//------------------------------// // Lunchtime [Comedy] // Story: Aspects of Friendship // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// He dashed through the trees and jumped over a dead branch, then, passing an anthill, he recognized the clearing he had been looking for. Pineapple stepped out of the forest. The sun warmed his light brown coat as he slowed down, turning his head to orient himself. His ears folded down. "Hey, this isn't the place," he said, looking back. "Melody?" He groaned. Melody was not there. She had been right behind him, how could he have lost her - again? No matter, she would find her way back without him. Melody had always been the deer with better orientation. Pineapple rolled his eyes and kept walking. He had indeed been wrong; this was not the clearing he had been looking for. This one was covered with white flowers, not yellow ones, and the stream was on the left side instead of the right. Had he accidentally run south? Sometimes he suspected that the Crystal Forest deliberately changed its layout, similar to its cousin in the South, the Everfree Forest. Whatever. He decided to head to the stream and drink some water. Finding your way was always easier when you were not thirsty. A shadow passed over him. Pineapple twitched, a shiver running down his spine. That had been a very large shadow. He looked up. The shadow returned in a wide arc, then it dove, heading right for Pineapple. His eyes shrank to pinpricks. It was a dragon. A blue, big-ass, hungry dragon. And apparently he had picked Pineapple for lunch. Run, you idiot, he told himself, run for your damn life! Run, run, run... Pineapple repeated the command to himself like a chant, urging himself on as he dashed towards the treeline. The dragon was right on his tail. The focused gaze of violet eyes pierced into his back. A claw reached for him and Pineapple quickly changed direction. Unfortunately, that brought him away from the trees and back into the area without foliage. The dragon beat his wings and made another dive. This time, the claw closed around Pineapple's barrel. He struggled to break free but his legs only hit thin air, the dragon had him firmly in his grasp. "Oh gods and stars, I don't wanna die," Pineapple cried, tears streaming down from his eyes. Being a whimp without a sense of direction had been fine all this time but today it would be his downfall. "Let me go, you overgrown lizard!" He did not care that he was shouting at a beast twenty times taller than him - what was there left to lose? The rhythm of the dragon's wings became irregular. The grip around Pineapple's barrel loosened. To his shock and surprise, the dragon said, "Very well." The dragon landed, beating his enomous wings one more time, and gently put Pineapple down. Frozen in shock, Pineapple stared at the dragon. The blue beast folded its wings and stepped closer to Pineapple. Now he could see that the creature's belly was brighter than the rest of it and its head was adorned with bright blue crystals and sharp, long horns. "S-stop!" Pineapple struggled to get back on his hooves but his legs felt heavy and numb. His heart was still racing like crazy but why did the rest if his body not do its job? And yet, the dragon halted. He actually sat down on his haunches. Was Pineapple wrong or did he actually look embarrassed? The surprises did not end, though. The dragon appeared to be shrinking! At first Pineapple thought the shock had done something to his brain, making him see things that were not there, but no, the dragon's size was decreasing so rapidly that you could watch it happening. As he reached the height of Princess Celestia, the dragon's scales disappeared, getting replaced by blue fur. The wings retracted back into his barrel. The claws became hooves. A straight horn sprouted on his forehead and a long, slightly shaggy mane in a vibrant blue framed the - unicorn's head. The dragon had turned into a sky blue unicorn, tall for a pony and regal-looking. The Cutie Mark of the creature was a cut gem in the centre of a six-pointed star. Was it a changeling? But why had he tried to hunt down Pineapple, then? "Whrgh -" Pineapple cleared his throat and tried again. "Who are you?" The unicorn sighed. "A fool, apparently." He stretched out his hoof, offering to help Pineapple up. When the deer did not react, the unicorn smiled apologetically. "That's not my name, though. It's Kalec. I'm sorry for giving you such a shock. I wasn't aware that deer are sentient here." "What?!" Pineapple finally managed to stand up. Wobbling towards Kalec, he lowered his head, pointing his antlers at the unicorn - a desperate and sort of pointless warning. Kalec grimaced guiltily. "I'm not from around here," he said lightly, then, with more emphasis, "I do apologize. Are you hurt?" "Uh..." Pineapple blinked, looking at himself. "I don't think so," he said slowly. "Only got scared out of my damn mind!" He raised his voice, his legs trembling as the adrenaline rush subsided. "What kind of a changeling doesn't know we're sentient? Did you grow up under a rock?" Now Kalec looked even more embarrased. "No, I am actually a dragon," he said. "But... I prefer to adapt my shape according to the situation. I'm on my way to the Crystal Empire, got hungry along the way and... alas, here we are." Pineapple shook his head. "That's kind of a lame story," he said angrily. "And hardly a reason to eat me!" "No, of course not." Kalec readily agreed. "I promise I'll stick to vegetarian meals while I'm here." Pineapple suddenly realized that the hungry look was still in Kalec's eyes, even though the unicorn tried to hide it. He was beginning to feel bad for the supposed dragon. Pineapple made a