//------------------------------// // Ch18 Sleep Over [edited] // Story: Jake and the kid // by peter //------------------------------// Jake and the Kid Sleep Over Chapter 18 *** “Wheeeeee!” Scootaloo’s high-pitched cry of glee rang through the air as the small filly hoof-surfed down the long slope in front of her. The small Pegasus’ wings were beating furiously as her hooves skimmed the grass, only barely bending the stalks. The hill was so steep that she was just short of sitting on her backside as she compensated for the downward angle. As it was the grass tickled her bottom as she rushed over it. “Yooowwwwww!” Jake’s bass rumble of delight would have sent the birds rocketing up from the nearby trees if they had not already vacated the premises for quieter venues long ago. Like Scootaloo he was slipping down the hill, his hooves barely depressing the lush grasses he traveled over. Unlike her, he wasn’t flapping his wings, instead, he held them out to their full extent, catching the wind flowing up the hill. His broad butt skimmed just over the strands of grass while his tail fluttered out behind him. “Yippee Ki Yay!” the three fillies perched on Jake’s back shouted out, waving their front hooves in the air as they precariously balanced on top of the big stallion, treating him like a giant black surfboard. Jake, due to his much greater weight, arrived at the bottom of the hill ahead of Scootaloo and spun around gently several times as his forward momentum tapered off on the flat ground at the foot of the hill. He rose to his feet, careful of his three small passengers, and started back up the slope, all ready for another slide. “Hold on, hold on guyth. It’th getting late. We won’t make it before dark if we don’t go now,” Twist said from her position behind Apple Bloom, and in front of Sweetie Belle, on Jake’s back. “Awww. Just one more time?” Jake begged, swiveling his head around to look back at the older filly. “Yeah, we have time,” Scootaloo said as she finished her own slide down the hill, finishing with a flurry as she spun rapidly on her right rear hoof. Her two forelegs arched over her head in a mockery of a move she had seen Diamond Tiara trying to pull off a few days previously. For all the intended parody, her version was far more graceful and successful, then the one attempted by the spoiled pony, even if she did end up staggering and falling on her rump amide much giggling. Jake’s eyes opened as wide as he could manage, becoming glistening brown pools that threatened to suck all of Twist’s willpower away. She gave a sharp snort and wrenched her head around, breaking eye contact with the much larger colt. “Oh, no, not thith time! That look ith’nt going to work again. I let you get away with that five slidth ago. We really have to go. Now!” “Aw, darn,” Jake sulked, lowering his head in a pout while kicking at the turf, dislodging a five-pound divot in the process. “I guess it is getting a bit late,” Apple Bloom conceded, looking at the birds returning to their nests. “Princess Celestia will be putting the sun to bed right soon, and Princess Luna will be raising the moon.” Apple Bloom reached forward and patted the right side of Jake’s neck. “Turn that way. If we hurry we can be there in a few minutes.” Jake gave a resigned sigh and swiveled his body in the direction that the small farm-filly had indicated, with one last regretful look at the hill behind him. Slipping down that slope had been almost like flying. He could hardly wait till Rainbow Dash taught him how to do the real thing. Maybe he and Scoot could take lessons together? That would be so much fun. On his back, the three fillies were whispering to each other, and Jake could just barely pick up a few of the words. “We should tell... It doesn’t matter... He’ll be happy... won’t mind...” Jake didn’t pay their conversation much attention. He was used to people talking around him as if he wasn’t even present, and had developed a habit of just letting the words slide off his broad back. Unless, of course, the evil word vet came up. That was one of the very first words he had ever learned the meaning of. Not just the word in its entirety either, but also how it was spelled. Even a single mention of the letter ‘v’ was enough to cause him to defensively tuck his tail between his legs and back all the way into his stall until his rear was up against something solid. Jake’s long stride carried him, and his passengers, at a good pace, and Scootaloo kept up easily thanks to her wings allowing her strides to match his. She even made a bit of a game out of it, her hooves coming off the ground altogether as she stretched out her legs in time with his ground devouring trot, sailing in long arches between contact points. It didn’t take long for them to leave the undeveloped land and to start trotting down a lane bordered by fences and neatly groomed shrubs. Jake didn’t have to be told when they had reached their destination. He came to a stop and stared wide-eyed at the dwelling on the other side of the fence. “So, that’s what a tree-house is,” he said in an awed voice as he took in the large dwelling that didn’t seem able to make up its mind if it was a hill, a tree, or a house, and incorporated parts of all three in its construction. “Well, actually, no,” Apple Bloom said in a slightly guilty tone as she hopped down from Jake’s back. “Ah, Jake, if you would. Could you crouch down a bit?” Sweetie Belle asked as she and Twist contemplated the distance to the ground as they stood on Jake’s broad back. Agreeable to the request Jake knelt and allowed the two fillies to dismount. Once that was done he returned his attention to Apple Bloom. “I don’t understand. Big Mac told you to take me to your tree-house. Isn’t this your tree-house?” “Don’t worry, don’t worry!” Scootaloo butted in. We’ll get to the real tree-house soon. This was just on the way. We thought you’d like to stop by and see your big sister before going there.” Jake’s ears pricked up at the mention of Curry, but like a dog with a bone, he wasn’t about to let go of his original point. “But this is a real tree-house. The tree is real, the house is real. This has to be a real tree-house.” “Okay, okay, it’s a tree-house, it just isn’t our tree-house,” Scootaloo admitted. “Now can we go see your sister.” Jake didn’t respond. Something else had caught his attention that was far more important than proper descriptive nouns. “Hey, that’s Old Ben’s hat,” Jake exclaimed while thrusting his head over the gate and looking at a worn leather Stetson that was hopping across the yard. “We need to catch it. Old Ben will be so mad if something happens to it. Curry will get into lots of trouble. She might even get yelled at.” Jake pressed forward, his upper legs pressing against the fence, which groaned under the stress. In the bushes and the trees, hundreds of small ears pricked up. “Wait, wait. Let me get the latch!” Sweetie Belle cried out, rushing forward before Jake took down not only the gate but both sections of fence on either side of it. Jake backed off, just barely long enough for Sweetie Belle to undo the latch and swing open the gate. As soon as there was enough room he thundered into the yard in pursuit of the errant head-wear, which was now hopping across the bare ground at a frantic pace. An animated hat was not the sort of thing you ignored, and all four fillies watched in fascination as Jake chased it across the yard, only to just miss snatching it with his teeth when it doubled back between his legs and he got tangled up with himself trying to switch end for end too quickly. It was as the