Chapter seven: Compassion
Jessica exhaled softly, her gaze drawn to the dawn sun rising through the gap in the curtains. The warm light spilled over the floor, Jessica idly watching while it slowly crept towards her bed as the minutes ticked by. One thing she had noticed was the sun acted slightly erratically here, it was fast when rising and setting but slowed down to a normal pace through the sky.
Pulled from dwelling on such matters by a dark figure squirming on the sheets, she greeted the slowly opening blue eyes with a smile.
"Morning Ebony." The insectile-equine gave a large yawn before resting her muzzle back down on the linen, now looking towards Jessica with a smile. Wriggling an arm out from under the blanket, she moved to gently stroke her friend's head feeling the cool smooth surface under her palm. How long they remained there she had no idea, Jessica giving the mare an early morning meal while the sun played over face.
Moving a hand to brush the hair over one eye, Jessica blocked the sun from its valiant attempts at blinding her. The small snigger from Ebony caused Jessica to regard her friend with one green eye, eyebrow slightly lowered.
"And what is so funny?" Despite the communication barrier she felt that Ebony and herself had some sort of, understanding as it were. The bug-like mare stuck out her tongue before Jessica gave a playful grunt, smiling however to take any sting out of her behaviour. Both were however caught completely off guard by the muffled laughter from the other side of the room.
The owner of the laughter had her forelegs over the edge of the bed, leaning forward to regard them with a smile that even the cat who had gotten the canary would be envious of. A look came between Jessica and Ebony, the understanding from prior was put into overdrive as they each reached a decision. Both equine and human shared a frown before Dusk realised the predicament she had put herself into.
To the bat-winged pegasus's credit, she did dodge the first green aura surrounded pillow launched in her direction. Her triumphant laughter however was cut short when Jessica's lobbed fluffy projectile stuck its mark, the female guard giving a strangled sound as she fell from the bed. Slit pupils looked up seeking mercy, all they found was a second barrage launched from Ebony's use of the second bed's pillows.
Soon a problem became readily apparent to Jessica, they had fired all their ammunition and now found themselves defenseless against the returned onslaught. From that point forward the pillow war was officially on. Pillows were being launched across the room, two against one although Dusk held her own admirably considering the odds stacked against her.
When the door opened after a brief knock which in turn caused an immediate cease fire, Jessica found herself blinking at the appearance of Rainbow, Pinky and Sparkle; who, in return were looking baffled at the sight that greeted them. Well, Jessica assumed that was the case but with Pinky's sound of delight it was hard to tell. Before she could stammer an apology for messing up the room, a lobbed pillow struck Ebony full in the face from the doorway.
"W-Wha...?" Jessica couldn't help but be dumbfounded, how Pinky had suddenly gotten her hooves upon a pillow, let alone two, she could not figure out for the life of her. The stray thought that, just maybe she had dragged them with her to the room in the mere possibility of a pillow fight was a weak one. But it was a weak idea that helped ease her brain as it convulsed in a corner from the sheer absurdity of it all.
Sparkle gave a long suffering sigh, a hoof pushed to her muzzle while Rainbow on the other hand gained a feral like grin. The pegasus vanished in a contrail of colour before returning, another pillow held in her fore hooves. Jessica barely had time to blink again before she felt the down filled object impact to her head, Rainbow's aim rather commendable she had to grudgingly admit.
Gripping the blanket with one hand to continuing hiding her modesty, her other grabbed the pillow tightly and hurled it back at the laughing pegasus. The projectile missed its mark despite her efforts, sailing out the door to impact the opposite wall. This seemed to only increase Rainbow's amusement until she was smacked from behind by Pinky; the second pillow was now held in the mare's mouth, a rapid shake of the pink mare's head battering the downed pegasus repeatedly.
Soon the pillow fight was resumed in earnest, sides were beginning to be created in the shifting dynamics. Even Sparkle joined in when Spike arrived, much to Jessica's amusement at his eager smile. The seven facing off against each other as teams were solidified, Ebony much to Jessica's relief remained faithfully by her side. Sparkle and Spike made a rather competent team especially with the unicorn's magic while Dusk remained solo, giving as well as she received.
Most odd was the team of Pinky and Rainbow, they were devastating when working in tandem but had a very odd habit of occasionally turning on each other. Each time was made to look like an accident, yet each occurrence was less and less subtle about it. It was about when Pinky inadvertently became the target for everyone, the pink mare becoming buried under a small mountain of downy comfort that a new presence made itself known in the doorway.
Jessica blinked twice, watching Sparkle almost choke as Sunny raised an eyebrow at the scene presented before her. Dusk offered a bashful grin as she gave a salute, Rainbow, Spike, Sparkle and Pinky bowing quickly a split second after. Ebony however shrunk down a little on the bed as Jessica felt worry gnaw at her, wondering if they were going to get in trouble. She didn't wish for that to happen, least of all she didn't want the queen mad at her, or any of the others.
Fear started to grip within Jessica's chest as she watched Sparkle seem to tumble over an apology in her mouth. The mare looking mortified at what the queen had seen when she entered, that is until Jessica noticed out the corner of one eye, the pillow in the hallway being surrounded by an ethereal blue aura. Without warning it was propelled into the room, Sparkle's eyes going wide at the expected impact. What she didn't seem to expect was the pillow to stop before gently bapping her on the muzzle, Sunny's calm and serene voice sounding amused while laughter came from behind the queen.
Sparkle gained a bashful expression as the laughter broke the tension, Rainbow and Dusk sniggering at Sparkle, Pinky and Spike however a little more reserved with their amusement. Everyone however paused as laughter filled the room, eyes turning to regard Jessica as she tried, and failed to contain the giggles that built within.
She simply couldn't help herself, the entire morning so far had been so strange, so surreal. The last thing she had ever expected to do since arriving in this world was have a pillow fight, let alone one that would have put her old slumber parties to shame. Magic really did offer a very unique spin on an old game, that bizarre thought pushing into her mind only adding to the humor.
Eventually the laughter subsided as she gave a hiccup, reduced to soft giggles and regarding those watching her. Rubbing her eyes with palms of her hands, she blushed at the smiles she was receiving, Sunny herself looking mildly pleased at her mirth. Rainbow and Dusk were both having a similar grin while Pinky, Ebony, Sparkle and Spike were instead showing expressions of relief that Jessica was exhibiting some form of joy.
When she finally calmed down Sunny spoke in her gentle toned voice towards Sparkle who nodded afterwards. Pinky and Spike meanwhile talked among themselves until some form of decision was obtained, what that was exactly, Jessica didn't have a clue. Rainbow however after being queried by Sparkle stuck out her tongue in mock disgust, holding a hoof out with accompanying shake of the head. With that Pinky, Rainbow and Spike left with a wave or two given in Jessica's direction.
As they exited the room they talked to someone out of her vision, only to have the mystery equine revealed to be Night as she trotted forward.
Did she throw the pillow?
The playful smile directed towards Sparkle seemed to validate this suspicion, an appraising look given about the manchester scattered around the floor. Both queens spoke to one another, Sparkle interjecting now and again while Jessica gently rubbed Ebony's head to calm her friend. It seemed the bug-like mare was still nervous around the two rulers, but the gaze from Sunny and small smile seeing her and Ebony interacting relaxed her, even if just a little.
"Jessica." Night spoke, looking towards Sunny who gave a small nod as if deferring to the dark queen. The ethereal maned hybrid walked forward, a smile on her face as she made sure to avoid the covering of pillows upon the floor. Once near to the bed she spoke gently towards Ebony, the two conversing before the mare under Jessica's hand relaxed further, giving a small nod of what could have been consent.
"What are you two talking about?" The confusion and slight annoyance tingeing Jessica's words, reflected rather accurately how she felt about being out of the loop. She knew it wasn't intentional but it was becoming more and more frustrating each day it continued, relying on pictures was becoming somewhat tiresome. Sunny, Sparkle and Night seemed unsure how to convey what they wished to Jessica, Dusk however got in before Ebony could with one simple action.
... Oh please... please tell me that is not going to spread further.
Sparkle put one ear askew while Night and Sunny seemed mildly bemused by the scrunching of the guard's nose. Even as Jessica glimpsed nods of understanding, not to mention her clothing being grasped in Night's aura and placed gently on her sheets, she frowned. One of her hands rested over her face, sighing softly into her palm in irritation.
Oh joy... it is.
Her actions seemed to surprise the equines before Jessica realised what she had done, smiling quickly and gesturing with her hands to disregard her previous action. The other three, including Ebony and Dusk didn't seem overly convinced but dropped their concerns none the less.
Understanding she was needed to shower and get dressed, she took the outfit into her arm, the other holding the blanket about her as she slipped off the bed. Ebony trotted behind after reapplying her disguise, the queens making way for her as they remained in the room to converse with Sparkle. Dusk however followed after a quick verbal exchange with Night, soon joining Jessica as the three walked down the hallway.
