• Published 17th May 2020
  • 2,015 Views, 25 Comments

Plus Ones - Hammerhead



The Dragon Lord and King of the Changelings have been invited to the Royal Canterlot Gala. They're allowed to bring one extra creature, so they choose Garble and Pharynx. Those two should be able to get along, right?

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The Poet

Garble stood by the end of a table providing an array of treats for guests, mainly cakes, pastries and fruits as well as a bowl of punch. All of it too sweet for the dragon to take a real interest in. The only kind of “food” that appeared enticing was hanging some 30 feet above his head. The chandelier was covered in crystals that glistened around the candles that lit the hall.

“Oh, great fire and brimstone, give me something to prevent me from flying up there.” He thought, trying to hide the salivation. He heard Princess Twilight used to live in a castle made entirely of gems, he heard Ember got in trouble once on a visit. Fortunately for him, that something was not that far away.

“Aw, would you look at that, the ‘bug lover’ has found a bug to talk to.” Three mares, all fancily dressed, making comments in the direction towards Pharynx in the opposite end of the room. As he stands by a window, there is another pony nervously talking to him, with a light-yellow coat and a light blue mane on top, covered with a minimal dress that complimented her mane.

The three were giggling to themselves, and while Garble could not care less about what three snooty ponies were saying, overhearing them at least gave him a bit of entertainment. “It’s nice to see her striking a conversation with something that isn’t so much smaller than her.” One of them commented.

“Oh I totally agree!” Another one remarked. “Not to mention one so tall and stoic. If he were a military stallion, I’d snatch him up for myself.”

The three sounded in agreement at that. “Wouldn’t it be grand if we could get our hooves on some pony or creature big, strong and handsome for the night.?” The third pondered, all three giggling in response.

For Garble, he could see Pharynx trying to avoid the conversation he was already having with this ‘bug lover’, he started to wonder what would happen if three more enthusiastic ponies wanted his attention. A plan had formed in his head, and he started the first step.

“Excuse me, ladies…” he announces, gaining the attention of the group. Their reaction to seeing Garble was a mixture of confused and condescending, being unsure why a dragon is striking a conversation with them. “Couldn’t help but notice you talk about my changeling friend, Pharynx.” He pointed towards the dark green changeling.

“Um… yes, he does look interesting…” one of them replied, looking up and down at the stature and stern demeanour. “Although I’m not sure he’s really our type.”

Now Garble was on step two. “Ah, do forgive me.” He quips in a mocking upper-class tone. “He actually goes by General Pharynx, he’s no ordinary changeling you see.” The other three go wide-eyed with intrigue. “He’s the second-in-command of their Kingdom and leads their army. He’s about as tough and militant as you can get.”

Now the three appear hooked, suddenly seeing Pharynx as more the stallion of their dreams than anything else. “But… I can understand if he’s not your type.” He continued in the upper-class tone, but the three started making their way down the hall.

“Let’s see how tough you really are…” Garble uttered to himself with a smirk, he was now on step three, wait and see the results.

He thought he could get a bit of peace as he saw the three ponies walk away, but unbeknownst to him there were three more ponies waiting behind him.

“Excuse me, Garble… I presume?” One eloquent feminine voice asked.

Garble turned around and could see two fancily dressed mares and an equally well-dressed stallion standing behind him. “Uh…yes?”

The mare standing in front of the trio smiled, as if she were now confident, she was speaking to the correct creature. “Allow me to introduce ourselves: My name is Laura Ate, this is my husband, Son Ate and a good friend of ours, High Cue.” She gestures towards the other two as she does so. “We often like to go to these high-class events to talk to various high-standing folk, and you’re bug friend made a recommendation to talk to you.”

Garble gulped, moments earlier he was boasting about how easy it is to be sophisticated and now he’s being expected to act that way. “Ah yes, I am indeed the top dragon to talk to.” He replied, bringing back his faker upper-class accent in a desperate attempt to sound convincing. “Oh my good friend Pharynx sure thinks highly of myself, such a good friend he is…” he chuckles, before quickly darting a glare in Pharynx’s direction while speaking through his sharp teeth. The only relief Garble could feel at the time was the hope that his plan was still setting in motion.

Although the fancy trio looked at each other with uncertainty, they looked back with a smile, seemingly convinced that Garble was at least a fancy dragon. The three began quizzing Garble on his life in the Dragon Lands, all the while Garble was trying to keep a fake grin and beads of sweat occasionally dripping from the top of his head.

