Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town
As the world tried to reform around him, Daedalus could feel his connection with Toxotis begin to strain. Images were left incomplete, faces were obscured, and time went from moving at a snail's pace, to faster than he could comprehend. All that lay before him was a mess of light and colour, that rushed by like a thunderous waterfall of memory. It felt like reality was on the verge of collapsing. If not for the fact he had seen this before, he may not have been able to keep his composure. Something was happening in the outside world.
“Ah, Thea found me,” he chuckled, realising his captain of the guard was dragging his lifeless body back to the palace. “Took you long enough.”
While he and Toxotis were most likely being taken back as carefully as possible, they probably weren’t being kept in sync with one another. With neither body being left stationary, it became harder to focus on what he needed to see. Things would start to settle soon of course, but to discern anything right now he would have to try and force the world to anchor to a certain point.
Magic started to tingle at the tip of his horn as he gazed over the flashing imagery. There in the distance he could see a train making its stop, and a familiar white stallion waiting beside it. Instantly a tiny green beam of energy launched itself from his horn. It dodged and weaved past the other memories until it latched onto this singular moment, and once it pierced through, Daedalus felt himself pulled towards this new gateway. He moved faster and faster, at speeds that would have left a wonderbolt in a state of awe, before smashing through and landing right beside Question Mark.
With little time to take in exactly where he was now, Daedalus focused all his magic into locking himself into place, his entire body glowing with vivid green energy. The world felt crooked, devoid of light and colour. Voices in the distance sounded far more muffled than they should. His connection was poor, but he could still make out Question Mark and likely anypony important to him. This would do for now.
And as luck would have it, the king could not have picked a finer moment to jump back into; today was the day. Question Mark stared mindlessly towards the distance, expecting Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to arrive at any moment. They were late, which he had suspected might happen, and was currently hoping they might miss the train entirely. It was selfish of him of course, but any chance to avoid the inevitable would be welcome right now.
Perhaps Discord might try to take over Equestria again? Pinkie Pie could create some sort of confectionary monster that starts attacking the town? Or perhaps a portal might open in the sky and aliens could attack? Just anything that would delay this infernal trip. Yet the moment he saw Dash soar down towards him, all he could do was let out a heavy sigh.
“Welp, guess that’s it then,” he grumbled under his breath.
Dash looked like she might plant herself into the ground at the speed she was travelling, but just as she had done before, the moment she would have connected with the earth, the expert flyer tilted her wings upward and landed safely on her four hooves. Scootaloo jumped down from her back and started hopping about on the ground.
“That was awesome!” Her wings buzzed happily in joy. “We should have flown all the way there.”
“C’mon, Squirt. I want to arrive with my wings still attached.” Dash rustled Scootloo’s mane, causing the filly to beam wider. To fly to Trottingham was theoretically possible, but Dash was built for short, powerful bursts. Despite her endurance and ability to ace most races put before her, anything akin to a marathon would be a struggle. She’d stand little chance making that journey. Plus the train was fun, and was also a chance to kick back her hooves and relax.
“Good morning,” Question Mark spoke up, swallowing his fears and worries the best he could and putting on a strained smile.
“Well look what we get here, Squirt. Our own personal chauffeur. ‘Looks like were in our personal lap of luxury, we is.’” Rainbow did her best Trottingham accent, which for Question Mark made him want to crawl into a hole and die.
Very rarely did he ever show any sign he was annoyed with his brash marefriend, but in this moment, he was unable to suppress the full power of his side eye. Rainbow scratched the back of her neck, looking away with a nervous grin.
“Sorry, that was pretty rough, huh?” She muttered through her teeth.
“Ah, yes, sorry about that, mam.” Question Mark adjusted himself, bowing low, and speaking like an old butler. “I’m afraid the carriage is in disrepair. The train is the only option left I’m afraid.”
“Well I never!” Dash retorted, perking up instantly with her own ‘old-timey’ accent. “This simply will not do. I will expect compensation for this.”
“You guys are being weird.” Scootaloo complained, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.
Dash had gotten carried away again, forgetting what filly she was in the presence of. Her cheeks burned brightly and she quickly turned away from Scootaloo, now wishing she was anywhere else. Quickly she tried to change the subject. “You excited to be travelling with Quest?”
