//------------------------------// // Meet The Parents // Story: Cheesecake and Changelings // by Dropbear //------------------------------// “So your capitol is underground?” Nigel questioned his companion as he studied the massive cave entrance, the jagged circler opening set into the large mountain illuminated by multiple lights. The changeling counted twenty guards all watching the entranceway, the Nocturnes all armoured in plain metal armour and armed with spears. “Yeah, about five minutes of walking and you reach a massive cavern under the mountain,” Midnight answered, the mare slowly starting to walk towards the entrance. Nigel followed behind, thinking it would be best if the Nocturne mare took the lead considering his current appearance. “So Midnight,” Nigel started as he followed the mare, the guarded entrance growing ever closer. “Are you sure that changelings aren’t ‘attack on sight’ here? Getting stabbed by a pony with a spear would be a rather anti-climactic end to my life.” Midnight stopped walking to turn around and yank Nigel’s cloak hood down with her mouth, hiding the majority of the changeling. Only a small black muzzle poked out, Nigel debating whether or not to point out that if a cloaked figure approached him when he was a guard then stabbing would certainly happen. “They shouldn’t just attack you,” the mare replied, failing to fill Nigel with confidence. “As I said before there are no changelings around here and most Nocturnes don’t know much about the rest of the world so at the most you’ll get asked a lot of questions. You’re hidden under that clock fairly well so unless the guards try and search you we should be fine.” Nigel winced at the mare’s last sentence. That was just going to invite trouble. He nodded his head however as the pair continued to approach the guards, he was going to have to get in somehow. The surrounding nocturne guards all watched as the two ponies approached them, one mare and one hidden under a cloak. They weren’t too worried, after all the Nocturnes had no enemies and two ponies weren’t much of a threat. While the cloaked figure was a bit suspicious it was also a chilly night so a cloak wasn’t that unusual. The city guard officer assigned to the entrance that night moved to meet the two approaching ponies, the pair stopping as he moved towards them. “Halt, what is your business here?” The Nocturne mare cleared her throat, giving the officer a smile. “We just travelled from Equestria and we were hoping to visit my family tonight.” The officer looked back at the second pony, a black muzzle and a pair of blue eyes the only features visible under the dark cloak it wore. The mare noticed the guard’s curiosity in her companion and moved beside the silent pony, putting a wing across its back as she nuzzled its covered face. “This here is my coltfriend; he’s rather shy so he doesn’t talk much. He’s actually coming with me to see my parents so you can understand his nervousness.” The city watch officer chuckled; he could remember when he met his wife’s parents, he hoped that this mare’s lover had much better luck then he did. “I’ve been there, never thought I’d ever see the day where someone could pick out every single flaw I had and give a hour speech on each one,” he shared, the mare giggling lightly as she patted her companion on the back with a wing. “Anyway, I see no problem with letting you two in but I do have to ask some questions for the sake of protocol,” both newcomers nodded their heads in response. “First off, what are your names?” “My name is Midnight,” the mare replied as she nudged her companion with her body. The officer was surprised when the hooded pony spoke. “I’m Nigel M Chalmers, Officer.” “You have quite a… interesting name, I assume you’re from a fairly far-away land?” the officer asked, the questioned pony letting out a light laugh. “You could say that I suppose, you won’t find us in a travel brochure.” The guard was a little interested in the stallion’s response, not just what he had said but the way he spoke seemed anything but shy. “I’m sure where you come from must be very unique, forgive me but I’m not that well-travelled. My name is Luminous by the way, Lieutenant Luminous,” the lieutenant looked towards the mare, “Miss Midnight, I feel that I’ve met you before. Are you by any chance related to Captain Darklight?” The mare known as Midnight grimaced a little at the name, “I am related to him, I’m actually his youngest daughter.” Luminous was a bit confused at the mare’s sour reaction at the mention of her father’s name but then he remembered the police captain’s reputation as a harsh and stern stallion. These qualities made him a great police captain but now Luminous could understand Nigel’s skittish behaviour. Having to introduce oneself to a stallion like Darklight as his daughter’s courtier was not something to look forward to in Luminous’s opinion. “Good luck with introducing your coltfriend then,” the guard replied as he gave Midnight a sympathetic look, “I hope that it all works out for you two, go on in.” Luminous stepped aside as he gestured for the pair to continue, earning a thankful smile from the mare. The rest of the city guards observed as the pair disappeared into the cave entrance, relaxing once their commander had given the two travellers permission to enter. Lieutenant Luminous watched the two leave, unable to shake the feeling that this night would not be a peaceful one. