//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Taboo // by Hooves Like Jagger //------------------------------// 12 “I’m glad to have a little extra company for this trip,” Twilight said, flying smoothly over the fluffy clouds. Spike road along on her back while Rainbow Dash flew by her side with Taboo seated on her own back. The Equestrian scenery passed placidly below them, bright and green once again in spring. “But we still could’ve taken the train.” “It’s faster this way,” Rainbow Dash said, not wanting to address her real reason for winging it instead of taking public transportation. She had done a pretty good job of keeping Taboo out of the public eye recently, and she wanted very much to keep it that way. If she was being completely honest, she would have to confess she didn’t particularly want Taboo tagging along on this adventure. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash’s absence due to her honeymoon had been leverage enough for Taboo to hitch a ride. Taboo had never been to Canterlot, at least far as she knew. She couldn’t possibly remember going for the first time way back when she was first found, but there was a lot about that first year she still didn’t know; however, she didn’t even think to think about that sort of thing. It had been promised to her that she would get to meet the Princesses. She got to see Princess Twilight on a pretty regular basis, so she wasn’t all that exciting. What she wanted to do was meet all these new Princesses. “Take a look, Taboo. That’s Canterlot right down there!” Rainbow Dash said, passing beneath the clouds as the city came into view around the mountain. Taboo’s eyes grew wide as she gazed upon the gleaming city, with its high towers and tall arches. It looked like something out of mommy’s books, like the kind of place she imagined Princesses should live. Even from up in the air, her ears picked up the sounds of ponies down below. There was the familiar, dull roar of a thousand ponies conversing in the open air all at once. She had never heard it so clearly before, almost as if she was down there walking amongst them all. She could tell there were a seemingly uncountable many of them, and as her mother took her closer the energy of the sound only got brighter. She grinned uncontrollably, seized by the electricity in the air. Rainbow Dash didn’t cut corners in her flight pattern. She aimed herself at the Royal Castle and didn’t spare a second glance for the city. She stayed high above, alone with Twilight in the relatively empty airspace. Canterlot was populated by primarily unicorns, so there was only the odd pegasi here and there. Even so, she kept just high enough so that even Twilight wouldn’t draw any attention from somepony down below. This cautious flight took them to an outdoor terrace of the castle, which wasn’t exactly the front door. The guards stationed along the portico on the outer edge of the garden balcony might’ve questioned two ponies flying in like that if it hadn’t been for the fact that one of those ponies was Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. Other than Twilight’s presence, there was another reason the guards, as many as there were, held their ground. “Welcome, everypony. I trust your flight was pleasant,” Celestia said, rising to greet her guests. No less than five guards accompanied her, in addition to one Discord. Normally Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle tried to ignore whatever gaudy costume the draconequus was wearing, but today he almost appeared to be begging for attention. As much as they wanted to reply to Celestia, they couldn’t get over the enormous, green-lensed goggles Discord was sporting, all four of the eyepieces telescoping in and out at irregular intervals. He was also shouldering a butterfly net while looking about like he was about to be ambushed. “Oh, don’t mind the extra security. There’s just a little disturbance here today.” “What kind of disturbance?” Twilight asked, but Celestia just smiled and shook her head. “It really is nothing, so please don’t worry about it.” Celestia really didn’t appear bothered at all, despite how on edge Discord and the guards looked. “There are more important things to be discussing.” “Well, if you say so.” Twilight still wasn’t fully convinced, but she was more than inclined to trust her mentor. Spike and Taboo dismounted, the latter of the two making sure to keep close to her mother; however, her curiousity led her to look up at the Princess before her. Celestia was watching her too with that easy smile she so often wore. “Welcome to Canterlot, Taboo,” she said, getting down to Taboo’s level. The filly didn’t cower further behind her mother, feeling very much at ease in this pony’s presence. “You probably don’t remember me, but I am Princess Celestia. It is very nice to officially meet you.” Taboo didn’t say anything at first, but after a little prod from Rainbow Dash she managed to remember her manners. “I-I’m Taboo! It’s nice to meet you too, Princess!” Taboo bowed, putting her forehead to the ground. “Discord, you remember Taboo, right?” Celestia stood back up and asked, but Discord wasn’t paying attention. “Discord.” “Shh!” He shushed her without looking towards her. “She’s around here somewhere. I’m sure of it.” “Relax, Discord. The situation is under control.” Celestia’s words did nothing to allay whatever stress Discord was under. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash found it odd that Discord was the one being serious while Discord was on edge. “I should be in there looking for that pipsqueak. I could’ve caught her by now” he said, swinging his net in some kind of demonstration of his prowess. “I don’t know why you insisted I come out here with you.” “I thought you could use the company. Besides, it would be rude if you didn’t say hello to our guests.” “Alright, whatever.” Discord looked down at the group that had just arrived, the lenses of his goggles whirring as they zoomed in on them. “Bookish, Tomboy, Dragontwerp, Eponymous. How’s tricks?” “Nice to see you too.” Rainbow Dash thought that she could’ve done without his presence today. All she really wanted to do was talk to Luna, but she wouldn’t be available before she woke up for the night. Night was still some time off. “I’m surprised you haven’t been down to Ponyville recently,” Twilight said, finally piquing Discord’s interest. “Why, what’s going on in Ponyville?” “You don’t know?” Twilight put a hoof to her mouth for a second, pondering something. “Maybe I’m not supposed to tell you…” “Well, now you have to tell me.” Discord discarded his goggles, opting to stare down the two mares until they confessed. “I think if you were supposed to know, you would know,” Rainbow Dash said, picking up on what Twilight was talking about. It made sense that Discord would be kept in the dark for the time being; there’s no telling how he might react. “What? What are you guys talking about?” Spike asked. “Is this about Fluttershy giving birth?” “Ex-SQUEEEEEEZE me?” Discord raised his eyebrows so far up they detached from his face and fluttered down to the