A Buggy Conversation in Stalliongrad [Private]

[DerpRavener]

It was proving to be an uneventful day for Naj.  Which she felt was overall a good thing, when compared to the really eventful days she'd had in her life.  Unfortunately that didn't stop uneventful days from being boring.  Today was a perfect example of that.  The courier firm had a parcel that the needed someone extra to deliver, which was more than she got some days, but this time it was just a local delivery.

 

Still, she had learned one thing out of ordinary.  Apparently that one unicorn she'd met at the Grand Galloping Gala had taken her up on the offer to meet later, and he'd be coming by sometime today.  Hence why Naj was hanging around the office, despite not working there, and killing time by catching up with the employees.  The were a good punch of ponies in her eyes, and though they weren't all completely comfortable around Naj since she started being more open about her species, they all agreed that her doing so was for the best in the end.  Though despite that, she was using her 'not disguise', as she still tended to do while out in public most of the time

 

This was partly why Naj was so relaxed as she waited in the office.  Her head turned toward the door as it just then opened, watching to see if this was the pony she was waiting for, or just another customer needing a parcel delivered.

[FiniteZero]

Into the office walked a certain unassuming brown unicorn wearing particularly dark shades. He walked uneasily to the right of the doorway as to not block the path, then his horn pulsed. His magic echolocation gave him a bit of layout of the room, and the ponies within, but the details on ponies farther away from him were lost. He waited for Naj to call out to him, to let him know which of these pony-shaped beings was the one he was looking for.

 

Dusty was fairly nervous, understandably so. He was himself a Changeling, something only his adoptive parents know. He wore a disguise his whole life, knowing nothing about his chitin self. How much of him was a Changeling, and how much was a pony? What were Changelings like? Their culture, their history?

 

These were things he had hoped to gain answers from. And, even if there are some things he could never find out, at the very least he could make a friend.

 

"I'm here?" He said, stuck between calling out for her attention and not wanting to get the attention of everypony else in the office. It came out a bit pathetic as a result.

[DerpRavener]

Naj watched the unicorn enter the office, and brightened a bit.  There he was!  Not that she'd been sad before, but she had been curious about him and it was going to give her something interesting for the day.  Something interesting and entirely positive, or so it seemed to her at least, which was a rare enough occurrence.  She smiled at Dusty Tomes, and waited for him to notice the one pony in the room who didn't look like she was working there.

 

20 hours ago, FiniteZero said:

"I'm here?"

Ahh, that's right. Dusty was vision impaired, wasn't he?  She hadn't remembered right away, but it was very quickly apparent after he entered the office.  No matter, it was easy enough to account for.  “Dusty!” Naj called out.  She also waved, which she quickly realized wouldn't likely be noticed by the unicorn either, but by then she was committed to it.  She trotted over, and asked the two most immediate questions to come to mind.  “How have you been?  Did you find the office alright?”

[FiniteZero]

"Naj!" Dusty called back, smiling. "So glad to meet your acquaintance once again. "I've been well! My time back in Stalliongrad gave me the opportunity to meet up with my parents again. I told them about what I've been up to, specifically the Gala. They want to meet you, actually. And don't worry about me, I've gone here several times before, though usually at night when I can see a little."

 

Dusty put a hoof to his chin in thought. "We do need a place to talk, and I'd prefer not be in the way of any courier ponies if I can help it. I, er, suppose we could go to my house. If that's alright with you, of course." He then lowered his voice. "Just a cozy place to talk without anypony to eavesdrop."

[DerpRavener]

After being so reserved previously, at least when he wasn't asking questions about things he was interested in, Naj was caught off guard by how open he was being all of a sudden.  Or maybe she'd just spent too much time in a world where information could be used as a weapon in the right hooves.  Either way, she wasn't quite prepared for everything Dusty suddenly told her, and it took a moment for her to collect her thoughts.  In the space of a few seconds, Dusty had either said or let slip that he was very familiar with Stalliongrad, that he had close family that still lived here, that he'd told that family about his meeting with the changeling at the Grand Galloping Gala, and that his vision was better when it was dark than in any other case.

