//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: The market // Story: Where did you come from? // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Cheerilee hummed as she walked through the market, looking around happily. There were dozens of little stands, though some had closed for the evening. She always found it so relaxing, coming here. She didn't know why. But she very much enjoyed the negotiations and arguing with ponies over price. Already she'd gotten a few cherries and a head of cabbage for half off. Still, she found her mind wandering back towards Val. She had to think of something to do with him tomorrow. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't just leave him with the royal guards all day. She didn't want to skip on work on such short notice, but she supposed she'd have to. Still, it left a bad taste in her mouth. If only she could trust him around other children. He needed to do something... energetic. Burn himself out a little bit, too. If he wasn't so hyper, maybe he'd be a bit easier to control. She knew after the day with the crusaders he'd been downright adorable. He-- She let out a yipe as she ran into a wall. She stumbled back and shook her head, looking ahead at the tall, red... oh. That wasn't a wall. It was a very concerned stallion. “Big Mac?” He nodded. “Sorry,” he said softly. “What? Oh! No, it was totally my fault, I wasn't paying much attention!” she said before giving him a soft smile. “What are you doing here? Are the ponytones playing again?” She gave a soft shiver. She hoped so, she could listen to that deep, powerful singing voice of his all day. “Nnnnnope,” he said, motioning to his basket. “Oh... right. Sorry, I ummm... I'd best...” She stopped and looked into his eyes. They were filled with concern. Big Mac may not have been much for words, but all the time she'd known him, he'd always been quite the good listener. She smiled gently at him. “Would... you be able to talk, for a moment?” He gave a little nod and she moved up besides him. “So, it all started on saturday...” ------ Val stared up at the pony before him, one eye cocked. “You're... an idiot.” “Hey, these games are cool! We play them all the time!” “There's a bunny on the cover. Do I LOOK like the kind of pony who would play a game with a bunny on the cover?” Flash sighed. “Well... I guess if you want something a little more violent... here. How about we play with these.” He pulled out a small square box. On the cover was a robed unicorn controlling blades of ice, a pegasus dodging between some of the blades while wearing thin, black armor. Behind them an earth pony in a gray robe was bucking a tree down, that was falling down onto a dragon as it shot its flames out over the falling wood. In big, golden letters it said 'Armies of Equestria, Core Edition'. Val stared, drooling slightly. It was, bar none, the most awesome, amazing, coolest thing he'd ever seen. He then paused. “Wait, are there bunnies in it?” “Well, one but--” “Next game!” Val snapped. “But it--” “I said next game!” Val stomped his hooves angrily. Flash sighed and put the box down. He could hear the other soldiers, giggling at his miss fortune as he pulled out a small, griffon board game. “Here, no bunnies.” ------ Cheerilee sighed again. “I thought he was really doing better, I did! But then he lit Diamond Tiara on fire.” “Ehwut?” Big Mac asked, glancing up from the oranges he was looking over. “It's not as bad as it sounds! Well, okay. It is. But it was only minor bit of damage. Her mane was a little singed and her crown. I understand that he needs help right now, that he needs ponies to help him through everything. I for one couldn't begin to imagine what I would do if I was suddenly thrown into a strange body on two hooves, having to... well, walk on two hooves. Whatever else they'd do. But I can't bring him to school for a while. He needs adult supervision. I can take the time off, but I don't have many vacation days left and an extended leave could cause some problems for the school and get me in a lot of trouble.” Big Mac nodded, finally picking out an orange. He didn't say anything for so long that Cheerilee suspected he was ignoring her, but finally he turned and looked to her. “We could watch 'im at the farm.” That made her pause. “Wait. You could? You mean you and Applejack?” He gave a little nod. “Are... are you sure? He can be a bit of a hoofful.” He gave another nod. “Eeyup. It maight do 'im some good. It won't be no vacation,” he said with a shake of his head. “Especially