decision. "Alright," he said through gritted teeth. "If you're okay with berries, pie and salad, I think I can help you out." Kalec's brow furrowed. "Seriously?" Pineapple straightened up. "Yes. I'm not a savage. When there's somepony in need of help, we do what we can." "I don't know what to say," Kalec muttered. "This is unexpected. Thank you. What's your name?" "Pineapple." "Pine-... er, well met." "I hope so," Pineapple snorted. "Now let's go before I change my mind." "Sorry again," said Kalec. He lit his horn to cast a spell. Pineapple instinctively made a step backwards. A pair of purple saddlebags appeared on Kalec's back. He opened one of them and pulled a large book from it. Next, a pencil appeared in a magical flash. Kalec made a note in the book, then put it back into the saddlebag. He did not make the bag disappear, though. "There." When Kalec saw Pineapple's confused frown, he smiled. "It's a journal," he explained. "I document every encounter I have on Equestria, for my colleagues. They don't know anything about deer, for instance, or ponies." "Er, okay. Anyway, let's go." "Lead the way." Pineapple entered the forest, Kalec in his tow. The unicorn curiously looked around, his blue eyes noticing even the smallest creature that flew through the trees. He really behaved like a stranger. "So," said Pineapple as they walked under the green roof, "What brings you to Equestria?" "An invitation from Twilight Sparkle," said Kalec. "But it had not been for me specifically. I volunteered. Initially, a friend of mine wanted to go but I convinced him otherwise." "Where do you hail from, then? I can't place your accent." "Oh, you wouldn't know it." Kalec smiled. "It's from a place called Dalaran." "You're right, never heard of it," Pineapple confirmed. "Is it a forest on another continent?" "A city, perhaps the size of Canterlot. It's a city of mages and I am one of them. I didn't hatch there, though." "Huh... Watch your step, there's some rabbit holes here." "Do you live in this forest? Or is your settlement nearby?" Kalec asked. "In the forest, of course. There's a deer community at the heart of almost every big forest. Except where the Kirin live." Kalec seemed impressed. "I see," he said. "You know," said Pineapple with a sideways glance at the unicorn, "you better don't tell my tribe you're a dragon. There's no need to ruffle their feathers." "Alright, that's fair. Were you serious about the pie?" "Of course!" "Well, in that case," said Kalec with a grin. "You're weird," Pineapple decided. "I can live with 'weird'." Kalec chuckled. "Promise, I won't eat any of your friends." "Please, not my enemies, either." "If you insist." He could not tell whether Kalec was joking or not. "I always assumed dragons were kind of rude," said Pineapple thoughtfully. "But the, er, misunderstanding aside, you seem like a nice guy." "Thanks. Though I wish my first impression as an Azerothian diplomat wouldn't have been me trying to gobble you up." They kept on walking for a while. Sunrays shone through the trees, dancing on the forest ground. The chirping of birds filled the silence that stretched out between the deer and the dragon. Pineapple halted. He looked around. He went back a few paces, then turned again. "Oh, crap," he sighed. "What is it?" "Ngh." Pineapple grimaced. "Do you know why my family calls me Pineapple? Because I keep confusing things. They say I'd even get lost on a tropical island ten feet wide. My actual name is Pinecone. But no deer calls me that." "Are you implying that we got lost." It was more of a statement than a question. Pineapple hung his head. "Yeah. Could you, I dunno, maybe fly up and see if you can find a village west of here?" "But you just said you didn't want me to reveal -" "I know what I said!" Pineapple snapped. He huffed, then took a deep breath. "It's just... all that talk of lunch made me hungry, too," he admitted. Kalec raised an eyebrow. He lit his horn and disappeared in a flash of blue light. His voice called down from a tall fir, "Aha! I can see it! It's not far, maybe ten minutes of walking." Pineapple flinched as Kalec reappeared next to him. The mage gave him an encouraging smile. "We're nearly there." Pineapple felt heat creeping up his neck. So close to the village and he had once again done it and gotten lost. Leaves rustled. They turned their heads towards the sound. Another deer approached them, this one without antlers. She looked both upset snd relieved as she saw them. "There you are! Where the hay have you been? And... who's your friend?" "Uh..." Pineapple smiled awkwardly at Melody, then his eyes wandered to the disguised dragon. "This is Kalec. He's here for lunch." Melody tilted her head, giving Kalec a warm smile. "So Pineapple picked you up, huh? Talk about luck, we're the only deer around for miles. Oh, I'm Melody, by the way, but you can call me Mel." Kalec's mouth twitched at Melody's choice of words. He exchanged a look with Pineapple. "Come on, I don't bite," said Melody, waving at Kalec to follow her. She turned around and swiftly skipped over roots and bushes. She was already nearly out of sight when Kalec blinked and quickly ran after her. Pineapple rolled his eyes, rubbing the slightly bruised side of his barrel. Then, he realized he was standing there alone. "Stars dammit." Pineapple ran in the general direction they had left. Angry at himself for hesitating, he desperately tried to get a glimpse of them. A small light appeared in front of his face. It looked like the light from a unicorn horn, sent by the spellcaster. The purple wisp danced up an down, urging him to follow it. The dragon had left Pineapple a guide. "Thanks, Kalec," Pineapple muttered happily, following the magic light.