Scootaloo looked up at Question Mark, and he looked down at her. Foals were a mystery for the changeling. He often avoided dealing with them all together. Cases involving younger creatures could break the hearts and souls of the most hardened stallions, and while he had dealt with many disturbing cases in his career, he did not think he would have the stomach for that line of work. And in truth there was a far more simple reason while he avoided colts and fillies like the plague; he just wouldn’t know what to say to them. He lacked their perspective. His own childhood was mostly a blur with little interaction with other foals. He had been a solitary hatchling, which really didn’t bother him, he honestly had prefered it. Times like these though, he wished he knew better how to even begin to speak to a young pony without coming across as the uncool loser he feared he might be.
Scootaloo was facing a similar crisis. From the earliest days she could remember, all the most important ponies in her life were mares. Her parents were never about, but her aunties had always been there for her. Rainbow Dash was her hero, Spitfire was the greatest wonderbolt ever, Cherilee was her teacher, her best friends were all fillies, and now there was this mysterious stallion who had popped into her life from out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash liked him, that she was sure of, and he liked her, they seemed like good friends. But where had he come from? One minute it was just her and Rainbow, now it was the three of them going to a place where she’d never been before. She knew it would come across as mean, but she was hoping to spend time with Rainbow on her birthday, and yet, her hero seemed more excited to be going with Question Mark. So she answered Dash’s question in the only way she could.
“I guess,” she spoke softly, turning away from him.
The changeling felt himself deflate sharply. It was a fair answer. He was a stranger, someone cutting in on her time with Rainbow, really he should have expected that. Yet he could not deny the pang in his heart at such a cold answer. He frowned, but as he heard the train whistle, he forced himself back into a smile and turned to his secret marefriend.
“Are you ready to go? Train won't wait around much longer.”
“All set,” Dash replied, having recovered from her spurt of embarrassment. “Had to grab the dresses from Rare for the big night.”
“Do we have to go?” Scootaloo whined. The idea of actually going to the event had soured for her with each passing day. She’d rather just spend the whole time with Dash and skip the whole thing together.
“Look Squirt, I’m not big into artsy stuff either, but events like this mean free food. You want free food, right?”
“I mean, yeah…?”
“Plus, as you told me, the wonderbolts will be there. How bad could it be?”
“Famous last words,” Daedalus muttered.
Just as he spoke, the image before him began to fall apart. Rainbow and Scootaloo became nothing but blurs that started to melt before him. He could faintly hear the whistle blow again, and just as they began to move towards it, it all fell apart. What was left started to float away and evaporate into the ether. Daedalus stood completely still, preparing to find himself another exit point, but curiously, he felt the world form around him again.
He rooted himself to the ground and focused hard on the image that was trying to bring itself to life. Green magic swirled around him as he could start to make out what this memory was supposed to be. He had to be on the right trail, the hive mind was still leading him down the road he needed to follow, but what on earth could be happening right now to cause so much interference.
The lifeless form of King Daedalus currently had an oversized feather duster travelling over it. His body was still being held upwards by Athena’s magic, but the captain of the guard had found herself in a blockade made up of servants, maids, cleaners, and even cooks who had formed together under the commanding screech of one mare who was verbally assaulting his majesty.
“What have you done you silly old fool!?” She screamed at the king, the vain on her forehead seemingly about to burst. “I cannae believe how all yooz failed to notice the bloody king leave his flaming castle.”
Artemis was the personal maid to King Daedalus, and she also happened to be the head of the castle's entire line of servants. She was quite possibly the most abrasive mare Athena had ever encountered. On one hoof, she had to respect her. They were both no nonsense lings who tolerated no level of bullshit from any other being. Yet at times it felt like looking in a mirror, and with the way she so casually put down all those around her while shouting her head off, it made Athena deeply regret what she was witnessing.
Artemis was fast approaching her twilight years; her chitin had lost its sturdiness, her horn appeared more brittle and on the verge of crumbling entirely. Yet the fire in her eyes had not dampened a bit. She dusted the king up and down his body - perhaps assaulting him might be a better word - before turning to the other ling held within Athena’s magic with renewed vigor.
“Oh aye, he brought this muppet with ‘im as well I see.” Artemis turned her feathered attack onto the sleeping Toxotis, but Athena was losing her patience.
“May we pass now?”
“Oh, you’ll get yur turn in a moment, sunshine. Just yooz wait.”