hat passed in front of them that Apple Bloom noticed something, a familiar pair of white legs that showed up each time the hat took a bound. A sudden horrendous vision popped into Apple Bloom’s head as Jake charged furiously after the runaway headgear. She yelled out with all her might,” Jake, don’t stomp it!” Jake darted an incredulous look toward the little farm-filly. As if he would ever do something like that to Old Ben’s favorite hat. At the same time, the hat gave a particularly vigorous hop and a white rabbit dashed out from under it, running as if a timber-wolf was breathing down his furry little butt. He dashed across the yard and through the slightly open door into the house. Jake gave a shout of triumph and quickly leaned over to snatch up the hat by the brim. Once done, he stood there puzzled, not sure what to do next “We could put it inthide,” Twist suggested, gesturing toward the partly open door. “Should we?” Sweetie Belle asked uncertainly. “Fluttershy doesn’t seem to be back yet.” “She might be hiding under the bed,” Scootaloo suggested. “If she saw Jake thundering around her front yard it wouldn’t be a surprise.” “If that’s the case, it would only be right to go in and let her know that there ain’t nothing to be afraid of,” Apple Bloom suggested, receiving nods of support from her compatriots for her clever rationalization. Jake had tuned out the fillies halfway through the discussion. That was the point when he had noticed they were totally ringed on all sides by an assortment of creatures, some like the hens he was familiar with, others he had no idea at as to what they might be. They were all, to a critter, staring at him intently. He shuffled his feet, not raising them from the dust, while his wings fluttered nervously. Jake didn’t deal well with small animals. He was always afraid they’d get underhoof and he wouldn’t notice them in time. It hadn’t happened yet, but there had been close calls and a few damaged tails. “Apple Bloom!” he said in a slightly panicked tone, his voice muffled by the Stetson between his teeth. He had to repeat himself a couple of times before the little filly noticed. “What all’s the matter, Jake?” Apple Bloom asked, trotting up to the big stallion. She looked up into his face high above her, and then followed his worried gaze. She spotted the various critters staring at him with great intensity. “Okay, now that’s a bit spooky I got to admit,” she said. A bird suddenly dropped out of one of the trees and winged over to perch on the lip of the hat Jake was holding. If flipped upside down and reached inside with its beak. A moment later it emerged with a small square of paper. While Jake had been staring at the bird cross-eyed, a quartet of otter kits had scrambled forward, along with their mother. The mother otter caught the bit of paper out of the air as the bird dropped it. Nimble claws unfolded the paper and smoothed it out. Holding the sheet flat, she lifted it in the air toward Jake, who lowered his head to look. “What is it?” he asked around the brim of the hat. “It’s a note,” Apple Bloom replied as she moved up against Jake and peered at it. “What’s it say?” Sweetie Belle inquired as Scootaloo and Twist crowded in. “It’s from Jake’s big sister. She’s telling Fluttershy that she is taking Mrs. Lynx home, and she’ll be back shortly.” “So she’s not here?” Sweetie Belle asked in disappointment. She had rather been looking forward to seeing what Jake’s big sister looked like. Jake’s ears drooped. While he was unhappy they were not following Big Mac’s instructions to go to the right tree-house, he would have been glad to see Curry. So much had happened in the last couple of days that he wanted to share with her. He wanted to show her all the new tricks that Big Mac had taught him, and listen to her chatter on about what she had been doing just like she had done almost every day back home. “Why don’t we see if Fluttershy is here or not? We could ask her if we can wait for Jake’s sister to get back,” Scootaloo suggested. “Yeah, good idea. I’m sure Fluttershy wouldn’t mind. It’s for a good cause after all,” Apple Bloom said. “Jake, you stay here. We’ll go and ask for permission.” Jake held his ground as he watched his new filly friends troop through the doorway into the house. From inside he could hear them calling for Miss Fluttershy. After a few moments, Sweetie Belle stuck her head out the door and called to him, “Fluttershy is not here. You might as well come in and wait for her and your sister. Jake directed a cautious look at the ground around his feet, and at the space between him and the door. Numerous birds were flitting here and there over his head, but of the furry contingent that had surrounded him mere moments before there was nothing but the occasional rustle in the bushes to indicate that they were still present. Watching each step carefully Jake made his way to the door, which Sweetie Belle had nudged open all the way. Jake had to bend his legs and tuck his wings in tight, but he managed to squeeze through. Once inside he found the interior large enough to stand up comfortably and to even spread his wings if he was very careful. It never occurred to him that the dwelling seemed larger than was reasonable given the outside dimensions, he simply took it for granted. Despite the size of the room, it was very cluttered. There seemed to be nests and birdhouses everywhere he looked, and small sleeping areas and dens devoted to numerous ground bound critters. Jake’s eyes rolled slightly and he froze in place as he noticed more and more small, easily crunched, animals flowing into the room from all directions. Quickly, before they could fill up the space under him, he settled down on all four knees and used his wings to erect a barrier around himself to the best of his ability. The motion caused his stomach to rumble in protest, the sound echoing around the room. Reassured that he was in no imminent danger of breaking anything, or anyone, Jake turned his attention to his four new filly friends. While Twist was looking nervous and uncertain, the other three fillies were displaying a casual familiarity with the house. They roamed around without any sign of worry, peering into various nooks and crannies and helping themselves to some treats set out on the table in bowls. Jake’s tummy rumbled again as he contemplated the bowl of assorted foodstuff, a touch of saliva dripping out the corner of his mouth. Back home Jake would have felt no shame in muscling his way past the smaller ponies and helping himself to the contents of the bowl. He had been taught better now, however. Big Mac had given him a short lecture on waiting till food was offered. It was the polite thing to do. Jake just hoped someone would offer soon. A sudden rustling commotion brought his attention back to the crowd of small animals opposite him. Even as he watched a small mouse was ejected from the mob, rolling head over heels for a foot or so before getting back to its feet. It looked back at the group of animals with longing. They made go on gestures back at him. With every sign of reluctance, he started creeping across the floor toward Jake. The big pony’s ear went flat and his head came up as he nervously watched the tiny creature coming toward him. He fought the inclination to crawl backward, away from the creeping mouse. Jake was used to mice scavenging for grain in the barn and even his stall. If he stood very still they tended to treat him as part of the landscape. He was used to the way they moved and how cautious they were. This mouse was acting in a way that had nothing in common