//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Words of Wisdom // Story: A New Home III: The Quest for the Lost Locket // by APoeticHeart //------------------------------// "Ugh! Would you just get OFF of me?!" Toby awoke to the shrill yelling of what sounded like.... "Diamond Tiara?" Toby questioned out loud. He rubbed his eyes, and reached over the other side of the large blue sofa, which, for the time being, would also work double-time as his bed, and grand his glasses off of the coffee table next to it. While he retrieved his glasses, however, he heard what sounded like a muffled "Ouch!" Toby repealed quickly, putting his glasses on to see if he could locate the voices without being trapped in a blurry paradise. "Like, watch MY glasses, sissy!" This time, the voice sounded like...like Silver Spoon. "They, like, cost MUCH more than yours!" "S-...silver Spoon?" Toby whispered, looking around frantically. Where were these voices coming from? Were those two nasty bullies in Rainbow Dash's house? How LONG had they been there? "Like, look DOWN!" Diamond Tiara's voice commanded him. "Jeez, even with GLASSES you're still blind...." Toby looked to his right, at the edge of the couch. He then found out WHY he had been hearing the voices of his most recent tormentors.... The couch may have been blue, but on the armrest, was the illustrious diamond barrette, complete below with Diamond Tiara's blue eyes, and below even more, that signature sinister grin of hers. It seemed her entire face was fazed into the couch, making her a PART of it. "About TIME you found me," Couch Diamond said, rolling her eyes. "Why does it seem likes I'm ALWAYS forgotten about?" Silver Spoon's voice huffed. Toby turned to his left, and saw the same thing. Light blue glasses set apart the violet eyes, with, this time, an impatient look adorned on Silver Spoon's...leathery face. It seemed neither of these faces had noses, but it didn't matter. Toby could still tell them apart even if they had never talked. "I'm not sure, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara replied. "You're like, JUST as pretty and special as me....of course, you're special in a DIFFERENT way, Toby....." She grinned, as both the couch versions of Toby's antagonists guffawed. "Ummm...th-thank you," Toby said, the lightest smile on his face. Both his mommy and his mama would always tell him he was "special." Maybe Diamond Tiara was going to be nicer now as a result of her saying that..... Silver Spoon snickered at Toby's response, to which Diamond replied, "Told ya, Silver.....SPECIAL." The two teenybopper's continued to laugh at Toby's innocence. Toby didn't understand why they were laughing. Are....are they making fun of me? Toby frowned. "I'm very confused....." "Shocker...." Diamond Tiara replied with another roll of her eyes, as Silver Spoon chuckled lightly. "Why are you girls in my house? A-and.....why are you a part of my couch....?" Toby had to ask, slightly uncomfortable with being surrounded by talking, annoying furniture. "Oh, Toby...." Diamond said, at first sweetly, then sadistically, "Don't LIE to us! This is RAINBOW DASH'S house, not YOURS!" "Yeah! Like, what would your mommy think of you lying?" Silver Spoon teased, as Toby hung his head in shame. "You should be SO ashamed!" Diamond Tiara added. "Not ONLY for lying, but for ALLOWING yourself to live in a DUMPY place like this....." "Not to mention with a dumpy pony like Rainbow Dash!" Silver Spoon joked. "That too!" Diamond Tiara agreed. "Actually, this place....it fits you, Toby....YOU'RE dumpy, as well!" "I think he deserves MUCH worse," Silver Spoon spoke. "Like a TRASH dumpster!" Toby blockades his ears with his hands, trying desperately to stop the verbal agony. "That's not going to help, Toby...." said Diamond Tiara. "You'll NEVER be able to get rid of us....." Silver Spoon nodded meticulously. "We have only just begun. You're a loser, you're weak...you're EASY." "You think Sunset Shimmer can save you?" Diamond asked. "She's a wannabe...WE'RE the real deal! You think a hick like Applejack, a drama queen like Rarity, a showoff like Rainbow Dash, a sociopath like Pinkie Pie, or a....well, actually, you and Fluttershy are a LOT a like....your both WEAK, FRAIL, PATHETIC. Those aren't qualities of FRIENDS....they're qualities of SIDE-SHOWS.....like you. You all make one BIG, happy family, don't you?" "Me and Diamond Tiara are going to RIP that family APART!" Warned Silver Spoon. "One...by one...." "Nobody thinks we're serious! Nobody sees us as a real threat!" Diamond Tiara memoir'd aloud. "Everyone thinks GILDA is the head girl on campus....hmph. How wrong they will be...." she chuckled confidently. "This may all end well for you, Toby," Silver Spoon spoke. "But you are going to be helping us MORE than you'd think...." "Yes....." Diamond