A rock went flying into the air as Chrysalis trotted, kicking small plants and pebbles that were unfortunate enough to cross her path. Night was soon approaching, and she couldn't find a single hair of the foal.
"Where could she be? She had to have passed by this place." Curiosity alone should be enough to draw the filly's attention. However, there was also the likelihood that Nymph ran into the local fauna that inhabited the Badlands.
Chrysalis shook her head of the grim thoughts. "No, she has to be alive. That changeling must be with her. Why, if anything happened to her..."
To say she had the look of a caged manticore that had been prodded by a sharp stick was mildly describing it.
"Ten years, " she said. "Ten long years of careful planning are not going to be tossed away that easily!"
"Howdy there!" said a voice. "You seem a little lost. Need some help?"
She turned around and was met by the smiling face of a stallion. She held back her scowl after another stallion had approached her for the sixth time. After the third one, she had grown tired of these small, tasteless snacks. At least this one was easy on the eyes. She quickly fixed her mane and let her charm do the rest.
"No, I'm fine," she said, but then added, "though perhaps you can help me find somepony. I'm looking for my daughter. She goes by the name, Nymph. About this tall?" She held a hoof out, measuring Nymph's height. "Seen her, cowboy?" she asked in a slightly huskier voice. She closed the distance between the stallion and herself.
"Sure have!" he said, taking a few steps back. "Though, it's getting kinda late, and you must be hungry. I can tell you more about it after we get something to eat at my place."
Chrysalis tittered behind a hoof. "My, aren't you a gentlecolt. Lead away."
He raised a brow. "Uh, alright. It ain't that far," he said as he began leading her.
In her mind, Chrysalis was grinning. Once she finds Nymph, she could take her back home before any of these ponies put some nasty thoughts in her head. Maybe she'll even have time to collect some love for the hive in this town. The stallion seemed like a good donor.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Braeburn," said the stallion.
"Rose Thorn," she said. "But you can just call me, Rose." It was at that moment that her flank "accidentally" bumped into Braeburn's. He coughed, pretending not to notice. She flicked her tail against the apple on his flank, watching the turmoil of emotions stir behind his straight face. And oh, did she enjoy it.
When they had reached an apple and cherry orchard, they found a mare waiting by the door. "No sign of the two?" the mare asked.
Braeburn shook his head.
"Well, it looks like they've gone ahead," she said. "I wonder why they've gone and hightailed it out of here." Her eyes drifted to Chrysalis. "Well, hello. Who might you be?" she asked, her eyes switching between Braeburn and Chrysalis.
"Rose Thorn. She's their mother," Braeburn said. "You might want to make room for one more for supper."
Chrysalis looked up and down the mare. A smirk crept its way onto her face. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "My, Braeburn, I didn't know you had such a beautiful wife."
Cherry Jubilee smiled and blushed. "Well, aren't you a flatter? Where are my manners? My name is Cherry Jubilee, but just Cherry is fine. Oh, do come in."
When Chrysalis entered the house, she saw a table set up in the dining room, already prepared for supper. She was ushered into a seat at the table by the mare.
"So I'm guessing you're way out here lookin' for your kids?" she asked as she filled a plate for Chrysalis.
Chrysalis eyed the food disgustingly before hiding herself behind a grateful smile. "Oh, yes, I terribly miss them." Well, she missed one of them. She kept up the act anyway, even watering her eyes to make it more believable. "I'm so worried about my little Nymph. Where are they? Are they here?" she asked.
Braeburn and Cherry both looked to each other with a worried glance.
"Well, you see, Rose," Braeburn said, "they were just here last night. But I'm afraid you just missed them."
The heavy weight on Chrysalis shoulders grew. "M-missed them?"
He nodded. "We were going to help them out, but they disappeared at the crack of dawn before I woke up."
"I see..." she said. Things were getting complicated. "Do you know where they could have gone?"
"I think they were trying to find their way back to Canterlot."
The alarms in her head rang wildly. Memories of a past defeat came to her mind like a moving picture. Behind a closed mouth, she grit her teeth.
"Rose, sug, you okay?" Cherry asked. "You don't look alright."