 

The sudden invite would have been suspicious to Naj, if not for the last fact.  It was a very convoluted trap indeed that gives its victims hints about what to watch out for.  This, plus what she remembered of Dusty from the Gala, made Naj willing to brush this off as incautious excitement on the unicorn's part, and generally feel at ease.

 

“Sure!” Naj said with a smile, when she'd finally recovered her voice.  “I mean, it's a bit sudden, and I wouldn't want to impose, but it would be nice to get out of the way.”  Her grin changed to a playful smirk.  “Though one has to wonder what ponies would think, seeing you bring home a mare you just met.”  She didn't really mean anything by it, she just wanted to see what sort of reaction she would get.

[FiniteZero]

"Oh." Dusty said, the faintest of blushes coming across his cheeks. "Given my mom... Just be prepared in case she starts teasing. A-and it's not like we're going to start dating! It's strictly friendly. Very platonic. I just need to convince mom of that, eh-heh."

 

Dusty took in a breath and let it out, now a bit calmer. "Alright, the home isn't too far from here. I know the route by heart." With that, he opened the door for her. "Ladies first."

 

Aside from his true form, Dusty felt he didn't have anything to hide. He truly was deeply interested in history, and always wanted to learn more about others. He was fairly content about his life, and the one missing piece was about to be filled in.

[DerpRavener]

Naj laughed, then waved a hoof.  “I was kidding, I'm sure there won't be too much confusion.”  There was enough hesitation when meeting a changeling at all, and surprised that she had a partner, that she doubted most would actually mistake her for anypony's special somepony.  She frowned.  “Besides, can't be any worse than that time Red's family though I was pregnant.”  She shook her head.

 

Dusty opened the door and allowed Naj to walk through first.  Naj wasn't a fan of that sort of treatment, generally thinking of herself as not needing the help, but didn't respond to that.  There was another issue which came to mind.  Namely, she was now in front, to get to a place which of the two of them only Dusty knew how to get to.  Naj paused once she got through the door.  “So,” she said, with a raised eyebrow, “where do your parents live, anyways?”  She waited for Dusty to lead the way.

[FiniteZero]

Dusty let off a small chuckle when Naj mentioned that anecdote. "That sounds like a story and a half in itself."

 

When Naj asked where his parents lived, Dusty let out a hum. He pulsed his horn, and began slowly leading the way. His muzzle scrunched as a snowflake hit it. "It's not too far. Mom's an author, so she lives close to this office."

 

And so Dusty walked along the sidewalk, snow sprinkling from the skies, trotting a path he knew quite well. His horn pulsed every second. "Let me know if I need to get out of the way of something, by the way."

[DerpRavener]

Naj's little story had the intended effect.  Dusty let out a laugh, which was a sign he wasn't worrying anymore.  She decided to save that particular anecdote for later though.  She wasn't really sure she wanted to get into that in public, and even then there wasn't a whole lot to tell.  She'd probably just told him the most interesting part.  Or at least, the most interesting story relevant part, though she supposed Dusty might want hear that anyways.

 

At Dusty's request to be alerted if he needed to shift to the side, Naj looked around.  The street was reasonably clear, not empty but she doubted the unicorn would need to move out of the way any time soon, especially if ponies noticed that his vision was limited.  He also seemed to know where he was going, and Naj couldn't think of any recent events that would cause a disruption to that.  Still, she resolved to keep an eye out for him.

 

That addressed, Naj moved back to the original topic.  Dusty's mother lived close by, which should make their walk pretty quick, but more than that Naj was told the mare was an author.  That piqued her interest.  She wasn't the most well read, having only really had access to Equestria's libraries relatively recently, but she did like to read.  “What sort of books does your mother write?  Anything I might have heard of?”  Naj kept her pace, as she walked.
 

