A soft futon, the warmth of the sun, and the gentle whispering of the breeze greeted me as I slowly woke up. Not like my shift in reality was a huge surprise. After all, I’d been pushing my limits, and my young body just wasn’t built for it. I do have an advantage over regular ponies though, and not just the alicorn thing. Ponies are semi ecto-thaumatic. That is to say, we can use the environment to augment our body’s natural recuperative abilities. For earth ponies, it is their connection to the land. Unicorns can draw more directly from ambient eddies of manna. The sort of manna that forms leylines. For winged ponies and fox types in general we absorb the energy of the sun in much the same way as creating vitamin D worked. My body just seemed to be especially efficient at converting sunlight to manna. Granted that being an alicorn meant being able to use all three methods, my preferred method was sunlight.
Mom had figured out my ability which quite possibly explained why I was presently sleeping in the sun. I didn’t just love to sleep in the sun, it invigorated me.
Opening my eyes revealed that I was on one of the verandas of the Neighpon Consul’s home with its immaculate gardens just out of reach.
Not far from me was the image of Diamond Tiara in a floral yukata. She was sitting on a stone bench, or step if you like, which overlooked a pond. Within the pond swam about colorful tasty morsels like little drops of sunlight captured within. Somewhere nearby could be heard the trickling notes of a floor harp. Koto I believe it’s called.
Such an idyllic setting, what with the harp, and the buzzing of bumblebees. Yes, they were bumblebees, I could tell by the sound they made. Bumblebees were also well adapted for high altitude. Somewhere in the garden could be heard the sound of falling water and the sharp staccato clack of a Sōzu fountain. A deer chaser as they are often called back in the human world. I rolled overexposing my tender belly to the sun and caught sight of little golden birds up in the branches of an ornamental maple. I let my wings flop out as I watched and discovered a variety of birds existed in the garden though most seemed to be the same species. They’d darker backs and heads, many with brilliant blue feathers on their heads, backs, and wings. Others had colors that were much more subdued. Quite possibly a male versus female thing.
“They are called the Alpine Snitch,” Offered the voice of Kenta not far from me. Well, they were round enough to be a Snitch. I hazarded a glance his way to find him on his own mattress now covered by my primaries. I pull my wing back a bit. “The only other place they can be located is up in the Chrystal Mountains.”
“The Chrystal Mountains?”
“I’m told that according to legend the sky islands were part of a vast empire.”
“That would be the Chrystal Empire,” I offered. “It’s an ancient enchantment using crystals that make the sky islands work.” I cast a glance over at Diamond to find she was listening. And to be true I wasn’t too sure if I was remembering or just making a wild guess based on an anime. After all, there hadn’t exactly been sky islands in the show. I suppose I could be forgiven if I was wrong as there were precious few who would be able to call me on it and likely wouldn't bother.
“Can you hear the island?” I asked Diamond.
“I can. It kind of feels like home in an odd sort of way.” She looked back at the sparkling fish. “Mom was always going on about how we were descended of Crystal Imperial nobility. Some nobility. Goes and gets herself arrested for being drunk in public, and then Father tries to bribe Twilight’s brother of all ponies.” She let out a sigh. Yes, I’d told her, she was simply repeating to herself as she mulled it over. “Crystal nobility my flank. It was just a bunch of lies.”
“Maybe not,” I offered with what I hoped was a reassuring tone. “I’ve been there, to the Chrystal Empire, that is when it was still there, and Cadance is the Heir Apparent in abstantia. An Imperial Heiress. Granted it was technically just a Principality until King Sombra overthrew the royal family. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think you might be descended from Chrystal ponies.”
“And I behaved horribly towards her.”
“I’m sure she’d be willing to forgive you. All you have to do is apologize.”
“But would she forgive me?”
“Yes, I would.”
All three of us startled when Cadance answered.
“Cadance?” I gasped. I’d flipped myself over and was now in a crouched position ready to spring, only...
“What?” Cadance asked kindly enough and then gave the strings on the Koto a stroke with her right hoof. She was towards the back of the room just around a corner where Diamond wouldn't be able to see her.