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ “He seemed nice,” Midnight commented as she walked with Nigel heading towards the city, the changeling giving a distracted hum in reply. The encounter had been too easy in Nigel’s opinion, the guards hadn’t even checked to see if the pair was carrying any weapons. A few questions, the sharing of names and Midnight talking about her father was all it had taken to earn the Lieutenant’s trust and entry to the city. Far too easy, any United Imperium of Planets soldier would have checked for weapons, illegal contraband, criminal history and most of all what bloody species the person requesting entry was. This planet must be really peaceful if the locals just let you walk into their cities with minimum questions. The corridor they were travelling down was well lit, what appeared to be oil lamps lining the high walls of the passage way. Nigel didn’t know that the ponies used oil; he had so far only seen magic powered illumination on this planet. The Nocturnes must have to resort to other measures considering the lack of unicorns. The pair’s hooves clacked on the stone path, the cobbled road wide enough to put three wagons side-by-side. The tunnel sloped downwards, the air become slightly warmer as the nocturne and changeling pushed on. The mare beside him got closer and closer as they continued, eventually midnight was pretty much leaning on him as they rounded a bend. Nigel had guessed what she had meant by ‘coltfriend’ and while he appreciated the fact that it had made their conversation with the city watch guard go much smoother Chalmers wasn’t sure that he was okay with Midnight announcing it to everyone. The guard’s reaction upon finding out that this ‘Captain Darklight’ was Midnight’s father caused warning bells to ring in Nigel’s mind. Just what exactly was he walking into here? “There it is, Nocturnia!” Midnight announced, breaking Nigel from his thoughts. The mare was standing in front of him, smiling as she pointed a hoof towards a bustling city in the midst of a massive cavern. Nocturne ponies flooded the streets and flew in the air, the buildings reaching thirty stories tall. Nigel guessed that the city was around the same size of Canterlot, residential areas and entertainment venues flowing with activity. The majority of the buildings seemed to be constructed with sturdy stone or obsidian rock, wood no doubt unsuited for the underground conditions. A large fortress dominated the city, its black spires almost reaching the roof of the cavern. While it looked much like a castle that belonged in a vampire movie the evil effect was ruined somewhat by the colourful market directly beside it. Midnight looked expectantly at Nigel, most likely expecting him to gush over the beauty and greatness of her city. “Eh, ours are bigger,” the changeling commented, the mare shooting him a disappointed look. “You could have just given one complement you know?” she scolded him, Nigel smiling as the mare raised her nose and looked away. “I suppose its underground location affords it some protection from orbital strikes so that’s a plus.” “Is that all you can come up with?” Midnight asked harshly, Nigel obviously having offended the mare somehow. Chalmers figured that the impending meeting with the mare’s family would go a lot better if Midnight was not pissed off at him so he resorted to a sneaky tactic. “Well, it’s just that I was distracted by the far superior sight in front of me.” Nigel began, Midnight looking at him curiously. “Nothing constructed could possibly compare, I was so enraptured by the beauty of this that everything else appears like dirt when placed side by side next to you.” The mare let out a snort at his words, trying to act with dis-interest but Nigel could see a slight blush on Midnight’s face. “Fine, I’ll let you off this time,” she responded with a small smile. Nigel held back a snarky reply as the mare pointed with a hoof to an area of houses on the edge of the city. “My house is over there, are you still sure that you want to come?” Nigel didn’t want to go anywhere near the house that contained some parents who would likely not be pleased to find out that a changeling was traveling with their daughter who had been thrown out of the Lunar Guard because of him. Add to that the fact that Midnight was pregnant and she was suddenly referring to Nigel as her ‘coltfriend’ some tension was sure to exist. However, here he was fairly safe from Equestrian pursuit and it did provide him a haven while he awaited retrieval by the Internal Security Agency. “Sure,” he answered, prompting Midnight to visibly inflate with happiness. Nigel wondered why the mare was so pleased that he was willing to meet her family when barely five hours ago she was terrified of what they would think of her. The mare turned happily and started to trot down the ramp built into the side of the cavern wall, allowing access to the city below. Nigel hesitantly followed while making sure the cloak was covering his form, hoping to avoid any un-wanted attention from the local citizens. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* Nigel stood behind Midnight as the mare rapped on the door to the two-story house. The stone dwelling was of considerable size, a large front yard surrounded by an iron-barred fence surrounding it. The house itself was fairly standard, a rectangular first story with some outcroppings that had a slightly smaller second story sitting on top of it. The house was constructed out of dark grey stone, the bleakness of the exterior broken up by splashes of colour courtesy of multiple flowerboxes beneath most of the windows. The roof was just constructed of slate tiles, Nigel wondering how the house would be insulated with the apparent tech level he had observed so far. The sound of hooves on stone filtered through the solid oak door, Nigel watching as Midnight made some last second touch-ups to her purple mane. A lock unlatched and the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged Nocturne mare with a blue streak in her light-purple mane. Her coat was exactly the same ash grey as Midnight’s and her folded wings also shared the same shade as Nigel’s companion. The Mare stared at Midnight in shock, completely oblivious to Nigel’s presence. “Midnight?” the mare questioned slowly, “what are you doing back here; I thought you were a guard in Canterlot?” Midnight glanced down at the doormat at her hooves at the query. “Something happened Mother,” Midnight said softly, “is Father home?” The mare that Nigel now knew was Midnight’s mother furrowed her brow, the pony moving closer towards her daughter. “No, he’s still at work; please can you tell me what’s wrong?” the mare asked as she glanced at Nigel with her golden eyes, “has it got something to do with your friend behind you?” Midnight glanced back at Nigel as the changeling withstood the Mother’s stare before facing her mother once more. “No, he doesn’t have anything to do with it. What happened wasn’t his fault,” Midnight replied, Nigel getting the feeling that the response was directed at him as well. Midnight’s mother broke her gaze away from the cloaked pony to look at her daughter, concern written on her features. “Why don’t you both come inside and wait for him, I’ll put on some tea.” The older mare offered as she walked back into the house, Midnight and Nigel following behind. The inside of the house was cosy, both in terms of warmth and decoration. Nigel took in his surroundings as he followed Midnight further into the dwelling, rugs and carpets covering the stone floor while family photos covered the walls of the entrance way. Nigel paused briefly to view one photo, a group of five Nocturnes standing in front of the house he was in. A younger mare that looked like Midnight’s mother stood next to a large stallion, Midnight’s father Nigel assumed. The pony had a stony expression on his face, a contrast to his wife’s cheerful one. Three children sat before the adults, two teenager mares and a young filly. The two teens sat up straight and were facing the camera confidently, both with matching immaculate hair styles. The youngest pony, Midnight Nigel guessed, was facing the camera with a bubbly expression and her ears tilted sideways. “Nigel,” Midnight said softly as she joined him, “what are you doing?” “Just looking at this photograph,” the changeling answered, Midnight examining the one that he gestured at. A smile appeared as she looked at her younger self, wishing she could go back to that care-free state. “Midnight,” the sound of Midnight’s mother’s voice sounded from a room at the end of the corridor, “come in here and introduce me to your friend.” The changeling and mare looked at each other, Midnight giving Nigel a quick nuzzle of re-assurance before heading towards the room, Nigel following behind. The room appeared to be a living room to Nigel, a large couch and a few soft chairs surrounding a roaring fire. Where the smoke was going to Nigel couldn’t guess as the house lacked an observable chimney, although on closer examination the fire appeared to not create any smoke at all. Considering that this planet seemed to have quite a fair bit of what the locals called ‘magic’ Chalmers wasn’t that surprised. Midnight’s mother was standing in middle of the room looking expectantly at the newly-arrived pair. “So Midnight,” she began, “who’s this Stallion that you’ve brought home with you?” Midnight ushered Nigel towards her mother, Nigel preparing for the older mare to freak out at his appearance. “This is Nigel,” Midnight said as she gestured towards him, “Nigel this is my mother, Starbright.” Nigel subconsciously reached out a hoof, the mare staring at surprise at the hole-riddled appendage. Chalmers quickly withdrew it at the mare’s reaction, it was too late however as Starbright looked at her daughter. “Nigel’s not a pony, is he Midnight?” she said calmly, Midnight sighing as she shook her head. “He’s a changeling” Midnight responded, “but he’s really a h-“ “Really nice guy!” Nigel interrupted; Midnight shooting him a questioning look at his sudden urge to speak, “Pleased to meet you.” Starbright glanced at her daughter, Midnight still staring at Nigel in surprise. The changeling lifted his hood, revealing his face and jagged horn. Starbright reacted quite differently to what Nigel expected, the mare moving closer to him as she studied his features. She seemed to pay particular attention to the changeling’s horn and eyes, the mare saying nothing until she had finished her examination. “Well what you are doesn’t matter, if my daughter trusts you than that’s good enough for me,” the mare stated, much to the surprise of both Nigel and Midnight, “she always had a much better judgment then her older sisters that’s for sure.” The mare smiled at the pair as she continued, “take a seat, I’ll be back with the tea in a moment.” Midnight and Nigel waited until Starbright had left for the kitchen, Nigel shrugging as he sat down on the brown couch like he would if he was human. Midnight looked at him strangely as she lay down next to him, resting her head on her front hooves. “Why do you sit like that?” the mare inquired, “isn’t it uncomfortable?” Nigel looked at the way she was sitting, “not really, I was bipedal so I’m used to sitting like this. Your way of sitting on the other hand…” “What’s this about a hand?” Starbright asked as the older mare entered the room with a tray filled with a teapot, cups, milk and sugar balanced on her