• Published 30th Oct 2019
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A Deer Named John - Teapot Tales - Tael_Spinner

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MA1-C9: The Life of Boo

Boo

Everyone I could see before me was stunned. I don’t blame them. My disguise had just been wrenched away before their eyes. Those who knew what I was and the ones who didn’t just stared in shock. For some, it didn’t last long.

Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard, Prince Consort to Princess Cadance. The one often seen as oddly aloof considering his titles and positions was the first to react. I watched as if the world around me had slowed just so I could take in every reaction. His face twisted out of its shock to one of pure rage, his horn igniting in his signature cherry glow.

I started to curl up. There was nowhere to go and nothing I could do. Transformation held no safety to me now. I was too exposed.

The magic of Shining Armor’s horn burst forth in a beam of light aimed straight at me. The anger in his eyes gave me only a hint at the power he was bringing to bear.

I closed my eyes. This was it. Damn it, Boo. Three years. You managed to keep it hidden for three years! Now all of it was stripped away. You just had to stick by the ones you helped. Just because you saw yourself in them.

Expecting the searing sting of magic striking my body, I suddenly felt a hard shove. Then my side hit the floor. I could hear the crackling whoosh of magic as it passed close by. I heard it hit but felt nothing of what I expected.

Opening my eyes, I glimpsed the last of Shining Armor’s attack as it cut off. I frowned. It hadn’t hit me. Pushing myself up, I turned to look and found what had been struck instead. My eyes grew wide and I stared at the fallen, emerald green form.

The dragon? Why? Why had she done that?

I rose to my hooves and tried to dash for the dragon. She deserved some help. Maybe not mine. From what I had seen in battle, she was courageous. Even fearless. She didn’t hide behind a mask. My help would only bring another chance to have her blasted with magic, but she deserved help.

As I began to move, I was suddenly surrounded by a bright golden light. It didn’t restrain me, make me completely immobile. Instead, I pressed a chitinous hoof against the curved wall of light then looked around. I was inside a ball of glowing light.

I let my head drop in defeat. I was going nowhere. Neither to help another, nor flee the anger Shining Armor had directed at me.

I could still hear. Shouts and cries, many from voices I had so recently encountered. I could picture their faces twisted in shock, anger, alarm and distress. All focused on their friend who now lay before me, outside of my bubble, unable for me to help. Like and unlike so many others over the years.

A hoofstep caught my ears. How was it possible to sound so regal from just a single step? I could tell who it was even before I slowly turned my head, to gaze up at her stern face from between the curtains of my translucent blue hair.

Princess Celestia…

A figure I had known long before setting hoof in Equestria. One I had watched with great interest. Her struggles and silent pain from the time before the return of her sister. I didn’t pity her, I empathised with her. I knew what it was like to be forcibly severed from family. To know you could do nothing to make it right.

Now she stared down on me like the insect I was. A parasite on her people. A bug just waiting for the hoof to come crashing down and squash it into nothing.

And yet, she didn’t. All she did was stare. Looking at me as she did so many others, as if silently working through a puzzle in her head. I glimpsed Shining Armor as he stormed forward, nothing but rage in his eyes. His horn aglow and ready to strike. But Celestia…

She simply held out a hoof to block his path and stay his attack. I frowned at that before the voices from earlier drew my gaze back to the fallen dragon. The others were with her now. Deer, yak, bat pony and unicorn. Such an odd little group. Many with tears in their eyes and ache in their voices.

Even through the barrier I could feel their emotions. Their fear and pain. The odd taste of hope being ripped out of them. I could never turn it off. That extra sense was always with me. It was probably how I knew Celestia wasn’t going to instantly erase me from existence. I could taste it in her emotions, even as she held them so very tight. Little flavours still slipped through.

Confusion being the oddest one in this moment. She wanted to know something. Her mental puzzle was still incomplete.

I brushed it aside to focus on the dragon. Other unicorns were with her now. Like the one who had stripped me of my disguise. Their eyes examined while their magic probed. Only when the dragon gave a rasping cough, one which sent a shudder through her entire body, did I see and taste the relief of the medical unicorns.

The four misfit creatures soon joined in the moment of relief and I couldn’t help but join them, letting out a sigh as I watched them embrace their friend as she groggily returned to the world of the living.

