Snickers: On the Road
Shopping in Frand
Previous ChapterNext Chapter“I wanna go get a new dress!” Silver said, giddily.
“Oh, I want one, too!” Diamond replied with cheer.
“Can I get something, too?” Cress added.
“We need to stop by the bank, first. I don’t want to drop Equestrian bits all over the place,” Snickers said as all three fillies started talking about what they were going to shop for.
“We’re gonna buy you some new clothes as well. You’re a prince and shouldn’t just be wearing a cape.” Cress said to Snickers as she lead the fillies walking past him.
After a stop by the bank, each pony had coins to spend on whatever they wanted, and a checkbook was given to one of the guards to hold on to for Snickers to use as he saw fit.
Trixie trotted up to the group as they left the bank looking refreshed and good as new. Snickers even noticed the true mare beneath the illusion seeming happier than he’d ever seen her. She seemed to have more blue in her coat than he’d noticed before. “Trixie’s cape and hat are being cleaned, so she is in need of some new clothes, too. Perhaps she will shop with you and grace you with her presence.”
Snickers looked at her flanks and noticed something. “You don’t have any saddlebags, we should buy you some, as thanks for everything you’ve done for us so far.”
Trixie nodded and raised her snout to the sky. “Trixie accepts your little offer. Please wait while she gets some Lordecoin to spend on her own.” She turned and walked into the closed bank door, stumbling back a couple steps and earning a round of laughs at her expense from the foals and a few chuckles from the adult guards around them. “Trixie meant to do that, to hear the foals’ laughter fill her heart.”
Making sure the door was open and her snout wasn’t too high, she trotted into the bank and the foals started giggling and talking about what had happened for a minute until they all started about what they wanted to shop for.
“Think of it, new stuff to look at. New toys to buy. New fabric to feel against our coats! I’m so excited,” Diamond cheered and was joined in by the other fillies.
Snickers grinned for a few seconds as the fillies tittered and giggled, then he turned to look down a street. “Guard, where’s the nearest hu- er, Terran shop?”
The guard looked down at Snickers, his metal armor shining in the sunlight. “I will lead you to it right now, if you wish, your highness.”
“No, that’ll be fine. I’ll wait for Trixie and we can all go shopping together.” Snickers said.
“As you wish,” the guard said and bowed his head slightly.
A minute later Trixie left the bank with a checkbook in her magic. “Trixie believes this will be more effective than throwing coins around like a commoner.”
“We have coins to spend if you need any, Miss Trixie,” Silver said.
“Trixie appreciates your offer, but will pay her own way. She has enough coins in the bank to live like a princess here. However, this land doesn’t need another missing princess when I leave, so I will live like a Lady while I am here. Come, let us go shopping!”
The fillies cheered while Trixie smiled smugly. Snickers moved beside the guard he’d spoken to before, the mare stoically watching him as he approached. She stood to attention when he passed her and she began following him, as did the rest. “Well, where are we going to shop first?”
...
Snickers followed the fillies into a boutique and sat on a provided cushion while two guards stood at the entrance door, the remaining taking posts outside and patrolling the area to keep their charge safe. Over the next three hours, he patiently waited and gave the occasional opinion on the dresses they each tried on.
After having a check written out to cover the cost, Snickers was awoken from his nap by his fillies and he promptly left the shop, noticing each filly with bags of clothing waiting by the door. A unicorn guardsmare was voluntold to carry their shopping and they left to the next shop that caught their eye a half block down the street.
Trixie caught up to the group and told them of Gil’s time in the spa before she entered the boutique to have a new cape made for her by the next morning, cost be damned.
...
Snickers entered the toy store with wide eyes. Rows of shelving held all manners of games, toys, and dolls. He rushed in followed by the fillies and they all scattered to different parts of the store while Trixie, who quickly caught up wearing a blue tunic as a stand-in for her cape, stood outside and made idle chat with one of the guards.
Snickers found some clockwork toys that moved in certain ways after being wound up. He passed a foal and her mother in a colorful ball section and found a wall of books to his left. He skimmed them and found the first book in the Human Series and picked it out. Opening it he found it to be printed in plain earth English of old, like many of the signs and notices around the city were posted in.
