Part 14
“Know your enemy.” Kunibert said. “Information is the greatest weapon a warrior can have.”
“But I don’t know anything about Escargot, really.” Diamond Tiara said as she shook her head.
“And her friends?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea- and I know just which one to use.” Diamond Tiara smiled a fox’s grin.
Much Too Flashy
Mew Mew,
Mew Mew.
Escargot nuzzled the pillow, enjoying the soft fabric against his cheek for a bit before he yawned. Stretching, he reached over and turned off the kitty alarm clock. He sat up and ruffled his mane a bit as he got out of bed. Walking into the bathroom, he turned on the cold water and sat, letting it run down his now-female body.
Eyes closed, he looked up into the stream, shaking his head slowly before washing his long mane and tail. Humming softly, he finished washing himself, then tidied the bathroom briefly. Wrapping a towel around his mane and tail, he walked out of the bathroom, singing softly.
Sitting down in the room set aside for Escargot, he started drying and brushing out his mane, running a comb through it first, before brushing it out in long strokes, so it was tangle free and gained its natural curl. Next, his tail.
Opening the door, Snails’s mom stepped in and sat down, listening. Tilting her head, she smiled softly, listening to Escargot sing one of the Ponytones’ songs. Escargot’s soft voice filled the room, “You've got to look inside and find, find you've got the music.”
Startled, Escargot stopped abruptly. “Oops, sorry.”
“Oh, don’t stop, you have a beautiful voice.” Snails' mom said as she smiled.
“No thanks, I’m fine.” Escargot said nervously. She never sung as a colt really. Why sing now? Heck, why was she spending so long brushing her tail?
Looking at her tail, she huffed. OK, fussing over my tail care: bad, tussling with Snips in the mud: good.
“One moment.” Turning, Snails’s mom walked over to her own room.
Standing up, Escargot looked into the mirror.
I’m a colt, a colt, I shouldn’t be concerned with mane or tail or such. Sighing and putting his face against the mirror, he closed his eyes. A colt.
Walking back in, Snails' mom sat down, smiling. “Hold still.” Gently, she placed a silver necklace around the filly's neck with a shiny pendant on it. “There now, it looks so pretty on you.”
“Why do ponies keep using me to play dress up?” Escargot asked with a sigh.
“Playing dress up is part of everypony’s life. It’s part of finding out who you are, and what you like. Colts and fillies both dress up- sometimes in the same things, sometimes in different things.” Sitting behind Escargot, she gently stroked the filly’s mane. “It might be something as simple as a single tiara, a scarf, or even just a pair of glasses that they choose to define themselves with. Others may decide that either nothing fits, or that they simply don’t need anything to define themselves.”
Looking down at the filly, she smiled gently. “Dress up is just suggestions. Things to try on that others might think will help you choose. If you don’t need them, you don’t need to wear them again. This was my mom’s. It’s a Unicorn pendant from Canterlot. You can try it on, wear it. If you don’t like it, return it. I won’t take offense.”
Putting a hoof on it, Escargot looked down. “Why?”
“Because maybe it will help you find out who you are.” She said, standing up. With one last nuzzle, she started to walk out to do her chores.
Escargot hugged his mom tight. She might not know she was his mom, but it didn’t matter right now- he just needed to hug her. The little filly clung to her for a few moments, before looking at the clock.
“Oh my gosh, I’m going to be late!” Grabbing her school bag, Escargot turned and started running. “Twilight,s going to kill me!”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Escargot needed to get to Twilight’s class. She needed to make up time fast, being late was not an option. Twilight was such a stickler for the rules- everything had to be ordered and orderly, everything had to be quantified. Celestia, she would never understand the curse.
With a hairpin turn that would make Scootaloo proud, Escargot cut between two houses and down an alleyway. This would definitely help out. Twilight’s castle was just on the other side of the-
It should be important to note at this point that Ponyville is a rustic community. Not all the houses have power, or full plumbing. Several of them use old-fashioned bath tubs, which are really nothing more than wooden tubs filled with boiled water. Once done, the pony then emptied the tub by hoof as well, often by pouring it out the window. Generally it’s impolite or unseemly to dump it out the front windows, so most will pour it out the side windows into an adjacent alley.
The water hit Escargot mid-run, though the timing could have been worse. The shock of the impact caused him to stumble and trip rolling out of the alleyway, coming to a stop just a few lengths from Sweetie Belle. There was just something wrong with being hit with somepony’s bath water.
“What do you know about her? If she was really your friend, she’d tell you about herself.” Diamond Tiara sneered. “She’s not your friend- She never has been, she’s only using you.”
