//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Waiting on a new bed. // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// “Alright, who are you and where did you get that cloak?!” Demanded Rarity of Cadance as the trio were walking along the main street. They’d been window shopping, and the sudden rude accusation caused Cadance to backpedal a couple of steps. “Mam, have you no manners?” Silvereagle scolded, her face dropping down to Rarity’s level. The guard was considerably larger than Rarity despite her being a pegasus. “My cousin Nova lent it to me.” Cadance offered in her defense. “Your cousin, a likely-emf?!” Rarity was about to say a likely story just as Applejack came over to her and stuffed a hoof in Rarity’s mouth. “Please forgive her. - My name’s Applejack, and the mouthy marshmallow is Rarity.” “Mouthy marshmallow!” Rarity protested on extricating Applejack's hoof. “Rarity, I’ll bet you a bit's worth of doughnuts that, that there, is Princess Cadance,” AJ whispered. “We’re trying to keep a low profile.” Sunset cautioned. “Prin-prin-princess?” Rarity stuttered. “Will you get a grip?” AJ admonished. “We’ve got a princess living right here in Ponyville.” “That was before I knew she was the real thing.” Rarity protested. “Is she always like this?” Sunset asked. “Why no, sometimes she’s even worse.” AJ offered. “Hey!” Rarity protested. Cadance, Sunset, and Silvereagle couldn't help but smile. “So, where’s Miss Nova?” AJ asked. “It’s Princess.” Rarity corrected. “Low profile.” Silvereagle cautioned. “That and the princesses prefer the more casual greeting during informal encounters.” “Nova is back at the house waiting for a new bed to be delivered,” Scootaloo informed them. “Her mom is with her too.” “Oh, Alright. Mom?” Rarity asked. “Princess Luna,” Sunset said softly. “Do you think we could go by the cottage to say hello?” Rarity asked. “I don’t see why not?” Sunset suggested. “Just keep in mind that Luna is a little delicate. The thing is, the Night Mare cost her, well, her entire world so to speak.” “I am furious with those two,” Lofty said shortly after returning to the house. “I went back to their house to have another look. Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood didn’t leave anything behind and by the looks of things they didn’t plan on coming back for quite a while. If ever.” “What makes you say that?” I asked. This much I’d kind of expected. I mean, Scootaloo’s parents never being around was canon, But, I also had to admit that I was looking down the barrel of an alternate timeline. This meant that pretty much anything goes past this point and it was starting to worry me. “Their house is up for rent. The land agent came by shortly after we left.” “What?!” I protest. Granted that it did kind of make sense in a way. Putting the house up for rent and making sure the property was managed by a land agent made sure they’d still have their home when they returned. “Wow,” Brightwing said quietly. “They are the most irresponsible ponies I know.” Lofty grumbled. “What they did at the station really did have the feel of having been planned,” I say. “Do you think maybe they might have been planning on never coming back?” Brightwing asked. “Oh they will come back,” Lofty offered. “They’ve taken off like this before. Soon as they run out of money they come back and ask for their jobs back. Only then they didn’t have Scootaloo.” “I will have to say that given the place is up for rent it suggests they do plan to return. Eventually. Where do they work anyway?” I ask. “Canterlot Institute of Natural History,” Lofty informed us. “They are quite brilliant. And completely lacking in common sense. I honestly wouldn't put it past Snap to let a cragadile loose in the schoolhouse just to show off.” “Well then, having our fellow guard ponies drag them back here might just be the wake-up call they need.” Brightwing offered. “I imagine they’ll be furious, and I hope Holiday isn’t too mad. Snap is her brother after all.” Lofty predicted. “Ether way, Ms Holiday has her job, and we need to be back in Canterlot by the end of the week. And if Miss Holiday is upset you can just tell her you got outvoted, and pulling a stunt like that in front of members of the guard was just dumb,” I reminded her. “And then Cadance and I will be going to Flight Camp in Cloudsdale, and you wanted to be there.” “And if I’m to take this Nanny position seriously I need to be there… It also means I’m going to have to drag Scootaloo along with us regardless of whether or not she can fly yet.” “Mom, is there a spell that can compensate for Scootaloo’s low wing magic?” “If there is, I don’t know about it short of blasting her with the elements.” Luna offered. “You couldn't fly either.” “I could barely fly as is when I found myself back in the palace,” I replied. “I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I