He read the first page and wanted to read more, but a shopkeeper stopped him from reading on without buying the book. He added the book to a unicorn stallion’s magic to buy it, then looked up to find various role-playing game books. He recognized some of the titles, but held no interest in them beyond wondering what it would be like to play them in his free time. Stepping away, he looked at the back wall to find dolls and boxed figurines. He happily pranced over to them and felt Aquelis looking at the selection through his eyes but not wanting to take control.
Snickers passed many dolls and collectibles, stopping when he came up to a section of shelves taller than he was with various types of creatures, namely humans.
The Dwarven were known to have begun inhabiting planets with heavier gravity than Earth, the standard humans of Earth, and Tallboys were on the shelves, but each looked different than they should have.
Each carried many of the same anatomical issues like breasts lower set onto the chest and four fingers and toes, for those not wearing boots, as well as most being naked save for fitting clothing covering their genitals or breasts. Snickers poked one standard human in the belly, watching as it tipped onto the one next to it.
“Would your highness care for a human doll? They’re very popular among foals since the books came out.” The same salesmare said, approaching him from down an aisle. Snickers shook his head, but felt a pull from the pony inside his mind to grab one of each. Sighing, Snickers picked one of each of both genders, six in total, and added them to the unicorn’s magical field.
Next, Snickers turned to the salesmare and walked past her into an aisle shared by a colt and filly who were playing with blocks stamped with the local language he couldn’t read. Noticing some books for foals on the basic alphabet, he grabbed one and some smaller blocks in a box, as well as some flashcards and a blank notebook.
Calling out to Silver Spoon, he found her quickly and met her at a display of cards featuring happy children of various species playing, many with words he couldn’t read, but understood to be words of congratulations or praise. She pointed to one card that caught her eye and picked it out with her lips.
She opened it and dropped it in surprise when it began playing a jaunty tune. They shared a laugh and closed it, placed it back, and then Snickers noticed the shopping basket with toys she’d been interested in. It had a couple foals books in it and a book on bilingual studies that was far more advanced than the one he’d chosen.
Diamond caught up to the duo with Cress. Both fillies had small baskets with balls, clockwork items and display knick knacks that caught each of their eyes, although Cress seemed to have significantly less than any of them.
“I just don’t really like toys; I’m more of a mare of action… besides, with the toys you’ve all got, I think I can find something to play with.” Cress admitted.
Snickers looked into her basket and smirked. “And what about the squeaky toys you’ve chosen?”
Cress’s black cheeks would have shown a clear blush as she spoke. “Just something for Gil. I know how much he needs something to play with, too. I remember hearing that predators like chewing on squeaky toys, so… I just hope he’ll like them.”
“I’m sure he’ll love the idea, at least,” Silver said, “and if he doesn’t, then, like, we’ll make him,” she said with a wink and a nudge with her elbow into Cress’s side.
Cress giggled and looked at the stallion carrying Snickers’s toys. “You couldn’t grab a shopping basket?”
“I don’t mind.” The guard said as he spun the items around his head.
Snickers and the group decided they’d shopped enough and went to the till to check out. After having an adult write another check, Snickers signed it and they took their bags outside before they were taken by the same mare as before with a little strain.
...
Walking in formation, the guards flanked the group as they walked down a main street, clearing a path as they went by their mere presence alone. “Your highness,” one guard Snickers hadn’t interacted with yet said, “the Terran shop is just ahead. We’ll post guards for you, as usual.”
The fillies in the group looked intently ahead while Snickers had already seen the sign. What seemed to be an airship hung above the door colored brightly to help it stand out. “I see it, let’s hurry, I think we’re drawing too much attention as it is.”
With a bow of her head, the guard took the lead and ordered the rest to their spots as Trixie veered off to look at jewelry in a display window. The fillies followed Snickers into the shop and their newly shod hooves clacked on the first linoleum they’d come across since leaving Equestria.
“Welcome! How can we… oh, no,” the shopkeep groaned, “we already paid our taxes twice this month; we can’t spare a third tax.”
Snickers moved to the stallion, who looked down at him. “I’m Prince Snickers, of Equestria, and I’m here to shop, not steal from you.”
