Baa-Ram-Ewe!

by Darkonshadows

35. Family, Friendship and Food.

-Equus, School of Friendship, Silver Stream-

I sighed as I kicked my legs about as I felt an affectionate beak nuzzle deeply into my neck. I gave off a warm smile and giggled slightly as I was a bit ticklish.

“You know, this is one of those days I would be either doing something with Ocellus or Smolder.” I sighed loudly, because I didn’t have either of them around. “Thanks for being here for me.”

I snuggled them against me, trusting that friends of a feather were as close as we were together.

“Hey Silver Stream, Yona was wondering if you wanted to… oh uh… is that…”It was understandable that Sandbar was a little wary of my current positon. “Um… should I leave?”

I would be worried too if I had suddenly caught someone in this position, but in our case it was innocent.

“Sandbar, it’s just Edith, she’s not going to hurt you.” I tickled Edith’s chin with a claw and she clucked happily to rub up against me affectionately. “Not unless you intend to hurt her first anyway.”

Edith was the friendliest cockatrice I’ve ever met, then again she was my familiar, so of course she was always nice to me!

Edith was the pretty purple outlier among her species, also our bond made me immune to petrification magic. Wish I had had that ability before the Storm King was dealt with, then I might have showed him not to mess with me and family. Otherwise it’s still nice to have and it really helped with studying cockatrices safely.

Edith could help me save ponies affected by other cockatrices, apparently Twilight had a problem with that once and Fluttershy took care of it by staring down the culprit.

I’m surprised Edith doesn’t weigh more for her size and that I can lift her with one limb. You’d think she weigh more being a quarter to half my size. Also she was very protective of me when she was around.

“Uh are you sure?” Like any pony, Sandbar was going to be a little nervous, even if Edith was looking him directly in the eyes and he wasn’t turning to stone.

“You’re not turning to stone are you? Relax, Edith has been keeping me company because I can’t do thing with Smolder or Ocellus.” I watched as Edith pulled away from me and moved over to a worried looking Sandbar while clucking for a little affection from him. “See, she’s even trying to be entirely friendly. What were you going to ask me?”

“So you want to come with me and Yona to learn how to basket weave?” Considering Sandbar’s offer, I nodded.

“Sure sounds like fun, I’ll bet Edith wants to come along too!” I was proven right when Edith turned to me clucking happily in agreement and flapping her draconic wings. “Maybe she can even have a basket for a nest.”

“Let’s just hope that she doesn’t cause a panic.” Sandbar said warily while rubbing at his forehead.

Edith was such a sweetie and she wasn't going to hurt anyone, not unless they try to hurt me or her and that's unlikely given that we're in Ponyville.

Well except for the times really bad stuff happened around here like Cozy Glow, Nightmare Moon, Tirek and all that other weird stuff that tends to happen around here.

-Kung Fu Realm, Hidden Panda Village, Shanty-

“Don’t worry about me Shanty, go enjoy the panda village.” Pom be saying these words to me, she also be saying something important. “I promise you’ll see me again soon Shanty.”

She better be keeping her promise. The village was being nice, full of really friendly people who ate a lot and while I was never happier to be surrounded by food, it just wasn’t the same without Pom being here with us.

“Aye!” A small bubble erupted from me in a small circle bending every blade of grass away from me as I threw my hooves up in the air and shouted out loud, I be practicing what Pom be teaching me.

This was not quite how Pom would do it, but it be useful in getting some distance between me and something dangerous and it may even deflect projectiles if I can do it with enough power. It not be nearly as energy as my climbing or wall launching abilities.

My new technique didn’t have the range that Pom’s bark blast did, but it would protect me in a small circle. I still be working on it, because Pom be worrying about that a lot when I got injured by being surrounded by mercenaries. Now I could maybe be knocking back groups like that for room to move.

I be getting stronger every day for my dreams and friends, things be a lot better than I was alone.

It wasn’t long before I spotted Smolder and Ocellus walking along the path by where I was training, they be checking on me.

“Okay Smolder I want an answer, why didn’t you and Shanty say anything?” Recently Ocellus seemed to be getting friendlier towards Pom, even if she didn’t be originally liking her much. She seemed fairly upset with Smolder and me since we arrived. “You both like Pom more than I do and I don’t hide the fact that I’m not exactly her biggest fan, but you two look like you gave up on her. I thought our friendship with her meant something, yet the both of you were emotionally flat towards her when she suggested using herself as bait. Neither of you were even shocked that she even suggested it.”