She was alive. Thank goodness.

I stepped down from pressing my hooves against the inner wall of the magic sphere and turned to face Celestia again, taking comfort in the knowledge that I wouldn’t have the dragon’s death on my conscience. So many others lingered there. Those I couldn’t help or save. Most with names I would never know. The few I recalled. Shadow Glimmer. Sunny Meadows. Iron Lock…

I shuddered. How I wished I could have removed his helmet. He may have been gruff with the prisoners in his care, but even he didn’t deserve to be forced into Sombra’s army.

“Little one.”

My gaze snapped to Celestia. She was still watching me, studying me. Her voice was calm and neutral.

“Your name is Boo, correct?”

I nodded. “Yes, your Highness.”

“And from which hive do you hail?” Celestia continued.

I shook my head. “I have none. Never been in one.”

“You walk alone?” Cadance asked. I looked to her as she approached. Shining Armor did his best to stand between me and his wife. Cadance appeared confused and somewhat curious. A far cry from what I expected of her. With her history, she should be just as furious as her husband. Maybe it was her calling which tempered any possible rage she could muster?

I nodded again, sat on the ground and held up my front legs; my solid front legs. Unlike the changelings of Chrysalis’ hive, I had no holes and I wasn’t so starved and gaunt. “Doubt I would fit in amongst them if I tried.”

I looked to the dragon. She was being helped to her feet again. Seeing her so groggy pained me. She didn’t need to do that. I would gladly have taken it. I know what I am is despised and I understand why. Not that I took part in what the hive did. It would be hard for some to see through it and not act in such ways as Shining Armor. I’ve seen it all before.

I’m just so tired of it.

“Weren’t you at the attack on our wedding in Canterlot?” Cadance asked. She still looked so confused. “I remember your name in the list of honours for those who fought to defend the city in its time of need.”

“I was,” I said, nodding yet again.

Shining Armor snarled his first question. “Why didn’t our combined shield spell eject you from Canterlot like the rest of the Changelings?”

I simply shrugged. “I dunno. My only guess is you wanted it to kick out anyone who wanted to harm the citizens. I was doing everything I could to save people from Chrysalis’ hive.”

I looked to him. His expression remained hard, yet a glint of confusion had entered his eyes. Turning to look at the five I had escorted from the battlefield, I pressed a hoof to my spherical prison and asked, my hissing voice somehow tinged with worry, “Is your friend okay?”

Before anyone else could answer, the dragon, still looking rather out of it, gave a broad wave of her arm before ending it with a big thumbs-up and a grin.

I let out another sigh of relief. “I’m glad and thank you. You didn’t need to do that.”

The dragon spread her hands and teetered back a little. The yak used his broad head to prop her up between his horns. “You helped my friends. Sorry I pushed you into this.”

The deer looked at me and nodded her agreement. “You freed us and Jacob when he was being controlled. You went into the camp and believed us about the teapot.”

She shot a darker look at Lieutenant Spears, who shrank a little under the deer’s gaze. “Unlike some here.”

“In his defence,” I said. “He probably hadn’t encountered it before.”

Spears appeared to brighten a little at that while some of the harshness in the deer’s expression eased.

“And yet, you clearly had.”

I faced Celestia again before dropping my hooves from the inner wall of my magical cage. “Yes. I was the first Sombra tested it on.”

Okay, that got their attention. Judging from the gasps around me.

Celestia’s expression softened slightly but she quickly brought it back to neutrality. “You were once a human?”

“I was.”

“But, you have been in the specialist infiltration division of the Royal Guard for several years?” It was Shining Armor. And, it looked like he was truly listening by how his voice carried such little anger now. “I’m privy to those reports and files. Yet Sombra has only come to our attention now. You would have been living in Equestria for several years.”

I nodded. “I’ve been here a little under four years now. Not that I was really aware of the time until I was brought into the guard.”

“Yet, you never told us about Sombra’s actions in all that time?”

Ah, there was his anger, simmering just below the surface.

I looked at him and was about to speak when Cadance interjected. “Her reasoning, considering the revelation only minutes ago, seems sound in my view.”

She turned her gaze to Shining Armor. “If she had done so and revealed her true self, would you have still treated her as the soldier she had become?”

