[2] Maresitting 101
I stood there, patiently waiting for anyone to come by and buy my lemons. Not sure why I was selling lemons or why I had even decided to set up my lemonade stand in some park I couldn't recognize in any way, shape or form, but it was fine, I didn't worry too much about that. Too busy selling lemonade.
...To no one.
...
Weird. I'd have expected people to be around, but I couldn't see anyone anywhere within the park. Even the somewhat blurry streets and buildings behind me were devoid of people. I did see large towering horses here and there, however. They were talking to each other animatedly, playing games, enjoying picnics, having fun and good times in general--
--Wait, what was I thinking? There were people everywhere.
Hah, silly me.
I was happily minding my own business when a duck decided to waddle up to me.
"Hey!" he joyfully exclaimed. "Got any grapes?"
I tilted my head in bewilderment as I stared at Sir Quackerton. He didn't just ask that, did he? I mean, the answer was obvious!
"Sure! Here you go~~" I happily replied, hoofing him a bunch of grapes from my stand.
This was a grape stand, after all.
He slowly accepted my offering, staring at me in a confused manner as if this wasn't how it was supposed to go.
...Was this supposed to be different? Did I... I haven't done anything wrong, have I?
"Hmm, no thanks!" he suddenly said while giving me back my grapes, which understandably made me pout in sadness. "You'll probably need them more than I do."
...Huh?
"What for...?" I asked.
He pointed behind me while keeping his unfaltering joyous grin.
A chill suddenly spread itself across my chitin as I turned around to look at the misty forest surrounding me on all sides. The happy background chatter from all of the now-missing giant ponies was gone, replaced with an eerie silence.
"Run."
I looked around, trying to find the source of the echoing whisper that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, though I couldn't see anything past a few feet in front of me because of the... oddly familiar fog and trees, the forest stretching itself in every direction I looked at.
"Run."
The oppressing silence was then replaced by a distant sadistic laughter that sent shivers down my very soul, dread filling my core to the point where I felt the urge to actually obey this time without hesitation--
"RUN!!!"
The next thing I knew, I was running at a gallop as I weaved through the trees, never stopping once to catch my breath. Yet, no matter how fast I went or how many obstacles I ran past, I felt like I was running in place. A step forward felt like a step backwards, though I knew that no matter what, I absolutely had to stay away from it. I couldn't let it catch me. Sweet Mother I had to make sure it didn't catch me.
I had no idea how long I had been running, but the laughter hadn't stopped. If anything, it felt closer the more I tried to escape it while the fog behind me kept darkening. I could practically make out a hooded figure hiding within the encroaching darkness, its burning glare promising death. I just wanted to escape, I wanted this to end, oh how I wanted this so badly to end--
"I found your parents~~" a deceptively happy voice suddenly sang from everywhere and nowhere at once, replacing the insane laughter though it retained the tone. "But you never really cared for them after they left you at that orphanage, didn't you?"
D-don't listen to the voice don't listen to the voice don't listen to the voice just keep running--
"I did however meet your adoptive family as well. They were... delicious" the voice cackled.
S-SHUT UP!!
"Such a shame, that they had to be murdered right after all of your so-called 'friends' left you, leaving you almost compleeetely aloooone~~~" it mockingly continued.
N-no! I... I still had my wife! My son! I--
"And, a-and then!" it laughed uproariously, "On the very same night you had lost all those you held dear! SHE--"
*Flash*
I stood there, minding my own business with a happy smile as I hoofed some oranges to my next customer in some park I couldn't recognize in any way, shape or form. There were ponies everywhere, milling about as they chattered between themselves animatedly, playing games, enjoying picnics, having fun and good times in general, the entire area being filled with a constant contagious joy.
...Odd. I could've sworn it wasn't like this just a moment ago...
Oh well, I still had a tomato stand to attend to. This humongous dark-blue coated mare was approaching from afar, though. She looked surprised, though her expression at the same time showed hope and happiness as she began trotting at a faster pace towards me and my potato stall.
Huh. I didn't think my carrots were THAT enticing-- wait a minute.
I... I remembered this mare.
"No..." she suddenly began galloping, though the distance between us somehow seemed to expand despite the fervor with which she was trying to reach me.
I had seen her in... in that weird dream I had gotten the other night!
"NO! (NOT NOW!)" the distant winged unicorn shouted in desperation as she redoubled her efforts, rapidly closing in on me with her wings while everything began losing color, a howling wind rapidly picking up strength. She was barely a few feet in front of me by then with a hoof extended in my direction, her horn glowing with mystical energies.
Except... no, no, it wasn't just a dream back then, it... wife was there, but not real wife, fire, screaming, the alicorn coming out of the forest, the same one that was reaching out to me--
*GASP*
My eyes immediately shot open whereupon I noticed that I was tightly hugging Lara while she was gently running a hoof through my hair, whispering what seemed to be comforting words for some reason, my entire miniature body shaking like a leaf.
Though, I honestly knew not why.
And why... why was everything blurry?
I rubbed my eyes as best as I could with my little forelegs, only to soon find out that my hooves were wet afterwards.
I had cried in my sleep? I...
...What the heck did I dream about!?
The ground suddenly trembled for a short moment--
"(NAY! NAYYYY!!! WE WERE SO CLOSE!!!)" a faraway female voice screamed in frustration, the tremors ending immediately afterwards.
Wait, the ground shook? We landed already? Where were we? How long had I slept? When had I fallen asleep!? Why was I sensing so many distant surprised presences in practically every direction?
...
...
Why was Lara PINK?!?
She promptly embraced me a little tighter, wiping with one of her flexible wings any tears left from whatever I had dreamt.
