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Pseudodragon

By Lost_in_translation
Created: 2021-12-18 02:40:56
Updated: 2022-12-21 08:28:38
Expiry: Never
anontransformation/dtfg/

  1. >A smell of something burning enters the nose of a sleeping human, tearing him from the world of dreams.
  2. "Whuh… someone's cooking something?.."
  3. >…
  4. >Wait, you live alone, meaning…
  5. "Oh fuck!" exclaimed the scared human as he bolted up, looking around frantically.
  6. >His eyes, however, were met with thick smoke obscuring the surroundings.
  7.  
  8. >It is at this point that you realize that you must be in the middle of a burning house.
  9. >Your burning house! Fuck!
  10. >The one you haven't even finished paying for! Double fuck!
  11. >The one you're currently in! Triple fuck combo!
  12. >More internal and external cursing follows as you begin searching for a way out.
  13. >What you actually do is cough, flail your arms and run around in circles like a headless chicken.
  14. >Finally, during a̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶u̶l̶a̶r̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶p̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n your search for an exit you trip over something and land on your face.
  15. >It occurs to you then that you may not survive this predicament unless stop acting like an idiot.
  16.  
  17. >But while you were busy with your little introspection the smoke around you had cleared, revealing…
  18. >…that you're not in Kansas anymore. This looks nothing like your apartment.
  19. >Instead your surrounding appears to be the interior of a small cabin.
  20. >Except everything seems… a little too big? But hey, beats dying in a fire, right?
  21. >It's quaint, a small desk practically buried under stacks of paper, few shelves line the walls, one of them seems to be holding books, as well as several yellowish… scrolls? Huh?
  22. >There is more, but you are more interested in weird scribblings on the floor that form a circle around the spot you stand on. Okay… what the hell is going on here?
  23.  
  24. >"Finally, it worked!" announced something big and loud from behind you.
  25. >After nearly jumping out of your skin you whip around to face the source.
  26. >As soon as you lay your eyes upon it your blood runs cold.
  27. >The voice seemed to have originated from some sort of a horse, more precisely from an offspring of horse and Godzilla. You don't even want to know how that may have happened.
  28. "Holy mother of god! You're one big bastard." the big bastard seem to be taken aback by your fine choice of words.
  29. >"H-hey! No need to be rude!"
  30. "WHOA! Wait, you're… talking?" the giant horse's face mirrors the look of confusion on your own.
  31. "Okay, what's going on here, who are you, /what/ are you and where the hell am I?"
  32. >"Oh, uh, there's no need to be nervous. My name is Cobalt Wisp, I'm a pony, a unicorn to be precise." you could swear there was a tiny hint of pride in his voice as he stated the last part.
  33. "Mine is Anonymous and frankly I'm confused." Cobalt adopts a friendly smile, well, at least you think it's a friendly smile. It's hard to say, having total experience of horse body language of less than two minutes.
  34. >"It's perfectly normal for a familiar to feel confused just after the summon. You should get some rest, you'll feel better in no ti-"
  35. "Whoa whoah whoah, wait just a minute here. What do you mean 'summon', and what the hell is a 'familiar'?"
  36. >"A familiar is a creature created by magic to… er… assist it's creator and uh… keep them company."
  37. "There's no such thing as magic." this causes Cobalt to frown.
  38. >"I assure you it exists." he says with a serious face. You don't buy that for one second.
  39. "Right, and I'm supposed to just take your word on it. Jesus, I'm arguing with a giant horse…" you trail off as you say the last part.
  40. >Your blatant disbelief and disregard of proper p̶r̶o̶n̶o̶u̶n̶s species name seem to rustle pony's jimmies a bit.
  41.  
  42. >"First of all, I'm a pony. Second…" his horn lights up, shrouded in soft blue glow.
  43. >The same glow enveloping a book that have just emerged from behind the mountain Paperwork and is currently hovering in front of the 'unicorn'.
  44. >You just stare at the light show, not quite grasping what's going on.
  45. >"…you yourself are made of it." stated the unicorn, not raising his eyes from the book.
  46. >As if to check if he's telling the truth you look at your scaled hand.
  47. >Hold the fucking phone.
  48. >Scales?
  49. "WHAT THE HELL?!" exclaimed the no-longer-human as he jumped a good meter in the air, staring wide-eyed at a body that wasn't his.
  50. >"Wha- Is something wrong?" startled megahorse yelped in surprise and dropped his book.
  51. "Yes, me!"
  52. >"W-what do you mean?" he stammered, still slightly shocked.
  53. "Well, for starters… WHAT THE FUCK AM I?!" your outburst causes Cobalt's ears to flatten against his head and his face to contort into a grimace of mild discomfort, both at the loud tone and the expletive.
  54. >Seeing him like that makes you feel a little bit guilty, he obviously didn't like it when you swear, especially so loudly.
  55. >"Can you not swear please? It's not very pleasant to hear."
  56. "Erm, sorry. But still, what /am/ I?"
  57. >"You're a dragon! Well, a miniature pseudo-dragon actually, I couldn't create a bigger one…" he murmured the last part, averting his gaze and digging at the floor with his front hoof.
  58. "Wonderful, can you turn me back into a human, please?"
  59. >"Uh, sorry? Turn you back into what? This is your original form. And what's a 'hooman'?" What does he mean by 'original form'? And how come he doesn't know of humans? Have this horse been living under a rock? Have you? You think you'd remember hearing about giant horses.
  60. >You extend a clawed finger and ask the other important question on your mind.
  61. "Okay, can you at least tell me where are we?" at this point nothing will surprise you.
  62. >"Well, we're in my house. It's no palace but-"
  63. "No, where are we, as in what country? Think bigger."
  64. >"Why, we're in Equestria," wonderful "near a border town called 'Silver Pine'" just fucking peachy. Your incredulous stare makes him a little nervous.
  65. "You know what, nevermind. Forget I asked."
  66. >"Something is obviously troubling you. You can tell me." said Cobalt, his face expressing genuine concern.
  67. "Oh, it's nothing really. I just woke up in a place I don't recognize, in a body that isn't my own. Oh and I'm talking to a giant pony. How bad can it possibly be?" a furrowed brow indicated that Cobalt didn't appreciate your sarcasm, nor, apparently, you joking about such matters.
  68. >"So, you're telling me you weren't created out of my magic?"
  69. "Duh!"
  70. >…
  71. >He blinks a few time. You have a bad feeling abou-
  72. >"Oh no…" you're pretty sure eyes are not supposed to bulge out like that.
  73. >"No no no no no…" he starts frantically looking around the room.
  74. "If you know something please don't hesitate to tell." you state with a calm flat voice, a stark contrast to the pony-shaped wild-eyed collection of ticks and twitches before you.
  75. >"W-where's the book… Oh dear, oh dear… Where is it…"
  76. >You loudly clear your throat and subtly point at the book haphazardly lying at his hooves.
  77. >"Th-thank you." he picked it up in his magical field thingy and started quickly flipping through it's pages.
  78. "Hey take it easy, it'll catch on fire if you keep going at it like that."
  79. >"Huh?" grayish blue muzzle snapped in your direction.
  80. "Just sayin'." you raised your arms defensively. Moments later Cobalt resumed his speed reading.
  81.  
  82. >Since your apparent 'creator' is busy panicking, you decide to examine your new body. You're stuck with it for the time being by the look of things.
  83. >Overall it resembles that of a lizard, small dark brown scales are hard but don't seem to impede your movement at all. Weird.
  84. >Weirder still, you now have a tail which ends in few spikes with a membrane stretching between them, most likely for better control during flight.
  85. >Which brings you to a your brand new set of appendages - yes, wings! …and you have no idea how to use them. This sucks.
  86. >At least you should try learning how to fly while you're in this body.
  87. >Assuming that you're not going to be a tiny dragon for the rest of your days… Alright, depression never done any good to anyone. Stay positive, stay-
  88.  
  89. "Hey, watch it!" you barely dodge a big blue hoof as it makes it's way to the magic circle.
  90. >"Sorry." Cobalt seems to be inspecting the strange symbols on the floor.
  91. >"No… this can't be… it's not right… this is bad… this is so bad…" well doesn't that sound sound comforting…
  92. "Hey, care to share what's going on?"
  93. >"Listen, I'm sorry. I must have messed up the spell somehow. No, I do not know how. It sotra just happened. The circle's immaculate, the incantations were-"
  94. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you have no idea how that happened." he wrinkled his nose at you. You have to admit that's kinda cute.
  95. "Hey, don't beat yourself up just yet. Can you tell me how did I end up being like this if the spell didn't work?" you point at yourself to emphasize your point.
  96. >"Well… it /did/ work," apprehension and regret are evident on his face "but, somehow, instead of conjuring a creature from my magic it pulled you from… from wherever it is you were, and twisted you into the form that wasn't meant for you." he was getting more and more upset with every word.
  97. >"Look, I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't meat this to happen to anypony. I just… I just wanted a fr- *sob* a friend." he sat on his haunches and started sobbing softly, wiping his eyes with his leg.
  98. >The sight of a crying pony, huge and colorful as it is, is soul-crushing.
  99.  
  100. >You have at putting an end to this before your heart stops.
  101. "Oh come on, stop it with the waterworks. It wasn't your fault, was it?"
  102. >Cobalt simply shakes his head in response but doesn't stop crying. Oh goddammit…
  103. >You walk up to him and wrap his leg in an impromptu hug. It's kinda effective, at least he stopped sobbing.
  104. "Look, if what you said is correct, you couldn't know what would happen, right? So it wasn't your fault." you say after a few seconds.
  105. >God damn that fur feels nice, all soft and fluffy.
  106. >"I-if I didn't cast that stupid spell" he emphasized the last two words "you wouldn't even be here!"
  107. >He's got a point there. Time to crank the bullshit dial up to eleven.
  108. "And yet here I am. Come on, it was an accident. Stuff happens." please stop crying…
  109. >"But now you're stuck here in somepony else's body, I couldn't imagine what you are going through. I'm so sorry for putting you thr-"
  110. "Oh would you stop berating yourself?" your little outburst got his attention, time to land the finishing blow.
  111. "You didn't intend for this to happen, did you? Yes or no."
  112. >"I-I…"
  113. "Yes or no."
  114. >"N-no."
  115. "Then stop crying you big silly horse."
  116. >"I am a pony, and I'm not s-silly."
  117. "Of course you are, you big blue buffoon." you say, squeezing his leg a little more. You wouldn't want him to think that you're being mean to him after all.
  118. >For a few minutes you stay like that, listening to his breath. He seemed to have calm down.
  119.  
  120. "I can be your friend, if you want." you say with a sigh.
  121. >"R-really?"
  122. "Will you help me become myself again?" you ask with fake seriousness.
  123. >"Of course!"
  124. "Then we have a deal!" you reply, flashing Cobalt a mischievous grin, earning a chuckle from the unicorn.
  125. >Mission 'Cheer up the pony' complete.
  126.  
  127. "Now, how about we think how we're actually going to achieve that?" you say releasing Cobalt's leg reluctantly.
  128. >Cobalt wipes his eyes with the back of his hoof.
  129. >"I don't really know. As I said, I have no idea how you ended up here like that in the first place. The spell…" he looks to the side with droopy ears.
  130. >"…it did what it wasn't supposed to. Nothing in it's structure suggest being capable of something like that, even when miscasted."
  131. "Okay, but maybe you know someone who could help us?"
  132. >"Actually, I have somepony in mind - she's Celestia's student and is extremely talented. She lives in Ponyville, which is, like, practically on Canterlot's doorstep."
  133. "Alright, pop quiz time. Who's Celestia, what's Ponyville and Canter-whatever? I assume the last two are some sort of cities, correct? Also, what's with the horse puns?"
  134. >"Princess Celestia is the ruler of our nation, Canterlot is the capital, built on the side of the eponymous mountain. Ponyville is a village at the hoof of that mountain. I grew up there, it's a nice place, if a bit too quet." he says, ignoring the last question.
  135. "Lovely. Wait, a princess?" you sigh, shurgging "Sure, why not? Unicorns, dragons, magic… Why not a princess?.."
  136. >Unsure of what you're talking about Cobalt gives you a quizzical look, cocking his head to the side and pointing his pony ears at you. He's like a curious puppy, it's adorable!
  137.  
