He was back again. Scootaloo still wasn't sure whether or not she forgave him, whatever his name really was, but she had to give him credit; the colt was definitely doing his best to make it up to her. Every day since she kicked him out, he would stop by in the morning, and wouldn't leave until asked, either by her or a nurse. At the very least, she appreciated him going out of his way to make sure she wasn't lonely.
He'd been coming back for the last few days. Today he was reading a novel to her. Twilight Sparkle had recommended it, or so he claimed, saying that it was the very novel Rainbow Dash was hooked on during her hospital stay. Reminding her of when her father would read bedtime stories to her, it brought a sad twinge of happiness to her.
“I've gotta ask,” she interrupted him in the middle of a lull in the story. “I know you told everypony your real name already, but you don't really look like you're sure you know what you want to be called yourself. What would you prefer I call you, Warren or Goldenrod? It's kind of confusing not knowing what to call you in my own thoughts.”
Scootaloo eyed him as he seemed to squirm on the spot. Ceremoniously, he marked the page he was on with a bookmark before closing it and placing it beside him at the foot of her bed. With a great sigh, he said, “You're right. I don't know what I want to be called.” Turning his head to one side, he shut his eyes. “Lately, I've been thinking about my family. Yeah, my parents were good folks, but mom's long gone, and dad is on his way out the door too.
“My older brothers and sisters are all a terrible lot. They're a greedy bunch of liars, thieves, and cheats. Dad's not even in the grave yet, and they're all looking for ways to 'get their fair share.'” He laughed coldly. “I suppose I don't really want to associate with that lot when I think about it. I suppose if you're more comfortable calling me Goldenrod, by all means go for it.”
Again he made her think of her own parents. It wasn't that sad reminder she felt waking up alone every morning or those lonely nights at home, though. If she had to describe it, it was like her family was right there with her at that very moment, and that she didn't have to feel alone any more. It brought tears to her eyes.
Goldenrod must have noticed the tears when he looked back, because there was an embarrassed frown on his face. “Ah jeez, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking.” He sighed, looking down at his hooves. “Here I am rambling about my family without any consideration for you.”
Scootaloo sniffled, trying not to break out crying in front of him. “It- it's alright, Goldenrod.” she managed to say, calming herself with a few deep breaths. “It's actually kind of nice... Everypony thinks they're walking on eggshells around me when it comes to family. I miss my parents, sure, but I'm a big girl. It hurts more to be treated like a fragile little doll than to be reminded of them.”
To her surprise, he didn't make to speak. Instead, a warm smile spread across his face, and he nodded ever so slightly at her. It took a good two minutes for her to recognize it for what it was, a sign of recognition and understanding. Without saying so in as many words, he'd told her he understood.
- - -
Later in the afternoon, not long after the sound of the class dismissal bell at the schoolhouse reached the hospital, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom arrived. As they had the prior day, they showed up with homework from Miss Cheerilee, not just for Scootaloo, but for Warren, as well. It made sense; it wasn't like he had formally withdrawn from the school. The least he could do was continue humoring Miss Cheerilee.
It was all just a give-and-take study-session. Whereas Warren was dishing out help in Equestrian and Mathematics, the girls gave him the help he needed on the History and Social Studies. They all laughed together, himself included, whenever his ignorance to the greater workings of Equestria showed.
Once the homework was all out of the way with, safely tucked back into a satchel Apple Bloom brought with them, they were able to have some fun. Today the girls wanted to play a card-game called Old Mare. It was very much like the some of the variations of Old Maid back home; a joker was added to the deck, and whoever was left with the card at the end of the game lost.
Just for fun, the girls explained, they liked to have a punishment game; whoever had the most loses at the end of five games had to suffer through whatever punishment the victors decided. It all seemed innocent enough, so he agreed to their terms. What's the worst that could happen?
“Now watch closely, Goldenrod, 'cause yer next,” Applebloom said with a grin.
He watched in fascination as she manipulated the deck deftly with her hooves in ways he never could have imagined. In no time flat, she shuffled, cut, and blended the deck. With that out of the way, Sweetie Belle pulled up a chair to one side of the bed, and Apple Bloom did the same on the opposite side. Warren remained where he'd been the entire day, perched at the end of the bed.
From the very moment Apple Bloom dealt the first hand - or rather hoof - of cards that he'd been swindled. As he plucked the immediate pairs from his hoof to place in the discard pile, he began to notice subtle distinctions in certain cards of the well-used deck; a certain crease here, a certain wrinkle there. Then he saw the joker in his hoof. Well, I'm screwed.
Five games and five losses later, Sweetie Belle clapped Warren on the back. “Better luck next time, Warren,” she said with a sly grin. She was the only one so far who chose to refer to him by his birth-name when given the choice. “Just wait in the hall. We have to discuss your punishment.”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom pipped in. “We'll holler for ya when we're done, an' then ya can be all gentlecoltly an' walk us home.”
“Yeah, go on, Goldenrod.” Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh. “It's time for girl talk.”
- - -
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were nothing if not suspicious as he walked them home. The both of them kept suffering bouts of uncontrollable giggling. The conspiratorial glances they kept exchanging the closer they got to Carousel Boutique didn't help to reassure him.