"Shhhh, (it's alright, it was just a nightmare. It's over now, I'm here for you)" the mare whispered in a gentle, calming tone while nuzzling me.
With a voice that definitely did not belong to Lara.
...
"...WHAT THE FU--"
I immediately struggled against the pony's grip, managing to slip out of it with relative ease due to my lack of fur and her being too surprised at that very moment to properly react to my sudden outburst and change in attitude. Leaping away from the mare and subsequently landing on my tail from falling out of the bed we were apparently on, I realized there were no readily-available exits out of this large room, thus I did the next best thing to escape her.
I ran and hid under what seemed to be a dresser next to the closed shimmering door, my ruby-red eyes watching the unknown pony's every move attentively.
Said pony was confusedly staring at my tiny prone form.
...This really wasn't an effective hiding spot.
"(What's wrong, Artemis?)" the pegasus-- no, wait, the alicorn worriedly asked as she got off the bed, slowly approaching me with her head almost lowered down to my own level.
Hold on, weren't alicorns somewhat supremely rare? I thought I heard there were only four in existence, or something close to that. Celestia was one, so was this mare related to her in any wa-- hey hey whoa Stop right there That's close Enou--!
"Back! BACK, YOU FIEND!!" I hissed while scooting a little further behind, making sure to showcase my admittedly tiny fangs to the giant pink monster barely a couple feet away from me.
She flinched backwards at the sight of my fangs, looking during that very moment as if she was entranced, reliving a flashback. She eventually shook her head, nervously sitting on her haunches as she observed me while keeping her distance out of... a bit of fear? Nervousness? Sadness. Guilt, Happiness Pity RemorseJoyHOPE-- Gah!
Emotionally, she was such a wreck that I actually didn't know what to make of her. There was a bit of love and compassion, completely overshadowed by her hope and sorrow which in turn were mixed in with a very large amount of guilt and remorse of all things. Outwardly, however, she almost looked completely fine despite it all. While I couldn't even begin to guess the source of most of those conflicting emotions, if there was something I could be semi-sure of, it was that she didn't seem to possess any sort of ill-intent towards me, for the most part at least...
But where the heck was Lara? Why didn't I wake up next to her? Was I forcefully taken away? She... she didn't...
She didn't just leave me... did she?
That... thought actually made me a lot more sad than I thought it would...
After noticing me slump and probably realizing that I still didn't have any semblance of trust in her yet, the mare decided to lay down on her belly and look as non-threatening as possible. Rather, as non-threatening as a giant horse with a lengthy spear on its forehead could be, splaying her ears back and lowering her head all the way down to the floor, seemingly in a gesture of peace.
"(Hey, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you)" she cooed with a soft, quiet voice. As if she was talking to a baby, which I technically was. "(I just want to be your friend.)"
...Well, she wasn't treating me like the unicorn I had met at least. The lack of cage and manhandling was certainly a welcome thing.
"(I'm... I'm actually your cousin, you know? I mean, we aren't b-blood related in any way, so I guess that makes us step-cousins, but, it's the thought that counts, right?)"
Oddly enough, her emotions spiked all over the place for a split second once she stuttered on that one word. And yet, I got the impression that by now she was just talking for the sake of getting me used to her and come out of my little 'safety zone'.
But...
...I mean, there's nothing that's actually stopping her from just grabbing me right then and there, right? She could've tried to scare me, force me out, maybe even do that weird thing the unicorn did and move my body "magically" without my consent, but if she's actually trying to gently coax me out instead of forcing the issue, then... maybe...
I ever-so-slowly took a cautious step towards her as the door next to me opened.
Her eyes widened in surprise at my movement, her expression soon turning to joy.
An oddly familiar pony wearing some weird clothes tiredly trotted into the room.
I stepped forth a little more confidently, feeling myself lured in by the alicorn's faint but tasty love--
"(Seriously? I've been knocking on the door for the past... minute... what are you two doing?)" asked Lara.
"HEY! Do you mind!? We're having our little bonding moment here!" I huffed, turning back to look at my potential-new-friend.
...
I did a double take.
"LARA!!"
The surprised pegasus all of a sudden had an overjoyed changeling necklace choking hugging her vehemently.
"(N-nice, to see... y-you, too... Artemis... ack!)"
...Why was her face turning blue?
Oh, right. Breathing! That's a thing.
Lara gasped for breath as I hugged her just a little less tightly.
"(See, what I meant, by clingy and affectionate?)" she said between breaths, sitting on her haunches to return my hug with her forelegs.
The pink one giggled-- wait, had she been frowning for a split second there? Meh, I'm too happy to see Lara to ponder on that.
Jealous "(I guess I do now, but what exactly did you two do together to bond? I mean, how long did it take to get her to like you that much?)" She curiously asked in a deceptively chipper tone.
"(...What do you mean?)"
Once Lara had relented from hugging me, I maneuvered myself around her chest to reach the back of her neck, climbing up to her head...
"(I'm not the Princess of L-love for nothing.)" Another spike of varied emotions. "(I can literally sense the lo... how much she likes you! You can even see it from how she's behaving around you.)" The alicorn's eyes followed my movements, stifling a giggle. "(Why else would she decide to hide in your mane under your hat to nuzzle your head, the most intimate of all places to do so?)"
'ERMAHGERSH, THINE HAIR ISH SHO SHOFT AND FLUFFEH!!'
"(Err, while I am not entirely certain of it yet, perhaps that since I was the first pony Artemis saw and that I've been essentially taking care of her ever since she was practically born, she's come to believe that I am her mother?)"
Oooh, I liked the sound of that last word.
