Chapter 3: Green Tea... with honey
Of course, both Spike and Twilight knew that, in some ways, they really didn't have any other option than to accept this strange visitor into their homes as a guest. But that certainly didn't mean that they weren't going to be cautious, and neither of them were going to make a rock solid decision without some expert advice.
And, as it just so happens, they had an easy way to contact Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tavi watched with a resigned, somewhat bemused expression, as the purple pony, Twilight Sparkle, and her young ward, Spike, busied themselves as they waited for the two Tavi and silently dubbed 'The Ponies in Charge'. There were two of them, apparently, and they were making great haste to meet Tavi and provide their young protege and troubleshooter with the proper, cool-headed, adult advice that the frazzled pair needed.
Not that Tavi wasn't nervous himself, of course. But he could do nothing until they were here, and when they were here, he would react on his feet, like he always had. And besides, unlike most of his Brethren, who only dabbled in Discipline because it was mandatory, Tavi truly ascribed to it's tenets, and the one of the chief ones, the hardest one, was Patience.
And so, despite the Greed, Jealousy, Pride, and Inner Fire swirling about in him and trying to stir his instincts, Tavi felt particularly serene in that moment. He calmed it all with his application of Patience and Dignity. Patience was hard, but especially now, in the midst of him waiting for two unknowns to judge his character, as if he was some...
Tavi breathed, and brought in Dignity again to bolster his Patience. Dignity was the beginners stage, a stepping stone, stage, and gestalt to the rest of the Discipline. Dignity was a natural instinct to adult dragons, and using it to calm oneself was to use Pride (arrogance), and Inner Fire (the drive behind all Instincts) against themselves, as it was a fusion of the two.
And the tea ceremony helped, though he couldn't perform it now. He knew most variations, although he wasn't practiced in any of them. He had concocted his own, unique to him, and other Drakes had begun to pick it up before his... unfortunate accident. It was a ceremony suited to dragons, but he was unequipped at the moment to practice it as external Discipline to help and reinforce himself, while he simultaneously practiced internal Discipline.
It was a shame, but as a true practitioner of the Discipline, he cast it aside and slipped into serenity. An uneasy, fragile serenity, but serenity nonetheless.
But it was still good he hadn't had to wait to long. Tavi heard the sound of some sort of wheeled contrivance outside, and he opened his slit-pupiled eyes and waited for the important guests to come in and meet his hosts before they got down to the real business.
Him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Twilight was several miles beyond relieved when she heard the Princess' personal chariots pulling up outside. She rushed outside, a happy and relaxed smile on her face. “Princess Celestia! I'm so glad you're here! Princess Luna! I'm so glad to see you!” she exclaimed happily, rushing first to Celestia, and then to Luna to exchange a quick nuzzle. Luna seemed a bit surprised and uncomfortable with the unusual affection, but quickly set that aside and simply accepted the gesture.
“We read Your letter and Came Quickly.” Luna said after the greeting was completed, still unconsciously capitalizing her speech despite her hard-won normal volume. “The situation seemed to be Most Urgent.”
Celestia nodded and although her comment commonplace, a quiet and confident calm was conveyed to everyone there. “Yes, the situation seemed to require immediate attention. Where should we begin, my faithful student?”
Twilight scuffed a hoof on the ground. “Well...,” she began, drawing the first word out. “He doesn't seem dangerous, but...”
Luna nodded, “You wanted to Be Sure.” She stated. “You Trust him instinctively, and that doesn't Feel normal for you.” She said as she moved toward her sister. “Would that You had been There when...” she shook her head. “It matters Little now. We shall trust Your Good Sense and speak with this Creature, and put Fears to rest. One way, Or another.”
Celestia turned to Luna. “I doubt it shall go that far, sister. I trust Twilight, even and perhaps especially, her instincts. But we shall speak with this Gustav, and I am quite sure he is harmless, or nearly so.”
Twilight blushed. “R-right. Just this way, Your Highness'.” she said, trotting back to the library, the two alicorns following her closely. “He said that staying where Spike could easily keep an eye on him was a good idea.” she said blithely, unaware of the startled glance traded between the two Royal sisters at that statement.
