Chapters Author's Note
This was written on my PS4, while writing I went with the idea that main characters' species aren't used to communicating in a language like ours and wanted to reflect that in the writing. Also writing on a PS4 is limited so I can't exactly write things the way I would if I were on the computer.
It's probably not very good, but it was fun to write though, please enjoy this adorable eldritch fluffball.
Hello!
It had been watching the ponies for a few hours.
It?
No, no that didn't sound right. The right words needed to be used, others liked it when one could communicate with words instead of feelings or intent directly implanted into the brain. Others also liked to have things easily defined, a name, a label, a string of words.
She , yes, she! She was a she. She liked being a she. She would worry about a name later, or perhaps just use the name her last human/friend/owner had given her.
Mittens was a good name. She liked Mittens, she liked her old human/friend/owner but she had been asked to investigate this new world, a bright world with a large peaceful civilization perfect for The Conglomerate to establish friendly relations with. A new world for the Yldduc to move to. So, Mittens had been called upon to initiate first contact.
Mittens was loaf-shaped with thick black fur, pointed ears atop her head with a single yellow eye in the center of her face. Her dozens of stubby, fuzzy legs propelled her across the ground, past trees and bushes-
She froze, her gaze locked onto a chirping thing with feathers. She chirped at it.
They had birds here! She always got The Warm Fuzzies when she saw something she recognized, it meant she had remembered the words correctly. Words were difficult for some Yldduc but Mittens loved using them. Mittens remembered her human/friend/owner liked birds, always told Mittens not to eat them, not that she would, she didn't like eating living things, she had looked like those things at some point!
Mittens squeaked a farewell at the bird and scuttled off towards the settlement in the distance.
As Mittens approached the settlement? Town? Village? She picked up on the surface level thoughts of the locals. Non telepathic races were noisy by nature, their thoughts open and available for Mittens to sense like a diary left open in a public area. It was why she had to retreat to the forest, it was so loud , she needed quiet in order to process what she had learned while watching the ponies.
Mittens knew the settlement was preparing for a festival with costumes and food, that ponies were generally nice people and The Conglomerate had requested she try a different tactic. So, she scurried into a bush by a dirt path near the entrance to town and took a closer look at what she had been instructed to mimic. Her superiors wanted the Yldduc to have a more active role on this world, The Pet Initiative wouldn't work so, Mittens had to mimic a people- wait wrong word- person, yes. Mittens had to be a person.
That meant talking, that meant words and expressions, and far more complicated things than she was used to. She was thrumming with excitement as she focused on what a pony looked like. Ears, a muzzle, a mane, a tail and a not-loaf body. Legs were tricky, they weren't cat legs with nifty retractable claws and what her human/friend/owner called toe beans, these legs were, stumps? Hooves? Mittens' form rippled as she tried to get her body to look right, it didn't so she used four furry tendrils as a substitute for legs.
She couldn't give herself another eye either, but her human/friend/owner had liked her "one-eyed hellcat" look so maybe the ponies would too? She had succeeded in giving herself a pony head and pony tail. She could pass her new form off as a costume until she made a new friend. She waited until the road was empty to leave the safety of the bush. Walking on the tips of her tendrils, she headed into town.
The thatched roofs of houses, colourful flowerbeds and quaint atmosphere was relaxing to Mittens, the orange and yellow leaves blown around by the wind only added to its charm.
Mittens' maw stretched into an expression she'd seen both humans and ponies use to express happiness, her white teeth on full display. A smile she remembered and kept walking.
It wasn't long before she came across a pony. Mittens showed off more teeth in the hopes of being friendly, the pony froze, their expression twisted into something Mittens hadn't seen before and her telepathic senses could feel the terror the pony was consumed by. Mittens closed her mouth, the pony was scared, what were you supposed to do when people were scared?
Ah, words. Mittens had to use words, Mittens had to sound like a she and use words.
"H E L L O "
The pony screamed and ran off further into town. The raw, primal reaction took Mittens off guard, a tendril halfheartedly extended out to comfort the pony, but they were long gone. She looked around, the streets were deserted, Mittens was at a loss and looked down at herself.
Why couldn't she just be a cat? Even ponies liked cats.
She hid behind the nearest building, she needed a new plan. On the ground before her was a piece of paper. Mittens couldn't read pony words yet but there were images on it she could identify. A group of small ponies all wearing strange costumes, surrounded by smaller, colourful trinkets. Food maybe? One of the small ponies had nothing more than a large piece of cloth over them with holes cut in the front for their eyes.