"(Mother!)" I happily proclaimed as my head popped out from under Lara's hat.
Lara froze and the pink one looked at me in surprise, her emotions betraying a slight increase in envy amongst other generally-positive feelings usually attributed to seeing something adorable.
And... okay, apparently it was Lara's turn to have her emotions all over the place, though her joy somehow felt... restrained.
Maybe I shouldn't say words that I don't know the meaning of yet.
Maybe.
For now I'll just... slowly slide my way back under Lara's hat...
"(...I know you said she was very intelligent, but I somehow doubt that she knows what 'mother' actually means. Are you sure she wasn't merely parroting you up until now?)"
I popped out of the hat once more to glare intently at the larger pony whom had somehow taken away a large chunk of Lara's happiness.
"(In any case!)" Lara proclaimed a little louder than normal, "(I know the sun has not risen yet but, seeing as Princess Luna's outburst woke both of you up just like I am certain the entirety of Canterlot heard her, I thought I'd come and check up on Ar-- errm, that is, offer to, um... make us breakfast! Yes. It IS nearly morning, after all.)"
"(Oh. Well of course! I'd really lo-- like to try out your cooking! You must've learned quite a few tricks from having to make your own meals for so long!)" The mare replied happily.
Lara then turned around to pass through the shimmering exit, leaving the room after I made my way down to her back-- whoa, now I really wanted to know where we were. This enormous lobby was the kind of room that belonged in large mansions! And... was that GOLD I saw embellishing some of the furniture down there!?
"(If you don't mind me asking)" began Lara as she trotted towards some stairs while I looked at everything around us in awe from her back, "(why didn't you answer when I was knocking on the door? You certainly weren't asleep since I found you both out of bed once I entered.)"
"(Ah, that.)" The trailing pony sheepishly stated. "(I probably didn't hear it since I've had to cast just a liiittle sound-proofing spell in our room. Your snoring was... quite special, all things considered.)"
Lara stopped after reaching the bottom of the stairs, looking back towards the alicorn while I could then properly stare at more of the lobby's contents. "(I... really? It couldn't have been THAT bad--)"
"(I honestly thought a manticore had somehow found a way to sneak into your room.)"
Lara raised an eyebrow, opening her muzzle as if to say something before opting against it, continuing to trot towards one of the side rooms at the lobby's ground level.
"(Does Artemis get nightmares often, though? Her trembling while sleeping was what got me awake, in fact.)"
Worried "(Nightmares...?)" Lara asked before stopping and quickly turning towards me. "(What did they do to you out there!?...)" she whispered while examining my tiny body all over, though I couldn't tell whether she was talking to herself or to me.
"Hey! Less worrying, more love!" I chirped while giving her snout a boop since it was within reach.
She recoiled slightly and went cross-eyed for a moment while scrunching her muzzle, making me giggle as she then looked somewhat confused.
I noticed that I've been giggling a lot nowadays. I felt like it was wrong, like it was something I should've, or would've been actively trying to avoid doing but, at the same time, I wasn't sure why. What was wrong with...
Ah, right! Giggling was usually viewed as the 'feminine' way of 'chuckling'. And I was a girl at the moment.
...Shit. I've been trying to avoid thinking about that...
"(I don't think she's had any nightmares during the time I took care of her...)" Lara eventually said. "(Though, she did sleep for the entire day and night following her hatching day, despite all my attempts to wake her up. You could imagine how worried I was that something might've been wrong, at the time.)"
The alicorn nodded, looking at me in worry. "(...I'll be back in just a moment.)" She said, yawning. "(Bathroom.)"
Trotting to one of the numerous doors, she left us alone as she entered it and closed the door behind her.
I jumped off of Lara's back and ran up in front of her, standing at attention with a content expression while she followed me with her gaze.
"(Oh, come here, you)" she lovingly cooed, throwing all decorum to the wind and spreading her forelegs in a wide hugging gesture. I happily obliged, pouncing on her chest where she caught me and began nuzzling my face.
Never in either of my lifetimes had I ever gotten such a great, succulent breakfast.
Mmm...
Sitting on her haunches, Lara then held me at the tip of her forelegs, where she--
I squeaked as she playfully threw me upwards, catching me before I could fall all the way to the ground, whereupon she began repeating the action.
*Throw* *Catch*
Huh. I never thought I'd say this, but--
*Throw* *Catch* *Giggle*
--This was somehow entertaining to the point--
*Throw* *Catch*
--That I couldn't stop the happy grin on my face from forming--
*Throw* *Catch*
--And yet, every time she--
*Throw* *Catch*
--I just, I had the urge--
*Throw* *Catch*
--The need, the need for--
*Throw*
...
...
"(Wha-- you can FLY already!?)" Lara exclaimed in surprise, watching me float higher and higher with my little buzzing wings, steadily reaching the ceiling.
Except I had no idea how to steer, still. But, maybe if I timed this right and rolled over at just the right moment, I could... Nngh! YES! The ceiling was mine!
I happily waved up/down at my bewildered friend with a foreleg.
"(Riiight, I forgot you could do that.)" She said with raised eyebrows, looking up at me.
"(Do what?)" asked the pink mare, whom had just returned without a bed head and appearing more energetic overall.
Target sighted.
"(Oh! Well--)"
Worry "(Where's Artemis?)" interrupted the alicorn, glancing around.
Calculating trajectory...
"(She's--)"
"(You didn't lose her, did you!?)" The mare slightly panicked.
Trajectory set, preparing launch...
"(Calm yourself, Princess! She's still in the room)" Lara quickly replied, thankfully avoiding looking at the ceiling.
Firing in 3, 2, 1...