after he went an' lit some poor filly on fire. But maybeh a bit of good, hard labor'll help set 'im straight.” She nodded. “Nothing... too hard, I hope? As I said, he's still learning to walk on all four hooves. He's getting better, mind you. But he still has a long way to go. He can't grab things with his hooves, either.” He nodded again. “Ah'm sure. We won't work 'im to the ground. Jus' make him do some proper chores, tire 'im out a bit so he don't give yah such a rough time.” Cheerilee lunged forward and hugged the massive stallion. “Oh, thank you thank you thank you! You're absolutely a life saver, Big Mac! I don't know... err...” She slowly pulled back and gave him a small, shy smile. “Sorry.” He looked away, his cheeks red as he struggled to not think of her as anypony but his little sister's teacher. Yup, just a teacher. Nothing more, nothing less. Definitely not anything more. He coughed and tried speaking up again. “So, how's Diamond?” “Diamond? Oh, she's doing fine. Ever since she took over as treasurer her anti-social behaviors have dropped considerably. Rather than trying to bully ponies around and force them to do what she wants, she's resorted to asking. She's quite the natural born leader, in fact. I've been thinking of allowing her more responsibilities in the class now that she's knocked off a lot of her 'I must win everything' attitude. She's been hanging out with your little sister quite a lot now, as well as the other crusaders. They've been a marvelous influence on her. Though I do worry they will end up covered in more sap.” She couldn't look him in the eye any more and she knew she was rambling, she just couldn't help it. “Oh, wait. You meant the fire? Oh, she's perfectly fine. She bounced right back, in fact and went straight to playing.” Big Mac chuckled and gave a little nod. “Ah see. It's good tah here she's doin' better. Ah know she could always be a bit...” He trailed off and seemed thoughtful for a few moments. Before finally shrugging. “She could be a bully.” Cheerilee nodded and gave a soft chuckle. “Yes, she could. I've seen plenty of ponies with that sort of behavior, though. It's quite common considering her upbringing. Fortunately, most ponies do grow out of it. Some don't, but most do.” She then looked back to him, gulping a little. “I'm... actually hopeful your sister and her friends can help Val as well. He's been quite... his behavior improved considerably after the short time they were together. They seemed to have taken a bit of a shine to him, though I imagine it's because he's a blank flank. But still, it vastly improved his behavior.” She then let out an exasperated sigh. “Granted, in this case ONLY lighting a pony on fire is considered vastly improved. I do hope that guard is okay.” ------ Flash sneezed and simultaneously felt a shiver go down his spine. “You going to make your move, or not?” Val snapped. “I'm going, I'm going.” ------ Cheerilee smiled as she put the last item, a big ripe tomato, into her saddle bag. She then gave Big Mac a small smile. “So, I can drop him by in the morning. Would that be okay?” The stallion gave a small little nod. “Eeyup.” He then gave her a small smile, before turning to trot away. She watched him walk away for longer than she should have, before shaking her head and gently trotting back towards home. Hopefully Val hadn't turned Flash into a turtle or something. When she trotted into the castle, she shivered. It was deafeningly quiet. A chill went down her spine and she prayed to the heavens that Val hadn't killed some pony and she wasn't arriving after they'd come to take him away. She nervously trotted forward. “Hello?” she called out in a soft whisper. There was no answer. Oh no, oh no no no no! She started walking faster. Then she heard it. “Hah! Eat fire, winged pony!” Val's voice rang out. She shrieked and galloped, shoving the doors open. “Val, don't... don't... don't?” she said, staring in confusion. Val was laying on his stomach, a board game set in front of him. Little tiny ships were on the board and Flash took off a small piece before waving to her. “Hey Miss Cheerilee. You sunk my cloud skimmer. Okay, how about... D3?” “Hah, miss!” the colt said proudly. “Ummmm... F6!” “No, another hit!” “HAH! DEVOUR MY FLAAAAAMES! I am the master general of the air wars!” Flash chuckled softly and Cheerilee noticed him move one of his ships to F6, before putting a hit on it. She couldn't keep a small smile from her lips as she sat down and watched them. Soon enough the game