17 - Binding string
Note: Added Sex and Gore tags. This is still teen, but I believe that since there is more than occasional fighting and more than a little sexually-charged situations, by the FAQ, I will use them.
"Can you believe them," my ears swiveled around, focusing on the speaker, "walking into court and practically demanding a private audience. Some ponies need to learn their station."
I frowned as the guard led us out of earshot of them. "What's wrong?" Stick pressed a little closer, shoulders and flanks rubbing gently as we walked. I leaned against her.
"Nothing, love." I nosed at her cheek.
I got a kiss back. "About time. I wasn't going to say it first this time. If we weren't about to see Celestia I would pin you down and kiss your nose raw. I love you Penny." I was shocked by her intense emotion and was blushing furiously.
"You may go in, she is expecting you." The guard was standing to the side now, a door open beside him with two guards standing with spears held high.
Stick didn't move from my side as we walked and I knew I was still blushing up a storm when the door closed behind us.
"Now, to welcome you properly. Thank you Penny, Stick, for proving that ponies are ponies no matter their shape. You have news for us?" Celestia's voice was warm, it flowed through the room like water.
"A few things. First," I was feeling a little nervous, but I knew she should be told about my odd… trick, "you got Twilight's report on my condition." Celestia nodded and I realized I had worded myself into a corner. I couldn't infer that Princess Celestia couldn't understand the techno-babble. "Uh, I am sure you are, um…"
"I understand a little of it. I fear my former student has, in this field, outshone even the sun." Her words were careful but had a little humor to them that made me smile. Or was it melancholy?
"Right, so I leak, a lot. I can't seem to stop the leak, only make it bigger. Stick," I channeled a little, pushing about half to light my horn and letting the rest flow through me as I looked to my… marefriend, "can drink it down as if it were emotion. Queen Fast also attested that she could too. But it only works when I focus on love."
Celestia would have to be blind to see the way I looked at Stick when I explained it, or see the way the changeling gave a silly grin at being fed by me. "That is a most interesting talent, what did Fast Change think of it?"
I was confused a moment until I made the connection. "Queen Fast was most insistent I avoid using it in her hive, I think she was worried it might tempt her changelings to do things…" Celestia nodded.
"My Queen also was worried about me visiting the Crystal Empire." Stick looked down a little. "She fears what was done cannot be remedied."
Celestia pondered this, her look not inviting us to speak for the moment. "Very well, I will draft my niece a letter. You," she gestured at Stick with a wing, "will deliver it."
What was with princesses giving Stick letters to deliver? Was she now a royal mailmare? My grin caught Celestia's eye and an eyebrow twitched. "Sorry, princess. You will forgive a pony her silly thoughts, but Twilight has already penned such a letter, with the same instructions. I know neither of you would lean on my friend for simple delivery of letters, but even when I was human, my friends called me a silly pony."
The princess shook her head. "Humans, even when become ponies, have many flavors of spirit, all of them are strong and spicy. It is quite the relief to have found one more soothing to the palate."
Celestia was a ruler, a diplomat and a caring 'mother' to her ponies, to have her twist words into such an interesting pattern made me giggle all the more. To one side, a quill became wrapped in golden magic, starting to write.
"This is all you have to report?" It was as Celestia asked that I realized just how well ponies tended to multi-task. She was talking with us, clearly following a conversation, but at the same time she was writing a letter, likely with exquisite lettering and even more-so wordage.
"Well, after my Queen's reaction, and mine." Stick blushed a little herself, remembering the way her queen had 'reacted' to my leaking. "Penny has come up with a rather good way, at least while her… issue, remains a secret, to detect a changeling nearby."
"Let me guess, put out a burst of love and see if anypony suddenly reacts?" Stick gave a chitter of surprise. "It is a valid method, but will only work a few times unless you find and restrain the changelings each time it really works. It also makes you a target."
I gulped at this and nodded.