Once upon a time, Artemis had been a captain just like Athena. She was renowned as one of the finest soldiers the hive had ever produced, then one day, out of seemingly nowhere, she gave it all up. She retired and became a caretaker to Daedalus directly. Despite the respect she commanded, she was still just a maid, and ordinarily Athena would have just plowed through anything in her way. There was just one problem, technically, in terms of hierarchy in the castle, Artemis outranked her. Daedalus had made a point to all his staff, guard and servant alike, that there was only one other ling in the castle that could undo any order not given by himself; and that mare was Artemis. If she said jump, it did not matter if you were the Major or a Prince or the richest ling in all the land. The first words out of your mouth should always be, ‘yes, mam!’
“Would you like some tea, Captain?”
Artemis had barely registered the whispered words of Arachne, who had seemingly emerged from thin air. She delicately held up a cup and saucer to the Guard Captain, who shook her head. “No, thank you.”
Arachne was a bit on the smaller side. At times she appeared malnourished, but she would always assure lings she was just built that way. Unlike the others around her, her green highlights appeared to be a more light pink, and the jagged parts of her body were a more pleasant curve.
Athena had a soft spot for Arachne. She was one of the very few in the castle she could tolerate for an extended period of time. She would always appear just as anyling needed something, and would leave the moment her job was done. She was not the only one who shared this sentiment. If there was a testament to how beloved Arachne was, she was perhaps the only ling in the entire castle that Artemis would never dare raise her voice too. Right now, Athena really wished she shared that privilege.
“She’s been very stressed today,” she whispered again, which in truth, was not much quieter than her regular voice. “With the king vanishing, I worry her heart won’t take it.”
“I assume you’ve tried to calm her.”
“Of course, but you know how she gets. She worries, and then she works herself up, then-”
“Right! Now onto you, missy!”
“-this.”
“In all me years I have never seen a more incompetent captain. Why if I had let even one of his nutty escape attempts occur, I would have flogged myself in the street. What yooz fail to grasp is this muppet is our king, and whether he knows it or not, he is the most important bloody thing in our world! If you can get yur wee noggin to focus on the fact that all it takes is one stray bolt of magic, one wee nutter with a bomb, one hulking monstricity to come crashing down on his head to end his reign there and then, then maybe ye wouldn’t be so bloody incompetent!? I have watched this muppet drag a bunch of outcasted - left for dead - miserable bunch of bugs out of ‘ell itself and brought us into paradise. You think Queen Hecate can say that? Naw, she’s too bloody busy worrying about the crocodiles eating at the city walls again. Do we deal with croco’s!? NO! You know why? This muppet you got dangling above the floor like he’s a sack of shite, cause you cannae play babysitta’ for more than five minutes! If it were me still in charge, then-”
At some point, Athena felt herself lose the will to live. And as Atremis’ shouts became mere white noise to her, she realised that she probably wasn’t even half-way through her rant. What started as a long day had just gotten a whole lot longer.
Finally, Daedalus felt himself gain a foothold again. Whatever disturbance had occurred in the outside world had stabilized just enough for him to perceive where he was. For a moment he thought the memory might be corrupted again, everything before him was rushing by faster than it should. Then he realised he was staring out a window, and that he had moved to a moment where the curious trio were riding the train.
It was nothing special, the standard passenger carriage that had become a staple of pony society. Yet there was a rustic charm to it that comforted the king’s soul. To his right he could see Question, Rainbow and Scootaloo nestled together in a tiny booth. Dash and her little sister on one side, Toxotis on the other. Looking out the window again, the king was unable to pinpoint exactly where they were, but he was confident they were far from Ponyville by now.
As he approached them, he was surprised how reserved they all were at this moment. Question gazed out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Rainbow held a book in her hooves, which Daedalus recognised as one of the earliest Daring Do stories. Scootaloo had a small notebook in front of her and was seemingly doing her homework. Even on her birthday, she could not escape the overbearing reach of Miss Cheerilee.
It was a quiet moment in time, one that would easily fade into the well of collective memory. Trailing his eyes downward, Daedalus noticed Dash’s hindleg stroke against the detective’s, who returned the gesture. The two played hoofsie with one another, occasionally sparring the other a glance and a smile. The filly was oblivious to the silly game the adults were playing, too busy smacking her head against her small book in frustration. Rainbow ruffled Scootaloo’s mane and started to move past her.