was making my way along the old road as best I could while the Nightmare was off doing the whole I’m a villain act.” Luna couldn't help but cringe at the thought. After all, it would never have occurred to her or the nightmare that any pony might have been pulled along with her when she’d been sent to limbo. Canon had it that she’d been sent to the moon, but I had my doubts. “Can we come in?” Rarity asked from the door. Applejack was with her. “Waa!” I exclaimed. I’d even jumped a bit. I’d been far too deep in thought. “I thought I told you not to startle her.” Applejack scolded. “It’s not like I was trying to, and it’s Luna we didn’t want to startle.” Rarity protested. She then bowed all the way to the floor, “Your majesties.” “Will you stop that!?” AJ protested. “Yes, seriously, that sort of thing went out of style with polyester. - So how’s everyone – pony doing?” I asked. “We’re doing great.” Rarity offered as she righted herself. She’d a bit of a blush on her face as well. “Darling, you know, you and Princess Luna look more like siblings than mother and daughter.” “Ya, mom is a sweetie.” I offer. “Just like your little sister.” “Darling, I’ll have you know Sweetie Belle can get into just as much trouble as you seem to be capable of.” Rarity corrected. “In fact, Sweetie is grounded at the moment.” “As strange as it may sound, I’m glad Nova still has her spark.” Luna offered with a smile. “She has always been so full of life and energy, and I have her to credit for pulling me out of the pit of despair I’d fallen into.” “So have the delivery ponies shown up yet?” Cadance asked from the door as she entered. The others were with her plus she’d picked up a rather handsome guard pony. “Commander Armor?” I ask. “I’m in charge of the local training detail.” Shining Armor offered. “Does Twilight know you are in town?” I asked. The blank look on his face suggested he hadn’t informed her he was in town. “I’m taking that as a no. She does live here in Ponyville now you know.” “Honestly,” Cadance said with a smile. “So when’s the date?” I asked. “Date?” Cadance asked back. “When are you two getting married?” Shining suddenly turned red as a beet. “I bet a honeymoon on an airship would be fun,” I suggested. “Does Equestria have airships?” “I’d love to design the wedding dress.”Rarity offered up with a gleam. Our two guards smiled at my questions but then frowned. “I thought airships were a new invention?” Lofty asked. “They are. More of her clairvoyance I’d imagine.” Brightwing offered. “I’m thinking Miss Nova hasn’t seen one or she wouldn't be asking if Equestria has airships.” “Clair who?” AJ asked. “She predicts the future from time to time.” Cadance explained as she sat down next to me.” Like she’s asking about my honeymoon plans before Shining has even popped the question. “Like you haven't already planned everything out no less than a dozen times?” Rarity teased as she sat down on the other side of me. “She predicted that Celestia would get tangled up with that enchanted mirror going after Sunset Shimmer” Cadance offered. “Before they’d even met.” “I did not predict that Aunt Tia would go and get herself stuck in the thing only that Sunset would come back. And telling Princess Celestia seems to have been a mistake. We’d have all been better off if I’d just told the watch commanders and with any luck they’d have taken me seriously and made sure Sunset wouldn't be able to duck back into the thing,” I offered. “And predicting you two doesn’t require clairvoyance.” “Are you saying she wasn’t supposed to go after me?” Sunset asked as she came in and sat down, the others following. “Your fate as I saw it was to get stuck in that mirror. Once there the world of the mirror would grant you several paths each worse than the next as your choices brought you more and more misery. I saw your life in ruins. The lives of everyone around you in turmoil. I saw your broken battered body lying in the street as the snow slowly covered you. That or going downriver, take your pick.” I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly while focusing on Scootaloo as she enters the front door. Maybe I was laying it on too thick, maybe I wasn’t. Of all the fanfictions on the net, the vast majority all had cast Sunset as coming to a miserable pitiful end at one point or another after a fairly short life of misery all brought on by her own irredeemable attitude. Few gave her a break one way or another and even when they did they still portrayed her as an irredeemable bitch. The reality that it all might have come true made me shudder. My gaze went back to Sunset, “I could not – would not let that happen. Sunset, I’d hoped that she’d move it somewhere safe and then set a spell that would prevent reentry. At least that way we’d have another thirty moons for you to come to your senses.” Granted there was at least one