Tiara nodded. "You may be useless in every other aspect, but the impactful message we send to Canterlot High School, through you, will not only turn some heads, but will also make our less superior peers BOW at our feet, and take notice!" "You see, it doesn't matter how YOUNG you are," Silver Spoon began to explain. "What matters, is that when people see how much we've maimed, and twisted, and crunched up the way you live your life, they won't want that. So they'll easily give in to us, just like you WILL!" She roared, causing Toby to tense up. The right side of the sofa suddenly bent to its will, as Diamond Tiara was now closer to Toby's ear. "We will be the cause of your dissension into NOTHING, Toby," Diamond Tiara whispered sensitively. "You think your safe behind your shield of Sunset's and Rainbow's? NO. You'll NEVER be protected. Because we'll always be there.....gnawing on your conscience, dancing on your soul.....rendering you helpless. This world is going to EAT YOU ALIVE, Toby...." Diamond Tiara slides her tongue up and down Toby's cheek in a licking motion. "And you will NEVER see it coming...." There is a long pause. It seems like forever. Toby can feel his heart beating, like it's about to obliterate his chest cavity at any waking second. Without a warning, Diamond Tiara slides her entire mouth over Toby's eight year old frame, enveloping him in her oral cavity. Toby's muffled screams are heard within, until Diamond Tiara abruptly swallows the young, frightened boy whole. Toby begins to fall. Into nothing but a blank abyss. It doesn't mean he cannot hear the constant, high pitched laughter and snorts of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, though. Everything is on loop. The falling, the laughing... And even Toby's screaming. Until he wakes up, that is. Screaming. Sunset Shimmer quickly rushes to Toby's side, cradling him in her arms. "Toby?! TOBY!" She shouts, as she begins to shake him, trying to free him from his crying fit of hysteria. "Did you have a bad dream, little guy? What happened?!" Toby's weeping waned down, as he sniffled non-stop. He was able to nod through all of his current discomfort. "Y-yes, Sister Sunset.....I d-d-did have a bad dream!" "Calm down, buddy," Sunset nearly pleaded, resting his head against her shoulders. "Tell me about it, if you can. It may help." Toby looked into Sunset Shimmer's eyes, and with one final sniffle, began to tell her of his horrific dream. "Well...Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were in it, and they were a part of the sofa," Toby gestured to he and Sunset's bed. "They had their eyes, their hair items, and even the same voices...but, no noses. They made fun of me, and laughed at me, and then Diamond Tiara....." Toby turned his head away. "What, Toby?" Sunset asked. "What did she do? PLEASE, you HAVE to tell me!" "....She ATE me...." Toby choked out, collapsing back onto the sofa, and burying his face into the cushions. Sunset Shimmer's eyes bulged, and she sat down next to Toby. She lifts his head off of the cushions with her hand, and kisses him on the forehead. "Well, I can't say I've ever had a dream like THAT. But, often times, we have dreams like that when we're AFRAID of something....more than normal, actually." "But I wasn't afraid of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon anymore, Sister Sunset!" Toby replied. "I felt protected by you and all of my new friends....why did I have that dream, then?" "I think I may know why, Toby...." Sunset Shimmer wraps an arm around Toby. "I will ALWAYS be around to save you from those nasty witches, and so will the girls, but even then, we can't SAVE you from your nightmares, Toby. Even with all the protection in the world, Toby, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will always be here. And, more than likely, they'll be bullying you until we get you home." She gives him a light smile. "But I'm TIRED of being bullied, Sister Sunset!" Toby cries out, startling Sunset, and replacing her smile with a frown. "I've been bullied ever since my mommy died! When I got to Equestria, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullied me THERE. A few months later, we became friends, and the bullying stopped; but I came here, and it's even WORSE! I'm SICK of it, Sister Sunset....I.....I just want it all to stop....." Toby sits on the floor, scrunching his knees together. Sunset Shimmer leans down on the floor next to Toby, taking both of his hands, and enclosing them with hers. She uses the sleeves of her jacket to wipe the tears out of his eyes. "Unfortunately, Toby, I honestly have NO idea how you feel....I've never been BULLIED. For me, it was the other way around....I'm glad I learned the error of my ways. I'm glad I'm a better person now. I wish I could stop Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I