Unexpected Opportunity
UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY
Walking into my house after a long day at work, I want nothing more than to collapse. We had a freak waterspout flare up over the lake that took everypony we had onhoof to contain, on top of all our normal duties and all the extra paperwork that goes with unexplained weather formation. It’s always a huge pain in the flank.
Tonight, though, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be an option.
“Auntie Cloud!” shouts the little unicorn sitting across a Monopony board from Kicky. She leaps up at me and grabs me in a tight hug, and clambers up onto my back so she can continue to hold onto me without cutting off my air supply. This is a foal who knows her hugs.
“Hey, Dinky! How’d you get here? I didn’t know you were coming over to play tonight,” I say as I reach back to ruffle her mane.
“Mommy had to fly a package all the way to Manehatten, and she said I could sleep over!”
“Ditzy dropped her off an hour ago,” says Kicky as she walks over, “said she was sorry for the late notice, but she couldn’t find another foalsitter and only found out about the delivery this afternoon.”
“She was okay leaving her with you when... you know...” It’s always difficult to talk about unpleasantness around Dinky.
“I’m pretty sure she thought I was you at first. By the time I corrected her, she’d already asked. Still, if this is my chance to get her to trust me a bit more, I’m not going to question it.”
“Why wouldn’t she trust you? You’re Auntie Cloud, aren’t you?” asks Dinky. I look over at Kicky, not sure if she wants me to field this particular question.
“Come here and sit under my wing for a bit, muffin, and I’ll try to explain,” she says. Dinky rolls off my back and plops down onto the floor, a little ‘oof’ escaping her lips before she obediently trots over and rests her head against Kicky’s side. “Before I came to Ponyville and turned into Auntie Cloud, I was something called a changeling.”
“What’s that?” she asks. I shoot Kicky a warning look. If Ditzy is starting to warm up to her, the last thing we want to do is give her daughter nightmares.
“A changeling is...” Kicky struggles to find the right words. “Well, they’re basically ponies who put on disguises and then do things that they aren’t supposed to. Naughty things.”
“So you were naughty before? That’s not nice, Auntie Cloud. You should know better.” She puts on an imitation of her mother’s stern, disapproving glare, which is less intimidating than it is adorable.
Kicky laughs. “You’re right. I was mean to a lot of ponies and now I’m trying to tell them that I’m sorry and I won’t do it again.”
Dinky considers this, then pats Kicky’s forehoof with one of hers. “It’s okay, Auntie Cloud. I used to be a changeling too.”
“What‽” I exclaim, staring at Kicky who looks just as surprised.
Dinky gives me a cheerful nod and a happy smile, oblivious to my shock. “Yeah! On Nightmare Night! I was disguised as a bumblebee, and everypony said I was just the best one ever!” Then her smile disappears and her ears flatten out a bit. “They gave me candy, and mommy said I was only supposed to have three pieces. But after she went to bed, I snuck out to the living room and ate all of it. My tummy hurt a lot the next day.”
Kicky gives Dinky an affectionate nuzzle. “That’s a little bit different, but you get the idea. I did some things that are bad, but now I’m trying to be good again. I hope you and your mom will forgive me. I really love being your Auntie Cloud.”
Dinky looks up and studies her for a second. “Okay, but only on one condition,” she says.
“And just what’s that?”
“Even though you two are both my Auntie Cloud, you each have to get me a birthday present and a Hearth’s Warming present. No splitting just ‘cause you’re the same. I’m super serious; this is non-negoatable,” she declares. She crosses her forelegs to prove just how super serious she really is.
“The word is ‘negotiable,’ hon. You drive a hard bargain, but it’s a deal,” says Kicky, giving her a peck on the cheek to seal it. “Now why don’t you go see if the lasagna is almost done? Don’t touch anything in the oven though, it’s hot.”
“‘Kay!” We both watch Dinky scamper off into the kitchen. I’m not too worried that she’ll hurt herself. You learn a great deal about kitchen safety when your mother’s cooking tends to burst into flames on a regular basis.
“I wish they were all that easy. If I’d replaced Ditzy instead of you I think I’d have gained about fifteen pounds just from being around that much love,” says Kicky.
“If you’d replaced Ditzy, she’d have torn her way out of that cocoon and ripped you apart before letting a changeling be alone with her girls,” I point out.
“True. I’d better go help Dinky in the kitchen, that lasagna’s probably done by now.”
“Eggplant?”
“I thought I’d try it with zucchini instead.”
Sounds good to me, and I let Kicky leave to go take a look while I wait in the foyer. It really has been helpful to have somepony helping out with the domestic side of my life. I’m starting to forget how I got by without her. My musings are interrupted by somepony rapping on the front door, and I turn back to open it.
“Oh, hey Lyra,” I say as I let her in.
“Hi... Kicky? Cloudy? Sorry, I still haven’t quite gotten the hang of telling you two apart,” she says.
“No problem, it’s Cloudy. How are you? Haven’t seen very much of you for a few weeks, ever since that night at the Sun’s Flank.”
Lyra grimaces. “I know, I’ve kind of been neglecting you guys. I had a couple shows to play, plus I’ve been trying to spend the free time I have had trying to work things out with Bon Bon.”
“How are you two doing, by the way?” I ask. The last few times I’ve dropped into her shop she’s seemed like she’s at the end of her rope.
Lyra tries to smile at me, but she can’t quite manage to. “Could I stay here tonight?”
I grab her and immediately pull her into a hug. “Oh, Lyra. Please don’t tell me...”
She sniffles, but holds herself together. “We didn’t break up, but she says she wants a little space right now, to figure things out. Things between us aren’t so good at the moment. There are a lot of things she’s been unhappy about for a while, and I was making some of them worse without even realizing it. Maybe it’s good that Sweetie Drops got us talking like she did, but... I miss how things were.”