"(...Oh? Were you two playing a game? Did you somehow manage to teach her 'hide and seek'?)"
Clamps released, initiating surprise tackle--
"(You could say that.)"
"(There aren't many places where she could hide, though)" the alicorn giggled, walking around a table to look under it-- wait...
TARGET MOVED!! TRAJECTORY FAILURE!!! ABORT! ABOR--
*Thud*
"...Ow." I hissed quietly while both ponies yelped and jumped back in surprise at the 'dark object' that fell from out of nowhere next to them. On a soft carpet, fortunately.
I slowly got back on my four hooves, head spinning-- Never mind, Lara grabbed me almost immediately and frantically began inspecting my body for injuries. Which were thankfully non-existent.
"(...What just happened!? She wasn't there a moment ago!)" The alicorn asked, confused.
Lara breathed a sigh of relief on realizing that I was completely fine. I mean I'd hope so, otherwise I wouldn't be happily smiling back at that very moment, much less hugging her as hard as I was.
"(It's, she, um...)" Lara said while looking at the larger pony, "(just... look.)"
She trotted up to a nearby wall, grabbed me and placed me in a way that my underside was facing the wall. I reflexively left my hooves stuck to it once she released me.
"(Wait, she can walk on walls!?)"
"(Indeed.)"
"(...Is that why you were looking up--)"
"(Uh-huh.)"
"(And she just fell!?)" the alicorn exclaimed, looking up at the high ceiling. "(From UP THERE!?)"
"(Yep! It is quite fortunate that her external skin is made of chitin. Unless she were a pegasus, there would be at least a broken bone or two from falling that high.)"
"(B-but... shouldn't you be scolding her for doing something so dangerous!? What if she DID hurt herself from doing something similar!?)"
Lara looked at me for a moment before she grabbed me again, holding me in front of her as she faced the agitated pink pony. "(Look into her sparkling eyes, and tell me you can stay mad at her for more than two seconds.)"
"Hi!" I chirped.
The alicorn looked like she was trying to resist something for a split second before she 'gave up'. "(Alright, you win. She probably can't understand us either way, so scolding her would accomplish nothing to begin with.)"
Lara hummed in agreement, carefully placing me on her back to carry me as she trotted towards one of the rooms.
"(Well, since Artemis is fine, I guess we might as well just move on to breakfast.)"
The alicorn wordlessly nodded, making random cute baby faces at me while she followed us. The fact that she was actually attempting to amuse me with those was frankly hilarious to watch.
Our destination led us towards what seemed to be a sort of mix between a kitchen and a dining room. Oddly enough, the appliances I could see for the kitchen looked... normal.
Normal for humans, that is.
This world's advancements in technology baffled me. The ponies I had seen were using bows and spears as weapons, yet here I was in a room containing what would be considered a 'modern kitchen' back on Earth. Or maybe they had actually made more advances in this field than we had? I mean, I didn't know the extent of what magic could do yet, if it was even being used by these appliances...
Then again, despite what I had seen during operation 'Tomb Raider', maybe ponies in general were simply much more peaceful than I thought, which would explain the lack of advanced weapons. Unless the ponies at that jungle were merely bandit wannabes. That would explain everything.
Lara stopped near what I assumed was the fridge, looking between me and the kitchen before almost imperceptibly wincing.
"(Could you...)" she hesitated, fidgeting a bit, "(...hold on to Artemis while I prepare us some pancakes? It shouldn't take lo--)"
"(Of course!)" the alicorn suddenly beamed, her horn beginning to glow before Lara could finis--
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU--!?" I screeched with my legs flailing in panic as I suddenly found myself floating towards the overexcited mare. My outburst startled her, which meant I was then falling since whatever energy was making me float was gone.
Lara quickly caught me in an embrace before I could hit the ground, though I probably wouldn't have felt anything from such a small drop to begin with, especially considering that I had survived a fall from the top of a towering tree, landing on a rock no less.
"(PRINCESS CADANCE!!)" Lara barked angrily at the pink one while holding me tightly, as if my life depended on it.
The alicorn splayed her ears against her head and quickly backpedalled a bit, her body slumping while remorse and guilt flowed from her in droves.
"(I... I-I'm sorry! It's just, I... got a little bit excited, I suppose...)" she quietly said, lowering her head in shame.
Lara's expression softened, slowly diverting her gaze away from the mare to instead look at my innocent eyes, which were staring back lovingly. "(Just... don't use magic on Artemis directly and avoid startling her, she doesn't seem to be very fond of surprises.)"
She discreetly hugged me a little bit tighter before reluctantly holding me out in front of herself, at which point the other mare slowly walked over and crouched, moving her own withers under me.
Except... I wasn't sure how I felt about being carried by someone that wasn't Lara, especially considering this alicorn didn't seem to be too emotionally stable even though it currently wasn't as bad as when I had woken up...
I guessed Lara was able to see how tense I was since she promptly came closer and nuzzled me soothingly.
"(Hey, it's alright, Cadance is a good pony, she means well. I'll be right over here)" she first pointed to herself and then to the general area the kitchen section occupied. "(Okay?)"
...Oh. Well, as long as she didn't leave me completely alone with this mare, I guess I would be fine with this while she made food or something.
"Okay..." I uncertainly chirped, nodding.
Lara lingered for a second or two before moving away towards the kitchen while the nervous pony I was on carried me to the large round table surrounded by fluffy pillow-seats, which was situated in the other half of the room. As soon as we were close enough, I leapt off of the alicorn and onto the table, though I didn't stray too far from her. She really seemed to be trying to win my affection from what I could tell, both from her remorse at startling me and from how she was trying her best to be 'nice' to me, despite the recent hiccup.