“Well Ocellus, it’s just that… Pom wouldn’t endanger innocents by bringing Kai directly to this village until there’s no other choice to come here to protect them personally.” Smolder gently ran a claw along one of Ocellus’s ears making her shiver. “Instead of coming here directly and giving Po no time to prepare, Pom’s going to be between Kai and us every step of the way. I’m sure Pom will be okay, I mean she has Shifu and the Furious Five with her.”

“Pom always be ready to sacrifice herself for others, I know she be doing that without question.” I approached them. I think of Pom as being a hero, she not be the strongest or wisest being around, but she be doing what she be thinking is necessary. Even then, Pom doesn’t charge into things blindly, she always be thinking… a bit too much some would say. “If Pom be alone with no one to help, then she will always run from danger. If there is someone to be helping and they be absolutely needing it, then she be fighting to protect them with all she can if they can’t protect themselves. I am wanting to be strong enough so that she doesn’t need to protect us like she did by staying behind.”

“We can agree that it sucks Ocellus, but we didn’t want to put any more stress on Pom than there already was. She was freaking out about being called the Dragon Warrior and actually being a Black Sheep.” Smolder be snuggling Ocellus pretty comfortably, caressing the right said of her neck as she pressed her face into the left. “We knew where it was heading and that she already had her mind made up, if we had stayed behind she would have put everything she had into protecting us even in an unwinnable fight. Besides, didn’t you give her directions to the village after asking Li Shan for them?”

“Yes, but can she really get by Kai?” Ocellus be giving Pom directions to the panda village should she manage to actually slip by him. “We didn’t meet Kai personally, but anyone who can do some form of necromancy is a really, really bad person to run into. There’s a reason why it’s the most banned form of magic on Equus, I mean you’ve heard the rumors of the existence of both Umbrum and Blanks right? It’s said to be the eventual end results of using such dangerous magic and my people were close to becoming something akin to those horrors stories due to our constant hunger.”

“He not be using magic though, Tai Lung mentioned that this Kai be using chi.” I not be getting it much about how to manipulate one’s own life force, but I know it is not being the same as wielding magic like we do.

“Even then, this Kai guy is bad news all around and you only faced three Jombies Shanty. I wonder if there’s an actual limit to how many Jombies he can create and control at once.” Smolder stood up and rubbed at her chin stretch after having calmed Ocellus down and fed her. “Now if only I know how to do Spike’s message sending magic, then we wouldn’t have a problem getting home, because I could just mail us back to our world.”

“I actually do know the founding principles behind how that works at least, but we can’t use it as you describe as it’s not cross dimensional magic.” The subject change Ocellus followed into almost be giving me whiplash. “So what were you working on Shanty?”

“I be practicing my new move, it is being based upon Pom’s bark blast.” I ran my left hoof over my left horn while closing my eyes. “It not being very strong yet. Pom learned her ability from being with dogs, my use of the technique is far bit different and it be somewhat weaker.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to improve it Shanty. For being someone who’s homeless and never went to school, you’re really smart.” Grinning at Ocellus, I nodded at the compliment.

“I be learning much on the streets, reading and writing are necessary life skills… especially for pirates to be writing their memoires should they live to write their history and old enough to retire.” I be not having much luck in my early life, but I be having luck in my later life to have friends such as these… and maybe a parent in Pom? I be trusting her with my life at the very least. “Pirates can be idiots, but even idiots need to be smart enough to be reading a room or person on sight. I be learning quite a lot about that, but a captain has to be smarter or stronger than their whole crew and that be my eventual aim.”

“Speaking of aim, are we going to talk to Po about the whole learning chi thing or maybe the teaching the pandas how to fight Kai?” Smolder looked in the direction of the village as the pandas continued to live their lives to the fullest in spite of any incoming dangers, they never lost heart in the face of imminent trouble and were completely peaceful. These were the people Shen had been afraid of? “Po was pretty upset to hear how Li Shan lied to him about knowing the secrets they lost when their previous livelihoods burned down more than twenty years ago, which was probably thanks Shen’s attack.”

“I’m surprised that Kai is a five hundred year thing and not a thousand year things, I mean Equestria always has thousand year troubles.” I not be knowing of the things that Ocellus speaks of, but everyone be knowing Nightmare Moon. That be a fun night where I managed to steal a lot of food, but I be eating every last bite of evidence and sleeping under a pile of warm newspapers with the image of Nightmare Moon on them. She not be looking so tough. “While there are many large similarities between our worlds, it’s just not quite the same.”