“I would like to think so,” Shining Armor replied. He shrank a little under Cadance’s gaze. “Though, yes, my view of changelings hasn’t been great since the attack on our wedding.”

Cadance moved to his side and nuzzled him. “I understand. I truly do.”

“If you are really a human, where are you from?” It was the surprisingly eager voice of the unicorn amongst the five which had blurted out such an unexpected question.

“Uh, Sacramento,” I replied. “My name is Wei Huo if you are asking.”

“And a fan of cartoons, I take it.”

I smiled faintly at the voice of the dragon. It already sounded a little stronger than moments ago. “I watched a lot of them when growing up, why?”

When I looked to her, she grinned and said, “Omelette du fromage.”

I smiled back, adding, “That’s all you can say.”

I gave a hissing laugh and said, “I loved that show. Shame it ended how it did.”

“If that’s so,” the deer said, chiming in. “How did you get here?”

I looked at the native ponies watching me and sheepishly rubbed at one of my front legs. “I was in college at the time. It was late in the third season and I wanted to help out at a convention. The movie wasn’t yet out but, you know, information leaks in any fanbase.

“So, I was helping to set up a prop of the statue shown in some of the promotional material. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I ended up rolling out of a mirror into the lair of the actual, real life Sombra. Who knew?”

The deer visibly cringed at that. Her eyes quickly darted to her friends and back. “Yeah, who knew…”

“So, you never got to actually see the first movie?” The yak sounded oddly feminine with that exclamation.

“Uh, first?” I wondered, starting to get confused.

“Apologies, but we need to focus,” Celestia interjected. “You said that you encountered Sombra as soon as you arrived here?”

I nodded. “Back then, he was still only able to manifest his form for short periods. He needed others to do his bidding. Those were a few loyal followers, though why they followed him, I have no idea.

“We humans who fell through the mirror were good for mind controlling, but our bodies didn’t react well to the latent magics of this world.” I looked across to the deer and the dragon. “That’s where the teapot came in.”

“And why you knew what you were looking for back in the camp,” said the deer.

I nodded slowly. “As I said, I wasn’t just one of the first humans through the mirror. I was the first he used the teapot on. He hadn’t made his helmets then so, with suddenly having insect wings, instincts to use them and a desire to escape, I did so.”

I physically drooped at the memory and let out another sigh.

“I couldn’t go back through the mirror, not like this.” I held up my forelegs and spread them to show as much of my body as possible. “Seeing I crossed as a human one way, if I went back as this monster, I’d be killed or caught, studied and dissected.”

What passed for my ears drooped. “Not something I really wanted. My home was back there, but I couldn’t show my face.”

“Pardon my curiosity,” Celestia said. “But, how did you manage to survive? Especially with not being part of a hive.”

“I travelled a lot,” I replied. “Wandering from place to place. Mostly through forests, hoping to hide myself from others. Being alone, it made me hungry. And not in the normal sense. The more I walked by myself, the more I felt like a hole was opening inside of me. I thought it was just me missing my home and my parents. It wasn’t until I came close to a pony village that I discovered how wrong I was.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and cringed as the memories came roaring back. The hunger. The strange sense, the one above smell, one I had never encountered before. It drew me to a pony house where I peered in the small window. He was happily reading a book when another unicorn, a mare entered. Not unlike the display from Cadance earlier, the mare nuzzled her stallion. I could still feel the love they gave off.

“It was the first time I fed on another’s emotions,” I said. My head ached at the memory. “The first time I embraced a part of the monster I had become. It was also the first time I fled in fear from a pony village.”

The thought of the screams the ponies I had been watching sent a shiver through my body. That and the feeling of being pursued like some monster in the older movies I had so adored as a child.

“It took months for the transformation instinct to kick in,” I explained. “And it took a lot of focus for me to do it at first. It’s a lot easier now, but then… the first time I changed wasn’t on purpose. I was slinking around a campsite in the last darkness before dawn. Just trying to find a few scraps to eat when one of the early risers, a young earth filly stepped out of her tent, startling me.”

I snorted a laugh thinking back to it all. “I swear I jumped so high at that. But I didn’t run. Instead I felt a tingling sensation all over my body. What surprised me most was when I landed. The filly looked at me and smiled sleepily. She didn’t scream or run away. She just greeted me like I have seen many a young pony do since then.