[FiniteZero]

Dusty was nearly ran over by a pony in a rush. "Oof!" Dusty exclaimed. "Watch where you're going!" The pony said before running off.

 

"Ow." Dusty said as he took a moment to orient himself. "Anyways, my mom writes romance novels, among... Other things. If you've read The Mares By the Bay or Mares' Love, that's her most popular books. She's dabbled in mystery here and there, too." He set off once again. "She's a good writer, sells well despite the somewhat niche genre she sticks to. Though she said she's working on an adventure novel next. Kinda figured she would have done that a long time ago, to be honest."

[DerpRavener]

No sooner had Naj set aside the issue of needing to keep watch and pull Dusty aside, than some pony nearly bowled the poor unicorn over.  “Hey!”  Naj snapped at the other pony who was now moving away from them.  She pointed at Dusty.  “He's blind" it wasn't technically true, but trying to explain in full would have only complicated things, "and walking on the side of the street, what's your excuse?”  As she watched the pony's retreating form, Naj hissed under her breath and muttered “the nerve of some ponies.”

 

Naj turned back to Dusty and offered him a hoof up.  She'd intended to ask how he was doing, but the unicorn had righted himself and started walking again.  Seeing as Dusty appeared to be okay, Naj decided to just start walking again as well, although now she chose a more strategic position beside and slightly ahead of Dusty, in case there were any more jerks around.  So help her she would suplex the next pony to show that much disregard for their fellows.

 

Dusty explained that his mother wrote mostly wrote romance novels...of a few different kinds.  “Ahh, yeah that's not really my genre.”  Romance was still something of a foreign subject for Naj, even if she'd been getting more familiar with it through her fiance.   Besides, she was more of an action mare anyhow.  “I might have to try one of her mystery novels at some point though,” Naj added.  “And in her defence, niche probably helps her sell.  If nothing else I think there's more competition in 'adventure', though it is good to hear she's branching out.”  More alert now, Naj was keeping an eye on the street in case any more ponies came barrelling though.

 

 

[So just as a note, since Naj doesn't actually where their destination is located, I've been letting you decide when they get there.  Though you may have already realized that.]

[FiniteZero]

"Ah, one of her dabbles is in The Shattered Clock, which is sort of a sequel to one of her romance novels. It's actually pretty good. A murder-mystery involving a body found in an abandoned mansion of a millionare that went missing a decade ago." Dusty said. He took a left around the corner at the next intersection, then walked four doors down. His horn pulsed once more. It was a small aparment building with a small coffee shop taking up part of the ground floor. There was a yellow sign with a distinctive white cup with a red stripe down the lower half by the door. Three steam lines were above the cup, though the third one was missing its lower half, with a slightly cleaner shadow showing where it once was. Dusty stepped into the small lobby, which had the coffee shop's entrance next to some stairs. The floor looked like it was sweeped very often, but never mopped. There was an old brown carpet falling apart sitting in the middle of the grey tiled floor, stained yellow and green wallpaper, and a white cieling. The lobby was lit by three bare bulbs clustered together on the ceiling above the rug. Dusty began climbing the stairs. "Up one flight, room 103."

 

Once he reached the designated door, which looked cleaner than the walls surrounding it and the number polished to a shine, he knocked. Two slow hard knocks, three light rapid knocks, then one last hard knock.

 

"Dusty! One seccy!" The voice on the other end said. "Just need to... One moment... Almost... Got it! Okay, comin'!"

[DerpRavener]

Though it did sound a little intriguing, Naj ultimately wasn't interested in the Shattered Clock.  It was unfortunately the sequel of a book she had no interest in, so even if one strictly speaking didn't need to have read the previous book to enjoy it, Naj would constantly have the knowledge that she was missing some context.  She felt it would be simpler not to say anything, and she was saved from having to do so by their arrival at their destination.

