The Serpent and the Cheerleader

'Cannibalism in Equestria'

Green fingers stopped. The clacking of the typewriter ceased and was replaced with the clacking of the train on the track.

"No, that's too... sensational," a deep, feminine voice mused softly.

The fingers tugged at the hovered over the keys for a moment before typing out a bit more. The words on the page now read: 'Cannibalism in Equestrian History?'

"...Better," the voice mused again.

The fingers flexed over the keys, readying themselves for a storm of typing.

'Although there are a wide variety of theories concerning the habits of the creature known as Nightmare Moon, one idea seems to pop up'

The clacking stopped and the fingers ripped the page out of the typewriter, balling it up and tossing it to the side. A fresh sheet was quickly loaded in and the fingers started again.

'There are many controversies surrounding the figure known as Nightmare Moon. Her origins, politics, power, demeanor, and even her sexuality have all been hotly debated over the years. However, with the recent influx of artifacts from her era, new light has been shined on the so called Queen of Nightmares.

The fingers paused. The voice muttered softly, reading what the fingers had written. Satisfied, the fingers resumed typing.

'The newest and now hottest subject is the possibility that Nightmare Moon indulged in cannibalism. Very little of the evidence for this subject is actual written word. Most of it is the interpretation of illustrations and carvings from the period. Some say that it is all a form of psychological intimidation and that the Alicorn never actually ate anyone. They often cite the old stories surrounding Nightmare Night and how Nightmare Moon would eat naughty children. Others think it was a metaphor for the Alicorn draining magic from others to increase the power of her own. And of course, there are those who think that the Queen of Nightmares literally ate ponies, even saying it's possible she swallowed them whole and alive.

Again the fingers stopped.

"Hm... maybe..."

The owner of the voice was startled from her musings by the shrill shriek of the train's whistle.

"Ponyville station!" The conductor called from somewhere further alone the train.

Valerie Morlin nodded to herself and began packing up her things. She was an odd creature, at least to the eyes of the average Equestrian. While their ancestors were equine in nature, hers were reptilian. She was covered in vibrant green scales, none of them being particularly big, but they grew smaller and finer around her front and extremities. Her frame was a bit wider than most Equestrians, although you wouldn't call her fat. Her head was like that of a serpent's, devoid of hair, with a blunt snout, and that distinct spark of sapience in her fire-yellow eyes. Her ancestors had obviously mixed with mammals at some point, if her generous breasts were anything to go by. Said mammaries were contained in a blue suit jacket that was just a little too small.

But other than that, not really all that much different from your average Equestrian. Until you got to her legs. Rather, where her legs would be.

In place of those limbs, she had a snake's body and tail. And in this instance, you could certainly be forgiven for referring to her as big. That tail was roughly thirty feet in length, or just over nine meters. It was thanks to that tail she had managed to get her own compartment on the train, even if she had to coil it around the space several times to fit.

Valerie, who honestly preferred 'Val', quickly pulled the page she had been working on out of the typewriter and neatly folded it up, tucking it away with the rest of her papers as she closed the case on the typewriter. She briefly tugged on the hem of the skirt she wore to cover her fun bits, straightening the garment out. She opened the compartment door and peeked out, timing her exit to inconvenience as few people as possible. Whatever the advantages of having a thirty-foot appendage, keeping your distance in small spaces wasn't one of them.

When the flow of disembarking passengers slowed to a trickle, Val made her exit. She tried keeping her tail bunched up behind her, but it was really just putting a bandage over a wound. She heard a few muttered words behind her, but she ignored them as she swiftly made her way off the train.

Val slithered onto the platform, quickly coiling her tail around herself lest someone trip over it. She couldn't help but smile at the train as the white clouds of steam billowed around it. Like one of those cheesy old detective movies.

She softly giggled to herself and redirected her attention to the exit. But before she moved an inch, something shinny on the ground caught her eye. Peering at it, the Lamia saw what looked like an old silver token just laying there on the ground. Intrigued, she started towards it, only to see someone else quickly pass in front of her and snatch it up.