  138. "Nevermind. Can you get us there, the Ponyville, I mean. Can we see that Celestia's student?"
  139. >"Oh, right. Well, for starters, we are almost at the border and Ponyville is far to the east, so it's going to be a long way there."
  140. "You can do magic. Can't you, like, teleport us there?"
  141. >Cobalt starts laughing nervously while clopping his hooves together.
  142. >"Yeah, about that… I'm afraid it's not that simple."
  143. >You simply raise an eyebrow in reply.
  144. >"Look, it's really far. I mean /really/ far. I've never been there myself and…" He starts explaining you the intricacies of teleportation spells. You just roll your eyes and sigh.
  145. >You kind of see why he had no friends. This pony has all the social skills of a lonely NEET.
  146. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you can't." the scrunchy face returns with a vengeance.
  147.  
  148. "Is there any other way we can get there?"
  149. >"There is a train going to Las Pegasus and back," you cringe at another of those horse puns "but it's still a long way from here. It would be fastest way to get to Ponyville though."
  150. "Better than nothing." you sigh.
  151. >An awkward pause hangs in the air like a fat man on a trapeze.
  152. "So…"
  153. >"So?"
  154. "When are we going?"
  155. >"Oh, um… You see, it's not the best of times for me and, ugh… I'll be honest, I'm a little low on bits…" now that he mentioned it, you look around once again.
  156. >Indeed, aside from the shelves and the desk there isn't much in here - a tiny kitchenette with some utensils, a modest bed, various supplies, raincoat, boots and couple of bags with a strap between them.
  157. >Cobalt notices your worried expression and tries to comfort you the best he can.
  158. >"Look, I don't mean I'm broke or anything…"
  159. >Yeah, like he would admit that… On a second thought, he actually might.
  160. >"…I just don't have much in savings." he frowns, looking to the side.
  161. "How do you get by anyway?"
  162. >"Odd jobs, mostly repairs and 'high magic' stuff" he makes quotation marks in the air with his hooves "like recharging a crystal or applying a simple spell."
  163. >"I kid you not, the local unicorns are lucky if they know at least a levitation spell. Most think their horns are just for show." he looks rather displeased with that.
  164. >"In fact, I almost got chased out with torches and pitchforks out of the last town I visited because ponies there never seen magic in action. Kinda like you." he added last part with a smug little smile.
  165. >"I swear, the locals only tolerate me because they can't fix some things themselves. Some even said really mean things to me. I didn't talk with them for a month after that!" you chuckle at all the seriousness of a fight in kindergarten. Still, for him it's a serious matter.
  166. "Hey, it's not all that bad now, right? You're not alone anymore." that seemed to have brightened his mood.
  167. >"I guess so." he smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his neck.
  168.  
  169. "So, maybe I could help you with your work? You know, to get those, how you call them, bits?"
  170. >"Bits, yeah. It's the equestrian currency. Listen, I don't mean to be rude but, uh… how are you going to help me?"
  171. "How about helping you sort out all this clutter?" you keep a perfect poker face and gesture behind you to the desk about to split in half from all the paper on it.
  172. >Cobalt laughs awkwardly and looks away, rubbing his foreleg.
  173. >"Yeah, that would be nice."
  174.  
  175. >Both of you made your way to his desk. The size difference makes it loom over you like a wooden colossus.
  176. >"Need a hoof?" asks Cobalt. You look him up and down.
  177. "Nah." and start climbing the pony, being careful not to hurt him with your claws.
  178. >Not the most pleasant experience for him, but it was over before he felt any real discomfort.
  179. >You stroll on his back to his head and grab his horn to swi-
  180. >"Whoa hey, careful there! Horns are very sensitive."
  181. "Really?" you pop into his view, making his head jerk back a little "Oh, sorry then." you jump off Cobalt's snoot, using it as a springboard, and land gracefully on the table.
  182. >"Was this really necessary? Couldn't you just, you know, fly?" he says, rubbing his snoot.
  183. "Uh, nope. Growing wings doesn't magically make you learn how to use them y'know. At least not in my case." you turn to the stacks of paper behind you and rub your clawed hands.
  184. "Well, let us begin."
  185.  
  186. [an hour of rigorous sorting later]
  187. "Angry letters, unfinished spells, produce list, more angry letters, Neighgerian letters… Oh, what's this?"
  188. "'Dear Fruit Fizzle, I wish I could express my feelings in person, but alas…' Hey Cob, is that… is that a freakin' /love letter/?" Cobalt's eyes go wide and a big blush appears on his cheeks.
  189. >"Hey gimme that!" he tries to tear the paper from your claws but you run off to the other side of the table, not quite done having fun just yet.
  190. "'…your beauty is that of a wild flower, magnificent in it's…' god I can't take it. Cob, you really wrote all that? My god…" you could barely stand as you laughed your tail off.
  191. >"E-eat a buttercup!" he shouts, blushing furiously, before grabbing the letter with his magic.
  192. "Hey that's cheating!"
  193. >"Well cry me a river, I don't care!" jimmies = rustled.
  194. "Oh come on Cobalt, tell me about her." this is too much fun.
  195. "I promise I won't laugh!" you say, desperately trying to keep a straight face and suppress the snickering. You fail miserably.
  196. >"Like hay I will."
  197. "Cob, don't you trust your friend?" you say, sporting the biggest toothy grin your new face can hold.
  198. >"No, no I don't." you hold your arms to your heart and pretend to sound betrayed.
  199. "Your words hurt me deeply. How can you say such things? I thought we were friends." and the award for the outstanding performance in 'Drama Queen of the Wooden Table' goes to Anonymous.
  200. >"So did I. Now quit it." Cobalt is not amused by your antics.
  201. "Come on Cob, seriously, you can tell me." you are relentless.
  202. >"No."
  203. "Pretty please?~" you flutter your eyelashes for the added effect.
  204. >"Ugh, will you stop pestering me if I do?" he groans, slouching in defeat.
  205. "…maybe." you put on your best innocent look, twirling your fingers and avoiding Cobalt's gaze.
  206. >"That's not good enough."
  207. "Fine," you sigh and throw up the hands "spill the beans, Casanova." if you had a dollar for every time he wrinkled his nose at you…
  208.  
  209. >He begins his tale of love and spaghetti about the innkeeper's daughter.
  210. >"She's beautiful and I really like her… but her dad and I… and that time I nearly set his inn on fire…" he drones about the girl of his dreams and how he can't find the courage to approach her. This kills the fun.
  211. "You know what, forget I asked." you say, yawning.
  212. >Cobalt gives you an annoyed but relieved look, before shutting up. Looks like he's off the hook… for now.
  213. >You both resume your work and soon enough all the papers are sorted, with most of them now occupying the trash bin.
  214.  
  215. "Whew, that'll be it. Who knew paperwork could be so exhausting." you practically fall off the table.
  216. >"Tell me about it." says tired Cobalt, before stretching his legs and letting out a big yawn.
  217. >You can't help but mirror his action. This careless pony… Doesn't he know the yawning is contagious?
  218. >"Heh, how about we lay down for a few minutes, I still got a few errands to run. You can come too if you want."
  219. "As if I would want to stay here the whole day. I mean, your house is good an all, but I'd like some fresh air once in a while."
  220. >"Yeah, I get it." he yawns again then shuffles to the bed before falling on it in a less than graceful manner.
  221. >You follow suit and climb up one of it's legs and plop down on the pillow next to Cobalt, dozing off quickly.
  222.  
  223. >A short nap later you wake up feeling refreshed and rested.
  224. >Moments later your friend wakes up as well, slowly opening his big eyes.
  225. "Morning sweetie." you say, laying in front of his face.
  226. >"WAAAAAH!" he screams and jumps, ending up on top of the shelf.
  227. >Are all ponies this skittish?
  228. "That was quite the acrobatic feat. You alright there Cob?"
  229. >"Wh-what? Who- who are you? What are you doing in my house?"
  230. "Hey, calm down, it's me Anon. You accidentally summoned me, remember?"
  231. >Cobalt blinks a few times as his sleepy brain processes your words.
  232. >Finally, it hits him.
  233. >"A-Anon?"
  234. "The one and only. Now get down from there before you hurt yourself."
  235. >He takes note of his whereabout and a light blush settles on his face.
  236. >"Heh, you gave me a good scare there." he says, smiling sheepishly.
  237. "That I can see." you said, causing Cobalt's blush to deepen.
  238. >He looks around before heaving a sigh.
  239. "Need any help?"
  240. >"What? No. No, I can do it. Just need a moment to collect my thoughts."
  241. "Sure…" you hop off the bed and stroll to the shelf to give it a good shove.
  242. >It shook near-unnoticeably but it was enough for the pony on top of it.
  243. >In just a moment Cobalt went from standing on it looking confident to hugging the top for dear life with eyes closed, shaking like a leaf.
  244. >You snort but quickly regret the previous decision - a pony, whether scared or crying, is too much for your heart to handle.
  245. "Cobalt? You alright there buddy?"
  246. >His ears perk up at the sound of your voice and he stops shaking.
  247. >Slowly, he opens his eyes, one after another.
  248. >"I-is the earthquake over?"
  249. "Earthquake?"
  250. >"Y-yes, the shelf shook a bit."
  251. "Yeah, about that…" you lightly tapped your claw on the shelf.
  252. >Things click together in Cobalt's mind and he frowns.
  253. >"It was you wasn't it?"
  254. "M-maybe…"
  255. >"Anon!"
  256. "Alright, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."
  257. >"Well, I hope you're happy now." he pouts, looking very offended.
  258. "Not quite. Look, I'm sorry. You're afraid of heights aren't you?"
  259. >"N-no."
  260. "But you-"
  261. >"I don't have fear of heights. I have a fear of /falling/ from heights." you just roll your eyes.
  262. "Whatever. So, do you need help getting down?"
  263. >He looks around nervously before nodding.
  264. "Say no more." you look around as well, searching for something to… Ah, this'll do nicely.
  265. >You drag the big chair to the shelf with the acrophobic pony on it. In a few hops Cobalt is sitting on he floor, sighing in relief.
  266.  
  267. "Feeling better now?" you stroke his leg.
  268. >"Uh-huh."
  269. "Wanna talk about it?"
  270. >"N-no. Maybe."
  271. "Hey, no pushing. Take your time."
  272. >"No, it's okay. I guess I could get it off my chest, now that I have you." you will never admit it but it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
  273. >"It all started when I was a foal. I was never a fan of heights, but after that time…"
  274.  
  275. [years ago]
  276. >"Come on Cobalt, you gotta keep up!"
  277. "I'm trying!" you yell forward between swallowing mouthfuls of air.
  278. >>"That's not good enough."
  279. "How much further?"
  280. >>"Not much. Don't worry, we'll carry you if you fall down."
  281. "Yeah, then leave me there for mom to pick up my lifeless body." you bark back, bantering with your insufferable siblings helps distract you from the burning in your legs.
  282. >"You're such a drama queen…"
  283. "Grrrrr…" you push on. You'll prove them that you're not the 'little princess' they tease you with.
  284.  
  285. >Finally, reach you reach your destination and skid to a stop, panting heavily.
  286. >Athletics was DEFINITELY not your special talent. Maybe it'll be something related to the many books you've read?..
  287. >But nevertheless, you're alive and they DID NOT carry you here. You just hope you'll be able to walk home by yourself…
  288.  
  289. >"Darn, what a view."
  290. >>"Yeah, was worth coming here. Cob, c'mere."
  291. "Yeah yeah…" you shuffle to the two buffoons you call brothers.
  292. "What's all this about anywhoa…"
  293. >"Nice view, huh?"
  294. "Uh-huh."
  295. >>"Don't look down." blurts out quickly.
  296. "Wha- AAAAH!" as soon as you look down (thanks bro),you fall on your rump and back away from the edge of the cliff, bumping right into Arrowhead.
  297. >>"Leaving already?" he chuckles, that smug little…
  298. "Th- But- I'm-" you stammer out unintelligible mess of words, mirroring your scrambled thought process.
  299. >There's little doubt he did it on purpose. He always liked to tease you. Hay, even Golden Ray wasn't safe from the occasional prank himself.
  300. >"It's okay, you're afraid of heights, we understand." chuckles Ray.
  301. "I-I'm not! It's just… I just got too excited, yes I just got very excited is all!"