The stallion raised an eyebrow at the colt, then looked at the guards flanking the door. “Uh, well… um, I guess I can find a steal of a deal for you, your, uh, royalness.”
“Please, call me Snickers, or Aquelis, but let’s do away with the honorifics. Please, show us what you have to offer.”
The stallion, gathering his wits, bowed his head. “Indeed. I’m Johnathan and welcome to our store where we have many inventions to offer, as well as investment opportunities if you’re interested.”
The guards by the inner door rolled their eyes, but were ignored by Johnathan. “Johnathan?” Silver snarked. “What kind of name is that?” She tittered with Diamond at the strange-sounding name.
“It’s my name, that’s all that matters. We Terrans live a different lifestyle than most creatures around here, so either accept it, or you can leave our store until you are ready to show some respect.”
Snickers held up a forehoof. “Ponies, let’s keep it civil. Johnathan, these are my mares and we are all from Equestria where names are quite different. This pink filly is my alpha mare and her name is Diamond Tiara. The gray filly beside her is in my herd, too. Her name is Silver Spoon and our friend in the back is Watercress.”
Johnathan looked between the fillies as they were introduced. “It’s nice to meet you, and what lovely names you all have. Please, let me show you some of what we have to offer at hand, er, hoof.”
Snickers followed the stallion to a shelf and looked at pictures of high quality. “What’re these?” Cress asked.
“HD photos. I have a standard portable camera here,” he gestured to a snap camera attached to a yoke that could be worn on a pony’s neck, “and it takes photos in real time onto-”
“We know how cameras work,” Diamond cut in. “I was the editor for the school paper, after all.”
“For about two months,” Silver mumbled.
“What else can your cameras do, or are they just for taking nice pictures?” Diamond asked, ignoring her herd sister’s jibe.
“Well, there’s a model we sell that will print the pictures immediately. It’s a bit expensive for most creatures, but I think you can afford it with a royal budget,” Johnathan said, looking down at Snickers.
Snickers waved a forehoof. “What next?”
The stallion stepped back and turned around to a series of pictures and paintings on a wall. “Well, if you’re interested in investing in anything, here are some projects we’re working on. Here’s a portable phone that’s powered by the latent magical field found all over the world here. We have working models, but to mass produce them we need a lot of funding.
“Over here we have computer technology that’s far superior to anything offered today by the few creatures and companies that can create them. A computer is a device that can do work with input information like math or calculations.
“,” Snickers said in English, “
The stallion’s eyes widened and his attention snapped to the brown colt. “
Snickers shook his head. “
“
“”
“Hush,” Johnathan said. “There’s no need to start rumors where there don’t need to be any. Please, may I speak with you in the back of the store?”
Snickers waved Silver Spoon over to his side. “Girls, you look around and if anything catches your eye, let me know and maybe we’ll buy it. Silver and I are going to the back to talk with Johnathan.”
A guard left the doorway and hurried to Snickers. “Your Highness, we cannot let you out of our sight.”
“I won’t be alone; I have Silver Spoon with me. She understands
“I will stand guard outside the door, then.” The guard stated without any room for argument.
Snickers followed Johnathan to the back of the shop and went through an open doorway into an office with Silver by his side. Closing the door, the Terran moved to his seat at the desk and sighed. “You’re a Terran, like us? That’s good to know, there are so few of us these days coming across.”
“What do you mean? How many Terrans are there?” Snickers asked.
Johnathan glanced at the door and then reached to the side of his desk and pulled out a small box. Opening the box he reached in and pulled out a complex device he set on the desk. “
Silver’s eyes widened at the image of a female pony that appeared. It was mostly gray with purple dots for eyes. Snickers smiled. “
Johnathan nodded and raised a hoof to his lips. “
The small Virtual Intelligence looked in the stallion’s direction. “
“
The V.I. nodded at the stallion. “
“
Snickers grinned. “! Well, hooves.” He said, tapping them on the floor.
Starbound turned to face Snickers. “
Silver cleared her throat. “, or their magic.”