“And, here he is!” Twilight said brightly, opening the door and letting them in with the air of a pony who was very relieved. This prompted a slightly nervous chatting tone as Twilight began to talk at the two Princesses in general. “If you need some privacy, I'm sure that could be arranged, but he seems a bit insistent on oversight from Spike because of some sort of dragon by-law or something.”
The two alicorns entered under the somewhat low (for them) doorway, and then stopped in surprise. The dragon had risen gracefully to his feet, and when the both of them had passed the threshold, had dipped into a very deep, very graceful bow. They had not seen the like in their thousands of years of experience with dragons, and they weren't quite sure what to do.
The dragon recovered from the bow and then shocked them again. “My name is Gustavus Fidellachius Nicholas Ronald Bibliowyrm, your Highness'. I am sorry for entering your territory without permission, Great Ones.” he said politely. “A flagrant breach of the Noble Dragon Code, but I'm afraid I was unable to follow the Lore until this time. I further trespassed onto this Dragon's territory, but he has accepted my apology, and graciously granted me entrance. Do you so accept, as well?”
Surprisingly, Luna was the first of the two sisters to regather her thoughts to make a useful reply. “Worry Not, Visitor. We shall abide by the same Agreement Thou hast made with our Youthful Charge. However, please keep Forgiveness Close in thy Heart, for we have come to further ascertain both the Truth of thy words and the Circumstances surrounding Thy arrival to Equestria.” She said regally to the gentlemanly dragon, with extra capitals and a slight fallback into the speech of previous centuries. “Without a Doubt, such as You obviously mean No Harm, but the Responsibility for the Safety of all our Subjects doth, at times, be a Heavy Burden, and makes many overriding claims on Our Polite Behaviour.”
Luna took a small breath and scraped her hoof slightly on the ground. “At times, I wish it were not so.” she said, and then turned her gaze to the dragon. “Nonetheless, We expect Complete Candor from you, for We do not take Our Responsibilities lightly.”
The dragon placed a hand on his heart and slightly moved his snout down, presenting an earnest picture. “Thy subjects must praise Thee for such Wisdom and willingness to shoulder such heavy Burdens. Fear not, Princesses' for I planned from the beginning to offer Complete Honesty, for lies, deception, and false-seeming's doth often lead to Disaster. Forgiveness need not be needed, for often have I wished that even One like as to you and your sister could rise up amongst Our Council of Drakes and lead us truly towards Peaceful and Loving Lives such as Thy subjects obviously do. Holding a Grudge 'gainst One who could Do No Other is pure foolishness, and amongst the paltry few claims I can make of Myself, that of a being such a fool is not one.”
The dragon returned to a normal posture. “No Doubt I have disgraced myself with such a short, rude answer to Thy eloquence. However, I must beg from Thee further forgiveness for such, as I have not been much-practiced with this mode of speech. I hath not done my Teacher much credit, but again I beg you to let my answer reflect only upon Myself, and not my unfortunately deceased and much-beloved Master.”
Luna and Celestia inclined their heads, while Twilight and her friends gaped slightly. “You need not Fear Such, noble Dragon.” replied Celestia, finally regaining her composure behind the usual poker-face. “However, We all have much business to attend to, and perhaps it is time to Get Down to Business.”
“Of course, your Highness.” replied the dragon in a much more normal tone. “But if you'll excuse me, I need to sit down. I haven't had my legs back for even a full day, and they aren't as used to abuse as they once were.”
Everyone was a bit shocked, but recovery came more quickly for Celestia this time. She hid her curiosity and graciously allowed the dragon a seat. She noted that his legs were shaking from muscle strain before he sat down. This entire interview was going to be interesting, but in a good or a bad way, she didn't know.
- - - - - - - - - -
Gustav was relieved when he finally sat down. He had always thought that his old mentor's obsession with speaking in Auld English a bit batty, if fun once you got the hang of it, but it had served him in unusually good stead. The old Drake might have been a bit eccentric, but a dragon more dedicated to passing on the individuality and core precepts of the Discipline to each young dragon, you could never find.
But he was distracted. He needed to keep a position of relative power in the conversation, if he wanted to stay sane and keep a firm hold on his Instincts. So he moved to an old ploy, one that might be even more powerful in this particular situation.