ground. Rainbow Dash and Twilight shot Spike a couple of dirty looks, which Spike tried to play off by whistling and staring at the ground as he rocked back and forth on his heels. It was unclear if he had revealed this information knowingly or not. “My, that certainly is wonderful news,” Celestia said. “I trust everything went well.” “Yes, she had a healthy filly and has been doting on her every day since,” Twilight said, conceding to reveal the details now that the truth was out in the open. “And why wasn’t I told?!” Discord snapped his net over his knee and crossed his arms. “Think of all the Uncle-ing I’ve missed out on already! If you’re going to indoctrinate chaotic principles into an unwitting young foal, you’ve got to start early!” “Ever think that’s why nopony told you?” Rainbow Dash’s question went unheeded by Discord. “We’ll be sure to go down to Ponyville to give our congratulations in person,” Celestia said. “I’ll make sure Discord behaves himself.” “Oh great, more chaperoning.” “Anyway, there’s no need for us to stay around here. There is somepony else who is eager to meet the two of you. Please, come along inside.” Celestia lead everypony to the interior of the castle, where Twilight and Rainbow Dash were somewhat unsurprised to see even more guards running here and there. For something Celestia was making out to be no big deal, everypony else seemed like they were in much more of a tizzy. “What exactly is going on?” Rainbow Dash asked, making sure to keep Taboo close. With the filly right by her side, she lowered one wing to shield her even further. Taboo didn’t complain, somewhat put off by all the bustle herself. “Well, if you really want to know about it I can tell you,” Celestia said, talking as she walked along before her guests. “There is an intruder of sorts, a changeling.” “A changeling?” “What’s a changeling?” Taboo asked, but her mother just shushed her. “It’s only a small one,” Celestia said with a little laugh. “Everypony is worried that there are more, but she already told me that she’s the only one.” “You saw it?” Twilight asked, suddenly understanding what all the concern was about. “And you didn’t do anything?” “I talked to her. She told me she was spying on us.” “And you just let her go?” Rainbow Dash asked, completely confused by everything going on. “She’s dangerous!” “She’s no bigger than Taboo.” “Huh?” Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash stopped dead in their tracks. Celestia stopped and turned to them as well, smiling and shaking her head. “It was just a child. A brave little child, but completely harmless.” Celestia wouldn’t lie about something like this, let alone anything. If that is what she was saying, nopony could argue. “I was going to make sure she got out of the castle safely, but my guards saw her. It won’t surprise you to hear that scared her quite a bit. She ended up running away, so now we’re not sure where she is now.” “Pardon me for saying this, Princess Celestia, but the situation might merit a little more caution,” Twilight said, being a reluctant voice of reason. “If the changelings are really spying on us-” “Oh, I doubt that’s the case,” Celestia said, continuing on down the hallway. “She seems more interested in sweets than information gathering. I’ve given strict orders that she be escorted home should she be found. It isn’t safe for her here, and she must learn that. There is no reason to worry.” “But-” “No buts, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia didn’t so much as frown at her student. Her tone was that of a teasing parent, keeping some nice secret from her child. All Twilight or Rainbow Dash could do was follow her and Discord along with their cadre of guards to wherever she was going. It turned out their destination wasn’t far away. It ended up being the Royal Conference Room, a room for conferences of the royal variety. Upon seeing who was inside, Twilight realized they weren’t about to have a stuffy meeting with nobles or anything close to what she would usually call a conference. “Twilight! You made it!” Cadence got up from her seat and smiled, joined by her husband of several years in the seat next to hers. “And Rainbow Dash as well! My congratulations on your marriage.” “Thanks!” “Wait, Cadence? Shining?” Twilight leered at her relations. “What’re you doing here?” “We heard you were coming for a visit,” Shining said, standing up next to his wife. “Aaand we realize we’ve kind of left you in the dark the last few times we had big news.” “So we decided to come here so you could be here when we made the official announcement!” Cadence finished the thought, smiling even wider as she clung to her husband. Both of them seemed absolutely giddy, which put Twilight on edge. She did appreciate being in the loop, but that didn’t save her brother and sister-in-law from her skeptical ire. “You informed me of your marriage and pregnancy at basically the last possible moment both times. What in the world do you have to announce that you think makes up for all that?” Twilight asked, fully ready to throw their kindness right back at them should their announcement disappoint. “Well, as it turns out, Twily,” Shining said, still smiling and refusing to back down. “We’ve gotten pregnant again!” “You’re what?!” “It looks like we’re going to add another pony to our family.” Cadence was still all smiles, as was Shining Armor. There were scattered well wishes from the present company, except Twilight who was too stunned to speak. Rainbow Dash tried to prod her back to life, but she wasn’t having it; however, whatever she was mumbling to herself finally became audible after a minute. “Now there’ll be two. I have to worry about two of them…” “I thought you’d be happier,” Shining said, disappointed his own sister wasn’t saying her congratulations. Especially after all the trouble they went to in order to get this news to her as early as possible, he expected a little gratitude. “What’s got you so bothered? Why can’t you just be happy for us?” “Because, how many alicorns could we possibly need?” Twilight tossed her hooves into the air and mussed up her own mane in frustration. “This is going to get out of hoof if you two don’t stop making children!” “Alicorn? I think not,” Discord said all of a sudden. He levitated himself over to Cadence and put his face a little too close to her mane than she was comfortable with. Nopony was comfortable with it after Discord took an enormous whiff of it without so much as a word of warning. “No, no alicorn. She’s got the distinct smell of unicorn, female.” “It’s a unicorn?” Shining asked. “It’s a girl!” Cadence forgot all about Discord’s invasion of her personal space. She hugged the draconequus, which didn’t altogether please him. He poofed out of her embrace, stealthily replacing his body with a plush dummy while he hid his real body behind Celestia. “Well… that’s actually a relief,” Twilight said, calming down considerably. She took a deep breath and started over from where she should’ve started out. “That’s great you two! I’m glad you actually told me this time.” “Hold on a second,” Rainbow Dash said, still stuck on what had previously happened. “Discord, you can tell exactly what a pony is pregnant with by smelling them?” “It’s kind of like being a sommelier.” Discord poofed himself a little glass of wine and swirled it around while looking down at Rainbow Dash from out of the corner of his eye. “It’s all about practice and dedication to the art, really. You have to have a certain love of the craft in order to become a true master.” Discord took a sip of his wine and swashed it around his mouth a bit, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he expectorated his sample into a guard’s eye. Rainbow Dash swore she saw Celestia stifle a snicker while the guard writhed in pain. “Then do me!” Rainbow Dash said, puffing out her chest and smirking. She already knew the answer, but part of her just wanted to hear Discord confirm it for the record. “You’re not pregnant.” “… You mean not very pregnant, right?” “Not very and not at all,” Discord said, tossing his goblet somewhere where it never hit the ground. “But you haven’t even smelled me yet!” Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof in protest, sure that all her honeymoon activities had to have borne fruit. Discord rolled his eyes and leaned in for a smell of Rainbow Dash. He took a half-hearted sniff and then promptly backed off. “You need more potassium in your diet.” “And?” “Chocolate milk is a great source of potassium,” he replied, handing over a glass to the fuming mare. She drank down the whole thing in one go and threw away the glass, not knowing that it would explode once it impacted the ground. She disregarded it, preferring to sulk than acknowledge property damage. “Oh, speaking of foals,” Cadence said, getting the ball rolling again. “I guess this little filly is Taboo.” Taboo walked a little ways out from under her mother towards Princess Cadence. She had never seen this Princess before either, but she was very pretty and seemed very nice. The stallion next to her was kind of big and scary, but he seemed nice as well so she tried not to be scared of him. “It is very nice to officially meet you,” Cadence said, giving Taboo a little bow. Taboo bowed back, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what the protocol on a bow was. She just ducked her head to the floor quickly and then lifted it back up. “And there is somepony else I’d like you to meet.” “Oh, that’s right,” Twilight said, turning to Taboo herself. “I guess you and Nimbus are around the same age.” “Nimbus?” “That’s right, my son Nimbus is here as well,” Cadence said. “I think you two would be very good friends. He is out playing in the garden right now, so would you like to go out and meet him?” Taboo turned to her mother. “Can I go?” she asked. “Sure thing, squirt.” Rainbow Dash ruffled Taboo’s mane a little and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You go have some fun.” “Very good.” Cadence turned to one of two guards standing behind her. “Lightwing, would you mind escorting our young guest to the garden?” “Of course, your majesty,” the armored mare said with a low bow. She trotted over to Taboo and smiled sweetly down at the filly. “Please come this way, young miss.” “Okay!” Taboo went right to the guard’s side, an action that surprised Rainbow Dash. She was usually more cautious around strangers, but Taboo had thrown all caution to the wind after just a few words from Lightwing. She looked young and spoke very gently, but most ponies Taboo had met today were no different. Rainbow Dash puzzled over why that might be the case, but Taboo was already out of the room before she could inquire. “I’m sure the three of you would like to spend a little time relaxing from your journey,” Celestia said to the two remaining mares and one dragon. “The castle is free to your use, provided you allow a guard to escort you. It is a measure that I’m afraid I am somewhat required to take considering the changeling situation.” “Oh, it’s no trouble,” Twilight said. “I was hoping to spend a little time in the library before tonight. I doubt one little guard could distract me from that.” “I’m glad to hear that because I’ve already assigned Flash Sentry to look after you today,” Cadence said, signaling to the other guard behind her. A very dashing young soldier trotted over to Twilight to bow, which caught her more off guard than she anticipated. He smiled up at her from his prostrated position, and she found herself wanting to remark on how cute he was. She didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t see Cadence smirking in the background. “I-It’s nice to meet you!” Twilight almost bowed to him herself, but she realized that would’ve been out of order. Instead, she smiled back at him, but all she could manage was a forced, sheepish smile. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle being around a cute stallion, but it was totally like she couldn’t speak to one. She tried not to think about how they were basically going to be in the library alone. She was thankful Spike would be there to make it a crowd. “Meh, I’d rather not go to the library,” Spike said, causing Twilight’s wings to spring up suddenly. Luckily, nopony really noticed. “I think I need to pay a visit to the kitchen.” “K-kitchen?” “We can have somepony accompany you there,” Celestia said, gesturing to another guard to go take care of Spike’s request. “B-but, the library!” Twilight was the only pony who seemed to acknowledge her own panic. “Shall we go, your highness?” Flash asked, smiling right at Twilight. She awkwardly smiled back for a moment, but then avoided eye contact as she slammed her wings shut to her side. “You can just call me Twilight,” she said in reply, although she wasn’t entirely sure why and started immediately kicking herself for doing so. They started moving towards the door, with Twilight walking stiffly right behind Flash. “Twilight it is then,” Flash said, disappearing out the door. As soon as he was out of the room, Twilight turned around and gave Cadence a wide eyed look. She mouthed “did you do this” at her sister-in-law, but the only reply she got was a shrug. After Twilight was gone, Spike and his guard left as well. There were still other ponies to take care of. “What do you plan to do, Rainbow Dash?” Celestia asked. “I know my sister was eager to talk with you, but she won’t be up for it until she’s awake. I’m afraid there isn’t anything I can do to speed up that process.” “I’m fine waiting around,” Rainbow Dash said. She didn’t really have any other plans for the day. In retrospect, she wished she had taken the train and walked in order to fill out a bit more of her time today. “I’ll probably just mill around.” “Well, while you mill around you will be escorted by Major Ship Shape,” Celestia said, gesturing to one of the staunch ponies posted next to her. “You’ll be glad to know your husband is one of his subordinates.” “… ‘Glad to know?’” “It’s an honor to meet you,” the Major said with a quick salute. “There will be no changeling attacks on my watch, day or night. You are in capable hooves, Mrs. Dash.” “Well, I have business to attend to,” Celestia