 

The apartment was...well it looked like it had seen better days.  Not like Naj could talk though, given where she lived before moving in with Red.  She looked around a bit before saying, “This reminds me of my previous home.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.”  It make her feel a little nostalgic, which she found odd, but overall her shack was not the best thing to be compared to.

 

The apartment belonging Dusty's mother however was a bit better maintained.  Naj had to wonder how long it could hold out if the building itself was so dingy, but she had other things to focus on at the moment.  Dusty knocked a special pattern on the door, being recognized by the mare on the other side of the door, and reminding Naj of a spy novel she read one time.  The mare, presumably Dusty's mother, said that she'd get the two of them in a moment and sounded like she was stubbornly trying to life something heavier than her carrying capacity.  Naj called through the closed door.  "Ma'am, are you alright in there?  Would you like some help?”

[FiniteZero]

There was a pause, and the door opened. Standing before them was a pink mare, the particular shade reminiscent of liquid antacid, with a very long red mane and tail. Both nearly touched the floor. She had ocean blue eyes, full of youth the body didn't. Not that she was hard on the eyes; She aged like fine wine, the years having been kind to her. Her cutie mark was a rose, with the end dripping ink. "Oh! A lady! Dusty, did you find a Special Somepony?" Unlike Dusty, her voice didn't carry a Stalliongrad accent, sounding more Canterlotian.

 

Dusty sighed internally. "N-no, mom, she's-"

 

"Darling, honey, no need to be so bashful! Come in, come in!" The mare said, opening the door for them to enter.

 

The apartment was definitely better kept than the rest of the building. A mahogany coffee table upon an oriental rug, a green stainless couch, a well-organized bookshelf that dominated the left wall, and two doors on the right wall. Dusty shook his head as he entered the room, stepping around the table and sitting on the couch without pulsing his horn once. "She's just a friend, okay? Besides, she already has a special somepony."

 

"Aww, way to kill my dreams." The mare pouted. "I'll get you a fillyfriend yet! I met a nice mare the other day, single, about you're age! She's pretty, too! Has nice, firm-"

 

"Mom! Please! Besides, I'm not interested in getting with anypony yet. Busy travelling the world, remember!" Dusty said.

 

The Mare huffed. "You have too much of your mother in you. Never going to get grandfoals at this rate." She then turned to Naj with a huge grin on her face. "Hello! Have a seat, please. My name is Rose Quill, and any friend of my son is a friend of mine."

[DerpRavener]

Not expecting anypony to confuse her for being in a relationship she wasn't in, Naj wasn't ready for her introduction to Dusty's mother.  Naj blushed a little and froze briefly, allowing the situation to play out until Dusty was able to get a word in and explain that he and Naj couldn't have been in a relationship as Naj was already with somepony.  Dusty's mother was only deterred for a moment however, before she immediately shifted to suggesting another possible partner for her son.

 

Now Naj got it, the mare didn't so much think the changeling was with her son as she was very, very eager to get Dusty into a relationship.  Naj promptly burst out laughing, and when she recovered, still chuckling she patted Dusty on the back.  “My sympathies,” she said with a grin, “I don't think you're getting away from this anytime soon!”

 

Naj was more composed once Dusty's mother introduced herself properly, explaining that her name was Rose Quill.  “It's nice to meet you,” Naj replied, smiling back and extending a hoof.  “I'm Naj, and I've actually only just met your son, though he seems like a good pony so far.”  She paused for a moment, internally debating if she should continue on with her explanation.  Eventually she decided that Dusty would vouch for her if things turned sour, and went forward with her explanation, if a little hesitantly.  “He was, er, curious about my species, and we both thought it would be easier to talk somewhere out of the way.  I'm actually a changeling, you see.”  She paused there, stealing a glance at Dusty, before looking back at Rose to see how the mare would react.

[FiniteZero]

Dusty gave an embarrassed smile to Naj when she patted him on the back.