Mittens single eye blinked at the simplicity of the costume, if ponies wore it, Mittens could use it to blend in during the festival. Luckily, she was familiar with various types of material, her human/friend/owner had lots of soft things and large pieces of cloth for sleeping on. She reverted back into her normal form, she focused, her back rippled and a large, white square sprung out of her body and fluttered in the light breeze to land on her head.
Mittens grew a furry tentacle to grasp the bedsheet and adjust it so it covered her completely- it wasn't big enough, her feet and half her body were still visible.
Mittens let out a frustrated squeak.
She could make more bedsheets and tie them together, but she couldn't risk expending so much energy and risk making herself sick when she hadn't even made a new friend to stay with yet. Not wanting her creation to go to waste, she ate it. It wasn't the energy she needed but until she found a pony to provide the energy she fed from, she had to be careful.
Mittens kept to the shadows as she scuttled away to explore the town.
Author's Note
This started out as Mittens pulling a No Face and trying to offer ponies gold coins... Then I pictured Mittens being inside a cardboard box and this was the result.
Box!
As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Mittens enjoyed the cool comfort of a dark alleyway. She watched ponies stand at wooden structures filled with food, produce, as other ponies walked up to them and traded a varying amount of plants for small, round pieces of gold.
Picking up on their thoughts revealed this was a Marketplace and the ponies were exchanging currency for food. Money , the ponies had money. Mittens could use this, she couldn't see the finer details of the coins but they were gold. Were they made of gold? Ponies had a lot of similar things humans had and humans liked gold, Mittens had made gold before. She didn't have enough experience or knowledge on ponies to try mimicking one again, but if she could hide herself and use words properly, she could trade gold for a costume? They had to have a- it took her a moment to remember the word- shop for costumes.
A disguise, that was the right word. She needed a disguise! Mittens chirped in joy, she knew the perfect disguise. Now, where was she going to find a box? She darted through alleyways and side streets, zipped around corners all in search of a cardboard box.
Box, box, box... Where to find a box? Box, box, box...
She chirped loudly as she rounded a corner and found an empty cardboard box leaning up against the wall.
Box!
She ran up to it, sprouting tentacles to grab it and turn it upside-down. She dropped it over herself. As Mittens sat within the confines of the bos, the outside world visible through a hole in the side, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. The box was cozy, the box was safe, the box was perfect.
Mittens walked forward, a pair of tendrils latched onto the inside of the box to keep it on. She felt like it was safer to just keep the box rather than try to get a costume. It was certainly less complicated. Even though she wasn't a cat, Mittens began to purr, she had overcome the first hurdle!
Mittens took comfort in her box as she shuffled down the street, in full view of the ponies milling about the marketplace. She couldn't see much from the hoofhold on the side of the box but ponies were looking at her, and they weren't running away! Oh, Mittens knew that expression, confusion , their thoughts were loud as ever, wondering why a pony- Mittens felt like squeaking in elation at being thought of as a pony!- was walking around inside a cardboard box.
In the box, she was confident. In the box, she could be more than just Mittens The Yldduc-Cat, she could be Mittens The Yldduc-Pony! All she had to do was talk , sound like a she and use words.
She could do this!
She shuffled over to one of the marketplace vendors, she already knew what to say, Hello, My name is Mittens. I am new in town.
The pony, an orange female wearing a hat, looked at her warily. "Can I help you?"
Mittens smiled in her box. "Hel-Lo -"
Someone shrieked. "It's the monster! "
The pony in front of Mittens was quick to act, tearing the box away with a- this close Mittens could actually see their legs in detail- hoof and the gathered ponies fell silent. The tentacles that held the box remained in the air. Mittens was only a bit shorter than the pony, who backed away quickly in what Mittens now knew as terror. No, that was bad, Mittens offered the pony a small smile- maybe less teeth would help- as her form morphed into the basic shape of a pony. Mittens looked around as she stabilized, still smiling and lifted a foreleg to copy the motion she'd seen ponies use as a greeting.