“Forgive me for my rudeness, but I have a bit of a game I play. Would you mind if I asked a few questions?” he asked. “Nothing intrusive, I assure you.”
The alicorn sisters gave their assent with two nods, and looked curiously at one another. “For certain, you may ask a few questions. After all, are not We going to ask you more than a few?” answered Luna. “One or two questions is harmless enough.”
Tavi grinned cheekily. “Good. Do your Highness' drink tea?” he asked. “Or tisane? Either or is fine, or do you drink other things?”
The two sisters traded looks. “Why, yes, we drink tea.” replied Celestia. “Why is this of interest?”
Tave smiled softly. “Oh, just an old guessing game. And I guess...” he scrutinized the two alicorns in front of him. “Princess Luna, I don't suppose you have a particular weakness for... Darjeeling? Less the black, more of an Oolong, perhaps with a bit of lemon peel?”
Princess Luna jumped a little. “Why... yes? With a decent Scone, at the beginning of my Nights. A good pick-me-up before I begin.”
Tavi clapped his hands. “Splendid! I'm so glad I guessed correctly! Just as dear Twilight, here, prefers a good, strong Earl Grey at night, but prefers mint tisane's during the day, usually brewed in a beaker on her Bunsen burner. Miss Rarity, here, goes with a classic Mid-grown Ceylon, with cream, probably served in a good china tea service.”
Both of the little ponies looked deliciously shocked. “Well... yes, but...how did you know that?” stammered Rarity. “Just a lucky guess, my dear.” Tavi said comfortingly. “Perhaps Miss Fluttershy prefers tisane, considering her profession among the local animals. Perhaps...” Tavi thought hard, and then the lightbulb clicked on. “Catnip with Lemon Balm and honey!” he said triumphantly.
Fluttershy jumped and *meeped* while Tavi turned his attention to Applejack. “Chamomile and Lavender, for the hard-worker Miss Applejack, with apple tones to the chamomile, grown in the herb garden close to the orchard.”
Applejack blushed. “Naow, wait a minute.” she began, “How'd you know that? I always bring out the...”
“Dried apple and Hibiscus, with Red Tea. For visitors. Quite delicious, if strong, meant for desserts or with a strongly flavored dinner. Perhaps no Hibiscus.” Tavi mused. “I don't know how much trade you have yets, so perhaps just Apple and Vanilla?”
Applejack stomped on the floor frustratedly. “Both of 'em!” she yelled.
Tavi felt his eye's brighten. “Really! Can I try the first one?”
Applejack was sufficiently diverted. “Well, of course, we've been trying to get the word out on that.”
“Wonderful!” Tavi swung his gaze right past Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. He looked at Celestia. He stared. He furrowed his brow. He hmmm'ed.
It all clicked. “Green tea and Honey!” he crowed. “For the calming effect of a Tea that isn't as strong, fresher, and complimented by just the right amount of honey.” Tavi paused. “Perhaps meant to clear out the taste of the much stronger black and red teas a number of your subjects probably think you prefer.”
Celestia gazed at him calmly. “Why, yes.” she said. “Quite an impressive bit of deduction. Has anyone ever guessed yours?”
“Why, yes of course! Every time. I love all tea, herbal or not. It's what I consider a win-win conversation opener with anyone who drinks tea.” Tavi replied. “Although it is less deduction and more intuition, I tend to find myself more correct than not. I didn't venture a guess on Miss Dash or Miss Pie because I was unsure whether or not those two drank tea on a personal level.”
Celestia nodded. “Understandable. Miss Pie serves tea regularly at the Sugarcube Corner, but is much more likely to enjoy punch. She does, occasionally, drink Orange Ginger tisane with Miss Sparkle. Preferably with sparkling water, to make it more like Soda.”
“Yep!” Pinkie interjected. “It's delicious and makes me giggle!” she giggled.
“Interesting. I shall remember that trick.” Tavi said. Then he sighed. “But now we must begin. My questions having been asked, now answered, I must answer some of yours.” Tavi readjusted his seat, and curled his tail up comfortably. “Fire away.”