with anything he was familiar with. He had no idea what it was doing. The mouse skittered forward suddenly in a sudden burst of speed that had Jake jerking backward in reaction. The mousse stopped, dropped something, and retreated at a dead run back into the critter crowd. Jake blinked in surprise and lowered his head to the floor to check out what the mouse had dropped. Truthfully, he would not have been surprised to find a small brown pellet. The mouse had seemed very frightened, after all. Instead, what Jake saw, once he twisted his head and brought one big eye within inches of the floor, was a single oat grain. Another small creature popped out of the crowd of her fellows. This time it was a small bunny with a carrot nearly as big as she was clutched between her front paws. She hopped and waddled toward him, a determined look on her face. The situation was still very strange, but Jake was feeling less skittish, and more curious now. Besides, that carrot looked tasty. It was no apple, mind you, but nothing to turn your nose up either. The bunny dropped her offering and turned to scurry back. She passed two other critters, each with their own load of food. “Girlth, what'th going on here?” Twist asked from beside Jake. “Huh, what?” Scootaloo said in a distracted air as she rummaged through Fluttershy’s cupboards. She looked over, and her eyes widened, “Hey, dinner!” “It ain’t for you,” Apple Bloom said firmly, getting between Scootaloo and the small pile of tasty treats. “Why are they giving Jake food?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Maybe becauth he’th a printh?” Twist suggested in a questioning tone. “Wait! Jake’s a prince,” Scootaloo exclaimed while looking at the big colt with renewed interest. “Do you have a big castle?” she asked. “I don’t think so,” Jake told the Pegasus. "I’m a prince? Are princes as cool as Ninja’s?” Jake asked Twist. “Well, you are an Alicorn, and all the other Alicornth are Princetheth, tho you should be a printh. And printhth are very cool.” “Prince Blueblood isn’t an Alicorn. He’s a big, fat jerk, and some other names that Rarity used that I'm not supposed to know till I’m much older,” Sweetie Belle interjected with some heat. Scootaloo’s ears pricked up, and she made a mental note to have a chat with Sweetie Belle sometimes later. Jerk was a word Jake knew. “I don’t want to be a jerk. Curry hates jerks,” he replied in a worried tone. “You can be a prince without being a jerk,” Apple Bloom told Jake, but there was a touch of uncertainty in her voice. The small filly shared, to a certain extent, her sister’s dislike of falsehoods, and she didn’t know for sure that being a prince and being a jerk were mutually exclusive. Like Sweetie Belle she’d gotten an earful about Blueblood’s behavior the day after the Gala from her own sister, who had been outraged on behalf of her friend. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you don’t turn into a jerk, even if you are a prince,” Scootaloo assured Jake. There was a familiar glimmer in the filly’s eyes that caused her friends’ ear to prick up. “What are you thinking, Scoots?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Well. . . Princess Luna and Princess Celestia have all those stallions as their guards, right?” “Yeah, everyone knows that,” Apple Bloom said. “Well, then shouldn’t a prince have a whole lot of mare guards?” “That makes thenth,” Twist said thoughtfully, nodding her head slowly in agreement. “And Jake is only five. We’re all older than he is. So why can’t we become his guards? You don’t have any guards already, do you, Jake?” Scootaloo asked “Don’t think so,” Jake said doubtfully. He wasn’t exactly sure what a guard was. Maybe he did have some? The more important question was, “Will guards keep me from being a jerk?” “For sure. With the right guards, you would never have to worry about turning into a jerk,” Apple Bloom said, seeing where Scoots was going with this, and liking the destination. “That would be great! Would you really be my guards?” “You bet. I’d be your Captain of the Guards,” Scootaloo declared firmly. “Hey, how come you get to be Captain?” both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle protested. “Because I’m the one who’s already an honorary, probationary, guard trainee,” Scootaloo declared. “Uh, would it be ok if I wath your candy cook inthtead?” Twist asked Jake. “You make candy?” Jake asked in a voice that boomed in excitement. The line up of critters marching food toward him scattered to the far corners of the room in response. Jake didn’t notice. All his attention was on Twist as he fairly quivered in eagerness. “Can you make me some now?” “Well, not make. But, I have thome here,” Twist replied. Twisting her head and sticking her muzzle in her saddlebag. A moment later she popped out with a thick peppermint stick between her lips. She held it up for Jake to take. More than willing, Jake opened wide and leaned forward to take the tempting treat. “Wait, don’t bite!” Sweetie Belle shouted out. “Twist’s twists are really strong. You need to suck them slowly, or it will feel like you’ve got a blizzard in your mouth.” “Hmmm, hmmm,” Twist mumbled, nodding her head in agreement with Sweetie Belle’s instructions while looking upward in wide-eyed worry at Jake’s maw, which looked large enough to swallow her whole from this perspective. Jake looked tempted, but trusting his new friends he closed his mouth and gently slipped his lips around the brightly colored candy stick. His mouth brushed against Twist’s and she blushed deeply. Jake was oblivious to his friend’s reaction. He closed his eyes in delight and worked the sweet back and forth in his mouth, savoring the delightful minty sweetness. This also caused the contact between him and Twist to become even more intimate. At least for her. “Woah, hey guys, I think that’s enough!” Scootaloo said. Twist jerked back from Jake, the candy stick slipping from her mouth and leaving a stream of drool dripping off the end. Her entire body felt like it was going to burst into flame from embarrassment. She hunched her body and directed a look toward Scoot, sure she was going to see the Pegasus filly laughing at her. Only, Scoot wasn’t paying any attention to her at all. She was looking past her toward the pile of food that the animals had been bringing Jake. Jake opened his eyes while continuing to diligently suckle on his new treat. He located Scoot and blinked as he took in the mound of food that was now as tall as the filly standing next to it. The little creatures had been busy while he was distracted. Even now a small ferret was manfully dragging a turnip up the shifting slope of foodstuffs, striving for the peak of the pile. “Let's dig in!” Scoot said eagerly, snatching a particularly crisp looking carrot out of the middle of the food pile. This dislodged the fragile balance and with a squeak of fear the ferret was enveloped in a food landslide. Hurriedly a raccoon and several other medium sized animals rushed forward and extracted him from his burial by food. Behind them, several other critters waited with arms full of food. The unoccupied animals directed dirty looks toward Scoot. “Sorry,” Scootaloo mumbled around the carrot she was chewing on. “You better tell them that ith enouth, printh Jake,” Twist whispered. Jake nodded and addressed the crowd of small animals. “Thank you very much. It is enough.” He looked at Twist for affirmation he had done it right. She gave him a nod of approval. Even though he had mumbled his words around the candy stick he was sucking on, the critters seemed to get the message. The