Val snorted. Probably just a subway token. No need to look for trinkets right now anyways. Plenty of time for that later.

Swiftly forgetting about the token, Val uncoiled and made her way to the exit and into the bright sunlight. She blinked and peered at the sky. It was unusually warm and sunny for Fall. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

She made her way off the pebbled path and again she coiled her tail around herself, enjoying the feel of the warm dirt and grass under her scales. She took a slow, deep breath, her red tongue briefly flashing out from between her lips. The air tasted differently here. Fresher, cleaner. Looking farther down the path, Val could see the colorful collection of building that comprised the aptly dubbed 'Ponyville'.

She sat there a while longer, enjoying the warmth of the sun. But after a time she gave herself a shake and uncoiled. a few loose pebbles turned under her scales as she made her way down the path and into what appeared to be the town's market district. Stalls, shops, and signs all crowded around each other, hoping to catch the eye of buyers with money jangling in their pockets. It was a lot to take in and Val had the feeling she could while away the whole afternoon just perusing the wears here.

But at the moment...

Val's head suddenly snapped to the side, starting a passerby. Her nostrils flared as she took a few sniffs of the air. Her nose led the rest of her body on a journey to a quaint little outdoor cafe, who's staff were in the midst of cleaning up the remnants of the lunchtime rush. Val took a seat at one of the tables, coiling her tail beneath it.

She picked up the menu and was glancing through it when she spotted a pair of eyes staring at her through round spectacles. There was a moment when her eyes locked with those behind the glasses. Then the eyes and glasses quickly vanished behind another menu. Val smirked and turned her attention back to her own carte du jour (pardon my french).

A polite cough pulled her from her thoughts.

"Good day, ma'am. Is there anything I can get you today?" asked a brown coated stallion in a green apron.

Val smiled. "Yes-" she peered at his name tag "-Reuben. I'll have the special."

The stallion grinned. "Excellent choice, ma'am. It'll be but a moment." The stallion spun on his heel and walked inside the cafe.

Val interlaced her fingers and rested her head on them. She quickly looked to where her watcher had been, seeing those same glasses hurriedly dive beneath the cover of a menu.

Val suddenly spoke. "You keep hiding like that, I might get the impression you don't like me."

The Lamia was delighted to hear an adorable squeak before the menu was slowly lowered, revealing her watcher. The glasses were set on a young equestrian face as blue as fresh berries. The mare folded her menu and sat up straight; she had been leaning down to hide herself. She ran  hand through her mane, the hair a striped orange and purple.

"S-sorry," she squeaked out, adjusting the glasses over her grey-blue eyes.

Val smiled. "It's quite alright, dear, I don't mind. I've done it myself, actually."

"Awkwardly stared at someone and then hide behind a menu?" The mare asked, tugging at the neck of the grey sweater she wore.

Val chuckled. "Yep. Griffon. I hadn't seen anything like him before and just couldn't take my eyes off of him."

The mare laughed forcefully, fiddling with her glasses again. "Griffons are, uh, fine specimens of, uh..." she trailed off and then shook herself. "C-can we start over?"

"Gladly. I'm Val."

"Ember," she drummed her fingers on the table for a moment. "So, ah, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all."

Ember nodded and straightened up a bit. "Alright, so, ah, what, if you don't mind me asking, what are you?"

Val unlaced her fingers and adopted a straighter pose. "I'm a Lamia. Obviously I owe quite a bit to reptiles. And a bit to mammals, too." she smirked and patted her chest. "I'm from Anguis. Nice place, lots of jungle and mountains. It's east of Griffonstone if you ever feel the urge to have a visit."

Ember nodded, scribbling on a small note pad in her lap. "Thank you. I think I'll have something to add to my library list."

"It is a fascinating country." Val turned her head as the waiter stepped outside, carrying a tray with a large, freshly made sandwich and a tall glass of water. He placed the tray on the table, smiling and wishing her a nice day before vanishing back inside the cafe. Val took a bite, teeth crunching through lettuce, tomatoes, and a host of other delightful ingredients. She chewed and swallowed, tapping a finger to her lips before speaking again. "Although, I actually prefer Equestrian history."