  302. >Halfway through your attempt to explain yourself they're already laughing their tails off at your expense.
  303. >When you blush and scrunch your face at them it only makes the matters worse. You're starting to worry they might suffocate because of all the laughing.
  304. "Would you two quit it already?" you huff indignantly.
  305. >"Oh my, look at the Mr.Serious here…" says Ray when his mirth dies down to a manageable level.
  306. >>"Oh wow… Cobalt you'll be the death of us."
  307. "Arrow! Don't talk about such things! Even when joking!"
  308. >>"Calm down you fraidy cat. It's just a joke."
  309. "I-I'm not a fraidy cat."
  310. >"Yes you are Cobalt, yes you are."
  311.  
  312. >A minute or two you all sit in silence before you speak up.
  313. "So?"
  314. >"So what?"
  315. "Why did you drag me out here from the library?"
  316. >"Don't you think some fresh air would be nice for you? Breathing the musty air of that old library all day can't be healthy."
  317. >>"Not to mention having your eyes constantly glued to a book. That's how you mess up your sight early."
  318. >"Wouldn't want ponies at school calling you four-eyed would you?"
  319. "N-no." you mumble and look away. Even with all the teasing they still seemed to care about you. This is what annoys you the most about them.
  320. >You wish they'd have just made up their mind and chose either teasing or caring.
  321. >>"We saw you on that ladder in the library the other day."
  322. >"And what a sight it was…" Arrow shoots Ray a glare and he promptly shuts up.
  323.  
  324. >>"You are afraid of heights, aren't you?"
  325. >"Look, we won't laugh."
  326. "Promise?"
  327. >>"We promise."
  328. "Okay…"
  329. >>"So what happened? You were so confident, levitating all those big books like a pro, but then you looked down and it all fell apart."
  330. "I don't know. I kinda froze up a little."
  331. >"A little?" quips Ray, which earns him an elbow poke in the ribs.
  332. "Uh-huh."
  333. >"But… it wasn't that high. Hay, you could probably jump off and land safely. What gives?" says Golden Ray, rubbing his head and glancing at Arrow.
  334. >You just shrug, unsure of what to say.
  335. "So why /did/ you drag me out here?"
  336. >>"We wanted to help you. Teach you to control your fear, that you shouldn't just 'freeze up' when you're scared."
  337. >"After all, if you 'freeze up' you can't run away, right?"
  338. "…guess so."
  339. "Guys, why are you always like that?"
  340. >>"What do you mean?"
  341. "You're constantly teasing, make jokes and play pranks on me all the time, but then there's this…" you wave your hoof around to make a point.
  342. "This 'caring about me'-business and all that. Why can't you always be like that?"
  343. >Your brothers look at each other, then back at you and shrug simultaneously.
  344. >By Celestia, do these two make you so mad sometimes…
  345. >>"'Cause we're your family, silly."
  346. "I'm not silly!"
  347. >"But of course you are, princess."
  348. "And don't call me 'princess'!"
  349. >>"We do it because we care about you."
  350. "You have a strange way of showing it."
  351. >>"Sure, I'll give you that. But if that's what it takes to stop out brother from becoming a big sissy…"
  352. >You scrunch again, even harder now because deep down you understand them and know that they're just worrying about you.
  353.  
  354. >Arrowhead get up and walks toward the edge of the cliff. Ray follows the suit and motions for you to join them.
  355. >Reluctantly, you do so, slowing to a crawl as you approach the edge. Just looking down makes your head spin slightly.
  356. >Arrow put his leg around you, startling you in the process.
  357. >>"Hey, take it easy. That's just me."
  358. >Feeling your legs growing unsteady, you lie down, still staring into the abyss below.
  359. >"Gosh Cob, you should see your face right now…" Ray trails off as he catches Arrowhead staring daggers at him.
  360. >>"I won't ask again Ray." he says with a stern voice that carries authority.
  361. >"R-right. Sorry." Ray audibly gulps and hurriedly apologizes.
  362.  
  363. >>"Now look Cobalt, it's perfectly normal for anypony to be wary of heights."
  364. >"It's a normal instinctive reaction."
  365. >>"What isn't normal is when the fear paralyzes you."
  366. >"That'll only get you killed." you gasp.
  367. >Arrowhead glances at Ray who only shrugs, and shakes his head.
  368. "So w-what are we going to do? Y-you won't p-push me off w-would you?" you squeak, growing increasingly nervous.
  369. >>"Cobalt," he puts a hoof on your shoulder and looks you in the eyes like you said the dumbest thing in the world "I would NEVER do that. You hear me? NEVER."
  370. >You nod, only now realizing what you just implied.
  371. "A-Arrow, I'm-"
  372. >>"Don't be. I know where that's coming from. But there is a line even we" he looks at Ray who simply nods in return "won't cross."
  373. "I'm sorry guys."
  374. >"It's okay lil' bro, we're cool."
  375.  
  376. >>"You see the path down to your left?"
  377. "Yeah, it goes all the way d- all the way down."
  378. >>"We're going to walk it down and back up again a few times."
  379. "But why?"
  380. >"Cobalt, could you please look down again?"
  381. >>"Ray if it's one of your-" begins Arrow but Golden Ray cuts him off.
  382. >"Relax, I'll explain it in a moment."
  383. >You do as you're told and look down. Naturally, you're afraid.
  384. >"Looks like quite the fall, doesn't it?" you swallow, trying to appear calm.
  385. >"It isn't. It's just a few meters, it's not even a steep slope so you'll slide down rather than fall."
  386. "So by taking me down and back up again you'll show me that there is nothing to fear, right?"
  387. >"Well won't you look at that, already figured everything out. Maybe we /should/ stop calling you silly after all!" chuckles Ray, playfully ruffling your mane.
  388. >You shake his hoof off and voice your protest, much to his amusement.
  389. >>"Alright, enough you two. Let's get going already, we don't have the whole day y'know."
  390. >"Fine fine, grumpy."
  391. >>"Don't call me that."
  392. >"If his majesty wishes so…"
  393. >More bickering follows. Just one big loving family this one…
  394.  
  395. >After several slow trips up and down even your more athletic brothers were a fair bit tired.
  396. >You, on the other hoof, were getting more and more excited.
  397. >Down there you took note of all the rock formations, bushes and whatnot.
  398. >When staring down, however, you recognized the things you saw, slowly building a model of the cliff in your head.
  399. >And as you did so, your fear was slowly fading, replaced with curiosity and rush you get from learning new things.
  400. >Your eagerness did not go unnoticed. From time to time one of your brothers would ask how you're feeling and if you need to rest.
  401. >Slowly, with ample encouragement, you began to fight back your fear. And every time you looked down, there was less of it weighing down on you.
  402.  
  403. >On the final walk you all sat down to bask in the light of Celestia's setting sun.
  404. >>"It's getting late."
  405. >"Yeah, we should probably head back before it gets dark."
  406. >>"How are you doing Cobalt?"
  407. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine."
  408. >"No fear?"
  409. "No fear!" you stand tall and say proudly, triumphally puffing out your chest.
  410. >Arrowhead and Ray's stoic facaded quickly break and they're both laughing at the brave little colt.
  411. >There is no mischief in that laugh and soon you join them as well.
  412. >When the laughing dies down all three of you lay down on your backs, looking at the sky.
  413. "Thank you."
  414. >"Huh?"
  415. "For everything."
  416. >>"We're a family, that's what we do Cob — we look after one another."
  417. "It's more than that."
  418. >"Didn't expect us to help you, huh? How low you think of your own brothers!" says Ray, trying and failing to sound offended.
  419. "No, it's just… You all have better things to do than foalsitting a colt who's afraid of heights!"
  420. >"Even if this colt is our little bro?"
  421. "Then there's the uncharacteristic patience. Especially from you Ray." you poke you brother with a hoof. He huffs, trying to sound insulted.
  422. >"Words can hurt y'know! But yeah, you're right. I promise it won't happen again." you all share a good chuckle.
  423.  
  424. >"Arrow?"
  425. >>"What?"
  426. >"I think dad would've been proud of you."
  427. >>"Ray…"
  428. "He's right, I think he would've been very proud."
  429. >A minute passes in silence, the only sounds you hear are the bird calls and the gentle rustling of grass and leaves in the wind.
  430. >>"Thank you guys."
  431. >"Well," says Golden Ray as he gets up "it's been lovely here and all but we gotta go now if we want to make it home before it gets too dark."
  432. >You and Arrow both voice your agreement and get up.
  433. >However, you decide to do something before you go.
  434. >"Where are you going Cob?"
  435. "Just a minute, I have to… you know, look again…"
  436. >>"Go ahead."
  437. >You steadily walk to the edge again. This time there is no fear.
  438. >"How does it look down there?"
  439. >You turn to answer.
  440. "It's great, there's-" the feel of earth shifting under your hooves makes you stop.
  441. >>"Cobalt? You okay?"
  442. "I think I felt the ground mo-" you don't get to finish the sentence as a small part you stood on slides down, taking you with it.
  443. >As ray pointed out, you didn't fall but rather slid down.
  444. >What he forgot to mention is that even then you'd still go down helplessly, only now it would take longer and hurt in the process.
  445. >You try to grasp at something, anything, but as soon as you thought you have a grip on something it slips from your hooves.
  446. >Scared and helpless, you cry as you roll down before hitting your head on something and passing out.
  447.  
  448. [back at present]
  449. "Sheesh, that's some heavy stuff."
  450. >"Yeah."
  451. "So what happened later?"
  452. >"They carried me to the hospital. Arrowhead never left my side."
  453. "Wow."
  454. >"When I woke up and saw him he was a mess. But it wasn't even the most bizarre thing."
  455. "And what was?"
  456. >"I never saw him crying before. It was so weird I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought I was still dreaming."
  457. "How bad you hit your head that day?"
  458. >"Doctors said I had a mild concussion and cracked my horn. Mother was furious."
  459. "Did your brother get in trouble?"
  460. >"You bet. But I managed to get mom to calm down."
  461. "And Ray?"
  462. >"He had it pretty rough too. Arrow took all the blame though, but mom saw right through it."
  463. "Some quality siblings you have Cob."
  464. >"Hah, that's putting it lightly." he snorts.
  465.  
  466. "Yeah… So, what are the errands you talked about before?"
  467.  
  468. >"Let's see…" he picks up one of the lists you found while sorting the papers.
  469. >"…Mrs.Evergreen needs her power crystal looked at again, Pump Jack needs some help with the plumbing, and I have to reapply the pest-repelling spell at the inn's storeroom."
  470. "Not a whole lot to do, huh?"
  471. >"Well, that's just how things usually are."
  472. "You don't get much work here I imagine."
  473. >"That depends. There's more during the spring and fall."
  474. "But still…" you rub your chin in thought, overlooking the sparse furniture "where do all the money go?"
  475. >In contrary to the basic knowledge of horse physiology you possess Cobalt appears to have started… sweating?
  476. >"Well…" Cobalt's voice trails off, leaving a pause hanging in the air, awkward like an elephant suspended midair with balloons.
  477. >You give him a look like that of a concerned parent.
  478. >"I give discounts, okay?!" he finally blurted out nervously.
  479. "You what?"
  480. >"I give discounts."
  481. "You mean you're getting underpaid."
  482. >"I-it's a matter of opinion!"
  483. "A 'matter of opinion'? Cobalt you can't possibly be saying this. I must be hearing things." you say, feeling the hearty chuckle overtaking you. It is a good laugh.
  484. >"Hey, it's hard enough being a unicorn around these ponies." replied abashed unicorn.
  485. "So hard it somehow justifies being underpaid?" laughter quickly died down to a manageable level.
  486. >"N- y- m-maybe." he awkwardly twiddles his hooves while avoiding eye contact.
  487. >The twiddling stops and there's that ol' scrunchy face again.
  488. "Cobalt, my friend, have you ever tried, I don't know… standing up for yourself for once?" you make emphasis on the last part.
  489. >"I'll have you know that I have!" he declares proudly.
  490. "And got your ass kicked for it, right?"
  491. >He stares angrily at you, nose wrinkled and all, before suddenly deflating.
  492. >"Close enough."
  493. "Wanna talk about it?"
  494. >"No. Besides, we've got stuff to do, lest you forget."