various animals that still held arms full of food turned back the way they had come. The rest turned their backs on the ponies and went back to whatever they had been doing before. Several wiped the back of their paws across sweaty foreheads and settled down to take a nap. “You don’t mind if we share the food they brought you, Prince Jake?” Sweetie Belle asked politely. Behind her Apple Bloom hastily swallowed the mouthful of grain she had just snatched up, and tried to look as if she hadn’t. Scootaloo was oblivious, she finished off the carrot she had started with and nuzzled through the mound looking for something equally as tasty. Twist’s stomach rumbled, but she waited to hear Jake’s reply to Sweetie Belle. Jake nodded and mumbled at her to dive in. Jake’s own belly growled at him, and he looked longingly at the pile of food. The candy stick was nice, but not very filling. He wanted to swallow down something crunchy and tasty and fill the void in his stomach. Only, what was he to do about the peppermint stick? He wasn't supposed to crunch it. That would be a bad thing. He didn’t want to simply drop it either, it was too sweet and delicious to waste. Sweetie Belle, a stalk of celery dangling from her mouth, noticed Jake’s dilemma. She quickly crunched up her food and swallowed it down, before saying, “Here, Jake. Let me put that away for you. I’ll stick it somewhere safe so you’ll have it for dessert.” Twist startled and looked like she wanted to protest. Before she could make a move Sweetie reared up slightly and set her hooves against the front of Jake’s legs, bringing her nose right up to his. She sucked the sugar stick into her mouth, her lips pressing against Jake’s for just a moment before she drew the candy from his mouth. Twist felt her face heat up to the point where she once again felt like she might combust as Sweetie Belle dropped to all four hooves and trotted over to the dining room table where she deposited Jake’s treat in a small bowl that had formerly held fruit and other treats. Jake watched Sweetie intently, and only when his candy was safely stashed away did he lower his head to nose through the goodies piled in front of him. To his great pleasure an apple turned up, and he happily gulped it down, noisily masticating the crunchy fruit with great relish. Sweetie Belle trotted back over to where Jake and the other ponies were picking out treats from the pile and joined in. The five ponies munched away in contentment. Jake soon noticed that there was no way they were going to finish all of it. At the same time, he became aware that not a few of the critters from earlier were looking their way with hungry glances. “Don’t you want some?” he asked around a mouthful of apple and strawberries. Moments later most of the critters joined happily in the feast and the room was filled with the sound of jaws crunching crisp treats. Jake, mindful of his manners lessons from Big Mac, ate politely and carefully, avoiding burying his face up to the eyes in the pile of food. Despite that, his intake was impressive. Foolishly, three of the fillies he was eating with tried to match him a mouthful for a mouthful. “Oh, I can’t eat another bite,” Scootaloo moaned as she lay on her back massaging her distended tummy. She let out a loud belch. “That was for sure one big feast,” Apple Bloom replied. She too was laying on her back like a beached whale, gently rubbing her belly where her normal inee had turned into an outee. In reply to Scootaloo's belch, she swallowed some air and then let out a prolonged reverberation that caused dust to dance in the sharply slanted sun-beams shining through the windows. She smiled and sent a mental thanks to her big sister and brother for their diligent instruction in the finer points of boon companion etiquette. “It was pretty good,” Sweetie Belle agreed. She decorously covered her mouth with a hoof, just before letting out with a belch that could have replaced a fog-horn. Twist, being the mature pony in the group rolled her eyes in teenage dismay, right before letting loose with a pretty respectable belch herself. She blushed furiously and dropped her head while muttering, “Thcuse me.” Jake was not about to be outdone, and let loose the stomach gas he had been holding in all this time out of respect for the gentle company he found himself among. Shocked birds fell from the air, and small critters were sent tumbling across the floor as Jake’s belch set the rafters to trembling and caused dust to pop out from between the seams in the floor. The CMC directed a look of awe his way that far exceeded even the one they had given him at their first meeting. “The Winner and New Champion!” Scootaloo announced bombastically while trying, without a lot of success, to hoist Jake’s front hoof up into the air in a victory pose. Jake looked on in curiosity as Scoot fell over backward while panting. “Too full, try later,” she gasped. “Oh no. look outside,” Sweetie Belle cried out, drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that night had fallen while they had been busy digesting. “Dang it,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. Part of her deal with Applejack in regards to camping out on her own with her friends was that they would not go rambling over the countryside after dark. She’d Pinkie sworn it. “We’re stuck here till morning now.” “Just as well,” Scoot groaned. “I don’t think I could make it to the door if I tried unless somepony were to roll me.” “We’ll have to sleep here tonight. I don’t think Fluttershy will mind,” Sweetie Belle said. “You don’t mind, do you, Jake?” Jake had wandered over to the dinner table with Twist and retrieved his treat while the three ponies had been talking. Twist was sucking on her own sweet, not having overdone the binging like her friends and leaving room for a sweet. “Don’t mind,” Jake mumbled around the peppermint stick. He settled down on the floor like a big cat and stretched out contentedly with his head on his forelegs. Twist gave a little shiver. Fluttershy’s home had a lot of drafts due to the various critter doors and the night air was chilly. She contemplated the merits of snagging one of the floor coverings and pulling it over herself like a blanket. It would work fine if you didn’t mind something that had seen so much animal traffic, and who knew what else. While she was glumly debating which would be more uncomfortable, doing without a covering, or using the tatty old rug, Jake gave a sigh and stretched out his wings. One of them extended out over Twist’s head. An idea popped into her head, bringing a flush to her cheeks. Feeling greatly daring, and not being one to look a feather comforter in the mouth, Twist settled down on the floor and nestled herself snugly up against Jake just as he drew his wing back to his side, covering Twist in a cocoon of warmth. Apple Bloom and her friends had been debating their options. Scootaloo was all for heading upstairs and crawling into the same bed they had used the last time they had stayed over at Fluttershy’s. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were uncomfortable with the idea of making that free with Fluttershy’s hospitality. They were all for toughing it out till Fluttershy got home, and formerly offered them a warm bed for the night. “Or we could do what Twist is doing,” Scoot suggested after being outvoted. She pointed toward the slumbering Jake. “What? Hey, where is Twist?” Apple Bloom asked, looking in the direction Scootaloo indicated and failing to see anything but the large mound of a slumbering Jake. “Check under Jake’s wing,” Scoot laughed. “Oh, that looks warm,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, spotting a single small hoof just barely visible under the trailing edge of Jake’s wing. “Do you think Jake would mind if we huddled up close like that?” “Only one way to find out,” Scootaloo said confidently. She dashed across the floor and then slid the last few feet on a loose throw rug, scooting under the edge of Jake’s wing and up against both Jake and Twist. “Ooof,” Twist grunted as Scoot shoved up hard against her, pinning her for a moment between the two Pegasus. “Mmph,” Jake mumbled, lifting his head sleepily and stretching out his wing so he could see under it. “Hey, you’re letting the cold in,” Scoot complained from where she was fluffing Jake’s side to her standards. “Sorry,” Jake rumbled in a muzzy voice and tucked his wing back down over the two little fillies. “I reckon that answers that,” Apple Bloom said to Sweetie Belle. The girliest of the CMC made no demurral. The temperature was dropping quickly now that the sun had been put away for the night. She joined her friend in trotting around Jake and nosing their way under his other wing. Jake didn’t wake, but his wing shifted slightly to envelop the last of his new friends in a warm embrace. The four fillies snuggled up tightly to Jake’s side and each other and soon the only sound in the room was that of the little ponies’ gentle breathing and the bigger pony’s soft rumble. And of course, the scurry of various nocturnal critters, the soft rustling of sleeping birds and the creaking of Fluttershy’s home as the tree that made up part of its construction shifted in the wind. *** The sound of the front door opening, and of hooves drumming on the floor, roused Jake from his slumber. He lifted his head and drowsily checked to see who it was. He came a bit more awake when he saw that Miss Fluttershy was home and that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were with her. His ears perked up and his eyes lost some of their drowsy expression. Then he spotted Fluttershy’s sleeping rider. “Curry!” Jake bugled in joy. He lurched to his feet, and the four little fillies that had been snuggled up against his side were sent tumbling across the floor, fortunately out of the way of his hooves, as he lunged toward the adult ponies. “Eeeeeeeee!” A shrill whinnying scream brought him up short as the pale green Unicorn who he hadn’t seen standing behind Applejack cried out, cowered back from him in fear. Jake took a hesitant step backward, fearful he had done something bad. The thunder of large hooves suddenly filled the room as a black Pegasus pony rushed into the house. “Lyra? What is it? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” the pony, who Jake now saw was a medium sized stallion, shouted out as he hovered protectively over the pony who had screamed. Jake’s uncertainty grew. Big Mac had turned out to be wonderful, once Applejack had explained things to him, but there was no guarantee this stallion was not one of the crazy ones. Jake really wished he had a handy stack of hay bales to hide behind till things settled down, especially when the stallion looked around the room and saw him. Jake cringed, expecting the big pony to charge across the room at him. “Jake? It’s really you,” Curry’s drowsy voice seemed to fill the room with warm joy, for all the softness with which she had spoken. Jake’s heart lightened as he saw she had slid off of Miss Fluttershy’s back and was walking toward him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Miss Curry. Are you sure it’s safe?” the stallion asked, hovering protectively in front of the trembling unicorn who had screamed. He moved forward slightly so he was right behind the small girl, but still between Jake and the trembling pony. Curry scowled and looked back over her shoulder at the stallion who towered over her. Jake recognized that expression. Curry reserved it for people, and horses, who had done or said, something she found remarkably stupid. He was glad that for once it was not directed at him. Curry took a deep calming breath, and Jake realized that the stallion must be someone she was at least a little wary of spouting off at. “It’s Jake. Of course, I’m sure it’s safe,” Curry said in a voice that showed the strain of keeping a polite tone. She turned away from the big Pegasus, and her expression turned joyful once again as she looked up into Jake’s eyes. “How you doing you big lug? You being good for Applejack?” She stepped up and wrapped her arms around his muzzle as he lowered his head to her eye level. She rested her forehead between his eyes and gave out a contented sigh. Jake sniffed loudly, drawing her comfortably familiar scent into his nose, while also checking her out for snacks. “Well, up till now I’d reckoned he was,” Applejack spoke up, as she moved over beside Curry. “Only thing is, he ain’t suppose to be here, him, or Apple Bloom there,” Applejack nodded toward an overstuffed chair that Apple Bloom and her friends were crouched behind, just the tops of their heads and eyes visible. “You lot! Git out here now!” “Oh. My. God. They are so, Cute!” Curry squealed as she saw the four little heads peeking around the rim of the chair. She instantly wanted to sink into the floor in pure mortification for expressing such a remark in that tone of voice. Thankfully, the ponies weren’t likely to burst their britches laughing at her over it. A loud belly laugh from overhead caused Curry to glare up at Rainbow Dash who was doing nothing to conceal that she was the source of the loud guffaw. Somehow Rainbow managed to mimic an extremely girly swish while hovering in mid-air while smirking down at Curry, clearly enjoying her discomfort. “Curry, these here are my little sister and her friends,” Applejack said, ignoring Rainbow Dash’s tomfoolery. “The one on the right is--” “Wait, wait, let me guess!” Curry cut off Applejack, still flustered from her embarrassing display, and wanting to take attention away from it. She stepped right up to the fillies who looked at each other and the adults in the room in doubt as Curry approached them. She slowed her approach as she saw that the little unicorn, and the pony wearing glasses, looked like they were on the verge of fleeing. “They’re nice,” Jake said from right behind her, nuzzling her cheek with his nose from behind, and smearing it with horse boogers. “What are you wearing?” “Leave off,” Curry protested, rubbing her cheek clean with her forearm. “Miss Rarity made it for me. Ain’t it great. Gives me a hide almost as thick as your’n.” The sight of Curry getting smeared with snot seemed to eliminate any worry the fillies might have had about her, and they crowded up, staring up at her with wide curious eyes. “Hey, that’s made from the stuff we tie-dyed with the dye Zecora threw out,” Scootaloo said, in a tone implying long-delayed vindication. “I told you it was cool.” “Rarity made it?