//------------------------------// // Ch24 Home Is Where The Heart Is [edited] // Story: Jake and the kid // by peter //------------------------------// Jake and the Kid ch24 Home is Where the Heart Is. *** The streets of Ponyville were clogged with the entire population of the village and the surrounding farms and businesses, all getting down and partying their hooves off. All but one small section of the street where seven mares stood in a small eddy of stillness. The party flowed around them. The ponies who were giving the mares a wide berth gave no sign of awareness that they were doing so. They simply stepped aside a clearly defined area as if some obstacle were in their way. It was all the more remarkable in that one of the mares standing in the clearing in question was Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, Diarch of Equestria. She was not a pony to get lost in the crowd. Clearly, something was diverting the attention of the party ponies. The softly glowing horns of Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna supplied a hint as to what that might be. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Fluttershy murmured in a soft regretful voice. While her words and outward reaction indicated mild regret, to those who knew the gentle pegasus the best it was clear her sorrow was anything but mild. The dull shade of her eyes, normally bright even in the midst of a shyness attack was only the most obvious sign. Rainbow Dash’s heart could have been ripped out of her chest and it still wouldn't have hurt as much as seeing her oldest friend locking down her emotional pain. It was an all too familiar sight to the pony who had grown up with Fluttershy in Cloudsdale where the shy pony had often hidden her sadness behind a facade of resigned acceptance of situations she could do nothing about. It was the first time Dash had seen this shuttering of emotions since Fluttershy had fallen, literally, out of her home, and into the Ponyville countryside. More than anything the multi-hued pony wished she could stomp the cause of Fluttershy’s pain into the dirt. Unfortunately, the letter Fluttershy had just read and which was the cause of her distress, left little doubt that the writer was suffering from sorrow every bit as strong as the shy pegasus. “Argggg! This is so stupid!” Rainbow yelled. “So what if Curry isn’t a pony. She was happy. Anypony with eyes could see that. Why did she have to spoil things?” “Maybe she didn’t think she had a choice?’ Applejack asked, directing her question toward Twilight. “We all don’t know how she and Jake got here in the first place. Maybe she figured it out, and knew she had to go back?” “It is possible she might think that,” Twilight conceded. “What do you think, Princess Luna? Princess Luna? Where did she go?” Twilight called out as she whirled in place, looking for the mare who had been standing right next to her just a second before. “I shall see that no harm comes to young Moonlight,” A voice called from above. The six mares looked up to see Princess Luna hovering in the night sky just above them. The princess directed her gaze toward Fluttershy, “Thou must decide what it is you wish.” With that bit of obtuse advice, she soared into the night sky and vanished into the stars. Tearing her eyes away from where Luna had vanished Rainbow Dash looked over at Fluttershy. She was the first of the friends to see the veil of pain lift from Fluttershy’s eyes, to be replaced by first a gleam of hope, then with terror, followed by iron determination. “We have to go to the Everfree forest, now!” Fluttershy called out to her friends in what for her was a yell. The sound only barely traveling beyond their group. “Curry is there all by herself.” “I do beg your pardon, Fluttershy. How can you possibly know that?” Rarity asked, even as she joined her friend as the normally self-effacing pony uncharacteristically forced her way through the crowd, only apologizing to every second pony she pushed out of her way. “I get it,” Applejack called out, as she jumped ahead of Fluttershy and lent her farmer’s strength to clear a path. “Yes. That’s the route she came by to get here. It makes sense she would think the path to her home starts there,” Twilight called out, joining in with her magic to lift a few, till that moment, oblivious ponies out of the way, much to their outrage. “Clear the way, folks!” Rainbow shouted from ahead, whirling her wings to stir up a cloud of dust and blow an assortment of hats off the heads of the ponies standing in Fluttershy’s path. “Look, everypony. They’re giving away free candy,” Pinkie Pie shouted out, firing off her party cannon in the direction of Bon Bon’s sweet shop, where the earth pony was standing behind a table that was fairly groaning from the sweet content piled on top of it. A good portion of the crowd surged in that direction. Working in concert, the six friends reached the outskirts of town in a surprisingly short amount of time and began to run with all their might toward the forest. “Just asking, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew overhead. “You’ve got wings. You could have just flown over the crowd.” “Oh, I couldn’t leave my friends behind. I might need help in the forest. I can’t take the chance of having Curry left all alone because I rushed in without thinking and was badly hurt,” Fluttershy said between puffs of air. *** “Like, that idiot!” Diamond Tiara shouted to herself as she crawled out from under an overturned booth, having made sure first that she was no longer in any danger of being stomped into the street. She tried futilely to brush off the various bits of over-buttered popcorn and cotton candy that were adhered to her hide, to no avail, which did not improve her mood in the least. “Like, I told her I’d be happy to become her next project so she didn’t have to leave. But did she, like, listen? I can’t believe her. Doesn’t she care about poor Prince Jake? Is she planning on leaving him, like, all