//------------------------------//
// Chapter 23 
// Story: "Little Pony" 
// by ButterscotchFTW 
//------------------------------//

With the thought of how healthcare works in this world sort of fresh on my mind, my mother and I successfully walked out of the hospital without any hitches. My thoughts In specific shifted once more and I questioned mother on her choice of living areas. Knowing the area was small and friendly wasn't really a good description.

Shifting to a sitting position on mother’s back I tapped the top of her head a few times to grab her attention.

"Yes, dear?"

"So about this Ponyville place, is all you know about it that it's a small and friendly town?"

Her walk cycle wasn't deterred by my questions and she simply gave a simple response. Much to my disappointment, though I couldn't really blame her.

"Well Uh.. yes.. oh! Actually, I do have a brochure of the place in my mane if you would like to see it."

I blinked a few times before moving a hoof to her manes and stuck it through, much to my surprise I was able to stick my hoof a few inches into it.

'What th- oh, here it is.'

Disregarding the very peculiar and weird way hair works in pony world, I pulled the brochure out of her hair and took it into my hooves. Giving the front page a quick look over before moving to open it, I paused as something caught my eyes. Specifically the little label that stated that there was a population of twenty living there as of right now. This made me let out a very loud "heh?" Before I scanned the front page a few more times and gaped.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What year is it?"

"Oh it's XXXX, why do you ask?"

"Yeah.. I'm pretty sure this brochure is like a good century old seeing as it says its population count is at a constant twenty."

"What?"

Mother took a sudden stop and I stumbled forwards onto my stomach, slightly crumbling the brochure beneath me. Though I quickly my pushed myself up and shook my head, taking it and flipping it around to show mother as she twisted her head to look at me.

Her eyes scanned over the dated piece of paper before she grinned sheepishly, turning back to look in the direction she was walking.

"Well, I guess that's why it was just worth two bits.."

I shrugged in agreement before looking back down at the brochure, I glanced my head back up and questioned something.

"Anyways, what do we do with it then?"

I was half tempted to toss it, but since I was a decent person- and wasn’t sure of the penalties for littering on a literal cloud was, I resigned to mother's decision.

"I guess you could throw it in the trash when we get to the ice cream store~"

My thoughts halted and I let the statement register in my head, nodding to myself a few times.

"Ice cream?"

--

What's better than child trauma stacked on top of almost being raped, whipped up with a nice stuffed crust serving of changelings trying to suck your love out of you? While almost getting kidnapped multiple times?

Of course, it was ice cream. Cookie dough ice cream to be in fact, mother on the other hand simply chose plain vanilla. I pity her taste in ice cream flavors, yet nonetheless, I resigned as we took a stop on a random bench. I plopped down onto the bench and scooted over some, allowing mother to also sit down as I closed the space between us. Sitting loosely yet still close to her side, I continued with the frozen dairy treat I was enjoying. 

Yo wait, how exactly is ice cream made over here?

“Hm… interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” 

I merely gave a shrug at mothers question before shoving the rest of the ice cream cone I was enjoying into my mouth and finished it off with a satisfactory ‘Crunch’ noise. Looking down and wiping the leftover crumbs from my chest before shifting around on the bench, I then turned my focus up towards mother who was looking at me with a small smile. Of course, I returned it, heaven knows we need a lot more smiles as of recent. 

“Ice cream always lifts the mood.” 

Mother had clearly opened herself up for an attack of the punny sort, so I was quick to draw and decided to do as such. 

“You sherbet it does.”

Mid lick she stopped and turned her head down towards me, eyes creasing into a pointed look. Of course, I couldn’t help but return the look with a big shit-eating grin. Though is was simply short-lived as she gave a well-mannered sigh and turned away, not before saying something first.  

“It’s a cream against nature to not love it.”

I perked up and responded. 

“I wouldn’t cream of not loving ice cream.”

Following suit with my previous actions, mother crunched the rest of her ice cream cone in her mouth before swallowing and letting out a sigh of contentment. 

We sat there in a bout of silence for what seemed like more than a minute before I decided to once again break the silence, seeing as there seemed to be a lot more silence happening as of recently. Well, it was justifiable, a lot of things did happen over the course of a week or so and this small sense of peaceful reprieve was something I didn’t want to seem ungrateful for, seeing as I predict more is to come.  