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking the outfit over from top to bottom. It seemed impossible that her sister had even passed by the outfit without fainting in shock, let alone actually made it. “Yeah, it’s magical as all get out,” Curry said, buffing the front of her outfit with the back of her knuckles. “Now, let me think.” Curry cast her mind back to the rather chaotic introductions Pinkie Pie had made, which had included a list of local relatives. You must be Miss Rarity’s little sister,” she pointed at Sweetie Belle and got a hesitant nod in reply. “And you just got to be, Applejack’s sister,” as she shifted her eyes to the cute little yellow filly with the red mane and tail. “I bet you’re going to be just as fine a pony as your big sister when you grow up.” “Sure am. What are you?” Apple Bloom confirmed with nary an acknowledgment of the compliment. Instead, she bulled ahead with her own question. “Me? Can’t you tell?” Curry asked deflecting the question and pointing a finger at Scootaloo. “Now the other two are obvious as all heck, you, not so much.” Curry struggled to remember anything Pinkie had said about a Pegasus filly and drew a blank. She took a wild guess, “Would you be... Rainbow Dash’s sister?” “Honorary little sister,” Dash said, fluttering down beside Scootaloo and ruffling her short-shorn mane with her forehoof. The name is Scootaloo, and you should see the awesome aerials she can pull off on her scooter.” Curry smirked a bit at the mixed expression of joy and embarrassment on the little Pegasus’s face. She turned to the last filly, the one with the large glasses and the crossed candy canes on her flank. “Sorry. Don’t know who your sister is.” “I don’t have a thithter, but Aunt Lyra over there is my aunt. My name is Twitht.” Curry was a bit startled at the little pony’s lisp. She’d grown so used to the impossible fact of talking ponies that it seemed strange that one would have a speech impediment. But, why the heck not, she decided, dismissing the curiosity from her mind as immaterial in the face of much more important information. “She makes candy,” Jake editorialized, quickly getting in Twist’s paramount defining characteristic, and duplicating Curry’s line of thought. “Really good candy. She gave me some. Was that all right?” he asked, a touch of worry in his voice. “Huh? Yeah, sure. Don’t see why not. Not if it was really good candy. It was good candy, right?” Curry asked Twist, a sly expression on her face. “Do you want to try thome?” Twist asked, lowering her head and nuzzling through her saddlebag where it was resting on the floor. She lifted her head, a thick, striped candy stick held in her mouth. Curry gingerly took the candy, a dubious expression on her face as she contemplated the pony spit on one end. “Go ahead, Curry. It’s really good,” Jake urged her. “Yeah, yeah, give me a moment here,” Curry said, using her hand to brush off the worst of the slobber, getting her fingers sticky in the process. Very conscious of being the center of attention from five pairs of eyes, she tentatively gave the none-pony contaminated end a lick. Her eyes widened in appreciation, and she took a more generous taste, still avoiding the other end. “Yum! That is good! You really made it?” she asked Twist. “Thure did,” Twist pronounced proudly. Aunt Bon Bon taught me how, but I made thith batch all on my own.” Curry smacked her lips, enjoying the tingle of sugar and strong peppermint, and directed a teasing look at Jake. “You’re a real playboy, ain’t you Jake? Leave you alone for two days, and you collect four nice fillies for your harem.” Jake’s expression turned panicked. He knew from her tone and look that Curry was teasing him, but this was serious business. “Oh, no, I promised Big Mac I wouldn’t take any of his mares. Only play with them a bit. We’ve only played a bit. Isn’t that right, Twist?” Curry blinked a bit at that information while wondering who this, Big Mac, was. From the tone of Jake’s voice, he was something special. Scootaloo saved Twist from embarrassment caused spontaneous combustion by interjecting a question of her own, directed toward Curry, “Wait. You’re Jake’s big sister? What the heck happened to you. Did you play in some poison joke? Apple Bloom says Zecora has a cure. She can fix you right up if that’s what happened.” “Nah, we ain’t related by blood. Jake was adopted by Old Ben and me. Don’t know what Poison Joke is, but pretty sure I ain’t stepped in any.” Apple Bloom still wanted an answer to her previous question and asked in a firm voice. “So if you all ain’t a pony. Just what are you? I ain’t never seen a critter like you before.” “What, you ain’t ever seen a Snipe before?” *** Lyra couldn’t take her eyes off the scene in front of her. The human was conversing freely with Twist and her little friends, as well as the gigantic Alicorn who had terrified her so badly. Where had he come from? How had someone like him been kept secret? It must have involved a massive coverup! Lyra had not for one instant bought the whole Snipe thing. She knew a human when she saw one. The fact that she had never actually seen one before notwithstanding. It had always been a mystery how Bighoof’s hoofprints tended to vanish if you followed them far enough. It had been speculated that he was a Pegasus, but they were far too light boned and in general smallish, to leave such massive, heavy prints. An Alicorn stallion explained so much. It was only natural he’d be so large. Look at Celestia and Luna, far larger than the average pony. That would mean he’d been around for centuries. It must have taken extraordinary measures to keep him a secret for so long. That thought sent a frisson of fear up her spine. It was perfectly clear that Rainbow Dash and her friends knew about the Alicorn stallion. The only surprise they had shown was that he was here, and not where he was supposed to be. It was to be expected that they’d be in on the secret. Over the last few months they, and the other three mares that made up their group, had been involved in several potential Equestria shattering events. They were likely part of the conspiracy to keep not just the Alicorn stallion a secret, but the human as well. But, what did that mean for her and All Day? Were they fated for a magical mind wipe to make them forget everything they had seen? Lyra could not accept that. This was too big, the public had a right to know. They had to get out of here, go into hiding, spread the story to the point where it could no longer be concealed. Lyra was shuddering as All Day moved up against her, covering her with one broad wing. “Don’t worry. He’s not going to hurt you,” he assured her. The unicorn leaned in against the big Pegasus, drawing comfort from his warmth and presence. Taking advantage of All Day’s close proximity, Lyra whispered, “We have to get out of here. Go into hiding. Get the news out that there is an Alicorn stallion roaming Equestria.” “We can’t do that!” Sweets cried out, dismay clear on his face and in his tone. He lowered his voice hastily and continued, "I mean, I’m sure there is a very good reason why they want to keep him a secret. We don’t have all the information.” Lyra patted All Day on the shoulder, having to stretch a bit to do it. She shook her head in a rather condescending manner, before saying,” Poor All Day. You really are an innocent. They don’t need a reason to go to extraordinary lengths to keep secrets. Their default mode is that we can’t be trusted with anything more complex than the normal mundane detritus of everyday life. Trust me, don’t trust them. Besides, you should be particularly careful.” Lyra could see that All Day was clearly fighting the temptation to take a few steps away from her. She was used to seeing that reaction in ponies she tried to educate on the true state of the world. It hurt a bit, but she tried not to let it bother her. He couldn’t help being uninformed. That naivete just made him all the cuter. She was really looking forward to broadening his education. Besides, he needed her if he ever expected to get back on Bon Bon’s good side, and even more important, her very naughty side. “Why should I be careful?” her hunk a hunk of potential burning love asked hesitantly. “Well, just look at you. You’re above average in size. Don’t