I let her go and look her dead in the eyes. “You two are going to make it past this. I mean, you have to. You’re Lyra and Bon Bon. Of course you can stay here. Dinky’s already got dibs on the pull-out couch, so you might have to share a bed with me or Kicky.”
She chuckles. “Wouldn’t be the first time. Got any wine open?” I hesitate for just a moment too long, and she picks up on it. “See this is why I never told you girls about the rehab thing. I didn’t want you to treat me differently. It wasn’t for alcohol, if that makes you feel better. Even though I didn’t want to go back then, my parents’ decision to send me there probably saved my life. You remember how I used to be.”
“I still wish you’d told me, to be honest, but it was your choice not to and I get why you didn’t,” I say. “All those nights I took you out to party, or let you hook up with some mare who was bad news because I was busy with somepony of my own? I can’t help but wonder if I should have done something different.”
“The stupid choices I made back then were mine to make. Being friends with you was never one of them, okay? Now I’d rather just move past it, if you don’t mind,” says Lyra. “So, what’s for dinner?”
“I hope you like zucchini lasagna. I’m sure we can stretch it to four portions, Kicky always makes too much.”
The two of us trot into the kitchen to join the others.
---------------------------
“That was almost obnoxiously delicious, Kicky,” says Lyra from the couch.
“Nnnnnnngh,” moans Kicky from the chair she’s half-passed out in. Dinky gives off a gentle snore from my lap, deep in a food coma. Zucchini lasagna is definitely a hit.
“Now that the little muffin is asleep, do you want to talk about what’s going on with Bon Bon? That stuff Sweetie Drops said must have packed a wallop, in more ways than one,” I suggest, “might help to get another take on all of it.”
“She’s just... the biggest thing is that she wants a foal of her own, and I don’t. We’ve always disagreed about that, but I didn’t realize that me not wanting one felt like it was a reflection on her, or on our relationship together. I just... I wouldn’t be such a great mother, and I don’t want to be one, you know? It just sounds so confining,” says Lyra.
“You’re preaching to the choir,” I say, gesturing towards Dinky. “Foals are fun, but I don’t know that I could raise one of my own. I mean, look at Ditzy. She’s a great mom, but it’s taken over her life and I doubt I’m ready for that. What do you think, Kicky?”
“Hmmm?” she asks.
“About having foals. I was just telling Lyra that I can’t imagine raising one.”
Kicky is quiet for a very long time. “I had a daughter, once.”
That’s more than enough to get me to sit up a lot straighter, being careful not to disturb Dinky’s rest as I do. “You never told me that. Who?”
“Changelings breed too, you know. As far as I know, she’s still part of the swarm. It’s not like she was any more a part of my family than every other changeling, or as if I raised her in any meaningful way after she hatched, but now... I’d give anything for her to become a pony who I could meet someday.”
“Kicky...” says Lyra, looking to me like she wants permission to get up and go over to her.
“It changes you, knowing there’s somepony else out there who came from you. I can only imagine how intense it would actually be to bring them up yourself. I plan to find out someday, though. So I’m sorry, Cloudy, but I can’t back you up on this one. I want foals too.”
We sit there in silence for a little while. “Even if I were fine with being a mother, how can I justify bringing a new life into the world? Especially if I’m just doing it to salvage a relationship? That’s got to be the worst possible reason to do something like that,” says Lyra.
“I can’t answer that for you, Lyra. But I don't believe for an instant that you wouldn’t be a good parent,” says Kicky. “What else is wrong between you two?”
“Bonnie doesn’t feel like I pull my weight, financially. She spends hour after hour working her cute little flank off, and I play a few shows a week to bring in the bits I need. What’s wrong with that? I could try to play more shows, but then I’d barely ever see her between all the traveling I would need to do. I’d rather work to live than live to work like she does. But I don’t want her to feel like she has to support me either, that’s not good for either of us.” Lyra sighs and buries her face in her hooves. “She was planning to buy this new oven, a while back. Some fancy thing that she’d have to import from the Griffon lands and would, I don’t know, make her chocolates taste better somehow. Then my harp got wrecked when one of my bags was mishandled, and she replaced it with the money she’d saved. I didn’t even ask her to, but she did because she knew how important it was to me. And even though it was her choice, she told me that a little tiny part of her resents me because she couldn’t get her oven. She knows it’s unfair, but she can’t help it. What am I supposed to say to that? Should I apologize for her choice? It just... sometimes she makes me so upset and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Kicky goes over to the couch since I’m pinned down, and rubs Lyra’s back as she lays there face down, stewing. “Well, I can see why you two needed some space tonight.”
“What if she leaves me? What if she decides Sweetie Drops was right and she can do better? What if I’m holding her back somehow? Do you think I need to make some sort of big romantic gesture to prove to her how important she is to me?”
Kicky chuckles. “Come on, Lyra. She knows. A ‘big romantic gesture’ when you’re upset and not thinking clearly sounds like a recipe for a disaster. Think about it, why do you think we replaced Bon Bon in the first place? Your love for one another was incredibly strong, and it still is.”
Lyra sniffles, tears filling her eyes. “But... but you took Bon Bon. Was that because I love her more than she loves me?”
“Nope. It was just because it was easier to get her alone. We would have snatched you up and shoved you in the corner of a basement somewhere in a heartbeat otherwise.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“It’s completely true. Any changeling would have been ecstatic to replace you, I swear.”
Lyra smiles. “Thanks, Kicky. Hearing that makes me feel a lot better.”
Well, that wasn’t the most conventional pep talk I’ve ever heard, but it seems to have worked. I cradle Dinky in my wing and gently get to my hooves. She’s heavier than I expected. Little Dinky is starting to grow up. “I’m going to get her set up on the couch in my room, then I’m going to crash myself. Are you two staying up for a little while?”