“Watch the Squirt for a sec, yeah? Need to use the bathroom.”
Immediately, Question Mark felt himself start to panic. Before he could say anything, Rainbow had already left him in the dust. He was now alone with Scootaloo. The filly spared him a quick glance, before going back to her book. Question looked back out the window, praying his marefriend would be quick. He hated this feeling. Why was he so intimidated by a filly? Perhaps because he knew that Scootaloo’s approval might hinge on his own relationship with Dash. If that little orange ball of energy decided she hated him, well, he doubted he and Dash could make it work between them.
“Soooo,” Question began, unsure exactly what he was going to say. “Doing homework, huh?”
“Yep,” was all she said.
“What’s it about?”
“Law and junk.”
“Law? She gave you homework on law? How old are you?”
“I’m not stupid,” she retorted, giving the changeling an angry look.
“Th-that’s not what I meant,” Question blabbered, sweat spewing from his forehead. “I meant it’s very advanced. I took my law degree when I went to college, it wasn’t much of an option before that.”
“It’s just little stuff. Basic things that you can and can’t do. Nothin’ fancy.”
“Well, as I said, I did law myself. So I can help if you’d like?” He gave a hopeful smile, praying this might be his way through to her, but she just looked back at him flatly.
“It’s not hard, it’s just so boring.” She gave a pained groan as she planted her face into her notebooks pages again. “Law is boring.”
“Not always. It can be very interesting to learn how our society works, how some laws vary between nations.”
“That’s cause you're a detective though. You do like egghead stuff.” Question Mark looked at her strangely, trying to recall when he had told her what he did for a living. Scootaloo simply rolled her eyes “Rainbow Dash was talking about it.”
“She mentioned me, huh?”
“Yeah, she kept going on and on about how awesome it was we were all going together. Detectives are so not cool though. They don't do crazy stunts and fight monsters. They just walk around being smart.”
“Well, at least you think I’m smart,” he chuckled, trying to hide his pain.
Fillies and colts did not have a filter. They were often feeling beasts who spoke aloud on whatever they saw with reckless abandon. If a grown stallion saw another who was disfigured, he would have the social graces to keep tight lipped, his child on the other hand might not. It was not malicious or cruel, just how Scootaloo felt. She was frustrated, she felt that Question Mark was an intruder in her life, and that viewpoint was unlikely to change any time soon.
Before either party could consider saying anything further, Rainbow Dash suddenly reappeared. “You two cool?”
“Of course,” Question answered, perhaps a bit too loudly.
“Good,” Dash said unconvincingly, looking between the pair. Scootaloo said nothing, her face buried in her notepad again. Rainbow shrugged and ruffled the filly’s mane. Just as she went to take her seat again, Daedalus felt his grip on this moment begin to fade. Colour vanished in an instant, the world rapidly dissolved, and before he could even curse, the world around him reformed itself just as fast.
This was very unusual. It was as if something was cutting down on any detail it deemed unnecessary, but more likely, the connection between himself and Toxotis was still very weak. They had probably still not made it to their room. There was a final flash and they were again in a new place. Before the king was the largest clock tower in the known world; the Grand Fern.
He stood amongst the curious trio as they stared up at it, their luggage placed beside them. Daedalus noticed the train station was just to side, meaning they had only just arrived. It was a magnificent sight. When Celestia unveiled it she called it the finest craftsmanship in the modern world. That was nearly four hundred years ago now, and Daedalus remembered the day well. He had been among them, hidden of course, staring at its majesty and splendor. It took nearly thirty years to complete its construction, but it remained a symbol of Trottingham’s ingenuity and integrity.
“It’s just a big clock,” Dash commented dryly.
“It’s a cultural landmark, Rainbow. This ‘clock’ is over-”
“Four hundred years old, I know, you said on the way here.”
“Whoa,” Scootaloo spoke softly, a twinkle in her as she stared up at it.
“Well at least somepony appreciates some culture.”
“Can you imagine jumping off that?” Scootaloo asked excitedly. “Rainbow Dash, can we parachute off that big clock thing?”
Rainbow suddenly went pale. There was one thing Scootaloo loved more than her idol, crazy stunts. Dash already knew her little sister wasn’t destined to be a racer or a great flyer; she was a stunt pony through and through. And while the Wonderbolts were a stunt group in and of themselves, Scootaloo’s ideas for stunts were a bit more… extreme. Rainbow hated parachutes. They trapped her wings and she was at the mercy of a device that could potentially fail. The mere idea of jumping off such a height without her wings to protect her sent a shiver down her spine.