alone, with nothing but those yokels to see to his rearing? I have to do something about this.” She looked in the direction the adults had departed and thought about their destination. The yucky Everfree Forest. The mere thought of that horrid unnatural place sent a shiver of dread up her spine. If it hadn’t been plastered down with some spilled soda, her mane would have stood up straight along the back of her neck. “Like, it would be stupid of me to go by myself,” Diamond Tiara said to herself, her tone indicating she was trying to justify her inclinations. “The stupid brat didn’t listen to me before. Like, I bet she’d listen to Prince Jake. That’s the ticket. Those blank-flank Cutie Mark Crusaders can make themselves useful for once. They can escort Prince Jake into the forest to talk that stupid Snipe out of going.” Her plan of action in place, she set out to locate her suckers. *** When she wanted to, Princess Luna could literally become the night. Her essence merging into the soft stillness of the evening, fading from the sight of mortal ponies. In this state, she could walk the forests and fields, invisible to all unless she choose differently. As a result, she took no precautions against discovery as she wafted down into the ruined courtyard of the palace she had shared a thousand years previously with her sister. A few strides away from Princess Luna was the small human, Curry Comb, huddled inside a large bulky, quilted red garment. Her arms were wrapped around her body as she paced back and forth. Luna’s heart went out to the girl when Curry’s walking brought her close enough that Luna could see the tear streaks on her cheeks. Luna had to fight the urge to make herself visible and offer comfort. Her job was to simply keep Curry safe till the proper pony got here to talk some sense into her. “What are you doing here?” Curry demanded in an angry tone, looking straight at Luna. The princess was so surprised at being discovered she completely failed to notice the pony walking up behind her till the mare trotted right through her ethereal substance, sending an uncomfortable sensation through both their bodies. *** Completely ignoring Curry’s angry attitude, Lyra gave a relieved sigh as she shrugged off the huge backpack she was lugging. “I told you. I’m going to the human world with you,” she told Curry in a matter of fact tone as she stretched to work the kinks out of her back and sides. She had experienced a strong twinge just as Curry noticed her, and was afraid she might have pulled a muscle. *** “I remember you asking me if I’d take you. I said no, as I recall,” Curry said, trying to channel Old Ben at his sternest. Despite her words and tone, Curry found herself glad of Lyra’s presence. The old ruined castle was downright spooky at night without company. At the same time, however, she flushed in embarrassment. Over the last half-hour, she had come to the realization that she had once again made a damn fool of herself, and Lyra’s expectations of Curry only highlighted the situation. The truth was that Curry didn’t have the least idea about how to find the path back home. She had been asleep when Jake had dragged her into this courtyard barely a week ago. She had assumed it would be an easy matter to discover the correct path to take in order to go home. Such was not the case. Try as she might, she could find no trace of any trail Jake might have used to get to the castle. The heavy sledge should have broken down plants and gouged the soil. The same went for Jake himself. There should have been deep hoofmarks she could backtrack to take herself back the way they had come. There was nothing. The only evidence she could find was white scoring on the stones where the steel runners on the sledge had scratched them, but following them back to the edge of the forest had been useless. They simply appeared at the beginning of the stone flagstones with no sign of any disturbance to the forest litter just inches away from their first appearance. It was if Jake had walked out of thin air, which after some thought she had to reluctantly concede was very likely the truth. How else did you get to a magic land, except by magic? That left Curry up a creek without a paddle. She had no magic of her own, and she already knew that Jake had no idea how he had opened the pathway. All her angst over not belonging and coming to the decision that she needed to go back to her own world had been in vain. She had just about decided to bite the bullet and return to Fluttershy’s place to retrieve her letter before anypony found it when Lyra showed up. Stubborn pride kept Curry from confessing to Lyra that she couldn’t take the pony to the human world because she couldn’t take her, or herself. Instead, she attacked Lyra’s motivation. “Why would you want to leave here and go to my world?” Curry asked. “Why do you?” Lyra countered while nosing through her pack for a scarf to fight the intrusive chill of the shadowy forest. “Because it’s where I belong. You belong here.” “You talk like I was going to leave and never come back. I”m going to be just like Princess Moondancer. I’m going to study humans, and then come back and tell everypony all about them.” “What does my mom have to do with this?” Curry asked in surprise. “Your mother? I didn’t say anything about her.” “Yes, you did. Just now. You said you were going to be just like Moondancer,” Curry retorted. Lyra blinked in surprise. “I was talking about a pony, not your mother.” Lyra kept talking, but she might as well have been silent. Curry didn’t hear one word Lyra said after she confessed she was talking about a pony. An explosion of internal monologue inside Curry’s head drowned out the world. A pony princess had traveled to Curry’s world? A pony with the same name as her mother? It was all so clear. Her mom had used magic to turn into a human. Maybe she had fallen in love with a prince and made a bargain with some evil witch? That meant Curry was really a pony. Or at least a