ended(Val won) and she moved over to help them clean up. “Thank you very much for keeping him entertained while I was gone,” she said softly. “Oh, it wasn't any problem. He's not so bad once you get past the death threats and... other things,” Flash said with a small, nervous smile. “Did... err... did he really light a pony on fire?” “It was once. And he's very, very sorry for it,” Cheerilee said, glaring down at the colt. “Were you threatening the guard?” “What? No!” Val said quickly, shaking his head. “I-I wasn't, honest! I promised I wouldn't and I kept my promise even when I got mad and he sunk my little air ship I didn't threaten him at all!” Cheerilee stared down at him, before looking up at Flash. “When you sunk his air ship, what did he call you?” Out of the corner of her eye she saw the colt twitch. “It's... really not something that bears repeating.” The teacher sighed. “I'm sorry he's been such a hoofful. Fortunately, it'll only be this one time. I've found somewhere else to put him for the rest of the week.” Flash let out an audible sigh of relief, before cringing. “Err, I mean, he's... really not so bad. Honest. If you need any more help, just ask.” He quickly saluted with a strained smile. She nodded. “Thank you, but it shouldn't be necessary. Val, come along.” She turned and started trotting out the door. She heard the light clops of Val's hooves besides hers. “Are you still mad at me?” “I am furious with you,” she said without looking down. “You lit a filly on fire. You promised not to use your magic, and you lit her on fire.” “But, but she made me so mad and--” “That is no excuse for violence. There is NEVER an excuse for violence. What you did, Val, was WRONG. Do you even understand that? Do you comprehend what you've done? What if you'd really hurt her?” “But she--” “No. No buts. No 'but Cheerilee's. No 'I'm sorry's. What you did was wrong and dangerous. I understand you're scared and upset. But Val, you need to learn that you can't hurt ponies like that. If you get angry, use your words or put yourself in a time out. You don't hurt other ponies!” “But... but back home we were--” “You aren't back home and, frankly, if your mother and family was half as bad as the stories you tell, they should have been locked away forever! And banished! And locked away where they're banished!” She could hear a soft sob from the boy. She looked down and tried not to feel bad, but she couldn't help it. He wasn't verbally bawling this time. This time it was soft and weak. Just a gentle little sob, silent tears starting to go down his face. She moved over and stopped, gently putting a hoof around him. “Val, I'm angry. I'm very, very angry with you. But that doesn't mean I don't still love you. It just means I'm very mad at you.” He let out a soft little gasp. “You... you love me?” he asked weakly, staring up at her with wide eyes. “Of course. You're one of my students, in a way. A gentle little child who needs care and knowledge.” She softly pat his head. “What you did was wrong and you need to be punished for it. But that doesn't mean I hate you. Understand?” He nodded, before leaning up to give her a great big hug. “O-okay,” he said softly, leaving a wet mark on her chest as he buried his head in it. “I-I love you too mommy.” She froze. Oh no. Oh no no no. Nope. Nope nope. No way. She did not just hear that. She could feel the color drain from her face. She had not just heard that. She had mis heard it, that was it. Mis heard. There was no way, just... no. She shivered and thought back to what Twilight had said. Oh buck no. “Errr, right. So, Val, we need to talk, though. I can't take you to school with me for a while. You are, effectively, suspended.” He pulled back his head and cocked it to the side. “What?” “That means no school for a while. Fortunately, a friend of mine is going to be watching you for the week. A good friend. I'll be dropping you off in the morning and picking you up in the evening after school.” He scowled. “But I don't--” “You lit a filly on fire. It doesn't matter what you want. Until I'm sure you can behave yourself, you're not going to school at all. Understand?” He looked ready to speak again, but the look in her eyes made him waver and he gave a small nod. “S-sorry...” he whispered. “Good. Now that that's settled, onto the next task at hoof. I've submitted an application, hopefully before the week is over, we can get you in to see a psychiatrist. They'll be able to talk with you and help you deal with your issues. Understand?” He shook his