“That was you playing?” I asked astonished as I relaxed into a sitting position.
“I did have something similar…” her tone dropped in remembrance of loss.
“Hang on, why are you here?”
“Just keeping an eye on the four of you. Kenta’s mother is in the Console's Office acting as a secretary while he and Luna are at flight camp talking with investigators.”
“I should be at flight camp,” I groused. “Especially after all the trouble I had to go through to get there. Does it never stop?” Yes, I was feeling exasperated, frustrated, and a little like a leaf in the wind. Especially since everything that had happened hadn’t been in the shows, comics, or books. It was all completely new territory. But then again I had defied canon and helped to retrieve Sunset Shimmer. I’d meddled with what should have been fixed points in time, and now there were new events taking place.
“Flight camp is on standby,” Cadance offered. “You aren’t missing anything. What is, or rather who are missing, are some foals that have yet to be accounted for.”
“I thought we had them all?” I asked in astonishment and dread.
“The individuals that are missing are known delinquents and probably just took off on their own,” Cadance offered. “That said, there are a lot of ponies who are going to be really worried about them until their whereabouts are known.”
“Of all the times to play hooky,” I groused and then lay back down. “So is the day shot then?”
“Hook-ii?” Diamond asked.
“Old Ponish,” Scootaloo offered from somewhere out in the garden.
“Scootaloo, what are you doing out there?” I called.
“There’s this fountain with a branch sort of thing with a hollow that fills with water, tips over spilling the water, and then goes back up to fill again.”
“It’s called a Sōzu fountain, and the stick is bamboo. It grows hollow,” I called back. I’m not about to tell her it’s a deer chaser, and I’m lucky I remembered Sōzu. I can just imagine what the Elks would think. Pure unadulterated speciesism.
Kenta let out a sigh as he lay his head down.
“You going to be alright?” I asked.
“I’m going to miss Flight Camp.”
“Oh,” I said softly.
“Miss flight camp? But your wings are fine?” Scootaloo protested. She emerged from the garden along a stone path.
“It’s the pain killer, and he’s not going to do anything that might risk further injuring that leg,” I explained.
“I’m not allowed to do any flying until my leg heals up,” Kenta lamented. “I kind of knew I was walking into a trap of some sort too.”
“You knew, and you did it anyway?” I asked as I turned to look at him.
“They said that Princess Nova wished to meet me. I asked; you mean Kitsumi-hime? And they were like ‘who? What?, Ah, no, Princess Nova wants to meet you. And then I said, but I had breakfast with her, and they were like, breakfast, and I said yes, I had breakfast with Kitsumi-hime, and they were like, well, Princess Nova wants to meet you and you have to come with us. I kind of got the idea that I wasn’t being given a choice. Soon as we got to where they wanted to take me I saw some other foals tied up, and that’s when the fight started.”
“Nova, would that be about the same time you stole the airship?” Cadance asked.
“Stole? Stole?!” I replied in mock protest. “I merely salvaged a vessel that had been reported as lost.”
“Don’t believe her, she commandeered that ship with every intent to ‘pillage, plunder, and otherwise pirate her weaselly black guts out.” Scootaloo teased.
“I might have made statements to that effect,” I admitted with a sheepish smile. “But only because that idiot on the radio wouldn't take me seriously.”
I hear a sour note come from Cadance’s Koto.
“Cadance?”
When I looked back at Cadance it was like her little corner of the room had gotten darker. She was looking down. Not so much at anything, just down.
“You heard did you?”
“Spitfire and Dash had some words with me. General Dynamic wasn’t happy either,” Cadance offered. “All I thought about was preventing the foal thieves from escaping with Kenta. A pony lost half their wing because of me, and nearly lost you, Scootaloo, and all the other ponies on the ship. And there’s more. I’m to understand a patrol slammed into my shield. They are going to recover but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.”
“Cadance, I’m alright, Scootaloo is alright, Diamond is alright, those fliers will recover, and if any pony is to blame for the stallion who got his wing clipped it’s me. I’m the one who closed it on him.”