“C-c’mon, Squirt. I’ve flown way higher than that.” While technically true, she knew it was a poor excuse.
“Well, duh,” her sister countered, her spurts of brattiness becoming more frequent as of late. “But flying and free falling are way different.”
“I-I-I mean, what about Quest? He could try it with ya? I mean I’ve already done it and all, give somepony else a shot.”
Question Mark stared at her wide-eyed. If he wasn’t already white as a ghost, he certainly would have been after hearing that. He looked up towards the top of the Grand Fern, a sight that just a moment ago inspired him and filled him with hope, now made him feel ill. He looked back towards his marefriend, mouthing an obscenity towards her. Yet he had nothing to fear, as Scootaloo quickly went off the idea.
“Nah, that’s alright.” She kicked at a small stone on the ground and started to walk away.
“Hey, Squirt, that’s the wrong way!”
Rainbow leapt after her, leaving Question behind. He stared at the pair as Dash started to chase after her little sister, both mares filled with familial joy. He felt strangely hollow, as if a gap was opening between them. Daedalus didn’t have to read his faithful ling’s mind to read that about him though, it was written all over his face.
Suddenly, the scene flashed away. Before he could fathom what had occured, Daedalus was now in a hotel room. “That wasn’t normal,” he spoke aloud. His mind was starting to spin, his connection on the fritz again. “That was the fastest transition I’ve ever seen, what in tartarus is happening out there?”
Daedalus’ head smacked against the wooden beam for the second time as both Athena and Artemis wrestled for control of him. After being verbally eviscerated by his majesty’s second, Athena had wrongly thought that would be the end of it. Now Artemis would not let the king out of her sight and had followed the captain all the way to his bedroom.
So inane was her babbling that she even critiqued the way Athena walked down the halls. That had been the final straw. Something snapped within the captain as she began to lash back at the glorified maid, and now they were stuck in a bizarre wrestling match, much to the shock and bemusement or those around them. Toxotis had been more fortunate than his majesty, as he was under the care of Arachne, who wisely kept his lifeless form away from the chaotic scene.
“You’ll be lucky if I let you clean the latrine after this,” Artemis growled. “If I were still in charge-”
“Well you're not! ARE YOU!?” The captain screamed, any composure she had left vanishing in an instant.
The group of spectators around them continued to grow. A who’s who of castle staff and elite members of hive society. At one point, Arachne feared they might tear the king in two, but his majesty’s savior arrived in the knick of time. Athena felt someling tap against her shoulder. At first she ignored who it was, the staring match she was having with her rival taking precedence. Then they tapped again, and the captain reluctantly turned to face them.
At first they said nothing, choosing to wave their hooves about in an attempt to communicate, but quickly, they caught themselves. “Hail, Captain.” He greeted her telepathically, adding a salute. “I was informed there was a disturbance.”
Orpheus was the estranged son of King Daedalus, and one of two of his children still alive. Where he had come from was still a mystery, all that was known was that his mother was not a changeling, and that he had lived outside of the hive for most of his life. At birth he had suffered a unique inflection, he was born without vocal cords and was unable to speak. Even stranger still, he was unaware he was a changeling until two years prior. At birth, lings take a similar form as their parents, and with no ling about, Orpheus was born the spitting image of his mother.
On his eighteenth birthday, she told him the truth of his father, a revelation that took the king by surprise as well. The matter had been horribly awkward and had exposed the greatest weakness that even an immortal could still have; the fairer sex. Their relationship was strained, but once the truth was revealed, Orpheus knew he could never go back to a normal life. He had always felt different; a stranger among the other foals he used to play with. Now so much of his life made sense, even his strange name had a far greater meaning than he first realised.
Soon after, his mother passed away, and Orpheus realised he had nothing left to bind him to his old life. Now he was a member of the guard, not a captain or any real prominent position, but if afforded him the chance to finally get to know the father his mother never spoke of. The arrangement had worked out well enough, especially since Icarus had been in the middle of his training to become a guard when he discovered the truth. Most of the skills he had learned easily transferred over. Yet he was still not used to speaking with the hivemind like so many others. It was still foreign to him. Before he could only communicate with sign language and hope the one he was speaking with knew what he was saying, now there was a whole new way for him to be heard. He simply had difficulty kicking old habits.