  495. "Alright, alright. Wait, they chased you with torches and pitchforks into the woods didn't they?"
  496. >"Ha-ha, very funny. Let's go Chuckles."
  497. >A swift and mildly uncomfortable for Cobalt climb later you're sitting on top of the blue pony.
  498.  
  499. "So, who's first?"
  500. >"Maybe the inn?"
  501. "Isn't that where the love of your life works?"
  502. >You may not be able to see it, but you can /feel/ him blush.
  503. >"Yes and?" he said, sounding mildly irritated.
  504. "Nothing. Just had to ask y'know."
  505. >"Fine, Mrs. Evergreen it is then."
  506. "Aw c'mon, I was just messing with you."
  507. >"Well cut it out then!"
  508. "Fine, Mr.Grumpy McBoring."
  509. >Who knew pony grumbling would feel so soothing. Like a cat's purring.
  510.  
  511. >Finally, after much preparation, you left the safety of your friend's house and marched off into town.
  512. >Well, he marched. You simply rode on his back, which gave you a chance to relax and take in the surroundings.
  513. >It was nice, you've never seen so much nature so close and now you're surrounded by it.
  514. >You only hope there aren't any bears or wolves around. Somehow you feel like those tiny dragon scales of yours won't stop the wildlife from trying to make you their lunch.
  515. >Interested in your destination you scurry to the pony's head to get a better look at your destination. However a sudden stop of said pony nearly launches you off it's head.
  516. "Hey what's going on?"
  517. >"W-what did you just do?"
  518. "What? What do you mean?"
  519. >"Just now, what did you do?"
  520. >You think back to the moment before you're propelled forward. Was it…
  521. "You mean this?" you scratch behind Cobalt's ear with your leg, while using your other appendages to hold onto him firmly.
  522. >"Mmmmmmm… yes… oh, this feels sooo good." he sits and leans into the scratching and turns his head so you'd have easier time remaining on him.
  523. >You make a mental note about ponies loving ear scratches.
  524. *thump* *thump-thump-thump-thump*
  525. "What's that?"
  526. >"Whuh? What's what?"
  527. *thump-thump-thump-thump*
  528. "That. Wait, are you… Wow, who knew ponies behave like dogs."
  529. >"What are talking abo-" he stopped abruptly, looked at his leg then shot up, nearly sending you to the ground, again.
  530. "WHOA! Hey be careful would'ya?"
  531. >No reply followed, instead he turned his head left and right, looking for any witnesses. Mercifully, there was none.
  532. "You okay the-"
  533. >"T-tell. Nopony."
  534. >…
  535. >"I mean it!" you could see a good deal of crimson on his ears, so chances are his face was just as red.
  536. "Mum's the word." he eased up a little and the blush receded, giving way to the 'natural' coat color.
  537. >Minute later you resumed your walk and a sudden wisp of air gave you an idea.
  538.  
  539. "Hey, listen you wouldn't mind running for a bit?"
  540. >"What? Why?"
  541. "I wanna… I wanna give these babies a try." you point at your wings.
  542. >"You sure? You told me that growing wings didn't teach you how to use them, so I assume you didn't have wings in your um… in your original form."
  543. "Well yes, but now that I have them, why not learn how to use them?"
  544. >"But why? We were going to…" Cobalt trails off, looking at the ground somberly "You don't believe we'll fix you, do you?" you sigh.
  545. "Let's just say, I want to learn to live in this body while I'm here, okay?" you stroke his head "Now cheer up, we've got much work to be done."
  546. >"Alright. You ready?"
  547. "As I'll ever be."
  548. >Cobalt rushes forward while you hold onto him and spread your wings.
  549. >Holy damn that's a weird sensation. You feel the wind rushing past your wings… well, rushing is a bit of overstatement really but still, how the flow changes as you move them.
  550. >Soon you figure the right angle of attack and start feeling the tug of the lift.
  551. >Looks like we have a liftoff!
  552. "Who needs planes when you are your own airline, WHOOOOO!" a forgotten feeling envelops you, the feeling once felt when you finally learned to ride the bicycle.
  553. >Unfortunately, lost in feelings, you let go of your pony friend and glided up, which took you some time to notice.
  554. >"An-non, how you doin' back there?" wheezed panting Cobalt.
  555. >"An-non?"
  556.  
  557. "Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Fuuuuuuuuuuck!" you yelled, making aerial twists and turns that would make a veteran army pilot sick.
  558. >"Wha-at? An-non? Where are you?"
  559. "Up here! Cobalt! Heeeeeeeelp!"
  560. >Your blue friend slows down to a stop while you struggle with the wind that have apparently been waiting just for you at the top of the trees.
  561. "Oh god I don't wanna die!"
  562. >"Flap- flap your wings!" he was still recovering his breath from the little sprint.
  563. "What?!"
  564. >"Flap your wings!"
  565. "Oh shit, right!" you do as told and flap them.
  566. "Oh no, no-no-no-no…" too bad flapping the wings like a retarded bird does little to help and actually causes you to descend. Rapidly.
  567. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…" so this is how it ends, you think, not with a bang but with a scream at the top of your lungs as you plummet to your death face-first.
  568. *THUD*
  569.  
  570. >Your very concerned friend swiftly walks to your lifeless body.
  571. >"Anon? Anon please say something!"
  572. >…
  573. "…ow…"
  574. >"Oh thank Celestia, you're alive."
  575. >Slowly, you get up to a sitting position, distracted by all the stars and pretty colors dancing before your eyes.
  576. "'Alive' may be a bit of a stretch right now. Say, since when do you have two heads?"
  577. >"Anon are you okay?"
  578. "Just kidding. About the heads, I can assure you my head positively hurts. Actually, scratch that, my /everything/ hurts."
  579. >"Your sense of 'humor' is still intact I see."
  580. "Gee, I almost died and my sense of humor's what bothering you, some friend you are…" you say, wobbling your way back on your feet.
  581. "Just kidding. Alright, it still hurts but I don't think there's anything serious."
  582. >"You sure you don't want to, I don't know, lie down for a bit back at the house?"
  583. "…nah. I'd be bored out of my mind soon too. I'll… I'll ride it out, what do you say?"
  584. >"If you're sure about it."
  585. "Hey, do you mind…" you point a finger up.
  586. >"Sure." Cobalt's horn lights up and you are gently lifted and put on his back.
  587. "Wait… Why couldn't you do that horn thing you just did and spare me the near-death experience?"
  588. >…
  589. >"It… it didn't occur to me at the moment."
  590. >You facepalm and immediately regret doing so as your noggin starts hurting again.
  591. >"I'm sorry Anon." he said, smiling sheepishly. It's impossible to stay mad at that face.
  592. >The rest of the trip went quietly and almost painlessly.
  593.  
  594. >Now you both stood in front of a large wooden house, easily two stories high, maybe three if you count the attic.
  595. >It's darkened wood betrayed it's age and though few things here and there needed attention, the building itself stood in good condition.
  596. "Wow, that's some nice piece of real estate."
  597. >"Anon, I know how this is going to sound but I need to ask you to be of your best behavior."
  598. "Sure but why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
  599. >"You see, the mare that owns this house is old and doesn't appreciate foolhardiness. She probably wouldn't be impressed by your sense of humor either."
  600. "So 'shut up and play along' I take it?"
  601. >"Sorry Anon, it's-"
  602. "Don't bother, I get it. I'll do my best."
  603. >"That's all I'm asking of you."
  604. >After taking a long breath, Cobalt knocks at the door.
  605. >After a short while you heard the sound of footsteps. Or is it hoofsteps?
  606. >The door creaked open, revealing an elderly earth stallion. His silver coat did well to conceal his aging, but more than a few strands of gray could be seen in his neat mane.
  607.  
  608. >>"Can I help you gentlecolts?"
  609. >"Yes, we are here to look at that uh… power crystal, yes, we're here to take a look at it!"
  610. >>"Is that so?" asked the stallion, raising his eyebrow.
  611. >"Y-yes s-sir." stallion's apathetic yet somehow scrutinizing stare made Cobalt even more nervous.
  612. >>"Very well, follow me." releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding your pony friend follows the butler inside.
  613. >>>"Candle, do we have guests? How come nopony told me?" asked the old mare, standing by the stairs at the second floor.
  614. >>"Madam, those are the technicians you requested to repair the oven."
  615. >>>"Technicians?" the wrinkled face of the old mare conveyed utter surprise "How old are you colt?"
  616. >"Tw-twenty t-two madam."
  617. >>>"Twenty two? You sound no older than eighteen and even that would be pushing it. And what is that on your back?"
  618. >Looks like you both are in a tight spot. Time to see how that charm of yours works on old hags.
  619. >You carefully glide down from Cobalt's back and land gracefully on the floor, assuming a pose most dignified, so you think.
  620. "I am Anonymous, a pseudo-dragon, m'lady." you say, bowing deeply to hide the cringe from actually uttering those words.
  621. >>>"Ah, good manners. Such rare sight in these parts nowadays. I am madam Evergreen and this…" she motions to the butler "…is Candle Holder, our esteemed housekeeper." Candle nods to you two.
  622. "As mr.Holder said, we are the technicians. In truth, my friend Cobalt is the technician, I am but his humble assistant."
  623. >>>"Very well, Candle?"
  624. >>"Yes madam?"
  625. >>>"Please show gentlecolts the oven."
  626. >>"As you wish."
  627.  
  628. >Candle leads you through a corridor into a spacious kitchen with a large oven standing in the center along one of it's walls.
  629. >>"If you need anything seek me out."
  630. "Very well, thank you mr.Holder." he replies with a polite nod before leaving.
  631. >"Well, let's see what we have here…"
  632. >Few minutes go by with only the sound of Cobalt poking around in the oven breaking the silence.
  633. "You know…" you said, sitting on the floor and propping your back at the counter next to the oven "since I'm your 'humble assistant' maybe I could help you somehow?"
  634. "I mean, things would go faster, two heads are better than one and all. Cob? Cobalt?"
  635. >"Wha-"
  636. *thunk*
  637. >"Ow! Darn it, Anon!"
  638. "Shit, sorry dude. Well anyway, as I was saying-"
  639. >"You want to help, I got it." said slightly annoyed blue pony, rubbing his head.
  640. "What do I have to do? I can crawl in there, take whatever you need apart and everything."
  641. >"How about a glass of water?"
  642. "And you call /my/ sense of humor bad…"
  643. >"Fine, fine. Why be actually useful when you can entertain yourself /and/ pretend you're helping…" though he mumbled it to himself, you could hear everything clearly.
  644. >You cock your head to the side and stare incredulously at him.
  645. >"Fine, you want to help? Get in there and look for the wires. Check if there's any damage." he finally relented.
  646. "Now we're talking!" you said, hopping to your feet, then strolling to Cobalt.
  647. >A few seconds of discomfort as you climbed him and you jumped into the oven. You can't help but reflect on the action you've taken, perhaps you should try your hand at banking…
  648. "Um, Cobalt, we have a problem."
  649. >"What is it?"
  650. "Can't see shit capt'n!"
  651. >"Ugh… Okay, lemme help." his horn starts glowing and soon it's bright enough that you can see the inside of the oven.
  652. "My god, who made this thing? There are symbols and wires all over the place."
  653. >"It's a very old model. You'd be surprised how sturdy it is."
  654. "Yeah, I would. What with so many parts prone to damage and malfunction. You know what they say, the simpler the thing the more- Hey what's this glowing thing?"
  655. >"What glowing thing? Oh, you must've found the power crystal."
  656. "Listen, I don't want you to panic, but I don't like the way it glows. I don't like it at all."
  657. >"Well, it's supposed to-"
  658. "Is it supposed to glow blood-red?"
  659. >"N-no. Do you see the wires around it?"
  660. "Yeah and I very much don't like what I'm seeing. All of them next to crystal have lost insulation, or what I think is insulation."
  661. >"Do you see the holder?"
  662. "The what?"
  663. >"The holder, the thing that holds the crystal."
  664. "Nope, wait, no, I do. At least parts of it."
  665. >"How bad is it?"
  666. "It friggin' melted-bad."
  667. >"Alright, get out of there, I'll remove the crystal."
  668. "Can't you just use that pointy horn of your and levitate it out?"
  669. >"Are you crazy?! The crystal is in critical condition. Even a tiny bit of magic can set it off!"
