//------------------------------// // 05 Finding Ginsu // Story: Homecoming of a Jumper // by tosety //------------------------------// “Oh, you cute little thing. You’re so well behaved, Steelskin must be very proud of you,” Fluttershy was holding the popping kitten in her forelegs while hovering just above the floor of her cottage. He had his tentacles and legs wrapped around her right foreleg and was playfully biting her hoof as she rubbed his belly. “You’ve been keeping him well fed and wonderfully cared for. His coat is so sleek and well groomed. I’m a little worried about all these scars, but they’re so faint that it’s clear you’ve cleaned and bandaged the wounds fairly quickly.” Fluttershy’s voice still held a tiny bit of criticism for the fact that he had so many, despite how well he was treated. “Yeah, well, where I’ve been hasn’t been very safe,” Steelskin said, glancing down at the floor. “A lot of those were from saving my life.” He looked back up with a smile. “And most of those were treated by you. I’m actually pretty uncomfortable with anypony treating him but you.” While that would have been true anyways, it was also true that there had never been anyone else with vet or even medical training that was willing to get near a popping cat. Fluttershy tried to hide her blush by putting Ginsu down on the table. “Okay now, Ginsu, I need you to stand still while I check you out a little more.” She proceeded to poke and prod him in ways that renewed Steelskin’s wonderment at what animals would put up with from her. “So, have you been feeling any pain from those scars? Any paw tenderness?” Steelskin smiled as Ginsu meowed a negative along with a few other sounds. “Well, of course, silly. Milk isn’t good for you. No wonder you get tummy aches when you drink it. Milk is for baby kittens and you’re a big boy now.” Fluttershy turned her attention to Steelskin once again. “I hope it wasn’t you feeding this poor dear milk.” Steelskin shook his head with a laugh. “Nah, he snuck into Sugarcube Corner and drank almost an entire bottle of cream.” “You naughty kitty! You should know better than to sneak in and steal somepony’s food.” Fluttershy glared motherly disappointment at Ginsu. “I hope you won’t do that here.” Ginsu looked completely unrepentant as he licked his lips. “I’m very disappointed in you Ginsu. I’m tempted to march you over to Sugarcube Corner and make you apologize.” A few more sounds elicited another reaction. “I don’t care if it was a different reality, you should apologize anyway.” Fluttershy’s look hardened as she stared down the kitten. This time, he at least had the sense to pretend to be ashamed, leading Fluttershy to scoop him up and nuzzle him. “So,” Fluttershy asked, “how did you find Ginsu?” Steelskin frowned as he looked down at his hooves. “It was the first reality I landed in after losing Tallic.” #PR - 02# @Arrival + 1 Minute@ ”Metalicana! You’re finally here...” Pinkie stood there, head turned sideways in confusion. “You’re not Metalicana.” After half a second, her usual smile popped back onto her face. “I feel like I should know who you are, but what I do know is that you need a bath.” Her smile slipped as she saw the... stuff on my hooves, but she quickly pulled a bathtub out of- “A bathtub?” Fluttershy stared at Steelskin in confusion. “I learned pretty quickly that it’s best not to try and figure out anything that Pinkie Pie does.” Fluttershy gave a nod of agreement before giving another look of confusion. “What was the ‘stuff’ on your hooves?” Steelskin’s eyes went wide with fright as he realized he might have to talk about what happened to the evil Alex. “Did you throw up?” “Yeah,” Steelskin said less than honestly. He turned slightly green remembering that, while he did throw up, that wasn’t what needed cleaning off. #PR - 02# @Arrival + 30 Minutes@ As I got myself cleaned up, I explained who I was and how I got separated from Tallic. “Okay, now that that’s taken care of,” Pinkie said, drying me off, “We need to get you a cat. I doubt we’ve got any chance of getting you an exceed-” “You mean like that world you showed me on Alex’s comput-” Pinkie’s face was in front of mine before I could even finish my question. “Are you telling me that Alex can see Fiore?” She looked away from me, frowned, and started hitting her head with a hoof. “Wait, no, can’t get distracted.” I started to move in to hold back her hoof when she suddenly stopped and her face split into a smile that must’ve been twice as big as her face. Turning to me, she grabbed my face in her hooves. “Okay, we need a raw chicken, oven mitts and a nice warm blanket!” I sat down heavily and tried to calm my nerves enough to deal with her insanity. “Okay,” I said to myself out loud. “Let’s just assume she knows what she’s doing because the crazier she gets the better her plans work... Where am I going to find a raw chicken?” Pinkie went from a blur to a complete stop right in front of my face. Just as fast as she had come, she disappeared in a blur after an exclamation of “Garbo’s!” “It bothers me when she gets like that! She’s always so startling.” Fluttershy was folding in on herself just thinking about Pinkie’s outbursts. “...I can be so unfair sometimes,” She added with a frown. “I know what you mean,” Steelskin said with a laugh. “You should see Tallic around her. Every time she starts talking, he jumps. The