Chrysalis let out a deep breath, and said calmly, "I'm sorry, but just knowing Nymph is out there is worrying."
The mare draped a hoof around her. "I'm sure she'll be fine with her brother, Happy, to look after her. But right now, what you need is some rest before going back out there to look for your foals."
"Yes, perhaps you're right," Chrysalis said, taking in every detail of the mare next to her, from her plump hips to the lush curves and contours of her body. "Can you help me to a bed? I seem to be tired all of a sudden."
"Sure thing. So you need something to eat before you hit the bed, dear?"
Chrysalis glanced at the food and shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Okay then, you just rest up in the guest room," she said, as she began to guide Chrysalis upstairs. "Braeburn, dear, can you clean up while I help her?"
"Yeah, sure, Cherry," he said, as they ascended the stairs.
By the time Braeburn had finished the dishes, a mare who looked like Cherry Jubilee sauntered into the room with a swing in her hips, catching the eye of the only stallion in the room.
"She tuckered out?" he asked.
"Out like a light," the mare said in a voice to match her appearance. Inside, the changeling queen grinned to herself as she drew in the delicious warmth that radiated from the stallion. Sweet, savory love shared between loved ones.
"I'm sure I'd be exhausted too if I were in her position," he said.
"Aren't you sweet?" Chrysalis said, pressing against his side to cover as much surface area as possible. Her little "snack" was turning out to be quite the meal.
"Yeah..." he said, leaning into her. "Hey, Cherry, I've been thinking."
"Oh, have you?" she asked as she began leading him upstairs where the bedrooms were.
"Seeing Rose and meeting those kids, makes it feel like we've been missing out on something special in our lives."
Chrysalis paused in her step. "What are you saying? That we need a kid to make ourselves feel important?"
Braeburn shook his head. "No no, nothing like that! It's just... you saw the way she cared about them. I was kinda hoping we'd have some lil apples and cherries running around the orchard in the future. A little foal to love and raise, you know?"
Normally, this was the kind of conversation he should be sharing with his wife, and normally, Chrysalis couldn't care less about what any stallion had to say. But currently, his wife was taking a nap in the guest room, leaving Chrysalis to carry on the conversation.
"Braeburn, raising a foal the way you want them to grow up isn't easy," she said. Especially one as curious as Nymph.
"Sure, you feed them, change their diapers, and love them. And before you know it, she's grown so much bigger, and you realize she's not a baby anymore. But what about when she grows up to stop listening to you? What then? After all the work you put into raising a foal, what do you do when she runs away? What if she stabs you in the back, all because of some stupid ponies who think they have all the right answers?!"
The silence that followed was palpable. She looked at the stallion to see if he had caught onto something strange with her facade, but he was lost in his own thoughts.
"Well," he said, "I'm not one to think too much on a problem like Big Mac, but I'd say to just let it all play out."
Chrysalis's mouth hung open. "W-wha... You... What?!"
Braeburn shrugged. "If we raised her right, then she'll know to come back. It'd make sense she would want to see the world. I mean, the farm is great and all, but there's more to Equestria than that. And every foal will reach that age when they start rebelling. But sometimes, you just gotta let her learn her mistakes and pick her up when she needs the help. Give her a place to go to when she's got nowhere else to go. Parents just gotta be there for their kid."
For a while, Chrysalis said nothing.
Braeburn nuzzled her cheek and smiled. "And besides, who said our kid's going to be a filly?"
Chrysalis mulled over his words as they walked up the stairs. She stopped in her steps in front of the guest room. Braeburn looked back curiously when she stopped.
"Cherry, dear? Coming to bed?" asked Braeburn.
Chrysalis wrapped two hooves around the stallion's withers and pulled him to her, feeling the warmth of his body and his breath on her neck. She inhaled the extra bit of love that mixed with his scent. She whispered in his ear, "You talk about being happy with a foal to raise. But would you love a child that wasn't your own?"
"Wha... What do you mean?" Braeburn asked.