half-a-pony, just like Melody was half-a-mermaid. Curry did belong here, because she was really a pony, just like all the other ponies. All of this took mere seconds for the Disney/kid-lit obsessive to deduce. It took even less time for her to give herself a firm mental shake and disperse the rosy-colored dream. She wasn’t going to give in to fantasy again. This fairy tale was all about Jake; she was just the comedy relief sidekick. “Curry, Curry. Are you listening?” Lyra shouted at her. The small girl blinked her eyes and looked at the unicorn who was staring her right in the face. “Sorry, was thinking of something. What were you saying?” “I was saying that there can’t be any connection between your mom and Princess Moondancer. Because she discovered humans thousands and thousands of years ago. Besides, it’s not like her name is unique. I attended school with a Moon Dancer. I think Twilight knew her too.” “Yeah, that’s about what I figured,” Curry said sadly. Even if she had come to the conclusion on her own, it was disheartening to find out there was no possibility of a connection. “Anyway. What are we waiting for? Do the stars and moon have to line up just perfectly for the gate to your world to open?” “Of course!” Curry shouted as she realized that a magic gate would need special requirements. Her enthusiasm dimmed as she remembered that she still had no idea what might be needed. Before she had time to speculate, a stern voice spoke up from behind her. “Young lady, I am very, very disappointed in you.” Curry whirled in place to see Fluttershy standing just inside the courtyard, breathing heavily and dappled with sweat. There was a grim expression on her face that the small girl had never seen before. Curry suddenly wished Old Ben’s coat was a dozen sizes bigger, so she could crawl inside it and hide. That feeling only grew as Fluttershy’s five friends walked out of the forest to stand just behind them. They were all looking at her with varying degrees of censure, from Applejack who was looking positively dire to Pinkie Pie who merely looked disappointed and a little sad, with her typically curly mane lacking a lot of its usual bounce. *** Behind Curry, Lyra muttered, “Oh, great, the party poopers are here.” “No, they’re not. Pound and Pumpkin don’t have their potty-training party till next week.” Pinkie Pie said from right behind Lyra, causing the pony in question to whirl in place, and then back to look at where sad Pinkie had been an instant before. “How?” she gasped. “It’s a secret,” Pinkie Pie whispered, holding a hoof to her mouth in a shushing gesture. *** Looking at Curry’s poor little face as it peeped out of the collar of her oversized coat made Fluttershy want to hug the poor thing till the guilty/sad look on her face disappeared. She fully intended to do that, but not right away. Big Mac stepping forward to adopt Jake as his son had caused Fluttershy to think a lot about the situation between her and Curry. The things Princess Luna had told him at the time, that Jake needed a father, not just a place to live, even more so. The small human was not just some random critter she had brought home to care for till it got its feet under itself and could go back into the wild. From the first time she had tucked Curry into bed, surrounded by a host of critters, an empty place in her heart she hadn’t even known was there had been filled. Getting Curry’s letter, and thinking she had lost that feeling forever, had forced her to confront her fear of rejection. No matter how much it hurt, not asking would, in the end, hurt far, far worse. Fluttershy dropped down on her knees in front of Curry. Looking straight at the little girl, she said, “It was very bad of you to run away like that.” “I’m sorry,” Curry mumbled. “I know I don’t really have any right to be annoyed. I’m not your parent or guardian,” Fluttershy said in a soft voice, ducking her head slightly. Curry visibly flinched and her head drew even deeper into the collar of her coat. Fluttershy reached forward and brushed some hair away from Curry’s eyes, pushing the hood of her coat back at the same time. “I would like to change that. If it is okay with you?” she said. Curry’s puzzlement over Fluttershy’s words was clear on her face, but deep in the back of her eyes was a gleam that might be hope. It was Fluttershy’s turn to duck her head so her mane draped over her eyes. “If you don’t mind. I’d like to adopt you. I want you to be my daughter.” “For real?” Curry asked, her voice quivering. “Really, real. If that is okay with you?” Fluttershy lifted her head and tossing her mane back so she had an unobstructed view of Curry’s face. The shy pegasus trembled in mingled dread and hope. All around them her friends held their breath, waiting for Curry to answer. *** It was a dream come true for Curry. Everything she had hoped for. A home, and the bravest pony in the world as her mom. But, she had been disappointed so many times in the last few days that she cowered away from the idea as her mind thought up reasons why it wouldn’t actually happen. *** Curry shook her head, and said, “I’m not a pony.” Despite her objection, the longing in Curry’s eyes was plainly visible. Fluttershy wasn’t worried by Curry’s quibbling. She could already see the answer in the little girl’s eyes. She just had to give Curry time to realize it. “I don’t care. I love you the way you are.” “I’m weak and scrawny. I’d never be able to pull my weight. I’d be nothing but a burden.” “The only thing I need you to lift is my heart, and you do that just by being you.” Applejack whispered to Rarity, “When did Fluttershy get so good with words?” “I suspect she always was. This is just the first time she’s used words we can understand,” Rarity whispered back as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Curry looked at Fluttershy as if she were a fresh baked apple pie, and she hadn’t eaten for a week. Still, she visibly vacillated. “I can’t fly. I can’t do magic. I can’t pull worth