And if Lara could trust her with me, then I... I probably could do so as well. Though, I should probably figure out a nickname for her at this point. Can't keep calling her "the pink one" constantly...
She was nervously clapping her fore hooves together while observing me with a hopeful smile, though in the meantime I was pondering on suitable names. The irony was not lost on me when I realized that the 'baby' was the one trying to name the adult.
'Perhaps... Pinkie?'
--------------------------------------------
A mare in Ponyville sneezed confetti through her nostrils.
--------------------------------------------
'Nah, that one's too obvious. Hmm...'
"(Miss Yearling? Have you tried to teach her Equestrian during the time you two spent together?)" Lola asked after a moment as she turned to Lara.
No, no, that's a little too similar to 'Lara'. I should probably find an alternate name...
"(I... don't think I have, actually)" Lara replied in-between flipping something on what was most likely a stove with a spatula expertly held with her mouth. She looked like she was in a hurry to finish whatever she was making, for some reason.
Juliet visually perked up at Lara's words, turning to face me with renewed excitement as she repeatedly cleared her throat to gain my attention. "(My, name, is. Cadance. Ca-dan-ce.)" She sweetly began, pointing towards herself as she clearly enunciated the last word. "(Caaa-daaan-ce)"
Wait, was she...?
"(Your, name, is. Artemis. Arrr-te-miiis.)" she continued, pointing towards me this time.
...Was she trying to teach me her name and mine? Well, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that they'd name me, though I'd have to figure out how to translate Artemis into their language, eventually.
I looked at Lara, who seemed to be paying extra attention to our 'conversation' if her perked ears facing our direction meant anything.
'Cadance' followed my gaze. "(Her, name, is. Yearling. Yeeaar-liiing.)"
Oh, so that's what her name actually was?
...Meh, she would still be Lara to me. I guess Cadance's nicknaming was pretty short-lived, in the end.
I smiled and waved at Lara who had turned around to face us from across the room on hearing her name, happily returning the gesture to me before resuming her cooking.
I faced Cadance.
"My name, is... Cadance" I said with my girli- Childish voice, pointing at myself after trying to remember what were hopefully the right words.
She looked at me weirdly. "(What?) N--"
"Your name is Artemis" I quickly interrupted, pointing at her.
She frowned adorably. "No! My name is Cadance!"
"No, MY name is Cadance!"
"YOUR name is ARTEMIS!"
"YOUR name is Artemis!"
Her eye twitched. "I'M CADANCE, YOU'RE ARTEMIS!!!"
"I'M Cadance, YOU'RE Artemis!"
Frustrated "(Just... STOP!) You (got it all wrong!)"
"(Just stop!) You (got it all wrong!)" I was enjoying every single moment of this, and judging by Lara's emotions she was trying (and nearly failing) to hold back a large amount of mirth, quietly snickering.
Cadance, in the meantime, was looking quite flustered with her cheeks adorably puffed like so. Her expression then swiftly changed, her emotions and barely concealed smirk betraying her mischievousness.
Ohoho, this should be the part where she'll end up saying something which would no doubt be self-degrading, fully expecting me to repeat it--
"(I'm stupid)"
--and I'd just quietly sit here.
I calmly smiled and nodded, adding to the effect.
Lara burst out in laughter while rolling on the floor, having seen the entire exchange. Cadance's imitation of a goldfish was absolutely hilarious, even though it eventually ended in a cute pout.
Once my laughing fit had resolved itself into quiet chuckles, I approached Cadance and threw myself at her, hugging her neck apologetically.
"You Cadance" I stated while she looked down on me in absolute shock at my sudden correction and show of affection. "I Artemis."
"(Told you she was smart!)" Lara called out between giggles from across the room, having barely regained her composure by then and returning her focus on finishing making 'breakfast'.
But Cadance didn't seem to hear what Lara said at all.
Her muzzle ever-so-slowly gained the widest of smiles, and she steadily brought her forelegs up to embrace me.
Right before emotionally exploding in an overwhelming amount of happiness.
"(Alright, here we are!)" Lara proclaimed, somehow balancing a large plate on her back as she happily made her way over. "(Delicious, freshly-made pan... cakes...)"
Her gait steadily slowed to a near-complete stop once she noticed our position, her face showing no emotion for a split second before forming a smile that seemed too wide to be genuine as she resumed her pace and set the overfilled plate on the table.
Huh, could've sworn I sensed a spike of jealousy, but why would she honestly feel that? It was probably just Cadance's close proximity and extreme happiness messing up with my empathy somehow.
...However she was quickly getting increasingly frustrated at how long Cadance had been ignoring the... pancakes? Huh, they had those on this world too. Too bad I most likely couldn't taste them seeing as they didn't look appetizing in any way. Though, I did feel pretty full already, so there's that.
Eventually Lara couldn't wait anymore and loudly cleared her throat, causing Cadance to stop nuzzling me and look around in surprise at the interruption, her gaze finally resting on the 'apparently' delicious-looking breakfast.
"(Oooh, they smell amazing! But how did you make so many so fast?)" she asked while licking her lips in anticipation.
"(Magic.)" Lara replied in an odd monotone while keeping her gaze on me.
"(Huh?)"
...Why the heck was Lara feeling hurt?
"(I'll get the syrup and butter.)" Lara stated, trotting back towards the kitchen.
"(...Ooookay?)" Cadance asked uncertainly, gently grabbing hold of me with her forelegs to set me on the table.
I honestly wasn't sure why Lara was still upset, seemingly with me if her blank stare had meant anything, but what did I do that was wrong!? All I did was 'talk' a little with Cadance and hug her!