He’d try his best at making the dragon lands appear a lot fancier than he knew it was: in his mind he’d recall picking out gems to scoff down like they were sweets, but when he spoke “Gems are our favourite cuisine, we often have them neatly arranged before we dine”.

“And what about arts, dear dragon?” asked Laura Ate. “Do your dragons show much of a creative side?”

“In some avenues, they do. Sculpting and storytelling come to mind” Garble’s mind recalls the tragic stories dragons share and how they beat up blocks of granite to form random shapes, “As for me… I do a bit of poetry on the side…”

“Poetry, you say?” High Cue remarked, all three of their interests increased. “All three of us are members of the Royal Canterlot Poetry Society, we regularly meet up to share various literary works as well as our own creations.”

Upon hearing this, Garble’s nerves had calmed. He still felt a bit of pressure of keeping up the act, but it’s the first he has heard of any other creature apart from his sister in a long time. “Yes well, it’s something I usually write just for myself. Other dragons don’t seem to show much interest.”

“Well, perhaps you could share a little of your work with us?” Son Ate requested, ”do not worry about it being not in our taste, we’re into a variety ourselves. High Cue is into short form, while I myself am into the classics.”

Now Garble was back on the spot, “Uh… sure, I can give it a go…”. The three ponies were waiting intently for something, but Garble was used to sitting on the hard-rocky surfaces with a set of drums resting on his lap.

Instead, he closes his eyes and starts tapping the sides of his legs to get a vibe going, the rest of the room sounding quiet.

“Burning stream, runs down the mountain.

Calm as can be seen, but creatures don’t go near.”

He starts going through the motions in his head, unaware he has dropped the accent and has moved onto using the table as his new drum set.

“Flowing past the rocks and the dirt, hardening as it cools.

But no creature goes near the burning stream, fear they may get hurt.”

Confidence brewing, he could feel himself making grand gestures with his arms, feeling the part like he was back in the Dragon Lands breathing in the molten air.

“Only the feared go near the burning stream, knowing it’s part of their home.

The other creatures don’t go near, but the feared find peace where it flows. “

He opens his eyes as the ambience of the Gala fade back into reality, he noticed his audience of three had faces of surprise, with a few others looking in his direction confused. The reaction was more likely because Garble also noticed he was now standing on the table, and whatever treats that were on there were either tipped over or on the floor.

Embarrassed, he lowers himself off the table as one of the catering staff glares at him. “Uh, sorry. I guess I got carried away…”

The three were still wide-eyed from the performance that was in front of them. “Well… I’d say that was quite passionate… and Avant Garde.”

After humiliating himself, Garble looked defeated. “Yeah, it sounded stupid. It’s kinda why I keep it to myself…”

The others looked each other, feeling somewhat empathetic to the dragon. “Actually, I’d say you weren’t that bad. Quite creative actually…” Son Ate remarked. It took Garble by surprise.

“I agree” High Cue included. “Comparing what I assume to be boiling hot lava to calming cool water was clever, and I felt that when combined that only the feared seems to go near lava to find peace suggests that it might not really be as dangerous as one would assume if they were brave enough.”

The others nodded in agreement. “Say, Garble. Does anyone say your work has potential?” asked Laura Ate.

Garble thought for a moment, he knew there were a few dragons who stood up for him when he showed everyone his interests, but for a long time afterwards, no one took interest. He wondered if this was what Ember meant when she said he could try and fit in. “Not really…”

“Well if you want to improve your craft, I’m sure we can vouch for you to visit the society and learn a few things.” Laura Ate followed, “I’m imagining you’re into beat poetry judging from your style? We have a member named Cane Herb, he considers himself a ‘beatnik’, you’d probably like him.”

Now Garble was astonished, taken aback by a group of ponies inviting him. “Y-yeah, that’d be cool!”

Laura Ate then added “Oh and you don’t need to put on a fancy accent if you want to fit in, the society is more relaxed.”

High Cue could not help but chuckle as Garble got redder in the face, but he was able to find the humour in it himself.

Suddenly, a set of loud screams could be heard. “THERE’S A GIANT GREEN SPIDER IN THE GARDEN! ONE THAT’S TEN FEET TALL AND HAS VISCIOUS FANGS!”

Almost every pony in the room turned their head towards the sound of fear and panic from three mares running down the far end of the main hall. Garble recognised the three as the ones he pointed towards Pharynx’s direction, but Pharynx himself was nowhere in sight.

“Oh no…” he thought, what did Pharynx do, and what did he himself cause?