Celestia and Luna glanced at each other, and then Luna was surrounded by a halo of her magic, while Celestia launched smoothly into an explanation. “My sister Luna can sense the shades of truth and deception in every answer she hears using this spell. I myself cannot cast it, so I shall be asking the questions. We shall do our best not to pry, unless we feel we must.”
Celestia leveled a steady gaze at Tavi. “Do you mean any harm to anyone in Equestria?”
“No, I do not. Unless attacked or placed in peril, I will never offer violence.”Tavi replied.
“Do you need a hoard? Are you going to claim the Library of my pupil?”
“Yes, and no. I intend to gather my own hoard, which I will set up as a private library and museum. I gather rare books and artifacts, including less valuable things like misprinted books or one of a kind bric-a-brac that might be worth more in decades to come, but only things that might become very valuable indeed. I merely headed here to stave off the Greed until I can move to gather things of my own.”
“Did you come here with a purpose of your own?”
“No. I was in the middle of The Council of Drakes, which I was hosting in my home this decade. An accident happened, and I find myself here. Which is a shame, considering my plans to stabilize Drake-dom through a movement to create a school. One teaching Discipline to Drake, and non-Drake alike, probably fell through.”
Celestia looked Tavi over. “Do you have forms other than this one?”
“Why, yes. At least one. Considering the changes that happened to my person when I came to this one, I cannot guarantee that it is the only one, anymore.” Tavi said. He pondered a bit. Was it wise to reveal his other form openly? Could he afford not to?
Ah, to hell with it. “My other form is human.” he offered. “I was born in that form, and when I gained my Drake-dom in my twenties I gained this one. When I was sent here by a magical accident, I regained use of my legs in this form, so I might have regained my legs in my human form. I might have also acquired the form of a pony, ponies being the dominant life-form of this world. But I have'nt had the chance to test this theory, as of yet.”
Celestia and Luna blinked. “He Speaks the Truth, sister.” Luna said. “But I know not what a human is.”
Tavi sighed. “Well, if someone can get me some clothes, I'll show you.” he said. “I might as well test my theories now, rather than later.”
- - - - - - - - - - -
Rarity found herself absolutely beside herself with joy, after the dragon had drawn a pattern for the oddest jacket she had ever seen, as well as the strangest pair of things, that he called trousers. He also asked for a hat, a gray pinstriped fedora.
She had whipped through the tailoring of the clothing as fast as possible, (one rarely answered so fascinating a commission as clothing for aliens, after all) and rushed back to the Library, ignoring the chance to stop and chat with the obviously curious ponies who were standing around outside.
When she re-entered the room, a sheet of some sort had been draped in a corner of the room, to give privacy, and she promptly gave over the package over clothing she'd wrapped in the leftover soft gray silk she'd used for the undershirt.
“Thank you.” he said, visibly ill at ease. “I wouldn't have asked for them, but humans have this social taboo on nakedness, and ponies or not, being naked in front of a roomful of ladies would have been... incredibly embarrassing.”
Rarity's eyes got round. There were probably stars in them. “Humans wear clothes all the time!” she gasped. “How wonderful!”
Tavi winced. “Yes, well... yes.” he sighed. He had no intentions of going into the pros and cons of being a human...or a dragon who is also a human. And may now also technically be a pony.
Tavi withdrew behind the make-shift curtain, more than aware of the stares centered on the barely not-see through sheet. He sighed, and then touched the inner part of him that was undeniably Human.
As usual, it hurt like hell. Flesh shifting always hurts. But claws and scales disappearing into your body, and fangs shrinking means all that stuff has to go somewhere until the transmutation of it converts you the rest of the way.
But, it was over fast, thankfully, and with a couple of pain-relieving heavy breaths, Tavi began to pull on the clothing provided for him. It fit well, despite what must have been very odd measurements for ponies, and he adjusted the fedora to a rather rakish angle, snapped his fingers and conjured a pair of shoes and a cane into existence, finished dressing, and stepped out from behind the curtain.
“Ohhh!” came the reaction. Tavi smirked. It was probably more because he was odd, or strange looking, but what could be considered a positive reaction from a female appealed directly to his draconic instincts.