“I wouldn’t mind talking a little bit more,” says Lyra.
“I’ve got this, Cloudy. You have to get up for work tomorrow and I don’t. Lyra and I will sleep in my room if you’ve got Dinky in yours.”
“Thanks-” my words are cut off by a yawn. I’m practically dead on my hooves and not going to last much longer, “thanks Kicky. I’ll see you in the morning before I leave.”
They wish me a good night and start speaking to one another in low voices while I carry Dinky off to my room, where blankets and pillows have already been set out for her. I tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead, looking down on her sleeping face. I still can’t believe Kicky wants a foal of her own. I’ve been treating her as a perfect duplicate these last couple months, but more and more I’m starting to figure out all the the ways she’s really her own pony. Despite my claim that I need to go right to bed, I pull open a drawer of my desk and examine some of the papers there, mostly bills and bank statements.
Lyra and Bon Bon aren’t the only ones worried about their finances. Last month was tight, bit-wise, and this month is even tighter. What savings I’ve managed to scrape together since moving to Ponyville are dwindling. Every time I manage to build up a little buffer, some new disaster hits the town and the repair costs knock me right back to where I started. Assuming Kicky can’t find a source of income soon it may only be a few months before I’m desperate enough to do something horrible. Something that makes me feel unclean just thinking about it. If there were any other way, I wouldn’t resort to something like this, but there isn’t one as far as I can tell.
Kicky and I might have to borrow money from my parents.
--------------------------
Dinky is an early riser, and I leave a note telling Kicky and Lyra that I decided to walk her back to Ditzy’s place where I can pass her off to Sparkler until her mother gets home. Once I have, there’s still plenty of time to wander into town to visit with a few ponies before I head into work. In the market, Azalea’s setting up in her usual spot next to Applejack’s cart. I wave to her as I go past.
“Hi Cloud! Want a flower? Just two bits each, or three for five bits.”
“Sorry, Az, they’re delicious but I’m a little low on cash these days. How was your date with Cornrow last night?”
“It was fine, I guess. You’re right, she isn’t much of a talker, but I guess things could be worse.” I just shake my head. I still catch her staring wistfully towards the library sometimes, but I’ll give her credit for at least trying to move on.
Applejack’s ears perk up. “You lookin’ to earn a couple extra bits, Cloud? Ah got an odd job you could help me with to earn some if you have a few minutes. Interested?”
“I’m listening, but I have to be at work in a little while so I’m not sure I have time,” I say. Don’t want to look too eager, but every bit I earn on my own is one less that I’ll have to ask my mother and father for.
“Shouldn’t take more than an hour,” says Applejack. “Ah got a cart of apples here that need to get delivered to Fluttershy’s, but ah need to get home soon as ah can. If you’d pull it out to her cottage, help her unload ‘em, and drop the cart off back at the Acres ah’ll pay you, hmm, how about fifteen bits?”
“Make it twenty and you’ve got yourself a deal,” I say, spitting into my hoof. Azalea wrinkles her nose up at the gesture.
“Twenty it is then,” says Applejack, doing the same. We bump our hooves together to finalize the deal, and Applejack helps me hitch myself up to the cart.
“Not that I’m complaining, but how come you or Big Mac aren’t handling the delivery? You aren’t usually the sort to outsource farm labor like this,” I ask. Indeed, everypony in town knows the story of the time Applejack refused to relinquish any of her obligations to the farm or the town despite her brother’s injury, and the multitude of disasters that followed.
“Ah’m here selling, but Apple Bloom and Bic Mac are down on the farm, carin’ for Grannie. She took a bit of a bad turn a few weeks back, not quite as spry as she used to be,” says Applejack. Her face is a neutral mask but it’s impossible to miss the little tremble in her voice.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. Heck, she’ll probably outlive all of us, the stubborn old thing.” I make a mental note to stop in and pay my respects to the Apple family matriarch when I drop off the cart. The Cult of Shadow is big on teaching Kickers about the importance of honoring one’s elders.
“You’re probably right, and ah’m just worrying for nothing. She’s still the same old Granny Smith. Now get movin’ and tell Fluttershy hello for me when you see her, you got that?”
“Will do,” I say with a salute as I start to trot away. Geez, it’s a good thing I’ve kept up with my fitness training. Are these apples, or bricks of lead? It’s also good that Fluttershy’s place is only a mile or so outside of town. Even so, by the time I get to her cottage I’m soaked with sweat. I’ll have to go roll around on a raincloud before I head to work.
I can hear voices coming from inside the cottage as I knock on the door. It isn’t unusual for Fluttershy to be chatting with her animals, but they usually don’t talk back. “...now keep on preening your wing while I get the door. You really need to do that every day,” says Fluttershy as her voice draws closer to the door. When it opens up, I see that there’s a young orange filly who hangs around Rainbow Dash all of the time.
“Hey Fluttershy, hi Scootaloo,” I say. “Got a delivery for you from Applejack, she asked me to bring it over while she’s in town.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of you, Cloud Kicker. Um... Scootaloo, could you help us unload these? If, you know, it isn’t too much trouble?”
Scootaloo jumps eagerly to her hooves. “You got it, boss!”
I raise a questioning eyebrow to Fluttershy, who gives me a look that’s meant ‘I’ll explain later’ since we were little fillies. A pony that quiet you learn to read their tells and body language, and Fluttershy and I were pretty close back in the day, before an unpleasant incident one summer at flight camp. We’ve reconnected somewhat since I moved to Ponyville, though.
With the three of us working together it doesn’t take very long to restock Fluttershy’s pantry to the brim with the apples. Her animal friends will be eating well for a long time. “Scootaloo, would you go out to find Angel Bunny and tell him that his snack will be ready in a few minutes? I need to talk to Cloud Kicker for a bit.”