wish I could bully them back so hard, they wouldn't even LOOK at you the wrong way again....but, if I started again, I wouldn't be able to quit. Not to mention, it would be stooping to their level, and that's not good. "I wouldn't want YOU as a bully, Sister Sunset..." Toby admits. "I know you used to be one, but I just can't imagine you as one." He smiles sweetly up at her. "Awwwww!" Sunset coos, playfully rubbing at the top of his head. "Thanks, buddy!" She chuckles. "No, I do NOT think that we be good." Sunset Shimmer suddenly places a hand on Toby's shoulder, and looks at him sternly. "Now, Toby....if you don't want to be bullied anymore, I need you to do something for me..." "What is it, Sister Sunset?" Toby asks with hope. "I'll do ANYTHING!" "I know it may be hard for you, Toby," Sunset continued. "But it MUST be done.....you HAVE to stand up for yourself." Toby immediately gulped. "Your whole life, you have been mistreated. That's not right, Toby. You don't DESERVE that! THIS is the way to prevent that.....I understand that you are shy, and are afraid to speak up...but Toby," Sunset now places her other hand on Toby's other shoulder. "If you continue to let those two walk all over you-NO....if you let ANYONE walk over you, then nothing will ever change. You will never be able to get your point across....you are TOBY MASON, and you are NOT to be messed with. You are a respectable young man with not only a heart of gold, but also a will of titanium. If you take ONE thing from this world back home with you, let it be THAT. PLEASE," Sunset can feel tears threatening to escape, but Toby wipes them out of her eyes with HIS jacket. "I guess you are right, Sister Sunset...." Toby sighs. "It's going to be very hard for me today. But I promise, if Diamond Tiara, or Silver Spoon, or Matilda try to bully me, I will let them know that I am not going to take it anymore!" "Yes!" Sunset cheers, grinning widely. "I will not let them push me around!" "YES!" "When they hear the name Toby Mason, they will think of respect ONLY!" "NOOOOO!" Sunset and Toby gasp, as they look behind them to see Rainbow Dash nearly tumble down the stairs. She was halfway down, but she caught herself. "Are you alright Rainbow Dash?" Toby asks sincerely, as he and Sunset run over to check on their landlord. Dash sighs in relief, using the staircase to slide down to the bottom. "Sure am! Barely....I was running down here to see what was wrong. I heard Toby scream and I was worried." "He just had a bad dream is all," Sunset answers. "I made sure everything was better, though." Toby nodded. "I'm so glad Sunset Shimmer was here. Otherwise, you would've fell trying to comfort me, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow chuckles, slipping on her sneakers. "Hey, bad dreams can hurt a LOT more than falling down a few stairs. I would've crawled over to you, buddy." Dash winks at Toby, playfully punching him on the shoulder. "You never have to be afraid with me, Shims', or the girls around. Just know that." Toby beams. "I will, Rainbow Dash!" "Alright! Good to know!" Dash replies, before sliding her backpack over her shoulders. "Just so you guys know....we're running late." Realization hits in for Sunset and Toby, as Toby scrambles to find his shoes, while Sunset scrambles to quickly fix up Toby's lunch. Rainbow rolls her eyes. "Roommates...." she gives a hearty chuckle before opening the door. "Meet you outside. Don't take TOO looonngg!" She shuts the door. In record time, Sunset and Toby meet back in the living room, almost colliding with each other in the process. "Nice hustle, little buddy!" Sunset congratulates, handing Toby his lunchbox, and helping him put his jacket on. "We are one GREAT team, that's for sure!" "We sure are!" Toby says, as he and Sunset slide their backpacks over their shoulders. "Looks like we might need to go shopping after school," Sunset pointed out. "Sleeping in casual clothing isn't the most COMFORTABLE thing to experience...." "We're going to go get some Pajamas, Sister Sunset?" Toby asks. Sunset nods. "Yup! We'll need them if we want to sleep as comfortable as possible." Sunset opens the door for Toby. "Come-on, little guy! Let's go be assertive. Alright?" Toby nods, grinning at Sunset. "Yes, ma'am! Look out Canterlot High....the NEW Toby Mason is on his way!" Sunset giggles as they both step outside, before she closes the door. Equestria.... Winsome Falls.... Nikolai awoke to his favorite smell. The savory, succulent smell of pancakes. The smell that made his nostrils yodel every time he smelt it. Pancakes were a near impossible thing to get when you are being raised by wolves, so berries and nuts are the easy alternative. But, pancakes had now become Nikolai's favorite food. Ever since he, Riley, and Kevin, his two favorite