 

Rose's eyes widened slightly when Naj said her name, then returned to normal when she said was a Changeling. "Oh! You must be the one Dusty wrote about in his letter. Go ahead and get comfy, I can get some snacks." Rose Quill said without missing a beat. She looked to make sure the front door was closed, then walked over to the window showing the snowfall outside and closed the curtains, darkening the room slightly. "Texty, would you like lemonade or tea?"

 

Dusty shot his mom a look of surprise.

 

"Oh, right, you didn't tell her. You also didn't answer my question." Rose Quill said.

 

Texty sighed. "Well, since I was going to show her anyways..." With a green flash, he reverted back to his Changeling form. "Lemonade, please." He said to his mom. He turned to Naj. "My, um, my real name is Texty."

 

Rose Quill nodded and turned to Naj. "And you, dear?"

[DerpRavener]

It turned out that Rose Quill didn't have any issues with changelings whatsoever.  Dusty had apparently told his mother about Naj sometime after the Gala, which surprised Naj a little.  Dusty had seemed eager to talk to her, but she wouldn't have expected him to be that excited.  Naj had written the unicorn off as just being curious about foreign species in general, and there were several at the Gala that might grab an inquisitive pony's attention.

 

That was hardly the most shocking development of the conversation however.  In asking her son what he wanted to drink, Rose very deliberately let slip that Dusty was in fact a changeling himself, by the name of Texty.  Texty then dropped his own disguise, and Naj was left completely blindsided, staring at him openly for a moment.

 

Several things passed through her mind at once.  He was another changeling!  And one that Naj had never noticed.  Much as Naj didn't like it, another changeling always represented a threat until she knew more about them, given that they could be on assignment from Chrysalis.

This also explained why Dusty- or Texty, rather- was so interested in changelings.  Except if it did, he must not have had much interaction with other changelings.  So he can't have come from the hive.  And what's more, Rose was completely comfortable with him, seeming to be more comfortable than he was.  The situation was far less dangerous than it might have first seemed, though there were many mysteries left to solve.

 

Then Naj finally realized that she'd been asked a question moments ago, and had been staring dumbfounded instead of answering it.  She blinked, and turned back to Rose.  “Oh, uh, tea please.  Tea would be great.  If it's not too much trouble.”  She smiled awkwardly, before falling into silent contemplation for a moment.

 

After a moment, Naj figured there wasn't much point to keeping up her disguise, so she dropped hers as well.  She looked over at Texty again, still feeling a little uncertain but much more comfortable after having a moment to process the situation.  Now she was even starting to get curious.  “So I take it you aren't from the hive then,” Naj said, segueing into the first major question to come to mind, “what, uh, where did you grow up then?”

[FiniteZero]

Rose nodded. She opened and stepped through a door, into the kitchen.

 

Texty took in a breath and slowly let it out. This was the first time he was ever out of his disguise in the company of somepony other than his parents. Even if she were a fellow Changeling, he was fairly nervous.

 

"Well, you see..." Texty began, "I grew up here. I... was abandoned. I don't know why. It could have been because of my eye problem. They, my mothers, found me and brought me home as their child. That's why I need to know everything I can about Changelings. Because... That's a part of me. A part I know nothing about, and it just..."

 

He sighed again, looking down towards the carpet. "I want to know who I am." A bit of light reflected off a tear.

 

Rose Quill returned with tea and lemonade, and set it on the table before giving her son a hug. "It's okay, it's okay..." She whispered. Texty wiped the tear away. "I'm sorry, I... I get like that when I think about it too much."

[DerpRavener]

Naj fell quiet as Texty explained the circumstances of how he was raised.  She sympathized, but wasn't really sure how to comfort him.  She couldn't tell him that his biological parents loved him and wanted to see him again, because while possible there were too many reasons why that could be untrue.  There was one thing she could say though.  “I think, if you want to know who you are, you could just ask your mother.”  Naj nodded her head towards Rose, before looking back at Texty.  “She'll know better than any changeling ever could, except maybe you yourself.”  The one thing she wanted to reaffirm was that his heritage would not change who he was, or his connection to his parents.