“Yes, ma’am,” says Scootaloo, and trots out the door to hunt down the little hellbeast.
“What’s that about?” I ask once she’s out of earshot.
“A few days ago, I went out to gather some eggs and I found her asleep in my chicken coop. She didn’t have a good answer for what she was doing there, but she asked me if she could earn a couple of bits doing odd jobs and helping me take care of the animals. I didn’t have the heart to say no, and she’s been a very eager helper since then,” says Fluttershy.
“Asleep in your chicken coop, though? Weren’t her parents worried?” I ask.
“Cloud, have you ever met Scootaloo’s parents? I never have. I think she might not even have any, but she won’t ever talk to me about it.”
“Of course Scootaloo has parents! They’re... um...” I trail off, trying to remember if I’ve ever seen Scootaloo with any of the adults in town. “Well, I’m sure Rainbow Dash must know. I mean, I assume she’s met them at some point.” It’s not a very comforting thought. I can completely see Rainbow Dash failing to notice her little worshipper is an orphan. I should ask Blossom, next time I see her. She’s the expert on these things.
“Well, as long as she needs a place to stay, she’s welcome here. I don’t want to put any pressure on her to talk to me if she isn’t ready,” says Fluttershy. I get a small smile. That’s Fluttershy, always taking in strays.
“Well, orphan or not, I’m sure she appreciates it. You’re too nice for your own good, Fluttershy,” I say, giving her a little kiss on the cheek. She blushes.
“Sorry,” she says reflexively, then catches herself and giggles.
Scootaloo chooses that moment to reappear in the doorframe, a little white bunny riding on her back with his aloof little nose pointed up into the air. Angel thumps his leg twice, and Scootaloo kneels down to let him off. He hops past me without acknowledgement and into the kitchen. “Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss Fluttershy?” asks Scootaloo. Geez, that filly is just the picture of childhood innocence. Hard to believe she can cause so much trouble when she gets together with her friends.
“Not today, Scootaloo. Unless... is there anything that you want to tell me? I promise I won’t be angry or upset if you do,” says Fluttershy with a hopeful expression on her face.
Scootaloo gulps, and shakes her head so hard that her unbrushed mane whips around behind her. “Nope. Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Fluttershy smile betrays just a little bit of disappointment. “Okay, then. Why don’t you come by tomorrow after school? I’m sure I’ll have more for you to do then. Just know that if you ever do decide you want to talk about something, you can come over any time you need to. Twilight is sleeping over tonight. You can even stay over with us, if you want.”
“That’s okay, Miss Fluttershy. I’m sleeping over at Sweetie’s tonight. I’m going to see if Apple Bloom can come out and play now, though. She’s been acting kinda funny since her Granny got sick,” says Scootaloo.
“Oh! That reminds me, I made some stew for her that might help. Can you bring the pot over to them?”
“I’m headed that way too. I’ll give you a ride in the cart, if you want,” I offer.
“Thanks!”
We both wave goodbye to Fluttershy and I help Scootaloo lift the heavy pot into the cart. I start pulling it in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres and Scootaloo rides along in silence for a little while.
“So, you three been doing any crusading, lately?” I finally ask for lack of anything else to ask.
“Nah, not really,” says Scootaloo, her eyes downcast. “Apple Bloom’s always too tired, since she’s having nightm-” she slaps a hoof over her mouth and her eyes go wide.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony,” I assure her.
Slowly, she nods. “I think they’re about changeling stuff. Like seeing Granny Smith getting sick and hearing about her sister being in the middle of all that stuff in Canterlot means she’s all twisted up inside, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
I glance back at her. She’s really on edge about this. “I think that just coming by and having fun with her is all that you can do.”
“But she can’t just run away and pretend it isn’t a problem. If she does that then they’ll never stop, right? You can’t just run away from stuff that scares you. You gotta face it head on! That’s what Rainbow Dash says.”
“Yeah, that does sound like her,” I say. The conversation lapses into silence again as we pass by the edge of the Whitetail Woods. The apple orchards around Sweet Apple Acres are just coming into view.
“What’s it like living with a changeling, anyway?” This time it’s Scootaloo who breaks the silence.
“A little weird,” I admit, “she has all my memories and everything, but every once in awhile she’ll go ahead and surprise me anyway. But she’s just like anypony else, and she’s a good housemate. Why?”
“Silver Spoon said that the changelings are freaks and traitors, and they shouldn’t be allowed to live in town. She thinks they should all be rounded up and put in their own town somewhere. I think her Dad told her that.”
“What do you think?”
Scootaloo shrugs. “Eh, if Silver Spoon doesn’t like them then they can’t be all bad.”
“Heh, I knew there was a reason Rainbow Dash liked you, kid,” I say.
“She said that‽ Rainbow Dash said that‽” asks Scootaloo, her wings buzzing with excitement at the second-hoof approval.
“She sure did, I was there,” I say. I neglect to mention that the full sentence was ‘I like her, but sometimes I wish she’d stop following me around everywhere.’ Fat chance of that now, but it’s worth it to make the little filly’s day.
Before much longer we’re pulling up to the front door of the farmhouse. Our approach must have made some noise, because Big Mac is waiting for us on the front porch. “Howdy,” he says.
“Hi Big Mac! Is Apple Bloom home?” asks Scootaloo as she hops down to the ground.
“Eeyup. Upstairs. Go ahead,” he says. She dashes inside and up the stairs two at a time, leaving the pot of stew for Bic Mac and I to wrestle off the cart and into the house. I swear, Fluttershy made enough to feed a dozen ponies for a week.
We manage to get it inside and put it down on the kitchen counter. “How’s Granny Smith feeling?” I ask, finally broaching the inevitable subject.