back. “Just an expression used back home, it means that the mentioned item is something completely different.” Starbright nodded at his answer, the mare pouring three cups of tea with a wing tip. “Milk and sugar Midnight?” she inquired. “Yes please,” Midnight answered, Starbright mixing in the additives before transferring the cup to Midnight with a wing tip. Midnight sat up straight on the couch, imitating the way that Nigel was sitting. “What would you like Nigel?” the Starbright asked without turning around. “Just straight thank you,” Nigel replied, hoping that his new body would at least be able to ingest tea. God help him if that was the case, tea came in second after cheese on his list of good stuff to consume. The mare poured her own tea, only adding some milk to the brew. She turned around and gave the changeling the cup, Nigel balancing it on a hoof. The mare paused after, spotting the way that Midnight was sitting next to the changeling before she laid down on a chair opposite the pair. Starbright gave her daughter a knowing look as she suitably flicked an ear towards Nigel, the changeling not picking up on the gesture as he took an experimental sip of tea. Midnight however interpreted the action correctly prompting a blush to light up on her face, a blush that caused her mother to raise an eyebrow. Nigel was too caught up in his tea to notice this, thankfully finding that the tea tasted perfectly fine. Maybe he was just unable to eat anything sugary? He savoured every drop of the cup, downing the refreshing liquid in a short amount of time. He lowered the cup to find that both Midnight and Starbright were staring at him, Midnight with rosy red cheeks. “… What did I miss?” Nigel questioned after a pause, Starbright taking a sip of tea before she spoke. “Oh, I was just wondering how close you and my daughter are,” the mare responded, “after all it’s quite unusual for one of your daughters to return home with a stallion while claiming that she has bad news. Especially if said stallion is a different species to her.” “Mom!” Midnight shouted in embarrassment as her mother took another sip of tea as she waved a hoof to calm her daughter down. “Well if that’s not the case then why don’t you explain to me just how you know Nigel?” Starbright pushed, Nigel pretending that he still had tea left as an excuse to avoid getting involved. Midnight seemed rather lost as how to answer, placing her cup down upon a wooden side table. “Well, I have bad news but it really isn’t about Nigel. I want to wait until dad gets home so that I don’t have to repeat it,” Starbright once again looked very worried at her daughter’s words. “I’m going to say something though, something you’re not going to like.” “Tell me,” Starbright insisted, “you’re my daughter and I’ve got an inkling of what you have to say, just know that I’ll love you no matter what.” Midnight took a deep breath, Nigel still pretending to be drinking tea. “I’m in love with Nigel, this changeling right here,” Midnight answered steadily, hugging Nigel from the side which surprised him, his empty teacup falling onto his lap. “Whoa Midnight, luckily I just finished that otherwise my day would have been terrible,” Nigel complained, eliciting an amused snort from Starbright. “Don’t act so dramatic,” she chided, “you finished that cup long before, you’ve just been pretending to drink because you didn’t want to answer my question yourself.” “I assure you, dear lady,” Nigel replied as he put a hoof to his chest and raised his muzzle to the roof, “I would never use such a tactic to avoid talking to the mother of the mare that invited me to her home.” Starbright let out a small laugh at the changeling’s response, her daughter really seemed to have picked up a charmer even if he was a little odd. “At least you managed to save yourself some dignity, although if you’re not the news that Midnight mentioned then I wonder what it c-“ Starbright was cut off by the sound of a door closing loudly, hoofsteps echoing down the corridor. “Star? Are you home?” A stallion’s voice rang out, gruff and tough sounding as Midnight whispered ‘dad’ to the changeling beside her. “I’m in the living room,” Starbright called back; “there’s some ponies here who I’d like you to meet.” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ “I’ll be right there,” Midnight’s father responded, hoofsteps approaching the room as Starbright gave Nigel a encouraging look. A large Nocturne Stallion emerged, an impressive black moustache on his upper lip and a police hat on his head. He stopped as he laid eyes upon his youngest daughter hugging what the Captain knew to be a changeling, a creature which he had heard fed off the love of a pony until there was nothing left. Silence descended across the room, no one making a move to say anything. Nigel decided that enough was enough, seizing the opportunity to make a good first impression with Midnight’s father. “Hello,” Nigel started, “my name is Nigel M Chalmers, pleased to meet you. I’ve been spending some quality time with your wife and daughter while you were away. I’ve been with Midnight for a couple of nights now and I just met your lovely wife, I must say that it’s been quite pleasurable.” Nigel realised that what he had just said implied many things which certainly would not make a good impression, the stallion appearing to be rather livid at the introduction. “That sounded a lot better in my head,” Nigel chuckled, only further angering the enraged Stallion. ‘Well, so much for the chance of a relaxed family get-together’ Nigel thought as the Nocturne stallion began to paw at the ground with a hoof, Murder in his eyes.