a darn compared to a pony. All I know how to do is train ponies, but you sure as heck don’t need me to do that.” Any reply Fluttershy might have made in reply to that was cut short when a stampede of foals raced into the forecourt. “Curry, Curry. Don’t go. Don’t leave me,” Jake panted as he slid to a stop, surrounded by all the young foals he and Curry had met over the last week. He was panting and gasping and covered in sweat while all the friends around him were merely slightly winded. The reason for that seemed to be the large pile of trash that he had for some reason draped over his back. *** With a groan, Diamond Tiara slid off of Jake and onto the ground. With a supreme effort, she managed to get to her hooves, but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to stay there. Her legs felt like wet noodles and her thigh muscles burned like the fires of Tartarus. She had been an idiot to let herself get dragged into the headlong charge to rescue the brat. Prince Jake had simply assumed she was going to accompany them after she brought word that Curry had run away, and she had found no way to duck out of the headlong charge. In fact, she was positive that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had deliberately bracketed her so she couldn’t. Not even collapsing from exhaustion had saved her, as Jake had volunteered to carry her the rest of the way. While she had often dreamed of being carried over the threshold by her prince in shining armor, that fantasy had not included being slung over the prince’s back like a bag of grain, while his uncoordinated gait bounced her up and down like a ship in a storm. Even worse than the horrid ride, she hadn’t had a chance to brush out her coat and it seemed like every loose leaf in the forest had found some way to adhere to her sticky hide. She looked like a perambulating compost heap. “What the holy heck happened to you?” a voice demanded. Diamond Tiara looked up to see the stupid Snipe glaring at her from beside Fluttershy. She didn’t know what Curry was so upset about. She was the one who had been betrayed, without care for anypony hearing, she yelled back at Curry. “I’m trying to stop you from being, like, a total idiot. I told you and told you. I’d be your next project so you didn’t have to leave. But, like, did you listen to me. No, you just had to run off and leave all your friends behind.” *** Curry looked at the little filly who was doing a darn good imitation of a leaf pile. The tension in her belly eased as her mouth quivered, the corners turning up. “You know what. I think you’re right. If there were ever any pony who needed my help, you’re the one.” Curry drew herself up straight and declared loud and clear. “I will stay.” It was hard to make out through Diamond Tiara’s matted mane, but it looked like her eyes widened in shock. “Well, like, okay. That’s good. I’m like, glad you came to your senses.” “Course, I have to get permission from my Mother.” Curry turned, and looked at Fluttershy, hope and fear plain on her face as she asked, “Is it okay if I help Diamond Tiara be a better pony… Mom?” “Wait, a better pony? Like, just what do you mean by that?” The spoiled mare might as well have saved her breath. Curry was fully enveloped in a hug from Fluttershy, and all the other ponies and foals were raising a huge hullabaloo as they crowded in around the pair. *** “Owwww, not so hard,” Diamond Tiara whined. “Don’t be such a big baby,” Curry chided her as she worked her fingers deep into the filly’s soapy mane. “If’n you hadn’t gone rolling around in the dirt you wouldn’t have gotten to be such a mess.” “I was not rolling around in the dirt,” Diamond Tiara gasped in outrage. “Sure could have fooled me. You’re just lucky Applejack has this shower in the barn. And that Mom decided to visit with Applejack so I’d have the time to wash you down.” Curry closed her eyes and said, mom, a few times in her own mind. She couldn’t believe it. She had a real live mom. Maybe this adventure wasn’t all about Jake after all. “How much longer?” Brought back to the present by Diamond’s complaining, Curry pulled her fingers out of the filly’s sodden mane and stepped back while saying, “Hold still while I rinse you off.” A few minutes later she used one of the extra large towels Apple Bloom had brought out to her to dry off the cleaned and brushed pony. As she did she dug her fingers into Diamond Tiara’s shoulders and thighs, much to that pony’s displeasure. Her words didn’t improve the spoiled pony’s mood. “You all are as soft as a marshmallow. We sure got our work cut out for us if we all are going to turn you into the best pony you can be.” Diamond Tiara didn’t like the sound of that. “Can’t you just wiggle your fingers or something? Cast a spell?” “Naw. You gotta earn it, girl,” Curry said, giving the freshly washed pony a good hard slap on her rump out of habit. Back home that would have sent the pony in question running out to the corral, most likely to have a good role in the dirt. Here all it did was cause Diamond Tiara to give a little yelp and direct an accusing look at her abuser, which Curry ignored. “You might as well run up to the house, and I do mean run, I don’t want to see you walking anywhere. You got to go across a room, you run. Now you go do that while I discuss something with Applejack out behind the woodshed,” Curry said, keeping her voice light despite the tension in her stomach. A few minutes later Curry was standing by the creek, contemplating willow shoots. Applejack’s words echoing in her mind. “Be right sure you pick a good thick one. Cause if it breaks we’ll be starting over from scratch.” Telling herself that she deserved this for making Fluttershy... Mom, cry for a second time, Curry selected her switch and cut it off at ground level. She just hoped that Applejack would remember that this human lacked good thick horsehide and was just a little, helpless, thin-skinned, girl. The walk to the woodshed seemed to both last forever, and to be over way too soon. Applejack was waiting there, a determined expression on her face. Swallowing nervously, Curry held the switch out to the farm pony. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What all am I supposed to do with that? I sure as shooting ain’t going to take your punishment for you.” She gestured to a large area of raked earth and said. “You’ll write, “I will not make Fluttershy sad” one hundred times, and you’ll do a good job of it, or you’ll do it all over again till I’m happy with it. You got it?” *** One week later *** “Curry, straighten my tie,” Jake demanded as he pushed through his throng of admirers and well-wishers to get to her. “Pardon me, Mr. Fancypants,” Curry told the well dressed, and superbly groomed, pony she had been talking to, still having to fight with herself to prevent an outburst of laughter at his name. Her control was helped a lot by the knowledge that he had graciously allowed Rarity and Applejack, who had been taking their turn as crowd buffers for Curry, to go enjoy the party while he took over their duty of making sure she didn’t get accidentally stepped on. As annoying as Curry found being treated like she’d break if some pony breathed too hard on her, in this crush of large equines, she was sort of thankful she had someone looking out for her. Not that she’d ever admit it. “Quite all right, my dear. It has been my pleasure,” the gentlepony with the vaguely English accent replied, before turning and giving Curry and Jake a semblance of privacy as she led the big colt over to a nearby alcove set into the side of the huge ballroom. Jake moved easily, the ponies respectfully giving him room as he walked through the crowd. Curry had a harder time of it. Not just because she was being crowded, but because the full-body presentation dress Rarity had made up for her made it impossible for her to stride. She was restricted to very short, almost shuffling, steps by the heavy fabric that billowed out around her legs. “Why don’t I just take this off,” Curry said, gesturing so as to take in Jake’s brand new waistcoat and tie. She still couldn’t get past thinking that sticking clothes on a pony was silly. She wasn’t about to say that in public again, however, not after the long lecture she got from Miss Rarity the last time she did. “No!” Jake said firmly, tucking his chin down in case Curry tried to remove his new finery. “Aw, you’ll be more comfortable, and you hardly need it no more. We’ve already been presented to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. That was stupid. We’d already met Princess Luna. Why couldn’t we just meet her sister the same way?” “Pa said I look as fine as frog’s hair,” Jake said stubbornly, ignoring Curry’s question. “Some things are best done in full view, young Moonlight,” an amused voice said from behind and just over the small girl’s shoulder. A warm breath, smelling of freshly cut grass in warm sunlight wafted into her nose. “It helps keep rumor and wild speculation to a minimum, such as the one that you’re not actually a Snipe, but a Human.” Only the heavy dress she was wearing kept Curry from jumping a foot in the air. She did jolt forward into Jake as she turned as quickly as the full dress allowed to find Princess Celestia looming over her. Behind the Princess was an open door, which told Curry how the Princess had managed to sneak up on her. Princess Luna’s sister looked a lot bigger from this close, Curry couldn’t help noticing. She might not have been as tall, or as heavy, as Jake before his transformation, but she more than made up for that in terms of sheer presence. Too bad she had that washed out coat. If she’d had the same color scheme as her sister she’d have been just about the most perfect mare Curry could imagine. The chattering of the nearby ponies ebbed and Curry turned her head to see a widening circle of ponies kneeling in the direction of Princess Celestia. “Thank you, my little ponies, but please, do not let me interrupt you,” the princess said in a rather bland tone of voice as if she had said those words a million times. “You’re pretty,” Jake said, pushing in beside Curry and looking upward at the gleaming white alicorn. “Do you want to play pirates? Pipsqueak says we need somepony to be the princess so we can rescue her.” For just a moment Curry thought she saw temptation in the white mare’s eyes. Her opinion of the princess went up more than a few notches as Princess Celestia said, with what sounded like genuine regret, “I’m afraid I can’t at the moment. I will be coming to visit my Sister’s new vacation abode when I get a chance. Maybe we can have some time together then.” “Abode?” Jake asked, his tone indicating he was worried the Princess had just said no, in a fancy way. “She means the tent,” Curry said. “Oh. Good.” Jake’s eyes lit up. “You’ll like the tent. It’s fun. There are lots of pillows. You can sleep on them. Jump on them. Even throw them at other ponies.” “Really. All the more reason for me to come and visit. Now, I wonder. Would you mind if I borrowed Princess Moonlight On The Water.” “Who?” “She means me, dummy,” Curry said. “You heard them call me that when they announced us earlier.” She felt her face heat up from the memory of hearing her real name announced to what had seemed like thousands of ponies. Only the pleasure of being called a princess had ameliorated the embarrassment, that, and the fact not a single pony had laughed at her. “Are you going to give her back?” Jake asked the princess in a suspicious tone. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” The princess rattled off without a single hesitation. “Okay then. Have fun, Curry,” Jake said as he turned and cantered back into the middle of the crowd, his head high as he searched for familiar faces. “Please. Come inside,” Princess Celestia said to Curry, as she turned and walked into the room she had emerged from. Curry followed right after, admiring the princess’s well-proportioned flanks. A little soft, but a lot of potential power if she were exercised right. She’d never be a puller, but she might make a heck of a jumper. Such speculation was best kept to herself. Miss Rarity had not reacted well to the suggestion that the slightly pudgy fashion-designer could benefit from a good training program. Just as well. Curry had her hands full with Diamond Tiara. That pony was a heck of a project, but Curry had high hopes that she’d be something special. Eventually. Someday. Any further speculation on a potential training program for Princess Celestia was derailed when Curry saw the two ponies waiting for her in the room. “Stinky!” she cried out in pleasure. Rushing across the room, she wrapped her arms around the cranky brown pony, who was looking much more polished than the last time she had seen him. He was still sporting a sour expression on his face, however. “Take it easy, brat. Some of us need to breathe,” Sneaky said in his best cantankerous tone. Despite his words, he gave Curry’s cheek a small nuzzle as she let loose of his neck. Turning to the other pony, Curry narrowed her eyes, wondering how you hugged a pony in full armor. In the end, she settled for simply scratching him under the chin while cupping and stroking his nose. “How are you, Sweets? Are Lyra and Bon Bon here?” The embarrassed royal guard looked over at the princess, and getting an approving nod, Sweets replied, “She and Bon Bon are mingling until I’m off duty. I’m doing fine, Princess.” The stern ‘Royal Guard’ look he was wearing twitched a little as Curry’s clever fingers found a particularly good spot to scratch. Taking advantage of his slight loss of composure, she decided to chase some answers. “What is with this princess business?” Curry asked in the hope she’d finally get an answer to that question. Not that she had anything against being a princess. It would be nice to know ‘why’ she was one and if there were any towers and battlements planned for her future. “Custom,” Princess Celestia answered. “While the titles may vary, each of the intelligent races in Equestria and the adjacent countries has a representative leader. Their power and authority vary. You are the ruler of the Snipes. Thus, Princess Moonlight On The Water.” “But I’m the only Snipe.” “Which made it rather easy to discover who the Princess of the Snipes is,” Princess Celestia said with a twinkle in her eye. A moment later her expression became more serious, though there was still a hint of good humor in it. Princess Celestia eased herself down onto some comfortable cushions and gestured for Curry to join her. Curry looked down at her confection of a dress and then gave a broad smile. Grabbing hold of the fabric, she pulled outward hard and the dress split right down the front. Curry, wearing only a russet colored body-stocking, stepped out of the dress, which remained standing behind as the top fell into the bottom. It looked more like a wedding cake than ever. “Ohhh, that feels so good,” Curry all but purred, scratching her sides and then doing several stretches. Noticing the stares the three ponies in the room were giving her, she said, “Rainbow Dash told me about when Twilight’s brother got married. I told Miss Rarity I wouldn’t wear that dress if I couldn’t get out of it in seconds.” Sneaky chortled, and Curry was pretty sure Sweets’ lip twitched. The princess maintained her placid expression, but on the other hoof she didn’t look outraged, so Curry decided to count that as a win. Curry settled down cross-legged in front of the princess her elbows on her knees and hands cupping her chin as she put on her best, listening intently, expression. “You and Jake have created quite a stir. I’ve already received delegations demanding to know why I allowed him to be adopted by common farm ponies.” “What the heck gives them the right to demand anything about Jake. Jake loves Big Mac and all his new kinfolk.” “They have the right to demand,” Celestia said. Curry could tell by the small furrow between Princess Celestia’s eyes that she was wondering if she should try to explain her reasons to Curry. She decided to save the princess the trouble. “Just cause they demand stuff, don’t mean you got to give it to them. Just like a kid in a candy store.” Princess Celestia considered this, and then nodded her head. “Close enough,” she said. “As it turns out, their tantrums are useful to us. It gives me an excuse to set up some protection for you.” The small girl bit back her instant retort that she did not need protection when Celestia held up a hoof, clearly asking Curry to give her a moment. “I’m not worried about Jake. He is a pony, and I trust his new family to look after him. You are a different matter. I do not wish to insult you, but there are ponies who would be inclined to think of you as nothing more than a clever pet.” Her first reaction was outrage, but Curry’s honesty forced her to concede that she wasn’t actually innocent in that regard her own self. She just had to look at how she’d judged Princess Celestia’s rear end just a minute ago. She shrugged, and said, “Can’t rightly complain if they feel that way. I have the same problem my ownself.” “That’s understanding of you.” “I just spent two weeks getting my face rubbed in it,” Curry said with a grimace. “While that attitude is annoying, I am more concerned that there are certain unscrupulous ponies who are convinced you are one of those mythical humans and some who are calculating your value to them in other ways.” Curry hadn’t really had a good reason to continue the Snipe masquerade, just a certain amount of mule-headedness. She was pretty sure that Princess Celestia knew the real truth, but try as she might, Curry could tell nothing from the bland expression the princess had adopted while making her statement. She made a silent vow to never play poker with the princess. Princess Celestia continued with her lecture. “Those that see you as a clever animal might have the desire to possess a rare specimen, but our laws