said, heading towards the exit. The guards still tasked with watching her followed behind, but the group only got as far as the door before Celestia stopped and turned. “Discord, come along.” “Do I have to?” “You don’t have to.” There was something oddly somber about her tone. Celestia turned towards the door, but stood in silence for a few moments. “But I would like it if you did.” “Fine, I get it.” Discord levitated himself off the ground and slowly floated over to the door. “Just tell me I have to do it.” “Thank you.” Celestia was chipper again instantly. She took her entourage out the door, leaving Rainbow Dash with her guard along with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. “Things are getting interesting around here, aren’t they?” Cadence said, chuckling a bit as she watched Discord’s tail slip out the door. “Hard to even imagine.” “Imagine what?” Shining asked, trying to get a grip on what only Cadence seemed to be picking up. His wife just smiled and kissed him on the cheek, which he understood as a sure sign that she was not going to explain a darn thing. “Go along dear. I’d like to talk to Rainbow Dash for a moment, if possible.” “Alright, be safe.” Shining said, leaving the room and leaving Cadence with Rainbow Dash to talk while their respective guards took up a post outside. Rainbow Dash thought it couldn’t be easy for Shining Armor to leave is wife alone during another, albeit small, changeling situation; however, Cadence seemed determined to speak with Rainbow Dash. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking a seat next to Cadence. “I realize we haven’t talked all that much, just me and you, but we’ve got more in common than you might think,” Cadence said, but Rainbow Dash didn’t exactly follow. “Both you and I are raising children who don’t realize how different from everypony they are.” “Nimbus doesn’t realize he’s an alicorn?” “It’s not that he doesn’t know.” Cadence put a hoof to her mouth to think for a moment. The situation was more complex than just knowing or not knowing exactly what one was. “He’s too young to grasp the gravity behind it. He’s the first male alicorn to be born in… well… centuries according to Celestia.” “I hadn’t thought about that,” Rainbow Dash said. Cadence really was in a similar situation, but there were some key differences. Nimbus knew other ponies who were actually alicorns, but Taboo didn’t know anypony who was truly like herself. It also sounded like he had actually been told he was different, where Taboo had been purposefully left in the dark for the time being. Even so, there was still one thing that had to be the same. “Makes you wonder how they’ll react when they finally realize it all.” “To tell the truth, I was relieved to hear my next child is going to be a unicorn,” Cadence said, touching her stomach. “Unicorns are a lot less complicated.” “You’d better knock on wood.” Rainbow Dash rapped on the table twice, prompting Cadence to do the same. “Twilight was a unicorn, and there’s nothing less complicated about her.” “Aw, but that’d be so cute.” Cadence gazed up at the ceiling, picturing her coming foal in a few years. “It would be like having the tiny, cute Twily back. I’d be able to talk about colts she likes with her and I could play matchmaker with her all over again.” “See, that’s why I want my next kid to be a colt,” Rainbow Dash said, but her meaning didn’t exactly click with Cadence at first. The Princess suddenly got a wild grin on her face. “Oh, Dash! It’s a bit early to be deciding that!” “Huh?” Now it was Rainbow Dash’s turn to be confused, but she put two and two together rather quickly. She blushed and quickly amended her statement. “No, no, no! I’m not trying to fix up our kids! I’m just saying I think I’d relate more to a colt than a filly.” “You’re a girl and you relate to yourself.” Cadence had a point, but Rainbow Dash didn’t see it. “If my kid is even remotely related to my mother, she’ll end up super girly.” “You’re related to your mother and you didn’t end up super girly.” “I can’t run that risk,” Rainbow Dash said, firm on this point. “It’s gotta be a colt. It’s gonna be.” “Well, I see things are going well so far in your marriage,” Cadence said without so much as trying to hide her insinuation. “Nothing like a honeymoon to really get things heated up. I’m guessing because you two have Taboo back at home that you used your time wisely?” Cadence’s eyebrows went up and down rather suddenly on the word “wisely.” Rainbow Dash blushed and swallowed audibly, saying everything without even opening her mouth. “Y-yeah… it was a good time.” Rainbow Dash composed herself and got back to more pressing issues. “I guess we didn’t manage to get me knocked up though.” “Can’t hurt to keep trying.” Cadence was relentless, which made Rainbow Dash want to find an out for this conversation. “Ah, well, I wonder if Luna is up yet!” “Oh no, not yet.” Cadence stopped Rainbow Dash before she could try and go. “We’ve still got some other things to discuss. Twilight hasn’t been a good source of gossip for me, so I want you to fill me on a few things…” “Young Master? Where have you gone?” Lightwing called into the garden, Taboo trotting along at her heels. So far the young alicorn had proved elusive, which was worrisome to the guard in charged with locating him. It wasn’t like him to give his caretakers the slip, and with something of a little crisis happening things didn’t bode well. “Oh, where could he be?” “Is he hiding?” Taboo asked, not grasping the gravity of the situation. “I hope so.” Lightwing hadn’t ever had this problem. If she called for him, Nimbus would come running. There were plenty of guards posted around the garden, but not one of them seemed to know where Nimbus had gone. “Maybe he went inside for a moment… yes, that has to be it. I will go inside and confirm it. Taboo, can you wait here for a moment?” “Okay.” Taboo went ahead and sat right down on the ground in the middle of the path. Lightwing hadn’t meant literally where she was standing, but it was good enough for her as she trotted towards the castle interior. There were enough guards around to keep an eye on things, and she didn’t plan on being away for long either. Taboo watched her go, still confused as to why she didn’t think Nimbus might be hiding. Her ears twitched, honing in on the pony she could tell was hiding nearby in the bushes. She turned her head to look, but of course the pony was well hidden. Taboo could tell the pony saw her looking, as the hidden pony began holding their breath. Whoever it was didn’t want to be found. They couldn’t hold their breath long either, gasping for air audibly while Taboo kept staring. Determined to out the hidden pony, Taboo marched over to the bushes. She listened as her target started breathing faster, but they didn’t move. She stuck her head right into the bushes, instantly met with a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. “Aaack!” Whoever it was instantly tried to retreat, turning tail to exit the bushes in the opposite direction; however, Taboo managed to get a good grip on the pony’s tail with her