“Not bad. She’s restin’ up in the other room. Heard your place got vandalized, ‘cause of that changeling living with you,” he says.
“Yeah, it wasn’t too big of a deal, but the two of us are definitely being extra careful these days.”
“Ain’t right,” he says.
I tense up. “What they did, or Kicky living with me?”
He thinks for a second. “Ah don’t trust her, but that doesn’t make what they did to you right. You got a problem with a pony, have the guts to tell ‘em to their face. Ain’t no excuse for bein’ cowardly and unneighborly.”
Glad he’s keeping an open mind at least. “You know...” I say as I sidle up to him, “...with such scary ponies out there planning who-knows-what, we poor, defenseless mares could use a big, strapping stallion to watch over us. Maybe spend the night? I’m sure we could find some way to thank you...”
“Defenseless, huh?” he asks with a wry smirk.
“Work with me here, Mac. You’ll be glad you did. Kicky picked up some crazy tricks when she was a changeling, I’m sure there are plenty of ways she and I could get you to come around.”
A voice from the other room, raspy but powerful, echoes through the kitchen. “Ah’m sick, not deaf!” Big Mac’s face gets even redder as I laugh.
“Glad to hear you’re feeling better, Granny,” I say as I walk into their living room. Granny Smith is resting comfortably on the couch with a blanket draped over her, a half-knit scarf in her forelegs. She squints at me, sizing me up. “You seducin’ mah grandcolt, missy?” she asks.
“Yes’m,” I reply ever so politely, aware that I’ve unconsciously begun to stand at attention.
“You in heat?”
“No, ma’am. Take a potion every month, just in case.”
“Got any nasty diseases that he might catch?”
“No, ma’am.”
She thinks that over for a minute. “Make’m bring you dinner or take ya’ out first. We raised us a gentlecolt in this household,” she says. It’s tough to tell if Big Mac’s been stunned into silence or just reverted to his default state, but Granny Smith turns to him next. “You knock one of ‘em up, you better marry her. Some half-Apple half-Kicker half-changeling foal’s one thing, but I ain’t lettin’ ya be responsible for a bastard, got me?”
“Yes ma’am,” I reply. When no words are forthcoming, I jab him in the side with an elbow.
He coughs. “Eeyup.”
I wish I could stick around, but I’m running behind schedule as it is. Good thing I can go straight to work without stopping by the office first.
--------------------
Beating back a high pressure front is taxing, but in a good way. Still, between pulling that cart earlier and being out on my wings all morning, I’m beat by the time lunch rolls around. Good thing my afternoon is all paperwork. Never believed I’d feel that way.
On my way to my desk, I spot Rainbow Dash in her office and stick my head in. “Hey Dash?” I ask to get her attention. “This might seem random, but Scootaloo has parents, right?”
“That is random,” she says, “but yeah, she introduced me to her father a while back. They just live way out on the edge of town, and he’s not around very often. Why?”
“Fluttershy told me that she showed up in her chicken coop a few days ago, and can’t figure out why.”
Dash just shrugs. “Probably trying to earn an egg-hatching cutie mark or something, and didn’t want to admit it. I’m sure Fluttershy can handle it, she’s good with the whole nurturing thing. I’ll talk to Scoots, though.”
I finish the walk over to my desk. It’s quiet without Blossom around, but she’s in Cloudsdale picking up a fresh batch of cumulus from the central warehouse. The afternoon drags along as the contents of my inbox gradually make their way to the outbox.
Just when I think the throbbing behind my eyes is going to force them out of their sockets, I hear a familiar voice. “Hey, Cloud Kicker.”
I blink and look up at the yellow earth pony in front of me, and then I grin. “Glint! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Lieutenant Glinting Steel is the last pony I ever expected to see here in Ponyville. “Came by to collect some reinforcements before I went over to your house, actually. I need to talk to the changeling.”
“Her name is Kicky, you know. Is she in some kind of trouble?”
“Nope, just want to talk to her, and what I have to say affects you both. I’d rather not have to explain it twice.”
“Why? What is it?”
“I just said I didn’t want to explain it twice. Can you get away and come with me to see her?”
I glance over at the clock. Four thirty, and nothing on my desk won’t keep until tomorrow. “Hey, Flitter? Have you seen Dash?” I ask my coworker.
“She left about an hour ago, I think,” replies Flitter.
Glinting Steel rolls his eyes. “Great boss you’ve got there.”
“She has her moments. Sure, let’s go.” With one final sweep through the office to make sure nothing else needs doing, we call it a night. I walk back to my home with Glinting Steel, ignoring the way his eyes keep shifting over towards me, and not in the good, tonight’s-going-to-be-lots-of-fun way. More like he’s studying me for evidence of... something. I don’t even know what.
I unlock my front door and push it open. I’m instantly assailed by the smells of something alluring and familiar from the kitchen. “Kicky? I’m home,” I call out.
“Oh, hey... Cloud...” says Kicky as she steps out into the hallway, complete with apron. It’s the one I got for grilling vegetables outdoors, and ‘Bang the Cook’ is proudly written across the chest. “Glint? What do you want?”
“Take it easy, Kicky,” he says. At least that took in his head. “You aren’t in trouble or anything, but could we talk about...” he sniffs the air. “Is that wheatloaf I smell?”
“Maybe,” says Kicky, with a cagey little smile. “I played with Cloudy’s recipe a bit, and I’ve got a good feeling about it. Want to stay for dinner?”
“I’d love to,” he says. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
I step inside my kitchen and set an extra place while Kicky tends to the pots of steamed vegetables on the stove. Glint wanders off to examine the rest of our home, and soon we’re all sitting down to a home-cooked meal.
“So, Kicky, how’s it been settling in here as a citizen of Ponyville?”