...Well, no matter! I may be too small and 'young' at the moment to work or help with practically anything, but cheering her up was something I knew I could easily do, especially with this... cute little changeling body I had.
Thus, the moment she returned while balancing a few things on her back, I proceeded to run up to the ledge of the table towards Lara, sit on my haunches and lift my forelegs with a wide grin, performing the patented 'hug-me-plis™' pose typically employed by newborns across the world to great effects.
It was super effective.
...
...Hnngh! Okay, maybe a little too effective since I was having trouble breathing with the bone-crushing hug Lara was giving me after almost immediately scooping me up.
A light-blue glow surrounded the stuff on Lara's back, floating them to the table. I managed to crane my neck around to look at Cadance since, as far as I knew, she was the only one capable of doing that in this room, and she was looking at us with a smile. Not the "D'awww" kind of smile, however. It was the kind you get when you're trying to shrug off an insult or a hit, hiding your true emotions from a rival.
I wondered why she was feeling increasingly determined.
"(Miss Yearling?)" she semi-loudly asked, startling Lara out of our hug. "(Would you mind if I fed Artemis?)"
The pegasus holding me silently stared for a good while without blinking.
"(What did you give her to eat, actually?)" Cadance continued. "(Did you feed her herbs? Fruits and vegetables? Or did you, erm... did you...)" she trailed off, vaguely gesturing at the pegasus's barrel.
Lara looked flustered, blushing. "(I... No! I haven't done that! She, well... actually, she refused to eat anything during the entire time we were together.)"
The alicorn's pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "(You... you haven't given her ANYTHING TO EAT!?)"
"(I, w-well, that is, she--)"
"(OH YOU POOR LITTLE THING!!)" Cadance cried.
I was rapidly encompassed with the same light-blue glow from earlier and dragged across the air over the table to her chest where she held me comfortingly, though I wasn't nearly as surprised as last time considering I could sense her increasing shock. Really, it was just a matter of time before something irrational happened at this rate.
This somehow didn't seem too irrational, however...
"(Don't worry! I'll take better care of you!)" she proclaimed with a not-so-gentle hug.
Lara frowned. "(Hey now--!)"
"(Let's see if those cute little baby teeth of yours are all grown up!)" Cadance cooed, taking advantage of my bewilderedness to gently open my mouth so she could apparently take a look at my fangs. Or my teeth.
Wait, how did she grab my lower jaw with her hooves? Did they have this magnet feature thingy my own little hooves had? It almost felt like it, but it was really weak...
Cadance slightly flinched back almost immediately after having a peek at my mouth's insides, taking a deep breath while I closed my muzzle. "(Miss Yearling?)"
"(Yes?)" Lara answered in a clearly miffed tone, grabbing a stack of pancakes for herself and reaching for the syrup.
"(Were you aware that Artemis is a c-carnivore!?)" Cadance almost squeaked out, unsure of whether or not she wanted to push me away or keep me close.
"(I'm pretty sure it was a given with the fangs.)" Lara replied, stuffing an entire pancake in her muzzle afterwards without a care in the world for table manners.
The alicorn stared back and forth between my worried expression and Lara for some time. "(This... this doesn't bother you in the least?!?)"
Lara swallowed the food in her mouth, gazing at Cadance with a deadpan expression. "(Artemis is clearly intelligent. I doubt she would even think of hurting either of us and, if she was hungry, I am certain she would find a way to let us know. As I've said, I have not fed her anything yet, though I did offer herbs, which she clearly let me know she didn't want. And yet, not once had she complained or shown signs of hunger in our entire trip, nor have I seen her eat anything as well.)"
And with that, she resumed nibbling on her food, this time with a more calm demeanor and what I guessed was the 'proper' way to eat in 'civilized pony society'.
"(...But what about that time you mentioned the both of you had gotten separated? Are you sure she didn't eat anything then?)" Cadance asked after a short pause of contemplation. "(And by the way, I'd like to know how and why you two were separated to begin with.)" she continued with pursed lips.
Lara winced and chewed slightly slower, eventually answering with an empty mouth. "(I stand by what I just explained. I haven't seen her eat anything during our trip, and if she was hungry she'd let us know.)"
The alicorn frowned. "(But--)"
"(Please.)" Lara interrupted with a troubled expression, gazing down at the floor. "(I'd... rather not talk about that...)"
Nope, nuh-uh, not going to let Lara fall into sadness. Not only did it ironically taste like onions (which I wasn't too fond of), but it was kind of contagious to a certain extent due to my empathy.
I detached myself from Cadance, quietly trotting towards Lara under the curious gaze of the former.
Lara pushed away her plate of pancakes with a hoof. "(...I'm not really hungry anymo-- Oof!)" She yelped, startled as I suddenly glomped her neck.
"Shhh, there's no need to be upset." I crooned while nuzzling her fur before she promptly got over her surprise and returned my embrace.
Meanwhile, Cadance was looking back and forth between Lara and I, ultimately deciding to let us have our moment as she levitated a stack of pancakes for herself.
I freed myself from Lara's grasp after a short moment, leaping on the table and pushing her partly-finished meal back to her with the tip of my muzzle.
Lara chuckled. "(Alright alright, fine.)"
I gave a satisfied nod once she resumed eating--
"(Mmmmmph! Theesh pahncayksh ahr gud!)" Cadance exclaimed with her mouth full.
"(They're just regular pancakes, though. Nothing really special about these.)" Lara replied, puzzled.
She gulped. "(But it's been forever since I've had any!!)" the alicorn proclaimed before literally stuffing her face again.
