//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Catching Up with Harmony and Little Horn // Story: On Our Own // by kwr2k13 //------------------------------// On Our Own Chapter One: Catching Up With Harmony and Little Horn Little Horn arrived at her cousin’s house in a flash of teleportation from the hospital, courtesy of Harmony’s special ability. Shortly after overcoming the disorientation of changing scenery in such a quick manner, the tan unicorn filly looked around the place as Harmony showed her cousin around the apartment, pointing out such amenities as the television, the couch, the bathroom, the bedroom, and the laundry room, complete with a washer and dryer. The final room that was shown was the kitchen/dining room area. The tour ended back in the living room. Harmony walked with Little Horn around the apartment, finishing up the grand tour. "So, this is the place! I hope you like it!" Harmony exclaimed. Little Horn looked around at the apartment and smiled, “Wow, thanks! So, you and I are going to live here?” The tan unicorn filly with the brown mane and tail wondered how her cousin could afford this place. “Do you have a job that allows you to have a nice place to live?” "Well, you know, being a singer, you earn a lot of money! And I'm glad you like it!" Harmony told her little cousin with a smile on her face. Little Horn thought about her cousin’s job. “You sing? Can you sing something for me? Maybe we can record a song together? If it’s okay with you.” She looked up to her big cousin. “I never knew I had a cousin until my mother explained everything at the hospital.” Little Horn sighed, “I wonder why my mom chose you to foal sit me?” "Of course I can sing! How else do you think I got my Cutie Mark?" Harmony told Little Horn, showing her the two clefs that made up a heart on her flank. "And your mother chose me because we go a long way back. You see, the reason she never talked about me was because my own mother and father died when I was young, so Aunt Shimmer was kind enough to take me in, at least until I was old enough to fend for myself. And that was right at the time you were born. I guess she never talked about me since, though," The white unicorn explained. Suddenly, a small smile came across her face. "And of course we can do a song together!" She laughed, giving Little Horn a friendly hug. Little Horn accepted the hug from her cousin warmly. This was the first time since her mother gave her a bath at the hospital to prepare her for her cousin’s visitation that she felt safe around another caring pony. She returned the hug back. “I was so scared back at the hospital, Harmony. No pony came to visit me while I was sick, except for Zecora. She’s that zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest. Although the zebra has her own way of doing things.” She then looked up at her cousin. “Do you know about those humans who are turning into ponies? It’s all over the news.” "Yes, actually. Before I was Harmony Trebleheart, I was a singer named Holly Trader. I was really surprised when I was completely transformed," Little Horn's cousin replied. "I also heard that you were human before you were Small Horn! I don't know who, though." Little Horn nods, “Before I became your cousin, I was Sam Horner. I got a bad case of food poisoning and had to stay at that hospital for three days. That sandwich I ate back when I was in Ponyville and the sandwich I ate on Earth had an extra ingredient the creepy waiter offered me. It looked like some strange blue flower. Zecora called it “Poison Joke.” She then continued, “You know some humans were male before their transformations occurred? They ended up with these strange marks on their thighs about their 25th birthday.” Harmony nodded. "I heard about that. Anon and Jack were their names. Now they're Rainbow Dash and Applejack," She explained. "And what did that strange waiter look like?" Little Horn’s eyes widened as her cousin mentioned the names Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “The Rainbow Dash and Applejack from Ponyville? Apple Bloom, Applejack’s little sister, was in school with me and her friends, Sweetie Belle, and an orange Pegasus named Scootaloo. They let me join their club since I don’t have my Cutie Mark and all.” She turns to show her cousin her flank is very much bare. “As for that waiter who appeared at that restaurant Ms. Twilight Sparkle and her assistant at the library recommended, he had white hair, strange colored eyes, and had a lion’s paw and a griffon’s talon for hands. Does that remind you of any pony you know?” Now it was Harmony's turn for her eyes to widen. "Discord," She said in a grave voice. "You