“Hail, Orpheus,” Athena greeted him back, thankful some normalcy was returning on this bizarre day. She respected him greatly. He was the son of the king, yet he did not ask for favours or try to worm his way into a position greater than his ability. He was a humble ling who wanted to understand and learn his ancestral culture. Even on her worst day, she had to respect that.
“Thank the almighty, some ling with a bit of sense,” Artemis bellowed, fixing Icarus with an exhausted look. Despite the fire that still burned within her, her old bones were struggling to keep up. “Be a lamb and help me with yer father.”
“I will, but perhaps it would be best if I take him on my own.” He said with a bow, trying to remain as respectful as possible. “I would think it prudent not to cause his majesty any further brain damage today.”
His point was as sharp as his horn, unnaturally straight and smooth, the one genetic trait he had taken from his unicorn mother. Ordinarily, neither mare would have let that type of comment go without a rebuttal, but both ling’s held their tongues when they finally noticed how large the crowd of spectators had become. They looked towards one another, both silently recognising that they looked more like a pair of asses than changelings right now.
“Fine,” they said simultaneously, neither looking away from the other, their staring match back in full swing.
“I can keep hold of Toxotis, while Orpheus can hold the king,” Arachne suggested, reappearing just at the right moment between the pair. “Why don’t you both lead the way?”
“I suppose that is agreeable,” Artemis mumbled, breaking free of the senseless battle first. She marched ahead, but Athena was fresh on her heels.
The pair marched side by side as they practically charged through the crowd blocking their way, nearly sending staff and nobles alike flying across the room. Arachne and Orpheus followed closely behind, smiling at one another as they carefully carried Daedalus and Toxotis through the doorway.
The hotel room was surprisingly nice. It was a bit modern for the king's taste, he had grown to love extravagance wherever he went. Everything was kept simple, bright colours that blend well together, and sleek furniture that looked as comfortable as it did practical. There was even a nice kitchen and dining table set-up which Daedalus doubted would get used on this trip, topped off with a balcony view of the whole city.
The door inched open as the curious trio stepped inside, taking in the scene before them. Toxotis whistled appreciatively, while Rainbow beamed proudly at finding such a nice place on short notice. Scootaloo was far less reserved, she bounded past the door and straight into the first bedroom she could find.
“I call dibs!” She shouted excitedly, jumping onto the bed and launching herself up and down.
“Careful, Squirt. If you clip a wing again, your aunts will never let me hear the end of it.” Dash tried to sound as serious as she could, but she was unable to resist the chortle that came tumbling out of her mouth. She chased after Scootaloo again and softly tackled her between leaps, forcing her into a hug.
Question carried all of their bags between his wings as he followed behind, but instead of joining them, walked into the opposing bedroom instead. For a moment he was alone, and he let out a breath he had not realised he was holding in. The room was nice. A king-sized bed, a calming blue decor, and an ensuite bathroom with all the amenities. He should be happy, yet he wasn’t. He felt a weight in his heart and the only way to lighten it was to set his thoughts free.
“Everything okay in here?” As if on cue, Rainbow appeared in the doorway.
“Where’s Scootaloo?” Question asked quickly, turning to her with a despondent look.
“In her room, making a fort. Establishing her territory, y’know?”
“Could you close the door, please?” Rainbow nodden slowly and did as he asked. She could feel the discomfort ooze from him, and while Dash would typically avoid any emotional situation like the plague, she found herself unable to leave her coltfriend hanging.
“What’s eating at you?”
“I don’t think Scootaloo likes me.”
“Oh… yeah, I figured.”
“So you know.”
“Sort of. I got the feeling the Squirt was unsure about you. Honestly, I think I goofed.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck and stared at the floor.
“How do you mean?”
“Cause I kinda forced this, y’know?” She took a deep breath and looked back at her coltfriend. “When she mentioned those tickets, I thought this would be a great chance for the three of us to hang together. But the Squirt thinks you're replacing her. Look, I’m not the best at reading other ponies, okay? But I’ve been around the Squirt long enough to know when she’s upset. Everytime I mentioned you, her mood would just darken. I don’t think she hates you, just doesn’t want you here. This isn’t on you, I’m sorry.”