head. “Not... really?” “A psychiatrist is a pony that helps you deal with negative thoughts and... think of it as an adult you can talk to who will keep all of your secrets and not judge you or object to what you say.” He blinked a few times before nodding. “Okay...” “You'll understand after a session. Now, come along. There's dinner to be started. We need to finish cleaning up all that junk outside, too. After all that's done, we can do some arts and crafts before bed, if there's time.” “Arts and whats? What about the box?” “No television tonight. You're still in trouble.” He grumbled darkly, but followed after her when she trotted off. ------ Rarity smiled as she sat at the foot of the bed, Claw's head laying gently in her lap. Sweetie and Silverbelle were now sound asleep at the head of the bed, covered up in the thick, soft blankets. Claw's eyes were drooping as he listened to her soft voice reading the small children's book held in her magic. His eyes closed against and his head went limp, slightly drooling on her leg. To her amazement, she didn't really mind. Instead she closed the book and put it on Sweetie's bedside table. Then, gently, she lifted Claw in her magic, slid off the bed and laid him across her back. She then started trotting out of the room as quietly as she could. Besides Sweetie's room was Claw's and she moved inside, gently depositing him on the cot she'd brought out from storage. Normally she'd have been annoyed, having to give up her storage room and stuff everything into her inspiration room, but now she didn't. Right now all she could think as she slid the little dragon pony into bed was that he was quite adorable when he slept. He definitely had the family's white coat and more gentle features. He'd be quite the cute little stallion when he grew up. Probably beating the mare's off with a stick. Well, that or he'd have a hoard of jewels and live in a mountain. Who knew? This was hardly an exact science. Either way, though, she couldn't help feeling a little warmth as she looked down at her little baby boy, before leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead and pull the covers up. She turned and trotted out, turning off the light and pausing. Well, her baby boy or Sweetie's. Ugh, why did time travel have to make everything so... difficult? She made it downstairs and smiled. She could hear the gentle running water from the kitchen. Spike was cleaning up now. She couldn't deny that she quite enjoyed his help. Without him, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to take care of all the children. She couldn't imagine what led her aunt and uncle to just abandon Silverbelle in her lap. Whatever they were doing, she hoped it was important. Probably off in Canterlot, gallivanting around with the nobles. Not that she could blame them for wanting to do that, but it was still quite annoying. She walked into the kitchen as he put the last dish away. He wiped off his claws and turned around, nearly toppling off the little foot stool he had to use to reach the sink. “H-hi Rarity,” he said softly. She moved over and gave him a little nuzzle, drawing a deep red blush to his cheeks. “Thank you for helping with everything. I know you don't have to, but--” “Of course I have to!” he said indignantly. “Claw is my kid too! I can't just leave it all on you!” She smiled and then gave him a little kiss on the cheek. “You'd be amazed at just how many ponies aren't quite as noble as you are, at least with a child from the future. Probably,” she said before pulling back and trotting towards the front room. He stared, watching her go with a little giggly grin on his face. “Hee... hee hee... I uhhh... hee hee... errrr... you... make it easy to want to be noble,” he said softly as he watched her go, a claw rubbing his cheek. “With a silver tongue as well,” she said with a small snicker. “I'm going to do a little light reading. Would you care to join me?” He nodded quickly and ran over, a wide grin on his face. She laid down on the couch and used her magic to pull him up besides her. She then pulled out a small blue book. “It's one of Daring Do's. Rainbow's constant begging finally convinced me to give it a small chance.” He nodded as he nestled against her coat. “Ohhhh, this one is good.” “Oh? You've read it?” “Uh huh! She... well, I won't spoil it, but it's good. Really good.” She nodded and slowly pulled it open to the first page. “Okay then. How about we read it together?” He nodded and grinned before starting. “The clouds were dark and...”