  670. "You mean like an explosion?"
  671. >"And a decent one at that."
  672. "Sheesh, so how will you get it out?"
  673. >"With this, now get out." he showed a pair of small tongs and motioned you to get out.
  674. "Listen, there isn't much space in here, maybe I could-"
  675. >"No, it's too dangerous. The crystal is very hot right now."
  676. "Wasn't I supposed to be fireproof or something? What with being a dragon and all."
  677. >"A pseudo-dragon and… I don't know."
  678. "To-mae-to to-ma-to. Give it to me."
  679. >"You sure?"
  680. "Yes! Just give it to me already!" he hands, or is it "hooves"? , you the tongs.
  681. >"Be careful not to crack it."
  682. "It'd go off wouldn't it?"
  683. >"Uh-huh."
  684. "Gosh, you horses and your volatile technomagicks…" you mumble as you walk back into the oven.
  685. >"Ponies!"
  686. "Whatever…"
  687.  
  688. >You set to work on prying the tiny magic bomb out of it's half-melted socket.
  689. >After several close calls you successfully rip it out without cracking it.
  690. "Whew, that was close. I'm coming out, mind the crystal."
  691. >You slowly step out, being careful to not trip on some wire or any other obstacle inside the oven.
  692. "So what do we do now? I assume we'll have to dispose of this ticking timebomb."
  693. >"Correct. Frankly I'm surprised the crystal held out for so long."
  694. "You mean you don't replace it when it runs out?"
  695. >"No, why would I replace a perfectly working crystal? I just recharge it and put it back."
  696. "Eh… right, forget I asked. Anyway, what's gonna happen now?"
  697. >"Now…" he turned to his saddlebags to retrieve a metallic cylinder, which he then opened. Inside was some thick translucent liquid of purple color.
  698. >"…you are going to carefully put the crystal in there. Make sure to let go of it only once it's fully submerged-"
  699. "So the liquid would stop it from hitting the bottom?"
  700. >"Uh-huh." he holds the container out for you, while you painstakingly-slowly lower the volatile power source into the purple liquid.
  701. "Phew, that was easy." you say after you let go of the crystal and Cobalt closed the container.
  702. "What was that purple stuff anyway?"
  703. >"Oh, it's… how do I better explain it…"
  704. "Magical shielding, combined with a gel for safe transportation of volatile magical crystals?"
  705. >"That's… you didn't read any of the books back at the house did you?"
  706. "Haven't touched one, why are you asking?"
  707. >"Just… curious. Do you have similar things back in your… Where are you from?"
  708. "We call our planet Earth."
  709. >"Did you say 'planet'?"
  710. "Yes, we know about space and everything. Hell, we even have a permanent space station orbiting our world with people in it and two space probes that have just left our solar system."
  711. >"Wow, I mean… wow. What magic did you use? I've heard only alicorns are capable of teleportation to such great distances."
  712. "Now there's the fun part. We don't have magic. At all. None, nada, zilch."
  713. >"B-but how do you-"
  714. "Technology, my friend. And science." you declare proudly.
  715. >"Cool… But, um, maybe you'll tell me more later, okay? We should fix the wiring and the holder, and put in a new crystal."
  716. "You're telling me you brought all the materials?"
  717. >"Well… I had a hunch we might need them. Yes, call it a hunch." you just shake your head in disbelief.
  718. >Half an hour later some of the wiring is replaced and a new holder is installed, along with a shiny new crystal that doesn't glow red and isn't hot.
  719. >Cobalt closes the panel at the back of the appliance and you help him put all the tools away.
  720. >"I think we're done here. Let's go find Candle."
  721.  
  722. >Both of you walk through the corridor back to the entrance, admiring the work put into decorating the place on the way.
  723. >You always wanted to visit a house like this — a house with history, long one. A house that has seen generations of it's owners.
  724. >Alas, you quickly find Candle Holder conversing with mrs.Evergreen. It may be impolite to eavesdrop, but you can't help but overhear the conversation.
  725. >Recent news, nostalgia, reminiscing of the times past, and latest gossips. Nothing that would hold your or Cobalt's interest.
  726. >The two stop and turn to you when you enter the spacious room which seems to be the dining room.
  727. >>>"Ah, our technicians! How goes the repair?" asked mrs.Evergreen.
  728. >"It appears that the old power crystal have finally started to destabilize. We were lucky to catch it before any serious damage could occur."
  729. "Unfortunately, however, it still succeeded in damaging some of the wiring, along with it's holder, which showed the signs of melting."
  730. >>"Oh my…"
  731. >>>"I take it you have to come later to repair the damage?"
  732. >"There is no need. The damaged wiring have been replaced, the rest have been checked for any damage-"
  733. "There was none."
  734. >"Yes, and a new holder and power crystal have been installed. We could test it if you want."
  735. >>>"We most certainly do. Candle?"
  736. >>"Yes madam."
  737. >The three of you follow back into the kitchen to test the new power crystal.
  738. >Hot air emanating from the opened oven indicated a job well done and so you returned to the entrance. Mrs.Evergreen even came out to say goodbye.
  739. >>>"Is everything alright Candle?"
  740. >>"The oven appears to be working fine, madam."
  741. >>>"Very good. I believe the question of payment is in order."
  742. >"Y-yes madam."
  743.  
  744. >Two minutes later you leave the old house, saddlebags heavier with a burden of a dozen gold coins.
  745. "See? Wasn't so bad. I even got you an extra coin for my 'good manners'."
  746. >"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Rub it in."
  747. "Aw come on, I wasn't the one dropping spaghetti back there."
  748. >"What?"
  749. "It's an expression from where I come from… nevermind."
  750. >"No, I got it, it's just that we say 'dropping the oatmeal' here."
  751. "Eh, whatever."
  752. >"So, where to next?"
  753. "How about we get rid of the bomb first?"
  754. >"A bomb?"
  755. "The crystal, dummy. What, do you often walk around all day with a volatile magical battery in your bag?"
  756. >…
  757. "Oh for god's sake…" you facepalm again.
  758.  
  759. >"It's in a shielded container, suspended in-"
  760. "Yeah, what could possibly go wrong. Did any of them ever explode on you?"
  761. >"N-no. Why are you asking?"
  762. "You don't fear it might?"
  763. >"…now that you mention it…" he sounded mighty unsure now.
  764. "Perhaps we should get rid of it then, like, as soon as possible?"
  765. >"Alright!" he said in raised but shaky voice "We'll deal with it, just stop it already. All these questions about it blowing up are making me nervous."
  766. "As they should. Cobalt, it's a serious matter! I swear, it's a miracle you're still alive…" you mumble last part to yourself.
  767. >It appears he heard it, if him wrinkling his nose is any indication.
  768. "So how do you do it, I mean, how do you dispose of the faulty crystals?"
  769. >"Well, there are a number of ways to go about it."
  770. >"The fastest and the simplest of them is to apply magic to overload it, causing an immediate release of magical energies inside it."
  771. "In other words: set it off. This isn't the safest way, I imagine."
  772. >"Indeed. The other is to…" you tune out the magical science talk to preserve your sanity, and simply nod along, until the lecture on arcane batteries is concluded.
  773. >"…and that's how you do it efficiently. Anon?"
  774. "Whuh- Yes?"
  775. >"You didn't listen to a single word, have you?"
  776. "…you want the honest answer or should I lie?" this earned you a cute pony groan.
  777. "Just… just do what you think is best, okay?" you could practically hear that eyeroll.
  778. >The two of you set off to a small clearing near the town, where there wouldn't be anybody to get hurt save for the two idiots there.
  779. "Okay, what's the plan big guy?"
  780. C̶r̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g t̶h̶i̶s c̶r̶y̶s̶t̶a̶l w̶i̶t̶h n̶o s̶u̶r̶v̶i̶v̶o̶r̶s̶!
  781. >"For you — sit tight here and watch the firework."
  782. "So you're blowing it up, is that correct?"
  783. >"Yes, and since the crystal's been submerged in shielding gel it has grown… a bit unstable."
  784. "Because it's bleeding magic, but since it's insulated, the magic has nowhere to go…" you trail off, realizing the gravity of the situation.
  785. "You know, I have a bad feeling about it. What's gonna happen when you get it out?"
  786. >"Probably a little eruption of the leaked magic."
  787. "Judging by how hot that thing was, 'a little' might be a bit of an understatement."
  788.  
  789. >"Let me guess, you want to do it?"
  790. "I'm supposed to be the fireproof one, right?"
  791. >"I'm not sure it works with magic fire."
  792. "Together then? I just can't picture you holding those tongs. You've got hooves, man!"
  793. >"And? I can manipulate things just fine with my hooves."
  794. "Forgive me, but I doubt that greatly. Don't take it personally, but I believe you need opposable thumbs to even hold things."
  795. >"Was it like that on Earth?"
  796. "Uh-huh. I assume the laws of physics are no different here."
  797. >"What about magic then?"
  798. "Well… It could be a fifth fundamental force you're messing with, or just one of the four in some weird form."
  799. "I'm no scientist, so I haven't got a clue how you do it, only that you do it somehow."
  800. >"Fair enough. Wait, four fundamental forces?"
  801. "Long story, and I'll need to brush up on it before telling it."
  802. >"Exactly how would you do that?"
  803. "By jogging my memory about it, of course."
  804. >"Of course…"
  805. "So, are we going to put off dealing with a volatile battery until it blows up on us, or are we going to get rid of it?"
  806. >"Right… Okay, we'll do it together then. I'm holding the container, you fish out the crystal, slowly put it on the ground and we run back here."
  807. "Sounds like a plan to me."
  808. >And so you proceed with the "plan", neither wearing anything that would protect from an explosion.
  809. >Needless to say, both of you were just a teeensy bit nervous.
  810.  
  811. *WHOOOOOOOOOSH*
  812. "Holy… Is it supposed to do that?" you said, recovering from a stream of fire narrowly missing your head.
  813. >"Sorta. Now put it on the ground slowly."
  814. >You waste an entire minute to slowly put crystal on the ground.
  815. "Okay-"
  816. >"Waaah!" yelped startled Cobalt, madly waving his legs in the air before falling on his back and dropping the container.
  817. >You yourself was quite startled as well, enough to drop the tongs.
  818. "Jesus Christ, Cobalt! Don't do that again, you scared the shit out of me!"
  819. >"I can say the same thing about you!" replied the shaky stallion as he scrambled to his hooves.
  820. "Crystal's on the ground, let's pick up our stuff and get away from that thing."
  821. >And that you do, now sitting a fair distance away from the shining menace that have since gone from singeing nearby grass to scorching the soil beneath it.
  822. "Now what? You cast a magic missile at it or something?"
  823. >"How the hay do you know about that spell?"
  824. "…just answer the question."
  825. >Cobalt simply frowned, then closed his eyes and lit up his horn. Whatever he was casting seemed to require concentration.
  826.  
  827. >Near the tip of his horn the air began glowing, resembling a tiny nebula with little strands of matter flowing from one place to another, some of those flows originating from the tip.
  828. >Something was forming in the center, it was too small to be seen with a naked eye but you saw it drawing the glowing from it's surrounding.
  829. >It took you a moment to notice the similarity between the things that took place before you and the birth of a star.
  830. >Much like a real nebula, it coalesced into a miniature sun. Too bright to see any detail, but not bright enough that you had to look away.
  831. >The bigger it grew, the more 'matter' it attracted. When it grew to about the size of a walnut it have already absorbed most of the "nebula".
  832. >Then, suddenly, it flashed and flew toward the crystal, leaving a comet-like tail behind it. Cobalt's horn was no longer glowing and he ducked hurriedly, you followed his example and ducked as well.
  833.  
  834. >You knew instantly when the spell struck it's target — there was a small flash, followed by a much brighter one, then a blast of hot air that burned in a way that was hard to put into words, like it was burning not just your body but also your very essence.
  835. "What the hell was that? It's like… I don't know, like it was burning-"
  836. >"Like it was burning your very being?"
  837. "Sorta. It feels wrong on so many levels…"
  838. >"At least now you know what magic burn feels like."
  839. "Can't say I'm excited about the discovery."
  840. >"So the 'bomb' is dealt with, I say we hit the inn and then go help Pump Jack."
  841. "I could use a drink right now."