Strangely, Question Mark felt relieved. There was still a dark cloud over him, but to know his marefriend was not only aware of what was happening, but took a share of the blame as well, eased the pressure on his soul. Still, the last thing he wanted was to see Rainbow upset herself on this trip. Instinctively, he trotted up to her and draped his wing over her body.
“It’s not your fault. I understand what your idea was, it just hasn’t worked out like we hoped.”
“The Squirt will come around,” Dash assured him, bringing herself closer into the hug. “Just gotta give her time is all.”
“I’m just not sure what to do. Can’t really avoid her if I’m showing you both around.”
“Well I could stick close to her while you lead the way?” Dash suggested, pulling away from him. “If you take charge of the tour, I have her ride my back, so she’s mostly spending time with me. That way she’ll start to perk up as we go along. Who knows, maybe she’ll warm to ya if she doesn’t think I’m forcing you two to mingle.”
Dash lent in to kiss Question Mark on his cheek, causing him to smile. “C’mon Quest, it’s not over yet.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. “Let’s focus on making this a fun day.”
“Hey where’d you guys go?” Scootaloo called from her bedroom, her tiny voice carrying through the walls. Rainbow opened the door to their room to find Scootaloo waiting just outside. The filly bemed up happily towards her idol and pointed towards her own room. “What do you think, Rainbow Dash?”
On top of her bed was a mighty pillow fort indeed, but one far larger than it should have been. It was made up of at least twenty different pillows, with sheets of different colours wrapped around it. Both adults looked back at their bed, which only had a single sheet and four pillows.
“Scootaloo, where did you find all of these pillows?” Question asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Oh, that was easy. There were these carts outside where somepony had left them all on. Weird, huh?”
Just beyond their front door, someone with a thick Sponish accent cursed loudly. “Where are all the pillows!?”
Both Rainbow and Question looked at one another and smiled sheepishly. This was not going to be a fun conversation. Daedalus could barely hold in his laughter as Scootaloo hid in her room, leaving the two adults to negotiate their stay. Despite facing down a very annoyed manager - who did not have any problem with pointing out that all of the fresh pillows would have to be cleaned again - they survived the encounter, and made a swift escape.
Now the four of them had descended onto the streets of Trottingham, the belly of Equestria. Everything from silks, to fine cuisine, to teas of every variation, to art, to pretty much anything one could imagine, would pass through this city first before setting forth to meet the rest of the world. Even compared to Canterlot, the city had a beat all its own. The sounds, smells, even the touch of her hooves against the cobblestone roads felt wholly unique to Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo held onto her back tightly, her head swiveling on her neck, trying to take in as much as she could.
Question Mark had led them to the city centre, an area he was most familiar with. He could not deny it, now that he was home, he realised just how much he’d missed this place. Even its ponies - who were never the friendliest bunch - he was far more used too than the overly sweet denizens of Ponyville. They were honest, mostly, even if it was to their detriment. Dramattically he waved his hoof around him, letting his companions take in the scene.
“Mares and fillies, this is the city centre of the greatest city in all of Equestria. Welcome to Trottingham!”
Scootaloo’s eyes lit up, her ears tilted backwards, suddenly overwhelmed by it all. Since they had arrived, the filly barely had a chance to let it settle in that she was in a brand new place There were so many ponies about them, they all blended together in a multicoloured ocean. How anypony could tell where they were going was beyond her.
“Before us we have many paths. This will be our start point and our end point. If you ever get lost, meet back here. We’ll all find one another eventually.”
“Hold tight, okay Squirt?”
Scootaloo did as she was told, wrapping her forelegs around Rainbow. “So, Miss Scootaloo?” Question announced, pointing a hoof at her. “It’s your day, where do you want to go? The entire city is your oyster. If there is a place you have heard of, let me know. If you want to pick a direction then let's start from there. So by all means, allow me to lead the way. What is your wish?”
The filly felt a deep rumble in her gut. Most would have been embarrassed by such a loud reaction around other ponies, but not Scootaloo. She beamed happily and gave her answer. “Food!”
“As good a place to start as any.” Question chuckled. “You’re in luck then, because I know a pretty good burger place around the corner. Follow me.”
As the trio ventured into the unknown, Daedalus remained closely behind him. He smiled, as he saw the way Scootaloo looked at Question in this moment. Her eyes filled with wonder and curiosity, her defences down and her imagination on the rise. He suspected that Toxotis was well on his way to winning the filly over.