Chrysalis looked into his eyes. Her eyes briefly took on a glowing shade of green before returning to normal. The stallion in her hooves fell limp. She opened the guest room door, revealing a snoring red-haired mare lying on the bed, before tossing the stallion next to her.
A green flame erupted around Chrysalis, revealing her pegasus form. She closed the door and tossed her mane, making her way towards the front door. Outside, where night had taken over Equestria, Chrysalis trotted in the direction of the town's center where her loyal guards should be waiting. She cast one contemptuous look at the mountainside that held Canterlot and wrinkled her nose.
"Only a mother knows what's best for her child," she said, thinking about the stallion's words. He left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She set off to rally her guards. She was going to need more of her changelings if she was going to pay Celestia a visit. It seems her plans had been moved up sooner than she would have liked.
~~~~~~~
“What are sleepovers like?” I asked around the crayon in my mouth.
We sat around a table at the front of the store, drawing on pieces of paper with crayons. Most of the crayons were broken and dull, and some of the colors were even missing. I stuck to only a few colors as I colored my drawing.
Pound tapped his chin with a blue crayon. “I guess it’s like a party but at night,” he said.
“Did somepony say party?!” shouted a voice.
A pink blur sped towards us, and we found ourselves wrapped in a mare’s hooves.
“I love love love parties! I throw all kinds of parties—slumber parties, birthday parties, surprise parties, tea parties—you name it!"
"Birthday parties?" I asked. I never heard about this part about birthdays before.
"Yep! I just love making other ponies happy! Why, I wish I could throw a party for somepony every day."
Pound wiggled in her hooves. "Don't you kind of already do that, Pinkie?"
She released her grip, causing all of us to fall into a pile, and giggled. "Oh, yeah!"
"Pinkie, dear," called Mrs. Cake, "can you lend a hoof in here?"
"Okie dokie! I'll be right there," said Pinkie, and she sped off toward the kitchen.
I picked myself off the floor where Pinkie dropped us. “I’m guessing it’s never a boring day with Pinkie around,” I said.
Pound pulled himself from under Happy and Pumpkin. “Nymph, if you’ve been around Ponyville as long as Pumpkin and I have, then you’ll know there’s never a boring day around here."
"Yeah! There's always a big monster terrorizing Ponyville every month or so," said Pumpkin, pretending to be a ferocious monster.
"That sounds scary," I said.
"Not really," she said. "You get used to it."
I hope I never get used to seeing monsters like those two.
I looked at Pound's drawing. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to his picture. It showed three blue blobs with yellow streaks.
"It's the Wonderbolts!" he proudly exclaimed. "The best flyers in Equestria!"
"Pfft, that doesn't look anything like them," Pumpkin scoffed.
Pound glared at her. "Oh yeah, and what did you draw?" he asked.
With a piece of paper held in her mouth, she showed us her drawing. I saw a simple drawing that looked kind of like me and goofy drawing that looked like Pound. What I didn't understand were the red and pink hearts that surrounded us.
"I call it, My Brother Is a Doofus," she said with a grin.
Pound frowned, his cheeks a little more red than usual, while I was left confused.
"Ha ha, very funny," he said, reaching to grab the picture, only for Pumpkin to pull it away with a bigger smile on her face. Soon, it was a flurry of movement between Pound and Pumpkin until Pound gave up and sat down, grumbling to himself all the while.
I went back to finishing my own drawing. The black crayon I had been using had shrunk to the point where it was hard to hold between my teeth. Every so often, I had to spit out the nasty crumbles that broke off the crayon.
"That's a nice drawing," Pumpkin said over my shoulder.
I spat out the stub of crayon to admire my own work. "Thanks," I said. "It's a picture of me and my mom."
Pumpkin giggled. "You even drew you and your mom like the princesses."
I glanced at Happy at the other side of the room. He was busy tossing a ball and looking bored. He said he didn't want to draw with us, but at least this was more fun than what he was doing.
I leaned closer to Pumpkin to whisper. "A princess is nice and all, but I like the sound of being Queen better."
A stallion's head poked through the door that separated the storefront and the kitchen. "Alright, kids. It's time to eat," he said.
"Okay, Dad," Pound and Pumpkin replied.