Reaching the closest bathroom, she paused in the doorway to smile as Ebony and Dusk waited outside without prompting. A nod from both was given prior to Jessica noticing a maid approach her, a dry towel held within her mouth. Suspecting this was the same maid as yesterday, she had her suspicions partially confirmed when the equine was less hesitant in giving her the item. A nervous smile was exchanged, the light red mare following the expression with a small bow before turning to leave.
Jessica closed the door gently after the maid had left, noticing the clothing she held now in one arm was the longer skirt and armed sweater variety. Deducing that the other outfit was probably getting washed again, she found herself curious about another pair of items she was missing. She had them yesterday, but now they were gone, looking through the clothing for her bracelets she gave a small squeak as they fell onto the floor.
Sighing at her own clumsiness she gently picked them up, balancing the towel and clothing in one arm to do so. The bracelets were precious to her, she wasn't about to let them go missing now. Crisis averted, she could now take one of the things she loved most about the equine race. Despite it all they could do one thing, very, very right.
I have to admit, they really do know how to make a wonderful shower.
With that she let the blanket drop, which after her juggling of the clothing was already mostly off anyway, before placing her clothing on the side of a basin. The lack of any kind of stool made sense given the equine anatomy, but it didn't make it easier for her to place her towel off the floor, a quirk she grew up with. Sighing she reluctantly placed the towel down before the shower within easy reach, closing the glass door behind her as she entered.
Adjusting the handle, a rather curious thing she had grown accustomed towards now. It wasn't complex, but it made sense that it was able to be slid along horizontally to allow those without magic to operate. The fact it was waist high did make it a little awkward though she had to admit.
As she was fiddling with the water temperature she felt an unpleasant shiver up her spine, the sensation of being watched niggling into her mind.
Is someone in here?
Turning, expecting to see Ebony or Dusk invading her privacy she was instead met with the after image of an equine within the building steam. Before she could focus enough to make out defining features, the sensation ceased and she saw the room was empty. Shaking her head believing herself to be seeing things, Jessica returned to her shower.
All things considered however, she was enjoying her morning so far.
~~~~~~~
Upon returning to her room she found Ledger and Fleur waiting for her to arrive, the two queens having departed at some point although Sparkle still remained. Seating herself on the bed, Jessica felt Ebony crawl up next to her, the pegasus's warm fur welcome under one of her hands. Dusk meanwhile went about putting her armor back on, methodically tugging the straps tight while regarding the others with feline eyes.
"~Apple.~" Fleur's voice caught Jessica's attention, Sparkle watching curiously as Jessica repeated the word back, a nod of affirmation given by the lithe unicorn. Ledger tugged several scrolls out of his bag before looking up, a head tilt regarding Jessica with expectance clear on his features. Unsure what he was desiring, she looked between Fleur, Sparkle and Ledger for clarification.
Thankfully for her a consensus was reached among them, Fleur stepping forward to speak a short sentence. When Jessica failed to understand, Fleur and Sparkle exchanged confused expressions before Ledger offered a large sheet of paper full of writing. Sparkle gave a nod of thanks before levitating it and pinning it against the wall with her magic leaving Jessica to process the information presented to her.
T-That's a lot of symbols...
She blinked twice, a quick check followed by another showed there was far more than twenty six, twenty eight or even forty seven symbols. She did however see the one she had identified as 'a' within, along with a few others but...
"Is... that the alphabet?" She couldn't be sure, Jessica watching in a curious fashion as Fleur levitated a quill to act as a pointer. Tapping one symbol Jessica spoke before Fleur could.
"~Ah?~" The three equines teaching her looked at each other curiously, Fleur flicking an ear as she looked confounded. Jessica then noticed the symbol had a small dot above it, a sinking feeling building within. Ledger looked sceptical while Sparkle however took a hoof step forward, speaking the sound out which was familiar, yet clearly different from what Jessica had just said.
So... it's not the alphabet? I... really don't know anymore.
She frowned and looked up, noticing Fleur now writing the symbol for 'a' she had learnt yesterday. Tapping it once she pronounced it as Jessica remembered, then tapped the new symbol with the addition of a dot pronouncing the previous sound. Jessica frowned again in thought, next the capital version of the 'a' was put down. She started to feel in familiar territory until Fleur tapped the altered symbol then the 'A' only to pronounce an entirely different sound.
"W-What?" Jessica blinked twice, completely lost by this point. She went over what was said in her head, did the symbol's meaning change based on what was before and after each? Her fingers dug into her hair, emitting a frustrated groan as she came to realise a horrible fact. She had presumed it was a simple exchange of letters, one symbol meant one letter, or one symbol for a word.
And yet you know more than one language... stupid Jessica, stupid!
She sighed in an almost defeatist fashion, how was she to understand this? She took a deep breath and looked ahead, Sparkle gaining a smile at her renewed concentration. While she focused she felt a reassuring wing brush to her side, Ebony offering a smile up towards as well.
Fleur looked on patiently, tilting her head up to the first letter once again. Jessica frowned and pronounced it herself, rolling the sound over her tongue.
"~An...Ah-n..~" Ledger exhaled out softly as Jessica failed to comprehend the changing of the symbols, the assumed accents over them altering their sounds. She could tell he was getting annoyed, and it was starting to worry her. Fleur and Sparkle exchanged glances as they talked amongst themselves, noticing Jessica's declining mood. Ledger meanwhile was getting more animated, pointing in her direction with a hoof.
Did... did I assume too much last time?
Fleur was attempting to calm Ledger down while he seemed to work himself up further, Sparkle laughing nervously before gesturing towards Jessica; who for her part was getting rather confused. It was when Ledger spat out a particular word that everyone tensed, Dusk shifting on the bed and Jessica felt Ebony's wing push harder to her side.
Sparkle and Fleur looked at Ledger disbelievingly, but it seemed he was too incensed with Jessica's ignorance to be calmed down. Jessica was leaning back at the vitriol in his voice, but even she with her lack of understanding of their tongue knew what he had said previously. He had called her a name, the name she was termed earlier until recently they had taken up using her real name... or the more recent other name they had christened her.
W-What did I do? Why is he calling me that name... was it really as bad as I thought?
Whatever it meant Jessica could clearly tell it wasn't something she would be fond of, growing consistently more nervous at his attitude. Sparkle appeared to be trying to defuse the situation while Fleur shot a disapproving look at the stallion for how he was acting. Dusk however was starting to rise, a low growl of warning building within the pegasus's throat.
Although it was whatever Ebony uttered next that caused Ledger to realise his mis-step and raise a hoof in surprise.
W-What's going on?
Jessica watched the scene play out before her, Ebony having slowly moved off the bed, her head lowered and wings flared wide. Sparkle and Fleur watched in surprise as the green fire erupted around the pegasus, tearing her disguise apart to reveal her black-chitin covered original body. Ledger gave a small child like whimper as he backed up, his bravado gone as Ebony hissed out a very clear warning.
"Ebony?" Jessica was growing alarmed by the display, Sparkle backing up along with Fleur, moving away from Ebony's intended target. Sparkle's horn began to glow slowly as she backed up, Jessica noticing and assumed the unicorn was ready to step in were this to continue. Ledger meanwhile was quivering, his voice growing higher as he backed up to the wall behind him, finally out of retreating space.
Dusk wasn't completely prone during this, her feline eyes were narrowed as she regarded Ebony closely. All humor gone from the guard's expression as metallic hoof covers pushed to the floor, the soft clinks were all the sound coming from the otherwise silent guard.
Her body low, Ebony snarled towards her prey as she got within a few feet. Ledger, his voice full of apologetic pleading was met with a firm glare from the insectile-equine.
Just as things were tipping towards breaking point, Sparkle and Dusk appearing about ready to intervene, Ebony gave an almost disgusted snort in Ledger's direction. With a tattered ear flick her disguise was reapplied, words spoken towards Sparkle and Fleur who nodded dumbly, both exhaling with relieved smiles.
Jessica just gave her own exhalation of relief as Ebony trotted up towards the bed, tugging herself back up. Looking down at her friend she was surprised when Ebony leaned up to gently nuzzle Jessica's shoulder before flopping down, relaxing once more against her as if nothing had happened. Surprised by the more blatant show of affection she smiled and stroked over Ebony's dark mane, watching Dusk return to her own bed. She couldn't help but also notice the knowing grin spreading along the guard's muzzle as she regarded Ebony.
Did he... insult me? Ebony... acted that way because he insulted me? If so-
She felt a warm feeling grow in her chest, Ebony leaning closer to her side as she fed upon the sensation. Jessica thought on what was causing the reaction until she gave a tiny smile, it was obvious why. How could she not be happy with a friend like the one beside her?
She truly is my closest friend here...
Brought out of her thoughts by the sound of an agitated male voice, she looked up to witness Ledger's muzzle burning red under his fur. He was clearly flustered and spluttering in growing agitation as he pointed a hoof at Ebony, his voice raising in volume with each word. Eyes wide he glanced towards Dusk, a demanding tone of voice entering his speech as Sparkle and Fleur gasped.