Starbound giggled. “
Snickers flicked his ear. “
The image flickered. “
Snickers looked at Johnathan, then Starbound. “
Starbound’s image flickered. “
Snickers thought it over, then answered. Johnathan’s eyes widened. “You’re from that far into the future?”
Snickers shrugged. “It’s the present to me. Hell, this world is the stone age compared to what I’m used to.”
Starbound flickered again. “
Snickers nodded. “
Johnathan nodded and shut the virtual intelligence off, hiding her away again. “Please, look around and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Snickers went to the camera again and slipped it onto his head, resting it on his neck with the shutter switch by his mouth. “How do you aim this thing?”
Johnathan used a forehoof to flip up a targeting cross. “Point that at your target and snap away. You can take 32 photos per roll of film.”
Snickers nodded and took the camera off. “I’ll take this and ten rolls of film, to start.” Snickers turned to place everything he’d chosen in a wire handled basket a guard was offering. Snickers went down the three compact aisles and picked up a digital calculator, a clockwork toy that looked like a mouse and scurried in circles when wound up and set on the floor.
The fillies chose to look at the prospective projects and grab some brochures on what they did and what the investment cost was going to be. After meeting back up with his fillies, Snickers paid for his items and was about to leave when he was stopped by Johnathan. “Snickers, right? Well, we’d love to have you sooner than later in New Terra. There are opportunities there you can’t pass up on, if you’re interested in building a future for us all.”
Snickers nodded once. “We shall talk about it and decide as a herd.”
Jonathan bowed his head. “Take your time, we aren’t going anywhere.”
Snickers nodded and turned back to the door and left with the rest to find a gathering of locals around a semi-circle of guards holding a line. “What’s going on here?” Diamond asked.
“Your highness?! Mary Jane from The Frand Gazette: How long are you going to be in Frand and what brought you here?”
“How many royals from Equestria are with you?”
“When did you arrive?”
“Are you offering peace between our lands after centuries of isolation?”
As ponies began shouting questions over one another another group started screaming excitedly and reaching their forelegs out toward him. Larger creatures such as a couple minotaurs and a bison used their size to curiously look at the small group before moving along. A goat nearly pushed through the line to toss a folded piece of paper to Cress.
She picked it up and unfolded it, then passed it to Diamond, who passed it to Silver Spoon. She read it over and cocked her head. “It says ‘I’m single.’” She read and then looked at the spot the male goat was before he was shoved back. “It’s getting, like, really loud. We should go back to the Keep if it’s gonna get crazier.”
Snickers’s ears twitched and his eyes shimmered, noticed by Diamond Tiara. She moved closer to him to speak and be heard. “Aquelis, is that you?”
The colt nodded his head. “Yes, my friend. I shall take care of this as it’s too overwhelming for Snickers to handle right now.”
“Wait… so, Snickers just left you in charge because it was loud?”
Aquelis nodded. “In essence, yes. He doesn’t do well in crowds, he says.”
Diamond rolled her eyes and flicked her ear in annoyance. “He can’t be alone and he can’t be in crowds. That colt. Fine, but I want him back as soon as possible.” She commanded. Quietly, she muttered, “And I’ve gotta find a way to separate you two or this is gonna get more annoying than it already is.”
“Attention!” Aquelis shouted and held up a hoof for several seconds before the crowd quieted down. “Please, if you have any questions send them to the Keep and let us finish our shopping.”
The crowd roared into questions again.
“Are you going to move here?”
“Why are you interested in the Terrans stuff?”
“Are you a polygamist? Are those your fillies?”
“Can I join your herd?!”
At that question several females in the crowd screamed in excitement and pushed past the guards to rush a suddenly terrified colt. Diamond and Silver rushed to stand between the females of various ages and species while Cress joined the guards with a staff she’d pulled from under her wing that extended into full size to push the crowd back.
A clap of thunder startled most of the crowd into looking up at Trixie, who was standing on the roof of the shop. “Behold, the Great and Powerful Trixie has returned to Frand to share with you the stories of her travels and adventures in Equestria! Watch as she dazzles and amazes you tonight in the city square. The Prince will be there, too; as part of my elaborate and exciting show!”