“Po is at wits end, Tai Lung is at wits end trying to help him with all this and the less said about Mr. Ping and Li being at each other’s throats the better.” Yeah, things weren’t great as Smolder just pointed out.

Mr. Ping came along with us because he didn’t like Li Shan taking up his son’s attention, he be the one raising Po to make noodles and loved him with all his heart. He also be coming with us to show the pandas his noodle soup skills and work up a rapport with the locals so that they might eventually visit his restaurant in the Valley of Peace.

Li Shan still wants to be Po’s father though and I didn’t see why they couldn’t share. They both be caring about Po greatly and they should be happy that they even have a family. They don’t know what they be having is important and are taking it entirely for granted.

“Things be being a mess.” I said quietly as I wilted, I be depressing myself with those thoughts.

Ocellus looked over to me and came over to wrap me in a hug and Smolder quickly joined the hug.

I slowly wrapped my hooves around them and held them too, I be silently reminding myself that Ocellus can feel my emotions and not be capable of reading my mind.

-Past noon-

I be the first one to be seeing it, it be Tigress and she not be looking good. I ran out to meet her as she collapsed.

“Tigress, are you being okay?! Here, let me be helping you.” I managed to get my head under her right arm and I started dragging her into the village, I was soon helped by the others.

The news she brought wasn’t good and for once I saw concern on Tai Lung’s face, he be hiding it very well.

The Furious Five, aside from Tigress, and Sheep-poo be having all their chi taken and Kai can be using them as Jombies now.

I not be liking hearing this one bit.

The last Tigress be hearing of Pom was when she knocked Kai to the base of the stairs that lead up to the Jade Palace, he then be charging back up there with eight jombies and looking quite angry.

I be liking that news even less.

That was all she be knowing about Pom and it wouldn’t be long before Kai came after us, he would be more after Tigress than anything and it was useful information to know that he could use eight jombies or more at once.

It didn’t help that Kai might even know now that Pom isn’t the Dragon Warrior if he be getting her.

-A few hours later, evening-

Po looked like he was upset and be needing time alone to think, but I be wanting to cheer him up after he be arguing with Tigress. Tai Lung be surprisingly defending Po and asking his sister if she be having any better ideas than Po’s plan to use the Wuxi Finger Hold on Kai.

I want to be making things better, so what can I be doing? Oh, I know! Food always be cheering me up when things are going wrong and I don’t have to steal anymore.

So I find myself at the place Ping had set up at in village.

“Mr. Ping, Mr. Ping!” I ran up to the counter and got myself up onto it.

“What is it Shanty?” I be reaching into the bag around my neck that Pom be getting for me to carry things in and brought out a few yen.

Pom be saying that we soon wouldn’t be having much use for these coins outside of this world if we could figure out how to use the ‘Yen of Yunshu’ and we could spend our coin on food or snacks. Anything else was being left to Po and Mr. Ping.

I be making sure I didn’t somehow get the ‘Yen of Yunshu’ in my bag, Ocellus should still have it since Pom passed it to her for safekeeping.

“I be needing a bowl of noodle soup, as a takeout order for someone else!” I be receiving a glance from Mr. Ping, he was about to deny my money. “I not be needing the money soon and it be for a good cause.”

“I’m guessing that you are going to give this to Po?” It was like Mr. Ping could read me so well, I didn’t say anything and sighted. “I haven’t been acting like an adult have I?”

“I would be saying no, Li Shan is being family and… family be important even if you don’t like him and Po is upset with him right now. He will still be your family if you let him.” I received a long gaze from Mr. Ping, after a moment he nodded and got to work. As he did so I made a comment. “Do you think Po will be forgiving him?”

Mr. Ping silently looked away with a guilty expression and continued his preparations.

“Would you be able to work with Li Shan and help him with being a father as you already are? I don’t think he ever be getting the chance to be experiencing it.” There was a long silence, I be trying something else. “Do you be needing help with the soup?”

“Sure, you can even use this as a way to practice chopping vegetables with your unique fighting style.” Mr. Ping is giving me a great suggestion as he finally turned to look at me. “It could be an interesting method of training for you to get the slices to come out evenly and even if they don’t, I can still use the ingredients. I guess I should be a little more confident in things working out.”

“So you be embracing it?” I asked as I prepared to cut the first vegetable by angling my right hoof.

