The Rainbooms Meet Lamia

by Lord Shadow Eclipse

Chapter 4

The Next Morning - With the Rainbooms

The Rainbooms were having a hell of a time looking for Lamia's cave. She said that her cave would be easy to find, but that was easy for her to say. Forests were very tricky; if one didn't know the area, they could get lost just a few hundred feet away from where they entered. Perhaps they should've asked Lamia if she could guide them to the cave.

"I worry we're going to get lost out here without Lamia," Rarity said.

"Agreed. I can't make heads or tails of where we're even supposed to go," Applejack added.

"Don't worry, girls. I can try tracking Lamia's scent," Spike suggested.

Spike put his nose to the ground and started to search the ground for Lamia's scent. After some time, he finally found the familiar scent of pine needles and snake musk. And it seemed to be leading them east. Spike pointed his head towards the eastern part of the forest.

"We go this way!" Spike said before taking off in the direction of the scent.

As the Rainbooms followed Spike, they tried to think about what to do once they got to Lamia's cave. After all, this is the first time they've interacted with a real-life mythological creature.

"Hey, girls. Once we get to Lamia's cave, what do we think we should do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, whatever we do, we should avoid bringing up her past," Sunset said. "Pretty sure the subject is painful for her."

"Yeah, remember how she reacted when we brought it up last night? I thought she was going to have a breakdown," Applejack said.

"Roger that! Nothing about her past!" Rainbow said.

"I hope Lamia's hungry! I made a good old-fashioned breakfast for her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smile.

"What did you make her?" Rarity asked.

"Let's see. Some poached eggs, a few strips of bacon, some sausage patties, and a stack of flapjacks!" Pinkie replied.

"That sounds appetizing, Pinkie," Rainbow said. "I wonder what Lamia's been eating all this time."

"If her teeth were anything to go by, she's more than likely been hunting other animals around here," Twilight said.

"I wonder what we'll do while we're hanging out with Lamia?" Fluttershy asked.

"I was thinking we could all have a picnic and simply talk. She looks like she hasn't had someone to talk to for centuries," Sunset said. "It's a miracle she's been able to stay sane all this time."

"Girls! I found the cave!" Spike cried.

The girls looked at the large opening to a cave at the base of a tall hill. The ground in front of the cave was worn from Lamia coming and going from the cave. There was no doubt that Lamia lived here. Sunset was the first to approach the cave. She cupped he hands to her mouth and shouted.

"Lamia?! Are you in there?!" Sunset shouted. "It's us! Your friends from last night!"

At first, nothing but silence replied to her. Then, the sound of something big dragging across the ground filled the cave. It took a few seconds, but Lamia eventually slithered up to the entrance of the cave and greeted Sunset with a warm fanged smile.

"Sunset!" Lamia shouted in greeting. "I'm so happy you're here!"

Lamia wrapped her arms around Sunset and began to squeeze her with the strength of a python. Sunset was struggling to breathe in Lamia's grip. Lamia eventually realized what she was doing and let Sunset go with a blush.

"S-sorry about that," Lamia said quietly. "I'm just so happy to have friends again after so many centuries."

"That's... fine... Lamia," Sunset wheezed between breaths.

The rest of the girls cam up to the cave entrance and greeted Lamia. Lamia gestured towards the inside of her cave.

"Please, come in! It's nice to have company!" Lamia said. "I spent all night cleaning up my cave."

"Thanks, Lamia. We'd love to see your cave," Applejack said.

The Rainbooms followed Lamia as she led them deeper into the cave. Each of them brought out their phones to use as flashlights as they walked. Lamia turned around instantly and stared at the lights in shock.

"What magic is this?! Are you witches?!" she asked in shock.

"Oh no, it's okay! It's just lights made through the use of technology!" Twilight said. "Here, let me show you."

Lamia was a tad wary of the thing Twilight held in her hand, but she decided to trust her new friend. Twilight held out the phone to Lamia. Lamia stared at the device with childlike wonder.

"A small tablet thing that creates light!" Lamia said. "What incredible magic."

Twilight knew it would be a waste of time to try to explain how technology worked, so she opted to simply let Lamia think it was magic. She scrolled through her phone and showed Lamia the different apps she had. Lamia was eating up every of them with her tail wagging in excitement.

"Hey, Twilight? Who are these colorful birds and why are they so angry?" Lamia asked, pointing to one of Twilight's apps.

"That's a game called 'Angry Birds'," Twilight replied. "You want to play?"

"The birds are not going to fly out of your magic slab and peck out my eyes, are they?" Lamia asked worriedly.

The rest of the Rainbooms laughed. Lamia just looked confused.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Lamia asked naively. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, Lamia. Here, let me show you how to play the game," Twilight replied.

*****

One Hour Later

It would be safe for Twilight to assume that Lamia was addicted to "Angry Birds". Lamia had the phone pressed to her face for the past hour, playing the game. To make things worse, whenever Twilight tried to take her phone back, Lamia would literally hiss and snap at her. This continued until Lamia suddenly looked fearful.

"Ah! The magic has left the slab!" Lamia cried.

"It didn't leave, Lamia," Twilight said soothingly. "The battery just died. I just need to charge it later."