“I didn’t realise I had changed my form. It wasn’t until I caught my reflection in a nearby stream that I understood why I hadn’t scared her. It was the most puzzling thing. Instead of the black hard shell and the terrible eyes and the fangs…”

I heaved a sigh knowing that was how I currently looked. “I was an earth pony. Nothing remarkable in appearance to anyone else, but to me it was such a stunning thing to discover. Even touching my hide, everything felt squishy. It had been so long since I felt so pliable, I swear I spent several minutes beside that stream just smooshing my face over and over again.”

I hung my head and said, “But, it wasn’t meant to be. At least not for long. I changed back after about twenty minutes, then sat staring at my hideous face once more.

“What I didn’t realise at the time was how I had to work at the transformations. It wasn’t enough to just want to look like a pony, I had to do everything else while thinking as a pony. The first time I tried out my physical change on purpose in another village, I had to suddenly pretend to have a coughing fit.”

I cleared my throat and, instead of the hissing voice of a changeling, out came the softly spoken words of my pegasus alter ego. “I didn’t realise I sounded so strange and threatening. Changing my voice to match my form took some practice, but I eventually learned the skill.

“Well, I say learned, but I really mean I didn’t sound like a snake. It took a lot of thought to keep sounding like a normal pony so I sometimes missed words. When I finally learned how to talk normally, I was already known for my poor speech pattern so I just kept playing the part.”

I eyed Spears and Shining Armor in particular. “Especially after being snapped up by the guard to help defend the town I was wandering through from a bunch of rampaging bugbears.”

I shrugged. “Something I did must have caught the eye of the guard in charge of the town because he recommended that I be recruited to enter military service. He also refused to take no for an answer. Especially after I took down one of the bugbears alone.”

That earned a bunch of surprised looks from everyone in front of me. I simply rubbed at a foreleg, sheepishly. “You tend to learn to fight other creatures if you live in the wilder lands for any length of time.

“After that, it was training with the guards. Can’t say I was ever hungry from then on. Despite what some might say, soldiers are very passionate ponies. Most of them have very strong love for their country, protecting their families…”

I looked to Celestia and said, “And for you, your Highness. You might be surprised by the emotions just mentioning your name brings forth in your guards.”

I noticed a blush in Celestia’s cheeks at that and did my best to suppress a laugh before wrapping up my tale.

“So yeah, that’s me,” I said. “That’s the story of Boo. I’m probably considered a missing person back home by now.”

Looking at each of those in the tent who had listened to me talk for the last several minutes, I found them oddly attentive. Some of them, like Shining Armor, even looked pained. Clearly speaking as truthfully as I could had at least broken through some barriers. Not that they had any reason to believe me and what I said.

Of them all, the yak was the biggest surprise. Even with his stringy fringe in the way, I could see the almost cartoonish tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Depends,” said the dragon, stepping up to the barrier of light surrounding me. She still looked a little shaky but at least she was walking without assistance.

“On what?” I asked, eyeing her sceptically.

“Whether or not Equestria runs on Narnia time,” the dragon grinned.

I blinked as the thought circled through my mind. “Huh. I hadn’t considered that.”

While the dragon’s friends all rolled their eyes at her joke, the other ponies just appeared confused.

“It’s a human thing,” the dragon stated. I hoped that kept some of the inevitable questions at bay. It was going to be so hard to explain a lot of what we were talking about without giving out any information we clearly had of this world from watching the television show.

Explaining that alone would be an absolute nightmare.

Celestia was the first to speak after the short silence following the dragon’s joke. “This has raised many questions.”

I clenched my jaw at that hoping not to have to explain things of the human world which had no counterpart in this one.

“Foremost being the goal of Sombra.”

I let out a small breath as relief swept through my body. It was a short-lived relief as all eyes fell on me once more. I quickly looked back and forth beneath the questioning eyes and said, “I don’t know. He never said it when I was there.”

I watched as Celestia, Spears and Shining Armor all deflated a little in disappointment.

Celestia looked to Shining Armor and said, “Then we will have to continue with our initial assumption.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Yes, your Highness. The scouts will be sent immediately.”