"Hello, My name is -"
Her words were drowned out by the noise of the locals as they fled the area, Mittens sensed not only their fear but also the quickly rising anger from the hat wearing pony in front of her. Nausea and a sense of unease rolled within the depths of her being while the sharp spike of protective fury grated painfully against Mittens' telepathic senses. She abandoned her pony form and scrambled away from the orange pony, scaled the nearest wall and used her tendrils to haul herself into a hidden corner between two buildings.
Mittens pulled her head and legs into herself, closing her eye and curling up into a ball as the sounds of panicked ponies was muffled by her dense fur and her senses were dulled as she retreated further into herself. Mittens waited for things, both herself and the outside world, to return to normal. Mittens wanted to go home, back to her human/friend/owner, back to being Mittens The Yldduc-Cat, but her home was here now.
She just had to find it, find a friend. Mittens wondered if she could find another box and hide in it until The Conglomerate sent another Yldduc to do her job. She squeaked quietly, she couldn't, her own survival was on the line, not just her people. With a warbling sigh, she unfurled from the safety of her plush fur and scuttled around the back of the building.
The ponies were clearly ready to defend their home from danger but initial scouting had noted them as nonviolent, so she had been selected to initiate first contact based on her own nonviolent temperament- Mittens chirped proudly, she was getting better with words!- so, what to do? Her information was insufficient, most First Contact Missions were simple, observe the locals, follow orders and make a good first impression.
Mittens needed to keep trying until she got it right. She needed to look for another box. She zipped down a nearby side street.
Box, Box, Box, Oooo blue thing! Box, Box, Box, Box...
Mittens kept to the shadows, skimming the thoughts of passing ponies to understand their language, their body language on a deeper level than just basic mimicry. Safe within her new box- Mittens had named it BoxTwo since it was her box- she watched the hustle and bustle as everyone prepared for the festival. Stalls were set up, games and attractions tested, and decorations that had a strong resemblance to the decorations Mittens remembered her human/friend/owner putting up once a year. As the sun set and darkness engulfed the town, ponies of all ages dressed up in all manner of costumes began to wander around, buy food, or play one of the games.
Mittens was careful to avoid being seen as she shuffled around in BoxTwo and took in the sights. She wandered over to hide behind a barrel and watched a performance put on a striped pony and from it she learned the name and purpose of the festival. Mittens chirped at the revelation of offering sweets to Nightmare Moon, looked around and quietly snagged a small wrapped treat from the closest food stall and left behind a blank gold coin in its place.
The wind picked up, the gathered crowd looked at the sky, and Mittens poked her head out from BoxTwo to see what had their attention.
The night sky was obscured by dark clouds as something flew overhead. Something descended to the ground, Mittens retreated back into BoxTwo and shuffled past her hiding spot for a closer. Whatever it was, the ponies were uneasy around it, pressing their bodies low to the ground.
It was another pony, taller than the others and-
Bluuueee...
The dark blue of the fur, the sparkling, constantly moving mane and tail was mesmerizing. Time lost all meaning, transfixed on the deep blue pony with both a horn and wings Mittens' trance was only broken when the pony spoke, addressing the crowd in a booming voice. The blue pony was loud , the crowd moved away from her- Mittens thinks the blue loud pony is a she.
The blue, loud pony seemed to be a figure of authority and was trying to communicate with the others. But from the way a pink pony in a chicken costume caused a group of smaller ponies to flee en mass, Mittens could tell it wasn't working, and the blue pony walked away, her thoughts a great swirl of sadness and dejection.
Mittens made sure her grip on BoxTwo was firm and followed the blue pony as she walked away from town.
Mittens watched the blue pony as she sat before a statue of an admittedly intimidating winged, horned, fanged pony. However, Mittens had already made up her mind and approached.
The pony looked over her shoulder as the sound of Mittens's shuffling within BoxTwo caught her attention. Mittens rolled the treat had grabbed earlier towards the pony.
"...So, Thou have come to bring tribute to Nightmare Moon?" the pony asked, clearly unhappy.
"No, for you. Hello! "
Mittens wasn't sure what expression the pony was making, was it good? Was it bad. She scrambled to say more words. "I saw others afraid of you. Others afraid of me. "
"You? Pray tell, why would Our subjects fear you? We do not sense anything from you that would cause them unease." The pony accepted the treat, her horn glowing blue-
Bluuueee
An elegant, blue hoof clad in a sparkly shoe poked the side of BoxTwo. "Are Thou well?"
Oh, right, focus! Words!
"Yes! Just, blue, you are blue! I like blue! " Mittens squeaked.