Rarity jumped straight into what could be considered her shop-talk. “So that's why the bottom was cut that way! And, I must say, those long legs are outlined so well by those straight seams I was wondering about. The upper bit hangs well, and I wish I'd had the chance to pull in the shoulders a bit, and not round them. I suppose I let my prejudices get in the way. And the hat is particularly dashing, if I do say so myself.”
Rainbow Dash interjected. “Dash is my name, not his!”
Rarity waved it off absently. “Just a figure of speech, dear.” she said as she eyed the shoes critically. “I say, why do you cover the hoof like that? And on the bottom, too. It must press into the frog painfully.”
Tavi raised an eyebrow. He magicked away one of the shoes. “Humans don't have hooves. So we improvised.” he said, wiggling his toes and eyebrows. “How ingenious of us, eh?”
Rarity and the rest stared at the bare foot in shock, while Celestia raised and eyebrow. “Quite.”
she said.
Tavi magicked the shoe back on. “Usually, we wear socks to prevent friction burns and other problems with our feet, but I thought this would be relatively short. I have to see if I can now transform into a pony, after all. Another True Form would be quite useful.”
Twilight finally spoke. “You seem to be distantly related to some kind of ape.” she said, frantically and furiously scribbling notes absentmindedly while scrutinizing Tavi. “Clever digits with a thumb, as demonstrated by apes, but obviously with a great deal more intelligence. Tool users, obviously, which is only rudimentary at most in the Apes of the BhangBhang jungles.”
Twilight stopped, blushing. “I'll continue this later.” she said, mostly to herself.
Tavi only raised his eyebrows again. It was one of the things he missed as a Drake. It just wasn't the same with scale ridges instead of hair. “You very politely forgot to mention our patchy, pathetic fur.” he offered. “Not to mention the thinness of our mane, which only extends a short way down our backbone, instead of nearly to our shoulders.”
Twilight blushed more. “Um, yes.”
Tavi chuckled. “We'll continue that later.” he said. “It might also be of interest to note that humans are ominivorous. Not quite full-fledged meat eaters, but it can be included in the diet. However, for true health, a great deal of greens, grain, and similar such foods must be incorporated in our diet.”
Fluttershy nodded. “That makes sense.” she said softly.
The Princesses yet again traded looks. “Gustavus, you were saying something about possibly being a pony, as well.” she said, a slight tinge of both irony and wry humor in her voice.
“Ah, yes. My theory being that if I have two True Forms in my original world, I gained another coming here. You see, according to Hogdam's theory of Truth in Magic, something that is true cannot be taken away, only corrupted, or added to. Obviously, both my human form and draconic forms are now able to use their legs again, so they've been 'corrupted'. I felt another change, deeper and more intrusive, however, which leads me to believe I may have gained a third True Form, which would of course be...” Tavi stopped at the clearing of the throat which came from both Princess'.
“Ah, yes, of course.” he said hastily. “No need to ramble on. Excuse me. Children or Mares unused to transformation may need to look away.” He said, and then with another set of grinding pains, the human flesh began to shift.
- - - - - - - -
The end product, which was pulling itself out of the heap of clothes, had an interesting impact on several of the Mane Six. The truth is, the form of a normal-looking brown colt with a book over a stylized dragon as his cutie mark was what emerged.
Almost everyone blinked, including the colt himself. “Well, to be honest, my own theory or not, I didn't expect that to actually work.” he said.
He stood up, somewhat shakily. “Funny I'm not a unicorn, but at least as a regular pony I'll blend in. No wings or unusual magic to give me away.” Tavi muttered, and then stretched. “And I'll finally get used to walking again. Bonus.”
Applejack looked over the colt with a messy mane. “I'd offer ya a spot on the farm, but your outta shape.” she said bluntly. “You were talkin' about making some bits, but you'll haveta get in shape safely before I could work ya much at all.”
Tavi blinked. “Thank you for your honesty, Miss Applejack.” he told her, unaware of the irony. “I'll be looking in other directions.”
Rarity looked him over. “Good lines for suits. The fedora will probably lessen the impact of that atrociously messy mane. For the sake of fabulosity, do put it back on.” she told Tavi, snugging the hat back on his head. “And no cane, this time.”
