//------------------------------// // Training // Story: The More Things Change // by The Crane //------------------------------// Once again, Tonya curses her fate. It's easy to see as the tan earth pony lies flat on the floor of the barn. Her head lays on the ground between her front legs. Her eyes stare at nothing. Those half-open balls of curiosity simply stare into the distance along the floor. Her ears lay flat against her head in defeat. In fact, nothing on her has moved in a while. A red-coated pony whom all the residents know as Casie quietly works on her own projects while Tonya groans about her mistakes. Casie uses her talent at fire to practice blowing glass. A thin flame flows out of a small opening between her lips while she works to control it. Too much, and it will fry her project. Too little, and it will be ineffective. There isn't even an invisible extra in the room. Kat has flown off to do her chores for the weather service. Strangely, she was snickering as she exited. Between Tonya and Kat, there's always an adventure on the horizon. Tonya looks about from her pout and notes that while Casie is playing babysitter, she's not particularly interested in what she's up to. And in her grounding (ironic!) she once again craves freedom. She scrapes the ground with her hoof and notes that there is no actual floor. Her eyes shift down and sees the dirt below. Casie works on her technique and tries to refine how to do things. The shape she is trying to achieve is not important. She needs to know how to make this angle. Or that shape. With a bucket of sand at her side, she may actually be here a while. As long as Tonya remains quiet and out of trouble, Casie has no problems. She understands that her friend has been through a lot more than she bargained for. Sadly, Casie doesn't spend much time with her and doesn't know the intricacies of her life. She knows that her parents have passed and that she spent most of her life in an orphanage. Beyond that, and her abilities, Casie is ashamed to say she doesn't know her very well. Outside, there is a disturbance in the ground leading away from the barn. A very minor something is displacing the earth and slipping out from under the door. Very quickly it rises from the dirt and takes on a pony shape. Messed up hair to go with a messed up mind. A sneer for which she will steer. Little brown eyes. "And where do you think YOU'RE going?!" Almost as fast as Tonya slipped out, a ring of thick fire surrounds her and screams at a fear within her. She's never been afraid of fire, but something is shouting NOOO!!! Something instinctive to her pony form stops her in her tracks. Casie drops in front of her only a moment later. She stands firm on her four legs with her chest out and her head high. "Not gonna happen," Casie tells her. "But that was a good try!! Leaving a statue of yourself while running away? That'd be a good tactic to use. And you use it to break out of house arrest? What a waste." "How'd you know?" "I can see the heat spectrum, Tonya. Fire, you know? Gives me all sorts of fun abilities. I saw you 'went cold.' So I figured you'd make a break for it." "How'd you know I was going this way?" "Your habits tell you to use the door." "You guessed," Tonya snickers. "Okay, I guessed," Casie replies. "Now, let's get you back inside." "Catch me if you can!!!" Tonya shouts out. She jumps her flaming obstacle and lands on the ground in a second or two. Casie, during all this, snaps her tail and catches Tonya's as the shapeshifter is passing. It's not much, but it stops Tonya from escaping for a precious second. It gets Tonya to trip and fall and gives Casie an extra second to stop her again. But, there was something else... "What was that?!" Tonya gasps. "You... felt that too?" "That was weird..." Tonya gasps. "Yes, it was...." Casie replies. "Now get inside before I have to carry you in!!!" ==-==-== Casie returns to her project. She looks over occasionally to her charge and finds that she hasn't moved since their return to the barn. The Tonya statue remains as a reminder of her near-success. And the others will razz her about it later. As for Tonya, Casie found a few ropes in the barn and hung her little friend off the ground where she couldn't try that again. The ropes cover her thoroughly so as to prevent her from escaping as a smaller creature. She came out looking like a rope coccoon with a head. Fortunately that head is pointed up. "This is cruel and unusual punishment!!" Tonya shouts. "This goes against the Fifth Amendment!!" "Fifth Amendment is for double jeopardy," Casie casually comments. "You're thinking about the Eighth Amendment." And then Casie turns towards Tonya with a grin. "And that's only if we were back home." "Urrgghh..." Tonya growls. "I gotta pee!!" "Then there will