  842. >"It's settled then. Need a hoof?" says Cobalt, extending a hoof to you.
  843. "Whatever happened to the glowy-magicky horn of yours?"
  844. >"That 'magic missile' spell isn't exactly easy to cast, you know."
  845. >Press_X_to_doubt.jpg
  846. "Why do I feel like you're making an excuse?"
  847. >"I most certainly do not!" indignantly replied the blue unicorn.
  848. >You both narrow your eyes at each other and stare for a few moments.
  849. >The fake tension causes you both to simultaneously erupt into chuckles.
  850. >"Fine, it's not very hard and I /may/ be out of practice. But still…" and his face was serious now "…it /was/ a bit taxing."
  851. "Alright, alright. God forbid, you overexert yourself…" you mumble, climbing up the pony's leg.
  852. "Okay, giddy-up."
  853. >"Hey!"
  854. "Sorry, let's go."
  855. >"You know, it feels weird to have somepony riding on top of you."
  856. "Gee, I wonder why…"
  857.  
  858. >You leave the clearing, having packed the container and tongs into Cobalt's saddlebags.
  859. "Cobalt?"
  860. >"Hmm?"
  861. "Why'd you stay here?"
  862. >"What do you mean?"
  863. "You said you're not very welcome here, and generally not very happy to be here either."
  864. >"I didn't say I hate it here. I mean, the nature's beautiful, I find new plants, insects or something else from time to time."
  865. "And what about other ponies?"
  866. >He said nothing, only his ears and head moved as he was deciding on the answer.
  867. "…you know what neverm-" you say with a sigh, but Cobalt cuts you off.
  868. >"It's okay. I just don't know what to say. Some of them are nice and friendly, some… I just wish I knew what I did to upset them."
  869. "You sure it's /you/ that's the problem?"
  870. >"…no. I /hope/ I am, because otherwise… I don't like thinking that those ponies are rude just for the sake of being rude."
  871. "I get it, sorta. You don't want to think them capable of being rude just because."
  872. >"Yeah. I know it's true, but-"
  873. "But all you have is that hope and you want to hold on to it?"
  874. >Cobalt nodded.
  875. >"As for why I stayed? It's… it's because I… i-it's…" he trailed off mumbling, his head hanging low.
  876. >You hop off his back, making him stop, and walk around to face him.
  877. "Hey, sorry I asked, I figured it was something, but… Let's just drop it if it makes you uncomf-"
  878. >"It's because I can't face my family as a failure." he looks at you with the world's saddest pony look upon his face.
  879. "…say again?"
  880. >"I'm a failure. I came here because I wanted to explore the western frontier, but I'm no outdoors pony! I tire quickly, not athletic like Arrow or even Ray, so no exploring wilds for me."
  881. >"I was curious and tried to research the flora and fauna here, except nopony seemed to be all that vitally interested in our findings and funding dried up, so we got canned."
  882. >"Anon, I moved here to prove that I can take care of myself and pursue my interest, now I barely get by doing odd jobs around town."
  883. >…
  884. >"I even failed at conjuring a friend…" he laughs sardonically.
  885. "No you didn't." he just looks at you with pained expression.
  886. >You don't know what to say. He's not wrong, it does sound bad, but…
  887. >What do you do in this situation?
  888. >Not knowing the answer to that question you just hug your friend's foreleg, staying like that for a minute, enjoying that soft pony fuzz and hearing his breathing slowly relaxing.
  889.  
  890. "I don't think you're a failure Cob."
  891. >"Thanks Anon, it's very nice of you but-"
  892. "No buts." you let go of his leg "What you had is called bad luck, happens to everyone. Some have it better, some worse."
  893. "You're not a failure. Sure, you tried something and it didn't work out. But you /did/ try, and you didn't just put up your han- your hooves and called it quits when it fell through, no, you tried again!"
  894. >"Lotta good it did."
  895. "Doesn't matter! You still tried and didn't give up. That's not something a 'failure' would do."
  896. >"Yeah, great! I should just prance around happy, knowing I tried, yay!" he practically spat out "Who cares? I didn't become an explorer, I didn't become a researcher, oh no, no, I became a handypony! Because /THAT/ is the perfect use of my skills and talent!"
  897. >He glares at you for a second, but the in his eyes quickly makes way for fear.
  898. >"I-I, uh… I-I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. You… just struck a nerve, that's all."
  899. "It's… it's alright. I just wanted to make you feel better, sorry if I made things worse."
  900. >"You… you didn't." he sighed "I just don't know what to do, where to go from here."
  901. "How about that inn?" he chuckled lightly "I know what you mean. Maybe this…" you point at yourself "…is as good a reason as any to, y'know, start moving on with your life?"
  902. >"You mean, like, leave this place?"
  903.  
  904. "Yeah. You said they didn't appreciate you here, so screw them, let's blow this place and go see that magical horse princess of yours, maybe see your brothers while we're at it? They seem like a fun bunch."
  905. >"You're that impatient to get home?"
  906. "Nah, I mean, maybe a bit, but I also wouldn't want to leave you stuck in a rut like that. Your sad puppy look just breaks my freakin' heart."
  907. >Cobalt scrunches his muzzle at you in his usual adorable manner.
  908. "I mean it though. Sad-looking ponies give me this urge to try and cheer them up. So what do you think about my proposal?"
  909. >"To, how did you put it, 'blow this place'? I don't know. I kinda got settled in here, have a house and all."
  910. "Cob, I've been to your house. Does the term 'minimalism' ring a bell?" there's that scrunching again.
  911. >"S-still, I can't just pack up and leave like that! I mean… I mean it's all so sudden a-and it makes me just a little bit nervous."
  912. "I realize I'm asking you to uproot your life here and take a trip someplace far with uncertain outcome. I'm basically asking you to jump off a cliff and hope for a soft landing. I want you to know this isn't lost on me."
  913. "But from what you told me it seems that your life sucks here anyway, but you lack the c-" you look at him, uncertain if you should proceed with your brutal honesty.
  914. >Cobalt nods for you to continue.
  915. "But you lack the courage to take the first step. I know you've been burned by your… previous experiences, but isn't the way to live."
  916. >"Other ponies seem to be living here just fine."
  917. "But you're not."
  918. >…
  919. >"So what, just pack up my stuff, sell the house and go?"
  920. >You shrug.
  921. >"Sure, I mean, I can. But what then? The funds won't last forever."
  922. "You mentioned the ponies being wary of unicorns here. Does that mean they may be more welcoming of your kind somewhere else?"
  923. >"I guess. Canterlot's got a large unicorn population, can't be the only place like that."
  924. "Maybe you could find a better gig there? You said you did some research, surely they'd love you there in some university or something like that."
  925. >"I don't know. Besides, there's… there's one more thing…"
  926. "The 'dear Fruit Fizzle'?"
  927. >He winced.
  928. >"Y-yeah."
  929. "That's a point."
  930. >…
  931. >"I suppose you've got a point there."
  932. "No pressure though, just think about it, alright?"
  933. >"I will. In any case I should at least let my family know I'm coming first."
  934. >"…with any luck Ray will be busy and you could meet Arrow and mom without an incident."
  935. "Golden Ray sounds like quite the troublemaker."
  936. >"He's not, he's just a bit… noisy, kinda wild, and always got some 'adventure' going on, or some marefriend trouble…"
  937. "Like what?"
  938. >"Well, last time he managed to mistake his marefriend for her twin sister that came over from Vanhoover."
  939. >You couldn't hold back the honest chuckle.
  940. "So what happened?"
  941. >"…somehow he ended up with them both. L-like, a-at once."
  942. "Wow."
  943. >"Y-yeah, wow."
  944. "I take it you didn't ask for pointers about talking to opposite sex?"
  945. >Cobalt groaned and kicked a bit dirt at you, which you skillfully dodged, laughing all the while.
  946. >"Yeah yeah, go ahead and laugh at me." he said pouting.
  947. "I'm not, well, not entirely. Your reaction's priceless, I'm starting to understand why your brothers were always teasing you."
  948. >"Sure, why don't you all have a get-together to torment me."
  949. "Aw come on Cob," you poked him with your elbow whilst leaning against his leg "it's all silly fun."
  950. >"The silly part is clear, I'm still looking for the fun in it though."
  951. "Alright, fair enough."
  952. >"And no, I never actually asked him for advice on that… sort of thing." you suppress a chuckle "Though I probably should have…"
  953. "Cobalt…"
  954. >"Anon, I wrote a love letter. Love. Letter." he continues despite a little blush creeping onto his face "And all because I can't just approach and say that I like her without dropping my oatmeal."
  955. >You elected to acquiesce in silence to avoid stirring up more emotions.
  956.  
  957. "Well, maybe you'll get a chance to, if that's where we're heading to next."
  958. >"Don't even joke about it!" Cobalt replied with a startled voice.
  959. >He glares at you after a single quiet chuckle from you.
  960. "Alright, alright, just messing around." you say after a sigh, putting your hands up.
  961. >"How about you stop messing around and climb on my back so we can be on our way?" asks Cobalt with a smile and more than a little irony in his voice.
  962. >You're a bad influence on this horse.
  963.  
  964. >Still, you do as you're told and climb the blue leg, enjoying the feeling of soft pony fur on your scales.
  965. >Now hold on for a just second.
  966. >Enjoying the feeling of something on your /scales/?
  967. >It seems that this body is starting to get to you. You'll have to watch out for this stuff, unless you want it to grow on you.
  968. >…but would it really be so bad if it did?..
  969. >You quickly shake your head as if to shake these thoughts out of it.
  970. >"You alright there Anon?" comes the concerned voice of your friend.
  971. "Y-yeah, just some of your fuzz got in my eye."
  972. >"I can just lift you up y'know."
  973. "Nah, I got it." having said that you proceed to quickly climb the rest of the way, now comfortably situated on Cobalt's back.
  974. "So, the inn then?"
  975. >"Unless you happen to have other plans."
  976.  
  977. >The two of you set out for the inn. The quiet walk in the woods gives you plenty of time to think about the big picture and your place in it.
  978. >You look back on everything that happened, and the more time passes, the less real any of it seem to be.
  979. >You went from being a human on Earth, doing human things, to being a tiny lizard riding an honest-to-god unicorn.
  980. >If someone told you this is how your day would turn out, you'd laugh them out of the room.
  981. >…and yet, here you are, resting atop your talking pony friend, twirling your tail deep in thought.
  982.  
  983. >You want to go home, go back to the life you're used to, but…
  984. >What if you /can't/ go home? What if have to spend the rest of your life here? And how long would that be? What's the pseudodragons' average life expectancy anyway?
  985. >Then there's the other side of the conflict.
  986. >What if you /do/ get home, what would you be going back to? Your life back home was nothing to write home about.
  987. >You didn't have any real friends, parents were far away and quite possibly have written you off already, at least you think they did.
  988. >As scary as it is to admit it, there wasn't much for you to hold on to from your life on Earth.
  989. >It's the weirdest thing, but in some strange way, as much as you feel your life was uprooted, you also feel rescued.
  990.  
  991. >All these thoughts take their toll, plummeting your mood in the process.
  992. >In an effort to stave off your inevitable breakdown you take time to enjoy the scenery.
  993. >Honestly, you were never much of an outdoors person yourself.
  994. >But even so, you can appreciate beauty when you see it, and there was certainly enough of it around you.
  995. >While it did not cure all the blues, it did alleviate some of the homesickness.
  996. >Rest of the way passed in silence, broken only be the sounds of the forest and the occasional snap of a branch under Cobalt's hooves.
  997.  
  998. >The little town appeared very suddenly once again, thanks to the trees providing excellent cover at a distance.
  999. >While it wasn't big and bustling, it had it's small town charm.
  1000. >What wasn't charming was the suspicious looks the passing townsponies gave you two.
  1001. >Most of them had neither horns, nor wings, though you did spot a few sporting the latter.
  1002. >They seemed to enjoy a considerably more hospitable disposition of the locals too.
  1003. >The two of you were nearing the inn when a group of them spotted you and approached with all the swagger of a schoolyard bully.
  1004. >Your initial impression turned out to be spot-on as you hear Cobalt quietly groan, having noticed them as well.
  1005. "Friends of yours?"
  1006. >"Yeah. I got this, just sit back and stay quiet."
  1007.  
