up to retrieve my cloak. “Might help avoid calling unnecessary attention.” “That actually might be a good idea,” Cadance added as she put on my cloak. It's entirely too small and looks more like a cape on her. “I haven't really gotten used to being called ‘Princess’, ‘your highness’, and I can’t stand Ma’am,” she offered while using a spell to enlarge the cloak to fit. “The titles are kind of new to me as well.” Sunset offered. Sunset had gone from Princess Celestia’s personal student to a foundling with no history, and then suddenly being elevated to a filly with an actual title. When going to Ponyville came up, getting away from all the smarmy ponies who had suddenly gone from intense dislike to her best friends didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Not to mention the fact that all the ponies she had terrorized were all several years older now. She’d definitely wanted to go to Ponyville along with the second chance it represented. As far as how ponies had been treating her, as a student, it was only a matter of time until she either graduated or got expelled. Being Celestia’s daughter meant she was not only here to stay but would always have access to Princess Celestia. “Mom?” I ask. “Will you be going, or staying?” “I’d kind of like to stay if that’s alright. Maybe we can catch up?” “Alright.” I offer. “Mom?” Scootaloo asked sounding really confused. “Scootaloo, this is Princess Luna. She’s my Mother. She only looks young because of what the Elements of Harmony did to her when they freed her from the Night Mare.” “Oh…” Scootaloo offered. “You know what, this is just my summer assignments, I’ve got plenty of time, why don’t I show the others around town?” “You sure you can put off your school assignment?” Luna asked. “It’s already halfway done, and I was thinking maybe you two might not want anyone around? I mean so you can talk more freely.” Scootaloo offered. “Come on Scootaloo.” Sunset prompted. “I doubt they haven't already had plenty of opportunities. It’s just that after being separated for a thousand years, they are kind of inseparable.” “We lost a great deal to the Night Mare.” Luna offered. “We lost a great deal.” The house got really quiet once Sunset, Cadance, Scootaloo, and Silvereagle had left. Quite was good. It was boring but good. Oh, what I wouldn't give for an Internet connection right now. Well, that and some way to access it. It was times like this where I’d start thinking about my old lives. Both in the human world and before. As for Luna, she just seemed happy just being here with me. “Mom, soon as the beds are squared away, let's go visit Twilight.”