"Very well, I think, despite you not being a practiced unicorn, you could be of some use to my niece, maybe a good lesson for her too. You will go to the Crystal Empire and, there, report to my diplomat. He looks to be a young unicorn, but is wise beyond his station. His name is-"
"Silver Lining." I giggled, not intending to cut the princess off, but I could see she wasn't upset about it. Or at least she was very, very good about not showing it. "I knew him as a human, we were good friends." To say this raised the royal eyebrow would be an understatement. "We were reunited at the station, each of us going in different directions. He is the reason we are going."
Celestia nodded. "I should have known. Silver seems to leave ripples around him, some pull ponies closer, others are pushed away."
I had no reply for this, apparently 'Silver' had changed a bit from the human I knew. I grinned, I would have to learn about my friend all over again, not a terrible thing. The scratching of the quill ceased and the letter folded, a dollop of wax and Celestia's magic forming a seal into it later and it floated over to Stick.
"I am left wondering who will have the greatest impression on whome." Celestia smiled, taking any heat from the double-edged comment. "Go, introduce yourselves to my niece and be the best ponies you can." The encouraging words got a prideful smile from both of us as we gave her a bow.
As we left the castle a little colt with a changeling cutie mark trotted up to us. "Queen Fast said you were coming here!"
We stopped and blinked, it took a few moments for me to make the connection. "Don't hide yourself." Stick spoke first though, reaching out with a hoof and booping him on the nose.
A flash of green fire and he was revealed. The small changeling that had been involved with the foalnapping. I thought the wounds had healed over, but they hadn't, they had just scabbed. A shudder went through me and Stick was just as suddenly pressed in, I could even feel a gentle push of her magic under my belly and barrel. Damn she was an awesome mare.
I did notice, when I really looked, that their left foreleg had lost a hole. I focused on that, they weren't really at fault, they just needed food. "Grub?" At their nod I smiled, they looked surprised I remembered it. "Grub, how is life in your new hive?"
They chittered and grinned. "Queen Fast is teaching me how to drink carefully and has found a job for me to do, I am her page!" Their enthusiasm at their new start in life was well received by Stick, I had a little trouble dealing with past demons at first, but a foal's happiness is quite something to behold. It wasn't Grub's fault that he ended up in the company he had.
"That's great to hear, I see you are healing up those holes?" Stick poked me in the side when I observed this, the little changeling in front of me blushing. "Right, silly unicorn, they are not spoken about so much, are they?" I got a nod from Grub. "Then let me keep being blunt-pony. I am glad you are looking better." The blush deepened but I could see the colt was pleased by it.
"I gotta go, Queen Fast will probably need me!" Their words mashed together with a lot of chitter and they turned and bolted.
"You really need to learn decorum." Stick nuzzled me around my neck. "But don't, you are the best blunt-pony."
"We should go, changelings seem to be less of a scene than they used to be, but I am still new, it seems." There were a few ponies looking curiously at us and Stick nodded. Lifting our flanks we made a trot for my shop.
"Well now, here is a pair of faces I haven't seen for a while." Mrs Loaf was out the front of their shop, two foals running around and generally loving life in the way young are wont to do. "Your trip was eventful I take it?"
The earth pony mare's smile was warm. "Oh you wouldn't believe! We met a warrior, I was foalnapped, escaped and learned the secrets of magic from an alicorn princess!" The two foals stopped their headlong dash and were gazing up at me. A little young to really grasp the meaning of my exaggeration, they nonetheless recognized something exciting was being talked about.
Stick nodded to every point I made. "I made new friends." I leaned over and nuzzled her. I knew how much work and bravery it had taken for her to do that.
"My my, it sounds like quite the tale." Mrs Loaf grinned and looked between us. "I also think there is another story here, a much more wonderful one."
I blushed as hard as ever but Stick leaned in and nipped at one of my ear tufts. "Yup, she is my mare!" Well, I thought I was blushing before, now my face felt on fire.