only two things I’ve ever seen him afraid of are when I’m in danger and when she pops out of nowhere.” Fluttershy gave a nervous little chuckle. “Yeah, I remember.” She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a dragon being scared by Pinkie Pie. “So he never got over that?” Steelskin shook his head. “Nope, though he did get a little better. For a little while, just mentioning her name caused him to back up and look around, but last time, as long as she didn't invade his personal space, he was mostly okay with her.” “Were you able to get the stuff she told you to get?” “Yep,” Steelskin replied. “For some reason, the stranger her request, the easier it is to fulfil and the more likely it is to be exactly what you need.” Fluttershy gave a knowing smile. #PR - 02# @Arrival + 1 Hour@ I was almost to Garbo’s when I remembered that I had no money. “Well, might as well see if there’s anyone there that can help me out,” I said to myself as I pulled open the door and smiled at Garbo’s daughter. “Welcome to Garbo’s Griffin Grub,” Georgette said, giving me a smile in return. “Table for one?” “Actually,” I replied. “Pinkie sent me to get a raw chicken, but I don’t have any money.” Georgette narrowed her eyes as my smile turned embarrassed. “You want a free raw chicken?” “No, I’m explaining why I’m here, why I’m not buying anything, and trying to figure out some way to get it without begging, featherbrain.” I put a scowl on my face, pretending to be irritated. Her attitude immediately softened. “I like you, you’ve got spunk. Take a seat, dweeb, I’ll see if I can think of something.” As I turned around, I almost ran into Alex. “No need for that. Let me finish my lunch and I’ll buy it for you if you’ll let me tag along.” He reached down and ruffled my mane like he loves to do with all us foals. “You hungry?” “Yes, thank you.” I smiled gratefully at him before turning to Georgette. “Has Alex given you the recipe for egg salad sandwiches?” At her look of confusion, I ordered a cucumber sandwich and glass of milk. Alex stared at me thoughtfully. “It’s nice to see another one of you, Alex. My name’s Steelskin.” I held out a hoof. “I’m also a jumper.” “I never thought about the fact that he’d have food in his homeworld that we don’t have here,” Fluttershy whispered. “Do you think he’d have a recipe for something I’d like?” “Probably.” Steelskin smiled as Ginsu leapt at Fluttershy’s tail. “Oh, yeah, could you please tell Ginsu what he can and can’t hunt here.” “Sure, but I’m still really interested in where you got him... uhm, if that’s okay.” #PR - 02# @Arrival + Hour@ “Another of me?” Alex asked as we walked down the street. “Yeah, I’ve been jumping through alternate Equestrias,” I said. We stopped off at his house and grabbed the blanket and oven mitts before meeting Pinkie where I landed. “Perfect!” Pinkie was sitting in the center of my jump circle, grinning at us. “Okay, let’s get going, I’m sure we’ll find a great cat for you in the Everfree. There was something slightly off about Pinkie, like she was keeping a sadness at bay. I had a feeling that, on some level, she knew what we were going to find. We soon started walking in the direction of the Everfree Forest. “So, how’d you learn how to talk to griffins?” Alex asked as we walked. “I’ve seen very few ponies that were brave enough to throw mild insults at griffins or knew that’s how you earned their respect.” “Well, I’ve met a few in previous jumps and even became friends with her brother Gary a few times.” Steelskin smiled. “Just don’t call them pigeons or cutie-plots unless you’re ready to fight.” “Yupperooni!” Pinkie added, bouncing next to us. “But if you really want to make them mad, be nice to them!” Her smile went from her normal almost vacant look to one of pure evil, as if remembering something delightfully horrible she did to a griffin. “Oh... my...” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “So that’s what she was doing...” “I can’t tell if she’s intentionally sadistic or if she’s just paying too much attention to other realities,” Steelskin said. “Other realities?” “Yeah.” Steelskin gave a pensive smile. “I’ve decided that she must have some way of seeing all the different realities... or at least seeing through her other selves’ eyes.” Fluttershy silently thought about this even as she twitched her tail for Ginsu to chase. #PR - 02# @Arrival + 2 Hours@ The walk was uneventful until we got to where she was leading us. We had been walking for a while when we found a small clearing. I had to resist the urge to throw up. I don’t think I was alone either since Pinkie’s hair was the straightest I’d ever seen it and even Alex looked a little queasy. A chimera lay in a pool of blood. The ram’s horns had been broken off, the snake head was missing and the body had been virtually shredded. The tiger’s head held a dead popping kitten in its jaws. Its neck was obviously broken. On the other side of the clearing was what must have been the mother of the kitten. It was holding the missing snake head tail in its mouth, but the snake’s fangs were sunk deep into its neck. As we approached, we heard a faint mewling that resolved itself into a second kitten that was nuzzling its dead mother. Both it and its mother had midnight blue coats. Its mother’s pads on both her paws and tentacles were black while its were pink. As we approached, it