//------------------------------// // Visit From A Relative - Part 3 // Story: Chibi Changeling // by Yukito //------------------------------// Rumble felt a chill pass down his spine, and shuddered as the pink mare loomed over him with a menacing grin on her place. “I need to have a word with you, Rumble.” “W-With me?” Rumble asked, his voice cracking as he tried to back away, but he found that his hooves were frozen firmly in place. “What about?” “About a certain little filly that you seem to have recently grown fond of.” Rumble looked at her with a questioning look on his face, and then took notice of her wings. “A filly? … Do you mean Archer?” The mare didn’t respond. “Look, we were just walking home together just now, that’s all. Truth-be-told, I’m not really that fond of her at all. I don’t hate her, but-” “You seem to have come to the wrong conclusion,” the mare said, giggling slightly as she patted the top of Rumble’s head. “I was referring to that cute little Unicorn that you and your friend were just with?” “‘Cute little Unicorn’… You mean Berry Pinch?” “That’s correct! My granddaughter, Berry Pinch!” Rumble gasped in shock at this new revelation. Did this mean that, standing before right now, was yet another changeling? What did she want with him? Why does she ‘need to have a word’ with him? And most importantly… “Y-You’re her grandmother?” “Why, yes. Yes I am.” “… But… you look so young! About the same age as Ms. Punch!” The mare giggled, and flicked her mane as she struck a pose in front of the young colt. “Why, thank you for noticing! I know I am rather young and sexy for my age.” “I didn’t say anything about ‘sexy’,” Rumble muttered, immediately earning a cheek pinch from the mare’s hoof. “What was that, little boy?” she asked, veins showing in her forehead. “N-Nothing! I didn’t say anything!” “Good!” The mare released him, and Rumble quickly rubbed a hoof against the side of his face. “But, just now… you mentioned that I look the same age as Berry Punch, correct?” Rumble nodded. “Y-Yeah…” “Oh, my! So Pinchy has already introduced you to her mother! She certainly is her mother’s daughter, that’s for sure.” ‘I’d better make sure she doesn’t get into Berry’s alcohol stash.’ “Um… listen, Ms…” “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Crunch Berry! And please, drop the ‘Ms.’.” “Uh… Crunch Berry, I don’t really get what’s going on, but I’ve only visited Ms. Punch once before, and it wasn’t exactly a… casual greeting.” Crunch Berry tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?” “It’s… I-It was an emergency… I don’t really want to go into the details, but-” Crunch Berry’s eyes widened. ‘Of course! Berry Pinch should be awakening soon, so…’ “I see! Let me guess, it involved Pinchy, right?” Rumble nodded his head. ‘Does she not already know? Maybe Ms. Punch just hasn’t told her yet… I guess I’ll just tell her the whole story.’ “Y-Yeah. Berry Pinch had been acting weird lately, so I grew concerned, and I-” Crunch Berry raised a hoof to silence the colt. “Say no more! I get the picture.” ‘If she’s awakened, then that means that… I had better make my message rather clear to this young colt.’ Rumble took a step back when Crunch Berry advanced, but was immediately frozen in place once again by some mysterious force. He felt two hooves on his shoulders, and his attention was drawn into the two, large green eyes looking his way. “Now you listen here, Rumble: I’m glad that you’re being such a good friend to my dear Pinchy, but that’s all I can allow you to be. Don’t go getting any ideas in your head about being her coltfriend or anything.” Rumble wanted to protest that he had no such thoughts, but he was unable to even move his mouth right now, let alone form any coherent words. “Do you understand?” Crunch Berry asked. “You are forbidden from pursuing a romantic relationship with her.” Rumble grit his teeth together. Something was stirring up inside of him, and he was beginning to feel angry all of a sudden. Breaking free of the mare’s spell, he was finally able to say something, though what he said shock him. “What right do you have to decide who she can and can’t date?!” Crunch Berry glared down at the young colt, and kneeled down to look at him at eyelevel. “That is because I am her guardian angel. Rumble, I am not saying this as a suggestion, or an order.” Rumble’s breathing stopped, his