She freezes, which everypony notices. “It’s been great! The ponies here have been... I doubt I’d be happier anywhere else,” she says.
“So you’re happy here, then?” Glint asks. “Other ponies treating you like one of them?”
“We’re working on that,” I interject. I don’t know what his game is, but I don’t like it.
“Listen, Kicky, I don’t see any reason to flit around the issue with you, so I’ll put my cards on the table. You remember Commander Tempest?”
“Beige unicorn? Still has magic surges when she gets really upset?” asks Kicky.
“That’s her. The changelings grabbed her, so now she’s got a double, too. The Princesses want her... the second her, I mean... to command a unit made up of the ex-changelings transformed into ponies who were in the Guard.”
“And that matters to me how?” Kicky asks, although I’m pretty sure we both see where he’s going with this.
“The door’s always been open for Cloudy to return to the Guard,” says Glint. His eyes flick towards me. “Still is, by the way. But we’d really like you to be part of this new division, Kicky. We’re prepared to start you out as a First Lieutenant if you’d like to come back. What do you think?”
“Well I know what I think,” I say. “The extra promotion is nice, but I’ve told you a half-dozen times that I’m not interested, right Kicky?”
“...Do you need me to make up my mind right away, or can I think about it?” she asks.
“What’s there to think about?” I demand. “We don’t want to go back into the Guard. We decided that a long time ago.”
“You decided that,” says Kicky, her voice only barely rising above a whisper. “You decided that you didn’t owe Equestria anything, and maybe you don’t. But you didn’t try to invade it, only to find yourself a citizen deep in enemy territory. I did, and despite everything I’ve done everypony’s been remarkably accepting. I need to pay you all back, and I remember all this training...”
“You don’t have to decide anything tonight. It’ll be months before we start actually calling ponies up for duty. Just consider the offer. You know how to get in touch with me,” says Glint. He rises to his hooves, his food barely even touched. “Thank you for the meal. I hope I’ll hear from you soon.”
I restrain myself until I hear the door close behind him, then there’s no holding back. “What the buck, Kicky? You’re just going to rejoin the Guard because they asked you to come back? Because they guilted you into it?”
Kicky can’t look at me. “I’d have a place, at least, instead of sitting around here being useless. I could prove to everypony that I deserve to be here. I could prove to Mom and Dad-”
“Since when did you decide you were going to become their puppet again?” I snarl. “You remember why we quit. Shadow said-”
“I remember. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if you didn’t just misunderstand what she said. You were scared, Cloudy. Nopony could blame you for that, but maybe you twisted the message you got that night into something it wasn’t.”
I slam my hooves down on the table. “I don’t want to hear it from you. I can’t believe you’d do this to me.”
“Oh, shove it up your plot, Cloud. This isn’t about you. At all.”
I get up and just walk away. “I’m going to bed,” I say, despite the fact that it’s barely after six in the evening. Slamming my bedroom door behind me, I flop down onto the mattress to consider the betrayal that just happened in my kitchen. After I took her in and protected her all this time? She’d turn around and do this?
Variations of that thought run through my head until I fall asleep.
----------------------
I’m plummeting to my doom.
That’s less worrying than it sounds, for a pegasus. We spend so much time plunging, swooping, and even in total freefall that we acclimate to it. I’ll just spread my wings and...
My wings don’t respond. Okay, starting to worry a little bit now. It’s not just some cramp. I look back, and it’s surprisingly difficult to even turn my head. When I eventually manage it, I can see that my wings are more or less gone. Just shredded and tattered remains of them poking out through my armor.
Yeah, this seems like an appropriate time to freak out. I start to flail uselessly for some ephemeral rope or lifeline that’ll halt my fall, but of course there isn’t one.
Then a shadow passes over my face.
I look up and see nothing, but when I look back there’s a pony there. She’s clad in gleaming bronzed armor, her dark coat emphasizing the whites of her eyes as she stares straight through me. She’s falling just as quickly as I am, but her wings are curled into a dive and she’s matching my fall by choice. I reach out to grab onto her, but she drifts just far enough away that I can’t.
She stares at me, disappointed, and shakes her head. I try to scream at her to help me, to save me, but the roaring winds around me blast away my words. I look down. The ground is growing closer, and quickly. Too quickly. Shadow Kicker wraps herself around me, but doesn’t pull us up, despite my pleading. Instead she leans in to whisper into my ear.
“Trust in thy nature and become what thou art, Cloud Kicker.”
Then the ground rushes towards us and there’s nothing.
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
970 users online
1,289,975 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
...whoah. There's a lot of stuff going on in this chapter.
I am gonna need some time to process the whole thing.
I like how Kicky is slowly developping a different personalty.
Two things about this part.
1) Can probably be split into its own paragraph. In fact, this whole paragraph could be split into multiple smaller ones.
In fact, I would also suggest splitting at "Lyre and Bon Bon aren't the only ones..."
2) The underlined part is off.
nose
That's an interesting !/? character there... how...?
Her name is two words
Somehow, I knew that Kicky would accept the offer. Let's be frank though, there was no way she wouldn't. Not as things are. Anyway, as they said, it'll be months, so whatever her choice, she'll still be around for a while. Especially since we've yet to have Azalea and Twilight talk to them about Algae.
3229819
Good call, fixed the corrections.
That !/? character is called an interrobang, and I tend to prefer it to either !? or ?! for ending 'surprised question' sentences.
Time-wise, I'd say we're past the time skip that happened In chapter one of Stitch. Twilight's probably practicing being flirty at that cafe right around now.
Dinky done killed me. I had to defib myself to read the rest of the chapter.
It's always fun to see what people do with Granny Smith, because they usually do something like that
Whoa, does Cloudy have issues. I can see why Kicky wants to live her own life, and she's willing to take the chance that Cloudy wasn't ... or maybe couldn't. She probably resents Kicky, given who made the offer, and to whom. Basically, she just got told that she's no longer considered trustworthy.