teeth. She pulled the struggling pony from the bush, dragging it into the path with her. “Let go of me!” Taboo complied, releasing the pony and letting it fall flat on its face. It quickly stood up and faced her, backing up a few steps. Taboo smiled at the pony she’d found, but her kindness was met with a nervous glare. This pony was strange one from what she could see, but her mommy always told her not to judge a pony based on how they look. “Hi! I’m Taboo.” Taboo introduce herself, still smiling. “Are you Nimbus?” “… Y-yeah,” Nimbus said, sitting down slowly. The little blue alicorn stared at Taboo, looking her up and down and up and down. “Why are you so scared?” Even Taboo could see the colt shaking. She figured he must be shy. “My daddy told me there was a monster here,” Nimbus said. His eyes darted to the side for a moment. “Y-you’re not the monster… are you?” “Do I look like a monster?” Taboo asked, her wings flexing innocently. Nimbus gave the smiling filly another look over, but this time he seemed to calm down. He managed to smile too. “I guess not.” Nimbus flapped his own wings. “You’re no stranger than me!” “Yep!” Taboo’s ears twitched again. “But is there really a monster here?” “I don’t know, that’s just what they told me,” Nimbus told her; however, Taboo suddenly didn’t appear to be paying all that much attention. Her ears pointed straight up and her eyes were looking off the path again. “What? What is it?” Nimbus looked over to where she was looking, but he could only see a hedge. “Somepony is over there,” Taboo said, beginning to move over in that direction. Nimbus followed her, albeit reluctantly. “It’s not the monster, is it?” Taboo didn’t answer him. The pair moved over to the hedge, but Nimbus still didn’t hear anything. He continued to follow Taboo when she jumped into the hedge, the pair pushing their way through branches and leaves. On the other side was just a patch of grass surrounded by more hedges, a place pedestrians weren’t actually supposed to go. Taboo kept venturing onwards, jumping right into the next hedge with Nimbus in tow. Halfway through the second hedge, Nimbus could hear something too. Somepony was talking, but there was only one pony. Whoever it was seemed to be talking to themselves, or actually whispering to themselves. He could wrap his head around how Taboo had known this pony was back here. As they got closer, he could make out what the voice was saying. “Oooooh, they’re all over the place. I can’t go out like this. They’ll catch me and put me in the dungeon, and mom will scold me if I end up in the dungeon. Stupid guards.” “What’re you doing?” Taboo asked, hopping out of the hedge. The pony they’d snuck up on had its head in a different hedge, but upon hearing Taboo jumped out and turned right around. Taboo and Nimbus stared at this new pony while she stared at them. Neither party had seen anypony quite like the other one. “Who’re you?” the new filly asked, putting her back against the bushes. Taboo kept staring at her hooves, which were full of holes. The black filly also had holes all over her wings and a hole right through her stubby horn. Even her green mane had little holes in it. Taboo thought she looked kind of funny. “Are you going to throw me in the dungeon?” “Why would I do that?” Taboo asked, looking at Nimbus for some council. Nimbus looked confused too, still looking the changeling up and down. Neither Taboo or Nimbus had seen a changeling before, so they had no idea that they were actually looking at one. “You can’t be the monster, can you?” Nimbus asked, not believing it in the slightest. “No, you’re just a filly.” “I’m a spy!” she said, puffing out her chest. “I’m going to learn everything about Canterlot and surprise mom. Then she’ll praise me!” “Who’s your mommy?” Taboo asked. “She’s a queen,” the changeling said matter-of-factly with her chest puffed out a little further. “Cool! My mom’s a princess,” Nimbus said. “My mom’s Rainbow Dash,” Taboo said, wishing she had something more to brag about. “But I’m Taboo, and this is Nimbus.” “I’m Venom,” the changeling said. She crouched low to the ground and looked around. “Hey… you wanna see something cool?” Taboo and Nimbus just looked at each other, unsure of what that could possibly mean. They looked back at Venom and nodded, their curiosity getting the better of them. Venom scrunched up her face and began grunting loudly. Her horn sparked with green light a few times before coming to life with flame. It traveled down the length of her body, transforming her into the guise of a unicorn filly. She was panting by the end of the display, but managed to stand up right after a few moments. “Tadah!” “Whoa! That’s so cool!” Taboo said, cheering and clapping her hooves along with Nimbus. “I’ve never seen somepony do that kind of magic,” Nimbus said, looking up at his own horn. “I can’t do magic yet. My aunt says that she’ll teach me soon.” “My mom says I can’t show ponies that I can transform,” Venom said before grunting and straining to change back to normal. “But I don’t get why not.” “Okay, my turn!” Taboo said, standing up and taking the stage as it were. “You can transform too?” Venom asked. “You already transformed. I’m gonna do something else,” Taboo said, spreading her wings. Just as she’d been practicing, she hopped into the air and flapped her wings in powerful, even strokes. She hovered easily above the ground, much more in control than when she’d done it at first at her grandma’s house. Taboo even gained some altitude and began flying in little circles above her new friends. “You can fly?” Venom furrowed her brow and looked at her own wings. She flapped them, getting them to hum as they rapidly moved up and down but not getting off the ground. She’d tried a million times to fly, but she hadn’t even come close. Her mom told her changelings don’t usually fly until they’re older, but she didn’t care. She wanted to fly. “You’re so lucky!” “Aww, I can’t fly either.” Nimbus flapped his own little wings, but he didn’t get airborne either. “You guys are lucky, being able to do magic and fly.” “But I can’t fly!” Venom said, bouncing up and down to try and get airborne while she hummed her wings. “And I can’t do magic,” Taboo said as she touched back down. “I don’t have a horn like you two.” “But you can fly!” Venom squatted down low and jumped as high as she could, but it wasn’t at all effective in getting her any closer to flight. “Not very high or far.” Taboo folded her wings back to her side, looking up at the clouds above. “I haven’t shown my mommy yet because I wanna get better before she sees.” “My mom says I won’t fly until I’m eight years old,” Venom said, giving up on flying for the time being. “And I’m only three years old, so that means I’ll never fly!” “Hey, I’m three too!” Taboo said, smiling and sidling up to Venom. “And you can fly!” Venom’s lament seemed endless. “I’m still two,” Nimbus said while they were on the subject. “I don’t really have any friends my age.” “I don’t have any friends,” Venom said like it was a point of pride for her. “Pound and Pumpkin are the same age as me,” Taboo said. She