think about that, Lyra, Keep focused Your hide is monochromatic dark, almost unheard of, now that I think of it. You’re a Pegasus with a very respectable wingspan,” Lyra paused to wipe a touch of drool off the corner of her mouth, “and last, you’re sporting that big fake horn. Anyone who knows about him is going to think you’re mimicking him on purpose. Not that you can hardly blame them. What are the odds that you just happen to be in Ponyville . . .”Lyra trailed off, she looked over at the Alicorn, and then back at All Day, “at the exact same time as him...?” Sweets was not liking the look in Lyra’s eyes or the way she ducked out from under his wing. There was fear in her gaze, but also a look of pain that cut Sweets like a knife. “I’ve been blind.” Lyra whispered in a tone that was as cutting as a scream of panic. “You’re one of them. A Pony In Black! I won’t let you erase my memory and re-locate me to some small out of the way village where no one has any idea who I am. I won’t let you change my cutie mark to break all connections with my past life.” “Lyra, it’s not like that,” Sweets protested, taking a step toward her, and then pulling his leg back when she flinched away. “Then how is it?” Lyra asked fear and disappointment in her voice. Sweets opened his mouth to explain, but nothing came out. He was still under orders. No matter the personal cost, he could not reveal the truth, even though Lyra had already seen just about everything he was supposed to keep secret. He felt like a total bastard for thinking it, but in a way, it was actually good Lyra was so mistaken about what was going on, it added a whole other level of misdirection. If she started ranting in the middle of town, it could only help his mission. His attempt to view the situation in a positive light didn’t work very well. His stomach, not to mention his heart, hurt at the thought of all those ponies laughing at her because of him. “That’s what I thought,” Lyra said bitterly. “You know what you are? You’re, you’re, a total fatheaded, jerk!” “That’s bad, very bad. Being a jerk is very bad,” a deep rumbling voice chided from behind and above her. She snapped her head around and found herself staring up at the chin and mouth of the black Alicorn. Celestia, he’s big, Lyra thought to herself, her mind going numb from the sheer enormity of the pony standing barely more than a hoof away from her. “We won’t let him be a jerk,” the Alicorn said firmly, he swung his huge head around and glared down at All Day. “Stop being a jerk!” “Okay,” All Day said, swallowing nervously. “I won’t be a jerk anymore. I promise.” The oversized stallion stared intently at All Day for a moment and then nodded his head. “Good. Do you want to play with us?” “Play?” All Day said in befuddlement. Lyra could see sweat beading on his forehead. An evil smile appeared. Of course, even if he was a Pony In Black, he couldn’t ignore an order from Royalty. “I’m sure he’d love to play with you, Prince . . .” Lyra fumbled for his name. She was sure she’d heard it, what was it.” “Jake. His name is Jake,” the voice of the small human said from the opposite side of Lyra. Once again she snapped her head around, experiencing a twang in her overly stressed neck muscles as she did so. Her heart gave a huge thump as she found herself looking straight into the human’s eyes from mere inches away. How could something so small fill so much of her field of view? “Ahhh, well, as I was saying. I’m sure All Day would love to play with you, Prince Jake.” Lyra said, not taking her eyes off the human filly. She’d wanted some private time with the human from the first moment she’d seen her on Private Eye’s back. When All Day showed a lack of enthusiasm for following her suggestion. She pulled her gaze away for a moment and glared at the big Pegasus. “Wouldn’t you, All Day?” “Yeah, come on over and spend a bit of time with the fillies and Jake,” Rainbow Dash said as she fluttered over to the other side of Sweets from Lyra. “Dude,” she whispered in his ear. “Give the girl some space to cool down. Let her have some time with Curry. Knowing Lyra, she won’t even remember what upset her in a few minutes. All she’ll have on her mind will be that she actually got to talk to a real live human. Come on now. You’ve already got one of your marefriends mad as heck at you. Don’t push your luck.” With obvious reluctance, Sweets allowed himself to be shepherded away from Lyra and Curry by the big Alicorn and Rainbow Dash. Lyra suppressed an urge to squeal in delight at having the human all to herself. “I can’t tell you what an honor this is, getting to meet you. All my life I’ve wanted to meet a human.” “I’m a Snipe,” the human said, her face twisting into an expression of stubbornness. Really, it was amazing how expressive she could be despite those small eyes, tiny mouth, and nose. “If that’s what you want to be called, of course, I’ll call you that.” “Want to be called Curry! It’s my name,” the little human said, not giving Lyra one inch of slack. Lyra was starting to get a bit frantic. This was not going well at all. “Of course, Curry. There is so much I want to know. I don’t even know where to begin.” “Well, just so you know. I was never one of those girls who thought that Unicorns were the greatest thing there was.” “Oh, well, I’m sorry.” The little human, Curry, shrugged, and quickly spouted out, “Nothing to be sorry about. Truth is, now that I’ve met a few, I got to say, they ain’t all that bad. Rarity is nice as can be. Her little sister, Sweetie Belle lives up to her name. Twilight is scary, but awesome scary, not mean scary. You ain’t all that bad either. That was really cool, the way you stood up to that big stallion and made him back up like that. Guess you Unicorns ain’t all sparkles, cotton candy, and marshmallows.” “Well, thank you,” Lyra said, trying to work her way through the little human’s rapid-fire delivery. “Sort of wish I could take you back home with me,” Curry mused, with a small introspective smile. Some of the girls at school would just die if I showed up with a real live Unicorn for Show-And-Tell. Bet the teacher wouldn’t tell me that you didn’t belong in a school. Still say, Jake would have been the best Show-And-Tell ever.” Lyra all but lunged forward, her eyes wide and slightly crazed, “Please. Take me back with you! I want to see your world so bad! I’ll do anything, obey your instructions to the letter, only let me go back with you! We could go right now! Just let me tell All Day, so he can tell Bon Bon. I can travel light. I don’t even need a toothbrush or my pajamas!” The small human shifted back quickly, a wary look in her small eyes. Lyra was instantly contrite and backed up slightly, “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” “Didn’t scare me,” Curry said in an emphatic tone. “Can’t rightly take you back with me. Can’t rightly take me back. Don’t know if I’d want to go, even if’n I could. And even if’n I could, taking you back, bad idea I’m thinking.” “No, great idea! I wouldn’t be any trouble at all. I promise.” Curry shook her head, “you don’t get it. A real live talking unicorn. Folks would go nuts, some folks would go worse. Just like the kids from Witch Mountain, there would be rich folks who’d want to stick you in a cage, maybe to make money, maybe just to have a unicorn.” “But, you’d protect me, surely?” Lyra flushed at the look Curry directed at her. “Me, I’m just a kid. Who’d listen to me?” “You’re a baby goat now?” Lyra asked, her face screwing up in confusion.” Now it was Curry turn to look confused. “What in the heck are you talking about?” “You