//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Tall Tale of Sweet Sauce // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Sweet Sauce didn't have very long to wait for the family-to-be to arrive in the office. Minutes really, and the door rang with the sound of their arrival. He hadn't left the downstairs office—it wasn't like there was anything waiting for him anywhere else. He needed to judge these ponies, see which one would be most likely to be sympathetic. Or gullible. They looked much as they did in the photograph—a white mare with a crisp blue mane and a pair of deep red glasses on her head. A proper unicorn too, which might make her more useful, or potentially just more dangerous to anything Sweet might be planning. How good was Equestrian magical education for those who weren't foals? But then he got a closer look at her partner, and his stomach turned just a little. It wasn't just a trick of the angle used in her application photo. This was an earth pony. Strange that she was the more elegant and refined of the two of them, carrying herself with a properly dignified step and a constant air of control. Yet still Sweet Sauce felt confused, and maybe a little sick. It wasn't that they were both mares—they were from different tribes. Was this unicorn so desperate for a partner that she was willing to look for them among common ponies? Deep breaths. Equestria has changed, but it's still home. You can use this. Sweet sat up, doing his best impression of a frightened, nervous child. He remained in his seat, watching fearfully but not saying anything. He remained quiet as they spoke briefly with Honeydew, before all three turned towards him. The visiting mares were at least graceful enough to pretend to notice him just then. "Sweet Sauce, this is the family I told you about," Honeydew said, as gently as ever. "They're here to meet you, like we discussed." He nodded, though he didn't move from his chair, watching them approach. What could he learn about these ponies, if he kept quiet? What could he use? "It's a pleasure to meet you," said the earth pony. She spoke with a familiar accent, though there were subtle differences that years had made. But from that mane style to her decorum, she could easily be one of Celestia's favored castle staff. Except that she was an earth pony. The other mare only then removed her glasses. She grinned stupidly at him, and never quite stopped moving. Her hooves tapped to the beat of a song that only she could hear. "We've heard you got into some trouble," said the other. The unicorn sounded just like the average pony around town. If anything, her accent was aggressively common. This doesn't make sense! "That's awesome! So long as you know when it's okay to make a little trouble, and when it's not. That's the hard part." Honeydew's eyebrows went up, though she pretended not to notice. "Oh, where are my manors?" The earth pony straightened, extending one hoof towards him. "I'm Octavia Melody, and my wife here is Vinyl Scratch. We're your... or I guess you would properly say that we might be your new foster parents." He took the offered hoof by reflex. Some gestures hadn't changed much in... however long he'd been gone. Though hearing such clear language coming from an earth pony felt like it might make his brain crack in half. "Nice to, uh... nice to meet you too," he squeaked. Did he sound nervous enough? Maybe he should grovel a little more, really sell it. "I'm lost. My parents are gone. It's all very confusing." That worked—the mares shared a look. Sympathy. Perfect. "I'm going to get some snacks," Honeydew said, turning to leave. Not towards the fridge hidden under her desk, but the stairs. "Why don't you talk for a few minutes? I'll be back." You want to check how well we get along, Sweet thought. And that was just fine with him. He could play along. If he was going to be trapped in a body this small and useless, he might as well let being pathetic work to his advantage. "So, uh... what do you do?" he asked. That was innocuous enough, right? As Honeydew vanished up the stairs, he should be more free to ask what he really wanted to know. These ponies wouldn't have a clue.  "Music!" Vinyl exclaimed, sliding her heavy glasses into place. "Octavia is in the orchestra, she plays the stuff that makes you think. Not me, though. I like to make the whole house shake! I want it so loud, the royal guard get complaints about how noisy we were! I want my neighbors to hear it through the floor and come down to join the party!" And from how loud you talk, you've done it so long you're suffering hearing loss. Yet that didn't make sense—Vinyl was a unicorn, so shouldn't she just heal herself?  Why was he smiling? "I didn't think Equestria had music like that." "It's new!" Vinyl exclaimed, bouncing right over to the chair and grinning down at him. "Just you wait until you hear it. You'll be completely blown away." "But that isn't why we’re volunteering to help you," Octavia added, following just behind her. "My wife is enthusiastic about her career, and I support everything she's accomplished there. But we have no expectations you'll share that enthusiasm. This is about providing you with somewhere safe. Until they find your parents, or... are unable to do so. Either way, everypony deserves comfort and safety at home. Don't you agree?" He laughed bitterly. "I don't know what deserves means. Where I came from, my parents were harsh. Their expectations were astronomical—and why expect anything from me when they already had perfect daughters? I grew up expecting nothing, and nothing is what I received." "Grew up," Octavia repeated, sounding slightly confused. "There's