“Yes ma'am.” Tavi replied, pushing the hat up higher with a hoof. “I must say, this form is actually rather handy. It's nice having four feet to stand on, instead of two, and these hooves are rather more versatile than I thought. Though I'll have to get some saddlebags, I suspect.”
Tavi looked around, then looked at his flank. “Why have I got a tattoo on my ass?” he demanded of the world at large.
Everypony in the room looked at each other. Pinkie Pie giggled, “That's your cutie mark, silly billy! Surely you had one as a human, too! I thought all those clothes hid it, like Hide-and-Seek.”
Tavi blinked. “Well, no not really.” He told Pinkie. “Humans don't have one.” Tavi looked back at his cutie mark. “I suppose it's natural that I have one, now that you mention it, but what does it mean? I just assumed it was some kind of societal thing, really, but it obviously can't be a tattoo if it occurs naturally. Tattoo's don't stay in transformations. Something to do with the ink getting caught in the Thaumatic field during the midst of the process.”
Twilight Sparkle decided to clear this up. “A cutie mark is the mark a pony gets when they realize their unique talents. It's a sort of coming-of-age event.”
Tavi stared at his flank silently for a moment. “I see.”
- - - - - - - - - -
In the end, it all got sorted out. “When in a town, I'll stay a pony.” Tavi promised, “And when I establish my hoard, I'll only stay in dragon form when I'm alone. I won't harm anypony or any animals, and I will not trespass onto Spike's territory without proper permission. As a pony, as well as a dragon, I will be your Highness' subject, and adhere to the laws of your lands, both here in Equestria and elsewhere. This I swear with Blood and Bone, Scale and Claw, Heart and Mind.”
“Your oath is accepted.” replied the two sisters simultaneously. “We Shall be keeping in Touch, Gustavus.” Luna said. “We have some investigation into the Circumstances of your arrival here. If We find anything of Note, you shall be contacted. We may also need to contact you for Favors, considering your Interesting choice of Dual Citizenship. We may need Not remind you, but Mayor Mare expects you in her office both for your acceptance as a Ponyville Citizen, and your New Job on the first of next week.”
“Thank you, your Highness.” replied Tavi, finding that a bow in his pony form was significantly easier than in either of his other forms. “Don't worry, I am quite punctual.”
The goodbyes were quick, and soon the alicorns and their entourage were off, back to their usual business. The Mane Six took not much longer to disperse, needing to get back to their respective businesses and get ready for the next day.
This left Tavi, Twilight, and Spike at loose ends. There was a slightly awkward atmosphere, which dispersed after Tavi burnt himself making dinner.
After Twilight helped him patch himself back up, Spike looked at Tavi. “I thought dragons couldn't really get burned.” he said, “You know, being fire-proof and all.”
Tavi readjusted. “Well, you know, I just happen to be a Pony and a Human as well.” he replied. “It's not just a cosmetic thing. When I was just a Drake and a Human, it was a bit complicated balancing them both, since both want to be the 'Main' Form. Their Instincts and needs conflict with each other, and some Drakes lost themselves, becoming monsters even to other dragons. I'm hoping the Pony will help balance it out, but Discipline is most likely going to be the thing that saves me, just like back in the other world.”
Spike was quiet. There was a pregnant pause, and then Spike turned to Tavi. “I need your help.” he told him seriously. “I'm a dragon, and I love my family, here amongst the ponies. So, in many ways, I am a pony, even if I can't turn into one like you can. But I'm a dragon, too, and I can't ignore that. No one's been able to help me, and I've...” Spike struggled with the memories of Greed-growth. “I've done some things I'm not proud of.”
Spike looked Tavi in the eye. “Can this...Discipline thing, can it help me?” he asked. “I'm stuck between two worlds, and I don't want to reject either one for the other.”
Tavi smiled. “We'll see. But Discipline is kinda what that's for. Amongst other things. Once I get settled, and we can decide some neutral ground, I'll teach you what I can. Okay?”
Spike looked at him. “By blood and Bone?” he asked, challengingly. Tavi stopped for a minute. That was a serious oath. Spike didn't need it, not for this, but it looked like he had had promises conveniently forgotten before.
“By Blood and Bone, Scale and Claw, Heart and Mind, youngling.” Tavi said quietly. “I swear.”