and common decency should keep the honest ones at bay. Those that believe you are human on the other hoof could see you as a powerful magical artifact and be tempted to steal you away just for the possibility of an unimaginable reward.” “Lyra’s not like that,” Curry said firmly, glancing toward Sweets and giving him a reassuring look. “She believes with all her heart that I’m human, she’s just burning up with curiosity worse than a cat and wants to know things about the land of humans. She always treats me right.” Curry said the last very firmly. “More like bribes you with chocolate,” Sweets muttered just on the edge of Curry’s hearing. She sent him an unrepentant grin. “I am confident that your friend is a good pony. I highly doubt Private Sweets would associate with her if she were not.” “He might. He’s a guy, and Lyra’s a pretty pony,” Curry said, condemning the entire gender with no reservations at all. “Yes, but you think of her as a friend.” “Good point,” Curry nodded in agreement. “After consultation with my sister, and then with Private Sweets, I have decided to appoint him to the post of Sheriff of Ponyville.” “Sheriff? Cool. Do you get a six-gun?” “'Fraid not,” Sweets said, with perhaps just a touch of regret in his voice and a strange quirk to one eyebrow as he seemed to consider the device mentioned. “A gun should not be necessary. Ponyville should not offer any challenges greater than one of my Royal Guard can handle on his own. Or perhaps with friends. While the position of sheriff is very real, his principal duties will consist of keeping an eye out for potential hazards to you, and Prince Jake. He’ll be able to call on my student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends if he has need of help.” “Hopefully, my second appointee will be able to head off potential trouble before it can become real trouble. Sneak Peek has agreed to take on the job of Press Secretary to Prince Jake and yourself.” “Wow. Press Secretary. You must be really happy about that,” Curry congratulated Sneaky. “Oh, yeah. Just delighted,” the grizzled news pony said sarcastically. Curry looked at him through slitted eyes. “You don’t sound too happy about it. Why’d you take the job?” “Princess Luna made Berry Punch and Cloudkicker an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he said sourly. Curry closed one eye and squinted at him through the other. “You don’t fool me. You’re happy,” she said in an accusatory tone, pointing a finger between his eyes, causing him to go cross-eyed. “There’s just one thing I need to know,” Curry said. “What’s that?” “What’s a press secretary?” *** “Mom, are you here?” Curry called out in a low voice as she walked down a flower-lined path in the royal garden. “Over here, dear,” her mother’s soft voice called from behind some bushes. “If you follow the path it turns around and--- Oh, or you could just jump over the bushes.” “Ooops, sorry, mom,” Curry apologized as the crowd of animals around Fluttershy scattered. “It’s okay. You don’t have to run away. Curry won’t hurt you,” Fluttershy called after the assorted squirrels, rabbits and a lone raccoon. The animals paused on the fringe of the clearing, directing skeptical looks toward the small girl. “I’d never hurt you. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Curry, Pinkie swore to the flighty critters. She settled down next to Fluttershy, leaning up against her as the animals slowly crept back. “I guess they accepted your apology,” Curry said as she pulled up some tufts of grass and offered them to a rabbit. “Oh my yes. They were most gracious and forgiving of the way I behaved during the Grand Galloping Gala. Are you having a good time?” “It's been fun. Most of the ponies seem pretty nice. I really liked Fancypants. He’s a lot nicer than you’d think with a name like that. Too bad he already has a marefriend,” Curry said in a teasing tone as she snuggled up against Fluttershy’s warm side. Her mom extended a wing to give her a little protection against the cool night air. “I’m sure he’s a very nice pony,” Fluttershy said, the pair sat in companionable silence as the animals crowded around, their early fear dissipated. “Do you want a father?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. “What? Oh, what I said about Fancypants. I was just teasing, mom.” “Unless,” Curry paused, and then hesitantly asked, “Is there a stallion you like?” Shaking her head, Fluttershy said, “There are some stallions I like, but not in that way.” “How about Big Mac? He seems really nice.” “Oh, well. I suppose. He fixes things around the house sometimes. But he’s so… big.” “Ahh, gotcha,” Curry nodded, trying to appear knowledgeable, but not really getting it. Big Mac being big seemed like his biggest selling point to her. That, and the fact that he was now Jake’s pa. That sort of stuff could wait for another day. Curry thought as she gave a yawn and snuggled up against her mom, closing her eyes and enjoying the silence and smells of the gardens. After all, she had lots and lots of days now. Days and days, and days. *** Princess Celestia looked up from her reading as her sister cantered into her study. “Still up, Tia? Thee should not neglect thy beauty sleep at your advanced age, dear sister,” Luna teased, driving the conversational ball deep into Celestia’s court. “You’re only five years younger than me, Luna,” Celestia returned serve. “Ah, but I spent a thousand years bathing in the revitalizing rays of my moon, while thou endured the same period baking under the harsh unforgiving rays of your sun.” Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “You do have a point there, sister. Perhaps I should make use of the spell you devised for young Jake and restore myself to pristine youth.” Luna cocked an eyebrow at her sister. “Tia, please. Not even in jest could you consider such an act.” Celestia rolled her own eyes and raised an eyebrow in return. “And here I thought you would enjoy being the older sister for a few centuries,” she teased. "I certainly would not take the risk of casting the spell on you, and I know you're smart enough not to cast it on yourself." Luna shuddered and looked away before continuing in a softer voice. "Only a fool or one driven insane would chance to transform their own self." Celestia touched shoulders with her sister, placing one wing over her back with the lightest of touches. "I was jesting, my beloved little sister. One time through puberty was quite enough, thank you very much. She took a sip of tea, her eyes thoughtful. She gestured toward the book she had been reading, a tattered notebook, one of a set to go by the other similar ones sitting on her desk. “But, the idea does raise a question in my mind in regard to your theory that Moonlight Dancing On Water is Moondancer’s descendant.” “Those are Moondancer’s journals?” Luna questioned. “Indeed, I had them removed from the archives.” Celestia gave her head a shake. “I wish I had paid more attention to Moondancer back then. According to her books, she must have been one of the most powerful unicorns of her generation.” “Strange that I do not remember her. Did she brag of her prowess?” “Not at all. She was much like our modest young Twilight Sparkle. She gave little thought to her power level or potential, but the spells she worked, not least of which was creating the moon path to young Moonlight’s home, indicate a most puissant mage.” “And what question does this raise in your mind? Would it be in regards to how she managed a transformation so complete she was able to interbreed with the native race?” “There is that, but I was thinking along a slightly different line. What if her transformation was not so complete as to allow that? That complete a transfiguration require an extremely complex spell you must admit. And it seems a bit unlikely when you consider that she meant only to use it to move among the humans freely.” “I would think that young Curry Comb is evidence enough that she did in fact attempt and complete such a spell, sister.” “Is it?” Celestia asked, with a raised eyebrow. “You believe otherwise?” Luna said, frowning in thought. The dark princess’ eyes suddenly widened. “You began this talk with reference to the youth spell Twilight Sparkle and I used on young Jake. You could not possibly think that Moondancer would have been foolish enough to use such a spell on herself?” “There is no way to be certain, but you must admit that it is an intriguing thought. Without the safeguards, you and Twilight developed, the failure of such a spell could have easily stripped her of all memories of her adult self. For all intents and purposes she would have been every bit the child she appeared, maybe even the babe, if she went so far back as that. While that seems a dire risk to you and me, it might have actually been her intent from the start.” “But, why? Why would a pony surrender all that makes her, her? And with so little hope of success. What Twilight Sparkle did with Jake required great focus and constant adjustment. It is why we had the Elements of Harmony as backup. Even with all our careful preparation, something could still have gone wrong. To do such a thing solo, and on oneself when she would know that she could easily lose all control once it began to take effect...” Luna shuddered at the thought of the consequences. Celestia ran a hoof along her ethereal mane, watching the flow of colors that came with her heavy responsibilities.“You and I, Luna, are not unique in our ageless state. All through history, there have been others, powerful unicorns for the most part, who have achieved a similar effect by way of a constantly renewed spell to hold them at a particular age in the stead of our own nature which does much the same without effort. As well, our natural longevity seems to insulate us not just physically, but mentally, from the toll of ages. The same does not seem to hold true for other ponies. While some who took that path succumbed to misfortune, many simply stopped maintaining themselves after a few centuries. The burden of the years and the loss of so many loved ones proved too much to bear, and they allowed themselves to fade away.” “You are presuming that Moondancer choose a different path.” Celestia shook her head in disagreement. “I’m not saying that she did or did not. I am only speculating on one option she might have chosen. We can safely assume she waited and watched for the pathway to Equestria to open again. If she was able to extend her life, and I think she would have had the ability, it would be natural she would do so in the hope that the next week, the next year, the next century, it would open. “But it was a thousand years, Luna. A thousand years of solitude. Her guards would not have survived for even a fraction of that time. A thousand years of never knowing if the path would ever open again. A thousand years of never knowing if she would ever come home. Her soul must have been weary beyond belief. As I said, we can only theorize. There is no way to know for sure. But I find myself intrigued by the notion that she might have made use of regenerative magic, and willingly suffered the downside of such a spell simply on the chance that it might allow her to finally, come home.” Celestia closed the book she had been holding and carefully set it with its fellows on her desk. She looked across at Luna and said. “It will be interesting in the years to come to see what happens as Curry Comb matures. Will she remember? Is there anything for her to remember? Maybe all that is needed to solve the final mystery of Moondancer and Moonlight Dancing on Water is time.” *** “Are you coming, Curry? Is something wrong?” Fluttershy called out to her daughter, who was standing in the laneway just outside the gate to the yard staring at the house as if it were a chocolate cloud cake. “Nothing’s wrong, Mom,” Curry said, stepping through the gate and running up to Fluttershy. “I was just thinking about how nice it is to be home.”