The crowd looked at Trixie standing on the second story roof ledge on her hind legs, forelegs spread wide, her cape billowing in the wind. They looked back at Snickers, then began mumbling between themselves. A few seconds later some of the crowd dispersed. Many others hung around, but stopped pushing against the guards.
“Mary Jane, again,” the mare announced herself, holding a microphone strapped to her foreleg out to Aquelis, “what will you be doing while you’re here in Frand? Do you intend on going to the capitol to see the queen?”
Aquelis looked at the mare and stood proudly. “It would be an honor to someday meet her, but for now I, and my friends, would like to go shopping in your fine city.”
“I’m not part of his herd,” Cress added, her tufted ears twitched when the microphone was aimed at her.
“Are you his personal guard?” Mary asked.
Cress collapsed the staff and slid it back under her wing to its hidden holster. “No, just a close friend that cares about all my friends’ safety.”
Mary Jane asked her next question. “And what are your names?”
Diamond Tiara backed up to stand beside Snickers, Silver noticing and copying her move. “This is Snickers, but sometimes he likes to be called Aquelis. I’m Diamond Tiara, this is my herd sister, Silver Spoon. The black filly is Cress and she’s not a part of our herd.”
Mary looked between the fillies and the colt. She moved the mic to her muzzle. “This has been Mary Jane interviewing the visiting royalty from Equestria. I’ll keep you updated with more as it comes.”
The majority of the crowd had been listening and had heard the exchange. Satisfied that their questions would be answered, more dispersed. The ones that stayed formed a posse that grouped together totaling about twenty. They giggled, whispered, and muttered amongst one another as the guards carefully broke ranks to flank their charges. Once the group was emotionally settled, Silver Spoon asked for a clothing store for colts. They were directed to a shop down the block and they moved as quickly as they could with the crowd following them.
They went into the shop and were greeted by a gray unicorn mare with a styled blue mane wearing a finely made dress and an orange earth pony stallion with brown mane wearing a fetching shirt and hat. “Welcome to… oh, my,” the mare said as she noticed the guards taking position inside the doorway and outside, “who do we have here?” She asked
Aquelis’s eyes sparkled and Snickers looked at the mare. “M-mom?” He said, then noticed the differences.
“Oh, um, sorry, darling, but I only have a single daughter, and she’s at school right now.”
“S-sorry, you just look like…” Snickers said, stepping back and shaking his head.
Silver Spoon placed a forehoof on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” She asked as he shook his head slowly.
“I’m okay, just… confused. Switching too fast can do that, I guess. Um, sorry I called you mom, miss.”
“It’s perfectly fine, dear. Now, how can we help, um, your highness?”
“You can start by telling us your names,” Cress stated bluntly.
“Oh, how rude of us.” The stallion stated. “I’m Misty Dusk and this lovely mare is my wife, Elusive Night.” They both bowed cordially.
“Oh, yeah! I’m Prince Snickers from Equestria and these are my herdmates Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Cress is the cute filly in the back.”
Cress looked at Snickers with surprise. “You think I’m cute?”
Snickers chuckled. “You can be cute when you don’t mean to be. Anyway, I’m here because I need clothes. I can’t just walk around in a cape with patches on it, after all.”
Elusive gasped with a forehoof over her mouth. She rushed to Snickers, bumping Diamond out of the way with a grunt and frown from the filly. She called over a measuring tape and began measuring Snickers’s foreleg while Dusk undid the clasp holding his Cutie Mark Crusader cape on. He took it off him and rushed to a stand to place it on, then returned to his wife with a notepad to take notes of her measurements.
Snickers, having modeled for Rarity a few times, stood tall and still as he was measured over a minute before Elusive backed off with a titter. “Such a fine model you make, your highness. If only I could… oh, idea!” She called out, reminding Snickers of Rarity all too much. “I think a shirt would be best for you, unless you’re into wearing pants, too?”
“A shirt would be fine. I don’t like having to undress to go to the toilet.” Snickers answered.
Elusive giggled and sat to clap her hooves together in excitement. “Oh, darling; making clothes for a royal! This will be great for business. Come, Prince Snickers-”
“Snickers is fine.”
“Very well, dear. Snickers, allow me to show you some of my fall line of clothing.”