And yet, oddly, no order was given. Nor did any of the military ponies make a move to leave the tent. Instead, Shining Armor directed a question at me.

“What would you like to do from here, Specialist?”

I blinked at that several times as I struggled to word an answer. What did he mean? Was it a trick question? I was under arrest and being interrogated… wasn’t I? “Um, I just want to try to live, sir.”

I quickly added, “I have no interest in other changelings, unless they are former humans, like myself.”

With that, I did my best to smile, hoping it supported my statements in some positive way.

Shining Armor simply nodded then exchanged a knowing look with Celestia. A moment later, he drew himself up to formerly address me. I automatically did the same.

“Considering your assistance with the rescue of many under Sombra’s command and the training you have undertaken in the guard since before the attack on our wedding, during which your actions were only in favour of our forces, you will be allowed your freedom,” Shining Armor stated. “You will, however, not be brought back into normal service.”

My entire body visibly deflated.

“Instead,” Celestia said, taking over from her Guard Captain. “You will be assigned to help these five former humans with their attempts to fit into Equestrian society.”

She ended her magic and gave me a slightly cunning, mischievous smile. “After all, you’re used to trying to fit in when faced with the daunting position of being a complete outsider.”

“Th-Thank you, your Highness,” I stammered. I quickly turned and saluted Shining Armor. “Thank you, sir.”

“Although, for now, it would be best if you kept using your pegasus disguise when in public,” Shining Armor added. His gaze drifted over the other former humans. “You, along with your charges, may also be called on to assist if any further information is required with regard to former humans and how Sombra converted them.”

Freed from the magical sphere, I was suddenly wrapped in a hug from behind by two strong scaly emerald arms which lifted me off the ground. Truth be told she squeezed me a little too tight.

“Meh, Pegasus or changeling,” said the dragon. “Either way, you’re fine with us!”

Even in the odd moment of exuberance from the dragon, Shining Armor fixed me with a hard stare. “You will also be required to give a full report regarding the events of your most recent mission. In particular, the whereabouts of one Corporal Iron Lock.”

I slipped free of the dragon’s grasp and said, “Captured by Sombra and forced to wear one of the mind-controlling helmets, sir. I tried to help him but I couldn’t get a sneak attack to remove his helmet. Unicorns are hard to attack in frontal assaults.”

Shining Armor nodded sadly while a slight bitterness entered his eyes. “He will be assumed swept up in Sombra’s retreat until further information arises.”

Focusing on me again, he saluted and said, “You are dismissed.”

I returned the salute. “Thank you, sir.”

While I let the implications and all the sudden changes to my life begin to sink in, I caught the next order barked from Shining Armor. “Lieutenant Spears.”

And that’s all I heard as I was suddenly swept up into another strong embrace from the emerald dragon, followed by the many hooves of her friends.

“Hurk!” I gasped.

Of the group, it was the deer who first properly introduced herself. It was an introduction which left me with so many more questions than answers.

“Hello, I’m John and these are…”

Author's Note:

I agonised over how I was going to do the interrogation of Boo for this chapter, even after doing all of the snippets of her past as test pieces. Truly, that omelette du fromage reference from Dexter's Lab saved me, even though it meant I have to fudge the balance of knowledge given out by the former humans.

And so ends the first arc of what was never meant to be more than a simple somewhat sinister short story. Truly, I never expected it to become this and am so very thankful of the support it has been given.

Now we get to have a bit of fun as we move into the short stories where we can get to know the characters a little more while they come to terms with "normal" life in Equestria. I love working with these characters and can't wait to show you all what they get up to next.

Just know that reading the shorts will be needed as some important character moments will be happening before we move into arc 2. We may even see a couple of name changes.

Also, the shorts will probably be posted out of order, though I will place them in the correct order as more of them are released. Just, I might suddenly have inspiration for one that isn't the next in chronological line.

A few things regarding the references in the first arc. There are two song/music references yet to be spotted and declared by anyone. The first is in Spot of Tea. The Second is in Wake Up Call. A bunch, but not all, of the chapter titles are also references.

Again. Thank you to everyone who has given this odd little tale a chance. I'm so glad it has brought people entertainment and joy. Very much thank you to Mix-up, I'm still in awe of the cover art.

Hope to treat you all to more of the Teapot Tales very soon,

Tael.