companions, had begun what they were calling the "Equestria Exploration." It was all Kevin's idea. Unfortunately, even after they had left the Crystal Empire a year ago, Kevin still felt out of place in Equestria, he being the only centaur, so he decided to continue what he had done before....travel the entire width of Equestria. The only difference, was that he now had friends to do it with. Nikolai was always up for some adventure, and he had done some traveling in his own days. All he did was travel with the pack of wolves that raised him, and he and Riley were always jumping from place to place, even when they had arrived in Equestria. Nikolai could think of nothing better to do than to graze Equestria...inch by inch, city by city, with his two best friends. Seeing new sights, hearing new sounds, meeting new people, whom would hopefully become acquaintances....or even friends. That would make Kevin most happy. Some would think doing nothing but traveling all day, every day for nearly ALL year would be mundane, but, truth be told, there had not been a dull moment YET, and the journey was a year in. Riley seemed behind the idea, also. In fact, it seemed like he hadn't stopped wagging his tail ever since they had left the Crystal Empire a year ago. Ah, the Crystal Empire..... Nikolai thought with a smile that bared remembrance. I wonder how my pony friends are doing. Oh! And I can't forget about little Toby.... He chuckled to himself. The last time Nikolai and the others had met with their four-hooved friends, and Toby, was at the annual New Year's Eve celebration in Canterlot. Ironically, Nikolai and the others were traveling to Canterlot just in time for the ceremony. Everypony was there, of course, and so they all had a stellar chat as they counted down the final seconds of the year. Then, they all went over to Joe's for what could only be described as the biggest gorge-fest on sprinkled-deserts ever recorded. Yes, Joe RECORDED it, and it was a new record. Between Nikolai, Kevin, Riley (wolves love doughnuts, naturally), Toby, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and both Princess Luna AND Princess Celestia....357 doughnuts were eaten. WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A DOLLOP OF MILK. You'd think Pinkie Pie would eat the most, but, to everyone's surprise, Rarity was the crown-jewel of cakery. It was such a great time they all had, but Nikolai felt they were all due for another visit. First, though, it was time to travel to the Griffin Kingdom. They had seen all there was to see in Equestria, so traveling to new kingdoms would make sense. The Equestrian Exploration would not be ending anytime soon. Back to the pancakes, though. They were delicious, and Nikolai would be getting up to eat some now. He stood up on two feet, but felt a bit odd immediately. Hmmm....strange.... He thought. It almost seems like I shouldn't be standing.... Non-the-less, he continued to venture on, because the cakes of pan-like essence were that important to him. He walked out of his tent, began to sing with his deep, Russian vocals that would make an array of Opera singers jealous. "I thought love was only true in fairy tales. Meant for someone else, but not for me!" Kevin chuckled as he continued to stir the batter of pancake mix over the open fire. "Only the smell of pancakes could wake YOU up at 8, Nik...." Not even Kevin uttering that oh-so DREADED nickname of his could ruin this morning..... "I could eat those fluffy clouds of nourishment for the rest of my days...." Nikolai licked his lips in anticipation, but was surprise to feel some hair coarse against both his upper and bottom lip. "Huh, guess I need to shave again...." Nikolai contemplated, shrugging. "Later. Pancakes come FIRST!" "Lucky for you, they're ready," Kevin called out, setting a stack of four onto one of the plates from the Fine Chineigh set Fleur de Lis had given to them just for the sole fact that they complemented her on her mane. It was a nice gesture, but a little overkill if Nikolai had to say. "Four pancakes? HA!" Nikolai chortled. "That is going to be an appetizer for me." "Well, you can always have more if you need to-AAAAAAHH!!!" Kevin screamed as he turned to look at Nikolai. He lost his balance, and not only that, but dropped the pancakes to the grassy ground. "Comrad!" Nikolai shouted, running over to check on Kevin. "What happened? Why did you scream and fall? There'd BETTER be a good reason.....a waste of pancakes like that makes my morning a whole lot creppier." "You....you...." Kevin stammered, slowly backing away from Nikolai. "Y-you....MIGHT want to take a look at yourself...." "What?" Nikolai dead-panned, but waved his hands in front of Kevin. "Okay, okay....I will go look in the pond over there," he gestured to the pond Riley had been drinking from. "But if