71 - Field Trip
"The apology was accepted." Gregor was bowed to the one he was speaking to, even if they were not technically in the same room.
"Excellent, then this matter is settled." A soft grunt of a noise came over the line, a momentary scowl passing over the man's hovering face. "The Hawkwoods are quite the nuisance, but this... No matter, it is done. Have you had any new observations?"
"I have." Gregor made a subtle gesture, waving a few fingers outwards. "The people seem... unformed. They are like children, even the dangerous ones. Their mightiest of leaders see the world through naive eyes, full of simple joy. I am led to believe, thus far, that they simply never developed the need for the... intricacies, we have grown accustomed to."
"A world of..."
"Have you made your decision?" Gregor looked up to the face of the man he spoke to.
"If we deny that they do not at least reflect his light, we deny much of his glory. They work in peaceful harmony. Even the most violent of them, easily turned to more peaceful ends, preferring harmony to not." A smart clap came over the link, though his hands were not in view. "Our choice seems to be made for us, but I have not made any lasting decision, no. I have a task for you."
Gregor dipped his head. "I am ever ready."
"You do us proud. Learn which of them casts that light and shines it so brilliantly across the rest. Is it internal or a reflection from above? You imply they simply exist in a state of blissful grace, but I am not ready to accept that, yet. They must have religious leaders, even if they do not see them that way. Who guides their morality?" His head inclined forward. "Find this."
"As you wish." Gregor threw a hand off to the side. "Their young visit tomorrow. Perhaps that will be enlightening to us while we show them. I feel we should--"
"--I trust you in this." The man smiled thinly. "Handle it well, and learn. I must go."
They bowed, even if one of them was simply just a tilting of their floating head. The image faded, leaving Gregor alone with his thoughts. "Hmm..." He had to ensure the next day went perfectly. He would delight and educate, and perhaps gain a new follower? Dare he hope for two?
"Hey, you in here?" Spike leaned in from outside the reading room, of which Twilight had many. "There you are." He flew in with a pony trailing behind him. "Maar, Laud, I have a special treat."
Maar hiked a brow. "Good, I could use a little break."
Laud looked less enthusiastic about the interruption, looking past Spike to the pony. She had white fur and pink hair and a red cross with little pink hearts around it. She was adorable, and smiling. "Does it involve her?"
The mare nodded. "Spike was telling me that there was a dragon that wanted to be a nurse bad enough to let some alien read a book to them."
Maar blinked at that. "Yes, that is what I did... That is how you become a nurse, right?"
"Not exactly." The pony gestured to Laud with a hoof. "Thanks for the help, Sir, but I'll take it from here."
Laud did not move to depart just yet. "I remember you... Nurse... Red Heart, wasn't it?"
"Redheart, all together, but yes. That's me, and learning from an actual nurse will work a lot better than having a bunch of boring words read to you by someone else who has no idea what they really mean in practice. Again, thank you, but I have this."
Maar clapped her hands eagerly. "Spike, thanks! Wow, an actual nurse?" She rose to her feet to inspect Nurse Redheart properly. "You even look like a nurse..."
"I dare say you have a good look for it too." Nurse Redheart trotted up to Maar with a smile. "I like that pink shade."
"Lavender," argued Maar with a twisting of her snout. "Still, uh... thanks?" She wasn't complimented on her color often, and by a pony? "Are you really going to show me how to be a nurse?"
"Honey, by the time we're done, you'll be the best dragon nurse ever." Not that she expected that would be a hard goal to reach.
"Yes!" Maar seemed ignorant of any subtlety there, pumping a fist. "And less reading. See you later, Laud."
Laud had been dismissed... "My student has surpassed me." Not that he ever professed to be medically inclined. "Spike, let's talk."
He walked out of the room with Spike, leaving Maar and Redheart to begin their lessons. "Tomorrow, I bring the children to the church's ship. I would like to entrust a secret mission with you."
Spike's attention was immediately grabbed. "Secret mission you say?"
"Of utmost importance." He crouched to be more on Spike's level. "I want you to attend, as a student. Beyond that, you must listen and remember. You will be my eyes and ears. If they attempt to speak to you of things outside of my view, I will know, because you will tell me. You will protect them."
"Huh, so... I'm a spy? Neat... Should I dress for that?"
Laud smiled a little. "No attire that makes you look like a spy would make you a good spy, Spike. Come just as you are, with the others. If you are in the position to protect the others from some threat, then do so. I trust you, as Twilight's squire, even if she has not officially granted the title."
Spike's eyes grew wider. "Woah... I mean, does that get me a sword too?" He hiked a thumb at Laud's dangling blade. "Squires get those, right?"