know him, right? He was actually the closest one to defeating the Mane Six! And why would Twilight and Spike recommend him to you?" Little Horn shook her head, “I did not know Discord was going to be at Haute Couture that day! Ms. Twilight Sparkle and Spike only recommended that restaurant because they serve hay fries and daffodil and daisy sandwiches.” At that time, Little Horn’s stomach growled. The unicorn filly blushed as she heard her stomach rumble in hunger. “I guess I need something to eat.” "That's fine with me. What do you want, Little Horn?" Harmony asked, walking into the kitchen. Little Horn trotted into the kitchen, and attempted to climb onto the chair to set herself at the table. “I don’t know; what do we ponies usually eat anyway? I found out at the hospital during my transformation that dishes that have meat products aren’t very good. So, I think anything vegetarian would be fine.” "Yeah, you're right," Harmony mumbled, as she used her magic to levitate food in the air. "I miss bacon, but I guess we just have to stick with this!" She said as she levitated some apples and alfalfa onto the table. "Will this meet your stomach's needs?" Little Horn licked her lips as she attempted to levitate an apple to her mouth, “Yes, They had apples at the hospital. The doctor made sure to adjust my meals so they were all vegetarian dishes. They noticed I got my appetite back after they offered me apples and salads. I wonder what other foods I can eat?” "I guess stuff like grass, flowers, and wheat. Just simple stuff. And it's a good thing you got your appetite back!" Harmony answered. Little Horn continued to munch on her apple and then levitated over some alfalfa on her plate. “This is some really good alfalfa, Harmony! I can tell I’m not going to go hungry when you are cooking.” She remembered one of the menu items at Haute Couture called “Hay Au Gratin.” “Have you ever tried “Hay Au Gratin”? It looked very expensive, so mom and dad thought that I should stick to daffodil and daisy sandwiches. Oh, and prior to my bad experience at that restaurant, mother and father took me to some bakery place called Sugar Cube Corner. We met this pink pony and she baked some cupcakes for us.” "No, actually. I've never tried it! I've heard it's good, though. Oh, the pink pony is Pinkie Pie! Always the laugh, she is. And her treats are delicious! I especially love her muffins!" Harmony licked her lips. "Those sound really good right now! Muffins..." Harmony seemed to go into some kind of muffin trance. Little Horn chuckled and waved her hoof in front of Harmony’s face. “Uh, Harmony? You kind of zoned out there. Maybe you should try making muffins and we can eat them. I can help. Mother said I need to learn to control my magic, and you seem to be able to handle yours quite well. I only learned levitation spells from grandfather and father.” Harmony snapped back into reality, "Hmm? Oh! Yeah! We can make some, and along the way, I could teach you magic!" Little Horn smiled at her cousin, “Yeah, that would be really nice. Thank you!” She gave her cousin a big hug. “I’m still getting used to being this small and having to look up to other ponies, as well as being a filly. Good thing I have some pony to look after me.” "Yeah, I guess you were a 25-year-old man before you were the cute, adorable, squeezable Little Horn!" She said, returning the hug. "And don't worry! I'll always be there to look after you!" Harmony promised as she ruffled Small Horn's mane. Little Horn felt safe around her big cousin as she ruffled her brown mane in a show of affection. “Yeah, well, that final part of the transformation was kind of painful; it felt like my insides were on fire! But, after that, I felt different, almost like a rebirth of sorts. I even remember stuff from Ponyville, old friends, classmates, and family.” She looks up to her cousin with her blue eyes, shining brightly. “Even after I went through the transformation at the hospital, you still came to take me in. I think we are going to get along just fine.” She nuzzles Harmony warmly. "Of course I still came," Harmony said before kissing Little Horn on the forehead. "You're family. No, you're more than that. You're the most important filly in my life, and I wouldn't ever let anything happen to you." Little Horn accepted the kiss to the forehead from her cousin and returned the kiss to Harmony’s cheek. “So, Harmony, now that we know each other better, what do you want to do? I’ve been cooped up in that hospital, and I was so glad to finally get out of there. I’m glad Mother called you. How did you react to her telling you had a younger cousin?” "Well, before I left, I saw that your mother