“No, it’d be my fault,” Scootaloo offered. She had moved up to the edge of the veranda. “I told you we were clear. And you know what, we were, and then that idiot tried to race through at the last second. He’s lucky a clipped wing is all he got.”
“Forgive me for being blunt, but it kind of sounds like it was his own fault.” Kenta offered. “No pony forced him to try to race through a collapsing force field. I know every pony feels bad, but you don’t kick yourself for another’s foolishness. Nor will I hold myself accountable for what others do. Sure I could sit here and blame myself for my broken leg, but that blame belongs to the pony who slapped me down and stepped on my leg.”
“Shame I wasn’t there,” I offered. Kenta gave me an odd look. “What? Up until we went through the cloud I was surrounded by security.”
“Well, there is that,” Kenta replied. He’d closed his eyes and looked to be clenching his jaw.
“You look like you could use some pain killer,” I remarked.
“Is it time yet?”
“Hang on, I’ll go find out,” Cadance offered, got up, and hurried out the room.
For my part I got up, went over to him, lay down next to him, and decided to try purring. Foxes can purr you know. And I could to I soon discovered. Delighted as I was at the discovery only helped.
Scootaloo gave me an odd look.
“Comfort purring,” I offered and went back to purring.
“Mkay,” Scootaloo replied. She smiled, and then whispered, “you like him?”
“You mean like, like?” Purr, purr, purr…
“How can you just… I mean?”
“Casual about who I like? It comes with maturity. I wasn’t in limbo the whole time. In truth, I’d be in my eighties if I hadn’t reverted to a foal. I’ve had plenty of crushes, been married, had kids, grandkids… I had to accept the new me or…”
“That’s...” Diamond started.
“Pretty messed up?” I offered. “So what became of Rumble?” I figured a change of conversation might be a good idea.
There was a hint of harshness to my tone.
“He had to go with his brother,” Scootaloo explained. “Because he went with the captives he couldn't leave unless a family member signed for him.”
“Well, not like his brother didn’t know where he was,” I offered. “They’ll probably make us all see therapists.”
“Therapists?” Scootaloo asked.
“Egg heads who want us to talk about our feelings, tell them we are in love with our brother and hate our mother. Or was it thy other way around?” Scootaloo let out a snort.
“Kenta! Dear, I’m so sorry,” exclaimed Lady Sakura Yuki as she trotted into the room followed by Cadance. “I said I’d be the one to take care of your meds and then I go and get preoccupied. Come on, sit up.”
“Come on Kenta, sit up, it’ll make you feel better,” I offered as I sat up. He pushed himself up with his good leg followed by his mother having him drink a broth of some sort.
“Bleh.” His tongue moved about as he wanted desperately to be rid of the stuff.
“You’ll start feeling better in a bit,” Sakura offered and kissed him on top of the head.
“Can I get something to get the taste out of my mouth?”
“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Sakura offered and trotted off. Cadance sat next to him opposite to me.
“Cheer up, you’ll be better in no time,” Cadance offered reassuringly.
“Think I’m going to lay back down,” Kenta replied as he did so. He half-closed his eyes but it didn’t look like he was going to fall asleep anytime soon.
I just sat there not quite sure what I wanted to do. Scootaloo went and sat on the step next to Diamond.
“Is she going to be alright?” Diamond whispered to Scootaloo. Ya, I could hear. I tried not to swivel my ears towards them.
“I’m thinking Kenta reminds her of her brother,” Scootaloo offered. “That and Rumble going with you without saying anything to her probably has her second-guessing their relationship.”
A sort of silence fell over the garden broken by bird song, the breeze through the trees, and the occasional staccato of a bamboo rod.
“She never asked why I was here,” Diamond said softly.
“Diamond…” No point in pretending I couldn't hear her. “Fox ears are really good. I figured I’d be told sooner or later. I figure Mom signed for you and brought you here? Or did the Consul sign for you? No, he probably can’t. Mom cares what happens to you. She’s not going to turn her back on you when you’ve got no one. And despite our past relationship, I’m not going to walk away from a pony with nowhere else to go.”
“So you are OK with me? I mean… You didn’t mention Ms Lofty?”