 

The rest, Naj was less sure of.  She idly scratched her head with a hoof as she struggled a bit to find the words to start.  “Changelings are...they have more of a goal oriented society than Equestria.  There's some allowance for personal hobbies or tastes, but there's a focus on how a given changeling can serve the hive, and by extentsion the queen.”  Naj spat the last word, before returning to a less hostile tone and moving on.  She had some issues with the current queen of the changelings, but that could wait until at least after the explanation.  “I didn't actually know my parents all that well, at least by Equestrian standards,” she continued.  “I knew them and was on good terms with them, but the same could be said for a number of caretakers.  I ended up much closer to my classmates and squadmates: essentially, the changelings I trained with.”

 

Naj paused, brow furrowed in thought, before eventually sighing and shrugging her shoulders.  “Sorry,” she said, leaning into a chair a bit, “I was a soldier before my exile, so I think I have a bit skewed perspective.  I'm probably not the ideal changeling to ask.”  She took advantage of the pause to pick up the cup that was placed before her, and took a sip.  It was hot, she'd have to wait for it to cool before she could really get into it, but the first taste was promising.  She smiled  “Thank you for the tea.”

[FiniteZero]

Texty was quiet as he mulled over the information he was given. It was sort of what he expected, though the way she mentioned their Queen gave him a little pause. He pulsed his horn, located the lemonade, and picked it up before sipping. "Thank you, mom. I notice mother's out right now."

 

"Groceries." Rose Quill replied. She sat on the couch next to Texty, though it was a bit of a tight fit for all three of them.

 

Texty smiled to Naj. "It's okay if you don't know everything. At least a little information goes a long way."

[DerpRavener]

The short conversation between Texty and Rose revealed that Texty's other mother was currently out running errands, though the mare remained yet unnamed.  Naj didn't really mind, proper introductions would have to be made regardless, so really it made more sense to save that sort of thing for when she actually met Texty's second mother.

 

6 hours ago, FiniteZero said:

"It's okay if you don't know everything. At least a little information goes a long way."

Naj considered that statement for a moment, and sipped her tea, before laughing ruefully and staring into her cup.  “Heh heh, yeah, ain't that the truth.”  The statement had something of a different significance for her.  There was much of her life where the right bit of information released at the right time could absolutely ruin someone, and this had happened for both her or an adversary.

 

It did lead her to wonder about something though.  She turned so she could look at Texty.  “Say, naturally you and your parents know, and now I know, but I'm curious.  Does anypony else know that you're not a unicorn?”  It struck her that it could be seen as something of a personal question, so she elaborated.  “Before I went public as a changeling, I ended up with a few pony friends who knew my secret, partially by chance.  I was hoping to compare notes, so to speak.”

[FiniteZero]

Texty mulled over her question. "I don't think so. I have a friend named Oaky back in Canterlot, but I never told her." He answered. "I don't have much of a reason to, really. She's a great friend-"

 

"His beeest friend." Rose Quill said, wagging her eyebrows.

 

"Dang it, mom, it's just platonic!" Texty said. "Stop shipping me! Anyways, while I do go out and meet a lot of ponies... Well, I have no issues keeping up my disguise for long periods of time. Sort of a necessity, living with ponies and all that." He shrugged. As far as he was concerned, he did only have one identity, even if the Changeling part of that was hidden and incomplete. Thus, he never really felt like he was being dishonest. "I do kinda wish I could just live as I am, but I doubt that will change significantly anytime soon."

 

He took another sip of lemonade. This was going rather well, all things considered. Naj seemed quite nice, he got at least a little insight on her culture, and he might have made a new friend, one that could help explore the new side to him.

 

It was at that point three heavy knocks slammed the door. Texty didn't seem surprised, he simply donned his disguise again.