“I know she’s nicer than you!” Sweetie Belle said with tears in her eyes.
Looking over at Snails tumbling out of the alleyway, Diamond Tiara huffed. “Boys, filthy as always.”
Shaking his head to get the stars out, he looked over at Sweetie Belle and sighed. Getting up, he walked over to her. “Don’t listen to her, Sweetie Belle. Escargot trusts you and listens to you. I need to get to your sister's, want to join me?”
Sniffling, Belle nodded and turned to walk with Snails. “It’s not true, I know it isn’t. She’s not lying to us or using us!”
“I don’t think so. Rarity spends a lot of time with her, too. Have you asked your sister if she thinks you’re being used?” Snails said.
Looking up, Sweetie Belle squeaked. “That’s a great idea!”
“Just because she doesn’t talk about herself doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you. It might just be that she doesn’t know what to talk about, or doesn’t think she’s special or deserving to be talked about.” Snails added.
Huffing, Sweetie Belle scrunched her face up, “Well, that’s dumb. So what’s with the necklace?”
“Oh um, Escargot put it on me to keep it safe while she did some quick running around. She didn’t want it to get hung up on something.” Snails said, stopping at the door to Rarity’s store and knocking.
“It might suit you,” Sweetie Belle said, simply pushing open the door and bouncing in, “If it weren’t so flashy.”
“I’m not a jewelry pony.” Snails shrugged and followed Sweetie Belle in.
“Snails, you are a mess!” Rarity said looking shocked as she walked into the display room. “I will NOT have a colt traipsing around my boutique dripping wet.” Sticking her nose up, at the colt, she turned her back, covering her face with a hoof as if to ward off some smell. “Go downstairs and clean up. I believe Escargot is still down there.”
“Escargot is here?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Diamond Tiara was saying she didn’t care about me. Since I don’t know about her family or such, she obviously doesn’t trust me and is using me.”
“Oh Sweetie Belle, that is simply not true.” Rarity sat beside her sister, “She doesn’t talk about it much because she’s scared to. She’s scared that her or her parents might get in trouble. It’s a very complicated situation.”
Snails walked downstairs into the basement storage area. There was a second small bathroom down here complete with shower, Rarity liked it washing off before tracking filth upstairs. Snails took a quick moment to wash off the dirty water, before drying off.
Looking down at the pendant, Escargot put it into her school bag and walked upstairs. Sweetie Belle was sitting in the kitchen sipping tea as Rarity finished writing something down.
“Oh hello Escargot, thank you for helping out, I have a note for you for Twilight.” Rarity said.
Sweetie Belle ran over and hugged Escargot. “You’re not just using me are you?”
“Belle, I’ve never used you. I’ve always been genuine in helping out. You know that.” Escargot said. “I’ve never asked for anything, never wanted anything, but your friendship has helped me more than I ever knew.” Escargot said and hugged the smaller filly back.
“Escargot, shake your tail, dear, Twilight is waiting.” Rarity said giving Escargot a little wink.
Blinking, Escargot ran out, as fast as his hooves could carry him. He was late but he had a note from Rarity. Staying to the open roads this time, he made it to Twilight’s Castle panting hard. As he trotted inside, he looked up at his mentor.
“Sorry, Princess. Rarity asked me to give you this.”
Taking the letter Twilight nodded once, “Ok, she needed you. Did you bring your workbook?”
Nodding slowly Escargot trotted into the library opening the school bag laying out all his homework looking up. “I completed the exercises like you said.”
Tilting her head, Twilight picked up the pendant with her magic, taking the time to examine it carefully. The mark of a stylized alicorn and sun embossed in it caught her eye, and she gently touched it with her forehoof. The image of crossed unicorn horns appeared below it inside a star, looking at Escargot she blinked.
“Where did you get this?” Twilight asked a touch of shock in her voice.
“Snails' mom gave it to me. Is it important?” Escargot asked tilting his head.
“Very few unicorns get these. Very few unicorns ever see these. It’s much too flashy to wear around.” Twilight said and then took her pendant out, to show Escargot.
“You have one too?” Escargot asked with surprise in her voice.
“One pendant is awarded to the top graduate of Celestia’s school each year if it’s warranted. Some years there are no winners of the award. You need to stand out well above other students to qualify for it.” Looking at hers, then at Escargot, “Descendants of such are allowed entry into the school without a test.”
“Well, Snails’ mom isn’t a unicorn, but her grandmother was.” Escargot started before stopping quick.
“Really? I may need to test Snails, if his father allows it.” Twilight said as her eyes lit up. The smile on her face saying it all, not only were tests involved she had a chance to help somepony.
And there it goes. I am so dead, yet again.