I wonder who's behind it, as offers like this - made by a standing Guard, no less - don't just fall out of the blue. Looks like Aunt Wind is at it again.
Maybe it's because Kicky really is her own mare, instead of a perfect copy, and somehow Cloudy finds herself lacking.
It's cool that you kept the theme of forgiveness running through this side story as well!
It's interesting to me; with stories that I like, but not /like/ like, I usually have a lot to say, even just the positive things I thought about it. But stories that I really do /like/ like, such as this one and the Time Loop Trilogy before it, I just can't words. Everything is great in a really natural way that I just can't explain. I think this story is smarter than me.
No kidding.
Hilariously blunt Granny Smith is best pony for certain. And whatever is going on with Scoots smells like changelings.
Oooooo, that really is a good opportunity.
Hmmnn...
3229992
Well, she's had a similar offer thrown at her many, many times. Sure, at a lower rank than Kicky's being offered, but then Cloudy's lacking an entire lifetime of experience that Kicky has.
And if you think she resents Kicky now, wait until they meet the rest of Cloud Kicker's family during the next chapter or so.
3230615
Forgiveness and family are definitely themes I enjoy coming back to. This one might grow a strong thread of 'Face the things you're afraid of, and transcend them' before the end. Hell, Scoots delivered that message verbatim to Cloudy in this very chapter.
3230618
Yeah, Granny Smith is a blast. I didn't have plans for her beyond this scene when I wrote it, but she might make a really strong mentor and surrogate mother figure for Cloudy down the road. Haven't decided yet.
And yeah, you have to figure military targets were a priority for the changelings. Equestria is probably suffering an embarrassment of riches in that regard. Plus, Tempest is an old OC of mine from another story. Expect her to pop up again in some capacity.
"Wheatloaf".
Isn't that called "bread"?
This story was up for three hours before I woke up?
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cwqdriT61ryj6qoo1_500.gif
No matter what the lyrics of this song suggest I actually suspect Kicky is going to end up as a chef. Not in the military.
Cloud Kicker getting a patriotism wing-boner and then having common sense come rushing back has just become past cliche at this point.
What makes it worse is now that somepony else is trying to take Cloudkicker's martyrdom away from her. Someone who actually knows all the information. That's... Oooh, this is going to turn very painful very quickly isn't it?
Hey there Cloud Kicker
Why'd you have to have a changeling?
You're a banging machine
But girl, tonight you join the army
Yes you do
Of course it isn't really you
But is that true?
Hey there Cloud Kicker
You;re promoted to lietenant
you'll be there - defend your country
Paying your deserter's penance
Those are lies
She'll fill your void, under your guise
And she'll decide
Oh it's what you took from me
Oh, it makes a bitter plea
Oh, you think that you know me?!
Oh don't take this away from me
Leave the milit'ry.
Hey there Cloudkicker
I know bits are stretching tight
But just hang in there, girl
But that doesn't mean things aren't alright
We still have food
We'll have Big Macintosh bang the cook-
Just like he should
Hey there Cloudkicker
I really wish you'd stay
You think you're acting on the greater good
Let Shadow's words hold sway!
Be who you are
Words have different meaning to you, but-
I bare these scars.
Oh it's what you took from me
Oh, it makes a bitter plea
Oh, you think that you know me?!
Oh don't take this thing from me
Leave the milit'ry.
A changeling drone feels far from home
But don't you go, oh no, don't roam
I'd strangle you if you try to have your way
Our friends right now have need of us
And Blossom would roundhouse kick us
You just know what she's gonna say
Oh Kicky I can't talk to you
And expect my message to get through
But don't you dare try to share my shame
Or take the blame
Hey there Cloud Kicker
You know how much this means to me
All those years ago we fled that school
But now it's ancient history, that's not true-
You know I'm lying now don't you
She can do whatever she wants to
And that changeling's also you
You know it's you.
Oh it's what you took from me
Oh, it makes a bitter plea
Oh, you think that you know me?!
Oh don't take this thing from me
Leave the milit'ry.
3230671 Oh, this should be good. "TICKETS! GETCHER TICKETS HERE!!"
Oh, poor interrobang. Maybe someday your glory will be recognized by the world. Still, makes sense that it would feature in a Cloud Kicker story.
Didn't get that line...
I'm positive you meant "unusual" there.
Also, I see the AB and GJ red herrings are both being sprinkled all over. :P
Unless it's muffin related.
3231102
I am a not-so-secret pusher of interrobangs. If only because they have an awesome name.
3231116
It's not really anything to 'get' other than it's a family religion that quasi-worships a 700 year old ancestor.
Also, yeah, I'll fix that.
Geeze, poor Lyra and Bon Bon. On top of everything else going on in Cloudy's life, I'm starting to worry that she might not have time to help the minty mare out. Let's hope Lyra finds a solution so that she doesn't lose Bons.
...
Nah. She's Lyra. She's bound to do something stupid.
Well, Scootaloo is pretty much confirmed for changeling at this point.
I liked the bit where Kicky talked about how much the changelings would want to kidnap Lyra, and Lyra taking it as a compliment.
3229857 Oooo cool! I learned something today
I swear on my honor as an editor to spread the interobang, cause that's just plain nifty
When I first started reading this, I never thought that so much could be put into a side story like this. I am glad that I am wrong, even though we know some of the answers already, somehow we don't know them all. I find this very interesting and keeps me hooked and wanting more. Well done Eakin. This story is absolutely amazing.
3231399
I know right?
Honestly, I probably wouldn't have remembered it except 'interrobang' is an awesome name.