When the trio trotted up to the entrance, Warren was already making to continue on towards Sweet Apple Acres. “It was great seeing you today, Sweetie Belle. Let's go, Apple Bloom.” He smiled over his shoulder back at Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom made no motion to follow. “No-no-no!” They both chuckled in unison. “Please, come in... We insist!”
Without giving him the option to respond, the two fillies began to push him into the boutique. Bracing all four hooves against the door-frame, he resisted all he could. “What in the blazes are you two up to?” he wheezed, straining himself to speak without being dislodged.
“It's for your punishment, silly!” The fillies chuckled mischievously. Without warning, Sweetie Belle stopped pushing on Warren, setting him off balance and allowing Apple Bloom to tumble into the main studio of Rarity's boutique on top of him. Just as quickly, Sweetie Belle followed them, closing the door behind her. The jingling of an old-fashioned bell could be heard as the door closed.
Almost face-down and glasses askew, he gazed around the inside of the shop. There were racks of dresses as far as his eyes could see, which was admittedly short; Apple Bloom had yet to get off of him, and her mane was obscuring his vision. Hoof-steps could be heard in the room above, and then coming down a set of stairs. A familiar voice called out, “Sweetie Belle, is that you? Haven't I told you not to make such a clamor in my studio? You'll scare off potential customers!”
Hurriedly, Apple Bloom scrambled off of his back. “Good afternoon, Rarity.” Apple Bloom beamed innocently. “How are yer dress sales?”
Warren sat up, not bothering to adjust his glasses. Rarity was backing through an open doorway in the back of the studio. Levitating in a line behind her were a series of pony-shaped mannequins, all clad in fairly interesting clothing designs. “Oh, hello Apple Bloom. Business is a bit slow because of the troubles out East.” Rarity greeted the filly disinterestedly, guiding the mannequins to one of the shop windows. “Are you and Sweetie Belle going to be studying together this evening?”
“Not tonight!” Sweetie Belle snickered. “We did all our homework and studies up at the hospital with Scootaloo and Warren!”
Rarity shuddered at his name. With her back turned to the front entrance, she still hadn't noticed him. “I really wish you wouldn't say that name, Sweetie Belle. Why can't you simply call him Goldenrod like everypony else?”
“Because it's his name!” Sweetie stomped on the spot. “Ugh! Why does everypony need make to such a big deal out of a name?”
“It's just so unladylike a word to say.” She turned look at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “It's just so... uncouth.”
“Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom?” he spoke warily. “Maybe we should deal with the punishment game some other time.”
Realization dawned on Rarity's face as her eyes lit upon his face. Her cheeks flushed, very visible through her white coat. “Oh my! Goldenrod, I had no idea you were here too. Please forgive me if I have offended you; I did not mean to speak ill of your name.”
He waved a hoof dismissively. “It's alright. I get it.” he said sourly. “I don't like it, but I get it.”
A sudden look of suspicion crossed Rarity's face as she looked at the trio. “What punishment game?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at her with an air of innocence. Warren had no doubt that he looked as bewildered as Rarity did. “Are you up to something ungentlecoltly, Goldenrod?”
“It's about as far from that as you can get, Miss Rarity,” he deflected. “I lost a bet, fair and square. They pulled me in here, so I can only guess that whatever my punishment is, it's taking place here.”
“About that...” Sweetie Belle began. “We were wondering if you couldn't do us a favor.”
- - -
Warren could barely believe what had just happened. First, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom asked Rarity to make him up to look like Rainbow Dash, with a complete dye job to his coat, mane, and tail. Rarity flat out refused.
“I have absolutely nothing to gain from making a colt look like a filly,” she'd said, her nose pointed in the air.
The fillies giggled, and then manipulatively challenged her. “You're right, Apple Bloom.” Sweetie Belle had said, smothering a grin. “Anything Rarity can do with fabrics, dyes and make-up, Twilight can do twice as good with her magic! Hay, I bet Rarity wouldn't even know where to start.”
He didn't understand the event that followed. Rarity had narrowed her eyes at Sweetie Belle, and said in a low, even voice, “Oh, it... is... on!” He was then unceremoniously enveloped in a shimmering blue energy field, and carried through the door and upstairs. “You two can stay right where you are. If I'm to do this, it has to be done without distractions.”
So now here he was sitting in a washtub of water, at the mercy of a cleaning spell set upon him by Rarity. He was being assaulted on all sides by soap, shampoo, and a wash cloth. In no time at all, he was as clean as a whistle, and covered in a very feminine lavender and berry scent. As he looked down at himself, he also noticed that his coat was no longer the pale blonde it had been when he had been dropped into the bath, but was now a light yet vivid turquoise.
Warren flinched as Rarity slid a dye cap over his mane and horn. Without his glasses on, he was still not able to see much more than blurred colors and shapes; he noted however that they were much more distinct than they were when he was first bucked in the face. Momentary alarm coursed through him as something slid over his rump and tail. Of course ponies who want to dye their mane would want their tail to match.