Ember blinked in surprise, looking up from her note pad. "Really?"

Val nodded. "Oh yes, It's why I'm here actually. A friend of mine recently found an artifact of some sort from the Nightmare Moon era. She's my latest obsession." Val took a drink from her glass.

"Ah, so that's why you came here," Ember nodded to herself.

"You mean that thing that happened at your, ah what was it called? Summer Sun something or other. That was, what, couple dozen years ago?" Val took another bite of her sandwich. "Too early for me." she said through the mouthful. She swallowed again, not bothering to chew this time. "No, I prefer ancient history. Over a thousand years ago type stuff."

"Oh, like Daring Do?" Ember said, quickly blushing.

Val chuckled. "Yeah, kind of like that. That's more my friend really. You two should talk." Val shoved what remained of the sandwich in her mouth, chewing it this time before swallowing. She wiped her lips with a napkin.

Ember pursed her lips, thinking. "It would make for an interesting story. For the newspaper." she added quickly.

"You're a reporter?" Val asked, setting down the napkin.

Ember blushed. "More or less. It's just the school paper, but plenty ponies read it."

Val drained her glass. "Well, if you are interested, you could come by my place once I've got whatever my friend found. You might find it interesting." Val set her glass down and then suddenly realized what she said. She inhaled sharply and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, wow. I just realized what a creep I sound like." she sighed and leaned back, keeping her hand over her eyes. "Nice first impression there, Val. Why don't you ask her if her parents are home?"

Ember laughed, it sounded genuine this time. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Val smirked, moving her hand away. "You don't know that. I could be a big, hungry predator." She paused and then her hand went back to her face. "Don't bother handing me a shovel, I brought my own."

Ember laughed again. "For the first real story this year, I'll take my chances. So, where can I find you?"

Val sighed and sat up, hands going in her pocket to retrieve her wallet. "Don't worry, I'll find you." She blinked and quickly added. "At the school." she clenched her teeth. "I'll be there. For my job."

"You work at the school."

Val rubbed her eyes again. "It's a temp thing. You have the history class?"

Ember nodded. "Yep."

"You'll see me there." Val was about to get up to head inside and pay when the waiter suddenly stepped back outside, like he was psychic.

"Anything else I can get you, ma'am," he said with a smile as he approached.

"Just the check, please," Val said, returning the smile.

Luckily, he had the check on him. She paid and uncoiled herself from the table, picking up her case from the ground.

"Thank you for the meal." she said to the waiter. He bashfully smiled. "And I look forward to seeing you soon, Ember." With a smile and nod, Val made her way away from the cafe, leaving Ember with the waiter.

Once Val was out of earshot, the waiter turned to Ember. "Hey, it's been a hour. You gonna buy something or what?"

Val hummed softly to herself as she slithered through the market district, the taste of her meal lingering on her tongue.

Alright Val, you've had your snack, now lets- Ooh, candle shop.

Val came to a stop, looking at the fold out sign in front of a small building. It proclaimed the place to be 'Breaking Dawn's Wax Wears'.

Val considered it for a moment. Well... I *do** need some candles. Can't have something like a silly power outage stop me from working.*

Val nodded to herself and pushed open the wooden door to the shop. The interior was what one of 'normal' stature might call cozy, but for Val, it did feel a tad cramped. However, that did not detract from the charm of the place. The walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves were lined with candles of every shape, size, and color. In the center of the shop was a counter, holding more wax works, these less candles and more works of art. All manner of beast and beauty was rendered in wax, with wicks poking out of all sorts of interesting places. These all flanked an old fashioned sort of cash register and the mare behind it.

The mare smiled at Val as she entered. She had a few lines on her face, implying she was 'older', though her sunny yellow coat did make her seem younger. She was in the midst of tying up her red mane in a ponytail when Val entered, finishing up just as Val finished taking in the look of the shop.

"Another customer already? Must be my lucky day," the mare said, leaning against the counter.

Val returned the smile. "Mine too. Fresh off the train and I've already found a candle shop."