  1008. >>"Well if it isn't our favorite handypony!" asks the pony in the middle in an unmistakable voice of a complete asshole.
  1009. >It truly is amazing how some things transcend species.
  1010. >"What do you want Torch?"
  1011. >>"You were supposed to help my uncle fix the water pump."
  1012. >"It's on my list, I'll get to it."
  1013. >>"I'll get to it." he replies in a mocking tone, to the amusement of his 'peers' "Get to it now."
  1014. >"After I reapply the pest-repelling spell at the inn's storeroom."
  1015. >The pony you know as 'Torch' huffs annoyedly. Guess that's that for this gu-
  1016. >>"Say hello to Fizzy for me will you?" he adds smugly, intentionally putting emphasis on the pet name.
  1017. >Ouch.
  1018.  
  1019. >Guess that means he knows about Cobalt's crush on her.
  1020. >…and tries to rub his relationship with her in his face.
  1021. "What a dick." you find yourself saying just as he was turning to leave.
  1022. >He pauses for a beat, then turns to face Cobalt with a surprised smile.
  1023. >>"What'd you say?"
  1024.  
  1025. >Oh shit. Now you've done it.
  1026. >You just went and pissed off a guy probably ten times your size, if not more, and Cobalt's going to foot the bill.
  1027. >Think Anon, /THINK/!
  1028. >Torch walks over slowly.
  1029. >>"Did the little Corn Cob finally grow some balls?" he says with a chuckle.
  1030. >>>"Sure sounded like it." replies one of his butt-buddies.
  1031. >>>"He's probably got a deathwish or somethin'" says the other as both move to flank Cobalt.
  1032. >Cobalt, for his part, maintains his composure.
  1033. >Either because he knows that, like with the wildlife, showing weakness in such a moment would invite an attack…
  1034. >…or because he's scared stiff. Probably the latter, but as his friend you want to believe it's the former.
  1035. >>"What's that on your back?" now he's looking at you.
  1036. >Well shit. You started it, you may as well take one for the team, if it means one less punch, or kick, or whatever for Cobalt.
  1037. >They don't seem like complete monsters so they probably won't kill you. Probably…
  1038. >You climb on top of Cobalt's head and give Torch the mother of all stink eyes.
  1039. >…which he seem to take as an invitation to invade personal space to look you over.
  1040.  
  1041. >>"What's this, your new pet? Guess you must really be desperate for company, huh."
  1042. >Both his friends guffaw in that annoying fashion as only the beta suck-ups can.
  1043. >It really does feel like meeting a bully in the schoolyard. Sadly, there's no bell to save the both of you this time.
  1044. >You hiss involuntarily and the oaf sees it as a challenge, sticking his face in closer to yours.
  1045. >In what could only be described as momentary lapse in judgment, you've had quite a few of those recently, you snap your little jaws at him.
  1046. >Now /that/ made him flinch. Ha! Take that you prick! Not so tough now, huh?
  1047. >He rubs his nose to check for any damage, them, finding none, he smiles.
  1048. >>"Looks like your pet's manners aren't any better. But it's alright…" his smile grows more menacing "…we can teach you some, right guys?"
  1049. >More of that stupid laugh from both sides, indicating that you are surrounded now.
  1050.  
  1051. >Oh to hell with it, if that's how you're going out, you gonna go down fighting, or at the very least kicking and screaming.
  1052. "Cobalt…" you say, readying up.
  1053. >You feel your whole body tense up — a spring waiting to be released.
  1054. >"Y-yeah?"
  1055. >A moment of confusion passes over the three jerks.
  1056. >>>"Did it just-" but the pony doesn't get to finish his sentence.
  1057. "RUUUN!" you yell, leaping off your perch and, with a mighty flap of your wings, propel yourself claws-first into the face of the Chad Thunderhoof.
  1058.  
  1059. >Fortunately, Cobalt wastes no time and bolts toward the inn.
  1060. >You, in the mean time, hiss, snarl, growl, and generally make other angry lizard noises as you (carefully) scratch at the face of Cobalt's now-arch-nemesis.
  1061. >You may be pissed off and possibly suffering from temporary insanity, but you're not making someone blind by scratching their eyes out.
  1062. >You're not that kind of angry little lizard, thank you very much.
  1063. >You do your very best to seem like you're going to, though, as it provides excellent distraction that lets Cobalt get away.
  1064. >Just as Torch is about to smack you off his face you feel yourself yanked off of it and into the air.
  1065. >You notice the world had taken on a familiar blue glow, then, as you turn in the air, you spy the source.
  1066. >Your friend and savior was waiting by the door, magicking you over.
  1067. >Unfortunately the ponies that were about to kick both of your asses have already recovered and were looking even more pissed.
  1068.  
  1069. "Don't slow down, get in now!" you yell against your better judgment. Y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶.
  1070. >With that Cobalt goes inside and speeds up your approach.
  1071. >You try to position your wings in the airflow, the magic keeping you from flying off gives you a brief moment to figure out the right angle for a glide.
  1072. >Not too much lift so you don't hit the ceiling, but enough to not crash.
  1073. >You're still not used to the whole flying thing, but you think you know what you should do.
  1074. >Guess those things /do/ come with an instruction manual, only it's all instinctive.
  1075.  
  1076. >As soon as you zip through the door, the glow quickly fades. You're on your own now.
  1077. >You pray to dino-Jesus that what your body tells you to do is right as you go about doing it.
  1078. >A tiny twitch of the right muscles — and you briefly go up, your body now in an upright position.
  1079. >A flap of the wings and most of your speed is gone, allowing you to land running, using your wings for balance to stay upright.
  1080. >It wasn't the most graceful landing, and you probably looked silly, running with your wings out like some retarded bird.
  1081. >But since you didn't crash into the wall, nor did hit the furniture, it was still good enough in your book. You can work on improving it later.
  1082.  
  1083. "Phew, well that went better than the last time." you mutter to yourself.
  1084. >The the desperate gasping for air confirms that Cobalt is here as well.
  1085. >You turn to see that he's closed the door behind you and now wobbling toward you.
  1086. >"Sorry…" gasp "…I…" another gasp "…the door…"
  1087. >You nod back, if only to let him catch his breath uninterrupted.
  1088. >You'd think with all the walking he'd be in better shape.
  1089. >Guess he's in for the duration, not speed.
  1090.  
  1091. >Now that you were firmly on the ground, the assholes that were about to kick both your asses became the new priority.
  1092. >You watched the door and waited for them to bust it open and make a scene out of you two. A crime scene to be specific.
  1093. >But a minute passes by and there's no sign sign of that beating you were so looking to.
  1094. >Having regained his ability to form coherent sentences, Cobalt glances over at the door, then turns to you.
  1095. >"They're not coming."
  1096. "Why? Are they afraid of the owner or something?"
  1097. >"You could say that. He's not the kind of pony whose patience you should be trying."
  1098. >>"Got that right." says the innkeeper, making you both jump.
  1099.  
  1100. >"M-m-mister P-Punch, I-I… I-I'm-" Cobalt manages to stammer out, having sat straight up like a perfect student.
  1101. >>"Here to put down that fancy pest spell o' yours, get to it."
  1102. >"Y-yessir!" answers Cobalt, who haven't moved an inch since that Punch guy got the drop on him.
  1103. >With an old man's harrumph he leaves you two, only then does Cobalt dare to relax his perfect posture.
  1104. "He sure walks quietly."
  1105. >"Don't even start Anon. Old Fruit Punch has the uncanny ability to materialize whenever something concerning him or his family happens."
  1106. >"That includes talking about him."
  1107. "Huh. Wait, /Fruit/ Punch? Now, I'm no expert on your pony names, but that sounds similar to-"
  1108. >"Yes, Fizzle is his daughter."
  1109. "…oh. So, when you try to talk to her…"
  1110. >"Her father comes out of nowhere and gives me 'The Stare'."
  1111. "…frankly, I can't blame you Cob. The guy certainly knows how to be creepy."
  1112. >"Shh!" he shushes you and whispers "Don't talk like that, he might hear you."
  1113. >You briefly consider teasing him for being so paranoid.
  1114. >…but, seeing how the guy can ninja around easily despite having hooves, soon change your mind.
  1115.  
  1116. "Okay, so, the pest repelling spell?"
  1117. >"Right."
  1118. "How does it work anyway?"
  1119. >"Well, you ever been somewhere where you suddenly get a bad feeling about the place?"
  1120. >Oddly specific, but okay.
  1121. "Maybe, what's that got to do with it? Are you giving rats the bad heebie-jeebies?"
  1122. >"I have no idea what you're saying." says Cobalt, making you chuckle a little.
  1123. >Right, he's a magical unicorn pony from a magical land with no internet access and no way of knowing the popular culture and the references to it that you're spouting.
  1124. >…one of these days it'll sink in, you promise yourself.
  1125. >…hopefully.
  1126. "Riiight… okay, so you're making the rats feel uncomfortable there. Why not just, I dunno, use the regular old mousetraps?"
  1127. >Cobalt reels back, looking appalled.
  1128. >"Anon that's horrible! I mean, sure, they eat supplies and everything, but that's- that's just awful!"
  1129. "Cob, they're just rats."
  1130. >"And? They're still living creatures!"
  1131. >You shake your head and pat his leg as you pass by it.
  1132. >Your friend may be a huge wuss, but at least his heart is in the right place.
  1133. >…even if his kindness is wasted on rats, of all things.
  1134.  
  1135. >Strolling past the big blue pony, you finally take in the locale.
  1136. >As much as you can see from your admittedly limited vantage point, courtesy of your diminutive stature.
  1137. >…you should probably find a higher ground, given that you /are/ walking on the /floor/, and thus run the risk of being stepped on.
  1138. >A climb on the aforementioned pony later you find yourself with a much better view.
  1139. >…and much less likely to be stuck to someone's shoe- someone's /horse/shoe like a piece of gum.
  1140. >Talk about a load off.
  1141.  
  1142. >As for the inn itself, it's rather cozy, in a medieval sort of way.
  1143. >A pot of something is hanging in the hearth, a variety of smells assault your lizard nose, promising delicious treats.
  1144. >Various herbs hanging here and there add to the olfactory cacophony.
  1145. >And speaking of sounds, there's one coming from inside you!
  1146. >In all the excitement of today neither of you have had anything to eat until now.
  1147. >Judging by the sniffing you hear, Cobalt was about to be visited by the same thought.
  1148. "Cobalt?" you start, before he cuts you off.
  1149. >"Let's finish with the spell first, okay?"
  1150. "Wanna keep the old man- I mean the old stallion happy, right?"
  1151. >"Yeah, I mean, right." he takes another whiff of the aroma-filled air and swallows.
  1152. >Looks like he's hungry too.
  1153. >Both of you stand there for a moment, immersed in the smells of whatever tastiness was being cooked.
  1154. "The storeroom?" you ask, having managed to come to your senses sooner.
  1155. >"Right, thanks Anon." he starts walking toward a door in the back.
  1156. >One of the patrons gives you two a suspicious look as you pass them by.
  1157.  
  1158. >Is there /anyone/ in this town that /doesn't/ look at you two like you're eating babies for breakfast or something?
  1159. >Oh crap, the breakfast…
  1160. >You instantly regret following this train of thought as you stomach voices it's protest of being left empty the whole day.
  1161. >You'll get your fill, you promise.
  1162. >In an effort to avert hunger-induced hallucinations and conversing with your own organs you try to focus on the job.
  1163. >…which turns out to be a bad idea, as the inn's storeroom is packed with all sorts of tasty-looking stuff.
  1164. >Honestly, just about anything edible would look tasty right now.
  1165. >Come on Anon, suck it up. You're here to keep the pests out, not to be a pest yourself.
  1166. >…although that cheese wheel sure smells nice.
  1167. >No, bad Anon! You're a tiny dragon, not a mouse!
  1168. >…even though you're only slightly bigger than one.
  1169.  
  1170. >You shake your head, trying your best to regain focus.
  1171. >Work first, food later.
  1172. "Cob? Please tell me you have something for me to do, because I could /really/ use a distraction right about now."
  1173. >Your grumbling stomach punctuates your statement.
  1174. >As if sensing your desperation, or, more likely, being in a similar state himself, Cobalt lets you down and gives you some simple instructions to follow.