"Make good on this mission and we will speak further." He envisioned a small sword fit for Spike's size. "Tell me, how quickly do dragons grow?"
Spike shrugged softly. "Got me. I was raised by ponies, remember? Anyway, uh, thanks, for trusting me. This shouldn't be... too bad, I mean, I really don't know what's going on, just like the rest of them. All I have to do is look amazed and ask questions, just like them, right?"
"Precisely. Be curious, be attentive, and report. Do not speak to me during the trip except as a student. Save any intelligence you gather until we are well away, unless you feel it is a threat to the students."
Spike saluted sharply at that. "Sir, yes, Sir!" He flew away with a giggle, seeming quite enthusiastic about his mission.
Bon Bon, AKA Agent Sweetie Drops, was asleep. She felt certain of this fact. She sat on a pillow that was somehow both perfectly sized for her, and yet infinitely large.
There was a presence. She had no idea what it was, but she felt safe, even sheltered. "Hello," she bade it, knowing it was listening.
"Hello, Bon Bon," replied the voice. She couldn't pick out what voice it had. In the logic of dreams, she knew it had greeted her, and that was enough. "It is time."
"It is time," she calmly agreed, not knowing what time it was, but it certainly was time. She couldn't argue it. She could feel it.
"Another thread to a dazzling tapestry... This one has a kink, but the tapestry will only gain character, perhaps."
"Character," she agreed, twitching an ear. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"We must select a name."
"Oh! Yes, a name, of course." That made no logical sense, but she was dreaming, and it seemed to make sense at the time. "A name..."
"Helping Hand," spoke the voice.
"Bright Eyes," countered Bon Bon.
"Star Child."
Bon Bon frowned softly. Something about that name... "What are we naming?"
"It's alright."
And it was.
Bon Bon would not remember speaking to that entity, only awakening with the name burning bright in her mind.
She awoke with a loud gasp.
"Mmm?" Lyra perked up an ear and cracked open an eye. "G'morning."
"Mm?" Twilight rolled over and fell out of bed, nowhere as close to the center of the bed as she was used to. "Oof! Good morning to me too." She snorted as she sat up.
Bon Bon was trembling, a hoof to her head. "But... but... I... This can't..."
Lyra sat up, the blanket falling free of her to crumple against her. "Hey, what's wrong? You look awful. Bad dream?"
Bon Bon looked to Lyra, then down at Twilight, and back. "I... had a naming dream."
Both mares were struck wordless. There was only one reason for a mare to have a naming dream.
Laud led the students, plus Spike, across the pavement of the landing pad. "Stay close together. Do not touch anything that you have not been specifically invited to do so."
Yona was almost bouncing, half-pronking as well as her heavier set body allowed. "Eeee!" she squealed with unintelligent excitement.
Ocellus looked over the people standing guard in front of the ramp that led up into the ship. "They look... serious."
Gallus elbowed Smolder lightly. "And she looks stupid excited."
Smolder barked out a laugh at that. "Emphasis on the first part. Hey, Yona, keep it together."
Silverstream was walking alongside Spike. "You don't normally come with us, but it's nice to have you here, Spike. What are you looking forward to seeing most?"
"Good question." He rubbed his chin. "Also, I'm just as much a student as the rest of you when it comes to these guys. I suppose I wanna see how similar they are to the last set of humans or if they're way different."
"Good call." Silverstream bobbed her head, prancing mid-step. "I barely got to see the last ones though... You'll tell me when there's a difference?"
Spike thumbed up emphatically, getting an excited squeal from the hippogriff.
"You've arrived." Gregor descended the ramp with a big smile and his calm walk. "Look at all of you." If he had not known they were harmless, it would be so easy to cast them all as demons at first sight, all so colorful and alien, but they also had very human smiles on their faces, which was almost... uncanny.
"Are you all prepared to learn today?"
"Yes!" Yona bounced in place.
"Yeah yeah." Smolder shrugged with less enthusiasm.
Sandbar stepped forward. "Hey, uh..."
"Father Gregor," he introduced. "And you are, my child?"
"Uh, I'm not your foal. That would be strange..." He shook his head. "But nice to meet you, Gregor. I'm Sandbar, so what are we doing exactly?"
"I am a father to any person that seeks the light," he gently corrected. "Today I will guide you all through the ship." He gestured back towards it. "I'll explain what it is we do and how we do it." He met eyes with Laud, giving a subtle nod, but most of his attention was on the little ones. "Are you ready?"
With a chorus of affirmative responses, he turned and began to lead the way up the ramp towards his ship. "I've gone to lengths to ensure that your little hearts can explore as you see fit. All things of a... fragile nature... have been secured. If you see it, you may examine it."