Hey everyone, hoped yoy enjoyed this chapter. I cut things off a little sooner than I thought I would, originally this chapter was meant to be longer, but it fits in nicely in terms of length with the other chapters, so I decided to stop here. rest assured, we'll pick things up right where we left them off.
Anyway, another chapter finished. I had hoped to finish this one a bit earlier but things and stuff got in the way. Next chapter we get to explore a bit of Trottingham and maybe just make it to this special event.... hopefully nothing goes wrong 
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WAIT! WAIT! Hold up! Hold the phone! Stop the presses! Ceasefire! Shoot the turkey- and what have you! When the heck did this start updating again?!
I like this chapter.
This cover's pretty dope
10260896
Little while back. Crazy, right?
10260987
Oh yeah, pretty nuts, but happy to see this back.
10260924
You'd think that you wouldn't honestly. Considering.
I gotta read from the beginning again and I'll be honest I forgot about this one
Anyway... Its alive!
10261196
I am aware. However, I am allowed to have a differing opinion after 30 years.
Sees title of the chapter.
MUST. NOT. SING!
Me:
Scootaloo being a stunt pony? Not at the rate she's going. I saw a documentary once about actual stuntmen, including interviews. People with the inclinations Scootaloo is showing are the kinds of people they DON'T want. They're just begging for a fatal accident on day one.
In fact, wasn't there an episode about that in Season 9?
Good stuff!
That was excellent, and this was a much better way to build out the world with the side content than the last chapter. This time around it was fun shenanigans that complemented the story and made the travel segment more interesting without threatening to take over the story with an out of place B-plot.
Also, I don't particularly care either way, but I'm wondering if you're planning on cutting back to Rainbow's side of the retelling to get more of her friends reactions to this. I assume you're saving that for whatever the reveal is (or possibly a major plot point) since there's not a whole lot to react to at this point, but it feels like it's been a while since we heard from them.
10261198
Glad to see you picking it up again. I know its a pain after so long to go bak and reread everything, but I'm happy you're sticking with it
10261257
I'm glad someone got the reference
10261363
Interesting viewpoint. I'll be honest, a lof of the later run of the show is very murky for me so if this was covered my apologies. And who knows, as she grows up, Scoot may well mellow enough to fit the role better.
10262314
With the Dash side of things, there isn't much to cut back to apart from the changing reactions and opinions of her firends, while on the other side is a smaller storyline rolling through. Though I will say we will cut back to them at least once more before we wrap things up.
I still question how Daedelus can hear the other ponies' thoughts and feelings when they're just memories in someone else's head, but this was a solid chapter. I'm liking the way the relationship is developing.
10262439
Thanks for confirming it, that was about what I was expecting. At the end of the day, there's really not much for them to say outside the identity reveal and possibly the big event this trip is building towards (on the off chance it's not the reveal) so it makes sense for them to be mostly quiet, especially since you've got the more interesting changeling side to cut to.
10262455
The best way to think of it is that while we are following the trail of one ling, we are seeing all angles related to him because the hivemind is linked to everyone. We see and hear everything everyone saw that day. If its related to the story Daedalus is uncovering, them him, and the reader, will see it too.
10262687
That... tells me there were other changelings present at some of these scenes...
I reread the first chapters to get back into the story, you write well and I'm glad you're updating again because I'm enjoying this story :)
10275537
Glad to hear it. Work on the new chapter has been slow but it's picking up again. I'm glad I came back to finish this little tale.
Ok, all caught up again.
So after reading this from the beginning I have come to a reasonably sound conclusion.
... I missed this story, I enjoy the plot and I am thouroughly amused by Daedalus reactions to things like the music in the bar and his 'fan-girly' responses early on.
In short... Welcome back and thanks for making me laugh and putting a smile on my face.
10296518
No worries, glad you've enjoyed it so far
Um. You mentioned earlier in the story that Icarus was dead...
Chapter 3:
Or is it normal for 'lings to name children they didn't even know they had after other children who'd previously died?
Still a cute fic. Will keep an eye out for more!
10320052
I hadn't decided on the name yet, so the last thing left was this. I only used Icarus as the placeholder till then. It's been fixed, thanks again
Wow, thank you for pointing that out. I have only now realised that I uploaded the wrong version of this chapter
By the title I was expecting at least one jojo reference