was going to have a baby soon, but I completely forgot. It dawned on me after we were introduced, though. Her message caught me by surprise too. I was just sitting there, practicing my keyboard, when I heard Aunt Shimmer's voice. I teleported to the hospital immediately!" Little Horn smiled, “And Mother made sure I was presentable to be checked out of the hospital.” She then changed the subject to the doctor on duty the night she was admitted to the hospital. “That doctor had some issues about ponies while I was in there. She put me in some scanning device and wanted to know more about the human-to-pony transformation phenomenon. You think she would dare publish her findings? I felt so helpless as she kept asking me questions about where I came from and what type of pony I was becoming. The horn on my forehead was an indicator that I wasn’t an Earth Pony or a Pegasus.” "I hope she doesn't post her findings! That would probably lead to scientists tracking us down and dissecting us! We don't want that to happen, do we?" Harmony asked. Little Horn shook her head, “Mother and Father took care of that. While I was talking with Grandfather and having lunch with him, Mother and Father told Dr. Wells that they would sign the discharge/release forms only if she had papers signed that she would not publish her findings. She mentioned she had “big plans” for me.” She shivers slightly as she spoke those words. “So, any idea what town or city we are in?” "Yep! We're in Vancouver, Canada," Harmony stated. "You can tell! It's always cold around these parts! Now, what do you want to do?" Little Horn thought about the various options she and her cousin could do. “I’m not sure what I can do. I am too small for some things. I’ll just be under hoof.” Her ears droop as she felt sad. “One of the downsides to being small is I have to look up at every pony. However, I think there are a few advantages though.” "Oh, come on! You won't be under hoof! We're in a city full of humans! It's in their nature to stay away from things they don't understand!" Harmony said cheerfully. "Therefore, you won't be under hoof!" Little Horn smiled as her cousin cheered her up, “Thank you, Harmony. You always have a kind word to say! Thanks for the delicious meal and the place to live. Are we sharing a bedroom? It’s okay with me.” "Of course, kid! And, just remember, you can come to me if ever need anything. You've already proved that for me!" Harmony said with a sweet smile in her face. Little Horn smiled back, “I think we should sing a song later. Do you know any good songs about being family and standing up for each other? Maybe I can sing and get my Cutie Mark.” She sighs, “I don’t really know what my special talent is. I almost had it until that Discord guy took that away from me. I think it had to do something about family.” "Hey, look at me. No pony, not even Discord, can take your special talent away! It's always right here," Harmony put a hoof to where Small Horn's heart is. "As songs go, the song "Brave" is about standing up for yourself! Maybe we could try that one now!" Little Horn smiled, “Back in Ponyville, there were a lot of ponies who loved to sing songs about all sorts of things. I wonder why that is?” Small Horn then felt her cousin’s hoof on her heart. “My heart? I think Mother and Father have Cutie Marks that have hearts. Even Grandfather Grand Horn had one. Maybe my special talent is linked to my family somehow.” "Maybe. The possibilities are endless. You could become a scientist, a famous actress, or even the Mayor of Ponyville! You never know!" Harmony told Little Horn. Little Horn thought about what the Cutie Mark Crusaders told her. “That’s what that little club my friends Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo invited me to join is all about; it was called the Cutie Mark Crusaders! They even had a cloak that Sweetie Belle’s elder sister made for me!” "You're talking about Rarity, aren't you?" Harmony asked Small Horn. Little Horn nods, “Sweetie Belle told me her sister owns a store that sells fashionable clothes to ponies. It looks like some sort of carousel. Apple Bloom told me about her family’s apple farm. Scootaloo told me all about her Rainbow Dash fan club and invited me to attend a meeting at the clubhouse. I am beginning to remember some parts of my life in Ponyville before Discord took it away from me.” She frowned, then smiled, “But, you are here...and you said some of the Mane Six are back? When did that happen? We should contact them and let them know about us!” "We should! But maybe later. We have muffins to make!" Harmony exclaimed, heading into the kitchen, with Little Horn trotting behind her cousin.