The pony looked confused. "Thou are a strange pony...Tis that why the townsfolk fear you? Thou has no reason to hide from Us, Thou are guilty of no crime."
Mittens chirped, this pony wasn't frightened by her, this pony understood. Mittens dared to hope and skittered out from under BoxTwo.
She watched the pony closely, ready to run. "My name is Mittens...I am not a pony. I am a Yldduc sent to make friends. "
"Ah, Thou would certainly frighten those unaccustomed to life's mysteries," the pony stated. "We are Princess Luna, one of the rulers of this land."
"You are not...Afraid? "
Mittens could only stare as Princess Luna looked her up-and-down, calm yet stoic.
"To shun another for their appearance when they have done no wrong nor intend any ill will is detestable. We have no right to pass such judgement, especially after what We had done a thousand years ago."
Mittens trilled quietly. She wasn't sure why Princess Luna was so remorseful. "You made a mistake? "
"...Yes, a very big mistake."
"You...I have trouble with words, Yldduc don't use words a lot, but mistake is fixed now? Princess Luna forgiven? "
"We are...Unsure," the pony admitted. "Our sister has made it clear We were not at fault yet, We still feel as if We need to work towards the crown and duties We bear." Princess Luna's thoughts spoke volumes about how troubled she truly was over it, the guilt ran deep, further validated by everyone's fear of her.
"Sister not think you made mistake, ponies see only the mistake, " Mittens realized and smiled, showing teeth. "I forgive you! "
Oh, Princess Luna was suprised. "What? But-Thou has no idea what We have done!"
Mittens didn't see why that was a problem. "Will you make the same mistake? "
"Neigh! Never! We would sooner spend another thousand years on Our moon!"
Mittens chirped brightly. "Then I forgive you! "
"...It is not that simple..."
"For you, it isn't. For others who remember mistake, it isn't. I don't remember the mistake, I don't see you for the mistake. I see Princess Luna, first pony to not be afraid of me. First Pony Friend. "
"Thou would...Call Us friend ?" the pony, a bit taller than Mittens, looked much smaller than she was with how she shied away from her.
Mittens dropped her smile and did her best to explain. "Yldduc live with other people for stability, we need The Warm Fuzzies to survive... Wait, wrong words- " Mittens concentrated. "Yldduc need to have good relationships with people to generate the energy we live off of. "
"And We can provide you with this energy because we... are friends?"
Mittens squeaked. "Yes! Yldduc telepathic sense respond to good feelings about Yldduc, body makes more energy, Yldduc helps people! Repeat! "
"Thou were sent here to find food, Our subjects, We are food." Princess Luna's gaze was... Oh, angry, she was angry.
Mittens scurried to hide back under BoxTwo. "Won't hurt ponies! Doesn't take from ponies! Just senses. Please! Anger hurts... "
Mittens tried very, very hard not to run. She curled up into a ball to dull the pain. "Won't hurt ponies, want friends, need to be nice to ponies. Will do anything, sorry! "
The anger, the pain faded quickly. Mittens felt BoxTwo being moved aside and tensed as a hoof gently rested atop her spherical form. Slowly, Mittens uncurled, the pony's concern and regret clear against her senses as she looked up at Princess Luna. Mittens gathered her scattered thoughts to try and talk, talking helps. "I was sent to make First Contact, to tell ponies about Yldduc so The Conglomerate could start peace talks to have Yldduc and ponies live together... "
Princess Luna rested her hoof on what passed as Mittens' shoulder. "We apologize, there are many monsters and foul creatures that wish harm upon Our subjects, We assumed thou were the same, just unaware of the danger thou posed."
"I made the mistake of using the wrong words, I'm not used to being a person yet...I was a cat before I sent here. "
"...A cat?" the pony was confused again.
Mittens mewled, her body rippled and morphed into a lanky, one-eyed black cat. "I was a Yldduc-Cat, I had a human-owner-friend that liked me a lot! I was liked so much The Conglomerate asked me to be the Yldduc for First Contact with ponies... I've never been people and used words this much before, I've only been animals. Yldduc look like people or animals others recognize as safe and normal in their area to make better friends with them! "
Princess Luna nodded. "Thou are a convincing cat."
"Cats are complex, not as complex as words but I studied cats for a long time. I am the best cat! " Mittens said, standing a little straighter as she reverted back to her normal form. "Boss-Yldduc said I can't be cat, have to be a pony. " She showed off her attempt at looking like a pony before reverting back.