Though weirdly enough I wasn’t as concerned with my own clashing thoughts as I usually am, it’s unnaturally clear up there for some reason. I sort of put the blame on the small childish part of my mental state. Which in fact, could be part of the reason for me being completely and totally fine with everything that has happened as of now. Of course, with my superior adult intellect being very very prominent I- you know, I’m not really sure where exactly I’m going with this. 

I’ll just. Cast that aside and be content. At least for now. Today seemed to  be one of the better days, so why ruin it? 

“Hey, mom?” 

“Yes, dear?” 

“What time is Spitfire getting back, if she is even coming back?” 

She pursed her lips before glancing up towards the sky. Waiting a few moments before turning towards me once more and lightly grinning. 

“Oh, she’ll be here, well she should be here.” 

She paused and gazed up straight towards the sun once more, I tilted my head in confusion once more before I heard her mutter to herself lightly. Props to having horse ears. 

"Anyways, what exactly did she have to do when she left in a hurry?"

"Well you do remember she is the captain of the Wonderbolts correct?"

"Yup. Never forgot."

"Well though with the wonderbolts business, she did have to meet with Princess Celestia on the little.. bug problem we're having."

She finished that statement with a bit of venom in her inflection. Which was well deserved in my opinion, anyways on to the main point. She had to confer with the royalty of this world, which did answer my questions of whether or not the wonderbolts were interconnected with some sort of military. If this place even had a military branch, from all I've seen is a bunch of copy and pasted soldiers walking around in gold armor. 

"Oh.. well that wasn't too far off from what I was thinking anyways."

So what did that mean exactly? High alert maybe? Extra guards, maybe personal body guards? I don't know.. maybe a visit to the princess herself.. actually. That'd be pretty cool now that I actually think about it.

"--!"

"Hey guys!"

My head snapped up just in time as a yellow blue landed in front of us and regarded is with that same deep tomboyish voice. Forming a huge dust cloud made of.. clouds? 

Mother jolted at the sudden appearance and let out a few choice words that'd been muted by my own thoughts. Which which actually wanted to focus for once today..but back to  that dust cloud made of cloud. Or is it cloud dust made of cloud..?

Listen don't question how exactly that would ever work while standing on a cloud. Just roll with it, that's what I did as soon as I realized I was in some sort of cartoonish fairy tale. 

But I digress. It seemed that Spitfire decided to join the party and make it a three man squad once more, though there wasn't really a purpose in me sitting here and looking awkwardly at nothing. 

I pushed myself up onto my hooves and nudged mother. Her annoyed expressions shifting from the sheepishly grinning wonderbolts and down to me, smiling.

"Since Spitfire is here, can we do something now? We look homeless just sitting here.."

"Pfft!"

They both laughed at my joke. Though I was glad they did take it as a joke, since our house and Spitfire's house respectively have both been deemed uninhabitable after the whole. 'Eggy weggy make changelings stronger with Spitfire as a host, while also harvesting the love off a small chi..you get the gist.

I took a moment to reel in the absolute confusion of what I just said to myself. 

'What the hell was that description? I might have to just take a moment and may down once we'd settle somewhere'


 I shook my head and focused back on reality, I was awaiting for an answer from one of them, fluttering my wings in anticipation. Waiting as they both stopped with the mirth and looked at eachother, I swiveled from Spitfire to mom and vice versa for what seemed like ten minutes before mom spoke up.

"Oh yes, I completely forgot! Speckle's and I agreed that we would check out a small town not far from here.. I believe it was called-"

"Ponyville" I interjected. She gave a nod of thanks before continuing.

"Ponyville..anyways, since you're already here and if not too busy to come and maybe join us?"

"Oh you're headed to Ponyville? It's an interesting town to say the least..especially with all the special characters-"

Spitfire shuddered mid sentence and I titled my head in confusion and curiosity, if she had that reaction to Ponyville. What's going to make mother and I want to actually try and settle down there?

"But.. I guess it's worth the visit. Soo.. when did you plan on going?"

"We were waiting for you before departing" I once again butted in.

She glanced down to me and grinned. 

"Well since you so kindly did that. We should waste no time and get going!" 

I parted my lips to agree before she suddenly stopped and took a few steps until she was in front of me, I craned my head up and was in the process of letting my prior thoughts out.

But I was interrupted by her grabbing me and lifting me up by the arm pits.

'What is she-'

"But first.. noogie..noogie!"

"AH-"

To be continued..