retreated under its mother’s body with a hiss. “Do you feel like chicken tonight?” Pinkie asked the kitten with an attempt at a smile. Alex, recognizing the signal, handed me the chicken and motioned me to step forward. As I did, the little thing turned towards me with its nose twitching at the smell of meat. “I kinda wish I got the twitch earlier. Flutters might’ve been able to stop them,” Pinkie whispered quietly to herself. “No, not even I could’ve stopped that. If it was just one of them, I’d probably have been able to send it on its way, but I can’t split my stare between the two of them.” Fluttershy had a resigned frown on her face. “Those sort of fights just can’t be stopped and you just need to let the Everfree take its own path.” Both Fluttershy and Steelskin took a moment to blink back some tears, though Steelskin’s were only for the popping cats. #PR - 02# @Arrival + 4 Hours@ After I sat patiently waiting two tail lengths away for what felt like an hour, his hunger got the better of him and he crept towards me. He tried to teleport to the right, but I think he was too weak because he moved only about a hoof to the left and then fell over. It would’ve been funny if everything wasn’t so tragic. I moved a little closer as he struggled to stand back up. He stopped as he noticed my movement and took a half step back. I noticed Pinkie rubbing the blanket we brought on a clean patch of the mother’s body before carefully walking behind me and laying it on my back as I slid the chicken closer. Little Ginsu did his best to pounce on the chicken and started ripping pieces off. His tentacles were wrapped around the chicken, holding it closely and securely. I started to pull the blanket off my back when he startled, dropping the chicken and running back to his mother’s body. After another long wait, carefully keeping from making eye contact, I watched him come back out. He was moving slowly and cautiously before he pounced a second time on the chicken. I tried again to pull the blanket off my back, but he startled again, burrowing only half as deep into his mother’s fur. The third time, I was able to get the blanket off and cover him with it. I was about to try and pick him up when Pinkie pushed the oven mitts at me and helped me put them over my forehooves. As I watched Ginsu rip the chicken to shreds with its teeth and claws, I silently thanked Pinkie. Alex watched everything from a few steps away, his hand on his knife. I carefully picked the kitten up in my forelegs, wrapping him and his meal in the blanket. After a few seconds, I heard a familiar clink of armor. “Hi Matt,” Alex said from next to me. Matt walked quietly over to where we were, eyeing the bodies of the carnivores with caution. “What do you have there?” “Well...” Pinkie stood, vibrating with suppressed energy as she responded quietly and in the calmest voice I've ever heard her use. “Steelskin here, is a jumper-Well, he was pulled along in a jump by his adopted dad, Metallicana-He was adopted by an iron dragon and taught how to use... that kind of magic. So, since other people who were taught-” Pinkie proceeded to tell Matt all about my jumps, throwing in some stuff I hadn't told her. While her tone was calm and quiet, her rambling way of speaking was the same old Pinkie Pie. As she was talking, she pulled out a baby bottle with a clear liquid in it and passed it to me. The blue of the oven mitt surrounding the nipple must’ve reminded it of its mother because it dropped the chicken and started drinking from it. "Wow, you look like quite the proud mommy." Matt's voice was sarcastic, but quiet, like he didn't want to disturb the popping cat. "Have you given it a name yet?" He drew close and gave the kitten a scratch behind the ears. I shook my head. “Haven’t had time to think about it yet.” “How about Ginsu?” Alex had a twinkle in his eye that I recognized as him using an inside joke. “It slices, it dices, makes hundreds of chicken nuggets.” Matt let out a short laugh. “Perfect.” I looked down at it as it turned back to the chicken and tore it into little chunks. Pinkie snorted, obviously getting the joke while Alex smiled at me. “It was a brand of knife that the makers said would stay really sharp,” Alex explained at my questioning look. I looked down to see the kitten’s claws slicing through the meat as its hind legs were scratching at the carcass playfully. I smiled at the others before turning my attention back to my new companion. “Hi Ginsu, I hope you like your name,” I whispered. He looked up at me and licked my nose. Fluttershy giggled even as Steelskin’s smile faded. “I don’t know why, but the smell of that dead chicken didn’t bother me at all. All I could think about was how cute he looked as he ripped apart a formerly living creature,” Steelskin mumbled. They were interrupted as Dino, Alex’s popping cat, walked into the cottage. Immediately, Ginsu walked over, tail twitching. They circled each other a few times, sniffing. Without warning, Ginsu teleported behind Dino and pounced. Dino rolled onto his back to receive the pounce. Fluttershy smiled at their play. "Do you think they’re the same? I mean, like, from different realities?” “Nah, but they do seem to be brothers.” Steelskin laughed as Dino threw Ginsu into a chair. They sat and watched the kittens play for a while before Steelskin gathered up Ginsu and said his goodbyes.