“Trixie would like a set of saddlebags.” Trixie announced as she approached Misty. “Make sure they bear her mark and match her coat color… please.”
“Of course, ma’am. Right this way.”
...
Trixie had gotten her saddlebags quite promptly and had left to return to the Keep for supper with Lord Lorde, leaving the foals to their own devices.
Wearing a blue shirt with a scarf that matched the lime green of his eyes and his cape, Snickers left the shop with several more shirts on order. He looked up into the night sky and saw fliers breaking the starry scene as they went about their business, and his aunt's moon rising on the horizon.
Noticing the griffon and pegasi guards perched on the roofs, he felt safer as he left with the fillies as they talked about what they’d have coming, too; having ordered some of their own dresses and shirts from the kind couple. The couple’s daughter had returned from playing with her friends earlier and had made friends with Silver Spoon quickly while Diamond and Cress played cards to pass the time.
Snickers didn’t mind being a model at first, but after half an hour it had become clear to Elusive that he wouldn’t stand still anymore. Understanding that foals weren’t as patient as adults, Elusive let him move around and talk with others as she draped fabrics over him to get his color palette just right. In lieu of having him wait hours for her to craft him a single shirt, she gave him something from a rack and a scarf to tide him over, stating a royal should never have to go naked, if they can help it.
Walking to the guards that quickly flanked him, he heard wings flapping from above as the fliers took to the air in the quieter evening. “Looks like everything starts to calm down when the sun sets, huh?” Cress mentioned.
“Yeah, like back home,” Diamond said. “I miss my daddy,” she said with a sigh.
“We all miss somepony.” Snickers said. “We can write them and start a mail service between us and Ponyville when I get back to the Keep. I’m sure Lorde won’t mind it, especially if we pay for a pegasus to fly there and back only to ferry letters around for us.”
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” Diamond said as she looked at a shop to their right and slowed. “Is anypony else hungry?”
“Won’t there be food at the Keep?” Cress asked.
“It won’t kill us to miss a single meal when we can have some local food. C’mon, I’ll pay.” Diamond said as she turned and went into the restaurant.
An older colt greeted them and then started when two guards entered to guard the doorway. He nervously sat the group and gave out menus before hesitantly bowing his head and returning to the front.
The rest took their seats on cotton cushions, ignoring the guards and shocked looks the other patrons gave them. “Waiter?” Diamond called to a stallion gawking at a counter.
The stallion hurried to them. “Welcome to Surf’s On, what can we get you dudes to drink?” He said with a gnarly accent.
“Do you have any good wine? I’d, like, die for some good wine.” Silver said, resting the flats of her hooves on the table.
“Yeah, that sounds great! Wine for us all. Uh, water for our stallion, please,” Diamond said as she glanced at Snickers.
“I’ll take a glass of wine, too. I just won’t drink as much. I have to get used to it, right?” Snickers said.
Diamond nodded. “It’s about time you started getting used to it. If you get tipsy, we’ll be there to carry you home,” she teased.
Snickers puffed out his cheeks in frustrated embarrassment before exhaling. “Fine, I’ll take some water, too.”
The stallion nodded and turned to trot away as there was a commotion at the door. All eyes in the establishment went to the gryphon that was entering. “Yo, Equestrians,” Gil said, waving to the foals at the table. Cress grinned widely and was the first to wave him over. “What’s up, dweebs,” Gil said as he took a seat.
“What would you like to drink, buddy?” the stallion asked as he returned.
“Whatever’s popular with local griffons.”
“Indeed. I’ll have your drinks out right away, dudes.”
Snickers noticed Gil watching the waiter walk away for a second too long before the gryphon returned his attention to Cress. “So, what’ve you all been up to all night? I’ve been living it up, myself. I got a spa treatment covered by that Lorde guy, then I went and got my fortune read, and even got a bandolier to match Kiwe’s.
“Oh, he’s watching his kid back at the Keep. I asked if he wanted to come into town with me, but he said he wanted to go to the bath house after you all got back. So, what’ve you been up to, little filly of the night?”
“Well,” Cress started, flicking her ears, “we started-”
“Hey, shut up, our drinks are coming,” Gil interrupted.