Laud let out a little sigh of relief at the news. That was one less calamity that could befall the trip. "You heard him, but that doesn't mean you can be rude. They are allowing us into their home, treat it with respect."
"Mister Mountbatten speaks wisely. One should always respect the homes of those they visit." He arrived at the top and gestured inside. "As I am a visitor of your fine town. That is your school there, is it not?" He indicated the friendship school still in sight despite the tall walls that tried to block the view.
"Yes," quickly replied Yona, but she was not even glancing that way. She moved right past him to start feasting her eyes on the inside of the ship. "Oooo."
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Bonnie as the first one to bear a hybrid child was unexpected.
I hope hybrid child will be homogeneous anthro rather than some kind of satyr/centaur.
9430552
Why is that, out of curiosity?
So ponies and humans can have children together? The church will have a field day with this!
9430572
Pure aesthetics, also it is more natural with real world hybrids.
P.S. Knowing that you are Ponyfinder's creator, I almost sure you will go with satyr, aren't you?
9430599
In the real world, those wouldn't hybrid. In Equestria, we already have hippogriffs, seaponies, and griffons, all displaying the cut-in-half hybridism.
Just saying.
Well, at least they are not being led to a Unitologist ship. Thanks for writing!
Laud recruiting Spike makes a lot of sense, practically and I think from a family perspective. He can clearly see Twilight and Spike's relationship is most close to a Mother/Son. Twilight is one of his wives now so Spike is sort of his son too. Laud would feel it was his duty to teach Spike to be responsible and honorable.
9430599
I think an anthro pony feels more like blending of the parents while a Sytar feels more like sticking the upper body of a human on pony legs. The anthro just feels more likely to have been born naturally. Sort of the way the Hippogriff design in MLP flows more smoothly than griffon design. The blend feels more naturalistic the contrasting division point feels more artificial.
The Master is still deperate, but still cautious. How many times has they been burnt so badly to take note, but not enough to give in or be destroyed?
The difference between comedy and satyr is the laughs?
Blegh, politics and religion together.
Well, Spike, no pressure, it's only the imterstellar status of Equestria on your hands.
... Let's hope Murphy doesn't intervene.
She is with child!
Well. Helping Hand only makes sense if Bonnie is having a centaur or a satyr or the like. Star Child just doesn't feel very ponish to me? Bright Eyes is pretty, but I just read a chapter of a Fallout Equestria fic in which a zebra-cyborg courier blasts a raider in the face with an eyeball laser, so it feels a bit...on the nose?
I'm putting my bits on Bonnie and the voice having come up with a fourth name we didn't get to hear.
It's what you'd do to us. We know this!
9430706
This is what I was saying. Smooth hybrids are better.
9430912
I didn't know satyrs lacked funny bones...
But seriously, the word you're looking for is satire.
Heard in the background, "Choose your DESTINY!"
S.M.I,L.E. will be in uproar over this. But at the very least it cements further their long-term hold of the inside.
Gregor is going to pronounce Twilight their local goddess, isn't he?
An interesting question, reflect or produce light. Let's hope his digging leads to many unbalancing revelations!
Now what was it Zecora was saying....
Keep going! ;)
so Laud is compatible with pony DNA or it looks like it.
as to religion and Gregor i say throw Gregor in tartarsauce with the first Gregor and save all the wars and crap the religion will start.
9430609
So far that seems to hold true more for the northern half of the world while in the southern half creatures are more blended, like the various animal men from the movie and the seamless hippogriffs. The various pony types are better blended everywhere. The creatures who aren't are all inspired directly from ancient human mythology, and maybe that's not a coincidence, hmm?
It also wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that many "cut and paste" hybrids were created with magic at some point in history (Discord obviously involved or a product of it's misuse?), perhaps as a way around DNA or other incompatibilities Zecora implied, and the rest were born from parents that were naturally compatible.
If I were in the position to do so, I would be a Patreon patron just so I could ask for more. The story is starting to look quite interesting.
I doubt the ship has truly been secured against yaks.
9439592
You will be happy to know that someone did patronize this story, and it will now be updated weekly!
9435204
Noticing this late, but hippogriffs are not seamless. They have bird fronts and horse backs. As seaponies, they are pony fronts and fishy backs. Half/half is a really common body type on this world.
A) Good thing Sombra's gone and Tirek's locked away, as is Cozy Glow; they would likely make things quite awkward.
B) Discord's...better than he once was, but he still doesn't exactly "prefer harmony to not", so...also awkward.
I like the concept of a naming dream.