said you were just a kid.” “Yeah, so. I am.” “So you’re saying you are a baby goat?” “I never!” “But you said you’re a kid.” “I am. What has that got to do with being a goat? I’ve only been wearing this outfit for a day. I don’t smell that bad yet,” Curry said in a belligerent tone while pinching a fold of her covering and holding it up to her nose while taking a theatrical sniff. Lyra massaged the area around her horn with a forehoof. “Fine, I get it, you’re a kid, but not a kid, kid.” The small human smirked at her. “Ok, if you say so.” Lyra repressed the urge to bite Curry somewhere sensitive as she realized the little human had been playing her. She twisted her head slightly to the side, and addressed the air beside Curry in a long-suffering tone of voice, “Can we get back to how dangerous it would be for me to go to the human world. Wouldn’t the guards and the princesses there protect me?” “Ain’t no princesses where I came from. Maybe in other places. And the sheriff might help, he’s a pretty good guy, but rich people got their ways, and they’d get around him, sure as I’m standing here talking to you.” Curry gave a smile. “Guess I never thought about how lucky I am. Fluttershy and her friends are looking after Jake and me real good. Sneaky too, and you and your friend, All Day. You all looked out for me in the village when all those other ponies went crazy.” “He isn’t my friend. He’s a liar and a sneak.” “Miss Rarity said I could trust him. I trust her a whole lot. If’n it’s all the same to you, and even if it’s not, I’m still gonna keep on trusting him.” “But, he’s a Pony In Black,” Lyra protested. Curry’s eye took on a distant look as she got into her let's pretend mindset. She'd had lots of practice at creating worlds out whole cloth. and she'd actually been thinking on how strange it had been to meet Sweets in town. She had no idea if Lyra was right, but the idea of a pony in black was cool. “Maybe that’s not a bad thing?” Curry said slowly, in a slightly questioning tone. “Men In Black keep aliens from other worlds secret. But, they are the good guys too. Maybe it’s the same with Mister All Day? He protected me in town. And think about this. He got in front of you when you thought Jake was a monster. He choose you over Jake when it was most important. Lyra looked doubtful. She glanced across to where All Day was sitting on the floor across from the giant Alicorn, with a pile of drowsy fillies between them, clearly fighting a losing battle to keep their eyes open. All Day was talking, and Lyra moved forward to overhear what he was saying that had Jake so enthralled. “So, there was the train, broke down at the station, and Applejack told my Uncle that they had to get to Appaloosa as soon as possible. So what do you think my Uncle did?” “He pulled it!” Jake crowed, clearly having heard and answered this question a few times already. “That’s right. He and five of my brother’s and uncles harnessed themselves to the front of that train, engine and all, and they pulled it all the way to Appaloosa. Didn’t even stop pulling when the train was raided by wild buffalo.” “Yay!” Jake cheered, which turned into a huge jaw-cracking yawn. “Tell me another,” he said in a sleepy voice. Despite herself, Lyra felt the anger, and nausea, in her belly ease. Maybe the human was right. All the tales said they were wise and seemed to only exist to give ponies on adventures advice. The tales were also explicit on what happened to those ponies who ignored the advice. Beside Lyra, Curry yawned, and her small body seemed to get even smaller as she leaned sleepily up against Lyra. “Oh, dear. I think if you don’t mind? Maybe? it is time for them to get to sleep? if it would not be too much of a bother?” Fluttershy interjected in a soft hesitant voice as she emerged from wherever she had been keeping herself for the last little bit, ever since she’d found her home overflowing with ponies big and small. “I really should get Curry to bed,” Fluttershy told Lyra directly, looking her straight in the eye. She moved in and gently took the little human’s weight off of Lyra’s side. Curry nuzzled up to Fluttershy, one arm draped over her shoulder, “Can I sleep with Jake, please? And, the others?” “Well, I guess that would be all right. You don’t mind, Jake?” Jake settled down on the floor, yawning again. “Nuh, uh, want that.” He extended a wing in an invitation, and Fluttershy eased the tired little human under it and against Jake’s side. Apple Bloom and Twist shifted over so they bracketed the smaller girl before pressing up against Jake themselves. Jake lowered his wing, and head, giving a gusting sigh of contentment. “I’ll just get a blanket, or two, or three,” Fluttershy said, running her eyes over the large pile of ponies in the middle of her living room. “Maybe four or five,” she added in a doubtful tone, clearly not sure even that would be enough. “Lyra?” All Day said hesitantly from a few feet away, his eyes pleading for understanding, while his sorrowful expression showed he didn’t expect it. Lyra had never been one to live up to expectations, so she strolled forward and nuzzled the bottom of his chin, for all the world as if her previous blow-up had never happened. “Are you going to stay here to keep an eye on them, or can you come back home?” “Late as it is, I might as well spend the night, get the foals back home in the morning,” Applejack said, settling herself down on the floor near the pile of ponies, while not actually being part of it. “I’ll keep an eye on things here.” “Been a while since I slept over with Shy,” Rainbow Dash said, nuzzling up to the timid Pegasus. “Hope you got over that snoring problem,” she teased her oldest friend. “Oh, Rainbow, you know I was only snoring because you had your flank . . .” Fluttershy trailed off, flushing red while an expression of mortification crossed her face. Lyra could not keep from chuckling. She twisted her head around and gave All Day’s flank a small affectionate nip, causing him to dance away from her, in the direction of the door. “Come on, stud let's go home and see if Bon Bon is maybe ready to look over that contract Luna mentioned. Sounds like it might make for interesting bedtime reading. Maybe you can help us with the punctuation?” **** Lyra left Fluttershy’s cottage with a spring in her step that was only marginally related to the handsome stallion beside her, who very likely would have suffered a seizure if he had been able to read her mind. What fantastic luck that the first human she met was so young and inexperienced. Telling her how hazardous the human world was when right behind her was an Alicorn in the bloom of health and attitude who had to have been raised there. She started making a mental list of what she needed to pack and carry with her at all times from now on, and especially when she returned the next day. For if there was one thing she had learned from all the tales, Humans always returned to their home. And when Curry went back, Lyra was going with her. She was going to be ready to visit the Human world at the drop of a saddle. A toothbrush of course, despite what she’d told Curry earlier she really needed that, and her comfortable pajamas. It was unlikely they’d have her size, or thread count, in the human world. Her mouth wash, wouldn’t want to offend. Grooming supplies, need to make a good first impression. A selection of her best gowns and her formal saddle, so she would show well at all the parties she was sure to be invited to. Hmmm, this was going to take some thought. Maybe she could draft All Day and Bon Bon to carry some of the necessities?