smiled at Nimbus and Venom. “And so are you two!” “Mom says I can’t be friends with ponies.” Venom didn’t sound particularly thrilled about that rule. She smiled slyly, deciding what mom didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. “But she’ll scold me if she knows I went to Canterlot by myself, so I guess I can’t tell her that I made friends there anyway.” “My mommy always said I should have lots of friends that are fillies,” Nimbus said, shrugging his shoulders. “She’ll be glad to hear I made friends with you two.” “Young master? Taboo? Where are you two?” “Hey, it’s Lightwing!” Nimbus said, perking up at the guard’s voice. “She sounds worried.” “How could I lose both of them? The Princess is going to have me arraigned!” “What’s ah-rain?” Taboo asked. “I bet it means she’ll get thrown in the dungeon!” Venom said. “Maybe she’s a spy too.” “Yeah!” It all made sense to Taboo now. “What’s a spy?” “Young master! Taboo! Please answer meeeee!” “We should probably go.” Nimbus jumped back through the hedge. “C’mon Taboo!” “Okay!” Taboo was about to go, but she stopped and turned back to Venom. The changeling made no move to follow her, determined not to get thrown in the dungeon. “So… do you live in Canterlot?” “No, I live in the Hive. Do you live in Canterlot?” “No, I live in Ponyville,” Taboo said. “You should come and play sometime!” “The guards won’t try to throw me in the dungeon there, will they?” “No, Ponyville doesn’t have a dungeon,” Taboo told her. “My daddy is a guard, but he’s always asleep during the day. He wouldn’t throw my friend in the dungeon anyway!” “Okay! I’ll definitely go to Ponyville!” Venom said, her wings buzzing happily. “I like that there’s no dungeon and the guards are always asleep!” “But, if you can’t fly you can’t get up to my house,” Taboo said, realizing the trouble. “I live up on a cloud with my mommy and daddy, but you have to be able to fly to get up there.” “I can’t fly myself, so I have Buzzword carry me around.” “Buzzword?” “He’s my pet.” Without missing a beat, Venom raised a hoof to her face and held one of the holes to her mouth. She took a deep breath and then blew right into the hole with pursed lips, causing an eerily hollow warble to rise up into the air. Taboo pinned her ears down, the loud noise offending her ears. Venom kept blowing until the wind around the hedges seemed to pick up. As a shadow fell over the pair, Taboo gazed skyward to find her view was obscured by an enormous, bareheaded vulture. The monstrous bird let out a screech, scaring Taboo enough to make her jump into the hedge. “Okay, I’ll see you later, Taboo!” Venom, not at all bothered by the appearance of the hellish avian, jumped up and allowed the bird to snatch her up in its talons. With another screech, the vulture Buzzword took off back into the sky. Taboo could hear some of the guards around clamoring about chasing after the bird, but none of them sounded particularly eager considering the bird was nearly the size of a fully grown stallion. Taboo could only watch as her new friend flew off in the grips of the frightening bird. All she could think about was how thankful she was that all she had for a pet was a tortoise. “Princess Luna is ready to receive you, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash walked along behind Major Ship Shape in the long shadows of the colonnade against the setting sun. It wouldn’t be long before Luna was putting the moon up into the sky for the night, and then Rainbow Dash would get a chance to finally find out what the princess had wanted to tell her. She wished Luna’s tower wasn’t so deep in the castle or at least that she’d moved closer to the tower beforehand. Unfortunately, Cadence had kept her busy with talking all about the goings on in Ponyville as of late. Rainbow Dash hadn’t really thought there was too much going on, but Cadence certainly had a lot of questions regardless. “Your husband’s shift will be starting soon.” “Hmm?” Rainbow Dash hadn’t expected the Major to speak up all of a sudden. He had barely said three words since he introduced himself earlier. “Higher ups have been talking about him recently. He’s been making a good impression on the ponies around here ever since he started his new assignment.” “I’m sure he’s glad to hear that.” Rainbow Dash didn’t pry too much into Thunderhead’s work. He was usually too tired to talk about it anyway, aside from complaining about how lazy Soarin’ was. “Won’t do any good to tell him about it,” the Major said, surprising Rainbow Dash. She couldn’t get a read on the stoic soldier. “That boy thinks he’s got everything to prove.” “What makes you say that?” “He talks like he’s had it easy up until now.” The last glints of sunlight fade beneath the horizon as the Major takes a look out of the castle. “Honestly, most of us would do just about anything to get a personal assignment from the Princesses. He goes above and beyond the call of duty, perhaps of even what’s appropriate for that matter, and then he comes back here and complains that he hasn’t done enough. “The guy’s hardest on himself, always stretching himself thin for somepony else’s benefit. He sticks his neck out for the princesses and then groans about how useless he feels after he succeeds. Stallions who are never satisfied with their achievements like that are some of the stupidest and pigheaded kinds of soldiers we get around here.” “Hey!” “And the real kicker is that he’ll probably running the whole show one of these days.” “… Seriously?” Rainbow Dash knew Thunderhead was serious about what he did, but she hadn’t stopped to consider he might actually be really good at it too. She had a lot of trouble imagining him sitting at the top of the military hierarchy, as the pony saddled with the most responsibility. “Fair warning, Mrs. Dash. They’re talking about making him a first Lieutenant so he can take over a chunk of the southwestern night patrols. He’ll probably make a fuss about getting promoted, but they say along as we allow him to stay in the field that he’ll comply and whip those lazy bums into shape.” “Lazy bums?” “Do you know what’s in the southwestern quadrant?” Major Shape asked, turning around to look at Rainbow Dash for a moment. “It’s basically just a huge desert. Nopony wants to take it seriously because they don’t think anything bad can happen in a sandbox, but there’s still Las Pegasus and some other folks out there. Thunderhead doesn’t like to slack off, so even if the other ponies in charge don’t want to change he’s going to run them ragged to get the results he wants.” “So basically, give him the job nopony wants to do because he’ll do a good job anyway?” “That slacker joint patrol he was put in charge of has actually been getting work done since he got placed in charge. The higher ups are going to keep utilizing that on a higher and higher scale until one day they find him sitting on top of them. After that, we’re all screwed.” “That’s my husband for ya,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “What makes you think I’m not going to tell him everything you just said?” “Nothing really. Maybe if you hazard to tell him he’ll actually cool off and we’ll all be saved from a life of actual productivity,” Major Shape said. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, but then looked out at the rising moon. “It’s tough being an army in such a peaceful country.” “You’re welcome.” “Pardon me for saying so, but you two deserve each other.” The Major stopped in front of a pair of large double doors. He saluted to the guards on either side of the chamber, one of which knocked on the door. “Princess Luna is waiting.” “Thanks for the chit chat,” Rainbow Dash said as the door creaked open. She walked into Luna’s chambers, dimly lit by a few candles. If Rainbow Dash didn’t know any better, she might assume Luna was trying to seduce her with the atmosphere; however, when the princess in question appeared Rainbow Dash could see that this was clearly not the case. “Ugh… you’re so bright.” Luna rubbed her eyes before looking at Rainbow Dash again. The majestic and powerful Princess of the Night appeared to have the same difficulties as everypony else did when waking up. She levitated over a coffee pot and mug, pouring herself a hot cup before discarding said cup and taking a pull straight from the pot. “Mmm… coffee good.” “… I can wait a little longer if you’re not ready yet.” “Now is fine,” Luna said, taking another gulp of coffee. Rainbow Dash always took her for the coffee black type, but this went beyond her expectations. It made her curious about what Celestia was like after just waking up. “I’m useless until about one in the morning,” said the pony who just raised the moon. “So what did you want to talk about?” “I think I figured it out.” “Figured what out?” “Where Taboo came from.” “… For real?!” Rainbow Dash was up in the Princess’s business faster than her groggy eyes could follow. “And you waited until right now to tell me?” “Dial it back, please,” Luna said, backing off and drinking some more coffee. “I’m not even in my crown yet.” Luna levitated a very old looking book up off of her desk and set it before Rainbow Dash. The golden writing on the cover was old and worn, but Rainbow Dash could still make out what it said. “Pastor Green’s Herbal Remedies, Recipes, and Redecorating?” “I found the spell to transform my guards in this book,” Luna said, opening the book with her magic and flipping through the pages. She stopped on a page marked with a long, red feather and presented the contents to Rainbow Dash. “Ingredients are not particularly easy to come by, but luckily a little goes a long way and we don’t need too many of these seals anyway.” “Wow.” Rainbow Dash could barely wrap her head around what was written in the book, not at all versed in the arts of the herbalist or magician. “So… what does this have to do with Taboo exactly?” “Well, the active magic ingredients of this spell cause the transformation.” Luna took a steep pull from her coffee, seemingly unbothered by the fact that it had to be extremely hot. “After I remembered where I found the spell, I realized one of these ingredients must be somehow linked with Taboo’s place of origin.” “So which one is it?” Rainbow Dash said, turning her attention to the list of ingredients. “Is it Moonglow Moss?” “Probably not. That moss isn’t really specific to any one area anyway.” “How about Crushed Blood Root?” “Blood Root grows along riverbanks at high altitude, the kinds of places we’ve already looked. I doubt that has anything to do with it.” “What about Belly Vine?” “That grows on the stomachs of Timberwolves… so I doubt it.” “Garlic Powder?” “You buy that at the store,” Luna said, scratching her own belly in a rather unprincesslike manner. “You can stop guessing; I already know which one it is.” “Then why didn’t you say so?” Rainbow Dash asked, but she only response she got was Luna wiggling her coffee pot in front of her. “Oh, so which one?” “Storm Lotus Extract.” “What’s that?” “A very good question,” Luna said, setting her coffee down for a change. “Of all the ingredients, this is the only one not native to Equestria. The Storm Lotus is a flower that only grows in areas completely untouched by sunlight. They got their names due to their tendency to wash into dark grottos after heavy storms out at sea. They have to be harvested and stored before the sunlight touches them or they simply crumble into ash.” “You said they aren’t native to Equestria,” Rainbow Dash said. “But then where are they found.” “The flowers only wash up on remote islands with the right conditions. There are a few famous ones where Storm Lotus’s will wash up quite frequently like Sick Bay and Poisoner’s Retreat.” “Those sound like nice places.” “Storm Lotus extract is famous for its poisonous qualities,” Luna explained. “It’s hard to obtain, nearly impossible to detect in one’s system, and causes a range of odd symptoms unlike any other poison. Most victims complain of feeling as if they are burning and sudden headaches. Higher doses can cause temporary blindness and calcification of the bones.” “Fun stuff…” “But unfortunately those islands are not the origins of the flower,” Luna said, getting ready to explain further. “All we know is that they travel from their source during stormy weather and some sailors have even reported seeing them rain down from the sky on overcast nights.” “So, what this really tells us is…” “Wherever Taboo is from, it’s somewhere out at sea. More specifically, the waters somewhere southeast of Equestria.” “Huh, tropical.” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head. She wasn’t very good with geography. “So, how many islands are down there?” “… Well, I have good news and bad news.” “What’s the good news?” “The good news is that there are hundreds of islands that would be feasible geographically, and we haven’t searched any of them for Taboo’s relations.” “And the bad news?” “Most of them are known to be inhabited by creatures we already know of, and every last one of them is confirmed for not being the home of the Storm Lotus.” Luna smiled sheepishly, even though Rainbow Dash was visibly displeased. “… But she could always be from someplace underwater.” “You really think so?” Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow, showing that she in fact did not think so herself. “I’m glad you found that recipe again, but we’re back to square one anyway.” “I’m sorry this didn’t yield too much information,” Luna said, setting the book aside in favor of her coffee pot again. “But look on the bright side: now we now have evidence that Taboo did indeed come from someplace! I’m making arrangements to have the islands studied further. There are a number of interested scholars who just need a bit of funding to get things off the ground.” “… Yeah, I guess that is better than nothing,” Rainbow Dash said, allowing the little victory to occur. “I guess that Lotus Extract stuff explains why ponies who put on that patch thing act so weird… speaking of which, is there an ingredient in there that might make a pony act… uh… affectionate?” “Well, the cocktail causes several odd side-effects for ponies who haven’t gotten used to it yet,” Luna said. “But the main culprit for deviant behavior is the Lotus Extract, though. Why do you ask?” “Ah, well, it’s just… Fluttershy accidently put on Thunderhead’s patch.” “Oh dear!” Luna was suddenly much more awake. “Was Thunderhead alone with her at the time?” “N-no! We weren’t there. She apparently flew all the way back home to find her husband and they… uh…” “I see.” Luna put down her coffee again and narrowed her eyes at some distant point. “They mated.” “Yup… that.” “Well, I suppose congratulations are in order.” Luna was chipper again all of a sudden, taking a little sip from her coffee. “Fluttershy’s family will be adding another foal soon enough.” “You can’t know that for sure.” “On the contrary,” Luna said, giving Rainbow Dash a little wink. “The patch has different effects on males and females. Males when introduced to the concoction become extremely lethargic and begin to dismally recline about the environment for hours before they come back to their senses. Females become, as you put it, extremely affectionate. Why, when we first tried this charm out half of the mares who participated became pregnant!” “Yeah, but that’s only half.” “Yes, but it was the same half that managed to coax one of the stallions into mating.” Luna took another drink from her coffee, reminiscing on those early days of her guards. “Ah yes, we paid much in compensation for several years after that fiasco. After that we always had the sense to separate by gender when we introduced the charm to new recruits to prevent any more unplanned proliferations of the citizenship.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t really listening anymore. There were gears spinning in her head, devious and calculating gears. “I’m back!” Thunderhead marched in and began stripping off his armor. “Long night?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up at the clock to confirm it was already nine in the morning. That was past midnight in Thunderhead’s world. “A couple of Bully Goats were wandering around the train tracks. It took a while for us to convince them to clear out,” Thunderhead told her. He took his charm off, placing it on top of his armor. “I could use some sleep.” “Hold on there,” Rainbow Dash said, getting up and gliding across the room to him. “What if I could offer you something better than sleep?” She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Thunderhead willingly let her seduce him, until he realized where he was. “Wait, what about Taboo?” he asked, pulling away. Rainbow Dash continued to kiss his neck while he looked around for the filly, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Yeah, funny story…” Taboo’s ears suddenly perked up. She stood up from the table and left her breakfast where it sat, an act that didn’t go unnoticed by Rainbow Dash. She cocked an eyebrow, and watched her daughter wander into the den. “What’s up? Bathroom?” “I think I hear Buzzword.” “You heard a what?” Rainbow Dash nearly jumped out of her seat when an unholy screech suddenly sounded from the front of the house. She wondered how she could’ve missed a sound as horrifying as that as she winged her way over to the front door. She could hear strong wingbeats behind it, as if a large monster was preparing to strike. She waited for it to approach the door, but all she got was three tiny knocks. “Hello?” The knocks were accompanied by a tiny voice. Disarmed, Rainbow Dash decided to open up the door. What she found on the other side left her speechless. “Is Taboo here?” “Hi Venom!” Taboo said, popping out from behind her mother. “You came!” “Sorry it took me a while!” Venom said, puffing out her chest. “Mom had me watched closely after I snuck of to Canterlot. Can you come out to play?” “I’d have to ask my mommy,” Taboo said, looking up at Rainbow Dash. Her mother was still trying to process what was going on, trying to figure out if she should be more worried about the tiny changeling or the enormous vulture. “Can I play with her?” “… W-where are you going to play?” Rainbow Dash wasn’t entirely sure that was the question she should be asking, but it was the one that came out. She decided to just see where things went. “It has to be somewhere secret,” Venom said, crouching low on the cloud. “Because I’m a spy.” “Can we go to Fluttershy’s?” Taboo asked. “Maybe she’ll let us feed the ducks and see Willow.” “Yeah… that sounds remote enough.” “Alright, let’s go!” Venom said, whistling at Buzzword. The vulture let out another screech before picking up Venom in one talon and Taboo in the other. The two giggling fillies were ferreted off by the monstrous bird before Rainbow Dash could get in another word. After recovering from the shock, she shook her head and finally made a rational decision. “I had better go with them for now… before Fluttershy has to deal with a giant vulture and a changeling. Yeah, that’s a good idea. Then I’ll finish breakfast. Don’t panic, just fly…” “Wow, that story is incredibly distressing,” Thunderhead said, not at all feeling in the mood anymore despite Rainbow Dash’s best efforts. “And you left them there?” “The vulture flew off somewhere else after it dropped them off. Fluttershy agreed to keep an eye on things, and Time Turner is there too.” “He doesn’t exactly have a good track record where guts are concerned.” “It’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash said, cuddling up to her husband. “This is the first time we’ve been alone in the house. We should make the most of it.” “… You drive a hard bargain.” “Oh, but there is one other thing.” Rainbow Dash trotted over to Thunderhead’s armor and picked up the charm. Before Thunderhead could tell her not to, she slapped it onto her flank and began to transform. It felt super weird at first, like all her hair was being flipped upside down and put back in. Thunderhead could only watch as all the colors on her mane turned different shades of blue while the feathers on her wings were replaced by thin skin. The transformation complete, Rainbow Dash examined herself. “Whoa… still hot!” “Why is this happening?” Thunderhead asked. “Did Luna tell you about the first tests when you went to see her?” “Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash began eying her husband like a hunk of meat. The mannerism was actually par for the course considering their relationship, but it was more alarming for Thunderhead. “If you thought you were tired before…” “It is soooo wrong that I’m kinda into this,” Thunderhead said, backing into the couch. In a rather nostalgic turn of events, Rainbow Dash pounced on him. “Okay, I’m a lot into this.” “One time deal, stud. You’d better make the most of it.” “You know, if we just added another bedroom to the house, we could have the master bedroom all to ourselves when we want to. As long as we’re quiet-” “You need to be quiet now.” “Fair enough, but I’m just saying-” “Shhh, shh,” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to his mouth. “Do you know what I want to do?” “Yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea.” “I want to plot a course,” she said. She leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Intercourse.”