Lamia gave the phone back to Twilight with a sad expression. Her previously wagging tail now drooped along the ground and a sad hiss escaped her lips. Pinkie Pie took this as her cue to step in.

"It's okay, Lamia. Maybe some food will cheer you up!" Pinkie said.

Pinkie Pie proceeded to reach into her hair and pulled out a covered tray, opening the top and showing off food to the snake woman.

"Here, Lamia! I made you breakfast!" Pinkie said.

Lamia slithered over to Pinkie and sniffed at the food. Her reptilian eyes scanned the food in a way that seemed almost predatory. She grasped one of the little sausages in her claws and ate it. The next thing Pinkie knew, the tray was out of her hands and Lamia's face was pressed against it. Lamia handed it back to Pinkie so shiny she could see her face in it. Lamia licked her lips and smiled at Pinkie.

"I haven't had food like this for over 3,000 years! It's better than raw venison or goats!" Lamia said.

"Did you... try to cook what you caught?" Rarity asked.

"I was once the great queen of Libya. I used to have the best chefs in the ancient world cook for me, so I never learned how to cook," Lamia replied. "You should've tried the roast herb chicken the king of Crete recommended to me. Of course, he offered it to me while he was trying to court me."

"You were courted by the king of Crete?" Twilight asked. "Did you consider him a good suitor?"

Lamia looked at Twilight with an apprehensive grimace. Not a good sign.

"The fool was a man in his 60's and was so fat he couldn't walk. I only showed him the proper courtesy of a fellow ruler, nothing more," Lamia replied. "Besides, he reeked strongly of grease."

The girls visibly gagged at Lamia's description of one of her suitors. Rarity got over it and was now curious about Lamia's royal past.

"While that subject's on the table, would you be able to tell us about your time as queen of Libya?" Rarity asked.

"Sure, I don't mind. When I was still a human, I was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the known world," Lamia said. "I made sure my kingdom was prosperous and my people were happy. Of course, I did have some help from my father Poseidon."

"You're father was Poseidon?!" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. Father helped me bring great schools of fish to the coasts for fishermen and protection from drought," Lamia replied.

"Did you ever meet your father?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, a few times when he came down to the mortal realm. I would wait by the sea for hours waiting for him," Lamia said with a wistful smile. "He would take me for rides across the entire Mediterranean on his chariot."

"Was he a good father?" Fluttershy asked.

"He was in his own way. Sometimes, he would sink the ships of people who said something horrible to me and would cause storms and floods to their lands," Lamia said. "I liked it whenever he would carry me on his shoulders and let me pet his hippocampi."

"That's... nice," Applejack said uneasily.

"Now that I think of it, do you know any jokes from 3,000 years ago?" Pinkie asked.

Lamia put a clawed finger to her chin in thought. It took a few moments, but her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Okay, I have a joke. What did the Samnite goat farmer say to the Phoenician soldier?" Lamia asked.

"What?!" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"The Samnite goat farmer said, 'You can't sacrifice my kids to Baal, because my only female goat just died'!" Lamia replied with a belly laugh.

Twilight, being the smart one, was the only one who laughed at the joke. The others simply heard something that sounded more than a little dark. Rarity began to politely fake laugh, an action in which the others joined in.

After calming down, Lamia let out a yawn. She stretched her arms above her head and scratched at her neck.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I'm a bit tired. I tend to sleep during the day," Lamia said.

"That's fine, Lamia. We'll visit you later tonight," Sunset said.

"Actually, how about I come visit you? I'd like to give you a true tour of Lamiopolis," Lamia said.

"That would be great! I'd love to learn more about this city from someone who's seen it in its heyday," Twilight said.

"Great! I'll see you all later tonight!" Lamia said. "Well, time for me to go to sleep."

Lamia slithered over to something behind one of the stalagmites. She pulled out a small clay jar that sounded like it was filled with liquid of some kind. Setting the jar down on the ground, Lamia reached into her eye sockets and pulled out her own eyes and put them in the jar. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the macabre sight. Lamia turned to them with eyeless sockets.

"I'm so sorry! I should've told you about that!" Lamia said. "I have to take out my eyes when I sleep. Zeus gave me this ability."

"It's fine, Lamia," Fluttershy said, regaining her composure. "We just... weren't expecting it."

"Still, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you hate me," Lamia said with trembling shoulders.

Twilight walked over and hugged Lamia. "We don't hate you at all. If you have to remove your eyes when you sleep, then we won't judge or hate you."

"Really?" Lamia asked with a sniff.

"Of course. We don't hate people based on their... conditions," Applejack said. "It's why we wanted to hang out with you."

"Well... okay," Lamia said with a yawn.

"Alright girls, let's let Lamia sleep. She needs it," Sunset said before turning to Lamia. "We'll see you later tonight?"

"Yes. I'll come and see you. With my eyes in my sockets, of course," Lamia said with a giggle.

The girls left the cave to let Lamia sleep. As Lamia coiled her tail underneath her, she smiled at the thought of seeing her new friends later. For the first time in millennia, Lamia would sleep with a smile on her face.

Author's Note:

My headcanon voice for Lamia in this story would be Sarah Wiedenheft, who does the English voice for Power in "Chainsaw Man".

Comments

[PonyofEntropy]

Interesting story, added to list.

[Lord Shadow Eclipse]

11840750
Thank you and I hope you enjoy it