be a wet spot." "Fine!! But as long as I'm your prisoner, can you tell me something?" "Depends on what it is." "What did I do?" "You made a mess yesterday and--" "NOO!! I meant at the party. You woke up and said something like 'I didn't know you could do that...' What DID I do?" "Is that what I said?" Casie wonders. "Something like that..." "You know, Tonya... We were ALL pretty hammered that night. Especially you. I'm surprised you remember anything!! Are you SURE you heard right?" ".... Pretty sure. I WAS pretty wasted... I don't remember much of... Hey..." Her face sours at a string of thoughts that gallop across her mind. "I'm not gonna get pregnant again, am I?! Please, NO!! I can't take that again!!" "Don't worry about that," Casie says in a comforting tone. "Wait... YOU'RE not pregnant, are you?!" Casie suddenly shoots a massive flame out of her mouth and incinerates her project. Her red coat hides the fact that she has a large blush running up her face. "Well," Casie spouts, "if I was, I'd be the one to worry about it... I think I'm old enough to make that decision, wouldn't you agree?" "Yeah..." Tonya sighs. "I suppose..." ==-==-== As the sun makes its way towards the horizon, the door to the barn opens once again. The sound heralds the return of three ponies that shouldn't be. Kat, Amanda, and Bobbi all walk in after a long day at their respective jobs. "Casie," Amanda asks. "Why is Tonya pretending to be a caterpiller?" "You guys said I needed to keep her here," Casie says with a half-smile. "You didn't say how." "Casie," Amanda continues, "remind me to never let you watch Sundae." "Or Jacob," Bobbi adds. "Or Jesse," Kat notes. "Somepony wanna get me down?!" There is a slight gust of wind that comes up and towards the bound Tonya. "This might be for the best," Kat snickers. She taps on the rope-coccoon and Tonya sways back and forth against her will. "It'll keep you out of trouble." "Nice sculpture," Bobbi notes as she taps a hoof on it. "Yeah, ain't it great?" Tonya replies happily. "It's from my rebellious period!! Really, guys? I gotta get out of here!!" "And you will," Amanda tells her. "Tomorrow, we all have to go on a trip. We have all been summoned to meet Princess Celestia. Twilight and her friends will be meeting us at the train station at nine. And the message clearly states 'SO-BER.'" "Great!" Bobbi smiles. "That sounds like fun." "Why don't we all get some grub?" Kat asks. "I think we all could use some food." "Sounds good to me!!" Casie says as she starts towards the door. "Where we going?" "Little place I saw," Kat says. Bobbi and Amanda join her as they leave. "Makes veggie pizzas. It'd be fun to try!" "I'll buy!" Bobbi smiles as she shuts the door. "Are we going to have Kat lead the way? Is that really wise?" "Why?" Kat wonders. "I know how to get there." "That's not the issue," Amanda adds. While they make their way down the road to get their food, one thing seems to have been forgotten. One detail that has slipped their minds. While they have the money and the appetite... "Um, guys?" Tonya calls. "Hello? Need some help here!!" She swings her tightly bound prison back and forth in a desperate attempt for attention. "Come back!!" Tonya listens to the chattering between her friends/family and finds them getting quieter and quieter as time goes on. Before long, the voices of her 'family' have almost completely disappeared. "HEEEEYYYY!!!" Tonya shouts. "DON'T LEEEAAAVVVE MEEEEEE!!!!" "Oh, would you chill out?" Kat asks from the darkness. A moment passes and Tonya's prison loosens and drops her flatly on 'herself.' "You know I'd never do that to you." "But you'd at least get me to believe it." "Eh. I gotta have SOME fun!! Now let's go!! The others are waiting." ==-==-== Dinner came and went. As well as their sleep. Morning came around for the five. The crisp night air was again replaced by a warm dawn of the sun. The five took great care to make sure that they were presentable. Each of the five have rings subtely placed on their bodies. Each is the color of their coat, so it is difficult to see. Bobbi and Amanda, the unicorns, each have a ring at the base of their horns. Tonya and Casie, the earth ponies, wear them as earrings. Kat, the lone pegasus, is invisible entirely so it won't be known unless she says so. Each of these five rings summons a wrap around their bodies. It wraps around the barrel of their bodies with the color (again) of their coat. Tonya groans a bit though. "We're not gonna be shoved in box cars or anything, are we?" "Why do you think that?" Amanda asks. "Well, where we're from we're like farm animals." "We're NOT where we're from," Casie replies. "I'm sure we'll be treated fine. We may be ponies, but so are they. I highly doubt they'd shove themselves into something so basic." They arrived at the train station as expected and were greeted by Twilight and her group of friends. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all came together to greet them. Like the five, they also have taken certain measures to look their best. "No dragon today?" Kat wonders. "He'll be watching the library while I'm gone," Twilight replies. "The train leaves soon. I just wanted to remind everypony that we are going to meet with royalty. You all are expected to be on your best behavior." For a long moment, four of the strangers all stare at Tonya. Even a couple of the six narrow their gaze at her for a short period. "What?!" Tonya gasps. "I seem to recall," Rarity notes, "that a certain pony called Her Highness... OLD." "Did I do that?" Tonya wonders aloud. "I was pretty hammered at the time..." "Tonya," Amanda notes, "be 1000% courteous. She holds great power. And we are figurtively camped out on the lawn." "Yeah yeah..." "Pinkie?" Twilight asks. "You got the cake?" "Locked and loaded!!!" she replies with a salute. "How long a trip?" Kat wonders. Rainbow Dash pops into the air and points to the mountain in the background. As the newcomers look into the distance, they can vaguely make out a structure built into the side of it. "Canterlot's out there. A few hours." And, eventually all eleven of them boarded the train one after another. Each of them showed their ticket to the doorpony as they passed. However, the poor soul was a little taken aback when one such ticket floated in mid air past him. "Been working too long..." he muttered to himself. ==-==-== Tonya's fears about the train were quelled when they entered. While she feared freight cars with hard uncomfortable floors and difficult smells, she found something very different. The train cars were all plush and comfortable. There was plenty of room for them all, but also nice seats to plant themselves in. "Something wrong?" Twilight asks. "No, not at all!!!" Casie walks by, "she was expecting to be treated like cattle." "Yeah... well.... In our world..." Applejack tosses a foreleg around Tonya's shoulders. "Don't worry, darlin'. These are the finest seats Ah've ever seen. Ah don't know how things work where ya're all from, but we trah to be hospitable." ==-==-== As the train makes its way, both groups of ponies start to mingle. Tonya watches from afar as her friends make new ones. Little by little, the two groups start to form one much larger one. "And you know," Amanda tells Rarity, "I think I can help your store. I have some ideas you might like." "Oh, do tell!!" Rarity says with a smile. "And might I say I love your outfits? They're simple. And they seem to have a deeper meaning. They don't really seem 'dress up' though..." "They're not formalwear or anything," Amanda tells her. "More like work clothes. We wear these when we have serious business to take care of. But, it seemed like a good idea to do something 'up' if we're on official business. I was hoping not to, though..." "Oh, why is that?" "Because, whenever we wear these, it means we're going into a fight. Our uniforms have been stained with bad omen, I guess...." "Oh, dear.... I'm sorry. But, worry not!!! This is a royal summons to meet and greet. Nobody is going to get hurt!! Tell you what, darling. How about I design something special for all of you? Something for a special occasion?" "I wouldn't want to put you out," Amanda says as she waves a hoof around. "Nonsense!! I'd be happy to!! Think of it as a welcoming gift!" ~~~ "So," Applejack asks, "what do ya do back home?" "Police officer," Bobbi replies. "You know. Kick flank. Take names." "Well, that's an honest day's work if Ah ever heard it. Ya make any big cases?" "I've had my fair share," Bobbi notes. "I've run across some that are so damn high they could never think straight." "High?" Applejack wonders. "You know... Or maybe you don't... Let's just say they're under 'special' influences." "Ya mean, like a potion 'r somethin'?" "Yeah!!! That's right!! Some of these guys brew their own... potions. And their minds go off in directions you'd never dream of!!" "Sounds danger'us!!" "You don't know the half of it. I once saw this one guy run down the street --completely naked-- telling me that the aliens are trying to get into his mind." "Ya get 'im?" "PPHHTT!! Of course!! I was wearing tube socks!! You can't outrun someone in those! Turns out he had so much 'potion' in him that his mind wasn't worth getting into anyway!!" ~~~ "And then I pulled a Sonic Rainboom and saved everyone!!! All six of them!!" "WOW!!" Kat gasps. "That's awesome!!" "Six?" Rarity asks as she cranes her head in a little. "Oh, that's right!! You and your ego were the two extra!!" she says with a snarky giggle. "Ha ha!! I seem to remember saving your flank!" "Of which you know I am