The mare laughed. "Seems it was meant to be. You caught me at just the right time. Few minutes earlier, I might not have notice you were even here." she gestured to the various exotic wax works on the counter. "I go off to my own little place when I'm working on one of these."

Val approached the counter and peered at the 'candles'. "They're beautiful."

"Sweet talker," the mare made to lean closer when her hand suddenly slipped and she fell forward, knocking a rearing griffon off the counter.

Val reacted in an instant, catching the wax statue before it hit the floor.

"Shit," the mare said to herself, rightening her legs beneath her. Her scowl changed to a smile when Val placed the griffon back on the counter. "You caught him. My, you are quick."

"When I need to be," Val said, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head.

The mare chuckled and ran a hand over her mane. "Glad to hear and thank you. I'm Breaking Dawn, by the way," she extended a hand. "But you can call me Dawn, if you'd like."

"Valerie Morlin," Val shook the offered hand. "Although Val works best."

Dawn placed her elbow on the counter, resting her head on her hand. "So then, Val, what can I do for you today?"

"Well, I'd like to buy some candles," Val's gaze drifted to the griffon statue. "But, I didn't expect you to be so..."

"Clumsy?" Dawn said jokingly.

"I was going to say talented. That really is amazing work," she gestured to the griffon.

Dawn laughed. "There you go with the sweet talk again." She smirked.

Val smirked in return. "Believe me, you deserve it."

Dawn laughed again. "Who, me? I'm just some old cake who makes candles."

Val's voice lowered. "'Old cake'? I bet you're sweeter than ever."

Dawn blushed hotly. "W-well, that's very kind of you to say." she straightened up, running a hand over her mane again. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were just trying to get me to lower my prices."

"Prices as reasonable as these? Mmm, no, I had something else in mind," Val leaned on the counter, mimicking Dawn's earlier pose. "Ever worked with a live model, Dawn?"

"A live model? Well, no." The mare paused. "Are you... offering?"

"Mmm, if you'd be so inclined."

"T-that depends," Dawn leaned forward again, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Is hot wax your turn on?"

Val grinned like a dingo with a baby. "It's hot and gooey, isn't it?"

Dawn's face flushed, turning more pink than yellow now. "Well then, when are you free?"

"I've got time now."

Dawn licked her lips. "Mmm, let me me just-"

The door to the shop creaked open.

Val and Dawn jumped, quickly straightening up and smoothing out their clothes. Val turned to look at the sudden arrival.

A young mare had entered the shop. Her coat was black like the night, which did contrast nicely with her silvery mane. Val couldn't help but notice the wideness of her hips, although she suspected the tight skirt the mare wore was supposed to do that. She was wearing a thin coat over a black shirt with the words 'Vampires Suck' emblazoned on it. The peculiar shape of her ears and what looked like cute little fangs poking over her lip did invoked the image of a bat. As she closed the door behind her, she removed the dark sunglasses she wore, revealing the bright orange eyes behind them.

"Hi," the mare said, appearing perplexed by Val's presence. "Are you one of Mom's old friends?"

Val and Dawn laughed in the forced sort of way.

"More like new friend, Scary," Dawn said. She cleared her throat. "Scary, this is Val, she's my newest customer." Dawn gestured to Val almost like she was presenting her. "Val, this is my daughter, Scary Story."

"Hey," Scary Story waved.

"Hello," Val returned the wave, acutely aware how her tail was all over the floor.

Scary carefully stepped over Val's tail, moving around the Lamia and going behind the counter.

"I'll be in my room if you need me, Mom. Nice meeting you, Val." Scary said, turning and walking through a curtain of beads in the back, revealing the bat-like wings on her back.

Val and Dawn let out a breath once she was out of sight.

"Sorry about that," Dawn said, scratching her head.

"No I'm sorry," Val held her head with a hand. "I've got a habit of coming on a little strong."

"Little?" Dawn said, smirking a little. "I thought you were going to lay me on the counter."

Val returned the smirk. "Don't give me ideas." She sighed. "Well, that's probably for the best. Not exactly sure I want the first impression I make to be me seducing a married mare."