“Kung fu is a part of my son’s life, if I can help him or you follow your dreams, then I’m open to suggesting things that could be used as a method of training from the way Ms. Lambchop explained it to me.” Mr. Ping chuckled in a merry way. “If even my cooking skills can be used in a fight, I would gladly help Po in that way, but I don’t know how much of a fight I would be able to put up personally. I don’t like seeing Po struggle with so many problems at once, but everyone struggles at some point and sometimes they need to figure out things for themselves, and others, they need to ask for a helping wing. It’s like how I’m struggling with coming to terms with Po having another father in his life and you’re helping me. I’ll try to work something out with Li Shan soon, but I kind of enjoy watching him sweat and who knows… he might even come to me.”

“You be a really good person Mr. Ping.” He smiled at me and nodded to the vegetables as I prepared to train by cutting them using my Cut-lash style.

-Overlook-

I be balancing the bowl of noodle soup on my head as I walked up the stairs towards Po, Tigress and Tai Lung silently sitting together. I even be having a pair of chopsticks sticking out of my headband next to my right horn.

This place be overlooking a nice view, I can see why the village was built here. It was beautiful up here, if a bit cold.

“Special delivery!” I announced as I brought a bowl up to Po.

“Not now Shanty, I’m trying to figure out how to make warriors out of the pandas.” Po be earning my ire slightly for the dismissal, but I still continued forward towards him.

“They’re villagers Po, they don’t have your ability to learn Kung Fu at impossible speeds.” Tai Lung muttered. “Dragon Warriors they are not...”

“I can’t believe it, but I actually agree with Tai Lung on something.” Tigress said leaning against the nearby railing looking quite defeated.

Tigress was on Po’s right and Tai Lung was on his left, I be thinking they be like Po’s good and bad shoulder beings when I looked at the three of them sitting there.

“Why not be using what they can already do? I be learning to balance this bowl on my head, I didn’t spill a single drop of this hot soup to bring it here for you, the least you could do is eat it after I helped make it with Mr. Ping and be going to all the trouble to get it here while it’s hot. It was good training for me and I had fun too!” I carefully removed the bowl from my head and placed it next to Po and I started to walk off. “That be how Pom be training me and you already be seeing the results of that Po. I will go learn how to roll safely like the pandas do now, I can be at least learning something from them and they can be learning something from me if they want. I be using that to get my mind off of things or my worries about Pom, maybe you can do the same with the food?”

I left the bowl behind for Po and made my way uphill to where all the pandas liked to happily roll around.

-Po-

I looked at the village, then down at the bowl Shanty left behind for me. I leaned down, picked up the chopsticks that Shanty also put down with the bowl.

I started to eat the noodles as I thought about what she said, they were my father’s noodles and that made me smile a little.

When Pom, Shanty, Smolder and Ocellus came to my dad’s restaurant weeks ago, I didn’t have any talent for kung fu. Now I could feasibly match Tigress, Tai Lung and several other warriors with my own unique prowess one on one.

I remembered Pom asking for jobs while bowing herself before my dad and begging for his help, he was quite stunned as was I at the time.

Now, I didn’t know how to teach kung fu or how I was even going to beat Kai, I didn’t even know if the pandas would be willing to train up to defend themselves. That whole thing in Gongmen City with Shen and the destruction of the Tower of the Sacred Flame going up in flames was still quite fresh in my mind. Their fireworks factory is notably making a comeback.

Pom use the jobs she acquired for her group to teach Shanty balance, poise and other unique things one can learn from just doing… everyday… things… that can be applied to… oh… OH…

“That’s it…” I said mystified, I hadn’t thought about it before, but with the way Pom first started training Shanty to fight was the same way I could teach the panda villagers to defend themselves, distract Kai and lighten the burden on the those of us that took the fight directly to Kai. Of course Tai Lung and Tigress are going to be on the front with me and I would have to get close to Kai to even pull off my plan. “I know how to train the pandas now. We don’t really even need to train them too much and we just need to kick their natural talents up notch. I’m going to need Smolder to teach Mei Mei and the ribbon dancers, Tigress you are good with kicks right, Tai Lung you’re good at lunging and grappling… oh ho ho… Kai will not even know what’s going to hit him!”

Both Tigress and Tai Lung looked at me with concern.

This was completely understandable given how poorly my training hall exercise went, given I set it almost entirely on fire.

“Uh, hi son, I know you don’t exactly want to...” I ran up to Li Shan, despite him lying to me about knowing how to use chi, and pulled both my dads into a really big loving family hug.

Author's Note:

I'm hoping this year gets better soon.

Comments

[Shadowshame]

I recently saw the Babe movie you know the one about the herding pig and something interesting I found is that the war cry of the Lamb kin is from that movie