Princess Luna looked thoughtful. "We may be able to offer some assistance, We will introduce thee as a representative for your kind so that the public need not fear your true form. T'would paint the Yldduc race in a positive light."
"But, new things scare others. Yldduc have always hidden true self until we gain new friends' trust. You understand being scary or not-same, so I trust you. "
"We will do all We can to ensure Our subjects accept your kind...If they do not run from Us that is..." Mittens' new friend looked worried. "Perhaps Our sister truly is better suited to mingling with the populace..."
Mittens trilled, a fluffy tendril extended to pat the pony's side. "You're my friend Princess Luna! You can do it, even it takes all... all- A really long time, things will get better eventually! "
Mittens' First Pony Friend smiled. "Thank you Mittens but please, call Us- me , Luna."
Mittens sensed someone approaching, she went back to hiding in BoxTwo as a new pony, a purple horned one in a costume that had a lot of bells and was very-
Bluuueee
She snapped back into focus sometime later when Luna nudged her with a hoof as she walked by. Mittens squeaked and rushed to follow her First Pony Friend. Mittens watched the bell pony- Twilight Sparkle- talk with Luna, help Luna make new friends, and Mittens was purring in joy as Luna made peace with the smaller ponies and...Oh what was the word?
Oh, right, Fun , Luna was having fun. Mittens was happy for Luna. As she followed her First Pony Friend, Mittens couldn't wait to report the good news to her superiors, to share her joy with others.
Mittens had made a friend.
Author's Note
Alternative Title: Blue
Special Thanks to Sanguine Dream, he helped with a bit of editing.
This overall, was fun to write. Whether I'll continue Mittens' story is up in the air at the time of writing. I'd certainly like to go more in-depth with The Yldduc Race as a whole and have Mittens continue to be a goofball up in Canterlot, it all depends on whether I have the energy to write as it took me a week just to get this done, using my PS4's web browser, and I know I could've gotten it done sooner and written more if I was well enough to use the computer.
I just had some notes on the Yldduc Race, a vague idea and a desire to write cute things. This was wasn't meant to be very long anyway.
I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Bonus: Notes on the Yldduc Race
Author's Note
These were the notes I used as the basis for Mittens species, the Yldduc. I wanted to make an alien species that had hallmarks of horror/sci-fi monsters but also could be portrayed as cute instead of scary. It also had to be simple because character descriptions aren't my strong point, at all.
Mittens spacing out around anything dark blue was added halfway through writing the story and I couldn't be bothered to add onto the notes, lol.
Mittens being obsessed with boxes is purely a Mittens thing and not a trait shared by her species.
Plus I like cute, fluffy things :)
Bonus: Notes on the Yldduc Race
Yldduc are entities that are around four feet tall, spherical, oval, loaf-shaped or egg-shaped creatures with cat-like ears, covered in thick, fluffy fur with the number of eyes varying between individuals. They have no skeletal structure and are capable of rapidly altering their physiology to suit their needs, interacting with objects via fur covered tentacles and move primarily by growing dozens of stubby, fuzzy legs covered in hooked hairs. They are incredibly fast and highly adaptable. Their fur is so thick it is seemingly endless and protects them from harm as it is virtually indestructible. Breathing for these creatures is an involuntary action to keep their form in a stable state and indicator of emotional state, as opposed to a need for oxygen.
A group of Yldduc is called a bundle.
The Yldduc are a sentient, telepathic race that form symbiotic relationships with other beings. By mimicing a local or similarly harmless entity, they entice others to form an emotional attachment to it in order for it to generate the energy it needs to maintain itself. This energy can be gained from friendship, romantic relationships or general acceptance by a community or society. They do not need physical food, but will accept food or participate in mealtimes as a bonding activity and can give themselves a sense of taste.
Yldduc are capable of creating objects to use as gifts, everything from money to textiles and even food. This consumes energy and can make them sick if they do it for an extended period of time. They cannot make anything larger than themselves and must be familiar with the object in order to make it.
They will seek out civilizations in a period of peace, mimic the general body shape of the local populace and attempt to find a place in said society, though they can also take on the form of animals kept as pets. Anything the locals recognize as alive, harmless and is a common sight in their society are the parameters the Yldduc use for the forms they take.