The stallion carried a tray on his back and with another’s help each had a drink placed before them in a few seconds. “So, like, do you need a minute, or are you ready to order?”
The foals and gryphon looked at their menus and then opened them. “We’ll, like, need a minute, okay?” Silver said, glancing over her menu to the waiter.
“Right on. I’ll be back in a few.”
“So, this looks like a meat and hay place, mostly. I haven’t eaten red meat before, I don’t wanna get gassy,” Diamond started as she looked down the menu. “How about some fish and hay chips?”
“I wanna try the boiled nettle in salad… oh! They have deep fried tempura vegetables!”
“What about the black bean burger?”
“The pepper fish filet sounds good.”
“Ooo, they have fried brownies for dessert.”
“Look at page three, at the bottom; there’s a platter with a little of every meat on it. We can totally, like, share!”
“I said I don’t wanna get gassy, Silver Spoon.”
“There’s a pony friendly platter right below it, girls,” Snickers said. “It just doesn’t have a picture. Let’s get that and-”
“I’m having a steak and seafood platter,” Gil cut in.
“Good for you,” Snickers said as he tapped the menu. “I know what I’m having, what about you girls?”
There was a few seconds of silence as they all figured out what to get, then they set their menus down and started talking about their day until their waiter returned. Taking their orders, he met eyes with Gil for a couple seconds before turning away and just barely brushing his tail along Gil’s.
Gil audibly purred before excusing himself to follow the waiter. Cress sneered and glared daggers at the waiter, even as Gil caught up to him and exchanged a few words before returning to their table.
“So, what was that about?” Cress snarkily asked.
Gil clacked his beak. “None of your little pony business, that’s what. So, how about that weather? Do you think their weather patrols are as good as the ones in Equestria?”
“What the hay kind of answer is that?” Silver said to the gryphon. “You know Cress-” she was silenced by a pink hoof to her muzzle.
“Nothing,” Diamond said with her snout raised. “If you can’t see what’s right in front of you, you don’t deserve it.”
Cress licked her lips, her tongue gliding over her fangs gently. “Yeah, you don’t deserve what you can’t see right in front of you.”
“What are you all talking about? I just asked him something, that’s all.”
“What’d you ask him, then, huh?” Diamond pushed.
Gil growled deeply in the back of his throat, getting a little more attention from the curious crowd. “Snickers, keep your females under control before they ask something that will get them in trouble.”
“Hey, don’t talk to him like that!” Silver shouted.
“Oh, sorry,” Gil said, sarcastically, “Prince Snickers, please keep your little Ladies in order.”
There was a smattering of gasps and whispers began throughout the restaurant as Snickers blushed a little. “I didn’t want to talk about that, Gil! I just wanted a little dinner in peace with my friends and family.”
Gil laughed loudly. “You mean with armed guards all over the place keeping guard over you? How much more casual can you get? Why not wear ceremonial robes with a crown,” he said pointing to the cape Snickers was wearing, “oops, you’re already halfway there.”
Snickers slapped Gil’s talons away from touching his cape. “If you’re gonna be a jerk you can just leave!”
Gil snerked. “Nah, I’m just pulling your leg. You all need to calm down before you hurt yourselves.” He said, looking around the table they were at.
Snickers took a deep breath in, then exhaled. “You’re right, we’re just having some fun, right, girls? Let’s not get over excited about any of this, okay? We don’t wanna start off on a bad hoof with the locals, right?”
The other fillies at the table nodded and then, with some effort, began talking again about their day.
Snickers turned to Gil and spoke softly. “If you call me out like that again, I’ll have the guards escort you to the edge of the city for a few hours of hole digging.” Sitting back up, he turned to Diamond and joined in her and Silver’s conversations while Gil thought of the threat, then swallowed hard. He flexed his talons under the table, then sighed in defeat. He looked around the table at the fillies and wanted to make a comment, but held it back.
He wasn’t winning any friends or allies and he knew it, and he’d have to do something different to avoid being punished like the child he was acting like.
Author's Note
Sorry for the dely in posting. I lost my editor halfway through the chapter. If anypony's interested in editing, proof reading, and/or pre-reading, let me know.
Thanks!