3231116
(sarcasm)
Speaking of red herrings, I can't see the inference that Scootaloo is Kicky's daughter at all. (/sarcsam)
3230800
I was thinking the same thing...
That said I do like the eggplant/zucchini lasagna part. It's so easy for authors to fall into the hay fries or haybacon trap out of convenience when there's so many realistic meatless culinary options out there, even more if they eat eggs and use milk products. Green peppers stuffed with rice and mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce, anyone? Broccoli & cheese casserole? Cucumber martini (mmmm...)? Ugh... now I'm hungry, and breakfast isn't for 5 hours.
3231558
Shit, that'd be a really good twist. Hadn't thought of that.
...Huh. Now I'm really torn.
cdn.derpiboo.ru/thumbs/1100/500/2013/02/11/05_49_41_119_239868__UNOPT__safe_animated_scootaloo_happy_sleepless_in_ponyville_clubhouse_51188671a4c72d52fe0003f1.gif.gif
3231674
Yeah, that picture right there is why I insisted Eakin must give me interrobangs, Scoots hopping in the air and buzzing her wings, or death. Hard to picture Scoots not exploding with excitement about Dash saying she liked her. Especially pre-Sleepless.
Seriously, I was sure three quarters of the comments would be about the Granny Smith scene. Instead they're about a punctuation mark.
...albeit the best punctuation mark.
3231444 I am sure Cloud Kicker likes it for the same reason XD
3232192
CK: 'Let's interrobang, okay?'
Random Pony: '...What.'
CK: 'Trust me, it's great! It's like normal banging, but with bright lights and lots of penetrating questions. And non-questions, I guess. Hold on, let me get Pinkie Pie. She's great at it.'
3232310 ...
Yep, perfect XD
So, seeing as this is a dream, would that happen to be Luna, just taking the form of the thing she's dreamed before as to not be noticed? Or something?
3232942
It would be an attractive thought, yeah.
But alas, I'm pretty sure it happened before Luna returned from the moon.
3232310
24: Porno Edition
3232942
Shadow Kicker is from about 700 years back in the Winningverse, hence the archaic speak. It's debatable whether the dream is actively being meddled in or just a product of CK's conflicted mind.
3233167
Oh, I got ya now.
3232310
Hah!
3231558
You mean Kicky's daughter replaced Scootaloo? (Scoota2?)
I might have missed the Scootaloo hints... the nightmares, maybe? But in any case, would she have been the one watching AJ or Fluttershy?
3233167
Ah, that's why all this Cloud Kicker background is unfamiliar. Need to read the Winningverse stories some time soon.
3231558
...
Huh.
I'm intrigued by your ideas, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
3233273
Winning Pony is a bit of a different beast. Chengar tends to be slower, but more descriptive, where Eakin tends to keep up the pacing.
Still, if you're liking Cloudy's personality, you might dig it.
3233167
I had just assumed that was Luna speaking.
3233268>>3233640
Basically, the Scootaloo hints are:
Scoots is found one morning sleeping in Fluttershy's chicken coop
This occurred after the changelings were revealed.
Not all of the former changelings have been revealed yet.
Nopony recalls ever seeing Scootaloo's parents.
Kicky admitted that she had a changeling daughter, and that she doesn't know what happened to her.
Sweetie Drops mentioned that all of the Element Bearers were being watched by a changeling.
Scootaloo would have had access to Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash as a sleeper agent, even if she weren't on "active duty" yet due to her age.
It's a bit of a stretch without further information, but there's a possibility that there never was a Scootaloo to replace, and that the changeling has always been Scootaloo. She might not even realize what she really was, which explains her caution questioning session with Cloud Kicker.
Like I said... it's a red herring. But it's an interesting conspiracy theory.
3235152
Oh! I thought you might have noticed something I didn't, with the 'daughter' thing.
Yeah, the Scootaling thing is something I count as a very real possibility. One which I hope Eakin goes with.
...That or Granny Smithling. That one's ripe for it.
...
Wait.
...
Damn it Eakin! You're just listening to my own stupid advice from ages ago, aren't you?
I swear, if I fell for my own suggestion... I'll never live it down.
Meanwhile, I'm still laughing at KickerMac. This must be done!
I'm pretty sure I spend more time checking this for updates than Eakin does writing it. (Not a bad thing. At least on his part. I just spend like three hours a day on this page.)
3246880
Heh. Well I do appreciate the attention, but you'll probably be safe not checking it until at least this weekend. I'm splitting my time between a cooperative writing project and the next chapter of Reign of Queen Sparkle this week.
‽ INTERROBANG FTW!
Yes, I am that bored. But it doesn't matter! Because interrobang :D ‽
3246902
Oh, right, Reign is a thing. Well, there goes all my free time for the next however long. If I fail my everything courses I'm blaming you because I can't handle criticism.
On a more relevant note? Oh my god how do they not realize that Azalea's a changeling aurgh this is killing me. The suspense, man! The Suspense!
Well, finally caught up again!
Sorry for the huge delay, but GMail just got congested for a while!
It would seem that Cloud Kicker is not enjoying Kicky taking the path not taken by herself, not at all. Having a mirror put up can be an unpleasant thing when you don't like what you see.
Ah, and the sorrow of relationship issues between Bon Bon and Lyra. There is truth in their issues between each other.
OK this is super important. Have Cloudy and Kicky had sex yet‽ Even a single threesome‽ At all‽
I'm not sure whether or not they've done the deed!
3250002
Their sexual exploits aren't ever going to pop up on camera.
But by now, yeah, they probably have.
3250016
Didn't think they would but I figured there would at least be an off screen nod to it. There was in the main trilogy and I was really confused because at this point I still thought they hadn't and things were getting to the point where I would have expected them to.
Also, did they date Azalea? I missed any pickle references.
I haven't slept in something like 76 hours though so that could be it.