Dawn giggled. "No need to worry. Not married." She held up her left hand, showing it devoid of rings.

Val raised an eye-ridge. "Scary?"

"Adopted. But she's known for good while. She's a sweet kid, really." Dawn shook her head. "Listen, I'd say let's start over, but let's face it," Dawn struck a pose, leaning against the counter with her chest thrust out. "You want this old cake."

Val grinned. "There are worse things I could be eating."

Dawn giggled. "There you go again with the sweet talk. But... now's not a good time. How long are you in town?"

"A month, at least," Val answered.

"Plenty of time to set up a date. Just you, me, and a whole lot of hot and gooey."

Val leaned close again. "You're real lucky I just ate, dear."

"Oh I bet," Dawn grinned. "Now, are you going to buy something or what?"

Val left the candle shop caring a new bag landed with a good amount of wax and wick. It helped her coin purse was lighter to compensate. Dawn had talked her into buying plenty of candles, fluttering her eyelashes the whole while.

The Lamia quickly made her way through the streets, leaving the shops and signs behind as the sky darkened above her. The town's streets curved and wound like a pile of worms. Clearly there hadn't been much in the way of pre-planning when it came to the layout. Eventually, just as the rain began to fall, Val managed to find the small house the school had set up for her. She only went inside long enough to drop off her typewriter and candles, hardly giving the place a look. She was soon back out in the rain and among Ponyville's winding streets, trying to remember the directions from Windy's letter.

After a time, which was long enough for her to get properly soaked, she found what she was looking for.

Windy had said: 'When you see the old, dead tree with the big, dumb memorial, you're there.'

Well, there wasn't much left of the tree. It looked like it had been set on fire, dug up, chopped up, and then set on fire again, leaving only a few miserable, if sizable, branches left. These branches were arranged around the aforementioned big, dumb memorial; a massive, polished statue resembling a book. Carved onto the cover were the words: In memory of Golden Oaks Library.

Val snorted at the sight of it, quickly turning her attention to the surrounding houses. One clearly stood out as Windy's. No one else would hang that much garlic from their roof.

The rain began to fall in earnest as Val rapped her knuckles on the front door.

"Just a moment!" called a voice from inside, accompanied by several swears as footsteps drew closer to the door. The door swung open to reveal a familiar and welcomed sight.

"Shifting Winds," Val said with a genuine smile. "It's been too long."

The off-white Pegasus returned the smile with one of her own, running a hand through her electric-blue mane. "Valerie Morlin, indeed it has." the mare titled her head. "Have you gained weight?"

"Is the pot calling the kettle fat again?"

Shifting Winds, Windy, laughed. "Okay, okay, come in already."

The house might have at one time been spacious, but now it was filled to the brim with stacks and stacks of books, charts, maps, and other assorted items. The hallway past the door was especially cramped, Windy scrunching herself behind the door to allow Val to pass. At least it was warm.

"First door on the right," Windy called to Val, closing the front door just as the Lamia got her tail through. "It's a bit roomier."

Val opened the door Windy had indicated, finding the room behind it to indeed be 'roomier', although she'd use that word loosely. In the center of the room was a coffee table, with moth-eaten couches on opposite sides. Surrounding the couches and taking up most of the space in the room were yet more stacks of books, charts, and what-have-you. Adding to their numbers were several tall filing cabinets, a few wooden crates, and a stuffed and mounted hydra head, sitting lopsidedly on one of the cabinets against a wall. Luckily, something resembling a path had been made from the door to the couches.

"Hoarder," Val said to herself as she slithered over to one of the couches and sat down.

Windy was right behind her, collapsing onto the other couch. "Sorry about the mess." she said, adjusting the leather jacket she wore and smoothing out the legs of her tan pants.

Val smirked. "I'm used to it. Reminds me of the library in Griffonstone."

"That's low, even for you."

"Oh, don't be like that. I have fond memories of Griffonstone."

Windy laughed. "I bet you do." she sighed  "That fucking stone wasn't worth it."

"It wasn't that bad," Val grinned cheekily.