path where she would have been happy, but it was unclear as to whether or not she’d ever come home again. Far as I was concerned, the present outcome was far better than the canon outcome where her fake friends betray her, and she has to go through a gauntlet of misery before those same fake friends finally start supporting her. And that only because the architects of the Anon-a-Miss finally decided to confess. “As Celestia is my witness, I’m never doing something that stupid again,” Sunset stated. “The time I spent there was the most humbling and miserable experience in my life. Ya, I came back, I’d actually done it a couple of times before. No pony paid me any attention then, and I’d swear that every time I went back I’d gotten younger again.” A knock came at the door. “Excuse me. Is this the Lofty Holiday residence?” “Yes, it is. I’m Lofty. Is that the new bed?” “Yes Mam.” One of the delivery ponies replied. “Oh good. The old one is right this way.” Lofty offered as she directed them to my room. Or I should say the guest room I used while I was here once I’d been convinced to give up the sofa. “I want to see if we can’t fit them both into the same room?” “I might know an expansion charm.” Luna offered. “You know, make the room bigger on the inside.” “Do you think you are up to it?” I asked. “Well, if I’m not then nothing will happen.” She explained. “Well then, give it a go.” Lofty offered. “Just don’t let Twilight see it.” Rarity teased. “You mean Twilight who hasn’t realized the library is bigger on the inside?” Scootaloo asked. “That’s because there are books to distract her.” AJ offered as Luna got up and went to the doorway of the room. Her horn lit up for a few moments and then nothing. “Mom?” I ask. “It’s a conditional charm. We won’t know until they bring in the new bed.” Luna offered. “Could you use a hoof?” AJ asked as they came in. They were earth ponies the same as her and likely didn’t need help. “That’s alright Miss Apple, we’ve got it.” One of the movers replied as they walked past. It’s hard to ignore the stares. “Don’t let it get to you.” Rarity whispered. She saw it too. “The three of you have been in all the papers.” “Any chance they got one of me going after the guard?” I ask. The poor stallion was extremely nervous the second time we met. There were bald patches along his mane where I’d pulled it out by the roots. “Did you seriously start a riot?” Scootaloo asked coming back over to us. “Maybe,” I replied sheepishly and Scootaloo giggled at the notion. “What?” Rarity asked as we watched the movers go back and forth, they gave us the odd curious glance from time to time as they went about their job. “Commander of the Night Wing took me to a restaurant that served meat.” I began. “Meat?” Rarity was horrified. AJ looked a little surprised herself. “I’ve fox pony ancestry, I need a little meat on a regular basis to stay healthy,” I explained. “Anyway, some pony at the restaurant called the guard, and we got raided. Things went downhill when they tried to take my dinner so they could use it as evidence.” I suppose that explains why Granny acts so suspicious of you.” AJ offered. “I’m not going to help myself to no pony’s chickens without permission.” “Well, can’t say you didn’t do a right good job collecting eggs,” AJ mused with a sort of suspicious smile. “How’d you get them to produce so many eggs?” “Well… I might have insinuated that any hens that couldn't meet the quota would be given other opportunities to contribute.” I gave her a wink. “Why you no good…” AJ was accusing but there was a smile on her face and she was holding back laughter. Once the bed was set up we were delighted to discover that the new bed fit all five of us plus Scootaloo. “Well, we should probably get going,” AJ offered after regaining her composure over how Nova had been leaning on the hens to lay more eggs. I’d kind of like to get out for a bit myself,” I offer. “Anyone else?” Cadance, Luna, and Sunset all agreed that they’d like to get out and see more of the town. “Count me out, I need a break, and then it’ll be time I start fixing dinner,” Lofty replied. “But you fillies have fun.” “Brightwing, Silvereagle?” I ask. “And something tells me Commander Armor will be coming as well.” “I suppose we need to escort you.” Brightwing mused. “On the one hoof, it is Ponyville and nothing is likely to happen to us, but on the other hoof, you are supposed to kind of keep an eye on us,” I prompted. “Alright, I guess at least one of us should. Might as well be me.” Brightwing replied as she got up from her chair. “Maybe we should both go? Ms Lofty?” Silvereagle asked. “If I’m not safe in my own home in a community where no pony has any locks we have a problem.” Lofty replied. “Alright then. We’ll be back when we are back. In time for dinner at the latest,” Silvereagle said and a moment later we were out the door.