Jessica was now lost, she could tell he was upset but by his mannerisms was he wanting Dusk to do something about what Ebony did? She grew alarmed as Dusk's amused grin faded away, replaced instead by a fang filled smile. Leaning forwards on the bed, she spoke in a disconcerting manner, her tone almost dribbling with malicious intent. Whatever her words were they seemed to drain the colour almost completely out of Ledger's face. An impressive accomplishment given the fur covering it.
Ebony much to Jessica's confusion seemed not at all worried about what was occurring, watching with an almost bored air to her. Fleur and Sparkle next gave a disapproving look to whatever Ledger had spoken of in reply to the guard, the stallion puffing his chest out as if to prove a point.
Dusk failed to look impressed however, mentioning something in an offhanded comment with Jessica's name thrown into it, accompanied with a hoof vaguely directed at the owner of the name. Whatever was said made all other four equines look surprised, Sparkle looking approvingly towards Jessica afterwards while Fleur gave a small smile and nod.
"What... are you all talking about?" Jessica was lost once more, she had no clue to the context, unable to even pick up hints with the speed at which they were all speaking. Sparkle and Fleur questioning Dusk with excited tones while Ledger... well, he was starting to look physically ill. He released a small gurgled squeak as he digested whatever the night guard had spoken of, looking at Jessica with wide terrified eyes.
Sparkle tapped her muzzle thoughtfully, repeating the more recent name that Jessica had heard them refer to her as. Ledger gave another slightly amusing squeak as he flinched upon hearing it. Ebony noticing this leaned forward to repeat it in a mischievous manner, stressing the word out with a soft accompanying tap to Jessica's longer skirt, the symbol appearing to be displayed in the same place as the shorter variant.
Wait, it has something to do with that?
Jessica regarded Ebony with a questioning look that was answered with a small reassuring smile. Ledger meanwhile was struggling to compose himself from the information he had been presented with. Unconcerned with anything else now, Dusk returned to her lax attitude upon the bed, unable to hide her cheshire like grin in Ledger's direction.
With a clearing of his throat, Ledger's demeanor changed immensely, almost a complete turnaround as he spoke in a very accommodating manner towards Jessica.
Wait... why is he sounding so nice to me now?
Jessica did notice the odd fact that he was now completely avoiding eye contact with Ebony and Dusk, along with a slight quivering in his legs when he looked at her directly. Completely baffled with his change of attitude, but not unappreciative, Jessica watched as Fleur tried to hide her amusement at Ledger's discomfort. Sparkle was either better at hiding it, or wasn't even noticing as she looked thoughtful.
Fleur seemed to pick up on this, speaking towards the other unicorn with a questioning tone. Sparkle nodded and smiled to what Fleur must have suggested, an idea looking to have hit her as she trotted towards Jessica. Levitating one of Ledger's pieces of paper, not that the stallion looked like he would even attempt a complaint, she moved the thin sheet before Jessica. Looking towards the pink aura surrounded stationery, Jessica blinked as Sparkle gestured to the paper, a smile on her face as she spoke one word.
Jessica's eyebrows lowered, mulling over in her head what Sparkle was trying to get her to understand. Her brain, taking a break from seemingly plotting against her sanity, decided to play nice and solved the conundrum for her. Her eyes went wide with understanding as she reached a hand to gently touch the hovering paper, a smile coming to her lips as Sparkle looked pleased as Jessica repeated the word.
"~Paper.~" Fleur and Sparkle both gave a nod, Fleur putting forth another word accompanying her head movement. Jessica found herself once more confused as she had her attention turned towards the white unicorn, that is until Ledger cleared his throat making all look in his direction instead. This resulted in the now sheepish looking stallion to cough again and look at Jessica, repeating whatever Fleur had said whilst nodding his head, then following with another word as he shook his head.
Wait...
Jessica blinked as she tapped her cheek following the gesture with a smile. She nodded once, her mouth slowly moving around the word she had just grasped the meaning of.
"~Y-Yes.~" Slowly she shook her head after speaking, hair flicking over her face before her smile grew wider. "~No?~"
Jessica followed the second word with an expectant look, earning a relieved smile from Ledger as he nodded, repeating the word for yes. Sparkle and Fleur gazed at each other, sharing a smile before Jessica looked at Dusk, the guard giving her a small nod of encouragement.
Come on Jess, take it slow. Learn the basics... the words that will... wait, that's it!
Ebony shifted against her as Jessica moved forward, pointing with a finger at the paper before making a gesture to have it.
"~My paper, yes?~" Jessica's hope of getting the question across was met with Fleur giving a wide smile, Sparkle looking intrigued but delighted at Jessica using the words together, if probably horribly mangled syntax-wise. Receiving the paper Jessica then followed with a gesture to write something, Ledger speaking up to remove a quill and ink pot. Sparkle thanked him as she levitated it in her magical grip and gently offered it to Jessica.
Before Jessica could grasp the items Sparkle tugged it back just out of reach and spoke, gesturing to what she held in her magical grip. This caused Jessica to blink, trying to figure out what the word meant exactly. Ultimately it was narrowed down to two options, Sparkle was either trying to teach her the word for the item, or perhaps teaching her manners.
Deciding that Sparkle seemed the type to focus on one matter before introducing other variables she took a deep breath and made the gesture to write. Sparkle nodded and repeated the word as Jessica pointed to the paper on her lap, naming it and then hesitantly reaching to poke the quill and speaking the other word.
Sparkle gave a patient smile and shook her head, the quill was tugged out to be held in a separate pink aura to eliminate confusion. The ink pot was bobbed before her, the word repeated before another word was given for the quill.
"~Quill... Ink?~" Jessica pointed to each in turn, earning another nod from her teachers. Receiving the items, Jessica frowned and started to sketch upon the paper. Now it was the assembled equines turn to be curious, all waiting patiently until she completed her drawing. Fleur stepped closer as Jessica turned it around, pointing at the picture with a curious look.
"~Is?~" Jessica made sure to give the word a questioning tone, unsure if there was some way in their language to indicate such without sounding unsure of everything she spoke. Thankfully it was understood, Ebony craning her neck to look in surprise at the rough image of her normal form upon the paper. Fleur and Sparkle upon seeing the image started emitting small laughs behind their hooves at Jessica's curiosity.
I guess it's any teachers' dream when their student shows the desire to learn...
Dusk was just looking bemused from where she was lying upon the bed, Ledger however just looked happy the attention was now completely off him. Jessica noted at least he was getting some colour back to his visage, no longer looking about ready to faint was a plus. Sparkle looked towards Fleur with a small bow of her head, allowing the other unicorn to field the question.
Giving a small smile Fleur reached up with a hoof to tap the drawing, stressing one word out slowly as she spoke. Repeating it back, she was corrected twice until Jessica finally came to speak it well enough to earn a nod. Now Jessica had a name to give towards her friend, although she was unsure whether it was Ebony's personal name or the name of her kind.
"~Changeling...~" Jessica rolled the sounds around in her mouth, tongue playing over the strange pronunciation. She had no idea what the word itself meant, but it felt good to know it regardless. With this success she drew another sketch, this time of a unicorn, then a pegasus, a normal pony and finally a rough image of one of the queens. Each of these gave her another small nugget of language to use, for which she was grateful.
This method continued for a while, Jessica drawing a picture or pointing to something around the room to learn the specific word. She knew she would have to practice what she learnt today to retain the knowledge, but...
But... she was enjoying herself. After the... altercation earlier on assuming things, she was now simply letting herself be taught in this simple way. Jessica wasn't sure who had thought of it, but she had a feeling Sparkle may have had some factor in its conception. The unicorn herself was seeming quite delighted at Jessica's thirst for learning new words, expanding further upon her vocabulary and understanding.
Eventually even Ledger became more relaxed, although he seemed more eager to please Jessica now for some unknown reason. This was found particularly hilarious by Dusk, the stallion giving her a wide berth along with Ebony until the lessons were over.
Ledger excused himself as he left in a hurry, barely giving himself time to pack his things which resulted in the mares to share an amused look at his departure. Sparkle however looked curious afterwards, talking to Dusk while Jessica heard her name mentioned several times. Watching the guard she saw her appear amused by the question, mentioning things in a casual manner which in turn caused Sparkle to look further intrigued.
I wonder what they're talking about... oh! I almost completely forgot!
Jessica gave a gasp causing others to look at her before she flustered slightly, gently pointing towards Sparkle.
"~Name is?~" Her tone carefully kept curious, still unsure whether she was doing it in the phrase of a question properly. Sparkle seemed to realise what she wanted, or simply ignored the errors, much to Jessica's relief. The unicorn spoke what must have been her name, Jessica testing it in her mouth a few times before smiling and repeating the same action with Dusk and Fleur.