We walked into the back of the store, which was also the family’s kitchen and dining room. I followed Pound and Pumpkin’s lead and took my seat at the table beside them with Happy beside me as always. A dinner plate slid in front of me as Pinkie passed by, carrying a stack of plates on her head, despite wobbling on her poofy, pink mane.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake soon arrived with an assortment of goods, much like my meal with Braeburn and Cherry Jubilee. It made me wonder: Do ponies always eat this much? In the past few days in the outside world, I’ve seen more food than I ever did my entire life.
“Go on, eat as much as you want,” Mrs. Cake said to me and Happy. “There’s plenty to go around.”
"Thanks," I said, as a generous helping of food fell on my plate.
Dinner conversation was mostly filled with questions of “What’s that?” and “What does it taste like?” I made sure to pick one of everything on the table. There wasn't a moment where I wasn’t stuffing my mouth with whatever I can get my hooves on.
"Thish ish real good," I said between bites.
Happy bumped my side with a hoof. "Nymph, don't talk with your mouth full," he scolded.
"I'm so glad you enjoy my cooking," said Mrs. Cake.
Pound raised a brow. "Yeah... uh, Nymph, you do realize you're just eating cauliflower and broccoli, right?"
I swallowed my food. "Whatever it is, I like it! I've never tasted anything like this before."
Pumpkin leaned towards her brother and whispered something in his ear, which he replied with a mere eyeroll.
It wasn’t long until I had to slow down eating. My tummy was starting to hurt. And bulge…
Pumpkin let out a low whistle. “Whoa, you can sure eat, Nymph. I haven’t seen anypony eat like that since Pinkie came with me and Pound on a field trip to the chocolate factory.”
“Who wouldn’t go crazy for all that candy?” Pinkie said as she took a bite out of a cake that she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. One bite was all it took for her to finish it.
“Uh, Pinkie. You’re not allowed to go near the factory anymore after you ate a year’s supply worth of chocolate. Remember?” said Pound.
Pinkie crossed her hooves with a harumph. “Well, maybe they should have been more specific when they told me I could take a free sample.”
They all laughed, and so did I. As I watched them talk about their past experiences, I thought about my own dinner experience back at home, and I realized that it was never like this. I wanted what this family of ponies had, but I'm not sure what it is.
Mr. Cake stood up from the table. “I think it’s about time to clean up.”
Pinkie bounded out of her seat. “Oh, it’s time for the slumber party!” she said as she ushered me and Happy up the stairs. Pound and Pumpkin ran after us.
“Don’t stay up too late,” Mrs. Cake called after us.
“Okay, mom!” the siblings called back.
Pinkie brought us to a loft above the shop. A single bed sat at the center. Strips of colorful paper hung from the walls and ceiling. Colorful round objects attached to strings floated in the corners of the room. It wasn’t anything like the room in Appaloosa. Though, it was nice to see something different. I’ve had enough of the usual dark cavern walls.
“Welcome to my room! This is where the party ideas happen," said Pinkie.
My ears twitched at a sound that filled the room. It was coming from a strange box with a spinning plate and a funnel. The box was singing somehow. How did it work? Ponies kept the most interesting things in their homes. The hive could sure use one of these.
“Don’t forget the party hats!” Pinkie shouted.
Suddenly, something was forced on my head, causing the hairs of my mane to block my view. Brushing my mane aside, I was greeted by an odd sight. On top of everyone’s head were bowls. Not small bowls, but large bowls, each holding something different inside.
“Okay, so we have Pumpkin and Pound on chips and salsa. Nymph is taking care of the cookies. Happy is handling the popcorn. And I’m on cupcake duty!”
“Aw, Aunt Pinkie, why am I on salsa duty again?” asked Pound. ”Do you know how hard it is to dip like this? Can’t I trade hats with Pumpkin?”
It was then that a small triangle thing dipped into Pound’s “hat” and floated into Pumpkin’s waiting mouth.
“I may not be able to teleport now, but I can at least do this much. Bet you wish you were a unicorn now, huh, Pound?” Pumpkin said with a smug look.