"(...How!? You're a Princess! Don't you get to decide what you eat in the mornings?)"
Cadance was about to reply, until she realized she was physically unable to do so with the amount of flavorless food in her mouth.
Yes, I nibbled on a little piece from Lara's plate. No discernible taste, to my great displeasure.
She eventually finished chewing and swallowed, releasing a contented sigh. "(Exactly. I'm a Princess. The castle cooks insist that we need to eat a 'proper meal' in the morning to be ready for the day, or in Luna's case a proper 'dinner-breakfast' to start the night.)" She stared at her empty plate, disappointed in its lack of contents. "(Pancakes are unfortunately not what they consider to be part of a 'proper, healthy breakfast' for us Princesses.)"
"(Ah.)"
"(And you still haven't answered how you've made so many in such a short time!)" Cadance whined while pointing at Lara.
"(I already told you. Magic. It does usually take a bit longer, but those magical stoves you've got here easily work wonders.)" Lara said, waving a hoof dismissively towards the kitchen.
The alicorn stared at the remaining smaller stack of pancakes on the large plate, hunger clearly visible in her eyes.
Lara noticed. "(Those were meant for Artemis, buuut...)" she grabbed one from the stack and offered it to me. I scrunched my muzzle and pushed it away with a hoof. "(...I guess she doesn't want them, so you might as well go ahead and help yourse--)"
She didn't get to finish before the entire thing was already gone, the only trace left of what was supposedly meant for me being displayed by Cadance's bulging cheeks as she slowly chewed, her eyes closed in absolute bliss.
I looked back at Lara, and she still had two pancakes to go out of the seven she had started with.
"(Hmm, Celestia should be raising the sun any moment now.)" Cadance eventually stated after being done eating, reaching out with her forelegs to gently grab me. "(I'll be in the lobby with Artemis, so she can get a good view of--)"
"(Hokay! Letsh go!)" Lara immediately exclaimed, her plate suddenly empty.
Cadance blinked, internally disappointed for some reason as she began carrying me back to the lobby with Lara in tow, whom was making random cute little baby faces at me along the way.
I rolled my eyes, yet I still had to fight to keep myself from laughing.
I wasn't strong enough.
We seemed to be approaching a large window and, even though I could sense a very large multitude of presences in almost every direction, I wasn't prepared for the sight that revealed itself to me.
I could see what appeared to be an entire city below. There were very few beings up and about on the streets, ponies from what I could tell, walking by odd buildings that still had this sort of elegance to them, though the further I looked from where we were, the less extravagant they seemed to be.
What was really odd, however, was that entire sections of the 'lesser' areas seemed to be under construction. In fact, now that I observed more carefully, the buildings near our current location almost seemed... brand new.
Huh, these ponies really kept their buildings properly maintained, didn't they?
I was interrupted out of my musings when I sensed... something. It was VERY powerful, the energy somehow reaching out into the distant horizon across extreme distances.
And then an even STRONGER energy was felt, extending towards the opposite direction which fortunately happened to be in our view. I could almost literally see the beam of magic this time, powerful as it was.
Then the sun slowly rose from the distant horizon in an amazing, breathtaking view, signaling the start of a brand new day with its gentle warmth. I could already sense the awe from the ponies below, nearly all activity having stopped while the event played out.
"(It never gets old)" Cadance whispered, Lara nodding in agreement.
We all kept watching the rising sun until it was fully visible, though I soon turned to look at one of the doors in the lobby we were currently in. Since that one seemed larger and more ornate than the rest, I assumed it was the entrance to this house, but what caught my attention was the fact that someone was behind it for the past five minutes or so.
Lara eventually followed my gaze. "(What's wrong?)"
--------------------------------------------
'You can do this! You've only been waiting for this all night!' the unicorn thought to herself in an attempt to dispel her nervousness. 'It's just a famous author and a little changeling foal that nopony knows about! No biggie, as Pinkie would say! Just an extremely famous author that just so happens to be one of your top favorites out of hundreds, an author whom is very very VERY successful in what she does and she's right there waiting for me and she's going to be writing the next book RIGHT HERE and Cadance is there too and I have to learn as much as I can about the little one and--'
"I CAN'T DO IT!!!" Twilight cried out right after quickly casting a sound muffling spell around her, dispelling it right afterwards and resuming her pacing.
'Princess Celestia said I had to go meet them after breakfast. I already had my breakfast, but did they? Did the Princess mean after I get mine or after they get theirs? How can I know if they've had breakfast!?'
"What's wrong?" Twilight faintly heard from the other side.
'Oh! They're awake! Now I just have to wait for the sun to rise and it would be the optimal time to enter!' She clapped her fore hooves together, happy to finally have a plan, simple as it was.
She looked at the time--
'AAAAHHHHH!!! SUNRISE WAS EXACTLY FIVE MINUTES AND TWELVE SECONDS AGO! I'M TAAARDYYY!!!'
She slammed the doors open with her magic, surprising A.K. Yearling whom was a hair-width away from getting hit by them.
There was an awkward silence as Twilight simply froze there with wide eyes, tiny pupils, a twitching eye and a frazzled mane, the list of questions she had carefully memorized and re-memorized for the author barely a few hooves away from her crumbling from being the center of attention of the two ponies she greatly admired.
The little changeling's expression was unreadable from across the large lobby, laying on her barrel on top of Cada-- Princess Cadance.
*Chirp?* It-- She squeaked.
Twilight Sparkle could've sworn that the chirp somehow sounded worried. She wondered why.
After all, Twilight was certain she was giving her widest of grins.