Finally she pointed towards Ebony who looked up at her with inquisitive blue eyes. When nothing was spoken Fleur tried to prompt her to speak, this resulted in Ebony shrugging before tilting her head up as one ear went askew.
"Ebony." The mare spoke quietly, Jessica blinking before shaking her head.
"~No, name is?~" Jessica thought Ebony may have mis-understood, but even asking again got the same response. Dusk and Sparkle addressed Ebony, their tone of voices curious as Ebony shrugged again, offering a small smile up towards Jessica.
Whatever was said seemed to make Dusk grin while Sparkle gave a small exhale with accompanying smile.
She... is using the name I gave her?
Jessica wasn't sure what to think on that thought, returning Ebony's smile as they remained seated on the bed. Whatever the case, she enjoyed Ebony's company without a doubt. The fact that her friend had adopted the nickname she had dubbed her with was touching, even if she was now determined to learn her true name eventually.
Fleur took that as her cue to leave, speaking to Sparkle who gave a firm nod at whatever was mentioned. Jessica thought she heard several mentions of her name along with a few other words she learnt to say in their tongue today. Fleur paused before trotting over to the bed, a smile coming to her muzzle when she spoke towards Jessica with a hopeful look upon her face.
"Um... how do I say this right..." Jessica absently chewed upon her lower lip, her brows knitting in thought as she went over in her head before replying, "~Where... is... be?~"
Fleur gave a pleasant laugh, her head shaking with a polite sounding rejection of what Jessica had said. This resulted in Jessica sighing but smiling slightly, she guessed Fleur was asking her to get food with them later but wasn't sure. The problem is she still didn't know how to structure sentences properly, the equine language seemed to have little, well... traps. Certain words had to go before others to make the sentence work she discovered, otherwise the tone and context shifted.
That's my theory... or I am simply just not getting it at all.
Dismissing the lurking spectre of self pity looming within her mind she thought on the progress she had made today. Real progress, not just assumptions like yesterday which meant she was going to have to focus on oral communication long before written.
Although hopefully I will be home before that is required.
Brought from her thoughts by Fleur's curious sounding voice, Jessica blushed a little in embarrassment that she had been inadvertently ignoring the equine. The white unicorn took Jessica's expression in stride, a comforting smile coming to her face as the tone of her words were soothing. Ebony meanwhile squirmed and sat up, looking at Jessica who met her gaze.
Pushing her mane to Jessica's fingers, Ebony encouraged the feeding process that Jessica was now well accustomed with. Pulling back she then made chewing motions with her mouth than pointed a hoof up at Jessica, an ear flick accompanying the action at the end.
Let's see if I get this right from what I learnt today...
"~Food, yes?~" Jessica grasped the meaning and spoke accordingly, all four mares giving her a nod which caused a smile to tug at her lips. Looking towards Fleur she followed with a firm nod, grateful to have someone as patient as her aiding in learning their language. "~Yes!~"
Her enthusiasm was met with polite laughter, a nod from Fleur given towards Sparkle, Dusk and then with a little pause also towards Ebony. The last gesture seemed to surprise the pegasus, one hoof held up while balancing upon the remaining three on the edge of the bed. Jessica had to admit, despite everything else it was a rather impressive feat she didn't fall onto the tiles.
Soon afterwards Fleur left, Jessica once more unsure how much time had passed by. Looking out the window she noticed the sun's position as another stray thought came to her.
Is a day even 24 hours here?
Her brain was having none of it though, now almost in open rebellion it resisted all attempts at pondering further on this issue. She had a sneaking suspicion when she returned home she would not be doing any puzzles or word games, lest her mind go fully on strike.
Absently stroking Ebony's mane she was glad however to be picking up more of their conversation. She had an inkling on some words previously, but it was nice to have them now confirmed. Making it almost into a game, she concentrated on what Ebony, Sparkle and Dusk were talking about. Every time she understood a sentence she gave herself a point.
The game was soon called due to growing depression when she only had about twenty points after several minutes.
Stupid game...
Hoof steps brought Jessica from her mental attempts to strangle her brain, the thought she was slowly losing her sanity was not a new one; that was for sure.
"Jessica." The sight of Sparkle bowing accompanied with Dusk giving a salute alerted her to the owner of the voice. As suspected, Sunny entered accompanied with a bleary eyed Night following behind, trying in vain to hide a yawn behind one hoof. From the look on the dark queen's face she surmised that she was more inclined to be nocturnal.
That's right, she was outside in the courtyard last night.
Filing that information away for later, she was reminded on how lucky she was to have the queen's favor. It was however hard for her to understand why, was it simply due to her being an alien in their world?
She... seems really interested in that book though in my dreams.
It did make sense to Jessica though, it was in their language not to mention it was what she surmised to be the reason she was sent here. Mentally admonishing herself, Jessica knew where those thoughts were leading and cut it off at the pass with another idea. It was entirely possible that Night was interested in the book, but it was also very obvious she was helping her for another reason entirely. That reason exactly why eluded her currently, but the way Night gave her a smile seemed to lend credence in a positive direction.
Smiling back at the queens she noticed Scar and Stoic were also with them, hopefully after having obtained some rest. Jessica mused on the fact that the other bat-winged guards were only really around at night time, yet Dusk was with her during the day and slept through the night. Adding to the growing pile of 'find out later', she instead favored the two male guards with a warm smile.
Scar returned the expression, albeit in a reduced fashion while Stoic gave a barely perceivable nod of his head. Noise echoing down the corridor alerted Jessica to someone else approaching, blinking twice as the sound got closer. Soon Spike ran in, pointing excitedly as he talked at a hurried pace to Sparkle. Raising an eyebrow curiously, the unicorn looked outside as the queens moved aside allowing Rainbow to fly in, grinning rather smugly.
Completely lost as to why Rainbow was looking so positively pleased with herself, Jessica noticed Pinky, Flitter and Jewel following behind. Upon spying Ebony, Jewel's mood soured slightly while Flitter gave a soft squeak and retreated back into the hallway; Ebony for her part simply snorted and avoided eye contact with either of them. Jessica's attention was then tugged away, looking instead at Sunny and Night who were talking with Sparkle and Dusk.
Curious as to what their conversation entailed, she was pulled from attempted eavesdropping by Rainbow giving into loud laughter. Whatever Sparkle had spoke of caused Night and Sunny to exchange glances, both giving soft sighs while Dusk exposed her fangs with a self satisfied smile. Jewel seemed to gasp loudly, followed with a soft mumble under her breath as she flicked curls of mane with a fore hoof.
Sparkle tried to look cross at Rainbow for her outburst but seemed to concede with the funny side of whatever they were discussing. Spike having sniggered behind a claw, trying to hold his laughter in appeared to have helped Sparkle see the humor. Flitter's reaction was to direct a nervous glance at Ebony, the mare in question raising an eyebrow which earned another squeak from the timid pegasus. Ebony spoke next, sounding slightly frustrated as Flitter blinked, even Jewel stopped looking quite so put off by the mare.
Sunny and Night gazed at Sparkle, Sunny's voice prompting further explanation from the purple unicorn to which both queens frowned when Sparkle was done talking. Rainbow flicked an ear at what she heard, snorting from her nostrils before hovering with forelegs crossed over her chest. Jewel and Flitter however looked towards Jessica, the former looking positively incensed while the latter had a sympathetic look on her face.
Are... they talking about when Ebony got angry at Ledger?
Night turned her attention towards Dusk, her tone containing the barest hint of anger to which the guard gestured towards Ebony with her head. A few words followed and the situation seemed to be defused, the equines relaxing with Ebony's small addition to the conversation. Relieved that whatever was brewing had been nipped in the bud, Jessica blinked as Sunny looked in her direction.
The white queen seemed to base what she was saying on what Jessica had grasped today language wise, mentioning food, the name for Ebony's type of equine and to follow. Thankful for it being spoken in such a manner she nodded, somewhat surprised by her own, ever so slight desire to see them again. She was slightly confused as to why she felt that way, putting it down to guilt and the cute young ones.
I do... feel bad for them I guess.
Bending forward she slipped her now beloved footwear on, securing the straps as her toes wriggled within. Almost as an afterthought the hair clip was added as well, fussing with her hair to get it situated correctly. A look at Jewel was given, a smile once more conveying her gratitude for the gifts, which the expression seemed to be gracefully accepted by the mare. Surprisingly Jewel then looked thoughtful, turning her head to speak to Night who in turn seemed to mull over the words. A nod was given making Jewel give a small squeal of delight before turning her head to speak towards Flitter within the hallway.
With a few words spoken to the others, Jewel and Flitter trotted off, a parting loud exclamation from Jewel confusing Jessica. It was then she noticed that two mares were missing, and had been for several minutes. Thinking back she realised it was just after everyone had calmed down that they had slipped out of the room; this led her to wonder just where Rainbow and Pinky had gotten off to.