you're playing trick on me, I will be very mad, because the trick soiled my pancakes....." Nikolai eyed Kevin as he tip-toed backwards, before turning around and beginning to walk to the pond, preparing for the worst. He got the worst. As Nikolai looked at his reflection, his heart beat got 2 times faster. He had to splash some water into his eyes to get out of this allusion, to strive away from this hallucination. But he couldn't. Looking back at Nikolai....was, well, Riley. Even if Nikolai suddenly contracted amnesia, he would still remember the black and blood red coat of his best friend, along with his sharpening crimson eyes. "Oh hell...." Nikolai mutters, looking at his new paws. "No WONDER I felt hair! I need MORE than just a shave....I need me entire BODY back!" "I mean, it's not THAT bad," Kevin lied. "I mean, you still look intimidating...." "NOT BAD?!" Nikolai repeated in the form of a yell. "NOT BAD?! This is MORE than BAD! This is CATASTROPHIC! Why am I in Riley's body?! What the HELL happened to me?!" "I wish I knew, Ril-uhhhh.....I mean-" Kevin tried to correct himself, but he was too late, as Nikolai was already staring a hole through him. "Forget it," Nikolai dismissed. "I wonder what Riley will think about this...." "I'll go wake him up," Kevin volunteered, walking over to the tent, and peering inside. Again, he yelled, and ran away from the tent. "What NOW?!" Nikolai commanded. "What's wrong with my Riley? Surely he can't be....." Nikolai's eyebrows rose, and his eyes were soon to follow in changing height. "That....baaa-aaadd?" As Riley stepped out of the tent, his ears drooped, and his tail stopped wagging, as he saw...well, him. He ran up to Nikolai, sniffing him without a care in the world. "Well, THIS is awkward," Kevin pointed out, to which Nikolai could only nod to as he gritted his teeth. "Rrr?" Riley whined in confusion, like he was asking a question. "Yeah, it's me, Riley," Nikolai said with a cheesy smile. "I.....look like you. You're not seeing things." Riley didn't know what to do. By now, he would be licking Nikolai. But the thought of licking Nikolai in HIS form seemed wrong to him. "Take a look at yourself, boy," Nikolai led Riley to the pond. "You don't look much better." Riley lent down, and immediately began to yelp in terror. He looked like Nikolai. He began to run around the campsite, howling like he had lost his favorite frisbee, until he crashed into a tree head first. "Hey, hey, buddy...watch it!" Nikolai warned. "You may be in my body, but you're still using my head." He went over to console Riley, whose head was spinning. Still, Riley did not have it in him to lick, technically, himself. "This certainly is....odd," Kevin added. "I think we owe Princess Celestia a visit. Maybe she can help us." Nikolai stood up on his hind legs, nodding. "I have NO idea how I am so good at this....but, yes, you're right. I heard she is in the Crystal Empire currently, and not Canterlot. Hopefully we do not disrupt her from her royal duties." Kevin nods. "Alright, let's get packed up, then. We should take the train. It will be much faster. The fact this is an emergency also is a good enough reason." "You're right," Nikolai agrees. "Me and Riley can't wait much longer in each other's bodies, as it is." Nikolai scratches his claws behind Riley's ears, accidentally scraping them. Riley yelps in response. "See what I mean?" Nikolai. "Worst pancake morning ever." Canterlot High.... As Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walk the halls of Canterlot High School, they can't help but talk about how they are going to embarrass the new kid, Toby. "Just remember, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara begins to remind. "We have to get him when he least expects it." Silver Spoon nods. "I know the plan, Diamond Tiara! I always remember your plans!" "Because they're so great?" Diamond smirks as her ego is stroked, combed, and prissied up. Diamond Tiara halts herself and Silver Spoon, as she notices the flyer on the wall next to them. "Pianist needed for school choir," Diamond Tiara reads. "Any student from third grade on up is eligible. Report to the Band room when you have time for your audition," Diamond Tiara turns to Silver Spoon, rubbing her hands together in evil excitement. "I believe we've found our gig, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara snickers cerebral-like. "We'll just need to keep an EXTRA close eye on that snot-bubble today. If we do, HE'LL lose HIS gig....." "You're so pretty when you strategize," Silver Spoon says dreamily. Diamond Tiara turns to her with an un-amused look, and her hands on her hips. "Sometimes, I worry about you, Silver Spoon...." Diamond Tiara rolls her eyes, and begins to canter down the hall, Silver Spoon right on her tail as only a groupie can. TO BE CONTINUED.