"Oh and look at her, you two have a date picked?" I looked between Stick and Mrs Loaf, over and over, what was going on here, what were they planning.
One of my back hooves lifted and I was almost ready to take a step back when Stick's voice whispered in my ear. "Don't worry, we move at your pace… or maybe a touch faster." This didn't help my blush at all but my hoof came back down. I leaned against her, needing her support for the moment. "We haven't a date yet, and I think one of my new friends would be most upset if we planned a party without her."
"Don't leave it until too late. Best thing I ever did was roping my stallion." The mare practically glowed. "You don't look to be settling back, leaving again?"
Nodding, I looked to my little shop. "Yeah, Crystal Empire this time. An old friend ran into me at the station on our way to Ponyville, he was headed up north and I promised to find him again."
"Important to keep friends like that. But what of your shop?" The two foals had bounced over to Stick and were making a game of weaving around her legs.
I sighed deeply. "I just don't know. It would be nice to know it is there to come back to, but at the same time if somepony else needs it… Can you look after it for me? If somepony is looking for a place to stay or to set up a nice shop, let them have it." Mrs Loaf smiled. "But first I will grab my things. I didn't leave much… well, maybe some bits and the grinding dust, but I might need it. Oh!"
Stick and Mrs Loaf both looked at me, waiting for my exclamation to be explained.
"Crystal Empire… there might be work for me, polishing stones."
"She only now thinks of this. Silly pony." Stick kissed me on the cheek and I gave a happy sigh. "Come on then, no time like the present and it would be good to get moving sooner rather than later."
I pressed forward, leaning in and giving Mrs Loaf a hug. "Thank you for letting a mare earn her keep."
"Oh you, he really did need the help, still does. Maybe another pony will come and work for crumbs?" Crumbs, really.
I laughed at this. "I will be back some day, I don't plan to spend forever in the Crystal Empire."
"You go, show that mare of yours a good time and don't do anything I wouldn't." I blushed at her suggestion. "Go!"
We laughed and dashed to the closed shop. Inside I grabbed just what I said I would, leaving a few bits behind. "Not all of it?"
I shook my head to Stick. "If someone needs a shop this far from the market, it will help them." She nuzzled my cheek.
"That everything?" I had popped the old cushions into a cupboard and nodded to stick.
"Yeah, come on, race you to the station!"
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I read the description...it said something about A human finds themselves
wasn't that supposed to be himself/herself?
6850484 Sorry about that, I will go fix it. I tend to think too much in the agender spectrum >.>
I was know - I
wasknowgently push - gentle push
company he did - company he had
are want - are wont
in a cupboard - into a cupboard
- It's not clear who is being referred to here. If it is Penny, it's the first time she has referred to herself in the third person in this first person narrative.
*****
- Ooo! I'll bet Penny is something warm like cinnamon or nutmeg!
Still enjoying each chapter as it comes out, just don't burn yourself out writing so quickly!
6851133 Thank you, all fixed. Glad you are liking the story so far :)
on whom."
exciting
8799213 Fixed, thanks!
I think that Ms Loaf has the handling down,* but needs to get a grip on her shipping issues.
#Autocorrectisannoying
9165004 Shipping is a longtime tradition of pony culture!
The idea of Ms. Loaf having a Lunar Pegasi cousin, who is a singer, popped into my head, and I had to let it out:
To heavily paraphrase DWK, "Celestia is not just the immortal God-empress that we imagine she is; Celestia is basically Equestria's Mom. She's been around the longest, she knows the most, and (even if it seems like she's full of it sometimes) you should probably at least listen to what she's trying to say."
11058255 Word is each Royal Guard has accidentally called her Mom at least once during long shifts.
Ehhhhh, that's kinda bad advice. The only thing that comes from rushing love is heartache. Multiple members of my family, and my own experience can attest to that.
11264670
Well of course, but at the same time, like she said, you don't want to let Love linger for too long. There's being sure of your love, and there's beating around the bush.