eternally grateful. Doesn't mean I can't correct your story, dear." "You carried four ponies?" Kat asks. "That's awesome!! You must be pretty strong!!" "Oh, yeah!! One of the strongest there is!!" "'Cept Bulk Biceps," Applejack interjects. "Or Iron Will," Fluttershy meekly adds. "At least I'm the fastest flier!!" Rainbow points out with a wince. She waits for a second as yet another pony may chime in. But, apparently they will allow her this one moment. "OH, Ye--" Twilight adds "until you've seen Princess Celestia in a hurry." "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Dash complains. ~~~ Casie sits quietly in her seat while observing the others. She watches her friends make new ones. But, she doesn't join them in their merriment. Although they are her friends, Casie spends a lot of time away from them. Amanda and Tonya live in the same city, so they spend a fair amount of time together. Bobbi can quickly come to them when in need. And Kat enjoys her time with Tonya and Amanda. And Casie? Kind of a social recluse. While not antisocial, she spends a lot of time busy with other things. And while she watches her friends, she can't help but notice a bright pink pony sitting next to her. She is so hard to miss that it isn't even funny. She looks over to Pinkie and watches as she mimics her every move. When she turns her head towards her, Pinkie looks away in the same direction. If Casie scractches her nose, Pinkie does the exact same. "What are you doing?" they ask each other. By that point, Casie understood what was going on. Mock by mime. Everything that she was going to do, Pinkie would do the same. "Stop that," they chorus. "What's your angle?" Casie asks on her own. "I just want to know why you're so far away." "Far away?" Casie grins. "They call. I come. They're all acutely aware." "But... Why would they have to call at all?" "Busy." "With?" Casie smiles a little. "I'd tell you. But I don't think the rating on this world goes that high." "Oooh... Will you tell me when the scene changes?!" There is a moment where Casie smiles a little. "Sure!" ~~~ Tonya has been passing the time with her head hanging out the window. She watches the scenary as it whizzes by. The further out she looks, the slower it passes. The wind runs past her and gives her a thrilling sense of freedom. She smiles, almost by force, and the wind inflates her cheeks like a dog on a highway. Her mane flaps all around. Her ears jiggle up and down. The wrap around her body ripples and threatens to break free. She holds back the instinct to fully turn into a dog and enjoy the moment. But, that might scare ponies nearby. It's already happened after all. And she just barely skated out of blame's way. As the ride continues, Tonya gazes out at her friends new and old and thinks that that her family is growing again. A harsh thought reminds her of another attempt to expand her family. But, something piques her curiosity. She walks over to the yellow pony Fluttershy and looks at the pink curtain of hair across her face. Tonya looks at her with a crooked head. She has noted that Fluttershy has not moved in quite awhile. Hasn't even said anything. She waves a hoof in front of her to try to get her attention. Nothing. She gently pulls Fluttershy's mane aside... And finds that the animal lover is asleep in her seat. With a little smile, Tonya walks away. "Did you need something, Tonya?" "No... Yes.... Maybe..." "I'm sorry. I had to help some owls last night." She gives off the quietest of yawns. "It's okay. I was just thinking. My friends are all helping elsewhere in town. I was just wondering if you needed help with anything?" "Me?" "You take care of animals, right?" "Why yes!! I tend to lots of cute little critters!" "I figured I might be able to help you. I have some... skills that might come in handy. If you'll let me." "What... kind of skills?" "Tell you later." "O-okay... I could use some help... I guess... if that's alright... Why me?" "I sense... a kindred spirit," Tonya says quietly. ==-==-== After a long train ride, the two groups had more time to mingle. They chatted. They bonded. Pinkie shot off several loads of Party Cannon, so they all exit the train covered in confetti and streamers. Twilight led everypony off the train. "Bobbi? Kat? Tonya? Casie? Amanda? Welcome to Canterlot!!" The five named ponies walk up and gaze upon the extraordiarily huge castle before them. They all stand in awe as their visions dart around to take it all in. Among all the stone walls is a city that seems to span forever and a series of towers that stretch up the sky. There are pegasi that float freely above the ground without a care. Unicorns prance along the ground (some with too much self-importance) Kat notes, "Somepony pinch me..." And Tonya shrugs and bites her in the flank.