As she started following the queens and Sparkle, she found she didn't have to wait long for the answer. Dusk tried to hide the snigger behind a hoof but failed abysmally, even Jessica had to try hard not to giggle. The mystery of why Rainbow was looking smug earlier along with the question of what the three of them had been up to for the afternoon, was thusly solved.
Spike didn't fare quite so well in containing his amusement, bursting into laughter from upon Sparkle's back, having been levitated there a few seconds prior. Somewhere down the line the two missing mares and possibly Spike must have decided to settle whatever debts they felt were owed from the morning's pillow fight. It seemed the three of them had been at it for most of the afternoon, although she was certain it couldn't have been this bad until just recently.
And... I think Rainbow might have lost...
The reason for Jessica's conclusion was rather evident, given what was presented to her down the hallway. Rainbow was pinned under Pinky who, with great relish was shaking her head like a dog with a bone, the pillow clasped in her teeth battering the pegasus without mercy.
Tell tale signs of an epic battle were littered down the hallway as Rainbow alternated between screaming out something repetitively and laughing uncontrollably. Pillows from various bedrooms were strewn about the tiled floor, Jessica in awe of just how much of a mess the two had created in such a short time. Pinky paused in mid swing of her head, the pillow slowing to simply rest over Rainbow's mane as they noticed they were being watched.
Two sheepish grins were given before Pinky took the opportunity to give one last smack with the pillow, bouncing about upon all four hooves as Rainbow grudgingly seemed to admit defeat. Well, Jessica presumed that was what happened, given the pegasus was now zipping about in a contrail of colour and the pillows were vanishing from their resting places. With a tolerant sigh from Sunny, and amused look from Night they fell into step behind the group.
Just as Jessica looked back down the corridor, curious as to where Bubbles and Espa were she noticed a male unicorn with a flowing beard looking back at her, one she had not seen before in the castle. Strangely he seemed, somewhat out of focus as if he wasn't really there. His mouth was moving as if to speak but no sounds issued forth, although what was most disconcerting was how he was approaching her while flickering in and out of sight.
A gasp escaped her lips as Ebony and Rainbow turned to look behind at the sound, their expressions seemed puzzled as the equine apparition continued to get closer. Jessica took a step backwards, bumping into Pinky who gave a little sound of surprise, giggling as if Jessica was simply playing around. Jessica's attention was torn away from behind her to see where she was going, but when her head snapped back there was no sign of the ghostly equine.
The most frightening thing for her however was how none of the others seemed to be reacting, or showing any signs of having noticed it. Concerned voices were put towards her, her breathing slowly calming down to an acceptable level after several seconds had passed.
"I-I'm fine..." She tried to gather her thoughts as the equines along with Spike easily saw through her lies. Scar and Stoic fell into step behind her as she continued forward, both guards looking concerned as she started to follow once more. But one truth was abundantly clear, she wasn't fine.
W-What was that... am I really losing my mind? Am I seeing things?
Taking a deep breath she felt Ebony's warmth push to her legs, blue eyes looking up with worry written on her features. Gently stroking over her friend's mane she kept pace with the others, now aware everyone was watching her a little more closely.
~~~~~~~
Thankfully the trip down was without appearances of spectres, ghosts, or apparitions conjured up by Jessica's stressed mind. Their group made its way down to the crystal cavern without further incident, well at least none from Jessica's side of things. The others were regarding her as one might regard a bomb, although that might have just been her imagination putting a darker spin on things. Throwing the cynicism aside she knew they were just concerned for how she acted earlier.
Occasionally she would catch glimpses of one of those in front giving an attentive look back in her direction. Their concern was nice, but she was more concerned on what had happened in the hallway. Jessica blinked as realisation struck her, was that what occurred in the bathroom as well?
Am I really going nuts? No... It must just be stress.
A shiver ran up her spine at the sudden connection of facts, Ebony reacting to push closer against her side. Comforted by the pegasus she buried her fingers deeper into the dark mane, seeking the reassuring sensation between them. Sparkle meanwhile was in a conversation with the two queens, Spike throwing his input in every so often to whatever they were discussing. Pinky and Rainbow on the other hand were looking at her closely now, taking it upon themselves to stay close.
The guards, almost reacting to an unseen threat stuck closer, Dusk in front with Scar and Stoic in the rear. Jessica could tell they were unsure exactly why she was jittery, but she was thankful for their diligence; Dusk wasn't even grinning right now showing the guard's unease.
And now I've worried them all.
Finally however they approached the lengthy corridor leading into the cavern, a row of guards saluting Sunny and Night as they led the way down. A few seemed to give respectful nods towards Scar, with some of the bat-wing variety giving little salutes to Dusk as well.
I guess they're captains of the guard, or... just respected members?
Jessica tried to distract herself from letting her mind run on idle, flicking between thoughts on a whim as her shoes clacked on the tiles, imitating the hoof sound rather well. As they entered she was dazzled by the crystals, this time able to truly appreciate their beauty where as last time she was caught off guard by other things. Those so called 'other things' turned their heads to regard their arrival with mixed emotions.
Like yesterday there was a variety of expressions, although much to Jessica's surprise now a majority had a hopeful look on their faces. A couple even seemed relieved to see them, that is until Jessica realised it was in fact Ebony they were relieved to see. The pegasus dropped her disguise as she trotted towards the bars, seating herself down like she had the previous day.
Jessica watched as Spike started to take notes while Sparkle dictated, Sunny and Night appearing content to quietly observe. Pinky was more curious about the crystals, pulling faces into one of the reflective surfaces while the guard beside her raised an eyebrow. Amusingly he also shuffled a few steps away from the perceivably crazy mare.
Rainbow meanwhile flew down to land beside Ebony, one eyebrow raised as she gestured into the cage. Several of the '~changelings~' - Jessica still unsure on the meaning of the equine name - gave a glare at the cyan pegasus's proximity to Ebony. One stepped forward to hiss a warning, Rainbow in reply snorting and dragging a hoof along the bars in a taunting manner until Ebony spoke up, the mare having remained silent up to that point.
Instantly the outspoken bug-like equine recoiled, lowering its head as if mortified to what was said. The others in the cage shot the outspoken one a glance as Rainbow blinked, a sound of admiration in her voice as she looked at Ebony. Pinky now bounced over, peeking over Ebony's head as her tattered ears flattened at the pink mare's proximity. Jessica could tell the incessant questioning tones were beginning to either bewilder, or wear on Ebony's patience.
Sparkle seemed to notice this and called out to Pinky, the addressed mare perking her head up before trotting over as the unicorn talked to her. Whatever was said it seemed to calm her down, a look was given in Jessica's direction before Pinky nodded, smiling after.
Huh?
Unable to comprehend what they had decided upon, Jessica was caught off guard when Pinky came to stand beside her, a playful nudge of her hoof drawing her attention down. The mare just gave a warm smile up at, nodding towards the cage as Jessica watched.
Pinky she had to admit, confused her greatly. On one hand she was almost as unpredictable and borderline crazy as someone could be while still being on the right side of sane... although Jessica felt a little hypocritical thinking such, especially with her current mental stability. On the other hand, such as at that very moment it seemed to be her self imposed duty to cheer her up, to make sure she smiled, or at the very least comforted.
I... get the feeling, I might have judged her unfairly like I did Rainbow....
Looking ahead once more to ignore the pang of guilt, she watched Rainbow seated beside Ebony while observing the contents of the cage. Inside she noted that the insectile-equines were reacting as if they could hear something, all moving to the back as the cage door was opened by a guard. Rainbow gave Jessica a confident look, one that implied she would help if need be.
Ebony cast a glance her way, Night and Sunny watching with small encouraging smiles while Jessica's three guards remained nearby. A small nod from Ebony was all she needed to enter the cell, Pinky and Stoic following her in to stay near the entrance. Rainbow's voice caused Jessica to turn, seeing the pegasus give her a firm nod and grin, encouraging her onwards.
A smile was given in return before she took a deep breath. Looking ahead at the mass of bug-like equines she took in the various gazes given her way, hunger was the primary one but also, although it may have been her imagination...
They're... smiling?
Jessica realised she was correct, looking back at Ebony she noticed her friend give a small smile accompanied with a reassuring nod. Sunny and Night continued to silently encourage her while Sparkle was still having Spike write whatever she spoke of. Turning her attention forwards again, Jessica gave a small gasp as two pairs of luminescent eyes regarded her carefully.
One of the older '~changelings~' looked down at the two small equine creatures, speaking in a reassuring way as they both looked up at it. Jessica couldn't be sure, but she had a hunch that it was the same one that was with them the previous two times. How she could tell, that was a mystery but the way it acted gave some credence to her suspicion.
Soft little chirps came from the young ones, Jessica blinking as they looked up at the older equine creature standing above them. Both froze and turned to look at Ebony suddenly, their tattered ears perking as she smiled and gave a small nod. Looking next at each other they slowly, and ever so cautiously approached Jessica. Their minder followed, a fanged smile upon her smooth muzzle, watching their antics almost like a proud parent.