still some time for that, I suspect. Perhaps we'll be able to provide something better." It wouldn't be hard. They spoke for some time more. It couldn't have been more than an hour, though it was far longer than a trip for snacks. Could Honeydew really expect that even a foal would believe what she said? Eventually she did return, inviting Sweet Sauce upstairs to enjoy the meal she'd prepared for him. "I need to speak with Miss Octavia and Vinyl for a few minutes, sweetheart. It won't take long, I promise." He nodded, slinking back up the stairs the way he came. He did stop in the doorway long enough to wave back at them one last time, before leaving them behind. Honeydew hadn't spent much time preparing the meal that waited for him. More plain porridge and a box of juice. Hardly the rations of a king. But it was something. Equestria cared enough about the smallest and most defenseless creatures that it wanted to make sure they were taken care of. He picked at it, not terribly interested in more slop. One of the other advantages of being so small, he could go longer with less. Mostly he was listening, straining to hear anything that might hint at what the adults were saying below. Would this plan work? Could he steal a train ticket from these mares? What had happened to Equestrian music in the years since he left? Maybe he could find something to replace the MP3 player that had tragically burned in his crossing. Sweet would never have admitted it, but as he waited, he began to realize that he wanted them to say yes. He could trick another family, maybe even easier than this one. But he wouldn't find a pair of ponies who were both in musical careers. But that unicorn married an earth pony. It's wrong. His memories told him so, told him that even Celestia would've been outraged at such an indignity. How else could the tribes keep their customs and cultures intact, if creatures didn’t respect the boundaries between them? But when he tried to muster the disgust, it just wouldn't come. Those ponies certainly seemed to care for each other—they were united in their interests, and in their desire to help him. Beyond that, the physical side of it all currently alluded him. That was the price of reincarnation—some parts of his understanding didn't follow between bodies.  Finally there was a knock at the door, and Honeydew stepped inside. She shut it smoothly behind her, and nearly smacked into him. "Oh, Sweet Sauce! You didn't touch your food."  He didn't react, barely even looked at the food. "What's happening? Did they like me?" Honeydew hesitated. "Even if they did, that isn't the first question I care about. I need to know if they're going to be a good match for you. Families that arise naturally in Equestria can often clash, making each other’s lives more challenging. When we build them from scratch, we try to make sure that won't happen, if we can." Can't seem too eager. She's still suspicious. He sat down on his haunches, even though it made him feel smaller and more vulnerable than he already was. "They seemed nice," he said. "Plus, they like music. Music I didn't think this world even had." "Is that something you care about?" Honeydew asked. "That didn't come up in any of our conversations." "Uh... yeah?" He looked away, hoping she wouldn't see his expression too closely. "I mean, it's not... it doesn't matter that much. It's just something I like." Some years it felt like the only thing I had in common with the aliens of that distant hell. They felt some of the same things, and put it all in song more raw and honestly than any harpsichord. She stared for another few seconds, then produced the clipboard from over her shoulder. "The couple are willing to sign off on your temporary stay as a foster foal. If I sign this, you'll be out of my care—you'll go with them, and live with them for the foreseeable future. Maybe a little while, until your parents are found. Possibly until you grow up and go out on your own. Or until you discover that you aren't good for each other, and you're assigned to some other pony. Any of those is possible." "I know," he said. "Except for the first one. You'll never find my real parents, I promise. If you find ponies who claim they are, they're lying for some nefarious purpose. I would show you the grave..."  He choked up abruptly, falling silent. He couldn't show the grave, not anymore. It was behind the old castle, and was probably overgrown like the rest. But that didn't hurt so bad. There were never any bodies in there anyway. "I'm going to sign this," Honeydew finally said, scratching something onto the form. "You don't have any personal effects, so... that about does it." She dropped down, lowering her voice. "Make sure you behave well, Sweet Sauce. If you want to keep living there, you need to treat their home like a guest. Be respectful, and never do anything you wouldn't have done at your old home." He had to choke back a laugh at that last one. If only you knew what that meant. He followed her back down the stairs. Vinyl and Octavia waited near the door, both grinning at him. Well, Vinyl was grinning, glasses propped up on her forehead again. Octavia didn't seem to experience emotions quite so strongly, and she only smiled politely in his direction. "I think you'll enjoy staying with us, Sweet Sauce," she said. "Vinyl and I might have a bit of an... unconventional household. But that's one of the lessons I learned from her. Sometimes it's the unexpected that gives us the greatest opportunity for personal growth." He stopped just in front of them, matching their grin. "Then I know I'm going to like it there. I need a little of the unexpected to... stay young?”