  1175. >For the most part it's things like looking for the little holes in the wall left by the rats, droppings, that sort of thing.
  1176. >It's not very pleasant to look for that sort of thing, but it does spoil your appetite rather well.
  1177. >Under the normal circumstances you'd be annoyed, but right now you take that as a weird sort of blessing.
  1178. >Perhaps you can make it to dinner without resorting to stealing from your employer after all.
  1179.  
  1180. >You dutifully scour beneath the shelves, checking every nook and cranny you can get in, of which you had found surprisingly many.
  1181. >Given your size and propensity to be squashed like a bug in any sort of altercation, you take a moment to note where you'd actually be able to hide if things went south.
  1182. >Not that you expect anything like that, of course, but it's better to be safe than squashed.
  1183. >Besides, you can't return home if you're but a red stain on floor.
  1184. >…is it even going to /be/ red?
  1185. >It occurs to you that you know next to nothing about your present body and what it is and isn't capable of.
  1186. >…or what color is it's blood, for that matter.
  1187. >You /think/ it might be red, but with all the magic and stuff even /that/ is not a given.
  1188. >You gulp.
  1189. >Jesus, you really /are/ in a different world, one where even the fundamental things like physics may work differently from what you're used to.
  1190. >…
  1191. >…when did the room start spinning again?
  1192.  
  1193. >You land on your ass with a smack, drawing the attention of your friend.
  1194. >"Anon? Is everything alright?" Cobalt asks over his shoulder, fiddling with his saddlebags.
  1195. "Yep, peachy." you say with a deadpan, looking straight ahead "I'm in a different world that I know next to nothing about."
  1196. >"That's… wait, did you just realize that?" confused, he paused what he was doing and actually looked at you.
  1197. "Uh, no? I mean, I… I guess I never gave it much thought and it took this long to sink in."
  1198. >"Do you, uh, want to talk about it?"
  1199. "Not particularly. I'd appreciate some sort of quick rundown on how the hell do things work here sometime later though."
  1200. >"Oookay… I can do that. …I think."
  1201. >You stayed quiet for a while, mulling things over in your head that's getting increasingly cluttered with things for you to process.
  1202. >You're starting to really look forward to that rundown, which in itself is weird.
  1203. >…there goes another one for the pile.
  1204.  
  1205. >"Alright, I'm all set up here. You can come over here and watch the pretty lights, it'll take your mind off, well, everything."
  1206. "Pretty lights, huh?"
  1207. >"What? Magic can be beautiful."
  1208. "It's not that-"
  1209. >"I know, I tried to avoid adding to the, no doubt, growing list of things for you to freak out over."
  1210. "I don't fr-" even you don't believe what you were about to say "You know what? Nevermind."
  1211. >"Pretty lights?" Cobalt asks after a pause.
  1212. "…yes please."
  1213. >You happily march over and sit alongside him, taking note of the little diagram, or whatever it is, that he drew on the floor.
  1214. >You didn't anything like that, or even traces of any chalk markings really.
  1215. >You suppose it must provide some kind of assistance and isn't needed for the whole thing to function later on.
  1216. >It might be better to ask about that stuff, rather than guess, especially since you only discovered magic, or rather, it discovered /you/.
  1217. >…on the other hand, your head is already positively throbbing, any more such "discoveries" and it might actually explode.
  1218. >Be considerate Anon, think of the maintenance staff!
  1219.  
  1220. >Before you can give yourself an aneurysm from repeatedly blowing your own mind, Cobalt starts casting his spell.
  1221. >His horn lights up, bathing your surroundings in it's glow.
  1222. >Another nebula forms around it, but this time something is different.
  1223. >The little currents of… magic, you think, do not coalesce into a ball near the tip, but were instead forming some kind of structures around it.
  1224. >You notice another source of light and look on the floor in front of you.
  1225. >The "diagram" began glowing too, first the outermost symbols, then the next row, following the lines and progressing inward.
  1226. >It's as if there were little channels, carved in the floor where the chalk was, gradually being filled with glowing water lazily flowing in from the outside, mesmerizing.
  1227. >Cobalt had closed his eyes by now, a look of utmost concentration adorning his features.
  1228.  
  1229. >The shapes around his horn were growing brighter ever so slowly, as did the diagram, chalk becoming saturated with magical energies.
  1230. >Then, the structure slowed in their orbit to a standstill, pulsed, and collapsed, all glow fading rapidly.
  1231. >You were about to ask if something went wrong, when a flash erupted from the tip of Cobalt's horn.
  1232. >Pulses of blue light washed over the walls one after another, each lingering, but leaving reluctantly.
  1233. >After several pulses the brightness surrounding the horn dimmed to a faint glow.
  1234. >A second later, the walls themselves began glowing faintly, dimming and brightening in perfect synchrony with the horn.
  1235. >If you had any hair at all, it would be standing on end right now.
  1236.  
  1237. >But alas, the lightshow had come to an end, walls returning to their decidedly less interesting "mundane" state.
  1238. >Even the diagram became nothing more than just some chalk drawing, albeit with tiny glints here and there.
  1239. >Cobalt took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
  1240. "If I ever get used to this stuff, I hope it won't be anytime soon." you say after a pause.
  1241. >The unicorn chuckles at your reaction.
  1242. "Yeah, yeah, gawking at a simple spell, sue me."
  1243. >You cross your arms on your chest and feign indignation.
  1244. "Lest you forget, I grew up in a world without magic, so all this stuff is still very new to me."
  1245. >You look look away, pouting.
  1246. "I think it's cool." you add quietly.
  1247. >Cobalt chuckles again.
  1248. >"Thank you Anon." then quietly adds as he gets up "It's nice to feel appreciated for a change."
  1249.  
  1250. >Your work here done, you help your friend put away the magical paraphernalia.
  1251. >Okay, so the chalk thing you get.
  1252. >Well, not really, but it's close enough to the occult stuff you used to see posted and talked about on the imageboards.
  1253. >Draw a pentagram or whatever, chant something, and supposedly a succubus appears to drain you of life and sexual fluids.
  1254. >…though that last one might be from those chinese porn cartoons you absolutely didn't watch back then from time to time.
  1255. >Oh god, they don't have tentacle monsters here, do they? DO THEY?!
  1256.  
  1257. >…now you're /DEFINITELY/ going to be asking questions about the world you now live in.
  1258. >At least in regards to the exotic flora and fauna calling it their home.
  1259. >There's bound to be some freaky shit you /need/ to know about, so that you won't become it's lunch, or it's one rape stand.
  1260. >…way to distract yourself Anon. Indeed, why worry about one thing when you can worry about something even worse? Silly you.
  1261. >No wonder you're so neurotic.
  1262. >Fortunately, Cobalt sweeps in with the rescue before you can conjure any more horrific scenarios to obsess with.
  1263. >"Alright, we're done here. The spell should be good for a couple weeks, give or take a day."
  1264. "Huh- what?"
  1265. >"Food." now that got your attention "Let's go get something to eat. You haven't had a bite and I could certainly use some myself."
  1266. >Cobalt lifts you up on his back, along with the saddlebags and you leave the storeroom.
  1267.  
  1268. >Somehow, despite being surrounded by shelves stacked with food, it's much better out here.
  1269. >You've no idea what sort of magic they work cooking all that stuff back in storage, but it sure makes a hell of a difference.
  1270. >You watch the food being served to the visitors, doing your best to avoid drooling on the table you were left on.
  1271. >Cobalt dropped off his saddlebags and left to collect his payment. You made him promise to get the full sum, with none of those "discounts" of his.
  1272. >He didn't go for it at first. Suggesting yourself for the renumeration negotiation, however, changed his mind very quickly.
  1273. >Someone's gotta stand up for that horse if he wasn't going to stand up for himself.
  1274. >Even if you had to stand up /to/ him to… stand up /for/ him?
  1275. >…
  1276. >Your head is starting to hurt.
  1277.  
  1278. >But lucky for you, you spot Cobalt making his way back to your table.
  1279. >Wearing the look of nervous disbelief like he just won the lottery.
  1280. >You suppose he did, in a way.
  1281. >Either way, looks like it's payday for him, and for once it's not a meager one, or so you hope anyway.
  1282. >Purely because you're a good friend that wants what's best for him, of course.
  1283. >Definitely has nothing to do with the fact that you'd have to find sustenance on your own otherwise.
  1284. >Yeah, good friend, let's go with that one.
  1285.  
  1286. >Without a word he takes a seat on one of the stools next to the table, dropping on the coin purse he was levitating on the table.
  1287. >It sounds oh-so-delightfully heavier, judging by his expression he did ask full price.
  1288. >He hastily puts it away in his saddlebags, smiling nervously like a huge dork.
  1289. >"A-Anon?" he finally says, facing you.
  1290. >…
  1291. "See what happens when you stand up for yourself?"
  1292. >The pony in front of you is practically glowing, being even more adorable than usual.
  1293. >Muh heart.
  1294.  
  1295. >Another pony approaching your table takes you away from having a cuteness-induced heart attack.
  1296. >>"Hi there! What would you li- Oh! Hi Cobalt! Are you here for that spell thingy- whoa, what's this? It's like a tiny dragon!"
  1297. >"F-Fi-Fizzle!" he whips around, raising his voice a liiittle higher than strictly necessary.
  1298. >Ah, a kindred socially-awkward spirit.
  1299. >…poor guy.
  1300. >"I-I m-mean… h-hi. This is-"
  1301. >You choose that exact moment to actually do what a good friend would and keep Cobalt from dropping his oats.
  1302. "Anonymous, pleased to meet you. I'm a pseudo-dragon." you do a little bow.
  1303. >The pony gaps. She probably thought you were some kind of animal.
  1304. >Well, you are, sort of. But an intelligent one!
  1305. >…sort of.
  1306.  
  1307. >Fizzle looks between you and Cobalt a few times.
  1308. >>"Wow."
  1309. >"Y-yeah."
  1310. >You can practically hear Cobalt's internal screaming.
  1311. >Fiiine…
  1312. >You stroll forward and put on your best winning smile.
  1313. >>"He looks so regal."
  1314.  
  1315. >R-regal?
  1316. >…
  1317. >Fuck it, you'll take regal.
  1318. "Why thank you. And you must be Fruit Fizzle? I've heard much about you."
  1319. >This makes Cobalt turn to you so fast, you're worried he'll give himself a whiplash.
  1320. >You take his wide-eyed terror as a sign that you should pick your words carefully.
  1321. >>"Is that so?" she glances playfully at your friend, who now started sweating nervously.
  1322. >As fun as it would be to mess with Cobalt in his current state, you don't actually want to make him throw up from anxiety.
  1323. >So you're the cool talking pet, even though you're nobody's pet.
  1324. >And you have no emotional involvement with this horse woman that would make it hard to talk to her like it normally would.
  1325. >All of which means that you can be the smooth talker you always wanted to be.
  1326. >Cobalt's going to owe you so much…
  1327.  
  1328. >But before the scaly little cupid can get to work, he needs to eat.
  1329. >Mentioning that you're done with the magic stuff and stopped here to eat earned you a frown from Cobalt.
  1330. >You answered that frown with a shrug — you both were hungry already, might as well do something about it.
  1331. >And besides, if Fizzle's going to stay after bringing you food, then it would be almost like a real date!
  1332. >There's even a candle! An unlit one, but that can be fixed easily.
  1333.  
  1334. >So far things go according to the plan.
  1335. >Well, it's not really a plan, more of a loose collection of romcom tropes you managed to recall.
  1336. >But hey, as long as it works, right?
  1337. >And work it does. As you suspected, food distracted Cobalt from feeling anxious and let him be his usual adorable self.
  1338. >Fizzle seem to think something along those lines as well, given that she's sitting opposite of him with a plate of her own.
  1339. >Working for the family has it's perks, like being able to take a break whenever you want.
  1340. >Guess the old coot is only mean to outsiders. Could've fooled you.
  1341. >And as for you, you're starting to warm up to your diminutive stature.
  1342. >For one thing, what would normally be a relatively small breadstick is fairly large at your size.
  1343. >And you got a small cup of soup to go with it.
  1344. >Life's good sometimes.

Floor's First Step

by Lost_in_translation

Pony ATF

by Lost_in_translation

Spike's makeover

by Lost_in_translation

Pseudodragon

by Lost_in_translation