“Miss Rarity, if you don't mind me asking,” he began, as Rarity began threading his mane through the cap. “Do you take care of Sweetie Belle on your own?”
Rarity hummed a bit as she worked. “Oh no! Not at all, dear.” she said with a laugh. “If I took care of her all the time, why my mane would be gray before its time. Mother and Father also take care of her, but they do so like to travel.” She adjusted the cap with a tug. “What about you? Surely you have family back where you come from.”
Warren sighed, and rolled his neck, attempting to crack it, drawing an unamused snort from Rarity. “I do, but it's not worth talking about.” He had no doubt his tone belied that there was more to it than just that, which was probably why he heard an interested noise from her. “There's not much to say. Mom's long gone, Dad has one foot in the grave, and my brothers and sisters are all looking to me, the only one still in good graces with dad, to curry his favor so that they might get something when he passes on.”
“Sounds like a rotten bunch, if you ask me.” she said in a disgusted tone. Now she was threading his tail through the cap on his rump.
“It wasn't a picnic growing up with them, no.” he agreed, impassively. “I can't say that I don't appreciate having had a family though. Even with all the crap my brothers put me through as a kid, I can't imagine life without them. I can't help but feel bad for Scootaloo.”
“This might seem overly personal, Goldenrod, but...” Rarity began.
“Twenty-eight.” He said without pause. “That's what you're wondering, right, my age?”
The hairs of his tail ceased threading themselves through the cap as her focus left the spell. Whatever she thought he might be, she clearly hadn't thought he was as old as he actually was. He could probably even guess the question now formulating itself in her mind. She was probably disgusted that a man of his age would hang out with little girls. That was the likely line of thought back home.
“But, why the girls?” Her voice was uncertain, but there was no hint of being put off. She began threading his tail through the rump cap. “I mean, you could have tried to befriend anypony, adult ponies, even.”
Warren thought for a moment. “I suppose if I had to guess, Miss Rarity, it's because they were the first ones to make me feel welcome, getting kicked in the face aside. They were the first ponies to come visit me at the hospital.” He shrugged, and then felt her slop something into his mane. “I guess it's partly because I want to watch over them. We both know the sort of trouble children can get into. The way I saw it, the Crusaders all energy and no grounding. If they don't have some sort of grounding element, or a down to earth pony, in their lives, they'll only spiral out of control and get into more trouble than they already do.”
“Well, now with this insane Draconequus in the picture,” He sighed as Rarity continued putting the dyes into his mane. “I just want to make sure what happened to Scootaloo never happens again, not to any of them, you know?”
Rarity chortled away in amusement. “I can certainly see why they seem drawn to you, especially Scootaloo. You're a loyal pony, even if you don't realize it.” She moved onto his tail, delicately taking portions of his tail and streaking it with dyes.
Cocking his head sideways, he couldn't help but ask, “Why is it funny?”
“Rainbow Dash is the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. She's also Scootaloo's idol.” Rarity explained. “It's funny in that making you up to look like Rainbow Dash is quite fitting in a way. Your eyes are very similar in color to hers, and your girlish face makes it much easier to pass you off without any make-up necessary.”
Without warning, he was again hoisted into the air with magic. Warren screwed his eyes shut as ice-cold water streamed through his mane and tail. It wasn't like the water from the washtub; it was just water and nothing else. The conversation died then and there. He was at least permitted to towel himself off on his own; she was generous to allow him some semblance of dignity.
With his glasses returned to him, Warren had to admit, he did look like a tiny, bespectacled unicorn Rainbow Dash. He agreed with Rarity's assessment regarding his face; if he hadn't known he was looking in a mirror, he could have sworn there was a filly with a short rainbow mane standing on the other side of the glass. He was glad right then that his blushing wasn't showing through the coat too much.
Rarity looked proud of her work, and he had to give credit where credit was due; she did an excellent job. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom must have approved, as well, as they were in stitches the moment he trotted down the stairs. The entire time he walked home, he felt like all eyes were on him. It didn't help that he had a nagging worry that Rainbow Dash was going to shoot down out of the sky at any moment and confront him over the misappropriation of her image.
When he finally reached Fluttershy's cottage, he felt too tired to say anything more than 'punishment game' to his confounded host. During their supper, he even nearly fell asleep in his salad. All he could think about was getting enough sleep for tomorrow, the day of the party. As soon as he was in bed, he was out like a rainbow-colored light.
- - -
My dearest pupil, Twilight Sparkle,
I was most distressed in reading your report regarding the incident in the Everfree Forest. If what this Warren Ashland human says is true, and there is in fact another Draconequus active, this could have dire implications for all of Equestria. This is especially important after a most disturbing event that followed the arrival of your last report; the stone-encased form of Discord has been stolen from the palace gardens. There has been no sign that he has been released, so that is at least a small comfort.
Tensions have escalated in the east to the point where I was forced to withdraw the Equestrian Guard, and now I am receiving reports of civil unrest from the south as well. Luna and I both agree that manipulation from this Morrigan seems the most likely of causes. Equestria is on the precipice of disaster, so please take care and remain vigilant; the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are likely to be targeted for attack.
Your loving teacher,
Princess Celestia