"For you maybe," Windy crossed her arms. "You weren't all hot and sweaty for seven hours." She glared at Val. "We both know you could have let me out long before that."

"I'm sorry I was being cautious while smuggling you and some old rock across the Griffon's borders."

"You were being self-indulgent."

Val leaned back and covered her grin with a hand. "Well, I suppose I did have some fun."

"I was naked, of course you had fun."

"You try swallowing a leather jacket and get back to me."

Windy sighed and looked away. "Fine, but we both know you got off on that."

Val giggled. "I suppose we do."

"Aha!" Windy pointed an accusing finger. "I knew it!"

Val waved a dismissive hand. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it. I could taste you, remember."

Windy sighed and let her arm drop. "Fine, call it even?"

"Always have," Val giggled again. "But enough about old adventures." she leaned forward. "Do you have it here?"

"Someone's eager," Windy laughed as she stood up. "Wait here a moment."

The Pegasus wiggled between two nearby stacks of books, moving towards one of the crates at the back of the room.

"So, any hints or tidbits?" Val called.

"You'll see it in a second," Windy called back. The sound of a crate being opened followed.

Val pouted. "Fine." a pause. "Need any help?"

"I'm good,"

The crate closed with a thunk and papers rustled beneath Windy's boots as she slowly made her way back to the couch. She emerged from the stacks with a box wrapped in brown paper. She gently placed it on the table, sitting back down.

"And now, you owe me one," Windy said, pushing the package closer to Val.

The Lamia eagerly tore the paper away, revealing the small crate beneath it. She pulled the lid off, gazing inside.

"Oh Windy, I could kiss you," Val said as she pulled the crate's contents from its cushioned packaging.

"Two cheeks, no waiting," Windy laughed. "So, did I do good, or what?"

Val gently placed the object on the table. It was a black jar, likely carved from stone. All along its surface were curving and spiraling runes of some forgotten language. Val softly traced one with a finger, only now realizing she was holding her breath.

The Lamia allowed herself to breath and smiled widely at her friend. "Windy you did better than good. "You have any idea what this is?"

"I'm not the expert you are, but it's definitely related to Nightmare Moon, right?"

"Oh yes," Val turned her attention back to the jar. "I don't know all these symbols, but you see this one here? It means spirit or soul. This is a soul jar!"

Windy chuckled. "Ooh, so I've got the soul of the Queen of Nightmare's on my table?"

Val grinned, "Maybe. It'd be helpful if I could ask the actual Nightmare Moon some questions."

"What's the topic this time?"

"Whether or not she devoured others for fun and profit."

"That is a good one."

Val straightened up. "Windy, I don't suppose you'd mind if I...?"

"Take it over to your place to study it? Not at all." Windy nudged the crate forward. "Just be careful. There's a museum in Fillydelphia with deep pockets and their eye on this little beauty."

"I'll be careful," Val tried to lift the lid off the jar, only to find it stuck. Puzzled, she leaned down to peer at where the lid met the body of the jar. The thing appeared to be sealed shut, the stone appearing as though it had melted together. "That's odd."

Val shrugged and carefully placed the jar back in its crate, closing the lid on it. "I'll take it over to my place now, if that's alright."

"Of course," Windy stood up with Val. "I'll come with you. I want to see what sort of swanky accommodations the school set you up with."

Val smiled. "Mmm, it'll be nice to have a friend over for dinner."

Windy gave Val a look. "Don't go trying anything. I have my whip."

Val laughed. "Okay, okay. Didn't know you still had that thing." She picked up the crate and made her way out the door and down the hall. She opened the front door and peered out. Still raining.

"Hey Windy, I'm going to be moving pretty fast. You think you can keep up?"

"You go running, or, you know whatever it is you do, and you'll just work up an appetite." Windy called from behind Val "I don't look good in snake skin, you know."

"Relax, Windy, I'm not going to eat you." Val paused and thought a moment. "Although, if you're really worried, you could pick up something to eat on the way there."

Moving carefully to avoid stepping on her tail, Windy moved up to the door. "You buying?"