Soon they were half way towards her, one sitting itself down to give a little chirp before sniffing the air. The other, its brother or sister, Jessica had no way of knowing was a little more brave and looked up at her with a mixture of fear and hunger on its face. Most startling however was a third emotion she never expected to see, delight starting to become evident as it closed the distance.
The other, not to be outdone and only with a little gentle coaxing from the minder, followed behind. Jessica's heart melted upon seeing them, her worries pushed aside as she bent down and smiled warmly. Upon seeing her reaction the other bug-like equines relaxed, the minder giving a long sigh of relief as she approached with the two, never straying far.
They are adorable...
Holding her hand out, the braver one crept forward and sniffed at her fingers before looking up at the adult accompanying it. A small nod was given which led to its small head pushing to Jessica's fingers, letting her stroke over its smooth chitin. Her second hand was offered which was met with the same reaction from the other until Jessica had the two equine children being fed. When they were sated she moved her hand to the minder, a look of surprise given as it recoiled slightly to her offered fingers.
Ebony's voice caused the bug-like equine to relax and allow her head to be stroked, Jessica mindful of the small tattered fin which acted as its mane. The minder gave a small grateful smile before Jessica found herself giggling as the two small young ones were, for reasons unknown, competing to get onto her lap while she fed their minder.
Slightly bemused as to why younger equines seemed to desire occupying her lap, she helped them up and stroked both with her free hand. Her reward was to have them both curl and fall asleep almost immediately, their... well she wasn't quite sure if they had bellies as such but if they did, they were full. Pinky gave a small affectionate noise from where she sat, Jessica flustering and sticking her tongue out at the pink mare in response.
Within seconds however she found herself surrounded, a small spike of fear rising before she noticed their body language. The insectile-equines were looking... hungry, yes... but at the same time they were giving her space, waiting for her permission.
Exhaling softly she continued to use her other hand to stroke down the minder's muzzle, Jessica feeling the tugging sensation now pull in multiple directions as she felt compassion for them all. Several of the equine creatures made smacking noises, savouring the meal she was providing. Others simply bowed their heads gratefully.
After a few moments she gave a soft sigh, feeling slightly light headed before the malady passed, then providing a small smile as she offered the two young ones up to the minder. With a nod it turned, spreading its glossy wings as Jessica gently placed them upon its back. After they were safely situated, it moved to trot over to the bed and lay them down with a gentleness that Jessica felt was rather sweet.
Slowly getting to her feet she smoothed out the longer skirt, tugging the sleeves back down from where they had crumpled up her arms slightly. The insectile-equines slowly stepped back, Jessica noting with a glance behind her that Ebony was looking pleased. Her attitude seemed to make those within the cage relax further, now all looking far healthier with a meal.
I guess I have a use, I get to be the meal wagon... yay me.
Despite her sarcastic thoughts, Jessica had to admit it felt nice to be able to do something like this. She wasn't sure why they were getting her to do it, or if it was in fact an ability unique to her. Given from what Night had showed her in her dreams, Jessica was positive there were very few good feelings going about the other equines for feeding purposes.
Looking back she saw the others ready to escort her out, what she did next however seemed to surprise everyone.
Walking forward rather than to the exit she heard a few concerned sounds from behind, Rainbow in particular sounded rather confused as to what she was doing. Making her way to the bed she offered a smile, the insectile-equines looking up at her with concern before their eyes flicked past her, gazing at the equally confused looking Ebony. A nod was given from her friend which seemed to make them blink, nodding in reply before shifting back to give Jessica room.
Reaching down she gently stroked over the two sleeping foals, unsure if that term even applied to them. One flicked its small tattered ear and raised its head, making small smacking noises with it's mouth before blinking and gazing up at Jessica. With only a slight hesitation it raised its head to rub a short muzzle to her fingers, chirping softly before speaking in a young voice.
Whatever it was attempting to say, their minder gave a small smile and appeared to correct it in the equine tongue. Jessica giggled as the young one tried again, chirping in frustration before giving a small sulk.
"I guess we're both learning how to talk, aren't we?" Her words were met with confused glances until she smiled, addressing her next words to the young foal-ish one gazing up at her. "~My name is 'Jessica'.~"
"J-Jeeee...Jeeeeesss...." She couldn't help but giggle as it struggled around her name, it looked to be trying to learn the equine language and now she had given it a word in an entirely alien language. The others looked amongst themselves, appearing somewhat amused before the minder moved closer, giving a bow of its head.
"Juh-see-ka..." The words struggled around its mouth before it switched to the equine tongue next. "~Thank you.~"
Jessica smiled and gave a small nod, certainly grateful for the language lesson this morning despite the low point near the start. She had gotten several useful terms, words and phrases out of it. Simple, basic things but... they helped, every little bit helped.
Reaching to stroke the minder's head, she decided its nickname to be such... that is if she could figure out how to define it from its peers. Minder moved its head to receive the stroking, getting one last little snack and piece of affection. Standing up straight once more Jessica waved to those she had just fed before turning, blinking at the expressions she was now on the receiving end of.
Smiles dominated most of the faces directed at her, although Spike was pointing a claw at his mouth and making gagging noises; well, until Sparkle clipped him over the head with a scroll that is. Night seemed to be nodding, a glance shared with the other ruler as if something was validated within their minds.
The one she was most surprised by was Ebony, her friend looking proud and smiling towards her. She had not seen her looking so, well... open with her emotions before. Unsure why, she exited the cell hearing the door sliding closed with a clank behind her as Stoic and Pinky followed her out.
Walking to Ebony she smiled and slid to her knees, Rainbow having politely moved aside to give them room... although the pegasus couldn't give up the opportunity to give a teasing toned few words towards the chitin covered mare. Ebony for her part looked curious before relaxing as Jessica slipped arms around her, holding her friend tight as she smiled. Ebony reached up with a hole covered foreleg to rest it upon one of her arms, the moment continuing until Rainbow rolled her eyes, throwing in one more comment for good measure.
Ebony stiffened immediately, glaring at the cyan pegasus while Dusk burst into amused laughter, Rainbow following shortly after. Pinky looked excited, bouncing around as firm denial escaped Ebony's muzzle, Jessica standing upright with a confused expression as to what was occurring. Whatever it was it seemed both queens were amused by it, Sparkle giving a long good natured sigh at Pinky and Rainbow's antics.
After everyone had calmed down, with only small sniggers emitting from the two trouble making pegasi, they turned to make their way upwards. As Jessica was about to leave she heard her name being called out, looking down to see Ebony smiling and gesturing for her to look back. Turning she saw Minder by the edge of the cage, the two young ones on its back, waving at her. Waving back she smiled, her heart feeling several times lighter due to the encounter as she also noted the guard nearest to the bars was trying to hide a smile.
With that they made their way back up to the main floors, leaving the cell behind. But the smile didn't leave Jessica's face until many hours later.
~~~~~~
The next few days seemed to follow an almost set pattern, she would get up, find one of her sets of clothing was clean, and then after a shower have language lessons before feeding the prisoners. She was thankful that Ledger was now treating her with far more patience, but then again she was also trying harder to learn, so it was a two way effort she felt. He was however still very wary of Ebony and Dusk, a fact that amused the latter to no end.
Sparkle had aided in at least two more of the language lessons, and it was nice when she did but Jessica was still infinitely appreciative of Fleur as a teacher. The unicorn was patient, kind but also stubborn where she needed to be to get Jessica to focus. That isn't to say Sparkle wasn't, but Fleur did so in a way that made you wish to learn. Well, that's how Jessica felt on it anyhow.
Strangely enough Posh had also begun attending the lessons as well, helping the others with teaching Jessica. The musicial inclined pony seemed to have a knack for getting an idea across, helping Jessica with pronounciations much to her gratitude. Shades would usually also accompany her, and like clockwork would get bored at some point and get kicked out by the dark haired mare once she started becoming a nuisance.
Of course after getting kicked out she would often get up to mischief with Rainbow and Pinky. While that wasn't a fair assessment to make, there had been some intriguing pillow fights occurring within the halls of the castle, that was for sure. Jessica had never seen anyone use a speaker system to launch pillows before.
The castle itself had become her... sanctuary so it were. Jessica could see the crowds waiting outside diminish each day, only a few of the most steadfast remained now, snapping pictures whenever they got a peek of her. Most noticeably though, Jessica noticed the reduction in guards flying around above Ebony when they went outside. Whether they were better at hiding, or had been cut down in numbers, she was unsure.
This fact didn't seem to bother her friend at all, she seemed impassive about it as she seemed to be about most things. Thankfully, the queens no longer made her quite as nervous, which was a definite plus given how often Sunny and Night would talk to her now. What they talked about Jessica only had a mild grasp of it, from what she could gather they were discussing about a home and the equine term for Ebony's kind.