*Twitch*
Bonus deleted scenes:
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/492111/deleted-scenes-maresitting-101
Eight thousand words, and we still haven't gotten past morning yet. 
It was necessary, however. Character building was a must, and time skips won't really happen until Artemis is able to have a sort of routine going on. With all the new encounters that are pretty much going to occur over the next few chapters, it's safe to say she won't fall into one for some time.
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Yay! Thanks for the chapter.
Good character building going on.
The Adorable factor in this chapter was far too high. I'll have to get my Cute Filters changed ahead of schedule. And we still delayed the meeting of her Aunts. Actually, how has Luna not realized Artemis is in the castle? She's looking for a changeling who dreams, and Lara, er, Yearling was carrying the last known Changeling...
Ooh, that was fun. I cannot wait to see how Art and Twi get along... And to see more Cadance and Yearling! They're hilarious, though I can't help but wonder what they'll do when they realize neither of them are considered maternal figures. That'll hurt.
Excellent.
Loving Lara's and Arty's interactions. I was squeaking with delight at every single one of them. Nothing will get between them, except maybe themselves...
Cadence, you don't have a chance in hell of getting between the two of them. I understand your want and need to correct your (rather violent) mistake, but you gotta learn that you can't make someone love you. You should know this most of all. Arty might love you eventually, that might change though once he learns of what you did to his race. Best of luck to you, Cadence. You'll need it.
6036234
That's because Celestia has kept Luna in the Dark.
This amount of adorableness should be considered lethal...
You are killing me here!
Great chapter by the way! Can't wait until the next!
Run, youngling. Run to Luna. She's both large enough to hide behind and wasn't imprinted onto you as ebil.
I think I'm coughing up blood from the overload of adorableness.
I Love that story... and Artemis is so cute
Great story so far, I eagerly await the next dose of daaww
edit: i barely finish the comment when i notice the update. Good times!
I love you! Now, give me moar. MOAR!
So adorable
I'm curious: does Artemis see himself as a guy or girl at this point? And if a guy, when do his struggles to maintain his masculinity commence?
Twitchy Twilight, be afraid....
Twilight...
My heart has done asploded!
I wonder when Artemis will learn how to weaponize his cuteness.
Also, crazy Twily is scary Twily
I might have a cuteness-related heart attack if you keep this up...
Yay for another chapter!
So... back to scheduled uploading?
I'm greatly looking forward to more.
6036283 Ba-dum Tsh.
>slow updates warning
>10 6k-ish word updates in 5 months
You don't know this website very well, do you?
I wish i could give this story more thumbs up
Nice chapter loving the length!
i fucking love this chapter, I have a smile on my face throughout the entire read, i give this, a 10 out of 10
cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-well-done-gif-Picard-clapping.gif
....ohh yeah soooo normal
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/133338705030.png
*crawls to the other corner crying...*
bwwwaaahaaaa she is scary
Reference?
Loving this fic so much! Just binge read the entire thing but now I have to wait like everyone else. Oh the humanity!
Oh my gosh my heart. brb they sell hearts on Amazon, right?
pbs.twimg.com/media/BOSGjTrCQAINqIm.jpg
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The Cuteness... IT BURNS!
Dude! Epic as always! I look forward to the next diabetes inducing chapter!
6036706 9.5/10, too much parenthesis - IGN
Poor Cadance, she just wants to be loved.
Can't wait for next chapter
@-@ *has a seizure of the shear cuteness*DNSNNUHUHUIGHUFTYUFITYKJLYJTHCYJYYYUIFYGJHJ
Aside from the gender swapping of the protagonist, I like this story. It's really cute so far.
Also, cool it on all the capslock and abuse of exclamation marks. Honestly surprised no one else has had an issue with this yet.
HHHHHHNNNNNNNGGGGG! *dies...
Well, congratulations. You've done something no other author has ever accomplished. You made me squee. Now you must pay....
Love this story soooo much. Great chapter and I can't wait to read the next one. Really looking forward to seeing how Artemis reacts to twilight and Celestia
I could read a million words of Artemis being cute and living her new life as a baby changeling. I have read stories over one million words, so I do not say this lightly.
6037475 Aside from the gender swap? I think that makes it even more interesting, and dare I say it, adorable.
Absolutely love the story. I hope they'll let Yearling stay as Artemis's guardian.
I can kinda see that Celestia worries more about Cadence than about Artemis. Cadence is really unstable after the wedding, and it is unwise to let her babysit a child of the race she recently annihilated. I think Celestia wants to rehabilitate Cadence at the expense of Artemis, maybe she thinks about it with some kind of 'good for all' motif, but in reality it is just mean.
So. Many. Hugs.
All my current reads have yet to update, so I found this tale while browsing the popular stories list.
The meme references during the earlier chapters kinda took me out of the 'zone', but I've still gotten pretty invested in things. Established personalities are played close enough to the show canon that it flows nicely. I'm also liking the chapter length.
Fav'd, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes!
That was fantastic. Loved the dream sequence especially.
Jimmy hand me the scope!
Aye Cap'n.
Holy crap.
Wha' 'es et Cap'n?
The adorableness....it's too much!
*Promptly explodes into rainbow and tiny little kittens of various breeds*
No Cap'n!!!! Why??? 'E was tooo young to go!!
. . .
quickmeme.com/img/c8/c85463be7ab151279b090373d5a3e108e684bfa03b549fa241b8f04bfc55bbd5.jpg
I am very much looking forward to when Artemis meets Celestia, considering her mother's parting words about not trusting Celestia.
In response to the author note, this chapter never felt like it out stayed it's welcome. So by all means, take your time in these chapters and let the character interactions play out. It's been very entertaining so far.