Pound rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, just pass the chips already.”
I looked up, trying to get a glimpse of my own hat. The contents above my head shifted with every movement. My hoof reached up to blindly grab a cookie but failed to grasp anything. Instead, I tipped my head forward enough to drop a cookie in front of me, which I gladly took in my mouth.
“Hmm, maybe the hats could use some work,” Pinkie said. “I was hoping to find a way for ponies to bring the party with them. I guess it’s back to the drawing boards. But first, let’s party!”
I watched the growing horror on Happy’s face as she grabbed his hooves and pulled him near the singing box. Pinkie shook and wiggled with the rhythm, while Happy swung with the movement of her hooves, desperately trying to pull his hooves free.
“Come on, Happy! It’s time to get your dance on!” Pinkie shouted.
I only snickered when his pleading eyes met mine.
"Hey, Nymph. Want to play pin the tail on the pony?" asked Pound.
I looked over and watched as Pumpkin was spun around while wearing a cloth over her eyes and holding a pinned fake tail in her mouth. If birthday parties were anything like this, then I wouldn't mind having a party for all my birthdays.
I smiled as I went to join them. “Yes, I would love to.”
~~~~~~~
After a whirl of games and enough sweets to last me a lifetime, the party had ended. Pinkie's room looked much worse now than it was before. Pinkie seemed proud of it, saying "A room can only get this messy from a great party." When Pumpkin had started nodding off, Pinkie decided it was time for us to "hit the hay." Though, I would rather go to sleep instead.
She brought us to Pound and Pumpkin's room. It was a simple room with only two beds, one at each side. With one side covered in what looked like stuffed animals and another side covered in pictures of blue pegasi, I think I can tell whose side was whose. Pinkie nudged us into bed. Pumpkin and I shared one bed while Happy and Pound shared the other.
With a flick of a switch, Pinkie turned off the lights. "Nighty night, everypony."
"Goodnight, Pinkie," we all said.
When the door shut behind the pink pony, the room was quiet with the sound of everyone's breathing. Perhaps I was growing used to sleeping in other ponies’ homes, but I never felt more at home than I did now since leaving the hive.
Home, huh? I wonder what Mommy is doing...
I tried to get comfortable, but I couldn't, no matter which way I lay. I turned towards Pumpkin and whispered to her. "Pumpkin, are you sleep?"
Grumbling something under her breath, she shifted and turned to face me. "No, I'm just lying here awake for absolutely no reason..."
"Oh, that's good. I was afraid of waking you up," I said.
She sighed. "Nymph, what do you want?"
"Well, I'm just wondering... Are we friends?"
She yawned. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want us to be," she said. "Just go to sleep."
"So you're not still mad about me bumping into you earlier?"
There was a pause. "Listen, Nymph. I wouldn't be sharing my bed with someone I hate."
"Oh, I see," I said. We both fell into a brief silence. "I think it's nice to have friends, don't you?"
She gave a soft grunt.
"But not everyone has a friend, and that's what worries me." I stared at the ceiling. "My mother—I don't think she has a friend."
"Your mom?" she asked.
"Yeah, she's always busy with work and taking care of me. I don't think she's ever tried making actual friends," I said. She had her changelings, but she never laughed or played with them like I do with Happy. "She must be pretty lonely. I can’t imagine what’d it be like if I didn’t have Happy around."
As soon as I said that, a particular loud snore came from the other side of the room. One of Happy’s ears twitched at the sound of his name. Even now, it seems like he’s doing his job of looking after me.
"I'm sure other ponies would be her friends, if she'd let them," said Pumpkin.
"Maybe," I said. "I should tell her that when I see her again. Thanks, Pumpkin."
Pumpkin was already fast asleep as her snores joined the others'.
I thought about my mother. For the first time since leaving the hive, I felt my first moment of regret. My mother was lonely, and I had left her all alone.
A terrible feeling lingered inside me, and I moved closer to Pumpkin in the bed we shared.
"Maybe I should have stayed home..." I said.
I was glad my pillow was large and soft because it did well muffling my sobs, as I lay there knowing that my mother was alone and looking for me.