Jessica had also spent more time with the musicians, although they did have the annoying habit of encouraging her to sing. However, it was nice that they and the others she knew were getting along rather well, even including Snooty. She had quickly come to realise that Snooty and Fleur were together, but she could tell they complemented each other well in their personalities. Although she was confused as to why Jewel was always so eager to speak with him, but she assumed it had something to do with the unicorn's ability to make beautiful clothing.
On that note, Jewel had crafted more clothing items for her. Jessica's continued efforts to stop Jewel from doing so was met with polite refusal, the unicorn almost seeming to take it up as a challenge. She would constantly leave into the city, sometimes taking Flitter with her, only to return with various materials which she would remain late up at night crafting with. Now, Jessica had several more items to wear, mostly under garments after she relented and through diagrams and her limited vocabulary explained what they were for.
To her credit, she had only almost died of embarrassment once. Along with more bras and panties, she had a long night shirt, something she could wear to bed finally. Another few tops and skirts had given her quite the wardrobe, the mare's generosity was simply staggering to her. Still, she vowed to repay Jewel before she returned home, whenever that would be.
That fact always seemed to bring her mood down. Which is where it led to the current moment, Jessica once more being given an update from Sunny and Sparkle about how their research was going. Through drawings and her meagre, but growing understanding of their language they would detail to her their progress.
As Jessica sat on one of the benches outside, watching the others play, she was not for the first time told bad news.
"~Home, when?~" Jessica curiously asked, Sunny's expression becoming slightly less optimistic as she replied back. Jessica couldn't understand most of what the queen said, despite trying to phrase it in a way she could... but she got the idea. They didn't know.
It was becoming... frustrating not knowing when she could get home. She wondered about her friends, did they even miss her? Shaking that thought away she frowned at her mind and it's dark turning thoughts. This wasn't her world, it was at times delightful, even wonderful, but it was also strange, surreal and frightening on occasion. All her possessions, all her photos and mementos of her mother remained there too, all except for the bracelets she had upon her wrists.
And... dwelling on it won't help Jess... they're trying.
With a soft sigh she rested her chin on hands, watching the game she still didn't have the faintest clue about being played before her instead of wallowing on, 'what if's. Ebony rested to her side, watching the equines with her looking just as lost as she did as to the rules. Glad for her friend's company she gently stroked over her mane, rewarded with the warm sensation flowing between the two of them. Sparkle gave a small smile, speaking something encouragingly to Jessica before excusing herself to join in the game, her name being called constantly by Rainbow and Spike.
Looking up Jessica saw Sunny was about to say something else before a loud crash was heard, the hybrid giving a long tolerant sigh. Behind her Jessica saw another of the vases had been destroyed, surprisingly not by Bubbles this time but by Shades. Posh was trying to look like she didn't know the mare while Shades attempted, and failed to put the bits back together. Whistling casually she then tried to kick the pieces under a nearby hedge, a fact that made Posh give a slack jaw expression in response to.
"~Vase... smash.~" Jessica offered helpfully, Sunny exhaling once more before the smile returned to her face. Much to Jessica's amusement, the queen seemed to be operating on the assumption if she didn't turn around, she didn't have to deal with it. So far, it seemed to be working well.
"~Yes, vase- ...smash.~" Sunny responded, Jessica attempting to hide her amusement. It was nice to be able to have a conversation, well, a conversation that a two year old would possibly have on a bad day but it was something at least. Dusk nearby gave a little snigger, trying to stop when Sunny gave her a long suffering look. Biting her lower lip didn't really help Dusk much in that regard, still somehow managing to look amused.
Jessica watched the game as it resumed, although she was slightly bewildered as another vase replaced the other for a goal marker, even at Sparkle's protests. Espa meanwhile seemed to be enjoying herself immensely, the small filly noticing she was being watched to wave at Jessica with a fore leg. The wave was returned, smiling at Bubbles's daughter's antics. She hoped someday to have a daughter even half as wonderful as Espa, of course that depended on her getting home.
Exhaling to dismiss the depressive thought she instead winced a little, the feeling of being watched returning. She looked around rapidly, Sunny and Dusk immediately picking up on her manner, sharing a concerned look before Ebony tried to calm her down. Jessica meanwhile continued to look around, waiting for the apparition to show itself yet again.
Where is he now?
Ignoring the reactions she was getting while gazing about, she finally saw him. He was standing in the middle of the field as the others played through him, rather literally in fact. Not even Rainbow who flew directly through his form, only to be then pounced on by Harpy, seemed to notice the male equine now on the field. It was if he simply wasn't there. Yet... yet, she could see him, the long beard dangling from his face, his grey coat of fur, he was definitely there for her. Like every other time, the unicorn stallion started to approach her before once more fizzling out of existence.
Jessica relaxed, this was becoming all to common to her now, she had him appear before her several times over the last few days. Putting it together it must have started when she left the town, figuring it must have been him watching her. Well, that was her theory, along with the other occurrences. She... truthfully, was terrified of it, of him.
But what terrified Jessica even more than the apparition, was the fact it seemed her sanity was slipping, she was seeing something no-one else could. Yet... each time he appeared he seemed to be looking more desperate, more earnestly trying to get her to do... something?
Why must my insanity be so confusing.
The bitter thought bounced around her mind, her brain looked to be betraying her from within. She found herself wondering when she had snapped, or at least when her sanity had started to circle the drain. Perhaps this was all an elaborate illusion, perhaps she never survived the fall in the first place and was in purgatory somewhere. Or in a coma, kept alive by drips as her mental state deteriorated and-
Wow... that, that is a special kind of depressing, Jess.
Ebony spoke up towards her, concern in her voice as Jessica looked down, stroking her friend's mane softly to reassure her. No, this was real she reminded herself. Her mind just seemed... a little broken, probably due to the stress from everything that had occurred. She noticed Sunny had been talking to Dusk, the guard nodding while looking towards her with worry etched on her face.
The queen seemed to excuse herself, a well dressed stallion and mare approaching her with a scroll levitated before the former. Sunny gave a small sigh, one the two equines couldn't see before putting the smile back on her face, allowing herself to be led back towards the castle. Watching her go Jessica then turned to watch the game once more. Aside from Jewel who had gone out of the castle again, everyone apart from Ebony and her own guards was having fun on the field.
Truth be told she wasn't even sure who was on what team anymore. Even Flitter was involved, although she was not exactly getting into the thick of it. Occasionally she would shrink away from the ball or give it a small kick, Rainbow flailing her forelegs while shouting encouragement each time; and each time the cyan pegasus would exhale but give reassurance to Flitter afterwards. Eventually the timid pegasus withdrew to instead sit near Jessica, a small smile given and returned.
It was nice how the mare wasn't shy towards her anymore, although the incident of how it occurred would never be brought up again. Just remembering the mess she had to clean up... no, she wouldn't let her brain bring back up that image. She did feel sorry for that squirrel though...
No! Bad brain! Purge that image...
Exhaling she let her attention return to watching, the others being mindful of Espa's small size. Flute moved to kick the ball, but pausing as Espa got in the way. Through an elaborate amount of acting he made a convincing spectacle of her tackling him, allowing her to run with the ball once more in her magical grasp.
Rainbow seemed to be dominating, well... when Pinky wasn't in her way, or Sparkle grasped her with her magic, or Bubbles met her in the air, or... Well, actually Jessica had no idea. She formally dubbed the game 'Anything goes because I have no clue what is going on anymore', she was pretty certain it wouldn't catch on. Regardless of her lost nature on the teams, if there were teams that is, who was in the lead, how the score was kept...
Well it's entertaining to watch at least.
Tilting her head back she observed the sky, watching the light begin to take on orange tones as the sun began setting. Pegasus guards flew over head, their armor gleaming in the twilight before the sound of pottery smashing once more caused her to sigh. A soft spoken word or two from Flitter summed up what must have happened.
The sound of Posh's agitated voice seemed to sum up the culprit, a smile coming to Jessica's lips. Thankfully it didn't take long for Shades to be removed from the hedge where she had been lodged, Jessica's confusion as to how Posh may have gotten her in there a mystery for another day.
Watching the game with Spike and the equines participating, also those around her including the two guards behind the bench she sat on... Jessica felt, accepted. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sounds of laughter before her, content with Ebony by her side. She stayed this way until the game was eventually called due to ailing light, the group heading inside for dinner.
~~~~~~
With a full belly and tiredness nagging at her, Jessica tugged on her new night shirt. She adored it, the same symbol that seemed to be on everything Jewel made was adorned upon the back, along with a small one situated on the front. Part of her was curious if it was the equivalent of a designer tag, how Jewel left her signature upon her creations. It might go to explain why Ledger got so scared that day when the symbol was tapped, if Jewel made such beautiful clothes, she had to be a famous designer.
The thought the equines who were so nice to her could be famous was... an interesting idea. Sparkle seemed to get on very well with the queens, guards and staff, and then there was Snooty and Fleur who were clearly upper class with both getting on very well with Jewel. The thought was soon sidelined as Jessica found a giggle building within.