“I imagine that’s a possibility, except that she promised me that she would not subject me to living with you. We tried to be friends with you but you never gave us a chance. I’m sorry, I know you don’t need to hear that right now, but it’s true. That leaves my mom.” I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “On top of that, I’m wondering if Rumble may like you more than he does me. That being my colt friend was just a fun little game that played into his ego. Seeing you in the condition you were in, he forgot about me and went with you.”
“You, you think he likes me?”
“You have ponies who like you. Ponies who managed to overlook your behavior,” I offered. “And no, your status doesn’t matter to Ponyville ponies.”
“She’s right you know,” Cadance offered. “Well, except for a few individuals.”
“Wonder how Rarity would react if she knew who my grandmother is?” Scootaloo asked with a big smile on her face.
“Grandmother?” Diamond asked as Sakura returned with a cart loaded with drinks.
Sakura had cold mango juice, and a few moments later all else was forgotten. Even Kenta had perked up.
Hey, what flying fox doesn’t love mango everything?
I took hold of my glass in my front hooves and waited for every pony. “Diamond…” I held up my glass in the fashion of offering a toast. “As it looks like we are going to be family, welcome to the family. Mazel tov.” And with that, I downed a goodly portion of my drink.
“Mozel…” Diamond ask in confusion.
“Must be more old ponish,” Scootaloo suggested.
“It means good luck,” I replied with a smile. “The thing about being in any way connected to the nobility is you have to calculate your every move. Oh, it’s not so much as being on your best behavior twenty-four-seven because there are going to be ponies who will find fault in everything you do. That and the media will likely have a field day with you. It’s a matter of calculating your actions for the best overall results.”
“She’s not wrong,” Sakura said and then offered me more juice.
“Don’t mind if I do, thank you very much,” I responded as I held out my glass. At least my hoof grip hadn’t failed me. “By any chance have they accounted for every pony yet?”
“Word is the missing colts were at the Cloudsdale Arcades,” Sakura offered. “By the way… the flight Camp Organizers want to do another dinner tonight.”
“I’m not going to have to go am I?” Kenta asked plaintively.
“No dear, you can stay home and rest.”
“Just prop me up in a seat,” I offered. “I imagine I’ll be rested up enough by then.” I turned to Diamond. “Diamond, would you be interested in going?”
“Me? But, how could I?”
“It’ll be on base on a sky island such as the one we are on now,” Sakura offered. “And a transport will be provided.”
“What about, that is, I hate to ask?”
“I think she means something fashionable,” I offer.
“Afraid I don’t know if we’ll be able to get anything,” Sakura lamented.
“Might be able to loan you something of ours?” Scootaloo offered.
“True, they did send us with a lot of clothing. That is if you don’t mind wing holes?” I said in agreement with Scootaloo.
“Yours?” Diamond asked.
“Come on, I’ll show you what we brought,” Scootaloo prompted and headed for the step up.
I was to stay put and get more rest. It's not like I had a huge problem with that. I finished off my drink and lay back down in the sun. I soon found myself on the dream plane where I came face to face with an older version of myself of all things. Together we had a nice relaxing cup of tea each in a garden in an expansive greenhouse the likes of which I’d never seen. We talked.
I probably told her everything. I mean, it was just a dream… right?
When I woke up I was feeling considerably more energetic.
“You feeling up to going to dinner?” Mom asked. She’d just come to check on me.
“Ya, I’m good to go,” I replied energetically as I turned to look about. Kenta was giving me an odd look. So were Scootaloo and Diamond. And Cadance just had that I’m worried about you look.
“Are you feeling alright?” Mom asked.
“Her mane started doing that in her sleep,” Cadance offered.
“I’m fine. I’m better than fine,” I protest. I cast a glance at my mane to discover that it was shifting about as though being moved by an unseen breeze. Granted it was nothing like Princess Celestia’s main and tail.
That was just a dream… wasn’t it? No matter, I’ll worry about it later.
“We still doing dinner?” I asked cheerfully.
“Yes, let’s get you dressed,” Mom offered, and a short time later I was dressed in the colors of my cutie mark of plumb and violet.