 

"Peaksy, if you keep knocking like that, you'll break the door!" Rose Quill said as she got up to answer the knock, sounding half amused and half annoyed.

 

"Oh please! The door is fine!" A female voice on the other end said, with a very thick Stalliongrad accent. Her voice was a little deep, and even behind the door the power of it could be felt. "It only broke once before, this door is stronger!"

[DerpRavener]

Naj waited until Texty and Rose stopped their back and forth.  It brought a smile to her muzzle, although she didn't really understand what he'd meant by 'shipping'.  That said, Texty's didn't quite grasp what she was getting at.  Naj shook her head.  “None of that's really the point though, it's more about the burden of keeping the secret.  It's good to have somepony you can be open with.”  Naj pondered for a moment.  “Although, I suppose you have your mothers.  And maybe not quite as much to hide...hmm.”  She took another sip of her tea.

 

A sudden, heavy knocking caused Naj to snap to attention.  It was a good thing she'd already swallowed her tea, otherwise she might have spit it out again.  As it was, she stood up, ready for anything and just waiting to see what would come through the door.  She didn't bother reapplying her disguise, as anypony who would be willing to be willing to just barge in was either already comfortable with changelings, or that probably wouldn't stop them.

 

Rose apparently knew whoever the voice belonged to though, and apparently the pounding on the door was something of a routine.  It wasn't quite enough to make Naj relax, but it did cause her to pause.  Given that Rose had gone to the door, Naj looked over at the only other pony in the room who ended up being Texty- well, Dusty at the moment, she supposed.  She started to relax, but was still a bit on edge  “I didn't know you were expecting company.”
 

[FiniteZero]

"Oh, that's just my mother." Texty said. He took another long sip of lemonade. "She's kind of... Well, just brace a little."

 

Rose Quill opened the door, and a mare stepped into the room. A large mare. Half a head taller than Rose, packed with lean muscle. Light tan fur, and short-cut green mane and tail. Her cutie mark was of a tall triangular mountain with two peaks, split a quarter down the middle, with a small yellow circle to the upper left and a small white circle to the upper right. Two saddlebags packed to the brim could be seen on either side, though she moved like they were full of feathers.

 

"Oh, Texty, my little grubby!" The mare said, smiling. Her emerald eyes shone with joy. "So good to see you! I see you brought a friend, da?"

 

"Yes, um, Naj, this is my mother. Mother, Naj." Texty said, dropping his disguise once more when Rose closed the door.

 

"Naj! From the Gala! Texty wrote about you! A friend of my son is a friend of mine!" The mare said as she grasped Naj's hoof and shook it, perhaps a little too hard. "My name is Twin Peaks, I am so glad to meet another changeling like my dear grubby!"

 

"Mom, stop trying to break her hoof. She needs that." Texty said. Rose giggled.

[DerpRavener]

The mare that came through the door was imposing.  Or she might have been, if she wasn't being so friendly.  And she seemed entirely unfazed by finding an undisguised changeling in the living room.  Naj thought this must be Texty's other mother.  She greeted Texty, causing Naj to tilt her head a bit and mutter “Grubby?” She didn't have long to ponder it though, before Texty introduced to the large mare as his other mother, and suddenly Naj was the focus of her attention.

 

Naj met the mare's hoof with her own, and managed to keep her balance.  She felt fortunate her combat experience was able to keep her steady, there were a few times in the past where she'd been tossed around either by beasts or sparring partners.  The mare said her name was Twin Peaks.  It took Naj a moment to get her bearings.  “It's, uh, nice to meet you too, though I'm not quite like Texty.”

 

22 hours ago, FiniteZero said:

"Mom, stop trying to break her hoof. She needs that."

Naj looked over briefly, before looking back with a grin.  “Nah, it would take more than that to leave a mark on me.”  Then she sat down, and picked up her tea again, though she kept looking toward Peaks.  “I'm curious though, if you don't mind me asking, what does your cutie mark mean?  I don't think I've every seen one like that.”