I really... really can't imagine Pinky or Rainbow being upper class...
Dusk gave her a confused expression from where she lay on the bed, her armor already removed as the guard raised an eyebrow. A smile was given back, a hand waved dismissively to soothe Dusk's concerns. Ebony was already waiting upon Jessica's bed in her true form, a loud yawn exposing glistening fangs. Like a virus the yawn spread around the room, a half-hearted glare from Jessica only making Ebony attempt to look innocent.
"Fine, I'll get into bed already..." Grumbling as she made her way to the downy comfort, Ebony moving to allow the blankets to be pulled back. Slipping inside she got comfortable, enjoying the warmth provided by the bed. By the fresh smell she could tell the sheets had just been changed today which made her snuggle into them all the more.
Ebony wriggled a little on the blankets, resting against Jessica's form before she to got comfortable. Dusk however seemed to find it rather amusing for some reason, sniggering from her side of the room. The chitin covered mare narrowed her glowing blue eyes, Dusk mentioning something with both Jessica and Ebony's name within, all said in a teasing tone Rainbow would have been proud of.
Jessica was unsure what the context was, but by the fact two pillows from the spare bed were launched into the laughing guard it must not have been overly innocent. Soon however they were all settled, well, after Jessica removed her bracelets and hair pin to place them on the bedside table, almost forgetting.
With a wide yawn she felt herself begin to drift off to sleep, safe and secure with her friend and one of her guards in the room with her. Or so she thought.
It was just as she was feeling her conciousness fade that a male voice sounded from right beside her, the speaker's words tinged with urgency.
"Jessica, there's no more time. We need to talk... now."
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Chapter seven is up.
Sorry about the wait all, next one should be on time next week. ^-^
Aaaand, cue creepiness.
I wonder what that apparition wants? Guess we'll find out next time.
Her language lessons seem to be going well, though.
2642101
o.o That was an insanely quick reply. Were you waiting for it? ^-^;
As for creepiness... who can say... some people might be able to guess who or what it is though...
2642103 I got lucky. Toggled the next chapter of my current reading when I saw that nice gold button on my menu bar, went to see what had updated.
Starswirl helps her speak? :D
50/50 that it's either Star Swirl the Bearded or Discord.
2642192 2642135
Normally I am pretty free on confirming or denying, but I am going to play this one pretty close to my chest on who or what it is.
I will say however the next chapter is called 'Homebound'.
ERMAGERD! IT'S STAR SWIRL THE BEARDED!
2642229
WHOM IS THOU STARWIRL THEE BEARDED YOU SPEAKITH OF?!
2642227 There's not many characters with beards. Unless... Steven Magnet got turned into a pony?!
The reveal is anticipated! If I haven't said it before, I love this story.
Why? Why would you post this on the day where I have no actual school, but still have to go anyways?
2642247
Because I am evil? ^-^
Edit: Okay not evil, but I just finished work so could only upload it now!
Starswirl apparitions?
...
How do you manage to make this more interesting with every chapter?
2642235 DAT BEARDED PONY!
2642255Where do you live that you finish work at 6 am where I live?
2642341
Hee, I live where Sauron attacks and orcs are a constant menace.
So I finish work at 12am my time, since I work on the night shift doing stuffs.
2642344Okay? Still doesn't answer where you live. You live in Canada? Or UK?
2642360
Where Lord of the Rings was filmed. :3
How long do you plan this story to be? Word count-wise and chapter-wise.
I saw a couple of errors, the biggest one is a repeat of a couple of words. Normally that wouldn't be too bad, but the first set was at the end of a line with the second set starting the next line. A couple missing commas in the latter half of the chapter too.
All in all, a really good chapter!
I just had a disturbing thought when I was reading about Jess sketching out underwear for Rarity:
As a teenage human female, surely Jess would have had her time of the month by now.
Considering that she didn't bring a box of tampons with her, I'd hate to see the others reactions when she starts bleeding all over the place...
Also, it'd be neat to see this entire chapter done from the POV of Starswirl's ghost (if in fact that's who it is). Just because Jess only sees him sporadically, doesn't mean that he's not there...
2642420
Curses. They must of slipped through the cracks, given the amount of painkillers and lack of sleep due to my shoulder, it's a miracle anything I write is actually a sentence at all. ^-^
I am glad you enjoyed the chapter though, I especially enjoyed writing certain parts of this one myself. As for how long I plan this story to be?
I think another three to four chapters for this part of it. Around 150k words maybe if not more? I intend to do something special after I finish this story, along with the promised re-telling through the equestrian perspectives. But yes, ultimately only 3 - 4 more chapters to go, the title labelled interlude hinted at that. Of course there is always the possibility of a sequel, but I wish to tie up Jessica's story neatly and then open the way to explore it further.
2642449
Not that I wished to get into to much detail on that subject, but given I have yet to shy away from such details I have kind of set up a precedence to bring it up to some degree. Needless to say she's still within time for it to occur.
Of course I am more amused at the idea of a super-cranky Jessica being let loose upon the unexpecting populace.
Well, that or 2 to 3 days of Ebony hiding at every chance she gets.
Another wonderful chapter. I am really enjoying what you're writing, please keep it up.
I want to be in on that pillow war!
And how dare Starswirl spy on Jessica while she's in the shower! How very uncouth
Also, I'm totally imagining that Starswirl sounds like Doc Brown from Back to the Future. :3
Also, I found this. Seems appropriate. fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/121/f/1/april_30th_changeling_baby_no_anons_hands__by_evetssteve-d63ohga.png
2642375
New Zealand. Nice place I hear.
It's obvious to me that the ponies were playing Calvinball!
Its amazing how expressive everything is even with the language barrier, the adorable levels of chirping changeling babies, the teasing about Jess and Ebony and their relationship, the pillow fight... this chapter left me with the warm fuzzy feeling coupled with the intense stomach cramp after seeing the cliffhanger. Well played.
2642344
Nightshift is the awesome shift!
2642375
Ouch, 18 hour time difference. Still, its nice to see you have the staunch defenders of middle earth to repel such ghastly marauding bands. And heh. Another lovely chapter. Still, perfect cliffhanger to end this on.
Magnificent! This is one of your best chapters so far. It got everything - from cuteness to laughter to fear.
MOAR!!!
Why does Starswirl speak english?
2642235
*Who is this Starswirl of which thou speaketh?
2642227
"Homebound"? Noooo! This wonderful epic story can't be nearing it's end already!
The queen seemed to excuse herself, a well dressed stallion and mare approaching her with a scroll levitated levitated before the former.
You have levitated twice in that sentance.
I am torn between profund disappointment that the chapter is over and great anticipation because it looks like something very interesting is about to happen, if my assumption that the "male voice" is Starswirl.
Also, d'awww overload! I don't think I've seen any author manage to make changelings appear that cute before. Okay, more the kids than the adults, but still! Changelings are, well, kind of insecty, and cute is not the word that comes to mind whenever I look at an insect. Not that changelings are ugly, precisely, but cute is still not a word I'd normally apply to the things.
Keep up the good work, as always!
2642919
I beg to differ, there are some down right adorable insects out there in the world.......granted on the flip side there are some multiple legged nightmares wandering around as well....
http://www.livescience.com/15337-creepy-crawlies-gallery-cutest-bugs.html
2642464 Oh God, that'd be hilarious! Hopefully they won't need to use the Elements on her!
(Plus, if the ponies have trouble understanding what's happening due to different species having different rates of cycles, we'd be able to see Redheart again)
2642972
...I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. They look less horrifying than most bugs, I'll admit, but less horrifying is still horrifying.
I have... issues with insects. My KILL IT WITH FIRE instincts scream at me whenever I see the things.
2642504
Oh my god, new headcanon!
2643013
Hmmm, how about this one? I had to take a second look when I found one in my garden...
Hummingbird moth
2643013 My philosophy is that everything with an exoskeleton needs to burn, except for the crustaceans; they get a pass.
2643032
Uncanny valley, just for birds. In other words, there's something indescribably wrong with it.
2643034
"needs to burn or be nuked from orbit." There, fixed it for you.
Xenomorphs belong in the latter category, for example.
There are exoskeleton creatures that'll get a pass, like crustaceans, but they're rare indeed.
Last part of the chapter makes me super excited, cause we finally might have a freaken conversation!
And it only took 7 chapters! 
The ghost of Starswirl the Bearded, come to haunt Jessica from beyond the gRaAaAaAaAaVE.
This just made my day, or rather it will once I get to read it.
2642449 2642464
Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she would be delayed, compared to the schedule before her arrival. Stress and malnourishment aren't conductive to fertility after all.
Otherwise, for a full commentary I have to digest this first, but I can't think of a reason yet why both Twilight and Fleur would be surprised by any information given by Dusk, in addition being able to frighten Ledger. Sometimes I think you are just making us believe that there is some reason behind this...
You... YOU SAVED MY VACATION!!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
2642605
That or Griffball.