eyes widened, and his pupils shrunk to the size of dots. He slowly lowered his gaze, and found a pink hoof pressed against his throat. “You are forbidden from pursuing any romantic relationship with my granddaughter. Is that understood?” Rumble had so many questions to ask her. Why was she so insistent on making sure he didn’t date Berry Pinch. Why was she going to such lengths? Who was this mare? So many questions, but his brain, for the sake of survival, pushed them aside, and assumed control of all of his motor functions to instead just give a simple nod. “Good!” Crunch Berry, smiling once again as she retracted her hoof and lifted off of the ground by flapping her wings. “Well then, Rumble dear, please do continue being such good friends, good friends, with Pinchy, alright?” Rumble only nodded once again. ‘S-She said ‘friends’ twice.’ Crunch Berry flapped her wings faster, and took off into the air, flying down the street at a high speed. ‘… M-Maybe I should try to limit the time I spend around Berry Pinch, from now on.’ As Crunch Berry soared through the air, she grit her teeth in anger as a bitter memory played through her mind. ‘Ponies and changelings can never fall in love. Never.’ A familiar scent caught Crunch Berry’s nose, and she stopped her flying as she looked around for the source. She found two ponies, one a green Unicorn mare, the other a cream-coloured Earth Pony mare, sitting a nearby bench together, in an otherwise isolated park. She overheard the green mare saying that she would go and get some ice-cream, and then watched as she got up and ran off down the park. Crunch Berry grinned, and slowly landed behind the other mare. ‘Maybe I’ll have myself a little snack, before heading back to Berry’s home.’ Rumble opened the front door to his house slowly, and walked inside. With a sigh, he closed it, and then turned around with the intention of going upstairs. Instead, he was greeted to the sight of a black Pegasus pony’s face in front of him, a little closer than the colt would have liked, and yelped as he jumped back. “Welcome home, bro! D’you have a good day?” “T-Thunderlane! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Thunderlane’s smile immediately fell, and he reached out and grabbed his younger brother. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you like that!” “GAH! T-Thunder… lane… l-let go!” “Thunderlane, what’s going on?” a white Pegasus mare entered the hallway from the living room, and looked at the two sibling with a confused look on her face. “Oh, Rumble’s home…” “H-Hello, Miss Blossomforth,” Rumble said, remembering his manners despite his situation. “Hello, Rumble. It’s nice to see you again, but… what is he doing?” she asked, pointing at the colt’s brother. “I-I don’t know! G-Get him off me?” “I’m just showing my brother how much he means to me,” Thunderlane said, squeezing Rumble even tighter. “You’re the best little brother a pony could ask for!” Rumble gagged at the sentiment, whilst Blossomforth simply giggled over the poor colt’s predicament. “Well, as great as it is to see you two finally getting along, perhaps you let go of him now? Before he dies of asphyxiation?” Thunderlane gasped, and immediately released his little brother, who placed a hoof to his throat as he let out a series of coughs and wheezes. Rumble looked up at Blossomforth. “T-Thanks,” he said with a raspy voice. “No prob,” she responded, before turning to Thunderlane. “C’mon, Thundy! The movie’s at a good point, and I want to see how it ends.” “You want to join us, bro?” Thunderlane asked, looking down at Rumble with a hopeful look on his face. It almost hurt Rumble to have to turn his brother down… No, that’s not true at all. The colt actually took great pleasure in it. “Sorry, Thunderlane, but I’ve had a tiring day, and want to just get some sleep.” “Oh,” Thunderlane said, sounding upset. As Rumble moved past him and began to move up the stairs, Thunderlane’s smile reformed itself on his face as he turned around to face his younger brother. “Then, d’you want me to tuck you in? Or read you a story? Or-” “Thunderlane!” Rumble shouted. “I just want to be alone for a bit, okay?!” Thunderlane was taken aback by the sudden shouting, and bowed his head in defeat. “O-Okay…” As Rumble ran up the stairs and entered his room, slamming his door in the process, Thunderlane let out a depressed sigh. He felt a wing wrap around his body, and turned his head to Blossomforth, who began to nuzzle the down stallion. “Don’t take it too personally, Thundy. Colts his age just need their space, that’s all.” “But-” Blossomforth shushes him with a hoof to his lips. “Besides, this is a good thing. You’re brother’s gonna be up in his room all night, which means now, there’s nothing getting in our way…” Blossomforth leaned forward to kiss Thunderlane on the lips, and as she did so, the stallion felt all of his previous sadness washing away. Though he still found himself thinking about Rumble, even as he returned the kiss. ‘… What’s wrong with me?’ Berry Punch’s ears twitched, and she let out an annoyed sigh as she lowered her knife and fork onto the dining table below her. Berry Pinch gave her a confused look. “Aaaaand, she’s back.” “‘She’?” Berry Pinch asked, soon followed by the loud sound of the front door to their house slamming open. “Berry dear,” a female voice called out, “Would you mind explaining why my bags were found in a mud hole outside of your house, rather than inside, like I asked?” Berry Punch turned around to give her mother a hard glare. “It’s because you’re not welcome here. Now go away! We’re trying to have a nice family dinner!” “I’m family,” Crunch Berry pointed out, dropping her muddy bags onto the floor of the kitchen, and approaching the dining table. She noticed the glass of wine by Berry Punch’s plate. “Why am I not surprised?” “M-Mommy?” Berry Pinch asked, trembling in her seat. “W-Who’s that?” “Nobody,” Berry Punch replied flatly. “Just a pest that doesn’t know how to take ‘go away’ as an answer.” “How rude,” Crunch Berry said, using her magic to pull out a nearby chair for her to sit on. “How could you just lie to your daughter like that? Doesn’t she deserve to know who her grandmother is?” “Grandmother?” Berry Pinch asked in a shock voice. “You’re my…” “She’s nobody,” Berry Punch repeated, but Crunch Berry simply ignored her. “Yes, that’s right, Pinchy dear. I am Berry Punch’s mother, and your grandmother.” Throughout the night, Berry Punch’s headache progressively worsened, and her alcohol supplies were quickly running out. Of course her daughter would take her mother’s side. Of course Berry Pinch would spend the whole night asking Crunch Berry questions about the Changeling Kingdom, and about her mother when she was growing up. And, of course the two would bond so well together! “More importantly, Pinchy dear, I wanted to ask you something,” Crunch Berry said, after she had finished retelling the story of when Berry Punch got drunk in the middle of a Middle School play. “I couldn’t help but notice earlier, that you failed to react to several sources of love throughout the town today.” Berry Punch’s ears twitched, and she began to panic. Berry Pinch simply looked at her grandmother questioningly. “What do you mean? Were you… following me?” “Well, I may have been a little curious about how my granddaughter lives her daily life… Anyway, onto my question! Have you not awoken yet?” Berry Pinch was about to answer, but her mother cut her off. “Alright, Pinchy! It’s time for bed!” Berry Pinch looked confused. “But, it’s only nine,” she said. “Yes, well, you have a big day tomorrow, remember?” Berry Pinch shook her head. “Of course you do! You have that… thing, with the stuff.” Berry Pinch looked even more confused, but was lifted into her mother’s magical hold before she could say anything. “Right! So, go and wash your teeth, and then go straight to bed, alright?” Berry Pinch looked down at her mother, but only received a stern glare. Moaning, she followed her mother’s orders, though she made a point to emphasis each step she took to the bathroom with a stomp. “… What was that all about?” Crunch Berry asked. “Is there something you’re trying to hide from me, Berry dear?” “Of course not!” Berry Punch shouted. “She just needs to go to sleep now! And so do I! Therefore, Crunch Berry, I ask that you leave us be now!” Berry Punch turned to go up the stairs. “Oh, and to answer your question: no, she hasn’t awakened yet.” Berry Punch marched up the stairs, the suspicious eyes of Crunch Berry watching her as she took (and stumbled on) each step. ‘My daughter… what are you hiding? Perhaps I need to look into this, before I head back home, just to make sure that Pinchy isn’t in any danger…’